DSU joins reseach consortium with two other HBCUs
Delaware State University has recently joined a consortium with two other HBCUs in a research enterprise supported by a three-year $2.47 million grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The Consortium for Laser-based Analysis of Nuclear and Environmental Materials (LANEM) brings together researchers and students from Del State, Alabama State University and Florida A&M University. In addition, two national laboratories – the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn. – are also a part of the consortium.
The primary goal of the LANEM Consortium is to train STEM students in the science and technology of detection and identification of materials that are of interest to the NNSA and the Department of Energy. Such students (undergraduate, graduate) from the three universities will be engaged with post-doctorate and faculty members in collaborative research projects that focus on increasing the precision and accuracy of the detection and identification of materials of interest to national security.
The research will involve a combination of advanced Laser-based technologies such as laser-induced spectroscopy and fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy.
The LANEM Consortium will also focus on broadening the participation of researchers underrepresented in STEM disciplines. The partners of the consortium will also work together to seek employment opportunities for the students that participate in the LANEM research projects.
Dr. Hacene Boukari, Professor of Physics and Engineering at Del State, is a co-Principal Investigator of the NNSA grant. According to Dr. Boukari, Delaware State University will receive about $1 million from the grant over the three-year period.