Univers i ty of Arkansas at P ine B lu ff – School of Agr icu l tu re, F isher ies and Human Sc iences

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February 27Rural Life Conference7:30 a.m. - registration8:45 a.m. - programPine Bluff Convention CenterPine Bluff, Ark.Annual conference sponsored by UAPB’sSchool of Agriculture, Fisheries and HumanSciences.

March 19SAFHS Alumni and Friends LuncheonTime to be announcedUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

April 231890 Day Wellness WalkTime to be announcedUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Upcoming Dates and Events

Winter 2015

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1890 Land-Grants Celebrate 125th Anniversary

It is a year of celebration for all of the 1890 land-grant universities, including the University ofArkansas at Pine Bluff. is year marks the

125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act(1890).

In 1862, the First Morrill Act was passed,establishing at least one college in every stateto be “accessible to all…” e Act was intro-duced by Sen. Justin Morrill, who was knownas the father of the land-grant institutions. Hisvision was about education for all social classes.Prior to the passage of the Morrill Act of 1862, universitytraining was reserved for the children of the elite.

In 1865, about 4 million hard-working, but primarily illiterate, blackswere freed from slavery. According to Morrill, “they are members of theAmerican family and their advancement concerns us all.” us, he intro-duced the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which included this class of laborers.e act passed and included the stipulation that African Americans were tobe included in the U.S. land-grant university higher education system with-out discrimination. e 1890 land-grant universities were born.

UAPB’s School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences will hostthree celebratory 125th anniversary activities this spring – the School’s an-nual Rural Life Conference, the SAFHS Alumni and Friends Luncheon andan 1890 Day Wellness Walk.

e annual Rural Life Conference takes place Feb. 27. Held at the PineBluff Convention Center, registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the open-ing session at 8:45 a.m. e conference theme is “Innovations and Oppor-tunities: Sustaining Farmers, Families and Communities.”

e conference will include guest speakers, workshops, exhibits and aposter session. e event is free to farmers, ranchers, homemakers and re-tirees. Preregistration is $50 for professionals and $25 for students. AerFeb. 13, registration is $75. To preregister, call Margaret Taylor at 870-575-7144.

e SAFHS Alumni and Friends Luncheon is March 19. e luncheonwill provide alumni and friends of SAFHS an opportunity to help recruitstudents and to assist with fund raising efforts. e event is tentativelyscheduled to be held in the STEM Building and Conference Center atUAPB.

e 1890 Day Wellness Walk is taking place at all of the 1890 land-grants nationwide. e walk will take place on April 23. Participants willwalk 1.89 miles. Activities will be centered around the land-grant missionof teaching, research and Extension. More information about this event willbe forthcoming.

Watch the SAFHS Facebook page and Twitter feed for up-to-date information.

125 Years of Providing Accessand Enhancing Opportunities

TH

E SECO N D M ORRILL AC

T

1890

LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES

20151890

125 Years of Service

2 SAFHS Highlights

Gamma Sigma Delta, the University of Arkansas atPine Bluff chapter of the National Honor Society of Agri-

culture, recently inducted one graduate student and threeundergraduate students. e organization honors indi-viduals who exhibit academic excellence and qualitiesthat promote the image and relevance of agricultural,food and related sciences.

e inductees are Agricultural Regulations graduatestudent Rachael Duncan of Grapevine; and undergradu-ate inductees Daniel Perry, a junior Agricultural Eco-nomics major from Lexa; Pamela Jones, a seniorAgriculture Business major from Gould; and ElizabethAndrews, a senior Human Development and FamilyStudies major from White Hall.

Undergraduate membership in the honor society islimited to seniors who have an overall grade point aver-age of 3.25 or above and are in the upper 15 percent ofeligible students and to juniors who have an overallgrade point average of 3.30 or above and are in the upper5 percent of eligible students. Graduate student mem-bers must have completed at least 40 percent of theirprogram with a grade point average of 3.50 or above.

