on the move Preparing. Finding. Implementing solutions.
Aggie Star Collaboration Award goes to SAES team for $9.8 million proposal The School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences is to be a partner in a world-class biotechnology hub now being developed in Kannapolis, thanks in large part to the spirit of collaboration recently exhibited by a team of researchers and administrators in the School.
etable plant nearby, the project as a whole is expected to attract job seekers at all skill levels, as well as spur opportunities for both large and small fruit and vegetable growers in the state. As one of the two agricultural research universities in the state, A&T is a natural part-
Drs. Jianmei Yu (left) and Mohamed Ahmedna brought expertise in food sciences to the multi-disciplinary think-tank that put together a comprehensive proposal for significant new research resources for the SAES.
Spearheaded by Dole Foods owner David H. Murdock, the North Carolina Research Campus is a $1 billion biotechnology center that will pool the expertise of several state universities in researching functional foods designed to thwart disease and promote optimal health. The center is expected to be a major economic development engine and the catalyst for spin-off industries in the region. And, because Dole Foods Inc. is also building a large fresh-cut veg-
ner. But its participation wasn’t a given. The SAES had to come up with a plan showing how its research competencies could contribute to the mission of the N.C. Research Campus, while not duplicating the work of other university partners. Enter the “Dole Foods Think Tank,” a team of 11 SAES faculty and staff named by Dean Alton Thompson to come up with a plan. After much discussion and deliberation, the team submitted a proposal for SAES to
contribute its expertise in postharvest technologies. “The research campus is the first of its kind. Nothing like this has ever been done before, so there was no template or guide we could look to. It took some real creativity, teamwork, and out-of-the-box thinking,” said Dr. Carolyn Turner, associate dean of research for SAES and chair of the team. Post-harvest research will include such things as investigating the health-promoting compounds in food; food-safety and processing, and new valueadded products. If the proposal is funded by the N. C. General Assembly this year, the SAES will receive $9.8 million over five years to develop the research program at the Kannapolis site. Thompson recently honored the think tank team with his annual “Aggie Star Certificate,” which recognizes outstanding projects that require commitment to collaboration. Team members cited in the award were: Mohamed Ahmedna, Ken Gruber, Salam Ibrahim, Omoanghe Isikhuemhen, Chung Seo, Carolyn Turner, Willie Willis, Mulumebet Worku, Guochen Yang, Hong Yang and Jianmei Yu. Thompson expects the team will continue collaborating to implement the plan if it is funded as expected. “Then it won’t be the “think” tank anymore. It will be the ‘do’ tank,” he said.
North Carolina A&T State University School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Newsletter June 2006 • Vol. V, No. 3
Dr. T’s Moment “It’s a win, win, win, win, win.” I’ve been using that comment a lot lately. Here’s why. At our spring SAES Advisory Board meeting, the group announced three initiatives that will benefit the School. They have agreed to raise a minimum of $75,000 annually for student scholarships, one of our most pressing issues. They also have agreed to serve and find others within the 14 companies they represent, and within the industries where they have contacts, to serve as mentors. And they have agreed to host and sponsor a visiting lecturer series, bringing the top ag industry leaders to campus to see and visit with our students and to offer industry advice and information. For a group that’s only in its second year, this is fantastic. This kind of support is exactly what we need. Giving money is one thing and we always appreciate and need that kind of support. But giving of your time and services is something else and is equally as valuable. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with this group. I see this as a win, win, win, win, win for all of us. Secondly, two representatives from Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University in Hyderabad, India recently visited our campus. This land-grant academy, one of India’s largest, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with A&T, and SAES in particular, to see how we might share, collaborate and cooperate. Their thrusts and focus mirror those in the SAES - biotechnology, biodiversity, water and soil quality, food safety, horticulture, valueadded products, waste management and other related issues. Again, this is a win, win, win, win, win.
