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The theme for this year’s Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), Dec. 2 to 4, is ""Energy, Food and Fiber Alternatives: Opportunities for Underserved Communities." This will be the 65th PAWC hosted by Tuskegee University. The student registration fee is $125. For other participants, the registration fee is $350 if received by Nov. 15, and $425 after that deadline.
Posted 04:49 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Milli Worku of the Department of Animal Sciences has been leading a faculty team, which received funding from the Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service for a new program to prepare SAES students for careers in agricultural biotechnology and genomics. The program can accommodate four students at a time, and the first quartet of graduates will be starting required research projects this summer, as faculty from all four SAES departments will be working as mentors for students in the program:
• Dr. Antoine Alston with be guiding Tadashi C. Totten through “An Analysis of North Carolina Secondary Principals Awareness of Biotechnology and the Future of Biotechnology Education.”
• Dr. Salam Ibrahim will be guiding Rosette Dibanza through research for “Determining The Microbiological Quality and Safety of Fresh Spinach Using the Soleris Instrument.”
• Dr. Willie Willis will be guiding Charles Hatcher through research into the “Health, Well Being and Product Safety of Broiler Chickens in Alternative Systems.”
• Dr. Worku will be guiding Derrick Coble through a look at the “Effect of Host Immune Factors in Whey on Global Gene Expression In E.Coli Genes.”
Students in the biotechnology and genomics program will be eligible for a graduate certificate in biotechnology once they complete research projects, coursework and outreach activity requirements. For coursework, they must have 15 hours in biotechnology and genomics. The program also requires 25 hours of outreach activities under the direction of The Cooperative Extension Program. Drs. Benjamin Gray and Donald McDowell have been working with Worku as a faculty steering committee for the biotechnology and genomics program.
Posted 04:34 PM | Comments (0)
Funding support from the Ford Motor Company is making it possible for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design to offer high school students starting their sophomore, junior or senior years next fall a special summer program that will explore a timely topic at a pre-college level: energy. The program goal is to give students a broad understanding of the origins and extent of energy production, consumption, efficiency and conservation. There will be demonstrations of how various forms of energy are generated, and experiments with solar energy, hydrogen fuel cells, ethanol and biodiesel production.
Two sessions are scheduled: one the week of June 25 - 29; and another July 9 - 13. During each session, the program will meet daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The application deadline for both sessions is Friday, May 31.
Posted 03:52 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen of the SAES is teaming up with Dr. Rytas Vilgalys of the Department of Biology faculty at Duke University for a six-week training program in "Truffle and Mushroom Biotechnology" that began in mid-May and will continue through late June. The class role includes SAES and Duke students, some members of the SAES staff, and a visiting scientist.
The course syllabus includes basic lab methods, and fungi collection field trips. Classes will meet at both A&T and Duke. Dr. Omon will be using his Carver Hall lab for some of the class meetings, and the new mushroom production facility at the University Farm for others.
Posted 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
The 18th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando in mid-April, and a five-member team from A&T was among the 64 teams from Historically Black Colleges & Universities in the quiz bowl competition. The team was coached by Timothy J. Foster, an SAES research associate, who was himself a member of A&T's Honda Challenge team (and at one point team captain) during his student days at A&T.
To qualify for the Honda Challenge, HBCUs must organize a campus tournament to determine which students are best qualified to represent their school. The team Foster led this year began practicing for competition in January, and had a rigorous practice schedule of two hours per night, three-to-four nights per week. Practice sessions covered a broad variety of topics — from history, literature, the sciences, religion, geography and the arts to current events, social sciences, sports and popular culture.
Foster's recap of A&T's performance in the 2007 Honda Challenge boils down to good but wait 'till next year. He says that, "Our record this year of 5-2 was a strong showing. One game official mentioned, 'If A&T was in any other division this year, they would have made at least the Elite Eight.'"
Three of the five members of the A&T team in the 2007 Honda Challenge were sophomores.
Posted 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
The annual SAES Student Awards Banquet will begin promptly at 7 p.m. in the Stallings Ballroom at the Memorial Student Union Building on Friday, May 4. [registration link]
At the SAES Awards Banquet, students who have met the academic and public service requirement for membership in the Gamma Sigma Delta, Kappa Omicron Nu, Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Lambda Alpha honor societies will be recognized, as will SAES student athletes.
A&T’s chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the national honor society of agriculture, will be honoring undergraduates with the highest GPAs in their classes; those who were inducted into Gamma Sigma Delta at the chapter’s induction ceremony in April; and the students who submitted entries for the Showcase of Excellence research poster competition during Small Farms Week. Gamma Sigma Delta’s annual awards to faculty members for excellence in teaching, research and Extension will also be presented at the Awards Banquet.
The faculty members, which A&T’s Center for Student Success named SAES teacher and advisor of the year — Drs. Millie Worku and Valerie J. McMillan, respectively — also will be honored at the Awards Banquet. Another banquet honoree will be Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, an SAES food scientist, who shared the Division of Research & Economic Development Senior Researcher Award with a member of the Chemistry Department.
Dr. Alton Thompson, the SAES dean, has two awards to present that will be kept secret until the Awards Banquet: the 2006-07 SPA or non-teaching EPA employee of the year, and the annual collaboration award that goes to a team of SAES faculty and staff who pulled together to pull off an extraordinary accomplishment.
Posted 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
In existence for only seven months, North Carolina A&T’s horse judging team nonetheless held its own at its first major intercollegiate competition at Middle Tennessee State University during the first week of April. Four members of the 10-member horse judging team were selected to travel to the competition, which drew 12 teams from universities across the country, including such traditional horse judging powerhouses as Kansas State, Virginia Tech. and the University of Florida.
The traveling squad for the horse judging team was composed of SAES students Carla Thomas, Laura Marley, Anna Miller and LaTisha Moody. The team finished eighth overall, and placed fifth 
in one of the three primary sub categories that comprise a collegiate horse judging competition.
Dr. Rusty Miller, the horse judging team’s faculty advisor, has an even more ambitious challenge on the docket for next fall. He plans to enter the Aggie horse judging team in the competition at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio in October, an event that draws 650,000 people and more than 16,000 horses.
Posted 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, the SAES mushroom specialist, has a reminder and an announcement to pass along to SAES students interested in edible and medicinal mushrooms.
The reminder is that the American Mushroom Institute has an annual scholarship program for graduate students conducting research into edible mushrooms. Although the application deadline is June 1, SAES graduate students interested in applying should be encouraged to start on the application promptly. Applicants must provide four letters of recommendation, including two from individuals qualified to vouch for their academic achievements.
The scholarship is named to honor Dr. James W. Sinden, who began a 50-year career of research into mushroom production at Penn. State in 1930. Among Sinden’s innovations is the synthetic compost (a medium from wheat), which has made mushroom production commercially viable.
Dr. Omon’s announcement is that next fall he will be offering a new 400-level course, which will introduce students to the various groups of fungi and their morphology, biological activities, roles in ecosystems, economic importance and their application in biotechnology. The class will meet from 1-1:50 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and there will be a required lab from 1 to 2:50 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Posted 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Millie Worku of the Department of Animal Sciences served as mentor for a student research poster that was awarded second place in the university-wide student competition that was part of A&T’s Division of Research annual celebration of student and faculty research. Caresse Gerald’s prize-winning research was into the “Effects of Black Seed Oil (Niagra Sativa) on the Life Cycle and Reproductive Behavior of C. elegans.”
