Jackson State Research Articles

The Effect of Age on Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among African American Undergraduate Students

Objective: This study assessed the effect of age on HIV knowledge level among African American undergraduates at Jackson State University (JSU).
 Methods: A total of 400 respondents were randomly selected from undergraduate students at JSU. A cross-sectional study design was utilized. Self-administered questionnaires regarding HIV knowledge level were used.
 Results: Some respondents of this study had HIV knowledge gaps and misconceptions about the disease. This research results showed that majority of the students had good HIV knowledge level and there was no significant difference between students aged 18-24 and students aged 25 and above regarding HIV knowledge (P = 0.65).
 Conclusions: Some knowledge gaps and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS were identified in this study. This research study suggests the use of drama and other social media messaging platforms that are more appealing to this vulnerable age group in the elimination of HIV knowledge gaps and misconceptions identified in this study.

Judge rules in favor of former employee

Case name: Stratton v. Jackson State University, No. 3:20‐CV‐00202 (S.D. Miss. 04/06/21).

Nancy K. Bristow. Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. 320 pp.

Nancy K. Bristow. Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. 320 pp.

Addressing a lack of African American representation in biomedical research: Jackson State University Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center

Addressing a lack of African American representation in biomedical research: Jackson State University Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ‘SUCCESS’: A BIOLOGY STUDENT RETENTION PROGRAM

It is no secret that the retention of students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) has presented itself to be a challenge across the country. The National Science Foundation (NSF) allots substantial funding annually towards this effort. Jackson State University’s (JSU) Students Understanding Chemistry Concepts to Enhance STEM Skills (SUCCESS) Program is one such effort funded by the NSF. While the JSU Department of Biology had over 900 majors in 2016, data suggested that less than 23% would graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years of entry. According to data obtained, the first four chemistry courses, General Chemistry (I & II) and Organic Chemistry (I & II), were significant barriers to the educational success of many Biology majors. A review of the literature provides many examples of initiatives to improve student retention. A reoccurring theme found that the comprehensive understanding of the students’ experiences within a particular major is essential to determining how best to impact student retention in that department. Student focus groups were implemented to evaluate the perceptions of Biology majors enrolled in Chemistry classes who utilized the SUCCESS Program. The overall impression of students in the SUCCESS Program was that it was helpful and beneficial to their classroom success, increased their confidence to learn Chemistry, and improved their understanding of Chemistry concepts. The students often identified scheduling conflicts as a hindrance to their participation. They also felt that the program was needed to help most students pass their tests.

Targeted, Sustainable, Adept: Transforming Jackson State University STEM PD Delivery for Mississippi 6-12th Grade Teachers during COVID-19

Since 2019, Jackson State University’s (JSU) Minority Advancement through Recruitment and Retention in Science via Outreach Program (MARRS-OP) developed a series of PD programs designed for 6th-12th science teachers in under-resourced Mississippi school districts, many of which educate primarily Black students who go on to enroll in JSU’s largest college, the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET). In March 2020, MARRS-OP’s original program design was modified to implement innovative online programming with all due care and speed. All MARRS-OP changes were designed to expand and sustain the reach of virtual STEM teaching and learning opportunities by means of online PD delivery formats able to accommodate sessions – particularly for lab experiments – that could be lengthy and require detailed interactions. The PD topics included: equity and inclusion by design in calculus-based physics; equity tools for problem solving, mentoring in STEM domains; intersectionality, neuroscience, and quantitative data; and several other science subject-based courses centered around equity and technology. Online resources were especially apportioned to ensure participant teachers’ access to program PD and labs, as well as national online opportunities. Tools for assessing MARRS-OP outcomes included an online readiness screener for data collection; pre- and post-program activity survey data collection; teacher remote readiness check-in; teacher presentation reviews; student data collection; and interviews with teachers. Despite an array of challenges faced by teachers, including limited student access to the internet and the need to translate remote science lessons so as to engage students, teachers reported statistically significant increases in confidence from the beginning of the year as compared to its end in their ability to teach biology, as well as in their ability to teach physics from pre to post. Teachers also saw value in remote PD, as it provided real-time strategies for teaching their students, the ability to see virtual instruction from their students’ perspective, ways to engage students virtually, and the possibility to collaborate virtually with other teachers and expand their network. This article shows that by preparing science teachers to reflect and teach with great intention, focus, and flexibility and to customize approaches for students in their classes, initiatives such as MARRS-OP can serve as empowering resources and opportunities that can connect teachers with their students, despite the accessibility and engagement challenges encountered in the sudden shift to online pedagogy.

