On February 26, 2019, the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA) met in Suite 10 of the Gillis Building to volunteer with students from Carter G. Woodson Academy. Transportation was provided to UK’s campus for the young men to work with BGPSA graduate students on enhancing and fine tuning their upcoming presentations at the MANRRS regional conference. Their research ranges from studying the efficiency of fungicides in controlling bitter rot in apples to manipulating genes in seeds to affect the number of embryos produced for plant regeneration. The students work under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Vaillancourt in Plant Pathology and Dr. Sharyn Perry in Plant and Soil Science. The graduate students provided encouragement to the students and guidance on delivery of their presentations, as well as instructions on knowledgeable and clear chronological presentation of why they did the work, methods used, results, and what their research means for the future. It was a great afternoon for all!
Both the Woodson and BGPSA students enjoyed the time together and the partnership. It is our hope these types of activities will continue to take place on UK’s campus.
