Sandia National Laboratories is sponsoring the Shark Tank-like contest with a $1,000 top prize.

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (August 24, 2021) – Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) will launch an innovation competition challenging students to tackle real-life problems. Panthers Invent is a new initiative by the PVAMU Division of Research & Innovation (R&I) led by its Center for Innovation, Commercialization, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development, or ICEED. Sandia National Laboratories is sponsoring the three-day Panthers Invent September 17-19, 2021.

“Panthers Invent is a design challenge that promotes innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration among students of all backgrounds,” said Bobby Melvin, ICEED executive director. “We’re following Sandia’s successful format used at universities around the country, where interested students will be given real-life design “needs statements to compete for best product/solution, including potential commercialization of that solution via a startup company.”

PVAMU Vice President for Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., welcomes the opportunity to support the innovation ecosystem at Prairie View A&M by showcasing the ingenuity of students and faculty mentors and the cutting-edge technology available across campus.

“This agreement between Sandia and ICEED aligns with the vision I have for Prairie View A&M in becoming an emerging institution in research and innovation. Panthers Invent is a great innovation collaboration between PVAMU and Sandia that gives our student scholars a new platform to showcase their brilliance and resiliency,” Rajan said.

“Sandia National Laboratories is excited to be part of this weekend as we hope to attract some of the amazing Prairie View students to tackle national security problems at the labs. Panthers Invent provides the opportunity to tackle a project in a weekend, develop a demonstration, and provide a final presentation with a video highlighting their work,” said Sandia’s Chrisma Jackson, senior manager for Special Projects and Use Control and PVAMU/TAMU campus executive, Advanced Systems and Transformation, Nuclear Deterrence Modernization and Transformation.

“We are excited about our first Panthers Invent student competition. This contest allows students to put their creativity to the test in real-world scenarios. Students will be mentored by industry leaders from some of the top firms and have a chance to win up to $1,000,” said Stephanie Garner, ICEED program specialist.

What:          Panthers Invent

When:         Friday, September 17, 2021, 4 p.m. – Sunday, September 19, 2021, 4 p.m. CDT

Where:        Prairie View A&M University Fabrication Center, 100 University Drive, Prairie View, TX 77446

For more information on “Panthers Invent,” contact Stephanie Garner, slgarner@pvamu.edu, (936) 261- 1576

MEDIA CONTACTS
Michael Douglas
Manager, Marketing and Communications
936-261-1574 | mwdouglas@pvamu.edu
Office of Research & Innovation Marketing & Communications | 936-261-1574 | research@pvamu.edu