Posted 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
Gamma Sigma Delta’s annual induction ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the Godfrey Multipurpose Room at Coltrane Hall on Thursday, April 12. Students as well as faculty who are new additions to A&T’s chapter of the honor society of agriculture will be inducted. Faculty members who nominated students for Gamma Sigma Delta are encouraged to get in touch and give them a friendly reminder about the induction ceremony since it’s an especially hectic time of the academic year for most students.
Posted 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
On Thursday, Feb. 22, the A&T State University collegiate chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) will host a “Winter Agricultural Literacy Barbecue Fest” as a part of its celebration of National FFA Week. Middle school and high school students have been invited to campus to learn about the academic and career opportunities in agricultural and environmental Sciences. While they're here, the students will get overviews of research projects at the University Farm as well as the academic programs the SAES has to offer.
Posted 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
The American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) established the Webb-Godfrey-Hill Award to honor two former SAES deans, Drs. Burleigh Webb and Daniel Godfrey, along with Dr. Walter Hill, dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental, and Natural Sciences at Tuskegee University. The award is presented annually, and the deadline for nominations for the 2007 award is Jan 31. Individuals, teams and departments from the SAES (as well as other 1890s) with distinguished accomplishments in distance learning are eligible. The nomination process is less time-consuming than most: There’s an online nomination form, and the screening committee will review the abridged online nominations and then select finalists before requesting letters of support and other documentation. The award winner will receive a plaque and $2,000.
Posted 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
The application deadline for the USDA 1890 Scholarships for 2007 is Monday, Jan. 15. If you know of high-achieving high school seniors who might be interested, encourage them to check out the program at http://1890scholars.program.usda.gov.
USDA’s 1890 Scholars Program is a top-flight opportunity for high-flying high school seniors. For students selected as 1890 Scholars, USDA pays full tuition and fees for them to attend one of the 1890 Institutions for four years, and the 1890 they attend gives them free room and board. USDA 1890 Scholars also receive employment with a USDA agency (and employee benefits) during each of the years they are working toward a bachelor's degree.
Posted 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
The USDA’s 1890 Scholars Program is a top-flight opportunity for high-flying high school seniors. For students selected as 1890 Scholars, USDA pays full tuition and fees for them to attend one of the 1890 Institutions, and USDA 1890 Scholars also receive employment with a USDA agency (and employee benefits) during each of their four years working toward a bachelor's degree.
The application deadline for the USDA 1890 Scholarships for 2007 is Jan. 15. If you know of high-achieving high school seniors who might be interested, encourage them to check out the program.
Another deadline that arrives early enough in 2007 to merit an apply-over-the-holidays alert is the Feb. 16 application cutoff date for the 2007 Research Apprentice Program. That means the holiday break will be an excellent time for high-caliber high school students with an interest in working with SAES research scientists next summer to fill out an application. The four-week RAP for 2007 will be June 24 through July 30. Cards announcing the 2007 RAP application deadline will soon be in the mail, but SAES faculty and staff are invited to take jump on the competition. Feel free to pass the card along to any high school junior or senior you know who might be interested in this 2007 RAP.
Posted 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
A&T's chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, has been awarded the Gold Chapter Award in recognition of chapter activities and accomplishments during the 2005-2006 academic year. Other chapters receiving Gold Chapter Awards for the 2005-2006 academic year were the University of Florida's and Iowa State's. Silver and bronze awards went to chapters at the University of Kentucky, Purdue, Penn State, N.C. State, the University of Georgia, Virginia Tech and the University of Arkansas.
Posted 06:38 PM | Comments (0)
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has a scholarship program for college undergraduates with a noteworthy stipulation for eligibility: Applicants must “have completed at least one semester in a restaurant and/or foodservice-related program.” Students in SAES nutrition and dietetics programs qualify. Another requirement for scholarship eligibility is 750 hours of work experience in restaurant or food service industries. Applicants must also have a GPA of at least 2.75 on the 4.0 scale. The application deadline for the next round of scholarship awards is Nov. 17. Details on this program as well as scholarship programs for high school students are available at the NRAEF Web site.
Posted 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
The application deadline has been extended to Friday, Sept. 29, for scholarships provided by a USDA grant to further undergraduate research in biotechnology and biodiversity. SAES juniors and seniors with overall GPAs of 3.0 and grad students with overall GPAs of 3.5 may be eligible for scholarship awards - for the current semester - from $500 to $800 for undergraduates, and $800 to $1,200 for grad students. The selection committee is looking for students whose course work and career goals reflect an ongoing interest in some facet of biotechnology, including issues of ethical and sociological importance. Scholarship recipients will be required to conduct an independent research project supervised by a faculty mentor.
Posted 05:27 PM | Comments (0)
The nomination deadline for the award for outstanding instructor for the 2006-07 academic year that will go to a member of the SAES teaching faculty is Monday, Nov. 6. A screening committee also selects instructors of the year from the other schools and colleges at A&T, and an administrator of the year for all for the entire university. The deadline for nominations for the administrator of the year award is also Nov. 6.
Posted 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
An SAES agriscience education major, Courtney Owens of Henderson, has become the first student to enter the Peace Corps through the Master's International program that was launched in the fall of 2004. The three-year program begins with a year of graduate coursework, followed by two years of Peace Corps service that applies the classroom learning to the real world. With his year of coursework under his belt, Owens will be departing for French-speaking West Africa in late September to begin the two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer that will complete requirements for his master’s degree.
Posted 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
Friday, July 7, will be an optimal day for prospective students from all walks of life to get their questions answered about enrolling in the SAES or other A&T schools and colleges. The A&T Admissions Office will be hosting a drop-by-at-your-convenience information fair from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. in the exhibit hall at the Memorial Student Union Building. If you know someone who has been thinking about an SAES graduate degree for career advancement, or a potential continuing education student who is thinking about returning to college for an undergraduate degree, this will be a convenient opportunity to get answers to all the important questions.
Posted 10:44 AM | Comments (1)
As part of Dr Antoine Alston’s 700-level course in the applications of technological advances (AGED 709) this summer, Dr. Millie Worku is coordinating two days of biotechnology lectures and lab demonstrations. One of the featured speakers is Dr. Theresa Fulton, director of Outreach and Training at Cornell University’s Institute for Genomic Diversity. Dr. Fulton will be discussing the use of molecular marker learning modules for studies in plant genomic diversity. Fulton’s talk on Tuesday, June 27, in Room 207 of Webb Hall, is open to SAES faculty and staff as well as students enrolled in the agricultural education course.
Posted 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
Faculty and staff who are members of A&T's chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the national honor society of agriculture, have until the end of the month to nominate deserving students for induction into Gamma Sigma Delta. Nomination forms complete with academic and other criteria are here.
Posted 04:01 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Willie Willis of the Department of Animal Sciences made a guest appearance on WGHP (Fox 8) during the 10 o'clock news on Nov. 8 to discuss the possible bird flu pandemic that has become a focus of public concern. Willis was well positioned to answer the reporter's question about what the SAES is doing to keep the H5N1 strain of avian flu out of poultry flocks in the United States. He and Dr. Ipek Goktepe, an SAES food scientist, and Dr. M. J. Ibrahim, an Extension specialist, are conducting workshops for Extension personnel and small-scale poultry producers to cover safety precautions for keeping the bird flu out of North Carolina.
Although small poultry flocks are more vulnerable to the spread of bird flu than poultry produced in confinement facilities (where chances for contact with migratory birds are minimal), Willis' first message for producers and consumers alike at this point is not to overreact. "We should be concerned," he says, "but still, no case of bird flu has been found in the United States. And there's no evidence at this point that there is any danger in eating poultry that has been properly cooked." Willis is confident that poultry producers and research scientists around the globe are tackling the issue head on, and that there's no threat to public health in the United States on the immediate horizon.
