PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (December 6, 2021) – On December 8, 2021, the Division of Research & Innovation will hold its inaugural cording ceremony to honor candidates for graduation who have also been student researchers during their time at Prairie View A&M University.
Vice President Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA, wanted a special way to acknowledge those who are graduating for their commitment to being engaged in the research process and a driving force to elevating the awareness of scholarly research underway at all three campuses to a global audience.
“I am proud to be able to recognize these deserving scholars for their contribution to the Faculty-Research & Innovation for Scholarly Excellence (Faculty-RISE) Program,” shared Rajan. “One of the reasons I created the RISE research funding is to serve as a gateway for students to learn the research process alongside dedicated faculty members. By being actively engaged with their mentor, they received opened their minds to the power and possibility of research.
R&I will recognize nine student researchers this semester. There are two graduate student honorees (Roberto De Freitas, Agriculture & Human Sciences major, and Kennedy Wallace, Community Development). Master’s and doctoral students chosen for the Faculty-RISE receive R&I graduate assistantships, which eases their financial worries and allows them to focus on their research and other scholarly activities.
“Graduate research requires passion, perseverance, integrity, a strong work ethic, and more importantly, in the present day, gathering authentic information on any topic or issue, among others,” said Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthi, Ph.D., Director of Research Services & Center Initiatives. “Our graduates can apply those attributes and skills to any career when entering the “real world. That will lead to faculty research grants to train and support more and more students, thus repeating the cycle for building a more robust research university.”
Undergraduate students are also pivotal to Prairie View A&M being an emerging research institution. For 2021-2022, R&I is funding more than 100 undergraduate and graduate scholars to serve as student research assistance.
Biology Assistant Professor Victoria Mgbemena cords her research student, senior Jaylia Jackson.
During the R&I Cording Ceremony, the Division will also recognize seven undergraduates:
- Ana Coronado, Social Work
- Da’verick Hunt, Kinesiology
- Heaven Necol Ingram, Biology
- Favour Ohuakanwa, Chemistry
- Jaylia Jackson, Biology
- Precious Jones, Criminal Justice
- Saharsh Pradhan, Accounting, Finance, MIS
Grace T. Abolaji, Ph.D., Research Development Officer, Undergraduate Research, is proud to have witnessed the growth and accomplishments the students achieved. She offers these words of affirmation for the next phase of their lives.
“You’ve worked hard in engaging in research activities at PVAMU. You have acquired the research knowledge and skills that enhanced your academic performance and enabled you to achieve your graduation goals.”
The R&I Cording Ceremony will include a poster showcase of their research and each student will be corded by their faculty research mentor(s).
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By Michael Douglas