A Chronology of Effective Partnership
A timeline depicting what we have achieved with our HBCU partners
2017 Center Activities
The Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility established an alliance with the two leading HBCUs in the nation.
Founded in 1870, Benedict College is the second oldest HBCU in the state of South Carolina. Since its founding, it has been a key institution in diversifying the workforce and giving enriching opportunities to minority students.
South Carolina State University, founded in 1896, is South Carolina's only public HBCU. This institution is often regarded as a prominent flag-bearer for producing African-American graduates.
2018 Center Activities
- Research collaborations
- Research demonstrations
- Summits
- Poster presentations
In 2018, center affiliates participated in the Summer Research Team for Minority Serving Institutions of the Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Gurcan Comert and current Clemson M.Sc. student Jacquan Pollard represented Benedict College at this event.
2018 was also the first year that the Center of Connected Multimodal Mobility started attending the annual Men of Color Summit. Since then, our center has been proudly supporting and participating in this event that empowers men of African American and Hispanic descent to strive for success in the workplace.
2019 Center Activities
- Research collaborations
- Workshops
- Summer research programs
- Research demonstrations
- Summer camps
- Research presentations
In 2019, we launched a Connected/Autonomous Vehicle Workshop at the second oldest HBCU in South Carolina: Benedict College. This is one of the many workshops the Center of Connected Multimodal Mobility has organized over the years.
Dr. Mashrur "Ronnie" Chowdhury hosted Benedict College’s Cyber Security Summer Camp presenting groundbreaking cybersecurity research to middle school and high school students.
Dr. Chowdhury, the Director of Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility, interacted with Benedict College students and faculty from a myriad of majors, such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Criminal Justice, Engineering, and Psychology, on Connected and Autonomous vehicle research.
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2020 Center Activities
- Research collaborations
- Workshops
- Online courses
- Research presentations
- Summits
In 2020, the Center of Connected Multimodal Mobility launched and completed an online course titled 'Future Leaders Program,' which empowered young minds to think about transportation in unique ways and encouraged students to engage in leadership activities.
Our minority-serving partner affiliates were able to support 11 students through center- funded projects.
2021 Center Activities
- Research collaborations
- Quantum AI lab launched
- Webinars
- Virtual workshops (including GIS workshop offered by Clemson Center for Geospatial Technologies)
- Online courses
The COVID-19 pandemic upended many activities all over the world, but that did not hinder our center's commitment towards encouraging diversity in the arena of transportation. The Center of Connected Multimodal Mobility continued to lead various workshops catered to students, faculty members, and staff from South Carolina HBCU and technical colleges.
Our center hit a huge milestone in 2021 when we launched a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab headquartered at the second oldest HBCU in the state: Benedict College.
Additionally, a center-supported Quantum Artificial Intelligence course was launched at Benedict College, encouraging students from diverse and minority backgrounds to be educated on emerging topics in transportation.
We led a nationwide webinar titled "The Path to Academic Careers for HBCU Students." Seven academic and research institutions from all over the nation participated in this webinar educating students from minority backgrounds on how to achieve their desired career path. All moderators and panel members were BIPOC individuals who have attended or work at an HBCU.
In addition, our center also led a "Path to Entrepreneurship for HBCU Students" webinar, where female and minority founders of start up businesses disseminated their knowledge, expertise, and business acumen to young, burgeoning, future entrepreneurs. This national event was co-sponsored by Benedict College, the South Carolina Research Authority, and South Carolina State University.
