School of AREAS participates in USDA-NIFA 1890 Institutions Capacity Building Grants Program Project Directors Conference
Alcorn State University’s School of Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Applied Sciences (AREAS) research scientists, faculty, and staff participated in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) 1890 Institutions Capacity Building Grants (CBG) Program Project Directors’ Meeting, held recently at the USDA/NIFA Waterfront Center in Washington, D.C. The program’s goal is to strengthen teaching, research and extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences by building the institutional capacities of the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, and Tuskegee University.
The meeting provided an opportunity for project directors to discuss Capacity Building Grants project updates, results, as well as opportunities for collaborative efforts, and the future directions of the 1890 CBG Program.
Dr. Daniel Collins, chairperson and professor, Department of Agriculture, presented an oral and poster presentation entitled, “Graduate Education and Training in Global Food Security and Plant Biosecurity.”
Dr. Chunquan Zhang, research scientist, Biotechnology Department, presented a poster on “Plant Pathology Resources for Advanced Agriculture Education.”
Dr. Franklin Chukwuma, coordinator for off-campus centers, Extension Program, presented a poster on “An In-Depth IPM and Environmental Education for Limited-Resource Farm Families in Rural Mississippi.”
Dr. Tahir Rashid, assistant professor of entomology, Department of Agriculture, presented a poster on “Population Monitoring and Alternate Control Methods of Vegetable Insects.”
Dr. Avis Joseph, assistant professor in the Department of Agriculture along with Dr. Martha Ravola, associate professor in the Department of Human Sciences, attended the conference to gain better perspectives on capacity building grants, as well as to discuss and seek advice from program leaders on aligning current research with the research thrust of the USDA/NIFA.
“The Office of Research fully supports the engagement of our scientists in this annual event. It enlightens our colleagues on current projects that are pursued by scholars from NIFA as well as from other universities,” Dr. Wesley Whittaker, interim associate dean for research, School of AREAS, said about the program.
