TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences will host a research forum on Tuesday, March 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 200 participants representing the research community, farming industry, government agencies, and the private sector are expected to attend. The event will be held in the Perry-Paige Auditorium, located at 1740 S. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
The forum will showcase college-wide research, extension services, and outreach activities in support of the College’s mission of teaching, research, and outreach. The theme for the event is “A New Season for Agricultural Research.”
Event speakers include Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research Service; Adam Putnam, Florida commissioner of Agriculture; President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D.; Provost Marcella David, J.D.; Vice President for Research Timothy Moore, Ph.D.; and Robert Taylor, Ph.D., dean and director of land-grant programs.
The forum will also highlight several research presentations from the College’s students and faculty, including:
• Strategies to monitor insecticide resistance in the Asian citrus psyllid, one of the most devastating insect pests of citrus in Florida
• How to reduce the use of chemical insecticides by using companion and refuge plants to enhance control of insect pests in vegetables
• The effects of natural organic matter on arsenic removal from drinking water
• An exploration of the first-ever gene cloning to help improve metabolic engineering in muscadine grapes
• The antimicrobial effect of cinnamon to extend shelf life in raw chicken breasts
The event is a component of FAMU’s 125th anniversary celebration of the Second Morrill Act, which awarded the University it’s land-grant status.
The forum is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be provided to participants.
For more information, contact Lambert Kanga, Ph.D., at lambert.kanga@famu.edu or Stephen Leong, Ph.D., at stephen.leong@famu.edu.