Earlier this year, students and faculty in an NNSA-supported STEM program had the opportunity to meet President Biden when he visited North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
National Nuclear Security Administration
August 15, 2022
minute read time
Earlier this year, students and faculty in an NNSA-supported STEM program had the opportunity to meet President Biden when he visited North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT) as part of his national tour focusing on economic recovery through America’s new manufacturing efforts.
Not only does MSIPP provide advanced training and exposure to the Nuclear Security Enterprise for the next generation, but it also provides us with a unique and talented recruiting pool from which we are able to hire some of our most promising future employees.
President Biden’s visit highlighted the ways in which NCAT’s research and development has made an impact on students, faculty, and staff.
NCAT is one of 55 institutions participating in NNSA’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program (MSIPP), which is designed to build a sustainable pipeline between the agency’s sites and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in STEM disciplines.
NCAT is the nation’s largest historically black university and ranks in the top three public research schools in North Carolina. It leads the Pipeline Development of Skilled Workforce in STEM through Advanced Manufacturing (STEAM) consortium, which brings together MSIs and National Labs to work on cutting-edge technologies and automated systems, focusing on opportunities for students to build relationships that could help them in their careers.
“We are honored by President Biden’s visit, which calls attention to MSIPP’s important mission within NNSA,” said Frank Lowery, Associate Administrator for Management and Budget, the office that oversees MSIPP. “Not only does MSIPP provide advanced training and exposure to the Nuclear Security Enterprise for the next generation, but it also provides us with a unique and talented recruiting pool from which we are able to hire some of our most promising future employees.”
MSIs support Black, Hispanic, Native-American, Asian, Pacific-Islander, and native Alaskan and Hawaiian students. MSIPP has received over $158 million to fund these institutions since 2018. NNSA collaborates with STEM programs within MSIs to promote its labs, plants, and sites, allowing the institutions to take advantage of NNSA research facilities and technologies.
“Being present to influence others and being humble about fame were lessons I learned from these experiences,” noted M.A. Muktadir, a graduate student at NCAT. “In addition, I learned that famous people are like us, often carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.”