Today@Sam Article

SHSU Announces Recipient of 2025 BRIDGE 2.0 Center of Excellence Award

Sept. 12, 2025
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins

Dr. Sharmin Hasan in Sam Houston State University’s College of Science and Engineering Technology (COSET) and her team were named recipients of the 2025 BRIDGE 2.0 Center of Excellence Award for their visionary proposal aimed at advancing research, innovation and service.

This competitive internal program, supported by the Provost’s Innovation Fund and administered through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), provides $250,000 over three years to establish a new Center of Excellence that will advance SHSU’s research enterprise and impact.

“This award represents SHSU’s investment in bold ideas that will shape the future of our university and the communities we serve,” said Chad Hargrave, vice president for research and partnership at SHSU.

Hasan and her team’s winning proposal established the university’s Aging Research Collaborative (ARC), a multidisciplinary service dedicated to advancing research, education and community engagement in healthy aging.

“Our mission is to make SHSU a regional hub for aging research excellence and education,” Hasan said. “By bringing together experts in biology, nutrition, public health, kinesiology and social sciences, we aim to solve real-world challenges in healthy aging. ARC focuses not just on discoveries in the lab, but on applying them to improve health and quality of life in our communities."

ARC will unite faculty and students across disciplines to address aging challenges through molecular, clinical and population-based studies, while also strengthening workforce training and regional partnerships. By focusing on rural and underserved populations, the center will position SHSU as a leader in gerontology research and translational solutions that improve health outcomes in Texas and beyond.

“Texas faces unique aging challenges, especially in rural and underserved communities,” Hasan said. “ARC will partner with local healthcare providers and agencies to develop programs, train the workforce, and conduct research that directly benefits these communities.”

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