North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will host an environmental symposium next month to strengthen collaboration between the university and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Around 200 students, faculty, and EPA officials from the Research Triangle Park Office of Research and Development are expected to attend the event at NC A&T’s University Farm Pavilion on Monday, Sept. 9.
The symposium was organized under a new Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2023. This five-year initiative aims to foster cooperation in critical areas of mutual interest, primarily focusing on pressing environmental challenges.
Dr. Godfrey A. Uzochukwu is a senior professor of environmental sciences and chair of the symposium’s organizing committee. He emphasized the importance of research and partnerships in tackling current environmental issues.
“We’re excited to be doing the EPA and N.C. A&T Environmental Symposium,” Uzochukwu said. “It will bring out the best from our students and researchers and the Environmental Protection Agency. We can use that time together to find our way forward for the future.”
The all-day events will kick off with platform presentations featuring remarks from university and EPA officials. A poster session will follow where NC A&T’s undergraduate and graduate students will showcase their research on various topics. Topics will include environmental justice, air quality, water quality, and soil and waste management. This interactive session will provide an opportunity for students and faculty to engage directly with EPA representatives and foster discussions. This could lead to future research collaborations and potential student internships or employment.
Uzochukwu, who also serves as the founding director of NC A&T’s Waste Management Institute, is notably well-connected within the environmental sector. He chairs the EPA’s Clean Air Status and Trends Network review panel and has been actively involved with the agency’s Science Advisory Board since 2021.
