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Honoring a giant:Dr. Ulysses S. Washington, Jr.1920 - 2018
Inaugural edition
CAST Quarterly
College of Agriculture, Science & TechnologyDelaware State University2019—Issue 1
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - JANUARY 2019
CAST Quarterly is the flagshippublication of theCollege of AgricultureScience and Technologyat Delaware State University
Next submission deadline: March 1, 2019 Send CAST news ideas to:
EDITOR
Troy Darden
CONTACT102b Ag AnnexDelaware State University Dover, DE [email protected]
Troy Dardeneditor
A New DayThis is the inaugural issue of the CAST Quarterly, the flagship
publication of the new College of Agriculture, Science and Technology (CAST – est. July 1, 2018) at Delaware State University.
This newsletter, offered in digital format, is sanctioned by our Dr. Dyremple Marsh, founding dean, and represents the purpose,
progress and prosperity of the CAST family.
In my nearly 15 years employed by Delaware State University, I have seen faculty and staff come and go. None as sad as the recent loss
of our patriarch and constant friend, Dr. Ulysses S. Washington, Jr. It is only fitting that his is the first cover image. You can read more about him, and view the attached video inside. The video was originally prepared to honor Dr. Washington for his mighty
contributions during the 125th anniversary of the 1890 Land Grant Universities.
I hope you enjoy reading about our new college and the pursuits of our faculty and students!
Reaching & TeachingCooperative Extension News
From CARS to CASTThe evolution of a college
Agent for ChangeRemembering
Dr. Ulysses S. Washington, Jr.
The world’s most mysterious book
The Voyinch Codex
Student ScoopNews for CAST Students
Inside...
PFFASmall Farm Conference
“I brought people in that I thought could make me look good...I told them what I wanted them to do and what I expected out of them. Then I left them alone at that point.” U.S. Washington, Jr.
4
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
Summer Neuroscience Research OpportunityApplication Deadline:
March 4, 2019
More Info: Neuroscience Research
Virtual Career FairsSign up and attend online!
Engineering & Sustainability March 6, 2019
Ag Careers March 7, 2019
Diversity & Inclusion March 20, 2019
Delaware INBRE Summer Scholars ProgramApplication deadline:
March 1, 2019
More Info: DE INBRE
Student ScoopKeep up with CAST news via the links below and at our website: cast.desu.edu
CASTSocialMedia
5
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
University receives $5.8m for EPSCoR researchby Carlos Holmes, contributor
Governor Carney, U.S. Senators Carper and Coons, and EPSCoR researchers from across the state converged at Delaware State University on January 11 to celebrate the receipt of a $23 million, five-year grant to fund research. More on this story here: EPSCoR grant
Principal Investigator: Dr. Alberta Aryee, Assistant Professor
Department of Human Ecology
Amount: $299,891
Project title: Influence of unconventional oils and extraction by-products on product
development, consumer acceptance and gut microbiota
USDA awards CAST researchers $1.2 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS FOR 2019 FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR
Principal Investigator: Dr. Latha Melmaiee, Associate Professor
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amount: $297,555
Project title: Molecular analysis of tolerance and sensitivity to soil pH in blueberries
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kwame Matthews, Assistant Professor
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amount: $287,971
Project title: Identification of chemical compounds with in-vitro anthelmintic effects
on Haemonchus Conturtus
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mingxin Guo, Professor
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amount: $278,110
Project title: Systematic evaluation of biochar amendment for improving soil health
and plant growth
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mayavan Subramani, Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amount: $299,686
Project title: Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Approaches to Unravel Potential Breeding
Targets for Common Bean Drought Tolerance
6
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
From left: Early photo of Dr. Washington with students, on a farm visit with Dr. Kenneth Bell, and the building that bears his name.
Dr. Washington (third from left) enjoyed down time with Joe Madison, SiriusXM radio talkshow host The Black Eagle and activist, before he spoke during the 125th anniversary celebration of the 2nd Morrill Act. The Act made possible the creation of the 1890 Land Grant Universities. Joining in the conversation were Dr. Dyremple Marsh (left), current dean of CAST, and Dr. Kenneth Bell, former dean for the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences. Dr. Bell was Dr. Washington’s successor and protégé.
