Campus Notes FAMU Faculty Members Publish Patent Congratulations are in order for inventors Mehboob B. Sheikh, Ph.D., Devaiah Kambiranda, Ph.D., and Hemanth KN Vasanthaiah, Ph.D., who recently published their patent on genes from muscadines and Florida hybrid grapes. This invention relates to protection against, and resistance to, pathogen attacks in grapes. Their patent number, 9,051,381 was issued June 9, 2015. Sheikh is a professor of plant biotechnology at the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences’ Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research. The field-grown muscadine and Florida hybrid bunch grape cultivars maintained at the Center’s vineyard were used for field and bioassay studies.
FAMU is Home to Six Prestigious McKnight Fellowship Recipients Six Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) students have been selected to participate in the Florida Education Fund (FEF) McKnight Dissertation Fellowship and McKnight Doctoral Fellowship programs. The 2015-2016 Dissertation Fellowship recipients include Felicia Williams, whose area of focus is educational leadership, as
well as Jason Caldwell and Krystal Pree, whose areas of focus are in the environmental sciences. This fellowship provides one year of financial support by way of a stipend for up to $12,000 for students completing their dissertation in STEM disciplines. Awardees demonstrate superior academic achievement and are committed to careers in teaching and research at the university or college level. FAMU students Niya King and Brandon Moton were both selected to participate in the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program. King is pursuing a doctoral degree in civil engineering, and Moton is pursuing a Doctor of Public Health degree. Kimberly Barber, who is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis in medicinal chemistry, was named an Affiliate McKnight Doctoral Fellow. The Doctoral Fellowships provide full tuition or up to $5,000 per year to awardees, and an annual stipend of $12,000 for students pursuing doctoral degrees in the fields of arts and sciences, business, engineering, visual and performance arts, health sciences, and nursing at one of nine approved Florida universities. The program is designed to address the underrepresentation of African-American and
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Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities in Florida by increasing the number of minorities with doctoral degrees to ensure greater eligibility for teaching at the college and university levels.
White House Names Two FAMU Students HBCU All-Stars The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has named two Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) students 2015 “HBCU All-Stars.” The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the names of 83 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from 70 HBCUs who have been tapped to serve as ambassadors to the White House by providing outreach and communication with fellow students about the value of education. FAMU graduate students Gilda Brown and Jennifer Smith were selected as All-Stars from a pool of more than 450 applicants. According to the initiative’s executive director, Ivory A. Toldson, this year’s class of All-Stars will serve as representatives of the talent that HBCUs cultivate and will help the White House “meaningfully engage with students, showcase their talent, and advance our agenda to advance academic
excellence at HBCUs.” FAMU President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., recognized Brown and Smith before the University community during her recent “State of the University,” address. As ambassadors, Brown and Smith will assist President Barack Obama in achieving his goal of increasing the percentage of African Americans who complete college. Also, the students will have the opportunity to engage with other HBCU scholars to showcase their individual and collective talents across the HBCU community. They will also be responsible for promoting the initiative’s programs on FAMU’s campus, social media, and at regional and national events. Brown is a second-year pharmacology student in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences master’s degree program. Smith, an Atlanta native, who is pursuing her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. FAMU’s School of Nursing Listed Among Nation’s Top Programs The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University School of Nursing’s fall semester is off to an incredible start. Not only did its graduate program recently receive the maximum eight-year reaccreditation from the Accreditation