Enoch Teye Kwao Ametepey, a doctoral student in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, has been selected for a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellowship as a member of the 2023-26 cohort.

The FFAR Fellows Program was created by and managed by North Carolina State University. It supplements trainees' scientific training with leadership, networking, soft skills and professional development training. It is designed for Ph.D. students studying areas of food and agriculture-related sciences in the U.S. and Canada.

Ametepey, who is working on his Ph.D. in agricultural education, communication and technology, is the first Bumpers College student to be selected for the FFAR Fellows Program.

He was selected after becoming one of five doctoral students to receive the Rockey FFAR Fellows Scholarship. The fund honors Sally Rockey, the foundation's inaugural executive director.

"I am enthusiastic about being selected to participate in this fellowship because it gives me the opportunity to explore myself as a young scientist, connect with peers with like minds and also enhance my leadership, communication and networking skills," Ametepey said. "I want to acknowledge and thank Dr. George Wardlow, Dr. Jefferson Miller and Dr. Jill Rucker for their support and contributions throughout the application process."

Ametepey is a first-generation student from Ghana, West Africa, where he obtained both bachelor's and a master's degrees at the University of Cape Coast. His degrees were in agricultural extension and community development, and agricultural extension, respectively.

While completing his M.S. degree, he investigated the competencies of agricultural extension agents and smallholder farmers in the adoption of commercial pineapple production technologies in Ghana.

As part of his Ph.D., Ametepey is looking at researching how modern communication tools, such as social media, are being used by agricultural extension agents in promoting communication and education among farmers, and how issues of misinformation shared through social media are handled by extension agents to maintain the integrity of the agricultural sector.

Ametepey's FFAR cohort attends five in-person meetings plus monthly virtual sessions, creates and executes annual professional development plans, and networks and establishes mentor-mentee relationships with industry scientists and others outside of academia.

Key objectives of FFAR include:

• Developing leadership competencies of Ph.D. students that enhance current and future individual productivity and well-being and enhance fellows' capacity to contribute to the public good,
• Connecting young scientists across research domains and geographic areas to promote multi-disciplinary understanding and problem-solving skills and
• Broadening students' understanding of their career options and creating links to sectors beyond academia (industry, government, NGO)

The first session for the 2023-26 cohorts is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in August.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.