TSU Honors Students Prepare for Research, Networking Opportunities at NAAAHP Conference

Students from Tennessee State University will join more than 400 top Honors students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country to share their research and engage in networking opportunities during the 24th Annual Conference of the National Association of African American Honors Programs to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Nashville.

TSU, along with Fisk University, will host this year’s four-day event, which will bring together HBCU representatives at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Under the theme, “The Audacity of Vision: Dare to Dream,” the conference will feature a debate, quiz bowl, model U.N., and scholarly research presentations.

Chase Richard

Chase Richard, a sophomore from Little Rock, Arkansas, will be among the students who plan to present research at the conference. He has worked with mentoring support and collaboration from TSU professor, Dr. Michael Ivey, on research focused on the feeding behaviors of sea anemone, for nearly two years.

“I will be sharing how sea anemones react to different stimuli in their environments and how it affects physiological factors such eating habits,” Richard said of his research. The 4.0 Biology major plans to pursue further studies toward his goal of becoming a medical doctor specializing in neuroscience. He is currently active with the TSU Chapter of the American Medical Student Association.

This is not the first time Richard has made conference presentations. He also presented research at the 2015 Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP) Conference, geared toward increasing undergraduate retention and graduation rates of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Additionally, he participated in TSU’s annual University-Wide Research Symposium last April. NAAAHP attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about his research finding on Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m.

“I wanted to meet other people and gain more experience in researching and building on my presentations,” he said. “After this semester, I will probably go more in-depth with studying sea anemones and their reproduction stages.”

Anthony Moreland

Also joining the NAAAHP conference will be TSU student Anthony Moreland, a sophomore from Knoxville, Tennessee. With a 3.5 GPA, Moreland is also a Biology major who plans to go into the field of dentistry with a concentration on oral surgery. Moreland said he wanted to be involved in the NAAAHP Conference, which brings together Honors students, faculty, staff and professionals, as a volunteer as a way to expand his network.

“I wanted the opportunity to meet other Honors students from the different schools and get to know some new people,” Moreland said.

Founded in 1990, the NAAAHP addresses the “specific” needs of honors education for African-American students. Dr. Coreen Jackson, interim dean of TSU’s Honors College, was elected to head the organization as president last October.

Among a few conference highlights include:

Presidential Address – Dr. Coreen Jackson, President, NAAAHP Saturday, Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m.

Inspirational Address – Dr. Glenda Glover, President, Tennessee State University
Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.

Career Fair and Graduate Expo
Monday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-Noon

Awards Banquet – Dr. Bobby Jones, gospel artist and host of Bobby Jones Gospel, BET Network; and representatives for title sponsor, Kroger Co. through the African American Association Resource Group
Monday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $75

“We are extremely excited to be working with TSU and Fisk to bring this conference to Nashville,” Jackson said. “We expect this conference to be one of NAAAHP’s biggest and best because of the various elements we are bringing together. We invite businesses, corporations and graduate schools to participate in the various fairs showcasing some of the best and brightest students in the nation.”

For more information or questions on the 2015 NAAAHP Conference, contact Patricia Grace at (615) 730-1829.

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.