HAMPTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND FACULTY COMPLETE ANOTHER
SUCCESSFUL SUMMER IN TANZANIA.
This past summer, a group of Hampton students and faculty
completed another successful educational experience abroad
under the Research and Study Abroad (RSA) program which
was established here four years ago.
According to Dr. Isai T. Urasa, Chairman of the Department
of Chemistry and Director of the RSA program, this program
has provided an opportunity for selected students and faculty
to travel to the University
of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where they spend ten weeks
conducting scientific research and enjoying a variety of
cultural and social experiences.
To date, a total of nineteen students and two faculty members
have participated in the program.
In the past, the program concentrated on natural products
research. This year, it was expanded to include environmental
health studies, focusing on water quality measurements.
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The participants
this year were:
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Jamillah Greene
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Junior chemistry major
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Danielle Ward
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Junior chemistry major
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Tyler Smith
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Senior biology major
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Kia West
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Senior biology major
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Kefa Onchoke
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Chemistry graduate student
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Dr. Camillia Okpodu
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Assistant Professor of biology
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Dr. Godson Nwokogu
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Professor of chemistry
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| Danielle Ward Jamilah Greene, and Kefa Onchoke conducted
physical-chemical and microbiological studies of several
water supply systems for the metropolitan area of the
city of Dar es Salaam. Kia West and Tyler Smith investigated
the plant species Uvaria angolensis, while Dr. Nwokogu
continued previously started investigation on Monodora
grandidieri. Dr. Okpodu looked at the efficacy of using
genomic fingerprinting in plant Systematics. |
The program will be especially remembered this year since
the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Tanzania occurred while
we were in the country. Luckily, none of us was at the premises
of the embassy in Dar es Salaam when this happened.
Awards and Appointments
Dr. Nandita Banerjee, Associate Professor of Chemistry,
received the 1997-98 Edward L Hamm, Sr. Distinguished Teaching
Award.
Dr. Willie L. Darby was appointed Interim Assistant
Dean in the School of Science.
Grants Received (Spring, 1998)
- $337,500 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: This
grant is to support the Cooperative Graduate Degree Program
(CGDP) which we established here three years ago. Under
the CGDP, students complete the master’s program here
and then move directly to a partnering institution for
the Ph.D. degree. The award from the Sloan Foundation
will allow us to expand the program, increasing student
enrollment and the number of partnering institutions.
- $295,000 from the Department of Defense Army Research
Office: This grant will be used in the procurement of
research and instructional equipment.
- $145,000 from the Naval Research Office: This award
will support new initiatives in polymer science research.
- $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy: This grant
is to support on-going research in Environmental Management
Research.
- $100,000 from NASA: This grant to support on-going
research in surface chemistry
Congratulations! We invite all
HU chemistry graduates to keep us up to date. E-mail us!
