Janeva Williams honored by Farm Foundation

Janeva Williams

Janeva Williams, an agricultural and environmental systems graduate student, has been selected as a June 2021 Farm Foundation “cultivator,” a competitive designation given to students by the Farm Foundation, a non-partisan agriculture advocacy group. She is one of six agriculture students nationwide to earn the honor.

Williams’s designation as a “cultivator” allows her to attend the Farm Foundation Round Table, an invitation-only group of thought leaders and policy makers from a broad cross-section of the food and agriculture sector. This year’s theme is “Envisioning the Future of Climate-Smart Agriculture.”

In addition to being able to interact with food and agriculture leaders, Williams will present a poster describing a key aspect of her studies.

“As part of our ongoing work to nurture the next generation of agricultural leaders, we are proud to recognize this group of impressive students,” said Farm Foundation President and CEO Shari Rogge-Fidler. “This cohort includes Cultivators, who have focus areas of critical importance to the future of food and agriculture, including environmental and trade policy, soil and animal health, and robotics. We look forward to providing them with the opportunity to connect with and learn from some of our industry’s most respected leaders.”

The group’s Round Tables are held twice a year, focusing on issues of importance to agribusiness, the food system and rural communities. The Cultivator Program is funded by Round Table Fellows and BNSF Railway Company.

The foundation provides programs and objective information on economic and public policy issues involving agriculture, food systems and rural communities. The foundation undertakes projects designed to bring stakeholders together to identify evolving issues, explore options to address those issues, and understand the potential consequences of the options so that public and private leaders can make informed decisions for the future.

N.C. A&T, Iowa State partner on female agricultural leadership program

A partnership between Iowa State University and N.C. A&T to diversify the agricultural research work force by developing women leaders in agriculture education and animal sciences has yielded its first cohort. 

The program “Developing Science-Engaged, Culturally Competent, Research-Savvy Women Leaders in Animal Science Through Collaborative Experiential Learning” is supported by a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant award. 

The program, which was virtual this year, ran from May 17-June 11 and involved four students, three of whom were from N.C. A&T. Professors Mulumebet Worku from the animal sciences program, and Chastity English from the agricultural education program, led the program for the CAES, collaborating with two female Iowa State faculty members. 

“Our goal is to develop a diverse, well-trained STEM talent pool and to increase the number, preparation and long-term success of women as leaders in those fields,” Worku said. 

The program will span two sequential summers. This year, fellows worked through modules in assessment and training for cultural competency, leadership, communication, responsible conduct of research, and professional behavior.  

 In summer 2022, the plan is that all fellows will spend two weeks learning together in the same locations, travelling to the partner institution and visiting important agricultural and cultural sites in Iowa and North Carolina, followed by four weeks of activities based in their home locations.  

A special experience will be participation in a regional or national conference.  

Applications are being accepted for the 2021-22 program year. For more information, contact worku@ncat.edu or ckwarren@ncat.edu. 

CAES students place high at undergraduate research and creativity symposium

Two CAES student participants in the Undergraduate Research Scholar Program, Amira Slocum and Onnr Grogan, placed as the top three presenters in the Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium’s (URCS) poster sessions.

Slocum, whose faculty mentor is Arnab Bhowmik, Ph.D., in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, is researching hemp biochar’s effects on two Southeastern soils. Grogan, whose faculty mentor is Niroj Aryal, Ph.D., in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, is researching the land application of municipal treated wastewater to reduce levels of nitrate.

Both students will continue in the URSP program and continue their work on these projects during the fall semester.

IFT highlights CAES food science program

A blog post on the Institute of Food Technologists website spotlights the undergraduate food science program in the CAES, one of only three at HBCUs approved by the IFT Higher Education Review Board.

The blog post, HBCUs and the Science of Food, highlights the approved programs, which are at Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University in addition to A&T. The three programs meet the rigorous IFT Undergraduate Education Standards for Degrees in Food Science.

Since 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has been a forum for passionate science of food professionals and technologists to collaborate, learn, and contribute all with the goal of inspiring and transforming collective scientific knowledge into innovative solutions for the benefit of all people around the world. As a scientific community grounded in purpose, IFT feeds the minds that feed the world.