A celebrated lifeDr. Ulysses S. Washington, Jr.
Dr. Ulysses Samuel Washington, Jr. was born July 16, 1920, in Dilwyn, Virginia. The second of eight children, Dr. Washington attended public elementary and high school in that small Buckingham County town before completing his bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Educa-tion at Virginia State College (now Virginia State Univer-sity) in 1942. As a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, Dr. Washington earned his master’s degree in agriculture education from Rutgers University in 1949.
That same year, Dr. Thomasson, then acting president of Delaware State College, hired Dr. Washington to teach farm mechanics at a salary of $3,000. During his 42-year tenure on campus, Dr. Washington coached football and taught in the Department of Agriculture, laying the foundation what later became the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences. He received an hon-orary doctorate from Delaware State University in 1981 and retired from service in 1991.
In 1993, just feet from the small, white house that Dr. Washington resided in on campus, the building erected to house Cooperative Extension programs was dedi-cated in his honor. Extension staff who work in the U.S. Washington, Jr. Cooperative Extension Center continue to provide outreach education to Delaware residents statewide.
In addition to serving as Ag Department chair, Dr. Wash-ington also became DSU’s first research director and extension administrator. His dedication to the tripartite land-grant mission of teaching, research and extension led to the U.S. Washington, Jr. Financial Anti-Discrimi-nation Act. Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, this Act positively changed the funding matrix for research at 1890 Land Grant Universities. He helped get the appropriate funding directed to the HBCUs in-stead of passed through the 1862 land grant institutions in the respective states.
Under Dr. Washington’s guidance, the Ag department flourished; the campus farm supplied food for student dining halls, and he conceptualized the JWW Baker building as it stands is today.
7
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
Dr. Washington helped found the two national policy organiza-tions governing 1890 land grant programs at the 19 designated institutions in the country--the Association of Extension Adminis-trators and the Association of 1890 Research Directors.
The numerous honors Dr. Washington earned include honorary induction into the Delaware State University Alumni Hall of Fame; Pioneer award as one of the first Extension administrators for 1890 Land Grant Universities; induction into the George Washing-ton Carver Public Service Hall of Fame in 2009; and the naming of the Early College High School science lab in his honor, September 2018.
From the late 60s until 2017, Dr. Washington resided on campus in the white house behind Loockerman Hall and adjacent to the college that he helped build. He credited Dr. Luna Mishoe, former DSU president and father of the university’s current and first female president Dr. Wilma Mishoe, for granting him access to the residence for as long as he desired. The length of his tenure as a campus resident allowed Dr. Washington frequent fellowship with colleagues and friends, the pleasure of being surrounded by the hustle bustle of campus life, and routine visits to the depart-ments from the comfort of his living room
He passed from this world on October 25, 2018, at the age of 98! Though his physical presence is missed terribly, his legacy contin-ues.
To hear Dr. Washington in his own words, watch this video prepared for the 125th Anniversary of 1890 Land Grant Universities (2015): Dr. Ulysses S. Washington, Jr.
Agent for ChangeA DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN, AN EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY
Dr. Washington congratulates one of his prized hires, Professor Emeritus Dr. Arthur O. Tucker, on his retirement.
Dr. Kenneth Bell, first dean of Ag for DSU, with his predecessor and mentor.
Dr. Dyremple Marsh (r), only the second Ag dean for DSU, developed an Extension award in honor of Dr. Washington. Seen here is award recipient Diaz Bonville and Mr. Harry Thayer, 4-H and Youth Develop-ment program leader for Cooperative Extension, who nominated Bonville for the award.
8
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
C A S T
mapping needed moving
forward to undergird successful
grantsmanship.
Once the die was cast in the
form of the organizational chart,
members of the leadership team
were identified. Work continues
to unite CAST consists of four
departments: Agriculture and
Natural Resources, Biological
Sciences, Chemistry, Human
Ecology; and one division:
Computational and Physical
Sciences.
Marsh believes that integrating
teaching and research
programs is key to addressing
global issues. Plans are being
discussed currently for activities
that introduce and foster
interdisciplinary work, including
a college-wide assessment of
expertise, held by both faculty
and staff, to be completed by the
end of Spring 2019.