Four New Members Inducted into UAPB Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta

UAPB Receives More than $1.5 Million Grant for Research and Extension

e UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries andHuman Sciences (SAFHS) has been awarded more than$1.5 million in federal funds from the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture.

e amount was allotted through the National Insti-tute of Food and Agriculture’s 1890 Capacity BuildingGrants Program and will fund four research and Exten-sion projects in agriculture, fisheries and food sciences at UAPB.

“We are very pleased that our research and Extensionfaculty have been successful in procuring grant fundingto help conduct their work,” said Dr. Edmund R. Buck-ner, associate dean for Research and Extension Programsat UAPB. “Federal grant funding is becoming more diffi-cult to obtain. Our faculty’s success in competing for in-creasingly scarce funding highlights our commitment tothe university and the people we serve. ”

Dr. Muthusamy Manoharan, associate professor ofagriculture at UAPB, was awarded a grant for a biotech-nology project to increase the tuber size and yieldamount of Arkansas-grown sweet potatoes.

Dr. Leonard Githinji, UAPB Extension Program hor-ticulture specialist, was awarded a grant for a project thataims to educate youth in high poverty areas on localfood systems and access to fresh foods.

Dr. Madan Dey, professor of aquaculture economicsand marketing at UAPB, was awarded a grant to boost

the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry through the devel-opment of new catfish products.

Dr. Linda L. Okiror, former associate dean forSAFHS, was awarded a grant to expand recruitment andretention program for students seeking degrees in andcareers in agriculture and environmental and life sciences.

e 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program fundsteaching, research and Extension programs at 1890 land-grant universities annually.

Dr. Sathish Ponniah, Extension Specialist, screens sweet potato samples for virusesusing Quantitative Real time PCR.

Recent inductees into Gamma Sigma Delta, left to right are: Pamela Jones, Gould; Eliz-abeth Andrews, White Hall; and Rachael Duncan, Grapevine. Not pictured: Daniel Perry.

3Winter 2015

Over the course of his 20-yearcareer, alumni Christopher J.Kennedy, a fisheries regional su-

pervisor for the Missouri Department ofConservation (MDC), has managedsport fish in public reservoirs andstreams, assisted private landowners andtaught Missouri citizens about theirstate’s aquatic resources. In addition tostandard industry duties, he also accom-plished a feat not many biologists havethe opportunity to do – restore an en-dangered native fish species to his homestate.

Kennedy, originally from St. Louis,said when he was young, alligator gars –some of the largest freshwater fish inNorth America – were perceived nega-tively and anglers tried to get rid ofthem. By the time he graduated with adegree in fisheries biology at UAPB, thefish were almost nonexistent in Missouridue to habitat change and overfishing.

In 2000, Kennedy, then a fisheriesmanagement biologist for the MDC, ini-tiated restoration efforts for the speciesas he gathered the limited research avail-able on alligator gar, sought internal andexternal support and designed researchprojects on the species.

Kennedy then began the task of as-sessing fish species biodiversity withinthe 30,000 acres of swampland that in-cluded a variety of wetlands habitats, an

essential preliminary step in the reintro-duction of the species.

“Mingo National Wildlife Refuge islocated on the edge of the Ozark escarp-ment and the lowlands of the MississippiRiver Alluvial Plain,” Kennedy said.“The fact that these major habitats con-verge on each other causes tremendousspecies biodiversity.”

To monitor such an expansive anddiverse ecosystem, Kennedy understoodhe would need an army of manpowerand realized an opportunity to trainlocal youth in conservation. He hiredcollege students to lead six-person teamsof high school students who were paidto assist biologists by monitoring fishcommunities, movement and foodhabits. The students also built trails andbirdhouses, picked up trash, paintedbridges and signs and propagatedaquatic plants to enhance public lakefish habitat.