Contributors

Contributors

Twenty Years of Leading the Way among Cohort Studies in Community-Driven Outreach and Engagement: Jackson State University/Jackson Heart Study.

Background: History has recorded the tremendous concerns and apprehension expressed by African Americans about participating in research studies. This review enumerates the collaborative techniques that were utilized by the Jackson State University (JSU) Jackson Heart Study (JHS) community-focused team to facilitate recruitment and retention of the JHS cohort and to implement health education and health promotion in the JHS communities. Methods: This review describes the evolution of the JSU JHS community initiatives, an innovative community-driven operation, during the period 1999–2018. Results: JSU JHS community-focused investigators published approximately 20 manuscripts, including community-led research and publications with community lead authors and co-authors, research and publications in collaboration with other JHS staff, through other JSU-funded projects. The JSU JHS community-focused unit also initiated the JHS Community Training Activities, developed the Community Health Advisory Network (CHAN), and trained and certified 137 Community Health Advisors. In addition, the JSU JHS community-focused unit developed the Collaborative Community Science Model (CCSM) that symbolized its approach to community engagement and outreach, and a Trust Scale for ascertaining African Americans’ willingness to engage in biomedical research collaborations. Conclusion: This review offers educators, public health professionals, and research investigators a useful starting point for the development, selection, or improvement of techniques to motivate, inspire, and engage community residents in a community–academia partnership that yielded maximum benefits in the areas of health education, health promotion and interventions, and biomedical research. Substantial, meaningful community engagement is possible when prioritizing elimination of health disparities and long-term improvement in health care access in the target populations.

Kent State, Jackson State, Campus Unrest, and Shifts in the Cultural Paradigm

Kent State, Jackson State, Campus Unrest, and Shifts in the Cultural Paradigm

“A Learning Process Versus a Moment”: Engaging Black Male Teacher Education Candidates in Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy at Jackson State University

This qualitative case study provides a deep dive into a teacher education program at Jackson State University, a Historically Black University (i.e. HBCU) located in Mississippi that is intentionally preparing Black men teacher candidates to successfully support the academic achievement of students in culturally diverse, low-income, and underserved schools.

Iron Speciation in PM2.5 From Urban, Agriculture, and Mixed Environments in Colorado, USA

AbstractAtmospheric iron solubility varies depending on whether the particles are collected in rural or urban areas, with urban areas showing increased iron solubility. In this study, we investigate if the iron species present in different environments affects its ultimate solubility. Field data are presented from the Platte River Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (PRAPPE), aimed at understanding the interactions between organic carbon and trace elements in atmospheric particulate matter (PM). 24‐hr PM2.5 samples were collected during the summer and winter (2016–2017), at three different sites on the Eastern Colorado plains: an urban, agricultural, and a mixed site. Downtown Denver had an average total and water‐soluble iron air concentration of 181.2 and 7.7 ng m−3, respectively. Platteville, the mixed site, had an average of total iron of 76.1 ng m−3, with average water‐soluble iron concentration of 9.1 ng m−3. Jackson State Park (rural/agricultural) had the lowest total iron average of 31.5 ng m−3 and the lowest water‐soluble iron average, 1.3 ng m−3. The iron oxidation state and chemical speciation of 97 samples across all sites and seasons was probed by X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The most common iron phases observed were almandine (Fe₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂) (Denver 21%, Platteville 16%, Jackson 24%), magnetite (Fe3O4) (Denver 9%, Platteville 4%, Jackson 5%) and Fe (III)dextran (Denver 5%, Platteville 13%, Jackson 5%), a surrogate for Fe‐organic complexes. Additionally, native iron [Fe(0)] was found in significant amounts at all sites. No correlation was observed between iron solubility and iron oxidation state or chemical speciation.

