Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) Division of Research & Innovation (R&I) successfully hosted the momentous “2022 Research & Innovation Week” from April 4th – 8th with nearly 30 events that almost 700 people attended. The all-day and week-long programming focused on undergraduate student research, international student research interactions, graduate student research, faculty research and inter-institutional collaborations, student and faculty innovation and entrepreneurship, industry and national lab partnerships, and economic development initiatives as well as recognition of successes.
“This 2022 Research & Innovation Week is a pivotal event for the PVAMU’s research and innovation enterprise especially following our recent elevation to the High Research Activity R2 Carnegie Classification® institution, and the disruptions during the last two years caused by the global pandemic. It is gratifying to witness hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty and research scientists shined as they presented their research projects or innovation undertakings, and their impact on their learning and achievement. It’s a phenomenal time to be part of Prairie View A&M University and the significant growth and development of our research and innovation undertaking,” said Vice President Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA.
“We have overcome so many obstacles with the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite those challenges, since 2019 we have increased our sponsored awards by 236%, from 14 million to over $47 million, proposals doubled to over 300 annually, and the total sponsored expenditures increased by 180%. Our external partnerships with industries and national labs continued to grow. This R&I Week showcased the extraordinary initiatives, progress, and outcomes of the PVAMU Research and Innovation enterprise and their national and global impact.” said Rajan.
Undergraduate Research Day
R&I nurtures undergraduate research across all disciplines. Nearly 100 undergraduate students from various departments and PVAMU colleges participated and showcased research poster presentations throughout the day to hundreds of faculty, students, and guests who attended.
“Being the first event post-Covid-19 restrictions and as an R2 university, it was impressive and encouraging to physically see the excitement, preparedness, professionalism, and excellent performances of our students as they presented their faculty-mentored research outcomes in this year’s in-person Undergraduate Research Day,” said Grace Abolaji, Ph.D., R&I undergraduate research development officer.
Tomasz Durakiewicz, Program Director, National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) delivered the morning keynote address.
International – Symposium of Undergraduate Research Excellence (I-SURE)
For the second-annual International – Symposium of Undergraduate Research Excellence (I-SURE) the virtual presentations featured international institutions including students from Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara, Uganda, and Kwara State University in Malete, Nigeria, who presented their faculty-mentored international collaborative and interdisciplinary research. I-SURE attracted nearly 30 faculty and students from around the world.
Educational Development Consultant Kara Loy of the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary, and councilor with the Council for Undergraduate Research, delivered the keynote address for I-SURE.
Graduate Student Research Day
More than 90 student presenters–both doctoral and master’s levels—shared the impact of their research and scholarly findings for Graduate Student Research Day.
“As a result of the elevated R2 status, I emphasized what the status meant and how important it is to PVAMU and our research landscape,” said Chanda Green. Ed.D., research development officer, who organized the day. “The students were very appreciative of this opportunity to engage in and share their research. One of the faulty mentors stated that having this opportunity reinvigorated their passion for their research and school overall.”
Kellina Craig-Williams, Ph.D., deputy assistant director, the NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Sciences, served as keynote speaker.
Industry Day
PVAMU premiered Industry Day this year, which drew dozens of industry executives looking forward to networking with faculty and students. bp’s Vice President, Digital Foundations Programmes Keisha Garcia delivered the keynote address where she stressed the importance of collaboration and sponsored research.
VP Magesh Rajan (left) and Business Development Specialist Najla Streety (right) with members of the Shell team.
bp sponsored our “Industry Networking Luncheon,” where students, faculty, and researcher staff interacted with the industry representatives, funding agencies, regional governments, and other university visitors, as well engage in their AI demonstration booths.
“We had more than 100 industry partners, students, and community representatives,” said ICEED Business Development Specialist Najla Streety, Industry Day coordinator. “PVAMU Industry Day proved to be very impactful for the university and community innovation ecosystem as we build strong connections to develop innovative solutions.”
Industry Day also included PVAMU- Partnership Highlights. Bank of America, Accenture-Level Up Program, Sandia National Laboratories, IBM, and Luxury Goods shared about their successful, ongoing relationships with Prairie View A&M.
Innovation Day
Entrepreneurship, innovation, and building a business served as a signature focus for Innovation Day. The Innovation-Commercialization-Entrepreneurship-Economic Development (ICEED) center designed a full day of panels, presentations, and networking among the 100 participants. PVAMU alumni entrepreneurs and nearly a dozen business owners not only shared their journey to self-employment and empowerment but also offered workshops on the legalities of structuring your business and funding your business.
The experts included tech companies DeckLaunch, Xplosion, The Ion, Fresh Tech Solutionz, a University of Houston entrepreneur, the Small Business Association, and Houston-based Roberson Law Firm.
Industry Day Panel
DeckLaunch and Fresh Tech Solutionz companies hosted a lively “Panthers Pitch Student Competition” where some 30 students promoted their business to attract the attention of possible investors and take the top prize for “best pitch.”
“The detail of Innovation Day that I am most proud of is that most of our guest presenters and panelists were PVAMU Alumni. It gave me great pleasure to bring in some of our very own to help educate and inspire current students,” said ICEED Program Specialist I Stephanie Garner, organizer of Innovation Day. “Prairie View really does produce a great number of productive people; it is my goal to highlight those people any chance I get.”
The keynote address from Charles Gibbs, president of the Propel Center HBCU Consortium, which is supported in funding by founding partners Apple and Southern Company, delivered the keynote address “Securing the Future Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship.”
Faculty Research Day
Nearly 150 people assembled for the Faculty Research Conference, which began with outstanding remarks from Vice President Magesh Rajan, who welcomed Texas A&M University (TAMU) researchers and administrators to “The Hill” and then shared PVAMU’s research and innovation journey to earning the Carnegie Classification of R2.
The Faculty Research Day also hosted the Texas Land Grants Day, with the theme “Engaging Better Together.”
“Many TAMU faculty members actively participated in the poster session marked with animated discussions. The event also proved to be an excellent barrier-breaker for our academic silos! It was gratifying to note the presence of many graduate students at the poster session,” said Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthi, Ph.D., director, Office of Research Advancement. “Dr. Karan Watson, Sr. Regents’ Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at TAMU, delivered an impassioned speech, welcoming and encouraging more collaborations between the two institutions. More than 150 faculty, staff, and students enjoyed the half-a-day event that featured nearly 60 faculty poster presentations.”
Awards & Recognition Ceremony
R&I Week 2022 concluded with an Awards & Recognition Ceremony for faculty researchers and student presenters. Vice President Rajan also announced the 2022 PVAMU and Texas A&M University Panther Research & Innovation for Scholarly Excellence (PRISE) grant awardees. This year, ten PVAMU-TAMU teams were awarded a total of $400,000, with each three-member team being awarded $4,000 for their research project. The announcement of the faculty and student winners and their acceptances truly showcased the PVAMU’s spirit of excellence in operating as an R2 institution.
Hundreds of visitors witnessed each day and at every event the high-quality research underway on campus and sensed the renewed purpose and pride exhibited by every presenter. Research & Innovation Week 2022 demonstrated why Prairie View A&M University is an emerging research institution that is committed to scholarly advancement on campus, sustaining and growing strategic partnerships with the industries and other universities, and extending our impression and impact on lives not only in Texas but around the world.
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By Michael Douglas