“We even utilized some of our moreadvanced students to educate local youthgroups such as the YMCA, 4-H club andBoy Scouts about Missouri’s fish, streamsand fishing opportunities,” Kennedy said.The program, which became known asthe Southeast Youth ConservationCorps, was a success and at its heightcontained as many as 60 students.

Kennedy said team diversity wasone of the program’s greatest strengths.

Teams made up of youth from varyingraces, genders and socio-economicbackgrounds worked together to com-plete conservation related activities.

“This was an opportunity not onlyto teach youth about fisheries and con-servation, but also about professional-ism, work ethic, teamwork, disputeresolution and how to work together inculturally diverse groups,” he said. “Itwas amazing to see them develop andgrow. This has truly been the highlightof my career.”

“As a result of our efforts, a oncehated rare fish species continues to re-side in Missouri waters, valuable re-search has dispelled myths regarding thespecies, more people are aware of ourconservation activities and many stu-dents are prepared to become productivecitizens and employees,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy credits Dr. William G. Lay-her, former professor of aquaculture atUAPB, with helping guide his careerwhile a student at UAPB. “Dr. Layherwas not only an excellent professor andmentor who opened my eyes to theworld of fisheries, but he also providedinternships and work study opportuni-ties that afforded opportunities to honemy fisheries skills.”

Kennedy currently supervises sevenpermanent MDC fisheries personneland protects and manages the aquaticresources within a 16-county region ofSoutheast Missouri. He said every day atthe job is gratifying and advises UAPBstudents “to put God first and seek a ca-reer they are passionate about.”

“My father and mother influencedmy education and career path the most,”Kennedy said. “My father exposed me tothe world and prepared me by instillingwork ethic, professionalism and the artof making good business decisions.Mother insured that I had opportunitiesto acquire advanced learning long beforeI was personally thinking about college.”

Kennedy is married to NekeaKennedy, who is also a UAPB Aquacul-ture and Fisheries graduate. Kennedysaid he and his wife are “committed toenabling the world to live more amply,with greater vision, and finer spirit ofhope and achievement.”

Alumni Spotlight — Christopher J. Kennedy

Christopher J. Kennedy, center, led efforts to restore alligator gar to Southeast Missouri.

4 SAFHS Highlights

Dr. Yong Park Takes First Place in Beekeepers Association Honey Contest

Dr. Yong Park, associate professorof agriculture-entomology at UAPB,recently took awards in three of fourhoney categories at the Arkansas Bee-keepers Association’s (ABA) honeycontest. e event was part of theABA’s annual meeting held at theOzark Folk Center in Mountain View.

Dr. Park won first place in theamber and dark amber categories andsecond place in the light amber cate-gory. e honey was judged on clarity,uniform color, aroma, taste and lack ofaeration.

“I’m harvesting honey the tradi-tional way,” Dr. Park said. “Most of thetime I harvest manually and I alwayswait until the honey has ripened.”

Park said the correct amount of

moisture content is a determining fac-tor in harvesting good honey, as it in-fluences the honey’s keeping qualityand granulation. A honeycombcapped with beeswax indicates ripehoney with the proper level of watercontent. If the honey is extracted be-

fore the comb is fully capped, thehoney will be oversaturated withwater.

Last year Park won first place, sec-ond place and third place in the lightamber, dark amber and extra-light cat-egories respectively at the ABA con-test. Park has been a member of theABA for seven years.

In addition to his work with hon-eybees at the beehives on campus, Dr.Park tends to UAPB Agricultural Re-search Station hives located in PineBluff, Lonoke and Marianna. Hefounded the Black & Gold Bee Clubfor interested UAPB students andalumni and also keeps bees and harvests honey at home.

Three varieties of Dr. Yong Park’s honey garneredawards at the Arkansas Beekeepers Association’s honeycontest.

