Creating ripples for Aggie engineers

Just as every ocean is born from a single drop, every act of selfless service begins with a story. 

Dr. Arul Jayaraman, executive associate dean for the Texas A&M University College of Engineering, is familiar with how generosity can create ripples in the lives of others. With the establishment of the Jayaraman Family Graduate Fellowship in Chemical Engineering, Jayaraman is honoring his late father's legacy and supporting the next generation of chemical engineers.

Jayaraman’s father, Dr. Ramamirtha Jayaraman, dedicated his life to pursuing his passion for molecular biology. After fleeing Burma as a young boy amid heightened conflict during World War II, he chose to embark on a journey that few from his community could take at the time. 

“My father was the only one of all his siblings who went to college,” Jayaraman said. “He did not study in an English curriculum until college. He didn't even leave his village until then.” 

Ramamirtha earned his Ph.D. from Tufts University in Boston and completed his postdoctoral training under Dr. James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA. Despite his impressive academic and research achievements, his true passion was teaching, which he pursued after returning to India.

“Whenever I meet my father’s former students, they all say the same thing — that they remember him as a phenomenal teacher and mentor,” Jayaraman said. “In many ways, he was my inspiration. I might not have ever said it to him when he was alive, but he was the person who inspired me to pursue a career in academia.”

Inspired by his father’s legacy, Jayaraman firmly believes that dreaming is essential for success. 

“The message is very simple,” Jayaraman said. “You can do it — dream and follow it. If you don’t dream, you’re never going to get there. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

He described his gift as one small part of a collective effort to support students financially. 

“A lot of drops of water make an ocean,” he said.

While Jayaraman was always passionate about teaching and research, he never expected his journey would lead him to Texas A&M. In fact, during his first two years as a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, adjusting to life in Aggieland proved challenging. Yet 21 years later, Texas A&M now feels like home.

Reflecting on his time in Aggieland, Jayaraman recalls the unwavering support his son received from the Aggie community as a four-year track and field athlete and chemical engineering student. 

“The people are what, to me, make this place different,” he said. “And that’s one reason why I never moved out.”

Although he was initially slow to embrace Aggieland as home, Jayaraman grew to admire the generosity of Aggies. 

“The people, the students, the former students — they give without being asked,” he said. “They give back. This level of giving back, and the commitment to helping the next generation and the one after that — this is phenomenal and blows my mind.”

Through his own selfless service and unwavering support, Jayaraman exemplifies the spirit that defines Texas A&M — a place where dreams are possible, one drop at a time.