Rep. Cuellar Announces $370,347 in Federal Research Funding for TAMIU

 Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) announced $370,347 in grant funding for Texas A&M International University Tuesday, Sept. 3 at the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library Colonnade.

Joining Cong. Cuellar were TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz and members of TAMIU’s faculty and administration.

This National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will support the acquisition of a state-of-the-art X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a technical device used for materials science research.

TAMIU president Dr. Arenaz said the grant will fund faculty and student research opportunities that can empower brighter futures.

“We are grateful to Congressman Cuellar for helping us to secure the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) competitive grant.  This will benefit faculty and student research in chemistry, geology, petroleum engineering, physics, and more. These remarkable research opportunities will empower brighter futures for our students and graduates,” Dr. Arenaz said.

With the new XRD, TAMIU will establish a new material characterization facility for advanced research. The XRD Grant principal investigator is Dr. Fatick Nath, TAMIU assistant professor, School of Engineering.

Possible research applications include investigations of shale mineralogy and brittleness, wellbore instability, clay-swelling mechanisms, and other projects vital in enhancing oil recovery.

TAMIU expects more than 10 primary faculty and nearly 3,000 students across eight programs in two colleges, as well as neighboring high schools and petroleum companies, to utilize the machine for education and research.

This July, Cong. Cuellar announced three additional NSF grants at TAMIU totaling $799,853 in funding supporting the establishment of a center for physics-based A.I. application training, enhancement of statistics curricula for A.I. development, and STEM recruitment. These initiatives will help TAMIU students apply their knowledge to real-world projects, especially in the dynamic field of A.I.

More of the University’s story is available across the University's social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.  

University news can also be found on its dedicated NewsHub.