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Five Kentucky State University students won awards at a national research competition among the 19 1890 Land Grant Universities. The Association of 1890 Research Directors hosted its 19th Biennial Research Symposium in Jacksonville, Florida, and celebrated the 40th anniversary of the representative body.

Students traveled from all 1890 Land Grant Universities to showcase their research projects via oral and poster judged presentations. The College of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment had 15 graduate students and 14 undergraduate students present their research. Five students placed in the following categories:

• Kim Barmore, undergraduate student in Agriculture, Food, and Environment program, placed second in oral research presentations in the plant health and production and plant products category.
• Kalvin Rucker, undergraduate student in Agriculture, Food, and Environment program, placed second in oral research presentations in the animal health and production and animal products category.
• Kasondra Miller, graduate student in the aquaculture/aquatic studies program, placed first in oral research presentations in the animal health and production and animal products category.
• Saaruj Khadka, graduate student in the environmental studies program, placed third in oral research presentations in the family, youth, community and economic development category.
• Cort Groathouse, undergraduate student in the Agriculture, Food, and Environment program, placed third in poster research presentations in the plant health and production and plant products category.

The Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD) is the official representative body of the agricultural research administrators of the 19 1890 land-grant universities. It strives to support and enhance 1890 research in food and agricultural sciences. Kentucky State University’s Dr. William J. Fleming was among the founding research directors of ARD.

Staff and faculty members of KSU’s College of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment also presented current research.

“We were pleased to have so many students participate in sharing their research projects with their peers and with faculty and administrators from our fellow 1890 Land Grant Universities,” said Dr. Kirk Pomper, Land Grant director and interim dean of the College of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment. “Having the opportunity to present research on this type of stage is really invaluable experience for our students.”

The following students participated at the ARD Research Symposium at the graduate level: James Adeyemi, Bisola Asaolu, Matthew Behrends, Aman Bhatta, Joshua Dusci, Jill Fisk, Sathya Govindasamy, Saaruj Khadka, William Chris Lyons, Kasondra Miller, Sijan Pandit, Amit Sharma, Brandylyn Thomas, Yogendra Upadhyaya and Blake Van Sanford.

The following students participated at the ARD Research Symposium at the undergraduate level:Decerai Anderson, Kim Barmore, Jacouri Burns, Tori Farrow, Cort Groathouse, Kolan Livingston, Tavin Marshall, Megan McCoun, Kristopher Nelson, Kalvin Rucker, Ariel Smith, Kaitlyn Sudd, Cora Teets and Aidan Thompson.