Willis can be reached for more information on avian flu at (336) 334-7786, or willisw@ncat.edu. Here is a Web site he recommends for additional details.
Posted 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
What was formerly the Department of Human Environment and Family and Consumer Sciences is now the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). The URLs on SAES web pages will also reflect that change. While you're updating your address book, note that the office of Dr. Valerie McMillan of the FCS faculty is now in the Price Hall Annex, and her phone number is 334-7539.
Posted 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
Drs. Alton Thompson, Richard Robbins and Osei Yeboah made a fact-finding visit to the People’s Republic of China in mid-September, and the SAES delegation returned home with exciting prospects for research collaborations, and student and faculty exchanges. Dean Thompson and the SAES faculty from the SAES International Trade Center met with officials from Nanjing Agricultural University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Agriculture. The Chinese universities are very interested in SAES work with pastured pork and poultry, small ruminants and biotechnology.
The trip was an outgrowth of research conducted by Drs. Xiang Dong Qin and William Amponsah, both formerly of SAES. They analyzed the export potential in Chinese markets for small and independent U.S. pork producers. Qin is now back in China at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and in that role he is continuing his work to connect small-scale pork producers in North Carolina with Chinese markets. There’s tremendous potential for SAES research and Extension to be links in this chain.
Posted 05:59 PM | Comments (0)
This past summer Dr. Guochen Yang of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design was called on to give biotechnology seminars in some strikingly dissimilar settings. In June, Yang went home to China to present a seminar on biotechnology developments and impacts across North Carolina at Jilin Agricultural University in Jilin Province of the People’s Republic of China. (Jilin is located in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering both Russia and Korea.) Yang’s presentation came at the request of the president of the Jilin Agricultural University, and his trip to China also included a visit with scientists at the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences in Beijing.
In July, Yang, conducted plant tissue culture workshops at two North Carolina community colleges — Richmond Community College in Hamlet and Carteret Community College in Morehead City — as part of a biotech summer enrichment program coordinated by UNC-Pembroke. The workshops at the community colleges included hands-on work with the laboratory and greenhouse procedures and equipment used to propagate plants using micropropagation.
Posted 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Manuel Reyes of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design joined with Philip Gassman of Iowa State University to present a “Review of Peer-Reviewed Literature on the SWAT [Soil and Water Assessment Tool] Model” at the third international conference devoted to SWAT in Zurich, Switzerland, in mid-July. SWAT is a computer modeling tool developed by USDA and is used to project the impact of land use management on soil as well as water quality. Among the state and federal agencies that now turn to SWAT is the Environmental Protection Agency, which has SWAT on its list of modeling tools predicting nonpoint source pollution for the 20,000 or more water bodies in the United States with poor water quality. 
Posted 10:58 AM | Comments (0)
Drs. Benjamin Gray and Anthony Yeboah, and John Paul Owens of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education presented a study of "Student Perceptions of Traditional Versus Nontraditional Teaching Approaches" at Ed-Media 2005 - the "World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications" 
hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education in Montreal in late June. The SAES's three-year project to prepare faculty for incorporating interactive whiteboards and other technologies into classroom instruction served as a basis for the study.
Information about Ed-Media 2006 (in Orlando June 26-30) is already available at http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/. Around 1,500 participants from 700 countries are expected, and the deadline for presentation proposals is Dec. 19, 2005.
Posted 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
The SAES's Agricultural Research Program had its grow-how on display at the American Society for Horticultural Science's annual conference in Las Vegas July 18-21. Drs. Yang and Niedziela presented a study of their work to expedite galax seed germination in vitro. Zhongge Lu, a research associate, was also part of the project team, which investigated different culture media's pH conditions and explored suitable explant materials for aseptic cultures. Niedziela and Yang also presented their research into the potential for using tobacco transplant greenhouses for Celosia cristata L. 'Persimmon Chief'- a variety of cut flower suitable for commercial production. The project involves a comparison of four different production systems. For complete abstracts on these projects, start at http://www.ashs.org/annualmeeting/conference/index.lasso, and enter the name of one of the SAES faculty members in the search form.
Yang's trip to Las Vegas for the ASHS's annual conference did something to contradict the television commercial's claim that, "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas." ASHS President Paul E. Read asked Yang to serve on the selection committee for the ASHS's Outstanding International Horticulturist Award. Yang's selection committee responsibilities may have begun in Las Vegas, but they certainly won't end there.
Posted 03:19 PM | Comments (0)
Two groups of youths from the Smith and Ray Warren communities in Greensboro were SAES guests on a quest in July. Dr. Geraldine Ray coordinates a special “Fabric and Thread Camp that brings youngsters to the SAES for weeklong introductions to textiles and fashion merchandising and design. This year the emphasis was on machine quilting and embroidery.
Funding for the Fabric and Thread Art Camp came from the Greensboro Arts Council, the United Institutional Baptist Church, the Greensboro Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, and the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences at A&T.
Posted 05:09 PM | Comments (1)
Dr. Donald McDowell, SAES associate dean for Academic Programs, was one of 10 economists honored for contributions to the Committee on the Opportunities and Status of Blacks in Agricultural Economics (COSBAE) at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Agricultural Economics (AAEA) in Providence, RI, in late July. McDowell and the other COSBAE honorees were cited for creating new professional development opportunities for young economists, recognition for accomplishments in the field, and for heightening cultural sensitivity in the AAEA.
One of the AAEA’s main objectives is to serve as a forum for scholarship and breaking news in agricultural economics, and the organization’s Web site does a great job of living up to this commitment. The AAEA newsletter, “The Exchange, is online at http://www.aaea.org/fund/pubs/newsletter/, and the bi-monthly publication provides comprehensive coverage of professional development opportunities, research publications, and what’s unfolding at colleges and universities. The Web site has a breaking news section at http://www.aaea.org/info/news/ that puts an international eye on agricultural news and global economics.
Posted 04:59 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Ralph Noble has been named chairman of the Department of Animal Sciences. He comes to the SAES from Tuskegee University, where he was co-coordinator of the animal, poultry and veterinary Sciences teaching, research and outreach programs. Noble received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences and master’s degree in animal sciences from Tuskegee University, and his Ph.D. in reproductive physiology in animal sciences from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Noble’s research focus has been on improving reproductive performance of goats and cattle. His work has primarily been with small farmers in the Black Belt area of the southeastern United States. He has also been involved in a number of projects in East and West Africa, as well as Egypt, China and the Caribbean.
Teresa McRae has joined the Department of Agricultural Communications and Technology (ACT) as officer manager. Her desk is at the north wing of the C. H. Moore Agricultural Research Station; her phone number is 334-7636; and her e-mail is tamcrae@ncat.edu. McRae comes to ACT from the Office of the Registrar.
Posted 04:42 PM | Comments (3)
The SAES's 27th annual Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) came to a conclusion on Friday, July 15. The 16 high school students who were selected for the program went home with a taste of college life, and a month of guidance from the SAES research faculty. The closing ceremony project presentations were:
Gregory Baskett of Louisburg High did "A Comparison of Nutrient Content of Whiting, Grouper and Cultured Salmon" under the direction of Dr. C. W. Seo, and Sarah Williamson, research associate Amber Brown of Charles Herbert Flowers High (in Springdale, MD) researched the "County-Level Impact of Hog Production in North Carolina" under the direction of Dr. Godfrey Ejimakor.
Stephen Fails of Andrews High School (in High Point) researched the "Separation of Liquid and Solid Waste Using PAM" under the direction of Dr. Arona Diouf, and Parvaneh Asefi-Nouri, research assistant.