Vision
When asked about his vision for
college, Marsh first emphasized
that in his role as a facilitator, he
seeks to build relationships and
an academic network within the
college that benefits students
first.
“It is for me to seek to build
relationships both internally
and externally--among students,
faculty and citizens of Delaware,”
Marsh said. “My job is to get
the right people on board to
investigate solving pending
issues.”
Teaching
With students in mind, Marsh
envisions cross-disciplinary
programming that builds
relationship among faculty and
that exposes students to their
learning potential; students will
also benefit from the various
resources made available due to
the merger.
Research
In keeping with the land
grant program design, any
research projects going
forward will have an extension/
outreach component. The two
associate deans responsible
for coordinating research
programs—Dr. Marikis Alvarez
for Land Grant and Dr. Venu
Kalavacharla—are actively
engaged and working with
faculty to shape the evolution of
CAST research
In the interim, Marsh detailed
some new research projects on
the CAST horizon.
“Climate change relative to
effects on food production;
Hemp production—DSU is
designated by DDA as the site
to educate farmers interested
in becoming hemp growers;
and plant and animal disease
mitigation. DE is small, but
mighty in the context of
agricultural production. A serious
outbreak of disease could be
devastating.”
Outreach
The Ulysses S. Washington
Cooperative Extension Center
is overdue for a much-needed
makeover. Current plans are
to use USDA facilities funds to
build a new Extension building
to include a state-of-the-art
auditorium for Extension
meetings, classrooms, office
space, a food prep kitchen
(field to fork model) and labs.
Matching funds are essential to
completing this facility, which
will sit parallel to the Ag Annex,
across parking Lot 6. Once
demolished, the current building
will be replaced with parking.
“I’m glad this started before
Dr. Washington passed. So he
could see that what he started
has flourished such that we
have an even larger footprint on
campus.”
Indeed.
Dr. Dyremple Marsh CAST Dean [email protected]
Dyremple Marsh began his
professional leadership
career as associate
director for Cooperative
Extension at Lincoln University
in Jefferson City, Missouri.
His tenure at Delaware State
University includes serving as
associate dean for Extension,
beginning in 2003, then
transitioning to dean of the
College of Agriculture and
Related Sciences in 2006
upon the retirement of his
predecessor Dr. Kenneth Bell.
Marsh held that position until
July 1, 2018 when CARS merged
with the former CMNST. He now
sits at the helm of the College
of Agriculture, Science and
Technology (CAST), the new
college that is triple the size of
the former CARS.
“The work (for this merger)
began Fall 2017,” said Marsh.
“The concept, though, began
under Thompson, about two
years ago.” Dr. Alton Thompson
was the provost and vice
president for Academic Affairs
prior to the arrival of Dr. Tony
Allen, the current provost and
vice president. According to
Marsh, the working team that
planned the merger consisted
of 10 people representing
the two previous colleges,
university administration and
other members of the campus
community. The intent of the
merger, Marsh said, was to
create a science college with a
larger research footprint and
able to attract more funding
to the university. The college’s
name signifies the important
mission areas for teaching
and research and the value
that university administration
places on all three. Agriculture
programs are foundational to
DSU’s 1890 land grant mission
and are continuously supported
by USDA, through the federal
Farm Bill. This annual funding
supports integrated teaching,
research and extension.