NancyBristow. Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

NancyBristow. Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

For District III director: Teri Quinn Gray

DuPont Transportation & Industrial, Wilmington, Delaware. Jackson State University, BS (ACS Certified Chemistry), 1987; University of Maryland, College Park, PhD, analytical chemistry, 1994; National Research Council, postdoctoral research associate, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 1995–97. Order of the First State, Delaware, 2017; Strong, Smart, and Bold Award, Girls Inc. of Delaware, 2014; Willoughby Award for STEM Advocacy, Junior Achievement of Delaware, 2014; Woman of Achievement, Women of Color Research Sciences and Technology, Career Communications Group, Inc., 2003; Women in Science and Engineering Honoree, National Academies of Science and Engineering, 1994. DuPont Transportation & Industrial, Global R&D operations leader, 2018–; DowDuPont Materials Company, global technology integration leader, 2017–18; DuPont Performance Materials, regional technology manager, 2015–17; DuPont Crop Protection, new product commercialization manager and Six Sigma Black Belt, 2010–14; DuPont Crop Protection, global analytical manager, 2004–10. Board of Directors, director, District III, 2018–20; councilor ex officio, 2018–20; Committee on Public Affairs

Association between HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Risk Behaviors among African American Undergraduate Students at a Historically Black University

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors relating to HIV infection among African American undergraduate students at a Historically Black University.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study method was used. A total of 400 participants were randomly selected from Jackson State University undergraduate students. This study utilized a self-administered questionnaire on HIV/AIDS knowledge and their risk behaviors.
 Results: Majority of the students (96.5%) had good knowledge about the disease, some respondents had some misconceptions about HIV infection. This study found no significant difference between male and female participants of this study on HIV/AIDS knowledge (χ2 = 3.05; P = 0.08). About 75.8% of respondents in this study have had at least one HIV risk behavior. HIV risk behaviors of these students were not varied by gender (χ2 = 2.76; P = 0.1). However, some students engaged in various HIV risk behaviors such as having unprotected sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners, low and inconsistent condom use. There was an association between HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors relating to the disease (p= 0.03, Pearson’s χ2 = 5.237).
 Conclusions: Majority of the students demonstrated good knowledge of the disease and practiced at least one risk behavior predisposing them to HIV infection. There was an association between HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors relating to the disease infection. This study finding has shown that good knowledge about HIV/AIDS may not translate into positive behavior change. Hence, this study calls for sustained effective youth friendly programs geared toward addressing gaps in HIV/AIDS knowledge, misconceptions of the disease and eliminating various risk behaviors identified in this study.

Association between HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes among African American Undergraduate Students in Jackson, Mississippi

Objective: This study aimed to determine HIV/AIDS knowledge level, attitudes toward individuals living with HIV/AIDS and to explore the relationship between HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among African American undergraduates in Jackson, Mississippi.
 Methods: A cross-sectional method was used in this study. A total of 400 students were randomly selected from Jackson State University undergraduate students. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire on HIV/AIDS knowledge and their attitudes toward individuals living with HIV and AIDS.
 Results: Most of the students (96.5%) had good knowledge about HIV/AIDS, while some students had some misconceptions about HIV infection transmission. There was no significant difference between male and female students on HIV/AIDS knowledge in this study (χ2 = 3.05; P = 0.08). Most of the study participants (87.8%) showed positive attitudes toward individuals living with HIV/AIDS. However, there were some negative attitudes toward individuals living with HIV/AIDS among participants of this study. Male participants expressed more negative attitudes compared to female participants (19.1% vs. 8.5%, χ2 = 9.6; P < 0.002). HIV/AIDS knowledge was significantly associated with positive attitudes toward people living with the disease (p= 0.019, Pearson’s χ2 = 7.431).
 Conclusions: In general, we concluded that most students (96.5%) in this study demonstrated high levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and positive attitudes (87.8%). There was an association between knowledge of the disease and positive attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients. However, there were HIV/AIDS knowledge gaps, misconceptions, and intolerant attitudes toward HIV positive patients also identified in this study. Hence, this study calls for more robust and age-appropriate HIV/AIDS awareness education programs geared towards reducing the impacts of negative attitudes toward individuals living with the disease, eliminating the gaps in HIV/AIDS knowledge and misconceptions identified in this study.

