FSU-RISE Scholars Attend Annual NC-OPT ED Alliance Day

Twenty-three FSU scholars from the Fayetteville State University attended the 7^th Annual North Carolina Opportunities for Education (NC-OPT ED) Alliance Day at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. on September 26, 2008. These scholars represent ten students from the FSU Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (FSU-RISE), and thirteen students from the North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NC-LSAMP) and FSU Innovative Curriculum Approach for Mathematics and Science (FICAMS) programs. The theme of the event was “Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics: Inspiring Greatness for the 21^st Century.” The conference united nearly 1000 minority middle school students through undergraduate students across North Carolina to encourage them to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social, behavioral and economic sciences fields.  RISE scholars attended the one-day event, co-sponsored by North Carolina Agriculture & Technical (NC A&T) State University, North Carolina State University (NCSU), and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNCCH), to help them become more competitive applicants for graduate schools. Three RISE scholars, Jasmine Newman, Danielle Fortune, and David Ahlstrom, were among several FSU students who made poster presentations on their summer scientific research projects during the conference. Scholars also had an opportunity to attend workshops on networking, computational sciences, and how to fund and become more competitive for graduate school education.  In addition, scholars talked with recruiters from various academic institutions during the conference.

FSU-RISE Scholar Wins Third Place in LSMAMP National Symposium Oral Competition in Mississippi

Pictured left to right: RISE scholars- David Ahlstrom, Karlten Austin, Ryan Caple, Hubby Buehler, Chidubem Ike, Justin Evans (oral presentation winner), and Director, FSU-RISE, Dr. James E. Raynor, Jr.

 Six Fayetteville State University Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (FSU-RISE) Scholars attended the Fifth Annual Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation (LSMAMP) National Research Symposium held October 6 & 7, 2008 at Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi. The purpose of the event was to exhibit research projects conducted by graduate and undergraduate students across the country. With over ninety students participating in the poster and oral competition, Justin Evans received the third place award of $100 cash prize in the undergraduate oral competition category. Justin is a sophomore biology major and first-year FSU-RISE Scholar. His research entitled, “Prostaglandin E2 Activates Rap-1 and the Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase (ERK) in Human Endothelial Cells” was conducted at the Signal Transduction Laboratory, Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis, IN.  Oral and poster presentations were also made by David Ahlstrom, Ryan Caple, Karlten Austin, Chidubem Ike, Hubby Buehler, all of whom are scholars in the FSU-RISE program. RISE scholars were also exposed to professional development workshops, and a plethora of speakers and recruiters who provided invaluable information of summer research opportunities and steps for getting accepted into high-quality doctoral programs.

FSU-RISE Pre-Freshman Summer Enrichment Workshop 

Thirteen (13) Fayetteville State University (FSU) incoming freshmen for the fall semester participated in the 2008 Pre-Freshman Summer Enrichment Workshop (PFSEW), sponsored by the FSU Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (FSU-RISE) program. The two-fold goal of the five-week program (July 1- August 1) was to enhance the preparation of Pre-RISE Scholars for college biology and math courses; and to stimulate their interests in pursuing research fields in biology, chemistry or psychology. Through joint participation with RISE and the FSU CHEER program, Pre-RISE scholars earned academic credit for Introduction to College Algebra (MATH 121), Physical Education (PEDU 140), while receiving an intensive preparation for fall enrollment in the Principles of Biology (BIOL 150) course through a "Topics in Biology" online mini-course. Results from pre- and post-math placement exams were used to personalize the academic preparation and advisement of pre-RISE Scholars. Academic support was provided for all coursework. Scholars received exciting and meaningful laboratory experiences through hands-on, hypothesis-driven manipulation of biomolecules during the biotechniques workshop. Additionally, scholars participated in a wide-range of math and science enrichment activities to enhance their reading, writing and problem-solving skills. The workshop culminated with math and science presentations; and recognition of scholars for their outstanding achievements at the closing and awards banquet on July 31, 2008.