Lay of the land
Ministeps. Marsh is happy
that the planning team used
a systematic approach, which
eased the transition. Asset
From CARS to CASTA DISCUSSION WITH DEAN DYREMPLE MARSH ON THE ANATOMY OF A COLLEGE MERGER
Dr. Dyremple B. MarshCAST Dean
CAST physical assets ❍ Ag Annex building
❍ Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Facility
❍ Claude E. Phillips Herbarium
❍ James WW Baker building
❍ Luna I. Mishoe Science Center
❍ Natural resources• 75-acre Hickory HIll Farm near
Cheswold, DE • 80-acre woodland on campus• 192-acre DSU Outreach and
Research Center in Smyrna
❍ Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR building)
❍ Research Centers • Center for Hydrogen Storage
Research• Center for Energy• Delaware Idea Network
Of Biomedical Research Excellence (Inbre)
• Delaware Center For Neuroscience Research (Cobre)
• Computational Intelligence And Bio (Logical) Informatics Lab (Cibil)
• Laboratory For Intelligent Perceptual Systems (Lips)
• Medical Imaging And Simulation Lab
• Applied Mathematics Research Center
• Center for Integrated Biological and Environmental Research (CIBER)
❍ Research greenhouse
❍ US Washington Jr. Cooperative Extension Center
302.857.6400
9
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Richard Barczewski chair
Human Ecology
Samuel Besong Chair
Biological Sciences
Sabrina McGary Chair
Physical and Computational Sciences
Marwan Rasamny chair
Chemistry
Cherese Winstead Casson chair
CAST Departments
Dr. Marikis Alvarez Land Grant
Ms. Donna Brown Cooperative Extension
Dr. Venu Kalavacharla Research
Dr. Charlie Wilson Academics
CAST Associate Deans
302.857.6463
302.857.6400 302.857.6453
302.857.6500
302.857.6410 302.857.6510 302.857.6530
302.857.6440 302.857.6640
10
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
302.857.6432
302.857.8012
302.857.8011
Welcome AboardDr. Samuel Mwangi is the
new poultry specialist for
Cooperative Extension.
Previously, Mwangi was
a postdoctoral research
associate at University of
Maryland Eastern Shore. His
research interest focuses on
poultry nutrition, management
and diseases. His main goal
will be to provide educational
programs to poultry producers
in the Delmarva Peninsula
especially small flock poultry
in the state of Delaware on
how to develop, operate
and maintain profitable and
environmentally friendly
poultry operations.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, is a USDA-sponsored program that helps people who receive SNAP benefits. SNAP-Ed
teaches participants how to stretch food dollars and about the health benefits of nutrition and exercise.
Beverly Fountain and Talaysha Lingham, both Delaware State University graduates, work in their field as nutrition educators for DSU Cooperative Extension. They chatted about their work recently while prepping healthful snacks.
“We check for schools that meet the threshold for SNAP eligibility,” said Lingham. “We visit them to educate third and fourth grade students on nutrition, physical fitness and food safety” She has worked for two years in the position; she most enjoys witnessing the impact of her work at the end of an eight-week session.
“We prepare and provide nutrition and health lessons, and hand out snacks to illustrate how easy healthful snacking can be,” said Fountain. She enjoys the eager anticipation of students and their responsiveness to the lessons. “At the end of the program, you can see the impact; they (students) tell you.”
Both women work out of DSU’s Wilmington location. For more information, contact:
Talaysha Lingham:
Beverly Fountain:
Dr. Samuel Mwangi
Reaching and teaching COOPERATIVE EXTENSION NEWS
Beverly Fountain Talaysha Lingham
SNAP-Ed in Action
11
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
Viable Strategies for Sustainable Small Farm Enterprises REGISTER FOR PFFA, THE 11TH ANNUAL EXTENSION SMALL FARM CONFERENCE
Mark your calendars! The 11th annual
Profiting from a Few Acres (PFFA) conference
is scheduled for March 13, 2019, in the MLK
Student Center on the DSU Dover campus. The
one-day event will cover various topics under
the theme: Viable Strategies for Sustainable
Small Farm Enterprises.
This year, Ms. Pam Mount of Terhune Orchards
will be the guest speaker. She and her family run
a 200-acre, u-piick operation and produce store
in Princeton, New Jersey.
The $25 registration fee covers lunch and
materials for attendees. Vendors pay $100 for
booth space, materials and lunch. The event
planning committee consists of Small Farm
employees from Cooperative Extension and is
led this year by Dr. Rose Ogutu, horticulture
specialist .
To register, visit the conference website: PFFA
2019
For more information, and for assistance due to
disabilities, contact:
Dr. Rose OgutuConference Coordinator
Mr. John ClendanielAg & Natural Resources Program Leader
302.857.6397
302.857.6425
12
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
13
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
The enigmatic
Voynich
manuscript,
undeci-
pherable
to scholars
for more than a century, is a 16th
century Mexican manuscript,
according to a new book written
by Purdue University and Delaware
State University professors.
