Prairie View A&M University Receives Million-Dollar Grant for National Defense
A university in the U.S. has received a massive five-year federal grant to conduct artificial intelligence-supported national defense research.
Prairie View A&M University has been awarded a five-year grant of approximately $10 million from the United States Department of War to advance artificial intelligence applications in the field of national defense.
Five-Year Support
Prairie View A&M University secured $9.9 million in funding provided by the U.S. Department of War through the U.S. Army Materiel Command. This funding will be used to support projects that will run through July 2031.
COMMAND-AI Center
With the grant received, the Center of Operational and Mission-driven Machine Learning for Advanced National Defense, Capacity Building, R1 Advancement, and Workforce Development for AI, abbreviated as the COMMAND-AI center, will be established. This initiative goes on record as one of the largest federal research grants in the university's history.
Focus Areas and Fields
The project brings together academic expertise in engineering, computer science, and physics. Research activities will particularly focus on advanced manufacturing and 3D printing, strengthening communication networks, and enhancing cybersecurity.
Leadership Team
The initiative will be led by Dr. Magesh Rajan, Vice President for Research and Innovation; Dr. Pamela Holland Obiomon, Dean of the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering; and Dr. Noushin Ghaffari, Associate Professor of Computer Science.
Opportunities for Students
Undergraduate and graduate students will be given the opportunity to work alongside faculty members on defense-focused research. Additionally, the development of two new doctoral programs in computer science and mechanical engineering will be supported.