Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
Activists in Brooklyn and Queens –– where the Asian population has grown by nearly 43% and 29%, respectively, since 2010 –– have been lobbying the new state commission to redraw district lines to unite neighborhoods with high numbers of Asian residents into single districts.
Up to 20 percent of public school students are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but only 7 percent of Asian Americans are, the lowest of any group.
The donations come from 14 Asian American alumni leaders who graduated from the university between 1990 and 2003. The money will support new professorships, graduate fellowships and academic research in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Asian American studies program. It will also attract respected scholars who will foment collaboration and innovation, according to FAS.
Three new faculty members are joining the Asian American Studies program next year, reigniting hope for the future of the small program after a longtime struggle between the University, students, and faculty to marshal support for ASAM.
In 1887, the California city labeled Chinatown as a “public nuisance” and planned to replace it with a city hall. But arsonists burned it down first.
This year’s awardees are taking on projects across the STEM fields, from creating quantum computing networks to modeling oil spills and understanding the neuroscience of safety.