Welcome to this edition of What Aggies Do: A newsletter highlighting developments here at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University - and everywhere Aggies are - from the Division of Academic Affairs.

While February was a time to reflect on America’s history, which is Black History, it was also American Heart Month.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing one in five Americans. Many social determinants contribute to heart disease and correlate with physiological factors. A major determinant is mental health, specifically stress.

Take care of yourself. The world needs you.

It's been a busy 2025 at A&T so far. We kicked off the spring semester with the Division of Academic Affairs Forum and heard from students, the Faculty Senate and the Staff Senate. The next forum is scheduled for later this month.

Campus has been buzzing with activity. Our faculty are conducting groundbreaking research that is sure to have an impact, our students continue to shine and our programs rank among the nation's best. Our classrooms, labs, courts and playing fields are action packed. We are proud that several A&T student athletes were named to the Coastal Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.

Spring break is here, so as we move into the vernal equinox, use the warmer weather and the sunlight to energize, engage and innovate!

At A&T, Black History Month is an especially poignant time of reflection, celebration, education and service. This year, we commemorated Black history broadly and also celebrated the university's own powerful history and its extraordinary impact on the struggle for equal rights and social justice.

A&T continues to break down barriers, build bridges and open doors to opportunities for students that were once unimaginable.

The following stories highlight A&T's past, present and future pioneers, change makers and visionaries. We hope they inspire you to also reflect, celebrate, educate and do.

A&T student leaders join A&T Four member Joseph McNeil, Chancellor James R. Martin II and sculptor James Barnhill in front of the February One monument created by Barnhill in 2002

After North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University freshmen Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell A. Blair Jr.), Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain and David Richmond seated themselves at Woolworth’s whites-only lunch counter in downtown Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960, many others joined in and supported their peaceful protest that reinvigorated the Civil Rights Movement.

N.C. A&T paid tribute to those countless unsung heroes whose contributions were instrumental in the success and legacy of the A&T Four’s historic act of resistance during its annual community celebration. This year's theme was “Perseverance: The Power of an Ageless Evolution.” Among those recognized by the 800 attendees were former students, faculty and staff from A&T, Bennett College, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and Dudley High School, along with numerous activists, community leaders and residents from Greensboro and across North Carolina.

That lunch counter is forever enshrined in the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, and The National Park Service has designated the F.W. Woolworth Co. Building, where the sit-in originated, as a National Historic Landmark.

A&T also honored longtime N.C. Sen. Gladys A. Robinson with the 2025 Human Rights Medal, the university’s highest honor for contributions to civil rights, civil liberties and/or human rights, in conjunction with its celebration of the 65th anniversary of the historic A&T Four sit-in. Chancellor James R. Martin II presented the medal to Robinson during a celebration breakfast on the N.C. A&T campus.

The university also recognized alumnus, astronaut and physicist Ronald E. McNair ‘71, Ph.D., during the annual Ronald E. McNair Commemorative Luncheon Celebration, including the Ronald E. McNair Symposium and Graduate Fair. McNair was a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger which tragically exploded shortly after lift-off in 1986. His legacy endures through the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program and the McNair engineering Building that bears his name.

This year’s celebration, “Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Ronald E. McNair: Shaping Tomorrow with Precision, Performance and Persistence,” focused on McNair’s enduring legacy impacting the future through pointed ongoing excellence and presentation.

A&T also recognized its first cohort of February One Scholars – students in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Education and John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences – who will graduate May 10. The program, launched in 2021, awards 15 new, fully funded, four-year scholarships each year to some of the most academically high achieving students in the nation. In the Student Spotlight below, meet February One Scholars Kaylee Harper and Jayden Seay, who reflect on their time at N.C. A&T and the impact of the February One Scholarship.

Sen. Gladys Robinson and
Chancellor James R. Martin II

Woolworth lunch counter in the International Civil Rights Center & Museum

NASA astronaut and physicist
Dr. Ronald E. McNair '71

Dr. Leah Barlow, assistant professor, interviews with sophomore supply chain student and podcaster Philip Colbert III

Leah Barlow, Ph.D., assistant professor of liberal studies at A&T, began her spring Introduction to African American History class with a TikTok video introducing herself and outlining the course.

To Barlow's surprise, the video, which was intended solely for her students, garnered the attention of TikTokers around the world – 4.4 million and counting. A surge of courses erupted that ultimately resulted in the establishment of a free, online, grassroots collection of Black and brown professors, many from historically Black colleges and universities.

“I simply got on the internet and decided to share some information with my students, and it has blossomed into a number of educators, from Ph.D. educators to K-12, and they’re sharing all kinds of wonderful information,” said Barlow. “Whether you need to learn how to knit or to garden or you need an intro to chemistry class or an intro to African American studies, like what I do, you can find it on HillmanTok.”

