Richard Wilkins, Ph.D.
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Oct. 6, 2023) – Prairie View A&M University faculty members, Dr. Richard Wilkins, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Dr. Merlyn X. Pulikkathara ‘04, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, have been awarded a $1.2 million grant with two goals: to develop and test high-tech materials for use in harsh environments, such as space, and to develop and encourage student interest in STEM.
The project, NNSA Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program Gulf Coast Consortium: Materials-At-The-Extreme, is a collaboration between PVAMU, Florida A&M University-FSU, Sandia National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. It is funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy with an aim to increase research and educational opportunities in advanced materials processing, especially at the high school level and beyond.
Merlyn Pulikkathara ’04, Ph.D.
Dr. Wilkins runs the NASA Center for Radiation Engineering Science and Space Exploration at PVAMU, which has trained STEM students since 2005. The center is able to mimic extreme radiation environments not found elsewhere—a prime testing location for advanced materials engineered at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering as part of this project.
“This is an exciting technical challenge for us. What we’re designing doesn’t exist yet,” said Wilkins. “But as excited as we are about the technical work, this is really about getting students involved, getting them interested and working on this project, both our PVAMU students and area high school students. The students are the focus.”
Dr. Pulikkathara added, “I fell in love with research as a student at Prairie View.” Pulikkathara earned a master’s degree from PVAMU in engineering. “It had a transformative effect on my life. I’d never dreamed of a Ph.D. before I got involved in research. The opportunity to have students come in and fall in love with research and be able to do things they never imagined, to have them expand their dreams—that’s exciting. To have more minorities and more women in STEM at our HBCU, I’m so proud to be part of this, to be a mentor and share this with students, with new generations.”
The five-year grant is currently in year one. Wilkins and Pulikkathara are at work developing plans for outreach to local schools with Tierashia Adair, founder of A Message of Love, with whom they’ve collaborated on past projects. Adair’s organization works with underrepresented girls, encouraging them to go to college and study STEM.
By Kelly Rusk
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