Prospective early childhood educators can take note: the early childhood education program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences has been recognized for its affordability.

Discover Early Childhood EDU, an online resource for future teachers, has ranked the FCS program as the 22^nd most affordable in the country.

In recognizing the program, Discover Early Childhood praised the FCS program’s well-rounded degree offerings, including both bachelor’s and master’s degrees; the licensure offered for birth-kindergarten, and the program’s focus on teachers being able to work in diverse environments, including socio-cultural differences and linguistic backgrounds.

Two new tenure-track faculty members – Jennifer Mendoza Beasley, Ph.D., and Derrick Coble, Ph.D. – have joined the CAES this semester.

Beasley is an assistant professor of Child Development and Family Studies in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from UNCG. She served as an adjunct faculty member in our department and at UNCG for several years and was preschool coordinator in the Department of Exceptional Children for the Randolph County School System before joining the department full-time.

Beasley will teach graduate and undergraduate courses in the Child Development, Early Education and Family Studies – B-K program and will also serve as program coordinator for the undergraduate BK program. Her recent research explored strategies to support pre-service teachers in their journey toward cultural competence. “We are excited to have her join our program,” said Valerie Giddings, Ph.D., department chair.

Derrick Coble has joined the Department of Animal Sciences as a new assistant professor and swine specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal science in 2005 and his master’s degree in animal health science in 2007, both from N.C. A&T. In 2013, he obtained his Ph.D. in animal science with a concentration in genetics from Iowa State University. He returns to A&T from Florida A&M University, where he spent the last three and a half years studying the effects of early weaning on stress levels and immunocompetence in livestock by assessing blood protein and cytokine levels.

“Having alumni come back to serve our institution is a vital and priceless asset to our program,” said Andrea Gentry-Apple, DVM, an assistant professor in the department. “We look forward to what he will bring to our students and the impact he will have on local farmers, and the advancement of animal health and well-being.”

Coble’s past research has evaluated the effects of heat stress and microbial infection on the global gene expression of immune and metabolic tissues in livestock by employing both qPCR and RNA-seq analysis. He is currently interested in the impacts of alternative finishing diets on production traits, and the metabolic and immunological transcriptomes of pigs from distinct genetic backgrounds. A Greensboro native, he is a graduate of Dudley High School and a lifelong Aggie. “It is my absolute pleasure to return to N.C. A&T State University and serve the members of this community and the state,” he said.

The N.C. A&T Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, will host a Spring Seminar Series featuring the chapter’s Teaching Excellence Award Winners, Elizabeth Newcomb Hopfer, Ph.D., and Yewande Fasina, Ph.D., and Research Excellence Award Winner, Reza Tahergorabi, Ph.D.

Wednesday, Feb. 17, noon

Elizabeth Newcomb Hopfer, Ph.D., Pandemic Teaching: From Mutation to Evolution
https://ncat.zoom.us/j/92618655935?pwd=bkRLK3g2VXYwanhObjRINURZNnJIdz09

Wednesday, March 17, noon

Yewande Fasina, Ph.D., Essentials of Effective Remote Teaching
https://ncat.zoom.us/j/99015729484?pwd=VklDV05rSGJRcHlXeEtFclh2RFVIUT09

Wednesday, April 14, noon

Reza Tahergorabi, Ph.D., Can we reduce fat-uptake in deep-fat fried meat products?https://ncat.zoom.us/j/98827381755?pwd=YklMWHJaKzhYMEw3Q3lKNmtvSE9ldz09