Overview of Support to MSIs and Funding Opportunities Chester L. Scott Program Analyst Office of Minority Education and Community Development January 21, 2016

Our Mission: To advise the Secretary on the effect of energy policies, regulations, and other actions of the Department and its components on minority business enterprises, minority serving institutions, and minority communities, ensuring that these groups are afforded an opportunity to participate fully in Departmental activities and programs.  To accomplish the mission of the Department of Energy, we need the best and brightest individuals to work at and partner with the Department.  Tapping into the talents of students and faculty attending our nation's Minority Serving Institutions is one way to increase the diversity of the Department’s future workforce and the energy industry. Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) 2

Department Support to MSIs Building effective partnerships between MSIs and the Department of Energy (DOE) is critical to our mission. ED collects data from program offices pertaining to their support to institutions of higher education. Annually, ED compiles the planned and annual report based on the data gathered, and submits the reports to the White House Initiative Offices on minority education. The Department is interested in advancing collaborative research projects, providing systematic outreach and recruitment programs, and supporting funding goals to ensure opportunities for MSIs in many ways including: Research and Development Infrastructure Support Training & Development for Students and Faculty Internships and Fellowships 3

DOE’s Support to MSIs Overall, in FY 2014, the Department provided approximately $71.9 million to Minority-Serving Institutions: $46.3 million to Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institutions; $12.5 million to Hispanic-Serving Institutions; $9.4 million to Historically Black Colleges and Universities; $3.3 million to American Indian and Alaska Native-Serving Institutions; $400,900 to Tribal Colleges and Universities; and $34,000 to Predominantly Black Institutions. 4

Minority Serving Institutions The Department of Energy and its National Laboratories provide funding opportunities and technical assistance to Minority Serving Institutions. For more: 5

Minorities in Energy Initiative September 2013, the Department launched the Minorities in Energy Initiative (MIE) as a platform to increase engagement of minority and tribal communities in the broader energy sector, with a focus on minority-owned businesses and workers. MIE is a Department-wide initiative under the leadership of the Department’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity The Initiative has attracted over 30 executive-level ambassadors from industry, government, academia, and non-profits to champion the efforts across the country, bringing needed focus to the challenge before us: closing the “participation gap” of minorities in the energy sector MIE addresses the underrepresentation of minority and tribal populations in: STEM Education and Workforce Development, Energy Economic Development, and Climate Change. 6

Advancing Research and Technology in the Sciences Forum The Department is committed to increasing communication and technical assistance to MSIs. Through the Advancing Research and Technology in the Sciences (ARTS) forum, universities and the Department showcased their capabilities and explored opportunities for collaboration. – Over 40 MSIs attended the day-long forum that included breakout sessions with DOE program offices. – Follow-up activities including webinars and conference calls scheduled thorough the summer Continued support to these institutions will ensure a diverse STEM workforce that will give our nation a competitive edge on the global scale in developing energy-related technologies. The 2016 ARTS Forum will be held on April at the Department. We hope to increase the number of MSI participants in

Min ority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program (MEISPP) Offers talented students (HS- graduate school) summer internship positions with the U.S. Department of Energy and its national laboratories and facilities. The 2015 class includes over 100 students placed at Headquarters and field locations Students receive an intensive eight or ten-week assignment to "jump-start" their careers and develop their potential for future opportunities within the Federal government Students work side-by-side with leading scientists, engineers, and other top professionals to develop professional skills and enhance leadership capabilities Students assigned in Washington, DC participated in Energy Industry Education series The 2015 Internship class included an Entrepreneurship Boot camp cohort at Argonne National Laboratory. 8

Examples of Current and Future DOE Partnerships with MSIs Clark Atlanta University ( CAU) Atlanta University Consortium (AUC): Collaboration with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College to support capacity building in the areas of alternative, renewable and green energy technologies. In FY 2011, ED provided additional funds to Clark Atlanta University to broaden the scope of the project to include Guam Community College, Santa Fe Community College, and Haskell Indian Nations University ($750K). DOE funded the construction of the Thomas W. Cole Research and Science Building to facilitate collaborative research among HBCUs, particularly those in the AUC ($9.3M). National Nuclear Security Administration K-20 Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Program: Provide grants to HBCUs, DOE National Laboratories, and School District to meet the merging needs of local, state, national and international workforce requirements in the cybersecurity fields of study ($13M). Participating Partners include: Norfolk State University (Prime), Allen University, Benedict College, Bowie State University, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Denmark Technical College, Morris College, North Carolina A&T State University, Paine College, South Carolina State University, University of the Virgin Island, Voorhees College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and Charleston County School District. 9

Examples of Current and Future DOE Partnerships with MSIs Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) Minority Serving Institution Partnerships Program (MSIPP): Supports research, education, training, and workforce development at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ($6M) 2015 Awardees include: Alabama State University, Benedict College, City University of New York, Florida A&M University, Florida International University, Howard University, South Carolina State University and University of Nevada-Las Vegas A competitive research solicitation will be issued in November for multi-year awards (single-year awards were issued in 2015). Please visit the following website for more information on MSIPP: 10

Examples of Current and Future DOE Partnerships with MSIs The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, the program gives minority students valuable hands-on experience in developing technologies to promote the efficient and environmentally safe use of fossil fuels. The following universities were selected: Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama Florida International University, Miami, Florida Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana University of Texas, El Paso, El Paso, Texas 11

Barriers Facing MSIs 1) Lack of familiarity with DOE business processes and technical requirements 2) Lack of knowledge by DOE program offices about MSI capabilities 3) Absence of dedicated MSI funding opportunities 4) Lack of on-campus research opportunities 5) Perceptions that MSIs do not have the technical capabilities and/or infrastructure to do competitive research 6) Lack of support for campus systems enhancements and faculty release time for research 7) Conflict between teaching and research at MSIs 8) The complexity factor—difficulty of navigating DOE 9) Laboratories lack of experience working with "non-traditional" audiences (i.e., the absence of diversity in the laboratory's routine stakeholders 12

Actions to Address MSI Barriers 1) Established funding goals for DOE program offices to support MSIs 2) Develop mechanisms to ensure that MSIs are informed of all financial assistance opportunities at DOE 3) Coordinate meetings between MSI representatives and DOE senior program officials to discuss funding opportunities 4) Increased inter-office communications regarding program activities and initiatives involving MSIs 5) Convened regular Technical Assistance Workshops to empower MSIs to become more competitive in research and development activities 6) Established a Technical Working Group to identify Department-wide funding opportunities 7) Funded infrastructure activities at HBCUs and other MSIs. For example, funded the Clark Atlanta University Thomas W. Cole Research and Science Building to support collaborative research activities with HBCUs, particularly those in the Atlanta University Center 8) Funded faculty and student research assignments at DOE Laboratories 13

Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Questions or Comments? 14