Jessica Farrar of Southeast Guilford High researched "Mushroom Extract Manipulation in Broiler Chickens" under the direction of Dr. Willie Willis.
Larelle High of Northwest Halifax High (in Littleton, NC) did an "Evaluation of Contents and Activities of Antioxidants in Sweet Potato Peels" under the direction of Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna.
Benjamin D. Hopkins of Kinston High performed an "Evaluation of Free Cell and Immobilized Bifidobacterial longum in Cheese Whey Batch Fermentation" under the direction of Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi and Michele Mims, research assistant.
Jaron Jones of South Central High School in Greenville researched "Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from Terrestrial Ecosystems" under the direction of Drs. M.R. Reddy, and W.A.R.N. Fernando, research assistant.
Wayne Kimball Jr. of Northwest Halifax High (in Littleton, NC) worked on "Estimating Sediment and Nitrogen Losses from Lake Fork Watershed Under Different Management Practices" under the direction of Dr. Manuel Reyes.
Jannety Mosley of South Central High (in Winterville, NC) worked on a "Business Plan Development for Shiitake Mushrooms" under the guidance of Dr. Kenrett Jefferson-Moore.
Lauren Johnson of Marietta High (in Marietta, GA) researched "Amplification of a Bacterial Gene" under the direction of Dr. John Allen and Andrea Byers, research assistant.
Amanda Morgan of Eastern Guilford researched "C. Elegans Eating Genetically Modified Food" under the direction of Dr. Mulumebet Worku.
Amanda Spruill of Northwest Halifax High looked into the "Effects of Unlimited, and Time Restricted Feeding Intervals on Weight Gain in Spargue Dawley Rats," under the direction of Drs. Tracy Hanner, Stacy Branch and Javier Cisneros, and Steven Hurley, laboratory assistant.
Thelton Stringfield, Jr. of Union High (in Clinton, NC) researched "Obesity in the Southern Black Belt of the United States" under the direction of Dr. Benny Gray and Makieisha Foster, graduate assistant.
Starrlett Tillery of Louisburg High researched the "Effect of Feeding Probiotics on Production Performance of Young Broiler Chickens" under the direction of Dr. Willie Willis.
Zellen Williams of East Forsyth High did an "Evaluation of Antibacterial Properties of Rosa Canina Against Foodborne Pathogens" under the direction of Dr. Ipek Goktepe.
Samuel Young of Northwest Halifax High School investigated "Cover Cropping for Increased Infiltration" under the direction of Dr. Charles Raczkowski.
Posted 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
A new of shipment of white golf shirts with the "School of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences" imprint and the A&T logo has arrived, and the new supply also has SAES branding on the sleeves and collars. There is a limited time offer: Buy one of the new golf shirts and a denim shirt, and get 20 percent off the grand total.
Denim shirts are $32 for sizes S - XL; $34 for XX
L; and $34 for XXXL. Golf shirts are $30 (sizes S - XL; $32 for XXL; and $36 for XXXL. An order form is available at here.
Posted 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Milli Worku of the Department of Animal Sciences is leading a faculty team which was recently notified that it has received funding from USDA's Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service for a new program to prepare SAES graduate students for careers in biotechnology and genomics.
The new biotechnology and genomics program can enroll up to four graduate students at a time, and students accepted into the program will receive financial assistance. The program requires 15 hours of course work in biotechnology and genomics, but many students accepted into the program will be able to concurrently satisfy a majority of the 15-hour requirement with courses which also satisfy requirements for their master's concentrations. Those students in the biotechnology and genomics program working towards an M.S. that includes thesis credit will be required to choose a topic relevant to agricultural biotechnology or genomics. Students in the biotechnology and genomics program also will have to complete at least 25 hours of outreach activities in collaboration with The Cooperative Extension Program.
Drs. Benjamin Gray, Donald McDowell and C. W. Seo will be working with Dr. Worku as a faculty steering committee for the new biotechnology and genomics program. Faculty from all four SAES departments will be working as mentors for students accepted into the program. The broad-based faculty involvement in combination with the high-profile interest in biotechnology and genomics should quickly lead to new entrees for student research work, and internships with government agencies and biotech firms in the private sector.
Posted 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Thessalenuere Hinnant-Bernard, an SAES housing researcher, was invited to conduct a seminar for the Summer Research Institute for students in A&T’s Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Hinnant-Bernard’s seminar — "A Snapshot of the Research Process" — covered the basic steps in research methodologies and the components of research planning and design. This is the second consecutive summer that Hinnant-Bernard was invited to kick off the Summer Research Institute for McNair Scholars with a seminar. Hinnant-Bernard’s research specialties are the social and economic aspects of housing, and such consumer issues as predatory lending.
A&T was one of 14 universities selected in 1989 to pilot a program named to honor Challenger crew member and A&T alumnus Ronald E. McNair. It has since grown into a major Department of Education scholarship program, serving thousands of students at colleges and universities across the United States. For an overview of the program’s national scope, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/index.html. For a look at the McNair Program at A&T, go to http://www.ncat.edu/~remcnair/homepage.htm.
Posted 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
Mike Bratcher has assumed responsibilities as the immediate supervisor for the information technology team within the Ag. Communications and Technology unit. Bratcher moves from support for day-to-day SAES computer needs to supervising the IT staff, developing long and short-term IT strategy and other projects. Bratcher’s IT staff will include computer consultant Lalit Rainey at Coltrane Hall, and Sabrina Roddy Snider, who will be joining the SAES as a computer consultant July 1. Snider’s office will be in Carver Hall.
Posted 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
The new SAES recruitment brochure is ready. If you are attending an event with potential students, contact Donald McDowell or Azell Reeves about getting copies of the brochure to take with you. The new brochure mirrors the new recruitment traveling display and the flat panel display in the lobby of Webb Hall. The traveling display can also be checked out by contacting Azell Reeves. These materials, using the tagline, “Cultivating Potential” are designed to standardize and brand SAES marketing efforts.
Posted 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
SAES faculty need not respond to the request for photos that was issued by University Relations. Ag Communications and Technology will set up a photo schedule in the fall for new faculty and those wishing to get new photos. SAES faculty may share their resumes with University Relations if they wish, but here too ACT has you covered. University relations usually contacts ACT when a need arises for background information for media requests.
Posted 05:50 PM | Comments (0)
A wholesale renovation of the landscape architecture wing of the second floor of Carver Hall is under way this summer. When the dust has settled and construction is complete there will be:
• Four revamped studio classrooms, with walls lined with tack boards for student projects, and new drafting and work tables.
• A presentation room with track lighting, a carpeted floor, and tack board walls. This will give the department a gallery-like atmosphere for displaying architectural drawings and other work.
• A state-of-art computer lab with 24 computers (all with access to CAD and GIS software), and an overhead projection system.
• Extensive cosmetic improvements to the hall outside rooms 201-215, which serves as a gallery for student and faculty designs.
• A new storage room, electrical work, plumbing renovations and other infrastructure improvements.
Posted 05:40 PM | Comments (0)
Each summer the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education hosts the Institute for Future Agriculture Leaders (IFAL) conference - a week-long program for high school students interested in agriculture. The 2005 IFAL conference will be June 19-24. All the students selected for the program are rising seniors in the top third of their classes. The IFAL experience has a special emphasis on career opportunities, and the scientific and commercial aspects of agriculture. The North Carolina Farm Bureau, which provides funding support for IFAL, has an extensive collection of photos from last year's activities at http://www.ncfb.com/ifal/ncat.htm.
Posted 05:36 PM | Comments (0)
Raymona Anderson has joined the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education as a program assistant. Her desk is at the north wing of the C. H. Moore Agricultural Research Station, her phone number is 334-7055, and her e-mail is rdanders@ncat.edu. Anderson comes to the SAES from the Greensboro Housing Coalition.
