JSU was chosen to participate in a research project funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. JSU was one of only twelve colleges and universities in the nation chosen through a competitive application process for inclusion in the Science Education Alliance's National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI) in 2010. The National Genomics Research Initiative is a two-part, year-long course that enables students to make real discoveries by doing research on bacterial viruses, called bacteriophages. HHMI has committed $4 million to the program over four years, and only 36 universities and colleges were invited to participate over the entire course of the initiative.