20 Years of Service

At SEA, our highest priority is opening doors of opportunity and creating access for faculty and students. Enhancing research networking and communication through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborations helps us achieve this priority.

Collaboration and partnership is at the heart of what we do, and working with federal agencies, corporations and foundations, we align faculty capabilities to seek research projects with high risk and high payoff.

We recognize that to be a successful Alliance we must demonstrate value-added benefits of the technical marketing and community relations management efforts put forth for our members by leveraging resources to maximize productivity.

History

1990

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the SEA schools and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Robert L. Shepard, PhD, founding Executive Director, opens SEA headquarters

1991

Executive Director hires first employee - Mrs. Halima Adasi - DC Office Manager

SEA is incorporated in the state of Delaware

Establishes LLNL Summer Research Program for faculty and student enhancement

First Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Washington, DC)

1992

U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) jointly fund a proposal to establish Teacher Enhancement Workshops at each SEA Institution

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) grants nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status

Established Design Team Working Groups:
(a) High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) and
(b) Broadband (UV to Hard X-Ray) Radiation Beam Line

2nd Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1993

3rd Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1994

DOE funds SEA-HPCC research project

4th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1995

DOE funds radiation research at the J. Bennett Johnston, Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD)

Cray Research, Inc. extends offer to expand SEA High Performance Computing and

Communications (HPCC) research initiative

5th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1996

NASA funds Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) project

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds environmental justice and empowerment training program

EPA funds scientific awareness workshop for culturally diverse colleges and universities

1997

Enter discussion on the U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program

7th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1998

SEA-HPCC team granted membership in RCI, Ltd. through sponsorship by IBM

SEA-HPCC team participates in the National Supercomputing Forum sponsored by RCI, Ltd.

EPA funds SEA workshop on climatic changes in the Gulf Coast region of the United States

Army Research Laboratory (ARL) funds enhancement of STARS program

SBA, DARPA, and EPA funds project to build strategic alliances between HBCUs and Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SBDS)

Executive Director hires second employee - Ms. Tanisha Gray - Administrative Assistant
6th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

8th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

1999

FIPSE provides funds for creation of Centers of Excellence for Math and Science Teacher Preparation at each SEA institution

DOD funds ID/IQ contract for a variety of IT support services for DISA customers

9th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

2000

Establishes Small Business Mentoring Programs at each SEA institution

Implements the SEA Research Division by expanding the DC office to 1628 square feet

Implements the SEA Student Intern Program through a joint venture between SEA and the DOE/EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Student Research Program at Southern University and A&M College (SUBR)

10th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

2001

11th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Gaithersburg, MD)

2002

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between SEA and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Implements the SEA Alumni Technical Symposium as part of the SEA Student Technical Conference

Implements the SEA Partnership Breakfast

Executive Director hires contracting consultant Ms. Eva M. Owens - Project Manager for Program Enhancement (PMPE)

12th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference

2003

Winston & Strawn Foundation provides funds for establishment of the SEA Winston & Strawn Education Training Institute (WSETI) to provide support to District of Columbia Public School students and teachers

DOE selects SEA as a mentor organization for its intern Student Diversity Partnership Program (SDPP)

Creation and design of the SEA Training Center

13th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference
1st Annual Alumni Symposium

2004

LLNL provides funds for the establishment of the Faculty Fellowship Program (FFP)

Dr. Robert L. Shepard designated as a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer (2005-2006)

14th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Washington, DC)
2nd Annual Alumni Symposium

2005

Awarded W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant to help enhance Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) develop contract management capacity.

NIST provides funding for the Guest Lecturer Series (GLS) program at all four SEA institutions

Enter discussion on the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) project

15th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Washington, DC)
3rd Annual Alumni Symposium

2006

Awarded National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) grant to facilitate the involvement of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in national-scale research and education on environmental challenges unfolding across the United States.

SEA Executive Director awarded the National Emerald Honors Award for Educational Leadership by Science Spectrum Magazine

16th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Gaithersburg, MD)
4th Annual Alumni Symposium

2007

SEA Receives Additional Funding to Involve K-12 Teachers and Undergraduate and High School
Students in the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Initiative

17th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Gaithersburg, MD)
5th Annual Alumni Symposium

2008

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has approves an 18-month grant in the amount of $50,000. The purpose of the grant is to assess the involvement of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in wildlife, fish and conservation biology.

A contract between SEA and NEON has established to provide a two-year subcontractor to assist by increasing the participation of HBCUs and MSIs by promoting the scope of future NEON activities.

18th Annual SEA Student Technical Conference (Gaithersburg, MD)
6th Annual Alumni Symposium

2009

Through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (SEA) has been awarded a subcontract to partner with the Ecological Society of America (ESA) on cultivating participation of underrepresented institutions and students in National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) science and education.

Through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (SEA) has been awarded a three-year grant to facilitate workshops for young faculty at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) on the mechanics of developing competitive research proposals.

Through funding from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (SEA) has been awarded a three-year agreement to provide support to the District of Columbia (DC) Regional Science Bowl by increasing the participation of students from underrepresented groups in the national competition.

19th Annual SEA Student Technical Program

2010

SEA conducts second Mechanics of Developing Competitive Proposals Workshop for Junior Faculty, New University Faculty Members and Graduate Researchers on National Science Foundation (NSF) BIO Directorate Funding Opportunities.