Dr. Brenda A.Martin has beennamed chair of theDepartment ofHuman Sciences. Shewill provide leader-ship to the depart-ment that includesfour units – Food

Service/Restaurant Management;Human Development and FamilyStudies; Merchandising, Textiles andDesign; and Nutrition and Dietetics.In this position, Dr. Martin is also re-sponsible for oversight of UAPB’sChild Development Center and theHuman Sciences Cafeteria.

Kay Dutram hasbeen hired as directorof the Didactic Pro-gram Dietetics(DPD) in the Depart-ment of Human Sciences. She willprovide leadership tothe DPD and the Nu-

trition/Dietetic degree program inthe department. She will also be re-sponsible for DPD accreditation and

manage recruitment, assessment andretention activities of the program.Dutram will also serve on variousdepartment and school committees.

Yunru Shen hasbeen appointed as in-structor in Merchan-dising, Textiles andDesign for the De-partment of HumanSciences. She willteach undergraduatecourses in apparel de-

sign, fashion illustration and fashionbuying and merchandising. Shen willalso recruit and advise students, pro-vide leadership for program develop-ment and develop collaborativerelationships with businesses and in-dustry.

Dr. Herbert E.Quintero has beenappointed as man-ager of the Aquacul-ture Research Stationfor the Aquacul-ture/Fisheries Center

of Excellence. In this position, he isresponsible for supervising the Station farm crew and for ensuringthat all ponds, water supply, electrical systems, equipment, vehicles andbuildings are maintained and ingood working order. He will alsoprovide support to research and Extension faculty, staff and studentsin the department.

Will Hehemannhas been named Extension specialist-communications forthe School of Agri-culture, Fisheriesand Human Sci-ences. In this posi-tion, he will

publicize School activities by writingarticles and scripts for print andbroadcast media; edit manuscripts,publications and web content; takephotographs and shoot video; andmaintain the School’s website and so-cial media sites.

New Faculty

5Winter 2015

Dr. Trace Peterson, assistant professor of Regulatory Sci-ence, was recognized as one of five inaugural Arkansas Re-search Alliance (ARA) Fellows at a press conference held atthe Arkansas State Capitol, recently.

Former Gov. Mike Beebe announced the five ARA Fel-lows, each representing one of the five research universities inthe state: UAPB, Arkansas State University, University ofArkansas at Fayetteville, University of Arkansas at Little Rockand University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

e ARA Fellows program recognizes distinguished uni-versity research leaders in the state. e new program was de-signed by the ARA Board of Trustees and received input fromthe academic leaders of the five research universities.

Each ARA Fellow was nominated by a university chancel-lor and will receive a $75,000 grant paid over three years.

“We are excited and pleased that Dr. Peterson will be rep-resenting the university in the 2014 Class of ARA Fellows,”UAPB Chancellor Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, said. “We lookforward to him and his team making an even greater impactthrough their research and innovation.”

Dr. Peterson and his research team at the UAPB Regula-tory Science Center of Excellence examine transgenic human-ized zebrafish used to study human cancers and kidneydiseases. He also researches drug delivery systems andpatentable vaccine technology for previously non-preventablefood fish diseases to enhance worldwide food security.

“ARA is proud of the new ARA Fellows program becauseit underscores our mission to stimulate economic opportuni-ties through university innovation and collaboration,” JerryAdams, ARA president and CEO, said. “By identifying and in-vesting in researchers currently working in the state, we aremaximizing opportunities for commercialization and economic impact.”

When Elzadia Washington inter-viewed for an overseas job to aid subsis-tence farmers in developing countries in1981, she was one of the few applicantswithout a passport. Despite her lack ofinternational experience, two things sether apart – her academic history as agraduate of agricultural economics atUAPB, and her practical experiencegrowing up on a cotton farm in theDelta.

e job marked the beginning ofWashington’s 30-year career with theUnited States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), which sent herto live and work in Mali, Belize,Cameroon, Egypt, Haiti, Uganda andthe Philippines.

