Academic Insights: September 2017 by pvamuAcademicInsights

SEPTEMBER2017

ACADEMICINSIGHTS This year, we kicked off the new

ever before. I encourage you to utilize the “A-Game”

semester a bit unorthodox due to

principles: Go to class always; never sit in the cheap

Hurricane Harvey. Our start date was

seats; go to class prepared; when lost, ask questions;

pushed back due to the storm, and

get spaced out; develop learning objectives; learn

unfortunately, some of our students,

material at all levels; use learning checks and self-

faculty, and staff suffered property

testing; and be exam savvy. Take advantage of the

damage, displacement, and loss. I

support services PVAMU has to offer, and look for additional

extend my deepest thoughts and prayers to those who

experiences such as chances to study abroad, participate

were affected, but we will get through this together,

in co-ops, and partake in research experiences. When

and we will emerge stronger than ever. When you get a

applying, position yourself to have the best application

moment, please visit pvamu.edu. There, we have a list of

among your competitors. In everything, get involved, stay

resources posted including counseling information, details

involved, and most importantly, remain focused. Create

on PVAMU’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, and various

memories that last a lifetime. Remember, these are some

ways you can share donations.

of your best years!

Moving forward, we are excited to welcome the Class

For faculty and staff, continue to be engaged. Meet your

of 2021 to “The Hill”. There are more than 2,200 new faces

students both inside and outside the classroom. Participate

on campus, making for the largest PVAMU enrollment

in school events, and constantly be on the lookout for

class for the second year in a row. Our total enrollment

opportunities to expand your students’ engagement and

for PVAMU sits around 9,500, the largest enrollment ever,

growth. Take part in professional development activities,

representing a nine percent increase over the past year.

and hunt for ways to share your work, experiences, PVAMU,

The final numbers won’t be in until the 20th day of class,

and our students with the world.

so be on the lookout for an update in our October edition of Academic Insights.

To students, faculty, and staff alike, I wish you well, as this will be a wonderful semester! As always, keep continuing

A few weeks ago, we held a wonderful General Student Assembly, and former Student Government Association

to ignite your passion for excellence, because the best is yet to come.

president Priscilla Barbour delivered an inspiring keynote address. An important takeaway: “Wherever you go, take the story and excellence of Prairie View A&M University with you because it is powerful, you are powerful, and our collective story is powerful. You are a product of Prairie View A&M University and you personify excellence.” I could not agree more. I am proud of our many students and faculty who spent time doing co-ops, internships, and sabbaticals over the summer. They have come back able to further enrich their respective programs with the knowledge they learned. As we look toward this year, students, be inspired, study hard, and commit yourself by setting a goal to

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do better and accomplish more than

IGNITE your passion OFFICE FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS academicinsights@PVAMU.EDU | 936-261-2175 | Felecia M. Nave, Ph.D., Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

TEACHING

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

Instructor Helping More Students to Pass the TSI By Marchita Shilo

All incoming students who enroll in a Texas public institution (unless they qualify for an exemption) have to take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment. It determines if they’re ready to handle

college-level

reading,

writing,

and

mathematics work. Kalandra Rankins, an instructor in Developmental English under the Office for Academic Engagement and Student Success, has been making a huge impact on students needing to pass the writing portion of the TSI. “I started here at Prairie View A&M University in November of 2014,” said Rankins. “In 2015, I took over the WriteUp Summer Bridge Program, which focuses on helping incoming students pass the writing portion of the TSI. The following year, my class had a 100 percent pass rate, and this year, we had a 95 percent pass rate.” So, what’s Rankins’ secret? Well, in her life before PVAMU, Rankins was an elementary school teacher for 15 years. She constantly worked with her students on how to improve their writing, punctuation, and grammar skills. “I brought many of those tools here to Prairie View,” said Rankins. “I use lots of visuals in my class. We also practice test timing, we do applications,

In addition to leading the WriteUp program,

and we also work on the students’ coping skills to

Rankins teaches English 100, 113, and 133

relieve any testing anxiety they may have. These

throughout the school year. An extra tidbit,

fine details, along with consistent motivation and

she was most recently featured as a finalist

encouragement really makes them feel like they

for the President’s Teacher’s Award.

are in control and can be successful. My goal is to make each and every one of them college-ready.”

ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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RESEARCH

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

Department of Homeland Security Awards Grant to COB Professor By Marchita Shilo

Hurricane Harvey did a number on Southeast Texas,

used what he learned to establish a course here at

but many can attest, social media helped lessen the

PVAMU called Crisis Informatics, to educate students

storm’s impact.

about the science behind disaster management.

“The focus and basis of my research for the past eight

“My class teaches students how to be key players

years has been how to use technology, such as social

in disaster management,” said Ngamassi. “They learn

media, effectively in disaster management to benefit

how to gather and analyze social media data. They are

everyone, including the young and the elderly, in both

also introduced to social network analysis and visual

urban and rural populations,” said Dr. Louis Ngamassi,

analytics.”

an assistant professor in Prairie View A&M University’s College of Business. “I’m originally from Cameroon, and several years ago, I lost many of my family members to an HIV epidemic. Since then, I have made it my mission to research and study how technology, and the right social media tools, can help people avoid, prevent, and learn from such tragedies.” Before we get to the grant that’s stated in the title, let’s go back to 2015 when Ngamassi enrolled in and completed a 10-week summer research program with VACCINE, a Department of Homeland Security Center

Fast forward to 2017, Ngamassi’s research paid off with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. “The $1 million, five-year grant from Homeland Security is a wonderful and historic achievement for PVAMU,” said Dr. Munir Quddus, dean of the College of Business. “We congratulate Dr. Ngamassi on his creative research covering social media and disaster management.” Ngamassi said the grant will reward students with internships, scholarships, and various workshops from the Department of Homeland Security.

of Excellence hosted at Purdue University. That fall, he  Dr. Ngamassi presents at an Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Conference in France

ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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To find out more about the grant, its benefits, and how students can apply, email Dr. Ngamassi at longamassi@pvamu.edu.

SERVICE

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

CAHS’ Specialty Crops Program is the Definition of “Service” By Marchita Shilo

If you haven’t taken a ride through Prairie View A&M

and herb epazote (Mexican tea),” said Ampim. “A

University’s farm lately, you’re missing out on something

large portion of our highly diverse urban population in

special – the College of Agriculture and Human

Texas consumes these items.”

Sciences’ (CAHS) Specialty Crops Program.

Researchers within CAHS then work with students to

“The goal of this project is to help Texas’ small

develop the best research-based methods for growing

farmers diversify their farm operations, and improve

the crops in Texas’ unique climate. Last, but not least,

their incomes and livelihoods,” said Dr. Peter Ampim,

PVAMU’s Cooperative Extension Program identifies

a research scientist in the CAHS who leads the project.

farmers in US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Strike

“We started the program earlier this year, and we are

Force Counties, or counties that have persistent poverty,

really excited about it.”

who can best benefit from the program.

So, here’s how the Specialty Crops Program works:

“Chosen farmers are provided with hands-on training

PVAMU researchers come up with a list of high value

covering topics such as farm planning, development,

and highly nutritious fruits, vegetables, root crops, and

and diversification, as well as production of the crops,”

herbs that aren’t typically grown in the state of Texas.

said Ampim. “What many people don’t realize is that

“Right now, we are working with the fruits Pepino melon, goji berry, and honey berry; vegetables Malabar spinach,

Egyptian

spinach,

purslane,

vegetable

amaranth, and grafted cucumber; root crop cocoyam;

with the more common crops, like corn, grown here, you typically need heavy equipment and machinery and sizeable capital to be successful. But, with these specialty crops, any small farmer, with the right training, can grow them and profit from them using small equipment and hand tools.” The Specialty Crops Program is funded by a USDANIFA Capacity Building Grant and is ongoing on the university’s farm.

ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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To learn more about the Specialty Crops Program, visit pvamu.edu/cahs.

Faculty, Staff and Student STANDOUTS Dr. Felecia M. Nave On October 30, Dr. Nave will receive the 2017 Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) Eminent Chemical Engineers Award, along with two other honorees, at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) National Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She will also lead a panel discussion forum entitled Reversing the Tide in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Science (STEM): Academically Gifted African American Students in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). You can view the formal announcement at aiche.org/conferences/aiche-annual-meeting/2017/awards#committee.

