Alcorn Hosts 3rd Annual Centers for Research Excellence Symposium

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The School of Agriculture, Research Extension and Applied Sciences Center of Biotechnology hosted its 3rd Annual Centers for Research Excellence Symposium in the Biotechnology building on the Lorman campus from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm. Students and faculty from Alcorn State University (ASU) as well as surrounding colleges and universities were invited to attend. The primary goal for the symposium was to showcase the research done at ASU and provide an additional opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to develop professionally and academically.

 The symposium was coordinated and directed by Dr. Davida Crossley, Assistant Professor of Biotechnology at ASU. “I thought orchestrating the symposium was a good idea because it’s important for us to communicate research. I wanted to bring a conference setting here that is free of charge, so therefore if the students go to a national, regional, or state conference they will know what to expect.”

After registration was completed, the opening remarks were given by Dr. Keith McGee, Interim Dean of the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and Director of the Center for Biotechnology. The symposium featured 11 oral presentations and 14 poster presentations. There were two poster sessions and three speaking sessions which lasted 10-15 minutes long with 5 minutes for questions.

“This symposium helps to solidify the things we learned and did in class. Sometimes it’s easier to do things rather than talk about them. The more you talk about a subject, the more information you can expound upon,” said Bryanna LeBeaux, a Senior poster presenter.

The symposium ended with an award ceremony that recognized each individual for their participation with a certificate of appreciation. Those who stood out among the crowd received plaques.

Closing remarks were given by Dr. Babu Patlolla, Professor of Biology, and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. “Thank you all very much for coming to this symposium. This was a vision we had two years ago and since then it has been very successful. To all of the presenters, you all did an excellent job. We appreciate you all.”

For more information contact Dr. Davida Crossley, Symposium Director, at (601) 877-6657 or dcrossley@alcorn.edu.