NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee State University has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

The grant will cover a period of five years and be used to increase the number of minority students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math.

Dr. Lonnie Sharpe holds TSU's Massie Chair of Excellence and is the co-principal investigator of the grant.

He estimates it will benefit about 3,800 underrepresented students throughout Tennessee.