Morehouse College has received a $1 million grant as part of a landmark National Science Foundation award to help establish a national ecosystem that democratizes access to state-of-the-art automated technology.
The College is partnering with Stanford University, Purdue University, and Emerald Cloud Lab in a $400 million initiative to transform scientific discovery by creating programmable cloud laboratories that allow researchers and students to conduct complex experiments remotely using automated laboratory systems.
The award supports Project GEMSTONE (Generalizable Experimental Methods and Standards for Transparent, Open, Networked Execution), a key part of a broader initiative led by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. government’s Genesis Mission to use AI to advance scientific innovation.
By allowing researchers to send clear, standardized instructions to remote laboratories, the project equalizes access to advanced scientific equipment and facilities. It can also lower research costs, reduce the need to repeat similar experiments at different institutions, and improve the consistency and reproducibility of scientific research nationwide.
"This collaboration empowers Morehouse to lead nationwide efforts in broadening access to cutting-edge automated science and AI-enabled research," said Juana Mendenhall, Ph.D., Vice Provost of Academic Innovation and Learning, and Walter E. Massey Professor of Physical Science. "By breaking down institutional resource barriers and training the next generation of innovators on cloud-lab technologies, we are ensuring our scholars actively shape the future of scientific discovery."
Mendenhall leads the Morehouse research team. The other project members are Sonya Dennis, Ph.D., Senior Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Computer Science, and Dr. H. Justin Ballenger, Ed.D., Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Education.
Morehouse College will spearhead the national recruitment, training, education, and access expansion for the Programmable Test Bed. By increasing national access to automated science, cloud-lab technologies, and AI-enabled experiments, the project's outcomes will accelerate innovation in AI functionality and cloud-based computing.
Through this leadership role, Morehouse College will help establish shared natural language standards that translate human research descriptions into precise, unambiguous procedures executed by AI-guided cloud systems. This work ensures that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and underrepresented scholars remain at the forefront of the automated research revolution—expanding undergraduate research capacity and preparing the next generation of STEM leaders.