Washington, most recently the mis-sion director for USAID Namibia, spokeas guest presenter for the fall seminar ofthe UAPB Working Group on GlobalHigher Education.

Her message to UAPB students andfaculty was the importance of preparingfor a global society.

“I grew up in the Delta at a timemost people in the area weren’t thinkingabout global engagement,” Washingtonsaid. “Aer my career started, I foundmyself in a position to impact the devel-opment of an entire nation.”

When her international careerbegan, the diplomats she met overseaswere surprised to hear about her roots,Washington said. “ere was a beliefthat you had to be from the elite class tobe a diplomat. I think my presenceshowed that not everyone in the diplo-matic corps had to come from that ech-elon of society.”

Washington credited her youthspent working on a farm in a predomi-nantly black community as a source ofinspiration for her work overseas.

Over the years, Washington’s variedUSAID assignments have included goals such as health education, deadlydisease prevention, good governance,economic growth and natural resourcesmanagement.

Elzadia Washington, former mission director for USAID,speaks at the fall seminar of the UAPB Working Groupon Global Higher Education.

Left to right, Dr. Trace Peterson, former Gov. Mike Beebe and Dr. Laurence B. Alexander.

UAPB Students Encouraged to Prepare for a Global Society

Dr. Trace Peterson Recognized as an Inaugural ARA Fellow

6 SAFHS Highlights

Degrees Awarded to 17 SAFHS Students at 151st UAPB Commencement

Dr. Henry English Receives 2014 Regional Excellence in Extension Award

Seventeen degrees were awarded to SAFHS students at UAPB’s 151st commencement in December 2014.

SAFHS graduates received degrees in several areas. One earned a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Regulations; one in Aquaculture and Fisheries.

Three earned undergraduate degrees in Agriculture; 11 in Human Sciences/Food Service and Restaurant Management and one in Regulatory Science.

“We’re here to celebrate your success,” UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander told the graduates. “You’ve done the hard work, you’vefinished the course and you’re to be commended, but this does not signal the end for you. It signals a new beginning.”

Dr. Henry English, director, Small Farm Program, re-ceived a 2014 Regional Excellence in Extension Award pre-sented at the 127th Annual Meeting of the Association ofPublic and Land-Grant Universities in Orlando, Florida, recently.

Dr. English, one of five regional award winners, receivedthe award for providing education and technical assistance tosocially disadvantaged, small and limited resource producersin 22 counties in eastern and southwestern Arkansas. Dr. Eng-lish won the 1890 Institutions Region Award.

Presented by the Extension Committee on Organizationand Policy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NationalInstitute of Food and Agriculture and Cooperative Extension,the regional Excellence in Extension Awards are presented toExtension professionals who have exhibited visionary leader-ship and diversity in educational programming.

Recipients must also have exhibited sustained and merito-rious programming, have at least five concurrent years ofexperience in Extension and have made a positive impact onconstituents served. Dr. English received a plaque and cashaward.

From left to right, Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA deputy undersecretary for Research, Educa-tion and Economics; Dr. English; Dr. James O. Garner Jr., dean/director, School of Agri-culture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, UAPB; Dr. Jacquelyn W. McCray, interim vicechancellor for academic affairs, UAPB; and Dr. Jimmy Henning, Extension Committeeon Organization and Policy chairman and director of Extension, University of Kentucky.

Dr. Edmund R. Buckner Completes Management Development Program

7Winter 2015

e UAPB Fishing Team took firstplace at the fall bass tournament of theArkansas Collegiate Series held atBeaver Lake, near Rogers, Arkansas.

Aaron Porterfield, undergraduatestudent of Fisheries Biology, and MattSkoog, graduate student of Aquacultureand Fisheries Management, won thegrand prize of $300.