Posted 05:26 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Gladys Shelton, chair of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences, will be on medical leave until early July. In her absence, Drs. Geraldine Ray and Valerie McMillan will jointly serve as acting chairs. During the month of July Dr. Anthony Yeboah will be on leave and Dr. Godfrey Ejimakor will fill in as acting chair of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education.
Posted 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
The Office of Student Services has launched a new SAES Ambassadors Program, and the first 12 students selected to represent the SAES at important functions (and in important ways) have been through an orientation, and a training session at which Dr. Jane Walker of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences provided some tips on dressing professionally.
The SAES Ambassadors will be called upon to represent and promote the SAES to prospective students, corporate partners, alumni and other groups and individuals. The Ambassadors will be called upon when it's time to put our best foot forward.
Plans are to add another eight SAES student ambassadors next fall, and Azell Reeves, the SAES Student Services director, requests the assistance of all SAES faculty members in identifying SAES students with the personalities and academic qualifications to serve as SAES Ambassadors. If you've got a student to nominate, please pass his or her name along to the appropriate department chair:
Dr. David Libby, Animal Sciences
Dr. G. B. Reddy, Natural Resources & Environmental Design
Dr. Gladys Shelton, Human Environment & Family Sciences
Dr. Anthony Yeboah, Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education
Posted 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
The SAES was one of two 1890 Land-Grant programs to receive an honorable mention award for its distance education work from the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) at the organization's annual meeting in late April. ADEC established the Webb-Godfrey-Hill Award to stimulate and recognize distance education forays by 1890 Land-Grants, and the award is named for a trio of 1890 deans, Drs. Daniel Godfrey, Walter Hill and B. C. Webb, who were instrumental in getting the 1890s on board when USDA's land-grant system began to explore satellite communications and other distance learning technologies. Drs. Webb and Godfrey were SEAS deans, while Hill is dean of Tuskegee University's College of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences.
Specifically cited in the ADEC honorable mention for SAES distance learning were Drs. Antoine Alston and Marcus Comer for their online partnership with community colleges: the "2+2 Program," that gives students the option of starting work on an associate's degree in horticulture-related fields at a community college, and then pushing on for a B.S. through online courses offered by the SAES. Alston and Comer have developed 19 online courses in conjunction with the program.
The Ag. Communications and Technology unit was cited for its video productions, graphic and Web design and news writing. The joint online master's program in Agricultural Education that allows students to take courses at both A&T and North Carolina State University was also singled out in the ADEC awards bulletin.
Topping the Webb-Godfrey-Hill Awards list was Fort Valley State's Mobile Information Center. The University of Maryland - Eastern Shore also received an honorable mention for its distance education program for Head Start employees.
Posted 09:15 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Rosemarie Vardell, a candidate for the Human Environment and Family Sciences faculty, will have a seminar presentation on Thursday, May 19, in Room 106 of Benbow Hall from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. All SAES faculty and staff are invited to attend.
Posted 11:06 AM | Comments (0)
At the 70th annual meeting of the Association of Social and Behavior Scientists (ASBS) in Nashville in March, Dr. Donald McDowell, associate dean for Academic Programs, was elected president of the national organization for 2005-2006. McDowell also presented a paper on "Determinant of Poverty in Manufacturing-Dependent Counties in the Rural South," and Dr. Godfrey Ejimakor of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education
presented a paper on "Food Insecurity in the South: Lessons From Three Southern States." Dr. Osei Yeboah worked with graduate student Hong Xue on a paper on "Rural Household Income Determination: A Case Study in China" that also was presented at the ASBS meeting.
The Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists is a multi-disciplinary organization founded in 1935 by W. E. B. DuBois and other scholars. Its annual meeting serves as a forum for social sciences research, professional development and academic advancement.
Posted 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
The April 27 Greensboro News & Record localized a wire service story about a proposed name change for the University of Nebraska's college of agriculture by surveying Chancellor Renick and Dean Thompson for their thoughts on perhaps changing the name of the SAES. Renick and Thompson were both quick to dismiss any notions of changing the name of the SAES to exclude "agriculture" from the school's name.
The News & Record story also notes that, "Thompson sells the school to students by highlighting the career possibilities available in the school." Speaking of career options that the SAES opens up for students: if you haven't yet had a chance to see the new SAES recruitment display, take a look here. The new 88-by-66-inch display is made of lightweight materials, and folds down into a shoulder-strap carrying case. The new display is available to SAES faculty and staff representing the school at any function where prospective students are gathered. To reserve it, contact Azell Reeves at the Office of Student Services, (336) 256-2062 or reevesi@ncat.edu.
Posted 02:16 PM | Comments (0)
The following SAES faculty and staff were honored along with students at the April 15 awards banquet:
Dr. Jane Walker of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences received the Gamma Sigma Delta Award of Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Tracy Hanner of the Department of Animal Sciences was named Academic Advisor of the Year.
Each year, one faculty member from each of the seven schools and colleges within the university is selected for the Teacher of the Year Award, and Dr. Ghasem Shahbazi of the Bioenvironmental Engineering Program was the SAES recipient for the 2004-05 academic year.
Dr. Ipek Goktepe of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences was the recipient of this year's Outstanding Young Investigator Award, presented by the Division of Research and Economic Development.
The Golden LEAF team won the collaboration award. Team members are: Drs. Keith Baldwin, Godfrey Ejimakor, Marihelen Glass, Jimo Ibrahim, Carl Niedziela, John O'Sullivan, M.R. Reddy, Chang Seo, Vestal Shirley, Chuck Talbott, Willie Willis, Millie Worku, Guochen Yang, and Anthony Yeboah; and SAES staff members Anthony Hooks, Mary Mafuyai-Ekanem, Marsha McGraw and Grace Summers.
Complete details on the awards and the award winners will appear in the June issue of On The Move.
Posted 02:14 PM | Comments (0)
Long-sleeve light blue denim shirts with "School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences" and A&T's Aggie logo are still available for $30 (sizes S - X Large); $32 (XX Large); and $34 (XXX Large). White cotton golf shirts with the Aggie logo on them are $30 (sizes S - X Large); $32 (XX Large): and $34 (XXX Large). Ordering information is available here. Proceeds from shirt sales go to the SAES Alumni Society
Posted 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
SAES student volunteers helped out at the North Carolina unit of the Herb Society of America's annual herb and plant sale in Greensboro last week, and their contributions were rewarded with a prompt dividend. The Herb Society announced an award of $4,000 for SAES students majoring in horticulture. Three-fourths of the award will go for scholarships, and the remaining $1,000 will be used to help students with textbook purchases.
The Herb Society of America promotes "the knowledge, use and delight of herbs" with educational programs, and support for research and higher education. The Herb Society also is committed to environmentally sound, sustainable horticulture. Take a look at its Web site at http://www.herbsociety.org/.
Posted 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
A&T's chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the national honor society for agriculture, will have its final meeting for the 2004-05 academic year on Thursday, April 28, from 3-4 p.m. in Room A-8 of C. H. Moore. The top item on the agenda for this meeting will be the election of officers for the next two academic years. John Paul Owens of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, who served as president-elect this past year, will move up to the presidential suite next fall, but the positions of vice president, secretary, treasurer and historian will be filled by elections on Thursday.
Posted 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
The annual SAES Student Awards Banquet is Friday, April 15, in Stallings Ballroom at the Memorial Student Union Building. The first item on the agenda is the Gamma Sigma Delta induction ceremony, which will begin at 6:15 p.m. Twenty-eight SAES students will be inducted this year, along with three faculty members. Three other community members, including Chancellor James C. Renick and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, will be inducted as honorary members.
