Uni ve rs i t y of A r ka n sa s a t P i n e B l u ff – S c hool of Agr i c u l t u re, F i sh e r ies a n d Hu m a n S c ie n c es
April 2017
Upcoming Events May 13 Spring Commencement
June 23 UAPB Agriculture Farm Field Day
September 28 Aquatic Sciences Day
December 8 Fall Commencement
Sustainable Forestry Program Keeps Family Land Sustainable and Profitable
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he “Keeping it in the Family” Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention (SFLR) Program began in the fall of 2016 aer the UAPB Small Farm Program received a grant from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. e three-year program will invest in a group of community-based networks in Arkansas to promote forest health and productivity while stemming the loss of African-American owned rural land. “In 1920 African-Americans owned 15.6 million acres of farmland across the U.S.,” Kandi Williams, SFLR outreach coordinator, said. “By 2012, the number of acres owned by African-Americans had dropped to 4.5 million acres of land nationally.” Heir property – land that is inherited by a group of family members – can be a major problem for African-American communities in Arkansas, she said. is type of property leaves families without the clear titles that allow for the active management of the land, thereby limiting any economic returns. Multiple-party ownership of a family acreage oen risks the partition sale of the land. e SFLR program aims to provide African-American landowners with the resources and support required to resolve these common heir property issues, as well as sustainable forestry education and technical assistance in forestland management. e UAPB program is reaching out to landowners in Little River, Howard, Hempstead, Nevada, Ouachita, Union and Columbia counties in southwest Arkansas. “Our project is designed to build relationships between landowners, UAPB and participating partners to resolve heir continued on page 8
The Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention Program helps participants solve heir property issues and make management decisions that improve the health and profitability of their forestland.
SAFHS Graduates 39 Students, Two Posthumous Degrees Awarded irty-nine degrees and two honorary posthumous degrees were awarded to SAFHS students at UAPB’s 155th commencement in December 2016. SAFHS graduates received degrees in several areas. Two earned Master of Science degrees in agricultural regulations, five earned Master of Science degrees in Aquaculture and Fisheries, and two earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Aquaculture and Fisheries. ree earned undergraduate degrees in animal science; two undergraduate degrees in agriculture/plant science-agronomy; one in poultry science; two in agricultural business; one in aquaculture and fisheries/aquaculture and seafood business, four in aquaculture and fisheries/fisheries biology, ten in human sciences/human development and family studies; two in human sciences/merchandising, textiles and design; three in human sciences/food service and restaurant management; and one in human sciences/nutrition and dietetics. Honorary posthumous degrees were awarded to Keith E. Wilbert, Ag Business and JaMary K. Wells, Animal Science.
New Faculty Dr. Amit Kumar Sinha is assistant professor of water quality for the Aquaculture/ Fisheries Center of Excellence. In this position he will develop a research program to improve the management of water quality in aquaculture and natural fisheries systems. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses in water quality and other aquaculture/fisheries subject areas, Dr. Sinha will publish peer-reviewed publications and coordinate with fisheries and aquaculture experts from other disciplines in the department. Dr. Sinha has a doctoral degree in water quality/aquaculture from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, a master’s degree in aquaculture from Ghent University, Belgium, and a bachelor’s degree in aquaculture/fisheries from Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India.
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Dr. Uttam Kamar Deb has been appointed as assistant professor of aquaculture and fisheries economics for the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence. In this position he is charged with developing research-based solutions to problems faced by fish farmers and natural fisheries stakeholder groups in Arkansas and with creating a productive research program to improve economic management of aquaculture and natural fisheries systems. In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in economics and other aquaculture/fisheries subject areas, Dr. Deb will publish peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Deb has a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from the University of the Philippines Los Banos, and a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Bangladesh Agricultural University.
Dr. Grace eresa Nicholas Ramena is assistant professor of fish pathology for the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence. She will develop a productive research program including both biotechnological and applied aspects of fish health issues that provide more effective diagnosis, treatment and prevention of fish health problems. She will oversee the fish disease diagnostics at UAPB and will participate in fish inspections as needed for certifications. She will contribute to Extension educational programs focused on fish health and biosecurity and she will teach a graduate course in fish health and an undergraduate biology of fish course. Dr. Ramena has a doctoral degree in medical microbiology immunology and cell biology from Southern Illinois University, a master’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois at Springfield and a master’s degree in aquaculture from Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur, India.