Assessment of Risk Behaviors for HIV Infection among Undergraduate Students at a Historically Black University

Aims: This study aimed to assess and compare risk behaviors for HIV Infection among undergraduate students by gender at a historically black university.
 Study Design: A cross-sectional survey.
 Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted from January 10, 2016 to September 30, 2016. Participants were selected through convenience sampling among undergraduate students of Jackson State University (JSU).
 Methodology: Sample: We included 400 undergraduate students (141 males, 259 females; age range 18-57 years). Data were collected using a validated self-administered standardized questionnaire that was designed to measure their risk behaviors for HIV Infection.
 Results: Over seventy five percent of undergraduate students in this study have had at least one risk behavior related to HIV infection transmission. The engagement of these students in HIV sexual risk behaviors were not varied by gender (Chi-square test = 2.76; P = 0.1). However, participants engaged in various risk behaviors related to HIV infection transmission such as multiple sexual partners, unprotected sexual intercourse, low and inconsistent condom use.
 Conclusion: We concluded that about 75.8% of the students have had at least one risk behavior related to HIV infection and engaged in various risk behaviors related to HIV infection transmission. The engagement of these students in HIV sexual risk behaviors were not varied by gender. This investigation calls for sustained effective youth appealing interventions tailored toward addressing various risk behaviors identified in this study.

The Role of Public Health Partnerships in the Success of the Jackson Heart Study Undergraduate Training and Education Center.

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is a single-site prospective epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among African Americans from the central Jackson, Mississippi area. The study is a collaboration between Jackson State University (JSU), University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), Tougaloo College (TC), and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The JHS Undergraduate Training and Education Center (JHSUTEC) at TC was developed to increase the numbers of college-aged African American students entering public health and health-related fields. To achieve this goal, the UTEC designed the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Scholars program. JHS Scholars are required to take additional classes and participate in public health and/or biomedical research. The scholars engage in research locally during the academic year. However, many scholars participate in research outside of the Jackson Metropolitan area during the summer. Because of this, national collaborators were needed to act as mentors and hosts. Since the inception of the JHSUTEC, more than 15 collaborations have been formed that have shared resources and student successes. As of May 2018, more than150 students have successfully completed the JHS Scholars program and many have continued into careers in public health, biomedical research, and medicine. Since 2004, JHS scholars have published 29 papers and 15 scholars have received diversity supplements. Collaborative activities and public health partnerships have contributed to the success of the JHSUTEC program and have served as a pathway of entry into STEM fields for minority students.

Exploring factors influencing whether residents participate in square dancing using social cognitive theory: A cross-sectional survey in Chongqing, China.

Physical inactivity is a worldwide public health problem, and it is a risk factor for several chronic diseases. Square dancing nightly may be an efficient way to promote physical activity among Chinese residents. This study aims to explore factors that affect resident participation in square dancing on the basis of social cognitive theory constructs (outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, self-control, and environment) that may provide a scientific basis for designing interventions to promote physical activity in the future.Forty squares near neighborhood communities in Chongqing were randomly selected. A sample of 1732 residents who came to these squares at 18:00–21:00 were interviewed using a social cognitive theory questionnaire jointly developed by researchers from Chongqing Medical University and Jackson State University.Among 1732 respondents, 279 (16.1%) were male and 1457 (83.9%) were female. A total of 939 (54.2%) of the respondents were square dancers. The mean age of the dancers was 58.6 (SD = 9.1) years. Of the dancers, 825 (87.9%) danced at least 150 minutes every week, and 792 (84.2%) indicated that they had danced for more than 1 year. All the constructs of social cognitive theory were significantly different between residents whether they danced or not (P < .001 for all). Women (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.03–2.31) were more likely to dance. Nonretired residents (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.39–0.74) were less likely to dance. Residents with income of more than CNY 4000 per month were less likely to dance (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.23–0.86). Residents with high self-efficacy (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.81–2.22), and high self-control (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.18–1.34) were more likely to dance.This study provides salient implications for developing interventions to promote square dancing by using social cognitive theory. Gender, retirement, income, and self-efficacy would be the factors influencing whether residents participate in square dancing.

