PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 26, 2021) – The Physics Department at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) is prepping for the delivery of a piece of equipment that will enhance the overall research experience on “The Hill.”
Back in March, Quantum Design announced PVAMU as the winner of its Quantum Design Teaching Laboratory award. Part of the honor includes the donation of innovative materials characterization instrument called Physical Property Measurement System Quantum Design PPMS® VersaLab™, valued at more than $250,000. The equipment is set to arrive later this month.
“Our current equipment, we use no more than three weeks every semester. You have to find and take measurements really quickly. The [number] of projects you can take on becomes limited. Now, with this, we can, if we wanted to, come on 24 hours a day,” explained Physics Associate Professor Kevin Storr, Ph.D., who is a 1996 Benjamin Banneker Honors College graduate of PVAMU with undergraduate degrees in physics and computer science. He was a part of the historic physics cohort instituted by the late Professor Dennis Judd. Storr is serving as principal investigator (PI) on this project, with fellow colleague Professor Orion Ciftja serving as co-principal investigator.
The VersaLab Physical Properties Measurement System is a turnkey system that operates with magnetic fields. It takes measurements such as Electrical Transport, Thermal Transport, Heat Capacity, VSM, Torque Magnetometry, and Pressure Measurements – all key items in the field of physics.
The instrument will be used primarily for teaching students; however, it will also be accessible for cross-disciplinary research.
“Quantum Design (QD) has been an active participant in the promotion of STEM education for undergraduates since 2014,” Quantum Design President Greg DeGeller said in the original announcement selecting Prairie View A&M. “We are especially excited to help STEM students at one of the country’s top HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) explore science in new ways that might have been previously unavailable to them.”
The VersaLab will be housed in the Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences. Once installed, its state-of-the-art technology will revolutionize the lab environment.
“This allows the university to have access to equipment that is found in Tier One research institutions throughout the United States. The last university that received the same award was Columbia University,” said Storr, who studies the Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field responses to novel electronic and magnetic materials. “Tier One,” “or “nationally competitive research university,” are interchangeable terms used to refer to universities known for world-class research.
Kevin Storr, Ph.D.
“This award is an example of how the Division of Research & Innovation cultivates a vibrant research culture on campus. The VersaLab is the kind of innovation and technology that elevates our research profile and experience,” said Magesh T. Rajan, Ph.D., P.E, Vice President of Research & Innovation. “For the Quantum Education Initiative to partner with Prairie View A&M to bring modern instrumentation into our teaching laboratories raises the University’s profile in the industry, among science and engineering academic programs, and will lure high-performing student scholars to our campus and programs.”
Another rewarding aspect of the VersaLab will be operating cost. The Quantum Design equipment will revolutionize physics experiments.
“The type of research that I do requires us to spend almost $6,000 a week to keep the lab running,” Storr said. “This equipment has a built-in liquefier, so rather than having to purchase these criteriums at such an expensive cost per week, now, our operating costs will be reduced by 70%.”
Along with the enhanced research experience physics students will have, Storr says the VersaLab will allow physics professors to enroll more students and increase awareness of PVAMU’s research nationally.
“It allows us to make a contribution to the scientific community in terms of being able to publish results and also attract more funding because we can now develop programs around the equipment to help attract funding for the department and university,” said Storr.
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