Engineering receives $1.5 M grant for nuclear research

Southern University’s College of Engineering received a $1.5 million check Thursday from the National Nuclear Security Administration to secure a grant enabling the college to provide naval fleets with reduced-sized, cost effective and efficient pressurized water reactors.
Ambassador Linton F. Brooks, under secretary of energy for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, along with Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, director of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, made the presentation at the P.B.S. Pinchback Engineering Building. A tour of the engineering building and luncheon including other presentations followed the presentation.
“The visit was very significant,” said Jamal Taylor, a naval midshipman and freshman political science major from Lafayette. “It’s not often we get the director of naval nuclear propulsion at an HBCU, so it was very significant that he would come and spend time with such a diverse group of students and give a grant.”
Other members of Southern’s Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps attended the presentation, along with SU System Interim President Edward R. Jackson, Habib P. Mohamadian, dean of the college, and Capt. Jeffery K. Sapp, professor of naval science and NROTC commanding officer.
Lt. Lenard Mitchell, assistant professor of naval science and Southern alumnus, said the university’s NROTC program has come a long way since he’s graduated, which was only five years ago.
“This was very significant because as a student here, we didn’t have visitors of this magnitude,” Mitchell said. “The fact the university is being recognized as one of the top engineering and science universities in the country speaks highly.”
“It speaks very high that the Navy would be willing to invest such a large amount of money into the research done here,” Mitchell said.