MSU, USDA offers high school students, undergrads notable research experiences
Contact: Lily Grado
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University is providing hands-on research experiences to both high school and undergraduate students through an integrated project supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Pre-College Summer Internship Program
Five high school students from North Mississippi, ranging from sophomores to seniors, are participating in the MSU Department of Sustainable Bioproducts’ five-week Pre-College Summer Internship Program. Led by Assistant Professor Mostafa Mohammadabadi, the initiative introduces students to careers in wood-based products through practical research.
“Our goal is to support the next generation of skilled professionals in the wood products industry, so we specifically targeted counties with career and technology centers offering carpentry and forestry programs,” Mohammadabadi said. “This allowed us to connect with students who showed a genuine passion for sustainable wood-based products and who expressed interest in a career in this field.”
At MSU, the students create and test ecofriendly composite wood panels made from wheat straw and cotton stalks. These are compared to traditional oriented strand boards to evaluate both performance and sustainability.
“We’re giving students a hands-on introduction to wood science and sustainable bioproducts—showing them what a career in sustainable bioproducts may look like,” said Kevin Ragon, MSU Department of Sustainable Bioproducts associate professor and Extension specialist.
One of these students is his son, Harrison Ragon, who is already seeing the benefits of the program.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting involved in the research side of wood-based products,” Harrison Ragon, who attends Starkville Academy, said. “Learning hands-on skills in wood and composite research has been a great experience, I’m excited to carry these skills with me into college and my future career.”
Other visiting high school students include Justin Verner, Columbus, Hamilton High School; Richard Sanches, Louisville, Nanih Waiya Attendance Center; Ian Mayberry, Shuqualak, Noxubee County High School; and Dash Gines, Starkville, Starkville Christian School.
Undergraduate Research Summer Experience
The same department also is hosting undergraduates from across the country for 10 weeks during the USDA-NIFA-funded Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates program.
“This program focuses on students’ interests at their home institutions,” said Associate Professor Yunsang Kim. “Many have never conducted research before, and we give them that opportunity.”
Coprincipal investigators include sustainable bioproducts faculty members Beth Stokes, Frank Owens and Jason Street, with additional mentoring by Franklin Quin, Fatemeh Rezaei and El Barbary Hassan.
“If you’re interested in research at all, I think this is a great opportunity,” said Paige Reid, a West Virginia University junior from Morgantown, West Virginia, majoring in wildlife and fisheries and minoring in forestry. “Working under a specific mentor can help give you insight on different hands-on experiences.”
Visiting students include Tariq Gibbs, Woodbridge, Virginia, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Tasifa Hassan, Narsingdi, Bangladesh, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; and Alicia Leem, St. McAllen, Texas, Cornell University. MSU students in the program include Quinton Wiley, sophomore sustainable bioproducts and wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture double major, Starkville; Bikal Ghimire, sophomore mechanical engineering major, Bhaktapur, Nepal; and Cooper Kiel, junior sustainable bioproducts major, Athens, Alabama.
Visit the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts in MSU’s College of Forest Resources at www.bioproducts.msstate.edu.
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