The National Science Foundation (NSF) will use $50 million to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in historically underrepresented communities.
NSF said Tuesday it will invest these funds in five new alliances that aim to involve underrepresented communities in STEM education through the NSF INCLUDES National Network.
The agency's INCLUDES network consists of 3,000 academic, public and private partners working to promote STEM across the U.S.
"Creating pathways to success for a STEM workforce reflective of the U.S. population is of national importance to ensuring America's competitiveness in a global research landscape," said Sylvia Butterfield, acting assistant director for NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate.
The newly formed alliances will focus on food, energy and water systems, STEM inclusion of students with disabilities, identity-inclusive computing education, partnerships launching underrepresented students and Latino representation.
Institutions involved include the University of California Berkeley, University of Arizona, San Diego State University, Phoenix College, Northeastern University, Auburn University and Duke University.
