Tallahassee, FL. – On Thursday, October 25, 2007, the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA) at Florida A&M University (FAMU) will sponsor the 2007 CESTA Research Forum on FAMU’s campus in the Perry Paige Auditorium, located at 1740 Martin Luther King Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Honorable Dr. Gale Buchanan, Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics, for the United States Department of Agriculture, will be the keynote speaker at the forum’s opening session at 8:45 a.m.
The Honorable Charles Bronson, Commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and FAMU President James H. Ammons will also be on the program. Several USDA agency representatives, state partners and industry collaborators will also be present.
The forum theme, “Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Partnerships,” points to research efforts of FAMU and its strong collaborative partnerships with state and federal agencies and other academic institutions.
“CESTA’s research projects are interdisciplinary initiatives that address some of the serious challenges facing Florida and the nation as related to issues such as small farm productivity, water and air quality, expansion of viticulture production, biosecurity, management of invasive species and disease vectors,” said Moses Kairo, forum planning chairperson and director of the FAMU Center for Biological Control.
The forum is designed to promote the efforts of CESTA’s Division of Research to enrich and broaden research in agriculture, natural resource conservation and engineering technology to benefit the citizens of Florida and the nation.
Ongoing research initiatives including a diverse array of scientific studies being conducted in agricultural and other natural sciences and engineering technology will be highlighted to the college’s stakeholder base through featured student and faculty oral presentations, as well as posters and exhibits. The forum will also include a special discovery ceremony to highlight new developments in the research program.
FAMU is the state’s 1890 land-grant institution, and CESTA is the college that has served historically as the land-grant component of the university with programs emphasizing the integration of academics, research and outreach in agriculture and natural resources. Programs in the college include 13 degree programs and options
in agricultural sciences, engineering technology and naval science.
“The Research Forum is being held to showcase of our strong partnership with several USDA agencies, the State of Florida and the private industry to better serve our stakeholders and enhance Florida’s Agriculture Industry,” said Sunil Pancholy, associate dean for Research.
For more information, please contact Sunil Pancholy at (850) 599-3594 or via email at s.pancholy@famu.edu or Moses T. K. Kairo at (850) 412-7057 or by email at moses.kairo@famu.edu.
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