Aziza Glass and Glenn Cason, students in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, received awards for excellence at the 23rd Annual Career Fair and Training Conference of the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) recently held in Denver, Colo.
Glass, a sophomore agriculture major with a concentration in animal science, won third place among 21 contestants in the Undergraduate Oral Research, Division I competition, which included biological, chemical and physical sciences entries. Her research focused on how poultry egg positioning enhances the hatchability of chicks.
Cason, a senior agriculture major with a concentration in agricultural economics, won third place among 45 contestants in the essay competition. Students in this contest were required to write an essay on the 2008 conference theme, “Cultivating Minds for Tomorrow’s Leadership.”
Both winners received $200 and a framed certificate for their achievement.
In addition to these winners, Christine Williams, a high school senior from Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City, Okla., and a participant in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ 2007 Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), won second place in the Junior MANRRS Research poster competition and first place in the public speaking competition.
Dr. Velva McWhinney, a research scientist with the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center, supervised Williams’ research during the RAP. Her research focused on protein makeup of pig livers as related to obesity. She received a monetary award and a framed certificate for each achievement.
The conference featured Dr. Debbye Turner, CBS Correspondent and Miss America 1990, as the keynote speaker. The annual career fair featuring numerous corporate, government, and educational entities was another conference highlight. Additionally, conference activities included professional development and scientific workshops, business meetings and social activities.
Ketera White, a first-time participant, said that she was very impressed with the conference.
“As a nutrition major,” she said. “I didn’t expect the conference to be as beneficial to my field as it turned out to be. Once at the conference, I was afforded the opportunity to broaden my networking skills by attending workshops, seminars and the career fair.”
Glass said, “The speakers were inspiring, the workshops were informative, and the career fair provided a plethora of opportunities.”
Twenty-four PVAMU students and four advisors/chaperons were among the attendees. About 1,000 students and professional representatives from the corporate, government and academic sectors attended the conference. The 2009 conference will be held in Indianapolis in March.