Dr. Joshua O. Idassi, natural resources specialist in the Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T, authored “WINDBREAKS,” a chapter in the “Handbook for Training Extension and Technical Assistance Personnel for the Sustainable Agroforestry Practices in the Southern United States.” The handbook is co-edited by Dr. Uma Karki of Tuskegee University and published by the Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension (No. TUAG 1015-01).

Tonjia May, director of budget services in the Division of Research and Economic Development, has been elected treasurer of the North Carolina Chapter of the Society of Research Administrators (SRA) International. Her two-year term as treasurer began after the annual chapter meeting in Raleigh on April 8. SRA is the premier global research management society providing education, professional development and the latest comprehensive information about research management to 5,200 members from more than 40 countries. The North Carolina chapter has approximately 200 members. The organization welcomes members from colleges and universities, research hospitals and institutes, government agencies, non-profit funders of research, and industry.

May has been instrumental in facilitating N.C. A&T’s Research Administrators Council (RAC), which is a learning community consisting of administrators across campus who assist university faculty with pre- and post-award grant administration.

Dr. Perpetua Muganda, professor of biology, has authored, edited and published “Apoptosis Methods in Toxicology,” a book that draws on her expertise in apoptosis and toxicology, as well as her strong network to recruit expert authors in the field. The resulting comprehensive methods resource manual includes contributions from 39 authors, including N.C. A&T biology professor Robert Newman and two alumni. Published by Humana Press, the book is a volume within the prestigious “Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology”series.

Arthea B. Perry, adjunct lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, was a panelist and multimedia presenter for an artist roundtable discussion of “Ritual, Spiritual and Digital Technologies in Action” at the Fourth Conference of the African and Diasporic Religious Studies Association, which was held April 8–9 at Harvard University. Scholars and artists who utilize technology to create dialogue on diversity and multicultural education were invited to share digital components. Perry’s research explored indigenous cultures, such as the Yoruba and their contributions, cross-cultural relationships through their belief systems and art forms. The impact of technology and its utilization as a tool in 21st century education reform was also a part of the dialogue. 

Dr. Jerono P. Rotich, professor and interim chair of the Department of Human Performance and Leisure Studies, was the recipient of the Greensboro Partnerships Chamber of Commerce Other Voices Change Agent Award. The award was presented May 9, during the annual Other Voices Graduation Celebration and Alumni Members Dinner at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Dr. Frank E. Yeboah has been awarded a fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to travel to Ghana to work with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and professor Samuel Ampadu on collaborative research in energy and post-graduate curriculum development for the Professional Master of Engineering and other graduate programs. The project will help promote research in energy and environmental sustainability, and energy independence and security, as a means of mitigating the current energy crisis in Ghana. Through this collaborative research a capacity will be built to take up the energy challenge for the economic development of the nation. In addition, the project will help develop curriculum in energy and advanced predictive modeling.  

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology project is one of 57 that will pair African Diaspora scholars with higher education institutions in Africa to collaborate on curriculum co-development, research, graduate teaching, training and mentoring activities. Yeboah is one of 59 African Diaspora scholars who have been awarded fellowships to travel to Africa beginning in May 2016 to conduct a wide range of projects. The program has now selected and approved a total of 169 fellows since its inception in 2013. Click here for information about the fellowship program.