Over the years we have received several awards of recognition.

winston

The Alabama A & M University Research Institute (AAMURI) was established in 1999 by the University’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Robert Shepard of SEA and Mr. Tommy Smith of LLNL were two of the first supporters of the concept of enhancing the University’s R&D portfolio beyond grants into applied research that entailed competing for government and private industry contracts to solve real problems.

kidsnasa1

As one of the contributors in the establishment of the Science and Engineering Alliance, my expectations have been vastly exceeded. SEA has proven to be more resilient and relevant than its contemporary comparable organizations as demonstrated by its thriving through times of great challenges. It continues to grow and serve its member institutions and partners, while meeting its dynamic mission of brining ‘big science’ to the HBCU community and to its global constituents.

Dr. Robert Ford
Professor of Chemistry
~Texas Southern University~

History of SEA

In early 1990, the presidents of four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) namely, Alabama A&M University (Huntsville, AL), Jackson State University (Jackson, MS), Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, TX) and Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, LA), initiated discussions pledging to combine their resources to form an alliance to help improve their science and engineering research and education programs.

On February 21, 1990, the group formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging to work together as a group called the Science and Engineering Alliance (SEA) at a ceremony at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

To move the concept forward, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) formally joined the Alliance by signing a MOU with SEA on June 16, 1990, and pledging to: (a) search for an individual that would be tasked to build the organization and (b) establish programs for advancing knowledge in the physical sciences and engineering.

Based on his independent work to engage HBCUs in federal research programs, Robert L. Shepard, Ph.D. was selected by LLNL to build SEA and move the enterprise forward. With backing from the four members and LLNL, Dr. Shepard moved forward quickly:

1990 -- Dr. Robert Shepard terminated his 15-year career in the Office of Research at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to become founding executive director of SEA

1990 -- Secured, designed and served as general contractor for the build out of what was to become SEA Headquarters at 1522 K Street, N.W., Suite 210, Washington, D.C. 20005 near key federal agencies and related businesses

1990 -- Secured pro-bono legal services for SEA from Winston & Strawn, an international law firm with offices around the world

November 26, 1990 -- Moved into the newly designed SEA headquarters

1991 -- Established two research working groups: (1) High Performance Computing and Communication (HPCC) and (2) Radiation of Materials

May 23, 1991 -- Received Advanced Ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that the SEA Articles of Incorporation not only met the requirements for 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt status, but also met the requirements for 509(a)(1) Foundation status

June 6, 1991 -- Hired first SEA employee, Mrs. Halima Adasi, a financial expert

1991 -- Received support from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to implement the 1st undergraduate and high school students awards program

1992 -- Implemented a faculty and student summer internship program at LLNL

1992 -- Awarded $500,000 from DOE & Fund for the Improvement of Post secondary Education (FIPSE) to implement teacher enhancement workshops

1992 -- Awarded $900,000 from DOE for Infrastructure Development support of SEA

September 25, 1992 -- IRS dropped Advanced Ruling and granted SEA, Inc. both Nonprofit Section 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt status and 509(a)(1) Foundation status under the incorporation laws of the State of Delaware

1994 -- Awarded $1.1 million from the DOE to initiate High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program

1995 -- Awarded $800,000 from DOE to conduct radiation research at the Center for Advanced Microstructure Devices (CAMD)

1996 -- Awarded $250,000 from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to implement Environmental Justice and Empowerment training programs.

1996 -- Became a member of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and United Way charitable giving programs

With these foundation building activities, SEA, Inc. moved forward on its mission to use innovative strategies for broadening participation in Federal research programs to include involvement of HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Based on its works, in 2002 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requested and became the second national laboratory to affiliate with SEA, Inc. Also, in 2006 SEA Founding Executive Director received the National Emerald Honors Award for Educational Leadership by Science Spectrum Magazine.

Founding Members:
Alabama A&M University (AAMU)
Jackson State University (JSU)
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU)
Southern University and A&M College (SUBR)

Founding Associate Member:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Others Collaborators:
Cray, The Supercomputer Company
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF)
International Business Machines (IBM)
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. (NEON)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
U.S. Department of Education (DoED)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)
Extensive List of Academic Partners