Alumni Spotlight — Chris Racey and Ben Batten
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wo alumni of UAPB’s Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence who formerly worked together as research associates during their graduate studies are now collaborating in their careers at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). Chris Racey, chief of fisheries for the AGFC, and Ben Batten, assistant chief, credit their education at UAPB with providing the insight and skills necessary to succeed in their careers as they work to create fishing opportunities for Arkansas’ anglers and conserve aquatic resources across the state. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biology in his home state of Pennsylvania, Racey found his way to Arkansas after researching fisheries assistantships online. Batten, an Illinois native who earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said he started working with Racey on his second day in Arkansas when he began his graduate studies in aquaculture/fisheries at UAPB and started working as a research assistant. “Chris and I have been working together ever since, just over 12 years now,” he said. “Besides the professional relationship, Chris and I also hunt and fish together. We have the trust and foundation that comes from working together professionally and personally for so long, which allows us to communicate very openly and honestly.” Now Racey manages a team of 97 full-time AGFC fisheries and aquatic resource professionals whose mission is to conserve, protect, manage and enhance Arkansas’ fish and other aquatic species and their habitats. In addition to ensuring sustainable fishing access for the public, they collaborate on a larger scale with organizations across the southeast to address pertinent natural resource issues. Racey said he and Batten lead a team of five fisheries division administrators who mentor AGFC staff and address any problems or opportunities related to Arkansas’ fisheries. “The best part of my job is having the chance to work with some of the most passionate and skilled professionals on the planet,” Racey said. “The AGFC is made up of highlytrained, energetic professionals who operate well as a team and whom many in the organization consider a second family.” Batten is responsible for overseeing the offices of AGFC fisheries management biologists in Rogers, Mountain Home, Jonesboro and Brinkley. Together, these biologists manage the fisheries in 33 Arkansas counties. “I assist the field staff in their duties monitoring fish populations, making regulations for fisheries and managing construction projects associated with boating accesses and fishing facilities,” he said. “Though my current position consists of a lot of office work, meetings and coordination, most of the folks I oversee are out in the field, working on the lakes, rivers and streams of Arkansas.”
Chris Racey (left) and Ben Batten (right).
Batten said those in the field are responsible for growing and stocking fish and protecting, restoring and enhancing aquatic habitats. They also reach out to local anglers and other stakeholders to assess any needs or concerns and respond to environmental issues throughout the state. “At the AGFC I get to work on issues I’m passionate about both professionally and personally,” he said. “The greatest part of the job is receiving positive feedback from anglers and other stakeholders in aquatic conservation that we have positively impacted through our work.” Racey said his education at UAPB paved the way for his career with the AGFC, where he started as a research biologist and later served in the communications division and as assistant chief of fisheries management before he was appointed chief in 2015. “I am grateful for the outstanding education I received from a world-renowned program that included relevant coursework and laboratory exercises,” he said. “My thesis research prepared me to use science to appropriately design a study and answer important fisheries management questions. There was also a strong emphasis on getting graduate students to collaborate with each other on projects, which gave me a broader understanding of the issues that affect Arkansas.” Batten encourages current aquaculture/fisheries students to consider searching for jobs at the AGFC. He said the faculty at UAPB work closely with the AGFC’s fisheries division; they know the knowledge future biologists will need and work hard to prepare students to be strong employees. “AGFC is probably the single largest employer of students with master’s degrees from the UAPB-AQFI program,” he said. “The agency has a relatively young and progressive staff from the field biologist level up through the administrators. This makes for a fun, exciting time to be working in the Fisheries Division at AGFC.” To learn more about the AGFC, visit www.agfc.com.
March 2017
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After Nearly 30 Years, Waller Completes Goal of Graduating from UAPB
Lonnie Waller Jr. completed his longtime goal of receiving a bachelor’s degree from UAPB.
