GREENSBORO, N. C. - The 2012-13 Student Government Association executive board has been sworn in and is ready to get to work.

On April 23, rising seniors Allahquan Tate, Catherine Hamlin and Reginald Johnson were inaugurated as the SGA president, Miss N.C. A&T and Mr. N.C. A&T, respectively.

Rising juniors Canisha Cierra Turner and Ryan Marcus have been sworn in as the vice president of internal affairs and the vice president of external affairs, respectively, while rising senior, Patrick Malachi will take over as secretary and rising senior Desiree Simmons, returns as treasurer.

Tate, 20, is a Fayetteville, N.C., native. He is an architectural engineering major with aspirations of being an architect.

“I always had a knack for creativity,” Tate said. “I saw a building in Raleigh and I just wanted to start designing.”

He brings with him previous years of SGA experience. He was the freshman class president and a student senator for the College of Engineering. Tate says his previous experience in SGA, his ability to manage his time and his background in architectural engineering will make him a good president.

“Architectural engineering might be the hardest major on campus,” Tate said.

“We have to manage our time because we’ll have multiple projects due, we have other meetings and events going on that we have to attend – time management and understanding that there is a demand and the ethics and morals I learned, because of the responsibility in being an engineer, will really help me,” he added.

Hamlin, 21, is a Winston-Salem native and a journalism and mass communication major. Her election as Miss A&T is a childhood dream come true.

“About 10 years ago, I was attending church and a lady by the name of Brooke Myatt stood up and the bishop announced her as Miss A&T,” Hamlin said.

“I thought she was regal and poised and I turned to my mom and I said I was going to be Miss A&T.”

As she grew older, Hamlin realized she did want to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and attend A&T.

“My grandfather participated in the sit-in movement and the reason why I wanted to become Miss A&T, became more apparent,” she said.

This is Hamlin’s first time being named queen of anything. She did have two unsuccessful runs for Miss Freshman and Miss Junior.

“It wasn’t my time yet,” she said. “I had to grow and become the young lady I am to represent North Carolina A&T.”

Johnson, on the other hand, has had a great deal of royal court experience leading up to his election as Mr. A&T.

Johnson, 21, was A&T’s first Mr. Freshman in the university’s history. A year later, he was elected as Mr. Sophomore but took a break from royal court duties.

“My professor told me I needed to perform more as a theater manager, so I got engaged in shows as stage manager, performing lead roles and principle roles and being the house manager,” he said.

For the rest of his junior year, he performed in national competitions and was even nominated for the coveted Irene Ryan Scholarship from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. While all of that has been great, Johnson still felt himself being called back to the royal court to serve as an example for his peers.

“I was kind of disturbed by the things I was seeing on campus with how the men act on campus and the way they spoke and behaved toward women,” Johnson said.

After prayer and soul searching, Johnson decided he would seek one of the highest positions on A&T’s royal court.

“I decided that I needed to run to be the vocal instrument for A&T,” he said. “The main reason I ran was to make an impact on this campus. I want to move and shape the campus.”

Tate and Johnson have been working together to affect changes for their class in SGA since their freshman year and both agree that it is a little sweeter to have been elected to their offices together.

“It’s like a dream that became reality,” Tate said. “It was a great moment for us.”

Tate has nicknamed his administration, “The Dream Team.” He has high hopes about what he and his peers will be able to accomplish for the 2012-13 year.      

GREENSBORO, N. C. - Dr. Loury Ollison Floyd, associate professor and assistant dean in the School of Education, and Dr. Lisa Vernon-Dotson, associate professor at Duquesne University, presented their paper, “The Search for Highly Qualified Special Education Teacher Educators,” during the 90th annual Council for Exceptional Children's Convention in Denver, Colo.  

                                                                         

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Gardeners and small farmers can learn about how to improve their soil with cover crops at a free workshop at the University Farm (3136 McConnell Road, Greensboro) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 17.

The workshop is free and open to the public. It will show participants the cover crops that work best in North Carolina for improving soil fertility and reducing weeds and labor, as well as when to plant them and how to maximize their benefits.

Pre-registration is requested by contacting Dr. Charles Raczkowski, (336) 334-7779, raczkowc@ncat.edu.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Dr. Cathy Kea, professor of special education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at North Carolina A&T State University, attended the National Council for Exceptional Children 2012 Convention in Denver, CO April 11-13.  She was an invited speaker on the “Designs for Implementing Standards-Based Teacher Education to Prepare Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Special Educators” panel.  In addition, Kea was an invited speaker/facilitator for the town hall meeting “Teacher Effectiveness:  The Whole Picture.”

SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS TO BE HELD ON MAY 11

GREENSBORO, N.C. - A workshop for civil engineers titled, “Sustainability in Construction,” will be held on Friday, May 11, at North Carolina A&T State University.

The workshop will begin with a two-hour session on right of way at 10:30 a.m. The afternoon session at 1 p.m. will cover solid waste management.  Lunch is included in the registration fee.  Two professional development hours will be offered for each session.

Registration is $40 for non-members of the American Society of Civil Engineers, $30 for members, $20 for life members, and $5 for students. Registration will be provided at the event only.

The event will be held in McNair Hall, Lecture Room 1, on the N.C. A&T campus.

The program is being organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, North Carolina – Northern Branch.  It is co-sponsored by the College of Engineering at N.C. A&T, the university’s Transportation Institute, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, N.C. A&T Student Chapter.

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                   SUMMER BIOENGINEERING INSTITUTE FOR GRADES 10-12

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Future bioengineers will have a chance to get started while still in high school at the weeklong Summer Bioengineering Institute at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

The program is open to rising 10^th through 12^th graders who are academically motivated and eager to practice engineering by turning new ideas into reality.  

The institute will begin with a half-day orientation on Friday July 27 and continue from Monday July 30 through Friday, August 3.  The fee is $75.  Registration is limited to just 20 students.  The deadline to apply is May 15.

In addition, promising rising 11th and 12th graders may apply for the six-week Young Scholars Program, a paid research experience, which will begin Monday June 25 and include the Bioengineering Institute.

The institute is an outreach program of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials, which is based at N.C. A&T.  The center is developing biodegradable, biocompatible metal alloys for use in implantable medical devices for rehabilitation and regeneration.

The application is available at http://ncat.gosignmeup.com/documents/Y966g_2012Bioengineering%20Camp%20Package.pdf.