May 20 – The Office of Research, Innovation, and Sponsored Programs (ORISP) and the Office of Provost and Academic Affair came together to host Research Week, an event purposed to recognize and celebrate the research taking place at Prairie View A&M University by faculty members, scientists, and students.
Held April 10-12, 2019, the inaugural Research Week kicked off at the PVAMU Welcome Center with a quick morning reception for faculty and researchers prior to the start of the faculty poster presentations. Representing the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences were eight Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC) researchers: Peter Ampim, Ripendra Awal, Javad Barouei, Laura Carson, Hamideh Habibi, Gary Newton, Ram Ray, and Eric Risch. Along with researchers from all other PVAMU colleges, they presented their projects to 16 judges and to those attending the event.
Post-doctoral Researcher Eric Obeng presented the research he assisted Dr. Peter Ampim with which focuses on the production of Egyptian spinach in Texas due to its similar climate as the plants native regions of Asia and Africa. “Our research is targeted for small scale producers and limited research farmers. What we want to do is evaluate the leafy green vegetables that are very popular with the growing immigrant community in Houston, so that the limited resource farmers can produce and sell to them. There is high demand for these vegetables, but not a readily available market so most of them rely on importation, and when they come, they 
are frozen.” Ampim’s focus through this research is to offer farmers a way to profit from their ability to provide fresh produce to communities.
Students showcased their research projects through poster and oral presentations held in the Student Recreation Center during the second day of the week-long event. CAHS student research was presented by the number of students who were fresh from their experience at Association of Research Directors Conference where they competed with other 1890 Land-grant institutions. Though competition with student researchers from other colleges was tough, judges were impressed with all that CAHS students shared with attendees.
Dr. Ali Fares serves as Vice President for Research, Innovation and Sponsored Programs at the ORISP. He, along with his colleagues in ORISP, planned this event to encourage a sense of cohesiveness across the university when it comes to research. “This is an opportunity
for the faculty to display their research to the community in general and also an opportunity for the faculty to interact with each other and see what type of research they are doing so that hopefully the discussion will continue and it will be about how we can collaborate across colleges.”
On the final day of Research Week, an awards ceremony was held to further recognize the most outstanding work from both student and faculty researchers. Through CAHS’ participation in Research Week, the college was able to share with many others all of the great ideas that students and faculty are exploring and solving to impact society in the years to come. With the success of the event’s inaugural year, CAHS is looking forward to bigger and better for next year.
This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 1890 Extension Formula Program projects under Section 1444.
Taelor Smith
Communications Specialist
tasmith@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5155