by Lauren Lumpkin

The Energy Department will direct $17.3 million to support research and internship opportunities, with a focus on increasing the number of students of color in science, technology, engineering and math fields, Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at Howard University on Monday.

More than $5 million will fund research projects at 11 universities, including Howard and Florida A&M — both historically Black schools — and the University of Texas at El Paso, where the majority of students are Hispanic.

“The data makes it clear that we need diversity in science, technology, engineering and math,” Granholm said at a roundtable discussion on racial disparities in STEM fields. “We really want to see a diverse pipeline of our future workforce and our problem-solvers and scientists.”

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