On Aug. 30-31, the Department of the Navy's (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) program will host its annual Naval Opportunity Awareness Workshop (OAW) at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

There will also be a special, student-focused pre-workshop event, Aug. 29, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The workshop is aimed at college and university presidents, vice presidents, provosts, faculty, staff and students from HBCU/MIs. It will highlight research opportunities within the Navy and Marine Corps, summer faculty/sabbatical research opportunities, student internships and scholarships.

The OAW provides a platform for direct engagement between the Department of the Navy and key stakeholders, potential grantees and future partners. It serves as a recruitment tool to get more HBCU/MI faculty involved in naval-relevant scientific research, and to attract students to internships.

There are hundreds of minority-serving institutions across the country, and Navy HBCU/MI officials want to increase awareness to take advantage of the DoN HBCU/MI programs. HBCU/MI programs offer various opportunities for faculty and students to work collaboratively with scientists and engineers at naval labs on projects of mutual interest.

"HBCU/MI students are a national asset," said Anthony C. Smith Sr., director, Department of the Navy, HBCU/MI program. "We're interested in fostering student interest in scientific research and implementing their research into the DoD."

The DoN HBCU/MI program is based at the Office of Naval Research, with the mission of discovering some of the best and brightest minds at HBCU/MIs.

"These students and faculty are a huge, untapped asset that can benefit the Navy and the nation," said Smith.

The program has three main goals:

-Expand opportunities for schools to successfully compete for grants and contracts for basic and applied research.

-Offer scholarships, fellowships and internships to students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) studies.

-Promote greater student interest in STEM degrees at HBCU/MIs.

"We want our young minds and their ideas, infused into our programs," Smith Sr. said. "Diverse innovative minds will help us maintain a competitive advantage over our adversaries."

Watch a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPOFH9a6HiA about the Navy's HBCU/MI program.

For more information about the Naval Opportunity Awareness Workshop, or to register, please contact Dr. Cyntrica Eaton at cyntrica.eaton.ctr@navy.mil.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Office of Naval Research, visit www.navy.mil/.