The John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles this month received a three-year scholarship commitment to support initiatives for Black law students.
The donation – at $25,000 a year – comes from Var Fox, co-founder and executive vice president of Santa Ana-based Judicate West, a dispute resolution firm with offices in downtown and Century City. It is part of Langston’s “Sowing Seeds, Building Legacies” fundraising campaign to offer financial assistance to law students, via the Langston Scholarship Fund.
“I emphasize the broader significance of this commitment,” said Tatianna Metters Scurlock, president of the Langston Bar Association, in a statement. “Var Fox’s multi-year pledge is a powerful statement of confidence in Langston’s mission and impact, and a testament to his leadership, vision, and deep commitment to advancing equity within the legal community.”
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In other giving news, Cal Poly Pomona this month received a $7.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a Center for Research Advancement in Smart Manufacturing. It is one of the largest research investments in the school’s history.
The university described this new center as a “pioneering hub that will shape the future of the nation’s industrial workforce by preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists to design smarter, more sustainable and globally competitive manufacturing systems.”
The program will integrate artificial intelligence software into four research areas: robotics and automation, digital twin technology, extended reality and cybersecurity.
“The research at CREST-RASM will drive transformative advances in smart manufacturing that directly support national security, sustainability and economic resilience,” said Shokoufeh Mirzaei, a professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering who will run the program. “This grant empowers us to prepare a new generation of engineers and scientists equipped with the knowledge and tools to strengthen America’s leadership in intelligent and secure manufacturing systems.”
The center will involve more than 120 undergraduate and graduate students.
