Representatives from the USDA Forest Service and the Southern Research Station came to campus this spring for the USDA Forest Service-Southern Research Station HBCU Research Summit, a formative research summit highlighting the work between the two organizations and 1890 universities like TSUAg.
From Asheville to Nashville TSUAg Welcomes Wilkes, HBCUs for Southern Research Station Summit By Alexis Clark and Charlie Morrison
T
ennessee State University’s College of Agriculture hosted the USDA Forest Service-Southern Research Station HBCU Research Summit this spring, commemorating 30 years of research, partnership, and collaboration among the USDA, Southern Research Station (SRS), and HBCUs engaged in agricultural research. The 2024 SRS-HBCU Research Summit welcomed USDA Undersecretary Dr. Homer Wilkes as a special guest. Dr. Wilkes’ participation provided additional opportunities for sharing partnering successes, exploring challenges and
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intersections, and fostering ongoing collaboration. Held on campus in various College of Agriculture buildings, the event featured SRS Director Dr. Toral Patel-Weynand, presentations on the university’s history and its SRS partnership, and a panel discussion on future collaborations. Sessions throughout the day mapped out future interactions between research universities and their government counterparts at the USDA. This marks the second consecutive year the College of Agriculture has hosted the
summit in collaboration with SRS and the USDA, showcasing the institution’s commitment to fostering relationships with government agencies. Dr. De’Etra Young, Associate Dean of Academics and Land-grant Programs, highlighted the importance of collaborative partnerships during the event. “We wanted to host the summit again this year because fostering collaborative partnerships with the Southern Research Station and other 1890 institutions is critical to our mission of bringing the best research opportunities to our talented student body,” Dr. Young said during the event.