— Dr. Alton Thompson Dean, SAES
on the move Faculty, staff, and dean on the march at Awards Banquet with mushroom science The School of Agriculture and and fungal biotechnoloEnvironmental Sciences celebrated the gy. His work has genersuccesses of administrators and faculty ated more than $800,000 during a recent awards banquet. Two in research awards for of the SAES’s researchers were lauded the University and people with top campus-wide recognitions, across the state clamor and three other faculty members to attend the mushroom were recognized for their work with production demonstrations students. Dr. Alton Thompson, the that he conducts. SAES dean, was also celebrated as Shahbazi, a professor, N.C. A&T’s administrator of the Abolgha sem Sha h b directs the bioenvironmental year. azi engineering program admin And in typical fashion, Thompson istered jointly by the SAES and the College extended the accolades that come with the of Engineering. He has generated more than honor to his faculty and staff. $3 million in research funding for A&T “I immediately started thinking that it since joining the faculty. He is an expert in was a team award, as opposed to one for an bioprocess engineering individual,” Thompson says. “This award is and renewable energy reflective of the administrative team, as well systems, and has been as the faculty and staff.” published in more than Thompson gives credit for the award to 20 publications. the SAES’s consistently good performance, Dr. Jane Walker, an most notably in developing a strategic plan associate professor in the that is part of the University’s FUTURES Department of Family plan, and with programming in the School’s and Consumer Sciences, research, Cooperative Extension and acaand Dr. Antoine Alston, Jane Walker demic divisions. of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied “The award is reflective of the talEconomics and Agriscience Education, were ent that we have in the SAES,” Thompson named the SAES’s Outstanding Teacher of says. “Given the support and resources, our the Year, and Outstanding Advisor of the faculty will excel in contributing positively Year, respectively. to the body of scientific knowledge and in Walker had recommendations from making a difference in the lives of people colleagues in the department, as well as and communities.” SAES administrators, but some of the most Dr. Omoanghe Isikhuemhen was telling comments came from the students named the Outstanding Young Investigator she teaches and guides by A&T’s Division of Research and through internships. Economic Graduating senior Development, LaToya Watson described and Dr. Walker as a role model who Abolghasem performs at “110 percent,” Shahbazi shared and also says: “Dr. Walker the Senior has inspired me to become Researcher of a better student as well the Year Award as a better person. I have with Dr. Kunigal become more goal oriShivakumar of ikhuemhen Omoanghe Is ented and I challenge myself more.” the College of Alston, an assistant professor and Engineering. coordinator for the SAES Agricultural Isikhuemhen, an assistant professor in Education Program, drew a rousing ovation the Department of Natural Resources and from students at the SAES Student Awards Environmental Design, has made his mark
Banquet when his award was announced. He usually advises about 25 undergraduates and 10 graduate students per year. Both Alston and Walker are instrumental in helping students find summer internships Antoine Alston and permanent jobs after graduation. Alston helped establish one of the SAES’s most active student organizations, the Collegiate FFA chapter. When it comes to outstanding staff performance, Iris F. Moses, administrative secretary for Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, took home top honors for what Thompson describes as her unflagging work helping both students and their parents. “She has given tirelessly to numerous parents and students involved with Iris F. Moses the School and other departments on campus,” Thompson says. “For nearly 25 years, students have returned calls and visits to her to acknowledge her impact on their lives. Three key words describe this year’s recipient according to her colleagues: motivator, encourager and nurturer.” Dr. Alton Thompson, the SAES dean, and A&T’s Administrator of the Year, with SAES students Natasha Oris-Thomas (left) and Darius Hale.
