Led by Harmandeep Sharma, Ph.D., CAES students competed in the Cyber & AI Games in Agriculture during the two-day event.
A student cyber-security competition and visits to Congressional lawmakers in Washington, D.C. capped a two-day event honoring a landmark piece of legislation’s signing 135 years ago.
Representatives from N.C. A&T and its eighteen partner 1890 land-grant universities gathered in the capital on Sept. 9-10 to commemorate the 135th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act. Signed into law on August 30, 1890, the legislation expanded the land-grant university system to include historically Black institutions in states where segregation denied minorities’ access the institutions established under the First Morrill Act of 1862.
“To commemorate the 135th [anniversary] of the Second Morrill Act is critical,” said Oliver Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor of External Affairs at N.C. A&T. “The land-grant university system is, I think, one of the greatest creations of U.S. Congress because it was designed to assist in our communities to meet the needs of everyday people. Working people, people who are researchers, students who want to advance not only themselves academically, socially and economically, but their families as well.”
On Sept. 9, the college’s AgTech Aggies team competed in the inaugural PlayCyber Cyber & AI Games for Agriculture, a cybersecurity competition held at the University of District of Columbia. For the competition, student teams used coding and artificial intelligence to solve 25 hypothetical challenges to food system and production security.
Harmandeep Sharma, Ph.D., AgTech Aggies team leader and research assistant professor in digital agriculture, called the Cyber Games “a great way to introduce students to cyber security and AI in agriculture.”
“As we know, the use of AI in agriculture is increasing exponentially and students need to learn about these new tools and technologies, and this is a great way to expose them to these tools,” said Sharma.
"As agriculture heads into the future, more farmers and companies are using technology that use computer science and AI, and this brings up issues of cyber security,” said Interim Dean Radiah C. Minor, Ph.D. “These students are learning, experimenting, and practicing ways to prevent these issues from happening, they are also learning important team building and problem-solving skills.”
The AgTech Aggies placed fourth overall in the competition.
“It was hours of really intense focus on coding, trying to understand complex scenarios, and we did really good,” said Miles Lee, a master’s student in the college and a team member.
On Sept. 10, N.C. A&T representatives and members of the 1890 Council of Presidents visited legislators on Capitol Hill to submit a resolution recognizing the Morrill Act’s contributions to agriculture and higher education over its 135-year history.
“Our 1890 universities are top public HBCUs, top research institutions in the nation. Had these institutions not been established, we would have a lot of people, especially African Americans and folks in rural communities, that would have never been afforded or allowed to obtain a public degree from a higher university,” said Jewel Bronough, Ph.D., former president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation. “When you think about the number of leaders who have been developed over the last 135 years, the number of scientists and teachers, all of these people were trained at our 1890 institutions and have created a legacy of success.”
The celebration closed the same evening with a reception in the National 4-H Council headquarters, as colleagues recognized the achievements of both the Cyber Games student competitors and the 1890 ambassadors’ visit to Capitol Hill. Among the evening’s speakers was U.S. Representative and N.C. A&T alumna Alma S. Adams ‘72 (NC-12).
“135 years: that’s a century, three decades plus five,” said Adams. “That’s a wonderful, wonderful thing and I thank you for all of the great work that you’re doing.”
The two-day event is among several ways N.C. A&T is commemorating the Second Morrill Act’s anniversary. Others include a commemorative dinner; the 40th anniversary celebration of Small Farms Week, N.C. Cooperative Extension’s annual tribute to small-scale farming; and this year’s annual CAES Student Showcase of Excellence.