A "meet 'n greet" social will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the banquet will start promptly at 7 p.m. It will wind up by 9 p.m., to ensure that students who want to make the step show later in the evening can attend both events.
The Academic Advisor of the Year Award, the SAES Collaboration Award and the Gamma Sigma Delta Award for Excellence in Teaching all will be announced at the banquet. This year’s featured speaker will be Erica Upton Peterson, executive director of the N.C. Agribusiness Council.
Banquet tickets are $20 for faculty, staff and guests. If you phoned or e-mailed your reservation, please bring along cash or check on Friday evening.
Posted 02:13 PM | Comments (0)
SAES landscape architecture students were on special assignment the first week of April. A team of landscape architects with a Denver-based firm, the Design Workshop, spent the week guiding teams of students step-by-step through projects that were real-world and close to home. Students came up with concepts for making the A&T campus more pedestrian friendly, and the landscape architects then steered them through the process of analysis and organization that goes into a comprehensive plan for reshaping the layout and design of a developed area. All landscape architecture classes were suspended for the week so students could devote full attention to their projects and take advantage of the mentors who were in town.
The Design Workshop has offices in eight U.S. cities as well as Denver, and also three offices in South America. The firm’s portfolio includes community planning, resort area developments, collage campuses, national parks and core area development in large cities. (Visit http://www.designworkshop.com/portfolio/portfolio.html for a photographic portfolio that illustrates the craft of landscape architecture.) The Design Workshop has conducted similar high-intensity programs for the landscape architecture departments at Louisiana State University, Penn. State and Cal. Tech.
The design plans that the landscape architecture students completed for their work with the Design Workshop mentors are on display on the second floor of Carver Hall, outside the department offices and classrooms. The plans were presented to a team of instructors and planning specialists to critique at a special grand finale for the Design Workshop team’s visit.
Posted 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
SAES landscape architecture students were on special assignment the first week of April. A team of landscape architects with a Denver-based firm, the Design Workshop, spent the week guiding teams of students step-by-step through projects that were real-world and close to home. Students came up with concepts for making the A&T campus more pedestrian friendly, and the landscape architects then steered them through the process of analysis and organization that goes into a comprehensive plan for reshaping the layout and design of a developed area. All landscape architecture classes were suspended for the week so students could devote full attention to their projects and take advantage of the mentors who were in town.
The Design Workshop has offices in eight U.S. cities as well as Denver, and also three offices in South America. The firm’s portfolio includes community planning, resort area developments, collage campuses, national parks and core area development in large cities. (Visit http://www.designworkshop.com/portfolio/portfolio.html for a photographic portfolio that illustrates the craft of landscape architecture.) The Design Workshop has conducted similar high-intensity programs for the landscape architecture departments at Louisiana State University, Penn. State and Cal. Tech.
The design plans that the landscape architecture students completed for their work with the Design Workshop mentors are on display on the second floor of Carver Hall, outside the department offices and classrooms. The plans were presented to a team of instructors and planning specialists to critique at a special grand finale for the Design Workshop team’s visit.
Posted 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
At the SAES faculty and staff meeting on March 29, Dean Thompson presented the SAES strategic plan, “Planning Our Prepared Future,” that he and a cross-disciplinary SAES team have been working on for many months. After a review of the most recent slate of suggested revisions and additions that came out of school-wide review and the March 29 faculty and staff meeting, “Planning Our Prepared Future,” is headed down the homestretch. Friday, April 15 is the final deadline for suggestions and input for the SAES strategic plan. The document is available here, and suggestions should be sent to radams@ncat.edu.
Posted 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Donald McDowell, associate dean for instruction, closed out the March 29 faculty and staff meeting with a reminder and an update that merit repeating:
* The annual SAES Student Awards Banquet is Friday, April 15, in Stallings Ballroom of the Memorial Student Union Building. Faculty and staff awards also will be announced and presented at the Awards Banquet. Although there is no charge for SAES students, the cost for faculty, staff and guests (family and friends) is $20. Faculty and staff are asked to RSVP to Azell Reeves at (336) 256-2062 by Thursday, April 7. Cash or checks can also be dropped at her office (Room 115 of Webb Hall) or mailed. 
Read Dean Thompson's memo concerning the banquet.
* Although the SAES Awards Banquet is the same evening as the fraternity step show on campus, the banquet will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and conclude by 9 p.m., to ensure that students can attend both events. The meet-and-greet reception prior to the Awards Banquet begins at 6:30 p.m.
Gamma Sigma Delta members and new inductees should plan to arrive at Stallings at 6:15 p.m. for the induction ceremony.
Posted 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
The SAES Alumni Society has what’s missing from your spring wardrobe. Long-sleeve light blue denim shirts with “School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences” and A&T’s Aggie logo are now available for $30 (sizes S - X Large); $32 (XX Large); and $34 (XXX Large). White cotton golf shirts with the Aggie logo on them are $30 (sizes S - X Large); $32 (XX Large): and $34 (XXX Large). An order form is available here.
Posted 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
The North Carolina Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association (NCFW&BA) was founded more than 50 years ago to provide training and information for communications professionals at newspapers, and radio and television stations who cover agriculture in North Carolina. Its membership also includes personnel with the communications departments at the SAES and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at N.C. State, and communications liaisons with commodity groups. At the NCFW&BA’s annual Winter Institute in Raleigh on March 18, Dean Alton Thompson of the SAES, N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger (formerly dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N. C. State), and the current dean of CALS, Dr. Johnny Wynne, received honorary lifetime memberships in recognition of their contributions to the flow of news and information from land-grant campuses to the media.
One of the NCFW&BA’s major community service projects each year is the North Carolina 4-H Congress Photography Contest, and this year’s contest has a new category "Changing Face Of Agriculture" that might be well-suited to 4-H’ers with alternative ag. connections. The entry deadline is June 13. Visit http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/4-HPhoto/ for complete details.
Posted 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
Know of a member of the SAES staff who is an EPA or SPA non-teaching employee whose contributions to the SAES are meritorious? Know of a member of the SAES faculty whose commitment to advising students is exemplary? If you answered yes to either question, then you have until March 28 to download a nomination and submit it. Nomination forms are available for both SPA and EPA Non-Teaching and Academic Advisor categories. The winners of the 2005 EPA/SPA non-teaching employee of the year and the Advisor of the Year awards will be announced at the annual SAES Awards Banquet on April 15. The Gamma Sigma Delta awards for excellence in teaching, research and Extension also will be presented at the SAES Awards Banquet.
Posted 04:51 PM | Comments (0)
An SAES faculty and staff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, at 3 p.m. in the Webb Hall Auditorium. This meeting will focus exclusively on the SAES strategic plan, and all faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to come to the meeting prepared to discuss the document by reviewing it reviewing it beforehand.
Posted 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
Long-sleeve blue denim shirts with "School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences" and A&T's Aggie logo are now available for $32 (sizes S - X Large); $34 (XX Large); and $36 (XXX Large). All proceeds will go to the Dean's Discretionary Fund. Ordering information is available here.
Posted 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Thessalenuere Hinnant-Bernard of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences is among the contributors to a new textbook, an Introduction to Housing, that Prentice Hall has scheduled for publication in June. Hinnant-Bernard is one of the authors of the chapter on "Financing Homeownership." Pre-release information is available here.