“Although there is an element ofluck involved in every level of fishing,what Aaron and Matt did required skilland experience as well,” Scott Jones,UAPB Fishing Team coach and smallimpoundment Extension specialist, said.“Neither of them had ever seen BeaverLake or fished together competitivelybefore, but their knowledge of fall basstendencies led them to select the rightlocation and lures to win.”

e UAPB Fishing Team, foundedin 2011, is almost entirely composed ofstudents from the UAPB Aquacultureand Fisheries Department.

Scott said team members are able toput their departmental knowledge touse during a tournament.

“One of the main things studentswith a UAPB-AQFI education will un-derstand better than others is how to

keep fish healthy, one of the most criti-cal aspects of tournament fishing,” hesaid. “In the short term, keeping fishhealthy throughout the tournament dayprevents penalties that are assessed forsubmitting dead fish to weigh-in. In thelong term, returning the highest per-centage of fish back to the water in thebest condition possible ensures that thefishery is not negatively affected bytournament activities.”

ere are other benefits for studentmembers, including club t-shirts, product discounts and insurance coverage for those who want to partici-pate in national-level collegiate events.Jones also offers “BASS CLASS” seminars for club members and guests,which cover advanced fishingtechniques and strategies.

Dr. Edmund R. Buckner, associatedean for research and Extension, re-cently completed the Harvard Univer-sity Management DevelopmentProgram (MDP) in Cambridge, Mass.

e MDP offers training to aca-demic deans, associate deans, directorsand department heads in higher educa-tion that face leadership challenges. etwo-week program provides tools andinsight to help administrators thinkmore strategically, balance competingdemands and spend time providing for-ward-thinking leadership.

“Completing the Harvard Manage-ment Development Program will helpme to develop additional tools andstrategies to facilitate growth within theSchool of Agriculture, Fisheries andHuman Sciences,” Dr. Buckner, said.

Effective leadership training, devel-oping high functioning teams, analyzingfinancial data and fund allocation, ethi-cal dimensions of educational leader-ship and functioning as an effectivechange agent are among the program’sobjectives.

Fishing Team Wins Arkansas Collegiate Series Fall Bass Tournament

Aaron Porterfield, undergraduate student of Fisheries Biology, left, and Matt Skoog, graduate student of Aquacultureand Fisheries Management, right, took first place at the fall bass tournament of the Arkansas Collegiate Series.

Dr. Edmund R. Buckner

SAFHS HighlightsUniversity of Arkansas at Pine BluffMail Slot 49661200 N. University DrivePine Bluff, AR 71601

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPine Bluff, ARPermit No. 628

This Newsletter was produced by the School of Agriculture,

Fisheries and Human SciencesCommunications Office

in January 2015.

Dr. James O. Garner Jr.Dean/Director

Dr. Edmund R. BucknerAssociate Dean

for Research and Extension

Will HehemannCarol SandersStaff Writers

Brad MayhughGraphic Designerand Photographer

Debbie ArcherCommunicationsSection Leader

Send change of address and/orcorrespondence to:

Debbie ArcherUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

1200 N. University Dr.Mail Slot 4966

Pine Bluff, AR 71601archerd@uapb.edu

(870) 575-8546

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UAPB celebrated the 100th anniversary ofCooperative Extension in conjunction with itsLonoke Farm Field Day, Sept. 25, at thePearlie S. Reed/Robert L. Cole Outreach Wet-lands and Water Management Center inLonoke, Ark.

Aquaculture/Fisheries Field Day was heldOct. 2. The event, which included tractor andwalking tours, featured the latest aquacultureresearch.

Nearly 200 students from nine Arkansas highschools enjoyed a fun day of learning atUAPB’s Aquatic Sciences Day. Hosted bythe Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, the eventfeatured hands-on activities including a fishingderby and fish as art. Students also learnedabout biology, chemistry, math, nutrition andcareers in aquaculture and fisheries.

Field Days, Field Days, Field Days

Lonoke Farm Field Day

Aquatic Sciences Day

Aquaculture/Fisheries Field Day