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hen he walked at fall commencement and officially earned a degree in human sciences/human development and family studies, Lonnie Waller Jr. completed his longtime goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree from UAPB – a journey he began nearly 30 years ago. ough he enrolled at UAPB in 1987 as an engineering and electronics major, unforeseen life events quickly put his education on hold. “In the late summer of 1988, I was on my way back to UAPB campus when I had a blowout on the interstate and had to turn around to my hometown of Texarkana, Arkansas,” Waller said. “When I arrived back home I found my father having a heart attack and rushed him to the hospital. I look at that blowout as a blessing, because my having to turn around helped ensure my father is still alive today.” Aer the frightening incident, Waller decided to stay in Texarkana and help with his father’s recovery. ough he continued taking courses at a community college, he never found time to focus all his efforts on completing the remaining coursework between work as
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an insurance salesman and raising children. “I always told my kids I would enroll in college again when they completed high school,” he said. “It wasn’t until 2012 when I visited Pine Bluff with my son – who was trying out for the UAPB marching band – that things started to fall in place for my education.” On the July 2012 visit to the UAPB campus, Waller met Dr. Felicia Taylor, who was then working as project leader for the Department of Human Sciences’ Delta Obesity Project. Five months later, they were married. “I credit my wife for my reenrollment at UAPB and most importantly helping me decide on a new career path,” Waller said. “She helped me realize that the field of engineering was just an old dream of mine. e thing I am really interested in and naturally skilled at is helping others.” roughout his education in human development and family studies, Waller has worked as a family service advocate for the UAPB Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHC-CCP). Under the guidance of Dr. Marilyn Bailey-Jefferson, executive director of the EHSCCP and director of the UAPB Child Development Center, Waller assists parents of infants and toddlers at the program’s 15 sites located across southeast Arkansas. “UAPB’s Early Head Start project offers the invaluable service of full-time childcare,” he said. “My job has been to help parents get back on their feet while their young children are at school. We first identify a parent’s goals – whether that’s finding a new job or going to back to college – and then connect them to the appropriate resources to help guarantee their success. In Arkansas, it can be difficult to be a single parent when trying to get help through government assistance, and I appreciate the opportunity to represent these parents at various
state offices and help them get the results that benefit their families.” Waller said during his education at UAPB, he most appreciated the Department of Human Sciences’ approach to problem solving. “Instructors teach students to work together in teams and determine collaborative solutions to problems,” he said. “e most valuable part of this approach is realizing that the success of others largely depends on you, which is a lesson that will go on to benefit students in the workforce.” Now that he has received his diploma, Waller plans to continue his education and earn a doctoral degree in human development. In the future, he would either like to be a professor of human development or work in student services in order to help young students make the transition from high school to college. “Overall I’m very thankful for God allowing me to continue my education and help others in doing so,” he said. “I owe a lot to Dr. Marilyn Bailey-Jefferson for all the opportunities she has given me and thank God for allowing me to be a part of her team.” Dr. Felicia Taylor Waller currently works as a faculty member in UAPB’s Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department. e couple has a nine-year-old son, Zachary Taylor Johnson. Waller has two sons who are working on completing studies at UAPB, LonTerian Waller, a sophomore criminal justice major, and JaLannie Waller, a junior major of political science who plans to reenroll at UAPB next fall. Waller’s daughter, InDigo Henderson, is a senior business management major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and has an 18-month-old son, Chayce Baker.
Students Learn Language, Culture During Study Abroad Program Two UAPB students took part in a four-week study abroad program at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures in Toulouse, France. In addition to completing courses in French language, Natalie Carr, a senior computer science major, and Demetrius Johnson, a 2016 computer science graduate, learned about French culture and toured the historic landmarks of southwest France. During the program, Carr and Johnson completed a four-week intensive program in French language, earning credit hours that counted towards their coursework at UAPB. Aer their daily language courses, the students attended workshops on French music and cinema. “My favorite part of the study abroad experience was the challenge of actually being able to adapt and survive in a foreign country on my own,” Carr said. “At the University of Toulouse, I appreciated being surrounded by students from all around the world and learning about their cultures and languages. Outside of the classroom, I enjoyed visiting the cultural sites of Toulouse and tasting the traditional French dishes.” Johnson said he also enjoyed meeting students from around the world and traveling with them on weekend excursions to cultural heritage sites. e program included a trip to the city of Carcassonne, where the students visited a medieval fortified settlement on the UNESCO World Heritage List. “I appreciated the chance to learn about the French culture,” Johnson said. “e French are a very nice people and they have a boldness in their attitude. ey take pride in their health and diet, and have a love for wine and fashion.” Carr said she appreciated seeing the courtesy the locals in Toulouse showed each other. “Being respectful and greeting people seemed to be very important,” she said. “One of my key takeaways was the respect people show for elders, always ensuring they are alright and helping them with anything they need. It was refreshing to see several people offering their bus or metro seats to elders.” Johnson said he recommends other UAPB students consider studying abroad because it is an excellent opportunity to explore other parts of the world and learn how other cultures live. “Even if you are worried about the culture shock of a new destination, just know that it is a worthwhile experience that you will likely enjoy no matter the differences from what you are accustomed to,” he said. Carr said students who put themselves in an unknown, foreign environment have a unique opportunity to learn more about the world as well as themselves.
Natalie Carr, a senior major of computer science, and Demetrius Johnson, a May 2016 graduate of computer science, learned about French language and culture during a four-week study abroad program at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures in Toulouse, France.