Hinnant-Bernard is also the coauthor of an article in the current issue of Housing and Society, a journal published by the Housing Education and Research Association (HERA). The article on "Subprime Lending and Reverse Redlining" is a recap of research into predatory and discriminatory lending practices that are on the rise in low-income areas and neighborhoods with high percentages of households with minority, female, and elderly heads-of-household. The study was carried out in conjunction with Hinnant-Bernard's doctoral dissertation at Iowa State, and it was cited with the HERA's Tessie Agan Award for excellence in scholarship.
Posted 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
The 10th annual Life & Physical Sciences Symposium at Stallings Ballroom in the Memorial Student Union Building on Friday, Feb. 25, has a guest speaker whose expertise is of special interest to SAES faculty, students and researchers who pay attention to current issues in nutrition and public health. Dr. David Satcher, a former U.S. surgeon general and interim president of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, will be giving the plenary address at 9 a.m. Satcher is one of the nation’s leading advocates for improvements in health care delivery to underserved minority populations. He is also credited with increased public awareness of the “obesity epidemic” that threatens to neutralize advances in medicine and health care.
There’s a complete agenda for the Life & Physical Sciences Symposium at http://www.ncat.edu/~biology/symposium/, and the online registration form is at http://www.ncat.edu/~biology/symposium/2005/register.html.
Posted 02:55 PM | Comments (0)
On Thursday, Feb. 17, the A&T State University collegiate chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) will host a “Winter Agricultural Literacy Barbecue Fest” as a part of its celebration of National FFA Week. The top 10 agricultural students from 20 high school agricultural education programs will be coming to A&T for the “Agricultural Literacy Barbecue Fest.” While they’re here, the students will get overviews of SAES academic programs and research projects at the University Farm. Before they leave campus, the students will also get to sample the work of the SAES’s newest research partner: Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken, and Barbecue of Wilson.
The staffs from Area III Soil and Water Conservation Districts — encompassing 11 central Piedmont counties — will be getting together at the A&T State University Farm for a spring meeting on Thursday, March 3. The meeting agenda includes discussions of recent developments in alternative agriculture by Dr. M. Ray McKinnie, associate dean and director for The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T, and Leon Moses, farm superintendent. Current research at the A&T farm into sheep and goat production, talapia, and exotic mushrooms will be part of a tour for the water conservation district staffs.
Posted 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
Current members of A&T’s chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta have until Friday, March 4, to nominate students, alumni and colleagues for induction in the national honor society for agriculture. March 4 is also the deadline for Gamma Sig members to submit nominations for the honor society’s annual awards for excellence in teaching, research, and Extension.
Posted 08:46 AM | Comments (0)
SAES faculty, staff and students are invited to join colleagues from the School of Nursing, Library Sciences, and the School of Education for a two-hour town hall meeting with Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in the Webb Hall Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 3, beginning at 10 a.m.
Posted 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
Ed Mitchell's rise to fame in the world of barbecue had humble origins. In the early 1990s, he was looking for an added attraction to bring customers to his family's mom 'n' pop grocery in Wilson, and started cooking up a little barbecue in the back room. As word got around of Mitchell's whole-hog barbecue and other fixins he was serving up, the mom 'n' pop grocery quickly evolved into an always-crowded restaurant, a landmark for barbecue gourmets and a must for every guidebook to North Carolina barbecue.
The SAES hosted the most recent installment in the Mitchell's barbecue success story last week, as an agreement was announced for animal sciences researchers to develop a production and certification method for producing pork with a signature flavor that he hopes to market nationwide. For complete details, go to http://www.ag.ncat.edu/news.htm.
Posted 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
The SAES's Career Expo and Professional Day 2005 is Monday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Memorial Student Union's Stallings Ballroom. Representatives from agribusiness firms, state and federal agencies, and other employers with career opportunities and internship programs will be meeting with SAES students.
SAES students can register electronically for Career Expo and Professional Day at www.ag.ncat.edu/saesic/2005_expo_register.asp. Registration will ensure that a "Passport to Success" will be awaiting them when they arrive at the Career Expo. The "Passport to Success" will serve as a name tag, and a ticket for scholarship drawings.
Posted 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
A&T's chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the national honor society for agricultural research, teaching and Extension, will be having its first meeting of the semester on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 11:30 a.m. in Room A-8 of the C. H. Moore Agricultural Research Station.
Gamma Sig members who are working with students who are preparing posters for the Showcase of Excellence during Small Farms Week are asked to return the application form to John Paul Owens by Feb. 16th
Ag. Communications & Technology (ACT) has a handout for faculty poster mentors to pass along to students. It has guidelines for preparing posters for the SAES's large format printer, and a few tips for making posters that are attractive as well as informative. The ACT staff also has an important request for faculty and students: Please help avert a last-minute logjam by passing along posters as soon as they're ready, and as much in advance of Small Farms Week itself (March 20-26) as possible.
Gamma Sigma Delta members have until March 5 to nominate faculty, alumni and students for induction into the A&T chapter. March 5 is also the deadline for nominations for the 2005 awards for teaching, research and extension.
Posted 10:42 AM | Comments (0)
SAES will bring a select group of high school students to the A&T campus for the 2005 Research Apprentice Program, June 19 to July 15. If you know of a top-notch high school junior or senior with academic and career interests in agriculture or environmental studies, or any of the food, family and consumer sciences, please pass along this link to application forms and additional information: http://www.ag.ncat.edu/summer/rap/default.html. The application deadline for the 2005 Research Apprentice Program is Friday, Feb. 11. In addition to four weeks living in a dorm on the A&T campus and with members of the Agricultural Research Program faculty, RAP students also receive weekly stipends of $250.
Posted 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
High school students selected for USDA's 1890 Scholars Program receive full tuition to attend A&T or another 1890 Institution, and 1890 Scholars also receive employment with a USDA agency during their four years working toward a bachelor's degree. The application deadline for the USDA 1890 Scholarships for 2005 is Feb. 15. If you know of high-achieving high school seniors who might be interested, encourage them to check out the program at http://1890scholars.program.usda.gov. The SAES's USDA liaison officer, J. C. Brown, is available for additional information. Contact him at amescb@ncat.edu.
Posted 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
The SAES's Career Expo and Professional Day 2005 is Monday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Memorial Student Union's Stallings Ballroom. Representatives from agribusiness firms, state and federal agencies, and other employers with career opportunities and internship programs will be meeting with SAES students.
The SAES Career Expo is not just for seniors who will start climbing their career ladders in a few months, but for all SAES students. The recruiters from agribusiness firms, food processing industries, and government agencies coming to Stallings Ballroom on Feb. 7 will have internships and on-down-the-road employment opportunities to discuss with freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
All SAES students planning to attend the SAES Career Expo must complete an online registration form by Wednesday, Feb. 2 (http://www.ag.ncat.edu/saesic/2005_expo_register.asp). For additional information on the Career Expo, please contact Azell Reeves, the SAES Student Services Manager, at reevesi@ncat.edu, or (336) 256-2062.
Posted 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
Governor Easley has named Dr. Valerie Jarvis McMillan of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences to the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), an advisory group that works to ensure that "all children have access to high quality early childhood education and development services." The 25 members of the board serve three-year terms, and McMillan was one of 10 new additions named by Easley in early January. The governor fills 12 of the 25 board slots by appointment.
In naming McMillan to the NCPC board, the governor's office noted that her qualifications included membership on the N.C. Interagency Coordinating Council and the Policy Council of the Regional Child Care Resource and Referral Services at Guilford Child Development.
Posted 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
As part of a project for one of his agricultural engineering classes, Dr. Ghasem Shahbazi is looking for a site for a storage building 10 feet by 12 feet. The cost for materials will be about $800, but the labor will be supplied by Shahbazi's ag. engineering students. Any member of the SAES faculty and staff who is interested should contact Shahbazi at ash@ncat.edu.
