Karl Thompson is a microbiologist at Howard University in Washington DC and the director of its graduate programme for biomedical sciences.Credit: Justin D. Knight/Howard University One year ago this month, Howard University in Washington DC landed the coveted title of an R1 research university — the highest US research designation conferred by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Howard is the only historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the United States to have ever received the title. The achievement — attained when a university spends at least US$50 million on research and awards at least 70 research doctoral degrees each year — is making Howard attractive to funders, faculty members and students, says its interim president, Wayne Frederick. Several other HBCUs are also on track to cross the R1 threshold soon. Achieving R1 classification can give HBCUs a huge boost.…