Penn State honored by U.S. Congressional Black Caucus

Penn State honored by U.S. Congressional Black Caucus

Michael Adewumi

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State's Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering and Development in Africa (AESEDA) and Michael Adewumi, AESEDA director, received the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus' Champion Partnership Award during the caucus' 35th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

The award is presented to distinguished leaders who have formed innovative alliances with other institutions to provide access and opportunities which ensure equitable education and brighter future prospects for under-served students.

Penn State and Adewumi, who also is professor and the Quentin E. and Louise L. Wood Faculty Fellow in petroleum & natural gas engineering, were honored for their creativity, visionary leadership and commitment to Inventing an Equitable Future in America.

Receiving the award during the Congressional Black Caucus Education Brain-trust Symposium Sept 23, Penn State was cited for leading a major effort to encourage participation of African-American students in the fields of georesources management; including geosciences and petroleum engineering, through its AESEDA program.

AESEDA develops and fosters interdisciplinary research, education and outreach initiatives aimed at harnessing georesources for sustainable livelihoods in Africa, with a focus in the U.S. on under-represented populations. The alliance pursues this mission to maximize the potential of both human and physical resources through partnerships among Penn State University, Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States, select African universities, and public and private-sector organizations.

Using summer enrichment programs, faculty and student exchange programs, joint development and delivery of courses, and real world "case studies," AESEDA shows students the many personal and global benefits in the combination of physical sciences, engineering and social sciences.

Penn State was nominated for the award by SECME Inc., an organization dedicated to increasing the pool of historically under-represented, geographically under-served and differently-abled students who will be prepared to enter and complete post-secondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and one of Penn State's AESEDA partners.