Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The targeted audience for the program will be freshman through senior undergraduates from the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology (CAFST) with emphasis on the S-STEM and 1890 USDA Scholars. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Ten STEM scholars participated in the three-day workshop on Gene Editing clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR). This latest technology allows scientists to enable gene editing and refine gene expression in living organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. Students engaged in preparatory steps such as nutrient media preparation, bacterial transformation, plasmid DNA isolation (CRISPR-derived constructs for plant genetic transformation), and genomic DNA extraction. Other activities included polymerase chain reactions (PCR), bioinformatics to analyze gene editing laboratory results, and DNA staining and visualization. All students received a certificate for completing the workshop. This workshop was conducted in collaboration with Drs. Sairam Rudrabhatia and Shobha Potlakayala with the Department of Biology and Sciences at Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg to organize the educational experience. Field Trip to the University of Georgia:This summer, five Fort Valley State University (FVSU) S-STEM plant science-biotechnology majors will expand their knowledge in research and learn the necessary steps to apply for graduate school. This follows a visit to the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences last week for a two-day trip on March 20-21, 2025. Blanche McCluskey, Marisha Towner, and sixteen of their peers, graduates, post-doctoral fellows, and staff, took a field trip to the 1862 Land-Grant University. This academic enrichment activity, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM, HBCU-UP, and FVSU's Department of Education's Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP), exposed the students to biotechnology concepts. It also trained them to apply those concepts by learning hands-on techniques in higher education and professional schools. Students had the unique opportunity to tour Dr. Steve Stice and Dr. Lohitash Karumbaiah's Animal and Dairy Sciences research facilities, UGA's Plant Breeding and Genetics Department facilities and labs, and the campus greenhouses. The students were also introduced to esteemed faculty members such as Dr. C. Robin Buell, Dr. Jason Wallace, Dr. Wayne Parrott, and Dr. C.J. Tsai. During the trip, they also learned about summer research opportunities and graduate programs at UGA. During lunch, students shared their academic and research experience at FVSU and future career plans with Dr. Dean Kopsell, Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty A?airs, Ms. Lakecia Pettway, Director of the "Rising Scholar Program," and UGA's faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture. The Rising Scholar Program has provided internships to 15 FVSU students at UGA's campus in the past three years. At dinner, the students could also interact with FVSU alums currently admitted to PhD programs and those currently transitioning into PhD programs. Field Trip to Portal Innovations, a cutting-edge biotech incubator in Atlanta, GA, March 7, 2025. This spring, Fort Valley State University (FVSU) alumna India Brown, MSc--known professionally as The Soft Scientist--opened the doors of innovation to the next generation of STEM leaders during a deeply impactful visit to Portal Innovations, a cutting-edge biotech incubator in Atlanta where she currently serves as a Senior Laboratory Operations Associate. With nearly a decade of experience in the biotechnology industry, India welcomed FVSU's graduating STEM class to the world of real-time research and discovery. The students toured advanced lab spaces, met startup founders, and engaged with current scientists working at the forefront of biotech innovation. India emphasized the importance of exposure and representation in spaces where Black scientists are often underrepresented. "These students are the future of science," she shared. "To see them walking confidently through a space like this is about planting seeds of possibility." To further equip the students with tools for professional success, India hosted a career development workshop titled "So You Want to Break Into Biotech." The session provided an unfiltered look into the realities of navigating the biotech industry--from entry-level job strategies and resume-building to salary negotiation and overcoming imposter syndrome., India offered hard-earned advice with transparency and encouragement. "If I could do it, you can too". How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The program is disseminated through the FVSU Website. The website presents faculty and students' research, STEM undergraduate highlights, training opportunities, presentations, scientific journal publications, and the program's goals, objectives, and activities. Faculty and students also publish their research and present it at a scientific meeting.Other dissemination includes: 1) Fort Valley State Students Win Research Awards at National Conference, Posted May 1, 2025, FVSU-ENGAGE, News and Events. 2) The scholarship provides students with a path to pursue educational goals. May 8, 2024, FVSU, FVSU-ENGAGE, news, and events. 3) Field Trips to Biotechnology and Genomic Research Boost Students' Lifelong Success, March 20-21, 2025, FVSU-ENGAGE, News and Events. 4) Sarwan Dhir, Seema Dhir, & Celia Dodd (2024). Academic Opportunities through Recruitment, Retention & Mentoring for Undergraduate Biotechnology Students with Financial Need, Poster presentation at the 2024 S-STEM Scholars & PI Meeting, Chicago, IL, on November 8-10, 2024. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Planning annual career day and annual science symposium (to be held at FVSU) for S-STEM scholars, including other STEM majors who conducted the research in the summer as internships; configuring mentoring teams for research and academic advisement.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Twenty-six (26) Scholars attended the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Atlanta, Georgia, March 3- 6, 2025. Fifteen students presented their research; four FVSU undergraduates won first- and second-place awards in the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Biological Science categories. In addition, seven students received the travel awards. This conference in STEM aims to support undergraduate and graduate students in enhancing their science communication skills and gaining a better understanding of how to prepare for science careers in a global workforce. More than 1,200 students attended this year's event. Seven Wildcats earned AAAS travel awards, which covered all their expenses for attending the conference. The Scholars made forty-two (42) presentations at different scientific meetings, and nine students won the first- and second-place awards. S-STEM Scholars presented at the 14th Annual Research and Creative Work Symposium, 24-25 April 2024, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA. Ten (10) scholars made oral presentations at the US Department of Education, 2024 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program, Virtual Student Research Conference: Cultivating Future STEM Leaders, October 5-20, 2024. Twenty-two (22) Fort Valley State University plant science-biotechnology S-STEM scholars conducted firsthand experience in a collaborative 2024 summer internship program at major research institutions across the nation such as the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, the University of California-Davis (PABGAP), the University of Georgia, the University of Central Florida, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Penn State University and the University of California, Berkeley. Eight (8) Plant Science students accepted for the 2025 summer internship programs at major institutions will spend 8-10 weeks conducting independent research projects in the Plant Biotechnology area. The Scholars accepted at the University of California-Davis (PABGAP), the University of Georgia, Tuskegee University, the University of Lincoln-Nebraska, and Penn State University. Twelve (12) scholars participated in the three-day workshop on Gene Editing clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR). This latest technology allows scientists to enable gene editing and refine gene expression in living organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. Students are engaged in preparatory steps such as nutrient media preparation, bacterial transformation, plasmid DNA isolation (CRISPR-derived constructs for plant genetic transformation), and genomic DNA extraction. Other activities included polymerase chain reactions (PCR), bioinformatics to analyze gene editing laboratory results, and DNA staining and visualization. All students received a certificate for completing the workshop. This workshop was conducted in collaboration with Drs. Sairam Rudrabhatla and Shobha Potlakayala, with the Department of Biology and Sciences at Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg, are organizing the educational experience. In the Spring/Fall of 2024, 26 students conducted academic research in different labs across the campus, funded by NSF HBCU-UP, MSEIP, and the S-STEM Program (they received $3,000 as a stipend each semester). Twelve (12) plant science-biotechnology major scholars graduated in 2024 (spring and Fall) with GPAs of 3.0-3.9. The scholars graduated and joined the Integrative Biosciences Ph.D. program at Tuskegee University, Pharmacy School at Mercer University, University of South Florida, and PhD program at Morehouse in Neuroscience. Two joined the US Department of Agriculture as part of the STEM workforce.
Publications
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