SSU professor emeritus accepts national award
|
Posted By: Hija Chang on November 19, 2018 L to R: Michael Kratsios, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Matthew Gilligan, Ph.D.; France Cordova, Ph.D., Director, National Science Foundation Matthew Gilligan, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Savannah State University (SSU), accepted an award from the White House and the National Science Foundation (NSF) on June 26, 2018. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) recognizes individuals and organizations across the country. Mentors guide students from the kindergarten through collegiate levels, as well as those who recently have started their careers in STEM. They share their expertise and guidance with learners, often from traditionally underrepresented groups in the STEM fields. Gilligan’s mentoring has included undergraduates, graduate students, junior faculty and peers at marine laboratories and oceanographic institutions. Gilligan, hired by Savannah State in 1979, was instrumental in implementing the marine sciences program at SSU. According to NOAA, SSU is currently top-ranked in the nation in bachelor’s and master’s degrees earned by African Americans in the U.S. in the marine sciences from 2002-2017. Since retirement, Gilligan has shifted his focus to community outreach efforts. He serves on the board of Wilderness Southeast, Inc., a nonprofit that hosts water habitat field trips for middle schools. The program, dubbed ‘Fish-Gotta-Swim,’ is funded by grants, awards -- and Gilligan’s art. “I collect hidden driftwood from salt marshes, then I up-cycle it into home furnishings. A portion of the sales go to the program.” Gilligan is also outspoken in the civic arena. He was a panelist on a Savannah forum focusing on climate change, sea level rise and resilience planning in the coastal area. He will be serving on a career panel at the Oceans 18 (ocean engineering and technology) meeting and plans to attend the Southern and National Associations of Marine Laboratories meetings this year. The award includes a $10,000 honorarium to leverage support for STEM mentoring strategies. He intends to use this latest recognition to continue “to serve as an advocate for STEM education mentorship whenever the opportunity arises,” Gilligan says. “And to remain an ambassador for SSU.” Previous SSU recipients of the PAESMEM award are Chellu S. Chetty, Ph.D., and Kenneth Sajwan, Ph.D. More about PAESMEM: http://www.paesmem.net/ https://www.savannahstate.edu/ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Hija Chang
Management, See Moss Interactive Central State University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
FAMU Partners With JCPenney to Help Students Dress for SuccessMore than 250 Florida A&M University students received support in preparing for upcoming career opportunities through the Suit Up JCPenney event, which provided access to discounted professional attir ...more
Reginald Claremont • 141 Views • September 23rd, 2026 |
 |
For Your Grammy Consideration: James Artissen - Blank FaceFor Your Grammy Consideration.
Artist: James Artissen
Song: Blank Face
Genre: Dance, Pop, R&B
Label: Humble Sound Records
Category: Best Dance Pop Recording
#JamesArtissen #BlankFace #Gram ...more
Lenell Johnson • 131 Views • September 23rd, 2026 |
Popular News
 |
Louisiana Upholds Life Sentence to Black Man For Stealing Hedge Trimmers in 1997While this may not be HBCU related news, as an AFrican American male, I had to share this appalling decision by the Louisiana court system to keep a man in jail with a life sentence for such a petty c ...more
Roger The Great • 405,764 Views • August 6th, 2020 |
 |
Blonde Instagram Model Goes Viral for Graduating from HBCU and Pledging Delta Sigma Theta!A blonde woman is going viral this morning, for graduating from A Historically Black College while pledging a Black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
@Blonde_HBCU
The woman, an IG ...more
Roger The Great • 190,064 Views • November 30th, 2020 |
 |
Apple to Invest over $40 Million Dollars into HBCUs - Time to major in Computer Science!!!On Tuesday Johnny C. Taylor, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund stopped by “NewsOne Now” to make a major announcement that could literally change the lives of thousands of HBCU st ...more
Roger The Great • 130,939 Views • March 11th, 2015 |
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Claremont • 117,144 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
 |
Black Billionaire Robert F. Smith to Donate $50 Million to Support STEM Students at HBCUsThe Student Freedom Initiative announced today a $50 million personal gift from Robert F. Smith, philanthropist and Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. This gift matches the initial fu ...more
Roger The Great • 86,505 Views • October 22nd, 2020 |
