News and Events

AAMU PHYSICIST JOINS DOE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Dr. Padmaja “Paddy” Guggilla has received a distinct opportunity to serve on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) for a term ending December 31, 2023. More information

AAMU SHINES AT AAS CONFERENCE

Alabama A&M University made a significant showing at the three-day 99^th annual conference of the Alabama Academy of Science held last month on the nearby campus of Athens State University. More information

CASL Leadership Fellow

Dr. Guggilla is one of the only 20 candidates in the United States selected for the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL) Fellow 2021-2022, sponsored by NSF. More information

PUTTING A RING ON IT: AAMU SCIENTISTS MONITOR TREMOR

One Day ... Monitoring Tremor at Home

The Twenty-first Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture will be given by Klaus von Klitzing from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research Stuttgart, Germany, on October 26th, 2018. The title of the talk will be "A New Kilogram in 2019- How my Nobel Prize contributed to this development." He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1985 "for the discovery of the quantized Hall effect." 

Summer Institute on Sustainability & Energy (SISE) Fellowship.

Kyle Rose Sr, a Ph.D. candidate in Material Science at Alabama A&M University is been accepted for the prestigious summer fellowship at SISE. Kyle is currently working on projects that deal with sustainability, energy and community issues. Learn more information about Kyle Rose Sr. 

Normalites Edit Book on Physics Phenomenon.

Two former AAMU researchers have teamed with two researchers affiliated with the Industrial and Manufacturing Department of the joint Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering to edit the 454-page book, "Triboluminescence: Theory, Synthesis and Application." Read More

Alliance for Physics Excellence (APEX).

Project video was created by Dr. Marius Schamschula, one of the Co-PIs on the project. Mohan Aggarwal is the principal investigator of this NSF project (DUE 1238192) at Alabama A&M University. This video can be viewed at APEX Teachertube Video

The Twentieth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture.

The Twentieth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by David J. Wineland from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, USA, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA, on December 1st, 2017. The title of the talk was "Quantum Computers and Schrödinger's Cat." He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012 along with Serge Haroche "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems."

The Nineteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture.

The Nineteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Jack W. Szostak from the Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, on December 2nd, 2016. The title of the talk will be "The Origin of Cellular Life." He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009 along with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase." Read More…

Physics Faculty Win the NSF-RISE for the Fourth Time.

Physics faculty team won the prestigious NSF-HBCU-RISE award for $999,999 under Dr. Rami Bommareddi's leadership. The Co-PIs team included Ashok Batra, Satilmis Budak, Matthew Edwards, Vernessa Edwards and other scientists: Padmaja Guggilla and Michael Curley. The project deals with research, student training and educational outreach activities. The primary objective of the proposal is to address the looming energy crisis. The proposal has two main components to design (1) energy efficient light sources and (2) energy efficient materials for power generation from ambient sources. More Info about NSF-RISE

AAMU Physics students receive Two First Prizes at ERN Conference.

Two students from AAMU's Department of Physics win first prizes in their categories at the Emerging Researchers National Conference (ERN) in Washington D.C. (February 25-27, 2016)

The Eighteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture.

The Eighteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Martin Chalfie from Columbia University, on November 20th, 2015. The title of the talk was "Green Fluorescent Protein: Lighting Up Life." He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien "for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP."

AAMU Researchers Receive Grant from DHS.

Two Alabama A&M University professors have received a $600,000 award from the nation's Department of Homeland Security to assist in the detection and identification of explosive materials.

APEX Toots Own Horn During NSF Showcase.

Alabama A&M University’s Alliance for Physics Excellence program shared its successes during the week-long National Science Foundation 2015 Teaching and Learning Video Showcase (May 11-15). In 2012, AAMU was awarded an $8 million, five-year grant from the NSF to boost physics education in Alabama’s high schools and potentially reach 40,000 students.

A&M Team Receives STEM Grant.

A team of administrators and faculty at Alabama A&M University have been successful in securing a second five-year National Science Foundation grant aimed at improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate education at historically black colleges and universities.

Alliance for Physics Excellence.

Physics department researchers and investigators presented a short video on the NSF video showcase on teaching and learning for their project “Alliance for Physics Excellence”. Live event occurred from May 11 to May 15, 2015. (Video temporarily unavailable).

The Seventeenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture.

The Seventeenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Nobel Laureate Seventeenth from Yale University, on November 14 2014. The title of the talk was "From the Structure and Function of the Ribosome to New Antibiotics. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 along with He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada E. Yonath "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome."

Keynote talk by Dr. Matthew E. Edwards at WMSCI 2014.

Dr. Matthew E. Edwards delivered a keynote talk during WMSCI 2014 at Orlando, FL on topic "Realizing a Disciplinary Field from an Interdisciplinary Approach or an Interdisciplinary Field from Disciplines" Read More about Dr. Edwards' Keynote

Seminar: Chaotic Magnetic Field: Its Role in Charged Particle Motion and Energization.

On January 15th, 2015, Dr. Brahmananda Dasgupta, Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, UAH, presented a seminar entitled "Chaotic Magnetic Field: Its Role in Charged Particle Motion and Energization"

AAMU Physics Department: Top Physics Degree Producer.

According to the American Physical Society, Alabama A&M University Physics Department ranks:

• Seventh nationally for undergraduate degrees granted to women, at 44%
• Tied for second nationally in number of underrepresented minorities receiving Ph.D. degrees, 2 per year
• Tied for fifth nationally in female fraction of Ph.D. degrees, 50%

NSF Awards Alabama A & M University $1,750,000.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Alabama A & M University a five year, $1,750,000 HBCU-UP grant entitled "Advancing Success in STEM Undergraduate Research and Education" (ASSURE). The Physics Department is the lead for this project.

Alabama A&M scientists use lasers to detect food contaminants.

Physicist Dr. Anup Sharma received a Department of Homeland Security grant to conduct research on unique methods to detect food contamination. Read More about scientists using lasers to detect food contaminants

AAMU Mourns Death of Physics Professor.

Dr. Mostafa Mark Dokhanian, professor of physics, died on Saturday, January 25. Dokhanian had served in the AAMU physics program for more than 22 years.

AAMU Physicists Awarded Major NSF Grant.

Alabama A&M University has been awarded a five-year, $8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to boost physics education in the state’s high schools.

A&M Doctoral Candidate Prolific Researcher.

As a 28-year-old doctoral candidate in physics at AAMU, Ross Fontenot has achieved accomplishments that would likely be considered enviable even by seasoned professors and researchers.

The Sixteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture.

The Sixteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Dr. Richard R. Schrock of MIT on Friday November 15th, 2013. The title of the talk was "The Inside and the Outside of a Nobel Prize in 2005".

THE Fifteenth PUTCHA VENKATESWARLU MEMORIAL LECTURE.

The Fifteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Dr. Walter Kohn of the University of California Santa Barbara, CA on Friday November 2nd, 2012. The title of the talk was "Density Functional Theory for Novices and Experts".

THE Fourteenth PUTCHA VENKATESWARLU MEMORIAL LECTURE.

The Fourteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle of John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, on Friday November 18th, 2011. The title of the talk was "When freezing cold is not cold enough - new forms of matter close to absolute zero temperature".

Young Physicist Lands a Major Grant.

An Assistant Professor of Alabama A&M University, Dr. Padmaja Paddy Guggilla has received a major funding for a four- year proposal focusing on the needs of national security.

THE Thirteenth PUTCHA VENKATESWARLU MEMORIAL LECTURE.

The Thirteenth Putcha Venkateswarlu Memorial Lecture was given by Dr. John Mather of NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD on October 1st, 2010. The title of the talk was "From the Big Bang to Life and the end of the Universe". Dr. Mather shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 with George Smoot "for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation". Read More…

A&M Physicists Help Write ‘The Book’ on Crystal Growth.

AAMU physicists Dr. Ashok K Batra and Dr. Mohan Aggarwal are among the world class scientists whose extensive research and contributions are part of a massive book symbolic of “the bible” to the field of crystal growth and it’s enthusiastic.

AAMU-Professor Speaks at NASA-MSFC.

Professor Emeritus Ravindra Bihari Lal was the guest speaker for the recent Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Observance at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center at Huntsville, AL.

A&M Grad Student Gets the Best Dissertation Honor.

A graduate student in physics at Alabama A&M University, Fana Mariam Mulu-Moore was recognized in Savannah, GA., recently by the member institutions of the council of Historically Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS).