News and Press
Fort Valley State students win big at national conference
Posted on May 02, 2026 at 13:09 PM
Fort Valley State University student Ragini Alluri placed second at the 2026 Association of 1890 Research Directors Research Symposium. She is shown with FVSU President Paul Jones, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Derrick Scott, Ph.D., and Keith Howard, Ph.D., dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology.
Fort Valley State University student Vinh Nguyen placed third at the 2026 Association of 1890 Research Directors Research Symposium. He is shown with FVSU President Paul Jones, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Derrick Scott, Ph.D., and Keith Howard, Ph.D., dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology.
More than 1,800 people recently gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association of 1890 Research Directors Research Symposium. The 1890 Land-grant Universities, including Fort Valley State University, participated in this biennial showcase to share their impactful research and engage in educational and collaborative opportunities.
Animal science graduate students Ragini Alluri and Vinh Nguyen placed second and third, respectively, in the oral presentation category Animal Health and Production and Animal Products. Their adviser, Mahipal Singh, Ph.D., FVSU professor of animal biotechnology, commended the students for their exceptional research.
“Both projects are challenging and demand not only hard work but a reasonable knowledge base and patience,” Singh said.
Alluri, surprised by her second-place win, described the special moment as rewarding. “This topic is very close to my heart,” she said.
Alluri’s research focuses on developing an in vitro model of granulosa cells, which surround oocytes (egg cells) and help in egg growth and development. This model will be useful for studying oocyte-granulosa cell interactions and developing better protocols for in vitro embryo production for transferring to female goats to increase production efficiency.
“Ragini has to apply cellular and molecular biology techniques in her work. She did well,” Singh said. “I am very happy for her that her work is recognized at the national level by ARD.”
Alluri said she values collaboration and learned a lot from other students’ oral and poster presentations at the conference.
Excited by his first-time experience at ARD, Nguyen said he was shocked and surprised by his third-place win. His research focuses on generating beta-lactoglobulin gene knock-out skin cells from cows, which can be used for nuclear transfer to ultimately produce beta-lactoglobulin allergen-free milk.
“He has recently used Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas9 technology to achieve his project goals, which required great precision, hard work and patience, and he delivered it,” Singh said. “This CRISPR training in my lab will serve him very well in a cross-section of career opportunities in agricultural and biomedical sciences.”
Nguyen said his key takeaway from the conference was making connections. “Everyone’s there to learn new things and interact. It was a good experience,” he said.
He and Alluri thanked Singh, Brou Kouakou, Ph.D., FVSU’s associate dean for research, family and friends, and their lab partners and technicians who helped them along the way.
FVSU students Asharaya Selah, Haneefat Adanijo and Jirah Perrymond participated in the AgTech Hackathon Intercollegiate Competition, with Ramana Gosukonda, Ph.D., FVSU agricultural sciences professor, coaching them. Selah won second place with her team.
In addition, FVSU junior Asharaya Selah, who is studying agricultural economics, earned second place at the AgTech Hackathon Intercollegiate Competition during the symposium.
Competing against students from nine universities, Selah participated with fellow Wildcats Haneefat Adanijo and Jirah Perrymond. Their coach, Ramana Gosukonda, Ph.D., FVSU agricultural sciences professor, said the trio demonstrated strong problem-solving and teamwork abilities in a fast-paced, team-based setting. Participants were randomly assigned to eight interdisciplinary teams, each tasked with solving real-world agricultural challenges.
“Ms. Selah and her team members, Eniola Olakanmi and Fridah Kendi from Tuskegee University, were part of the award-winning team, Decision Architects. They impressed the judges with their project, ‘Predicting Maize Performance for Smarter Breeding Decisions,’” Gosukonda said.
The team tackled a significant challenge in modern agriculture: how to efficiently evaluate thousands of maize breeding candidates when field testing is costly and limited. By using plant genotype data, historical yield records (2001-2007) and environmental data, they developed a predictive approach to help breeders identify the most promising crop lines. Their solution enables more informed decision-making and better use of limited resources.
Selah shared, “It was challenging, yet very rewarding. This experience has made me more confident in working on real-world problems. It was a new experience for me, but working with the team helped me grasp the concept better. I was grateful for this opportunity provided by FVSU.”
Gosukonda praised the students’ performance, highlighting their teamwork, adaptability and ability to apply classroom knowledge to practical challenges.
“This achievement underscores FVSU’s ongoing commitment to innovation, experiential learning and excellence in agricultural and technological education,” he said.
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