Forest Hill High School Students Visit the School of AREAS

Landrick Akrong, graduate student in the biotechnology program (center), demonstrates DNA isolation technique to students as Dr. Qun Xia, assistant professor of biotechnology, (far right) further explains the demonstration to a student.

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The Alcorn State University School of Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Applied Sciences hosted a departmental visit on November 16, 2015 for 69 ninth-grade students of Forest Hill High School of Jackson Mississippi. The event was located in the Ecology and Natural Resources building on the Lorman campus.

Presenters spoke on the Department of Agriculture and three of its programs — plant and soil science, biotechnology, and animal science. The ongoing research at the Center for Conservation Research was also highlighted.

The visit was coordinated by Dr. Daniel J. Collins, chair of the Department of Agriculture and professor of plant pathology, in conjunction with Justin Mathis, coordinator of admissions, recruitment and outreach at Alcorn.

“This event is mainly for student recruitment purposes,” Dr. Collins expressed.

The 69 high school students toured the campus and they received valuable information about the School of AREAS programs through hands-on activities and interactive displays.

“I really like Alcorn,” said high school students Michaela Jackson. “It’s my third visit and every time I learn something new. My classmates and I enjoyed learning about the Agriculture program. I especially enjoyed holding piglets and learning that persimmons are good for you.”

A recent Alcorn State graduate, Corey Jordan ’14, who now serves as the 10^th grade Career Academy coach at Forest Hill, was elated to bring the students to his alma mater.

“Our students enjoyed their time at Alcorn. Now, we would like to invite the School of AREAS representatives to come to our school with a longer and more informative session to increase the student’s level of interest to the University and to agriculture.”

For more information on the Department of Agriculture as well as other recruitment initiatives, please contact Dr. Daniel J. Collins at [email protected] or (601) 877-6527.