Posted 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
• Dr. Donald McDowell, the associate dean for instruction, had emergency surgery last week. Although Dr. Mac is resting fine and on his way to full recovery, he'll be out of action for six weeks or so.
• Deborah Harris, interim purchasing manager for The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T, has moved to Room 208 of Coltrane Hall, and her telephone extension is 2205.
Posted 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
The USDA’s 1890 Scholars Program is a top-flight opportunity for high-flying high school seniors. For students selected as 1890 Scholars, USDA pays full tuition and fees for them to attend one of the 1890 Institutions, and USDA 1890 Scholars also receive employment with a USDA agency (and employee benefits) during each of their four years working toward a bachelor's degree. Four of the 30 USDA 1890 Scholars for 2004 enrolled at A&T, and began working on their degrees in the SAES last fall.
The application deadline for the USDA 1890 Scholarships for 2005 is Feb. 15. If you know of high-achieving high school seniors who might be interested, encourage them to check out the program at http://1890scholars.program.usda.gov. The SAES’s USDA liaison officer, J. C. Brown, is available for additional information. Contact him at amescb@ncat.edu.
Posted 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
A new Corporate Advisory Board has been established by Dean Thompson to help guide the SAES. The group's inaugural meeting and brainstorming session last week was a resounding success. Clemente McWilliams of Ely Lilly and Company was elected chair of the 14-member board, and Nelle Hotchkiss, senior vice president of North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, was elected vice-chair.
The SAES Corporate Advisory Board will give business and agency executives a platform for sharing their views on needs and trends in preparing students for careers in agriculture and natural resources management, and family and consumer sciences. The board also will be working to facilitate technology transfer between the SAES and its corporate partners, and to expand student internship programs. For a look at the entire membership roster, click here.
Posted 05:32 PM | Comments (0)
The cover story for the current issue of "Homes of Color" magazine went to a lady named Williams - tennis star Venus Williams. But a feature story on a guy named Williams - Douglas Williams of the SAES landscape architecture faculty - also has a prominent position in the magazine's November/December holiday issue. The article covers Williams' background in landscape architecture, his design philosophies, and notes that, "He is proud to be an assistant professor of landscape architecture in the oldest program of landscape architecture at a historically black university."
For a good glance into "Homes of Color," check out the publication's Web site at http://www.homesofcolor.net/. The magazine showcases the work of prominent African American architects, designers, artists and gardeners. The holiday issue is now on sale at Borders, and Barnes and Noble bookstores, and Lowe's home improvement stores.
Posted 04:59 PM | Comments (0)
Dr. Tracy Hanner of the Department of Animal Sciences has chalked up yet another accolade for his accomplishments as an academic advisor. Last March, Hanner was the recipient of the SAES's first-ever Academic Advisor of the Year Award. More recently, Hanner is one of nine members of the entire A&T faculty and staff who were honored for their work as student advisors by the Center for Student Success and the Academic Advising Retention Team.
Posted 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
Drs. Geraldine Ray and Jane Walker of the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences drew some national and international attention to the department's research into Internet commerce at the International Textile & Apparel Association (ITAA) annual meeting in Portland, Ore., the first week of November. Walker presided over a symposium on merchandising and marketing apparel over the Internet, and also conducted a workshop with colleagues from Virginia Tech and East Carolina University entitled "Weaving A Global Tapestry for Students Using Web Course 
Software." Ray presented a poster session on "College Students' Satisfaction with Internet Shopping." At another poster session, Walker presented findings of research she and Ray conducted into the "Factors Related to African American College Students' Future Purchases with Non-store Retailers."
The theme for the ITAA's 2004 conference was "Weaving a Global Tapestry: People, Planet, Profit." The focus was on environmental and social responsibility in the textile and apparel industries. The ITAA is both a professional and educational organization, and a listing of workshop and symposia topics from the November meeting is available at http://www.itaaonline.org/template.asp?intPageId=125.
Posted 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
The first Friday in December is the deadline for nominations for the SAES award for the Outstanding Instructor for the current academic year, the University's Outstanding Administrator Award, and the University nominee for the Oliver Max Gardener Award. (The Gardener Award is presented by the Board of Governors each year to "a system faculty member who has made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.") Click links for criteria and guidelines for the Outstanding Instructor award, the Outstanding Administrator,and for the Oliver Max Gardener Award. For the A&T State University awards nomination award form, which can be used for all these awards, click here.
Posted 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
Dean Alton Thompson of the SAES has been named to a three-year term on the 30-member National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. He joins other agricultural leaders from across the nation - all named by Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman - on one of USDA's key sources for guidance on national priorities for agricultural research, extension, and education. The 1996 legislation that established the NAREEE stipulates representation from commodity groups, national farm support organizations, consumer groups and other constituencies. Thompson will be taking a board seat reserved for representation from 1890 land-grant universities.
Posted 03:31 PM | Comments (0)
A&T has a university-wide Academic Fair each fall for undergraduate students who are yet to select a major. This year's Academic Fair will be from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall on Thursday, Oct. 28. The SAES will have a booth and SAES faculty and students will be available to discuss academic programs and degree options. SAES faculty and staff who are acquainted with any undergrads still making up their minds about a major are urged to steer them our way.
Saturday, Oct. 30, is University Day 2004 and the Office of Admissions is bringing thousands of students and their parents to Greensboro for a look at what A&T has to offer. That Saturday, the SAES will have booths with displays and information covering our academic programs at the Corbett Sports Center and B. C. Webb from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The Pre-Vet Club and the University Farm will have animals for live action exhibits in front of Webb. SAES faculty and staff who know of high school students (and parents) coming to campus for University Day are urged to suggest they stop by Webb.
There will also be a Graduate Studies Open House at Corbett Sports Center from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. on University Day, and the SAES will have representatives on hand to discuss SAES graduate programs with undergrads who are thinking about extending their educations. SAES faculty and staff who are acquainted with any undergrads who are thinking about extending their education are urged to make sure they know about the Graduate Studies Open House, and that the SAES graduate studies lineup includes: http://www.ag.ncat.edu/grad.html.
For additional information on the Academic Fair, University Day or the Graduate Studies Open House, contact Azell Reeves, SAES Student Services Manager, at (336) 265-2062, or reevesi@ncat.edu.
Posted 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
In October of 1974, A&T's chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, was formed with 38 inductees. In October of 2004 - last week - the A&T Gamma Sigma Delta chapter celebrated its 30th anniversary by inviting those original inductees to join current members at Coltrane Hall for a luncheon. Honored guests for the occasion included:
* Dr. A. P. Bell, who was chair of the Department of Agricultural Education at the time of his retirement.
* Dr. Basil Coley, who is now chair of the Department of Economics and Transportation/Logistics in the School of Business and Economics.
* W. C. "Bill" Cooper, who was A&T Extension's first state 4-H specialist
*Dr. Thelma Feaster, now personal and organizational development leader for The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T.
* Dr. D. D. Godfrey, former dean of the SAES and first director of the Cooperative Extension Program.
* Dr. Harold Mazyck, former chair of what is now the Department of Human Environment and Family Sciences.
* Dr. William Reed, a former SAES dean and a member of the school's Hall of Fame.
Since it was founded in 1974, A&T's Gamma Sigma Delta chapter has inducted more than 550 individuals.
Posted 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
October 16 was World Food Day and the SAES hosted one of the hundreds of teleconference downlinks at colleges across America and at U.S. Embassies around the world. Napoleon Osagie, a junior majoring in animal sciences, was able to conne
