Delaware State's Dr. Gabriel Gwanmesia Awarded Nsf $672,000 HBCU Excellence In Research Grant
|
Posted By: Kennedy Williams on July 27, 2021 The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Delaware State University’s Dr. Gabriel Gwanmesia a three-year $672,000 HBCU Excellence in Research grant in support of mantle mineral research. Dr. Gwanmesia, a Professor of Physics and Engineers, will use the grant to support his current research project, entitled, “Effect of Hydration on the Thermo-elastic Properties of Mantle Minerals and the Geophysical Implications.” The grant is funded jointly by two NSF initiatives – the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) and Earth Sciences (EAR) programs. The research focuses on wadsleyite and ringwoodite, two prominent minerals found at depths of 410 to 660 kilometers below the earth’s surface, in an area known as the transition zone. Laboratory and theoretical studies have confirmed that the two minerals can incorporate up to 2-3 weight percent (20,000-30,000 parts per million) of hydroxyl water in the structure, depending on the pressure and temperature conditions. The structural water causes significant changes in the physical properties (such as electrical and thermal conductivity, melting, rock flow), including how fast earthquake vibrations travel through the mineral. Earth scientists also speculate that the mass of water in the minerals could easily exceed that in the world's oceans, given the relative abundance of wadsleyite and ringwoodite phases in the transition zone. Dr. Gwanmesia will utilize high-pressure techniques to fabricate synthetic samples of these essential mantle minerals with controlled water content in the laboratory and measure the speed of sound waves (velocity) in the mineral. The study could resolve persistent questions about anomalous sound wave velocity increases in the transition zone by comparing the study's data with earthquake vibration wave profiles from seismic studies. When combined with data from other geophysics fields, the study results could significantly increase our knowledge of the Earth's structure and chemical composition. The sample synthesis will take place at a high-pressure laboratory at Stoney Brook University, Long Island, N.Y. Dr. Gwanmesia’ measurement of the sound wave speeds will be done under synchrotron X-radiation at the Advanced Photon Light Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. SOURCE: Delaware State University If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
📣 Introducing the MS-CC Student Community of Practice (CoP)!Connect with fellow students, share your ideas, and explore what’s next!
The MS-CC Student CoP brings undergraduate and graduate students together across institutions to explore research, technolog ...more
David Lockett • 114 Views • October 22nd, 2026 |
 |
Virginia State University Breaks All-Time Enrollment Record With Largest Class in Its HistoryVirginia State University has enrolled more than 6,350 students for the 2026-27 academic year, the largest in its documented history, along with the biggest first-time freshman class ever at 1,725 stu ...more
Roger Gates • 191 Views • October 21st, 2026 |
 |
FAMU Rattler Great Andre Dawson Receives Florida Governor's Medal of FreedomToday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis presented the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the Governor can bestow on a Floridian, to Baseball Hall of Famer and proud Florida A&M University (FA ...more
Reginald Claremont • 335 Views • October 19th, 2026 |
 |
STARZ Named Presenting Sponsor as HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival Returns to Howard University Nov. 5-7For three days this November, Howard University will transform into the epicenter of Black film. The 4th Annual HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival (HBCUFLF) returns to the nation's capital Novembe ...more
Roger Gates • 215 Views • October 19th, 2026 |
Popular News
 |
Louisiana Upholds Life Sentence to Black Man For Stealing Hedge Trimmers in 1997While this may not be HBCU related news, as an AFrican American male, I had to share this appalling decision by the Louisiana court system to keep a man in jail with a life sentence for such a petty c ...more
Roger Gates • 406,158 Views • August 6th, 2020 |
 |
Blonde Instagram Model Goes Viral for Graduating from HBCU and Pledging Delta Sigma Theta!A blonde woman is going viral this morning, for graduating from A Historically Black College while pledging a Black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
@Blonde_HBCU
The woman, an IG ...more
Roger Gates • 190,523 Views • November 30th, 2020 |
 |
Apple to Invest over $40 Million Dollars into HBCUs - Time to major in Computer Science!!!On Tuesday Johnny C. Taylor, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund stopped by “NewsOne Now” to make a major announcement that could literally change the lives of thousands of HBCU st ...more
Roger Gates • 131,229 Views • March 11th, 2015 |
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Claremont • 119,428 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
 |
Black Billionaire Robert F. Smith to Donate $50 Million to Support STEM Students at HBCUsThe Student Freedom Initiative announced today a $50 million personal gift from Robert F. Smith, philanthropist and Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. This gift matches the initial fu ...more
Roger Gates • 86,870 Views • October 22nd, 2020 |
