The Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) and the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC) supported seven participants in the Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for High School Students this summer on the PVAMU Campus. The high school students spent six weeks, while the undergraduates spent eight, intimately involved in agricultural related projects. The high school students were Tyrese Buck and Faith Isabelle, who worked with Stedman Douglas, CEP Program Specialist, and Billy Lawton, CEP Program Leader for Agriculture and Natural Resources; Jordan Allen and Raja Usama Abbas, who were mentored by Dr. Yoonsung Jung, Statistician in CARC; and Robert Thomas, mentored by Dr. Richard Griffin, Professor and Research Scientist in CARC.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates participants were Benjamin Onweni, mentored by Dr. Richard Griffin; and Marshall Joseph, mentored by Dr. Laura Carson, Assistant Director of Compliance, Undergraduate Research and Student Success, Dr. Subani Bandara, Post-doctoral Researcher, and Ebonee Williams, Research Assistant, all of CARC.

The students participated in a variety of projects that included: 1) Container Gardening: The Impact on Roots; 2) Cucumber Production: The Impact of Grafting; 3) Comparing the Temporal Trends by Gender, Age and Ethnicity in Major Cardiovascular Disease; 4) Delineating Wetland Boundaries using Concentration; 5) Comparing Alcohol Consumption to US Chronic Disease Data: The Effect of Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Alcohol Consumption; 6) Spatial Variability of Manganese Oxide in Lowlands and Uplands; and 7) Green Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles.

The Container Gardening project presented by Tyrese Buck, a senior at Jefferson County High School, won first place poster presentation for high school students, while Faith Isabelle and Robert Thomas won awards for Insight participation activities.

Usama Abbas pictured with mentor Dr. Yoonsung Jung
Usama Abbas pictured with mentor Dr. Yoonsung Jung

Jordan Allen with mentor Dr. Yoonsung Jung
Jordan Allen with mentor Dr. Yoonsung Jung

Winners pictured are Faith Isabelle, Robert Thomas and Tyrese Buck
Winners pictured are Faith Isabelle, Robert Thomas and Tyrese Buck

Laura Carson
Laura E. Carson Ph.D.
Research Scientist
(936) 261-5010
lecarson@pvamu.edu


Richard Griffin
Richard W. Griffin Ph.D.
Professor/ Research Scientist
(936) 261-5039
rwgriffin@pvamu.edu


Yoonsung Jung Ph. D.
Yoonsung Jung Ph. D.
Biometrician/ Research Scientist
(936) 261-5076
yojung@pvamu.edu


Stedman Douglas
Program Associate
(936) 261-5100
shdouglas@pvamu.edu