“Studying abroad is an eye-opening experience that has an effect on one’s personal growth,” she said. “In own my experience, I feel more empathetic to immigrants in America since studying abroad.” Students should take advantage of the UAPB Office of International Programs to enhance their educational experience and open doors to new opportunities, Carr said. is project was supported by the program titled “From the Mississippi Delta to the Niger Delta: Strengthening Teaching and Extension Capacity at UAPB to Enhance International Programming,” USDA - National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Grant #2012-38821-20258. For more information about study abroad opportunities at UAPB, contact Dr. Pamela D. Moore, associate dean for global engagement, at moorep@uapb.edu or 870-575-8195.
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UAPB Uses Aquaculture to Bridge Educational Concepts in Classrooms
As an Extension specialist for UAPB, Bauer Duke provides technical support and science-based information to middle school and high school teachers across the state, introducing students to recirculating aquaculture systems.
As an Extension specialist at UAPB, Bauer Duke’s work takes him to middle school and high school classrooms across Arkansas teaching a very specialized subject with broad educational implications. In a mandate between the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, his job is to provide technical support and sciencebased information to teachers introducing students to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). “Enthusiasm for aquaculture, the breeding of fish and plants in freshwater or marine systems, grew enormously in America in the 1980s,” Duke said. “e excitement caused a trend of including recirculating systems in classrooms across the nation in the 1990s. e UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center assists teachers using these systems to show students how the concepts they learn in the classroom are interconnected and can be used for practical purposes such as raising fish and plants.” Duke said standard aquaculture systems are composed of a tank to keep a stock of fish and a biofilter for housing
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bacteria that eat fish waste and filter out solids. e operator feeds the fish, the fish create waste, bacteria eat the waste and clean water is returned to the fish. “ese systems come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from 100-gallon systems made out of two plastic barrels to enormous systems containing nearly 7,000 gallons of water, and can be used to grow a wide variety of fish including catfish, carp, tilapia, largemouth bass, bluegill and crayfish,” he said. “As aquaponics has become increasingly popular in recent years, people have added soilless plant-growing capabilities to their RAS to produce a three crop system of fish, bacteria and plants.” During school visits, Duke first introduces students to the broad concepts of aquaculture and the basics of maintaining a RAS. With help from their teachers, students then determine the RAS design, build the system, select their fish species and choose the plants they want to grow if aquaponics is involved. Herbs, lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries are examples of the plants that have been raised in these systems. “Considering that we humans are made of mostly water and the planet surface consists primarily of water, it’s a good idea to have familiarity with water and the creatures in it,” Duke said. “e use of RAS in the classroom is oen a challenging but effective means of transferring concepts not only related to aquaculture and fisheries, but also the basics of math, physics, biology, chemistry and ecology. e RAS replicates many of the systems that occur in nature within the classroom and allows the teacher to make changes to the system so students can observe the outcomes.” Duke said once the RAS is set up, teachers and students have a constant source of engaging and dynamic educational content immediately available. “e benefits of an ongoing classroom project such as a RAS include sat-
isfying the U.S. Department of Education requirement for group work and the teacher’s constant goal for student enrichment,” he said. “One teacher who enjoyed taking his students to work with farm animals as part of their animal science class, told me the amount of time and effort to travel to the nearest farm made it difficult to regularly coordinate such meaningful, hands-on learning activities. Now with the RAS, travel time is cut down to two minutes between his classroom and the lab, and other science classes in the school can benefit from using the system as well.” Duke said UAPB’s goal in education Extension is to help Arkansas students connect various ideas they are learning in the classroom and instill meaningful concepts rather than lists of facts. e education system wants students to see how the various subjects they take in school combine to form a knowledge base they can use in daily life. Aquaculture in the classroom advances this idea by using concepts from chemistry, physics, math, animal science, botany and business. “e nitrogen cycle may be taught in biology class, but it becomes very tangible to students when they work with fish in a tank,” he said. “Data gathered from the RAS may be used to determine growth rates of the fish. Suddenly, the goal of finding out how well the students’ fish are doing overshadows the fact they are using math. Math becomes a useful means to an end.” Duke said exposure to concepts of aquaculture could help students make educational and career choices. Teachers can schedule tours at the UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center or request a visit to their school by contacting Bauer Duke at 870-575-8143 or dukeb@uapb.edu.
