Alabama State University News April 19, 2016 ASU Students Win Top Honors at National Science Convention by Lois G. Russell Students from Alabama State University recently earned top honors and new leadership positions during a national science convention. *** A group of talented ASU students traveled to Hampton, Va., to participate in a national science convention earlier this month and returned home with top honors, both as presenters and elected officers. The 73rd Joint Meeting of the Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honor Society and the National Institute of Science organization was hosted by Hampton University and Norfolk State University, April 6-9. "The convention provided opportunities for students to present the results of their research projects and to participate in special seminars and workshops, featuring distinguished speakers whose topics centered on current research findings and cutting-edge technologies," said Dr. Oswald Tekyi-Mensah, a professor in ASU's Department of Physical Science. Oral and poster presentations were made by both undergraduate and graduate students. Carrie Sanders won first place in the Graduate Poster presentation. "Being around scientists like myself, I was grateful just for the experience," said Sanders. "When it was announced that the first-place graduate poster winner was from Alabama State University, I knew it could only be me; yet I was surprised. And then, as the undergraduate winners from ASU were announced, I felt it was a great time to be a Hornet!" Junior biology/pre-health major Joselyn Miller placed third in the undergraduate poster competition. "It was such a riveting experience being at a conference with people that not only look like me, but also with individuals that are like-minded," said Miller. "The fact that ASU students came and completely dominated in the biology section simply proves that we have been well trained at ASU. My colleagues and I worked hard conducting our research and presenting it. This conference stimulated our passion for science and medicine." Robert Emeh and Andrew Asante not only had award-winning presentations, they also were elected to head both of the organizations sponsoring the event. Emeh will serve as president of the Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honor Society, which has the goal of encouraging and advancing scientific education at HBCUs. "As a society, we aspire to motivate and nurture HBCU scholars to develop into great leaders on the pursuit of scientific advancement," said Emeh. "I thank God for blessing me with this position, and I plan to work relentlessly hard with my board members to have a positive impact on HBCU students from all across the country. I plan to represent Alabama State University in the finest manner." Andrew Asante was elected to head the National Institute of Science organization, which provides an opportunity for HBCU students and faculty member to exchange information and present scholarly research papers in science and mathematics. "I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with other executives all over the country to achieve and implement the goals of this organization," said Asante. "Moreover, as a student of ASU, I am very happy to represent my school at the national level. Also, I want to thank God for helping me and my colleagues win four awards at the conference. I was happy for placing second in the poster presentations, but it was extremely amazing to see the whole team win and represent ASU in a grand style." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-592-4820 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.