Dr. Sheena M. Reeves Dr. Sheena M. Reeves, an assistant professor in PVAMU’s department of chemical engineering, will also be honored at the 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN. She is a recipient of the foundation’s 35 Under 35 Award. According to the AIChE, the award recognizes 35 awardees across the nation who have made significant contributions to the institute and the chemical engineering profession. “The winners exemplify the best our profession has to offer and represent the full breadth of early ChE career paths.”

Elizabeth Jean Brumfield Elizabeth Jean Brumfield, Distance Services Librarian at PVAMU’s Northwest Houston Center, won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s (BCALA) Distinguished Service to the Library Profession Award. The award was presented at the 10th National Conference of African American Librarians in Atlanta, Georgia on August 12. According to the American Library Association website, the Distinguished Service to the Library Profession Award recognizes individuals who have made significant and extraordinary contributions in service to the library profession, such as introducing new concepts, providing exceptional leadership or setting unprecedented standards for participation in the profession. To learn more about BCALA, visit bcala.org. Brumfield was also recently featured in American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association. You can view the article at americanlibrariesmagazine.org.

ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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Faculty, Staff and Student STANDOUTS Dr. Felecia M. Nave, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, spoke at the 2017 STEM Gender Equality Congress (SGEC) June 8-9 in Berlin, Germany. SGEC, a two-day conference hosted by Science Impact Ltd., offers delegates an opportunity to hear from and interact with thought leaders in gender equality in STEM from around the world. The title of Nave’s presentation was, “Sister Outside Within: Advancing Black Women Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and University in the US.” You can view her presentation online at stemgenderequality.com.

Prairie View A&M University’s Department of Psychology hosted the 23rd Annual National Black Graduate Conference in Psychology (BGCP) June 8-11. Thirty-five psychology doctoral students representing 24 universities and 17 graduate faculty mentors from across the United States participated in the four-day conference. Students presented their ongoing research, gained professional development experiences, and networked with other graduate students. Faculty mentors also provided critical, but supportive, feedback. This was the first time any university in Texas hosted the BGCP in the conference’s 22-year history. On August 12, Houston Consortium, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) unit commissioned 2nd Lieutenant Xavier Alexander Mendoza from Prairie View A&M University. Mendoza, an El Paso, Texas native who graduated with a B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering, will report to The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. In the spring, the US Army commissioned six cadets and the US Navy commissioned four midshipmen from Prairie View A&M University.

ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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fyi

PVAMU Hosts Eleven Summer Bridge Programs

This year was Prairie View A&M University’s first time offering eleven different Summer Bridge programs. The college-preparatory programs took place from June to August, and according to

FULL LISTING OF 2017 SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAMS

Office of Academic Engagement & Student Success Panther Pride Summer Bridge Program MathUP and WriteUP Summer Bridge Programs

academic support services coordinator Jamila Clayton,

College of Agriculture & Human Sciences

more than 800 incoming

Summer Jump Start: Bridge to Excellence Program

freshmen signed up. “Our goal was to have at least half of this year’s freshman class participate in one of our Summer Bridge

School of Architecture Architectural Concept Institute

programs, and we came very close to our goal,” said Clayton. “Summer Bridge is

Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences Premedical Concepts Institute

great because it gives students

Summer Band Bridge Program

a jump-start on their first year

Summer Music Bridge Program

of college. It also gives them a strong foundation for success as they make their way

College of Business

through their PVAMU journey.”

Business Scholars Summer Program

Student participants received college credit hours, housing in University College, a summer meal plan, chances to go on field trips,

Roy G. Perry College of Engineering College of Engineering Enhancement Institute

and numerous opportunities to network with faculty, staff, and administrators. “Our Summer Bridge program directors worked

College of Juvenile Justice & Psychology Preparing Undergraduate Leaders Through Summer Experience Program

diligently to implement these successful programs and we all are already looking forward to next summer’s programs,” said

College of Nursing Begin Success in Nursing

Clayton. ACADEMICINSIGHTS | SEPTEMBER2017

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To find out more about PVAMU’s Summer Bridge programs, visit pvamu.edu/summerbridge.