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“This is a chance for our students to be involved in this area of food science and gain the skills and knowledge to move into the confectionary industry.”

North Carolina A&T College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) associate professor Roberta Claro da Silva, Ph.D., is using a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to create the first academic course about chocolate at a historically Black college and university. The grant also supports her research into chocolate and learning-based opportunities for A&T students interested in entering the confectionary industry.

The course is currently in development and expects to welcome its first cohort in fall 2025.

Chocolate is a big business backed by science. The confectionery industry in the United States — makers of chocolate, candy, gum and other products made from cocoa, chocolate’s primary ingredient — generates more than $37 billion in annual sales, according to the National Confectioners Association. The industry requires scientists to make sure that gum is chewy enough, that candy is sweet enough and chocolate is, well, chocolate-y enough.

Silva first encountered chocolate in an academic setting during a postdoctoral fellowship at Utah State University. Intrigued by the university’s general education course in the science and history of chocolate and fascinated by the possibilities of chocolate science, Silva brought the idea with her when she joined the CAES faculty in 2018.

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The February One scholarship program is named for the day in 1960 when the A&T Four energized a national sit-in movement by refusing to leave a segregated lunch counter in downtown Greensboro without being served (see above 65^th Sit-In Anniversary story). The scholarship is a fully funded four-year award that covers the costs of tuition, related fees, housing, meals and participation in the Honors College activities and enrichment annually for five freshmen each from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Education and the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences. 

Kaylee Harper is a senior psychology major and entrepreneurship minor from Raleigh, N.C. She chose N.C.  A&T because of its rich history and commitment to excellence.

The February One Scholarship has been pivotal to her academic journey. More than financial support, the program motivated her to challenge herself and introduced her to a community of like-minded students. 

"A&T’s steadfast commitment to nurturing Black excellence —academically, professionally, and socially — was a powerful motivator for me. My A&T experience was further enriched through my summer internships researching at the University of California - Berkeley and the Harvard Business School as a PRIMO fellow."

Harper aims to pursue a career in human resources or organizational development with a focus on improving the work experience of professionals and fostering healthier and more inclusive work environments.

Jayden Seay is a senior secondary history education major from Woodbridge, Va. He chose N.C. A&T because, in navigating the pandemic in 2020, he said he was looking for a place that would both protect him from the world and prepare him to go out into it and be successful. A&T was a safe haven and training ground for him as a student, community member and leader.

"Being an inaugural February One Scholar meant that I stood on the shoulders of giants and helped continue the work begun generations ago. I was fortunate to join A&T’s rich legacy of change agents, activists and political leaders while also helping direct the future of the scholarship at A&T. I’m extremely grateful to have helped ‘set the standard’ for future classes and to mentor these students."

An inaugural Harvard du Bois Scholar, among other accolades, Seay plans to pursue his doctorate focused on the intersection of history and education and associated implications for policy and community development nationwide.

NCDOT University Transportation Center of Excellence on Air Mobility and Drone Innovation Lands at N.C. A&T

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has tapped N.C. A&T to lead the University Transportation Center of Excellence for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

NCDOT is investing an initial $2 million over the next two years to support research in “multimodal transportation, emergency response, regional air mobility, and preparing the infrastructure and workforce needed to make new aviation technologies a success.”

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Researchers Create Breakthrough to Reduce
Noise Pollution from Aviation

Researchers in the Center for Composite Materials Research (CCMR) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at A&T’s College of Engineering (COE) have envisioned, designed, fabricated and successfully tested the first-ever lightweight high-temperature acoustic liner on NASA Glenn Research Center’s DGEN380 Engines’ exhaust section.

The high-temperature acoustic liner was subjected to rigorous testing during which the exhaust gas temperature was raised to 700°C. Conventional acoustic materials struggle to maintain integrity and performance beyond 250 ⁰C. Despite the harsh conditions, the liner maintained its structural integrity leading to a significant leap forward in acoustic technology.

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Three Schools Collaborate on U.S. Department of Education Grant to Boost Biomedical Research,
Upgrade Infrastructure

Biomedical researchers at N.C. A&T are using a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand the university’s research and teaching capacity in the biomedical life sciences.

The project aims to help investigators expand the capacity to conduct research; train undergraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers on state-of-the-art equipment; and grow national diversity within biomedical science by building careers.

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Eight A&T Faculty Receive Seed Grant Funding
to Kickstart Research

Eight faculty members at A&T have each received $20,000 in seed grant funding to pursue interdisciplinary research through the Provost’s Faculty Fellows opportunity. 

Launched in 2023 by A&T’s Office of the Provost, Title III and the Division of Research, the Provost’s Faculty Fellows program was created to support faculty pursuing innovative and interdisciplinary research projects. It aims to develop and sustain competitiveness while setting the stage for larger projects seeking to secure extramural resources. 

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