A&T Earns Top Awards at Association of 1890 Research Directors Symposium

NEW ORLEANS (April 2, 2026) — North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University earned a bevy of top awards at the recent Association of 1890 Research Directors 22nd Biennial Research Symposium.

Shengmin Sang, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Functional Foods and Human Health in N.C. A&T’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), won the prestigious Outstanding Scientist Morrison-Evans Award.

“With so many talented scientists throughout the 1890 land-grant university system, I am extremely honored to receive this award,” said Sang. “It is humbling, and I am grateful to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) judges for this recognition, as well as to the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their generous funding support, to my research team in the Laboratory for Functional Foods and Human Health at the Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies for their dedication and hard work, and to the university for its continued support.”

The award is the highest honor given to an 1890 institution scientist by the Association of Research Directors Inc. and carries a cash prize of $1,000.

“Dr. Sang’s scholarship, leadership and impact represent the very best of what we strive for across the 1890 institutions,” said Radiah C. Minor, Ph.D., interim CAES dean. “He has strengthened the bridge between agriculture and human health, trained the next generation of scientists and elevated our profile within the global research enterprise.”

CAES students also excelled at the event, taking home 16 of the 82 awards in the poster and oral competitions. A record 510 research posters from students were presented at the symposium, which has served as a platform for innovation and collaboration among the 19 universities for five decades.

First, second and third awards came with cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100, respectively.

“I am incredibly proud to lead a college with such talented and driven students,” said Minor. “Their achievements at the 1890 ARD symposium reflect the continued leadership of Aggies in scientific discovery and our commitment to translating research into real-world impact — where science meets society.”

With 1,800 participants, attendance at this year’s symposium also reached an all-time high.

The Association of 1890 Research Directors is a federation of 19 universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which ensured educational access and opportunities for people of color in the post-Reconstruction South.