Prairie View, TX – Four students in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) soon will be published authors. Their research, which was guided by Aruna Weerasooriya, Ph.D., and Amarasinghe Prabha, Ph.D., will be compiled for a peer journal. A’naya Ware, senior, Robert Lewis, senior, Ashyaa Brown, junior, and Camille Pierre, junior, all conducted their research surrounding Cannabis sativa.
“Honestly, I cannot believe that it is happening sometimes,” Brown said. “This has been a new, yet positive experience. When I found out that this was happening, I immediately called my parents. I was so happy to be a part of something so wonderful and potentially ground-breaking.”
Her research is titled, “Microbial community structure of retting Cannabis sativa inoculated by an undefined microbial culture.” She used “microorganisms from spoiled okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) to assist with the retting process of hemp (Cannabis sativa L). When one practices retting, it removes the pectin, lignin, and hemicellulose from the plant so that we can use hemp for its fibers to create ropes, clothes, and other textile materials.”
Brown said the experience was jarring, yet rewarding, since it was her first major accomplishment at PVAMU. “Outside of biology classes, I never worked in a lab on the scale that I am now. I knew basic rules and how to properly wear PPE, but other than that, I was completely lost. Luckily, Dr. Prabha and Dr. Aruna were wonderful mentors and helped me become more confident in my lab work.”
For Lewis, he hopes his research will be useful for future analyses and will help improve the food science industry. The title of his research is “Edible Coat Made from Hemp Wax.”
“Uncoated fruits and vegetables are susceptible to spoilage during processing, transportation, and storage, allowing microorganisms to get inside the products,” Lewis explained. “Most commercial coats in the market are artificial, and scientists attempt to create edible coats from natural materials. Here, we tested the ability of hemp (Cannabis sativa) wax to increase the shelf life of postharvest products.”
Though the experiment presented challenges and learning curves, Lewis says he feels truly honored for the opportunity to be published and encourages other students to step out and try new opportunities themselves. “I would like to say to every student out there to take advantage of every opportunity given to you. You never know what you may learn or get out of the experience.”
Pierre’s research is titled “Stem Anatomy of Hemp Strains and Physical Properties of Their Extracted Fibers.” She wanted to determine if hemp cultivated in other states and regions would grow the same way in a Texas climate.
“We used 10 hemp fiber strains to achieve three aims: test their anatomical and yield parameters linked to fiber quality and quantity, investigate their mechanical properties and determine the best retting approach.”
Being picked to have her work published was a humbling opportunity which Pierre never saw coming.
“I was 20 years old when I wrote this, and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do something this big,” Pierre said. “It’s rare to see black women get these opportunities, and it honestly shocked me when I learned when I’d be published.”
Ware’s post graduate plans include joining the cannabis industry and paving another path for people of color to thrive in the predominately white field. Her research, titled “Morphological and phytochemical diversity of grain-type industrial hemp,” addresses the vast genetic and structural variations of 16 industrial cannabis strains.
“We studied multiple structural traits of the strains, quantified, and analyzed plant DNA, and formed an herbarium [preserved plants] collection,” Ware said.
This is Ware’s second time getting published during her time at PVAMU, and the experience is as special to her the second time around.
“This opportunity serves as the foundation of my industrial cannabis knowledge,” Ware said. “Ironically, my career plans directly align with the research, so it couldn’t have come at a more prominent time in my life. As I am preparing to graduate this spring, it is surreal to be already working in my field before I even have a diploma. Dr. Aruna and [Greenhouse Manager] Rafash Brew have introduced me to a multitude of professionals within the industry; they believe in and support me more than some of my family— it truly speaks volumes of them.”
The students’ work will soon appear in the Heliyon peer-reviewed journal.
Pascale Mondesir
Communication Specialist II
pamondesir@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5155