Xavier University of Louisiana, one of the nation’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) will soon be featured in the documentary series “Innovation Unveiled” on #WeHBSeeU TV, a national digital streaming network featuring HBCU research and innovation. Soon to celebrate 100 years of service, the nation’s only historically Black and Catholic institution was selected because of its innovation in research and student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities. #WeHBSeeU TV airs on Roku and AppleTV and is available in the Android and iPhone app stores.   

“For almost a century, Xavier has been at the forefront of educating those who go on to change the world and become leaders in their communities, with a particularly strong legacy of elevating those in the STEM,” said Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Xavier’s Foundress Mother Katharine and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament envisioned an institution where those historically underserved could receive the excellent education they deserve. Our graduates are our gift to the world, instilled with Xavier’s great mission to promote a more just and humane society.”   

#WeHBSeeU TV is a project is an initiative by the National Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network in partnership with Gdavis Productions and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). QEM Network serves as a national resource and catalyst to unite and strengthen educational opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The goal of the #WeHBSeeU TV project is to showcase the research and innovation at HBCUs through the student and researcher voices.  

Blessed with excellent faculty, many of whom have research funded by NSF grants, Xavier has a storied legacy of elevating and improving diversity and equity in the STEM fields. Xavier is known as the nation’s top producer of Black graduates who go on to become doctors, and its distinctions don’t end there; according to NSF, Xavier is ranked third in the nation for undergraduate sources of African American students who go on to complete doctoral degrees in the physical and Earth sciences and is ranked fifth for those who go on to complete doctoral degrees in the life sciences. Furthermore, despite Xavier’s neuroscience program launching just a few years ago (2017), the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) found that Xavier ranks highly in the number of African American 2022 baccalaureate degree neuroscience graduates.  

Multiple faculty, staff, and students had their NSF-funded works highlighted, including Xavier’s Office of Sustainability (XULA Green). Three researchers from Xavier had their research and student researchers highlighted.

• Morewell Gasseler, Ph.D., and his project “Environmental Computing and Community Engagement in Undergraduate STEM Education” aims to serve the national interest in high-quality undergraduate STEM education by introducing a computational, community-oriented component into STEM programs at Xavier University. Specifically, undergraduate students will develop microcontroller-based systems for collecting airborne particulate data. They will work with public school teachers and students to deploy the sensors at locations around New Orleans and to analyze the resulting data.  
• Asem Abdulahad, Ph.D., is spearheading the project “Xavier-UChicago Partnership for Research and Education in Materials for Energy Storage and Sensing.” Dr. Abdulahad’s project leverages Xavier’s strong reputation for STEM education and is a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) Seed project, that supports the a collaboration between the University of Chicago (UChicago) and Xavier to increase diversity in research-based careers in materials science and engineering through targeted interventions that focus on engaging underrepresented minority students in research early in their undergraduate education.  
• Lamartine Meda, Ph.D., is the principal investigator of “Excellence in Research: Investigation of Interfacial Chemical and Ion Transport in Solid Inorganic-Polymer Electrolytes.” In this project, the researchers investigate ion transport at the boundaries of the electrolyte/electrodes as well as between the ceramic/polymer matrix. The team utilizes several different characterization tools to understand the properties of the materials. The students involved in this research project are engaged in cutting-edge research on a topic of importance to addressing the global energy challenge. Limited understanding of ion transport at the interfaces in electrochemical systems is a major obstacle in the development of safe, reliable advanced lithium batteries with ultra-high energy density and high power-density. Such batteries are needed for the widespread electrification of transportation and storage of renewably generated electricity.  

Despite their impressive prowess in graduating the next generation of Black leaders and professionals, HBCUs, like Xavier, have historically been overlooked and undervalued. As of 2024, only 107 universities out of the country’s nearly 6,000 colleges and universities are HBCUs, but those marginally minuscule institutions enroll 10 percent of all Black students. They also confer 15 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 25 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees received by Black Americans.   

Like many of its sister HBCUs, Xavier has decided that it is time to make sure the world knows exactly how its innovation and excellence are preparing the way for a brighter, more equitable, and diverse future. #WeHBSeeU TV’s endeavors will elevate those efforts for not just Xavier, but other minority-serving institutions that have for too long been just quietly sharing their gifts with the world.   

Dr. Erin Lynch, President of QEM Network and project lead for #WeHBSeeU TV, shared, “It’s about time the world sees what we see every day on our campuses, the innovation and brilliance in the minds of our students and researchers.”