Abstract
We have developed a curriculum at Howard University that educates and prepares students, especially underrepresented minorities, for careers in
atmospheric, Earth and Space Sciences. One of the main objectives of the current initiative has been to provide introductory Earth & Space Science courses at the
undergraduate level through the Department of Physics
& Astronomy. These courses enhance student learning
by including astronomical observing and laboratory
demonstration opportunities at the Howard University
Observatory. Intermediate-level courses in Atmospheric
and Space Science have also been designed, and will
serve as a bridge toward the graduate-level courses
currently being offered by the M.S./Ph.D.-granting
Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences
(HUPAS). HUPAS is the first and only program at a
Historically Black College or University (HBCU) that
offers a terminal graduate degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in
Atmospheric Sciences. Currently, a total of 23 graduate
students are enrolled in HUPAS, which include 14
African-Americans and 6 Hispanic-Americans, and 3
international students from Mexico, Barbados and
Madagascar; and the gender breakdown is 13 females
and 10 males. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
largest number of African/Hispanic students enrolled in
a graduate atmospheric science program in the U.S.
