HU ANNOUNCES COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN MARINE SCIENCE
ODU, W&M join in Ph.D. minority program

Hampton, VA - Hampton University’s Department of Marine Science will hold an opening ceremony to announce the Hall-Bonner Program for Minority Doctoral Scholars in Ocean Sciences on April 30 at 1p.m. in the Marine Science Building conference room at Hampton University.

The Hall-Bonner program is designed to increase the number of under-represented minority students earning Ph.D. degrees in marine and ocean sciences. The collaboration between Hampton University, The College of William and Mary’s School of Marine Science (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) and Old Dominion University’s Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is supported by a $1.1 million award from the Geosciences Division of the National Science Foundation.

The program will build on the recognized strengths in graduate-level education in the marine and ocean sciences of the region’s two major state supported universities.

Students will earn their degrees following the normal Ph.D. curricula at either ODU or W&M and take additional specialized courses at HU. The Hall-Bonner program will also provide full support for tuition and stipends. Six students are currently members of the program and will be introduced at the ceremony.

"The Hall-Bonner program will help prepare students for careers as college professors and leaders in the scientific community," said Dr. Ben Cuker, a marine science professor at Hampton University Cuker leads the program and is also a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation. He has worked to increase diversity in the aquatic sciences and runs the MAST (Multicultural Students At Sea Together) program.

Each of the other faculty directors has worked to diversify the marine science field in numerous capacities. Dr. Deidre Gibson, Assistant Director of the Hall-Bonner Program at Hampton University, specializes in marine zooplankton ecology. Dr. Gregory Cutter, directs the ODU component of the program and specializes in chemical oceanographer research. Dr. Linda Schaffner, directs the W&M component of the program and is an associate professor of marine science. She is also the director of the Summer Intern Program at VIMS.

The Hall-Bonner program is named for leaders in establishing marine science education at Hampton University—the late professor Anita Hall and the retired dean of the school of science, Dr. Robert Bonner. Bonner will speak during the ceremony.

For more information about the program contact Dr. Ben Cuker at 757-727-5884 or benjamin.cuker@hamptonu.edu.