UAPB Merchandising, Textiles and Design Faculty Introduce Youth to Textile Sciences and Apparel Design at ASC TinkerFest Faculty of UAPB’s Merchandising, Textiles and Design (MTD) program introduced local students to the concepts of textile sciences and apparel design at TinkerFest, held at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. e event encouraged local youth to get artistically creative with different types of design material and explore the science behind them. "is year’s TinkerFest was a big success,” Dr. Lenore Shoults, executive director for the ASC, said. “e collaboration with faculty from UAPB added hands-on science and fun for all ages.” At the event, young participants learned about the basics of textiles and clothing design. Demonstration topics included fiber carding, wool spinning, garment draping, fiber identification using a microscope and mask making. “It was inspiring to see the number of children and student participants – ranging from 4 to 18 years old – who were eager to be introduced to the science of textiles,” Dr. Kaye Crippen, professor of the MTD program, said. “I learned so much from working with these eager students about how to teach my own students at UAPB by encouraging them to use the simple powers of observation.” Dr. Crippen said demonstration topics hosted by UAPB helped participants to consider the complexity of the clothing they wear and all the components that go into the production of everyday apparel. Students examined various fibers including cotton and wool, comparing their textures, colors and lengths. “In my years as a teacher of textile sciences and fashion, I oen associate the interest in learning about textiles through fashion with young women students,” Dr. Crippen said. “However, aer seeing the number of boys who showed up to TinkerFest eager to learn more about fabrics and textiles, I decided that young men can be equally interested in the subject as well as science in general. Two young boys were excited to examine each other’s knit shirts using a small hand-held magnifier.” Participants learned how to examine fibers under the microscope and how to prepare a longitudinal microscope slide. Aer observing various unknown fibers through the microscope lens, they used a fiber identification chart to guess the fibers they were looking at. Dr. Crippen showed students how to use a bench card, a device that attaches to a table and allows fibers to be inserted at one end and become more aligned or parallel as they pass through card drums. is process known as ‘carding’ is used to untangle and straighten raw fibers to form a continuous length of non-woven material called a batt. “is is the same procedure fibers go through in standard industry practice when they are processed using multi-million dollar equipment,” she said. “is demonstration allowed stu-
Dr. Kaye Crippen, professor of the Merchandising, Textiles and Design program, shows TinkerFest participants how to card wool using a bench card.
dents to see how wool fibers that were initially going in many directions later come out of the machine more parallel.” Using an electronic spinner, students transformed strands of wool taken from a batt into strings of yarn. To help the students visualize how fiber is turned to fabric, Dr. Crippen used a homemade kit to produce samples of felt. “Felt, the first fabric used by man, is made from wool using heat, friction and moisture to cause the inward telescoping of fibers,” she said. “e students were able to witness the process of fibers becoming entangled to form a thicker fabric.” To show the students how fabrics are turned into garments, Yunru Shen, instructor for the MTD program, demonstrated the processes of draping and pattern making. Dr. Crippen said it is important for students to understand the concept of textile production as a science with many practical applications and opportunities in industry. “Although much of America’s fiber production moved offshore as garment production moved to Asia, some manufacturers are returning to the U.S.,” she said. “Today the revolution occurring in textile science is in the field of nanotechnology, which is used as a finish to allow clothing to be worn longer without washing. Other revolutionary changes include the production of smart textiles and apparel. ese areas currently represent great opportunities for careers in the textile science industry.” For more information on the MTD program at UAPB or to schedule a tour of the facilities, contact Dr. Kaye Crippen at (870) 575-8367 or crippenk@uapb.edu.
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SAFHS Highlights University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Mail Slot 4966 1200 N. University Drive Pine Bluff, AR 71601
SAFHS Highlights was produced by the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences Communications Office in April 2017. Dr. Edmund R. Buckner Interim Dean/Director Will Hehemann Carol Sanders Staff Writers Brad Mayhugh Graphic Designer and Photographer Debbie Archer Communications Section Leader Send change of address and/or correspondence to: Debbie Archer University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 1200 N. University Dr. Mail Slot 4966 Pine Bluff, AR 71601 archerd@uapb.edu (870) 575-8546
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property issues and increase the sustainability and profitability of privatelyowned, rural forestland,” Williams said. SFLR team members have conducted community outreach meetings and provided one-on-one assistance to local and absentee landowners to assess their goals and the status of their land. Based on their particular needs, landowners have been referred to Joe Friend, UAPB’s Extension associate-forester, and the Arkansas Forestry Commission for help in developing a forestry management plan or to the Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service for assistance with starting conservation programs. In cases involving heir property, the SFLR program is able to connect landowners with specialists at the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. Whether developing forestry stewardship programs through free site visits or enacting cost-share conservation practices, landowners have the chance to improve their timber, water, soil and air quality, as well as create viable economic opportunities for their property.
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In addition to timberland maintenance, the SFLR program provides assistance opportunities that apply to a producer’s entire farm operation or ranch. Those in need of assistance with livestock or crops can receive guidance in developing crop, conservation, financial and marketing plans, as well as loan assistance through various USDA Programs.