United States Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) announced the award of more than $1.5 million in federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research at two of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Bowie State University. Both grant awards begin in June.

Bowie State will receive a $300,000 award to empower junior and mid-level faculty to expand the institution’s research capacity through a project entitled “Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms Preceding the Aging Skeletal Muscle Phenotype;” and Morgan State University will receive close to $1.25 million for a project aimed at broadening opportunities for African-American students to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, entitled “PERSIST – Pathways to Enhance Retention of Students in Science to Transition.”