The discovery, which also identifies
the manuscript’s author and
illustrator, is a collaboration between
Jules Janick, Distinguished Professor
of Horticulture at Purdue University,
and Arthur O. Tucker, Professor
Emeritus and former Claude E.
Phillips Herbarium Director at
Delaware State University.
Unraveling the Voynich Codex,
recently released by Springer
Nature, includes key evidence
that the manuscript is of Mexican
origin, including Mexican plants
and animals, and clarification of
a kabbalah-like map that shows
landmarks of central Mexico.
Polish book dealer Wilfrid Voynich
purchased the manuscript in 1912
from a Jesuit university in Frascati,
Italy. It once belonged to the Holy
Roman Emperor Rudolf II, nephew of
Philip II of Spain. The pages are filled
with illustrations of plants, animals,
astrological signs, bathing nymphs
and symbolic language that has been
undecipherable. The manuscript
now resides in the Beinecke Rare
Books and Manuscript Library of Yale
University.
Researchers previously assumed the
Voynich Codex to be a 15th century
European manuscript, reinforced by
carbon dating of the vellum but not
the text. However, the book’s last
chapter includes contrary evidence,
including the previously ignored
botanical and animal information,
which identifies the manuscript to be
of New World origin.
The authors have identified 60 plants
and 12 animals, all of which are
indigenous to the New World. The
authors view included sunflower and
armadillo illustrations as hard proof
of a post-Columbian manuscript.
“Simply put, there is no way a
manuscript written on vellum
that contains a sunflower and an
armadillo could have been written
before 1492,” Janick said.
Janick and Tucker identify the
illustrator, Juan Gerson, and author,
Gaspar de Torres, based on their
initials and names embedded in the
first botanical illustration. Gerson,
an indigenous Indian artist, painted
murals of the apocalypse in a church
in Techamachalco in 1562. Gaspar
de Torres, a Spaniard born in Santo
Domingo, was a medical doctor and
lawyer who defended Indian rights
and served as master of students
from 1568-1572 at the Colegio of
Santa Cruz, where sons of the Aztec
nobility trained to be priests. He was
also a grandson of Jewish conversos,
which could explain the kabbalah
imagery.
The book, written in a symbolic
script, has escaped decipherment
by the world’s most distinguished
cryptologists, including William
Friedman who deciphered the
Japanese Purple Code, a diplomatic
cryptographic machine used by
the Japanese Foreign Office
during World War II. Tucker
deciphered the symbols using the
Mesoamerican names of labeled
plants as the Rosetta Stone.
Several words, including plants,
cities and apothecary jars based
on Nahuatl and Spanish words,
have been deciphered. The text
remains untranslated, but the
authors write that it appears to be
a synthetic language, as predicted
by William Friedman, or possibly
the lingua franca used in written
communication by Aztec traders.
Identifying the Voynich manuscript
as a 16th Century, New World text
gives scholars valuable information
about the culture of post-conquest
Mexican Society. Few books like the
Voynich manuscript survived the
Spanish Inquisition.
Janick and Tucker conclude the
Voynich Codex is a compendium
of Aztec knowledge that is largely
medicinal and herbal but includes
information on astronomy, astrology
and ritual bathing. The Voynich
Codex is of extreme historical
importance as it contains seminal
information of New Spain unfiltered
though Spanish or Inquisitorial
censors.
Janick and Tucker are continuing
to identify the plants pictured in
the Voynich manuscript and plan to
continue publishing their findings.
-------------------
Source: Purdue University Department
of Agricultural Communication
The book is available for purchase here:
Springer Nature
Dr. Tucker is an internationally
renowned botanist and co-author of
several books on herbs.
Contact Dr. Arthur Tucker for more
information: [email protected]
“Having owned something like
this work at the time would have
gotten you burned at the stake,”
Tucker said. “But it survived,
unedited, giving us a rare, un-
filtered glimpse of this time and
place.”
Arthur O. Tucker
Dr. Arthur O. Tucker’s Latest Book On A Worldwide Mystery Text
14
CAST QUARTERLY_JANUARY 2019
CAST QUARTERLY IS A PUBLICATION
OF THE
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ONLINE:
cast.desu.edu
MOBILE SCAN:
DISCLAIMER: Delaware State University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate because of race, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex or disability.