NSU to Host Undergraduate Research Conference

Norfolk, Va. - More than 150 students from seven universities, including Norfolk State, Hampton, Virginia State, will showcase their technical and scientific research at the 5th Annual Washington Baltimore Hampton Roads--Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Undergraduate Research Symposium July 19-20 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center, which is located on the NSU campus.

Hosted by NSU s School of Science and Technology, the WBHR-LSAMP program is designed to provide opportunities for students from partner institutions to present outstanding work, network with faculty and students, and enjoy exciting educational experiences at the highest academic levels. Additionally, strategies have been implemented to emphasize retention, recruitment and tutoring throughout the undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.

NSU alumnus Howard G. Adams, founder and president of H.G. Adams and Associates, Inc., will deliver the keynote address at the luncheon and awards ceremony. Adams is a leading expert on mentoring and mentorship program development and has written, lectured, and consulted extensively on mentoring as an effective strategy for professional, educational, and personal development. He is a sought after keynote speaker and seminar presenter, having spoken at more than 500 colleges and universities and numerous national conferences, and conducted training for a number of fortune 500 companies.

From 1978 to 1994, Adams served as executive director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM), headquartered at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Prior to joining GEM, Adams served as vice president for student affairs at Norfolk State University.

In 1989, President Ronald Reagan named Adams to the US Congressional Task Force on Women, Minorities and the Handicapped in Science & Technology. In 1996, President Clinton named him one of the first recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Mentoring. Other awards include being named a Virginia Hero by the Virginia Heroes, Inc. in 1996; named a 20th Century Outstanding Educator by Black Issues in Higher Education in 1999; and The National Society of Black Engineers awarded Adams its Golden Torch Award Lifetime Achievement in Academia in 2002. He was also selected a 2004 Distinguished Alumnus of Historical Black Colleges and Universities by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and was named a 2004 Alumni Star by NSU s School of Science and Technology.