2021 AGEP Student Success Conference Announces Graduate Student Award Winners

On November 5-6 2021, the Michigan State University AGEP Program hosted the 2021 AGEP Student Success Conference virtually. This year’s conference theme was “Leading through Change and Becoming a Change-Agent”. Over 200 participants (representing 87 institutions), included members from institutions across the state of Michigan, former Summer Research Opportunities interns, as well as outof-state undergraduate and graduate student researchers, post-docs as well as faculty. The AGEP Student Success conference continues to encourage undergraduate students to apply for advanced degrees to conduct original research on topics relevant to our nation’s needs. The conference created an optimal environment for the celebration and promotion of student researchers from racial and ethnic groups historically under-represented in the STEM and Social Science graduate programs. When asked what they thought of role of the AGEP Student Success Conference has on building community, Etinosa Iyayi of Tuskegee University shared, “AGEP possess values such as providing different networking opportunity to help provide insight on different position made available for minority students and their ability to effectivity communicate their passion.

Students participated in the 2021 AGEP Student Success Conference poster or PowerPoint (cross talks) presentations and the following were awarded prizes sponsored by MSUFCU:

Oral Presentations

  • 1st - Rahul Jain, Michigan State University: X-rays from the Space
  • 2nd - Morgan Cheatham, University of Michigan: How well do climate models simulate ecosystem processes
  • 3rd - B. Malique Jones, Michigan State University: Contraction and Desensitization to Histamine Require Cholesterol in Urinary Bladder Smooth Muscle
  • Honorable Mention- Oacia Fair, McGill University: Assessing Local Produce to Strengthen to Improve School Feeding Value Chains in the Eastern Caribbean

Poster Presentations

  • 1st - Pragya Saxena, Michigan State University: Calculation and Analysis of Bladder Wall Biomechanics During Ex Vivo Filling
  • 2nd - Etinosa Iyayi, Tuskegee University: Development of a Rapid, Inexpensive, Reliable, and Ultra-sensitive COVID-19 Detection Platform
  • 3rd - Layan Ibrahim, Vanderbilt University: A Systematic Review of the Definition and Management of Pediatric Refractory Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP)
  • Honorable Mention- Hikmatu Awudu, Michigan State University: Excluding Migrant Laborers: Social Identity and Natural Resource Struggles in Agricultural Intensification Programs in Ghana

The conference also had a People’s Choice Award sponsored by the MSU Graduate School. The following students were recognized by both conference goers and the general public:

Oral Presentations

  • 1st - Alexis Ramirez Ruiz, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona: The Reformation of Educational Policy in California- An Analysis of Executive Order 1110 and its Effects on Minority Students Inside the California State University System
  • 2nd - Jennifer Mojica Santana, Michigan State University: El Dolor de la Madre PatriaEmbodying, Individual and Collective, Pain and Resistance in Puerto Rican Visual and Performance Art
  • 3rd - Jaleah Rutledge, Michigan State University: Facilitators of Empowerment Among Black Women HIV/AIDS Activists
  • Honorable Mention- Morgan Cheatham, University of Michigan: How well do climate models simulate ecosystem processes

Poster Presentations

  • 1st - JoAnn Ballor, Michigan State University: The composition, processing, microstructure, and property relationships of Fe and Al modified Ti-Cr alloys
  • 2nd - Pragya Saxena, Michigan State University: Calculation and Analysis of Bladder Wall Biomechanics During Ex Vivo Filling
  • 3rd - Hikmatu Awudu, Michigan State University: Excluding Migrant Laborers: Social Identity and Natural Resource Struggles in Agricultural Intensification Programs in Ghana
  • Honorable Mention- Edward Arnold, Tennessee State University: Institution-to-Institution Mutual Exchange Marketing Model for Higher Education

When asked her thoughts on the impact of the AGEP Student Success Conference on building her professional network, Morgan Cheatham (University of Michigan) said, “The conference is large enough that there is likely to be someone with whom you can find a professional connection, but not so large as to be overwhelming. The atmosphere is professional, but relaxed, which makes it much less intimidating to network for me as an introvert.”

For more information about the AGEP Student Success Conference, MSU AGEP Learning Community, or recent journal article about MSU AGEP program, contact MSU AGEP Program Director, Steven Thomas (deshawn@msu.edu) at 517-432-3268.