President Obama’s advisor on science and technology John P. Holdren, Ph.D., visited the faculty and students from Morgan State’s School of Engineering and its School of Architecture and Planning to discuss STEM capacity building at historically black colleges and universities. He toured Morgan’s CBEIS facility, which houses one of only two earthquake simulators on the East coast, and can register up to nine points on the Richter scale.
Holden also serves as assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in its Center for the Built Environment and Infrastructure Studies.
His trip last week was part of OSTP’s “week of action†to help accelerate, support, and raise awareness of STEM opportunities for African American students, schools, and communities.
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Holdren is reported to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on energy policy and climate science. Morgan officials praised his visit, showcasing Morgan State as a great academic resource in the sciences, and launching a national conversation on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) value in global STEM development.
“Morgan is proud of its partnerships with state and federal agencies in developing innovation in the STEM fields,†said Morgan President David Wilson. He added that the university was honored to have “Dr. Holdren and to boldly serve as a premier national research institution meeting the challenges and creating opportunities in critical global industries.â€
“One of the smartest things we can do to keep our Nation globally competitive is ensure that our science, technology, engineering, and math workforce taps into America’s extraordinarily diverse talent pool,†Holdren said. “Morgan State is helping to cultivate the next generation of discoverers, builders, inventors, and thinkers that will keep America innovating on the cutting edge.â€