One UMES faculty and two graduate students were recognized among some 700 researchers representing the 1890 Land-Grant Universities (18) and Tuskegee during the 19th Biennial ARD Research Symposium in Jacksonville, Florida. Guided by the theme, “Making Critical Contributions to Rural Prosperity and Solving Challenges in Food and Agriculture,” more than 202 undergraduate and graduate students competed for recognition in an oral competition and 236 in the poster competition.
Among the 68 winners, Jocelyn Simmons won first place for outstanding achievement in the area of plant health & production and plant products in the graduate student competitive poster presentation. Simmons presented a poster explaining her research titled The Efficacy of a Field Collected Fungal Pathogen Against Stinkbugs. Wendy Attuquayefio won second place for her outstanding achievement in the area of animal health & production and animal products for the graduate student competitive poster presentation as well. Attuquayefio presented two posters titled Effects of Oxidized Diet on Plasma Oxidative Stress, Postmortem Muscle Metabolism, and Meat Quality Properties of Broilers and Effects of Heat Stress on Broiler Productivity and Postmortem Glycolysis and Quality Properties of Broiler Breast Meat about her research. Faculty presentations were non-competitive.
During the closing awards banquet, Dr. Salina Parveen was awarded the Morrison-Evans Outstanding Scientist Award. Named for Dr. Richard D. Morrison, president emeritus of Alabama A&M University, and Congressman Frank E. Evans of Colorado, it is the highest honor given by the Association of Research Directors, Inc. It carries a cash prize of $1,000.
Parveen has worked at UMES since 2002 and has over 27 years of experience in teaching, research, and outreach service that’s associated with food safety, water quality, and food and environmental microbiology. As a professor, she is responsible for teaching graduate level course in food science and technology. She has received several awards for outstanding academic performance. As a researcher, not only has she addressed regional, national and international issues of food safety and quality, but she has also trained more than 100 graduate, undergraduate, and high school students; some 30 educators and scientists; 8 technicians; and 5 postdoctoral associates and/or visiting scholars.
Her excellent grantsmanship has won her more than $12.6 million of competitive funding. It supports her scientific inquiry as well as the training she gives. Consequently, Parveen has published more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles in nationally and internationally recognized journals, three book chapters, and more than 20 technical reports and popular press articles. She has also been invited to give more than 145 presentations at conferences and meetings all over the world. And her students have received a total of 15 awards as oral or poster presenters.
In her spare time, Parveen serves on several national and international scientific committees and as an editorial board member for many peer-reviewed journals.
Pictured above L to R: Jocelyn Simmons; Dr. Rondall Allen, acting provost; Wendy Attuquayefio; and Dr. Moses Kairo, dean of the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences.