ADVANCING Women of Color in STEM through Meaningful Mentoring: Key Observations from the Jackson State University ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Project

Advancing Women of Color in STEM through Meaningful Mentoring presents an overview of relevant literature regarding mentoring in higher education, a description of the Jackson State University (JSU) ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Project, and a discussion of key observations from the JSU ADVANCE Mentoring Program. The insights on mentoring may be applied at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities to promote the effective retention, career advancement, and overall job satisfaction of women of color in STEM. Additionally, the key observations are examined as a foundation for recommending strategic actions that institutions, academic departments, colleagues, and individual women of color in STEM may take to create a robust culture of mentorship. This examination of the JSU ADVANCE Mentoring Program, therefore, positions women of color in STEM (at an HBCU in the South) at the intersection of conversations on designing mentoring that promotes career advancement and institutional transformation.

Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism by Jelani M. Favors

Reviewed by: Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism by Jelani M. Favors Vanessa Garry Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism. By Jelani M. Favors. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2019. Pp. xii, 354. $29.95, ISBN 978-1-4696-4833-0.) From their inception, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been used by Black faculty as safe spaces to promote race uplift and foster generations of student activists. Jelani M. Favors uses student voices in newspaper articles and scrapbooks as a lens to explore HBCUs' purpose and the [End Page 926] development of student activists, as well as to discern how faculty's teachings and experiences influenced student uprisings against Jim Crow. The HBCUs featured in the book include the Institute for Colored Youth (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), Tougaloo College, Bennett College, Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Southern University, and North Carolina A&T University, and Favors covers the operations of the institutions between 1837 and 1974. The narratives reveal how the arm's-length engagement of the founding white governing bodies of HBCUs resulted in administrators and faculty surreptitiously expanding the curriculum to address race consciousness. The flash-point events and students' uprisings included in the narratives demonstrate the strategy worked. Three aims of the book are an examination of the faculty's and administrators' intentions regarding the second curriculum, an analysis of its impact on students and surrounding communities, and an assessment of how it shaped the growth and dissemination of the civil rights movement. Favors argues that the second curriculum sowed the seeds of idealism and resistance. The author adeptly narrates how the faculty's teaching of content wrapped in culturalism slowly ignited students unflinching boldness to confront Jim Crow in ways the generations before them did not. For example, the Alabama State University narrative unfolds with Harper Councill Trenholm assuming the presidency of the university after the death of his father, George Washington Trenholm. At the start of his tenure, H. C. Trenholm embraced the New Negro movement by supporting Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week campaign. It required all faculty to teach their discipline coupled with African American history—a strategy embraced by students. Faculty's inculcations resulted in bold activism such as the Alabama State University students' boycott in 1951 that shuttered the nearby white-owned grocery store of Sam Green, who was accused of raping his fifteen-year-old Black babysitter, Flossie Hardman. This was a preview of activism that characterized the civil rights movement. Favors deftly supports his thesis with skillful storytelling, narrow focus, and well-documented details. An artful storyteller, Favors writes with a distinct sense of place and a cast of prominent historical actors (who were sometimes professionally interconnected between the HBCUs). In fact, the author is so skilled at storytelling that it was disappointing to reach the waning of the civil rights movement due to white institutions' recruitment of HBCUs' talent and the drop off of students' organizing owing to overlapping missions and lack of leadership. However, the epilogue creates a transition closing the gap from then to now. The author narrows the focus to the development of student activism using rich data to amplify student voices and to illustrate how activism morphed from African Americans striving for respect in the nineteenth century to ultimately demanding equal rights at great peril during the 1960s. Favors fills a gap in the HBCU literature because his book highlights the students' voices who are usually understudied. The author supports his claims with a plethora of resources such as archival data found in HBCU libraries and state historical societies, countless interviews conducted by the author and others, websites, government publications, dissertations, and numerous local and HBCU news-papers. Historians, teachers, social scientists, and students will find this book an [End Page 927] essential resource for studying HBCUs. Furthermore, it gives a blueprint for what freedom or equality looks like today and in the future. Vanessa Garry University of Missouri, St. Louis Copyright © 2020 Southern Historical Association