Preparing. Finding. Implementing solutions.
faculty & staff notes
Gamma Sigma Delta picks out three for excellence in teaching, research and Extension Aggies from SAES made sure that Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers would always remember that the “A” in “A&T” stands for “agriculture.” On her last day of a distinguished career at A&T in which she had served for six years as provost and vice-chancellor for Academic Affairs, the school named her an honorary member of Gamma Sigma Delta, the prestigious honor society for agriculture, at the annual Student Awards Banquet April 28. Meyers “brings a fresh perspective to issues and she is exceptionally gifted at problem solving,” said Dr. Alton Thompson, in nominating her for membership. Thompson also described Meyers as an outstanding leader with an enormous amount of creativity, insight, and energy, “a leader who has a unique ability to bring out the very best in those with whom she interacts,” and “a pillar of support for the programs, activities and events in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.” Several faculty members also received Gamma Sig awards that reflect the tripartite mission of SAES: teaching, research and Extension. The Award of Excellence in Teaching went to Dr. Charles Raczkowski, adjunct associate professor of natural resources. Raczkowski has taught Charles Raczkowski
at A&T since 1988 and teaches seven classes. Students have high praise for his style, describing him as “devoted,” “highly respected,” and his teaching methods as “above the standard.” One student wrote that Raczkowski was an “instrumental part of my academic development and exceeded the duties of the job requirements.” Dr. Jianmei Yu (pictured on front), research associate, received the Award of Excellence in Research. Yu works in Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna’s lab, which specializes in food safety and value-added products research. Yu’s recent works includes research on allerginfree peanuts. She was cited by Gamma Sig for her “publications and research work [that] have been Jean Baldwin cited by international scholars and reported by national and international media.” The recipient of the Award for Excellence in Extension was presented to Dr. Jean Baldwin, Family Education Specialist for The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T. Baldwin was recognized for positively impacting parents and children in North Carolina and in other states, and for her leadership at the university, state and national levels. The Gamma Sig citation described Baldwin as “a conscientious scholar whose productivity and performance have been evident throughout her years with The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T.” Libby Dr. David
Dr. David Libby has retired after 26 years with the SAES Department of Animal Sciences. Libby came to N.C. A&T in 1980, after 10 years with Tuskegee University. Prior to Tuskegee, Libby had been a student — from bachelor’s degree to doctorate — at the University of Maine. On two occasions, Libby served for two-year terms as the interim department chair. He has also served on many SAES and University faculty committees, including the School and University tenure committees. Libby’s resume also includes several posts and committee appointments he was elected to by his peers on the SAES faculty. In the 1980s, well before the SAES and the University had established information technology units, Libby helped set the groundwork for the IT revolution that was around the corner. He was part of the SAES team that developed the Pig Disc, “CDROM” (as they were known at the time) that was an electronic repository of swine-production information for researchers and instructors — one of the SAES’s first computer-assisted data collection projects. Libby’s academic legacy also includes a long list of publications and honors, but chances are the most prominent tributes to his career will be the students he inspired to go on to make their own impacts in the field of animal sciences. The long list of former Libby students who went on to distinguish themselves includes Drs. Tracy Hanner and Ralph Noble of the SAES Department of Animal Sciences. (While Noble was an undergraduate at Tuskegee, Libby was his faculty advisor. Libby was also a member of Noble’s thesis committee when the current SAES department chair was completing his master’s at Tuskegee.)
on the move
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Dr. James C. Renick, Chancellor Dr. Alton Thompson, Dean, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Dr. M. Ray McKinnie, Associate Dean, Administrator, The Cooperative Extension Program Dr. Carolyn Turner, Associate Dean, Agricultural Research Station Dr. Donald McDowell, Associate Dean, Academic Programs North Carolina A&T State University is a land-grant high research activity institution and AA/EEO employer. Send change of address and correspondence to:
on the move Newsletter Editor Agricultural Research Program CH Moore Agricultural Research Station Greensboro, NC 27411
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on the move/flip side mark your calendar • Research Apprentice Program (RAP): June 18 – 30 and July 9 – 21 • Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders (IFAL): June 22
Students in Dr. Marihelen Glass’s floral design class closed out the semester with a mock wedding to get a real-world setting for bouquets, boutonnieres, table-top and altar arrangements. Students Maurize Jackson (left) and Candyce Gilmore were groom and bride, and Dr. Glass portrayed the justice of the peace. Chennell Brown and Janessa Smith (right) volunteered to be the maid of honor and brides maid.
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