cast quarterly · cast quarterly is the flagship publication of the college of agriculture science...

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.

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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

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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


Amount: $287,971

Project title: Identification of chemical compounds with in-vitro anthelmintic effects

on Haemonchus Conturtus

Principal Investigator: Dr. Mingxin Guo, Professor


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


Amount: $299,686

Project title: Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Approaches to Unravel Potential Breeding

Targets for Common Bean Drought Tolerance

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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13


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 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.

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