NASA has awarded the University of Houston $1.2 million to grow diversity initiatives in STEM and aerospace-related engineering fields and address barriers to access and success for historically underserved and underrepresented students.
"Partnership for Inclusivity in Engineering Education and Research for Space" also known as PIE2RS, is a collaboration between UH, UH – Clear Lake, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Boeing Company and the Greater Houston Partnership.
“Our research, as well as the research of leading scholars, has highlighted the challenges underrepresented students face, including isolation, marginalization, racial bias and hostile educational environments,” said Dr. Jerrod A. Henderson, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UH and the project’s principal investigator. “Our goal with PIE2RS is to improve the recruitment and retention of students in aerospace-related STEM disciplines, increase their sense of belonging and broaden their participation through hands-on research and experiential learning opportunities.”
Henderson said that the PIE2RS project will support students in the following ways:
