Oyster-shell sensor research among Jackson State’s 400 projects
Jackson State University joined 13 other historically Black colleges and universities in April to form the Association of HBCU Research Institutions, a coalition that aims to help member institutions compete for larger federal grants and expand their campus programs. The new coalition will receive support from Harvard University and plans to work with the country’s top research universities, according to the announcement.
Jackson State leaders say they want the university to reach the nation’s top research classification — a designation currently held only by Howard University — and that the status could help the school attract stronger faculty and student candidates, compete for larger federal grants, and expand its national reputation beyond Mississippi.
Jackson State is already operating at substantial research scale. The university is currently conducting about 400 research projects across its programs, including a marine biology initiative led by Professor Kamal Ali.
Ali and his team of Jackson State student researchers spent their summer tending to a crate of oysters, magnets and wires as part of the project. The team is developing tiny sensors that attach to oyster shells to collect data on how the creatures respond to changes in their environment.
The marine research project operates under the Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence, known as MBRACE. The sensor work is one of approximately 400 research projects currently underway at Jackson State, according to the university.