14 The HBCU Advocate


Volume 1 Number 10


NSU Family Member Dr. Sandra DeLoatch Dies


and appreciation for her service, a Girl Scout patch, “Exploring STEM Honoring Dr. Sandra DeLoatch,” was created. In 2017, she received the Lifetime


Achievement Award from


Lambda Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Through her efforts, NSU’s CSET was awarded the Urban League Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.


Her community service included


Vice Chairman of the Board of Zoning Appeals in Suffolk, Virginia, Secretary of the Board


Advisory Board, of Trustees for the


Old Dominion University Research Foundation, life member of the Girl Scouts, a member of the Broad Creek Digital Inclusion


and a member of Lambda Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.


Her memory will be cherished by her custodial


Courtesy of Crocker Funeral Home Dr. Sandra DeLoach, a lifelong


resident of Suffolk, Virginia, was born in Nansemond County. She was the fifth child of the late David W. DeLoatch, Sr. and Essie M. DeLoatch. Dr. DeLoatch graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1967. She received a B.S. degree in mathematics (Magna Cum Laude) from Howard University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned graduate


degrees in


mathematics and computer science and attended University of Michigan (M.A.), Indiana University (Ph.D.), and The College Mary (M.S.)


of William and


Dr. DeLoatch joined Norfolk State University (NSU) in 1972 as a mathematics


founding Science


of the College


subsequently held many positions including Computer Dean of


the Engineering


professor, but Chair


Department, of


Science, and Technology and


acting university President. She last served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs before retiring in February 2017. She has broken many barriers in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering


and


Mathematics (STEM). Dr. DeLoatch has been an innovator, collaborator, champion and distinguished leader. She was one of the University’s most charitable donors, having been inducted into the Lyman Beecher Brooks Society in March 2015 for giving more than $100,000 to the institution.


made to


Through the years, Dr. DeLoatch extraordinary


the science, engineering


contributions and


technology fields. She championed programs, on and off campus, that have encouraged women, girls and minorities to enter scientific fields.


She achieved many “firsts” during her career including serving as the Principal Investigator for one of the first two research contracts ever awarded to an HBCU by the National Security Agency (NSA). Her pioneering efforts in information assurance and computer science laid the groundwork for NSU’s emerging prowess and success in Cybersecurity.


Dr. DeLoatch administered more


than $50 million in external funding for computer science and mathematics research and educational projects from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Atmospheric


National Oceanic and Administration, NASA


Langley Research Center, Department of Defense (National Security Agency), Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Education, Department of Energy and others. She also authored research articles, reports.


Dr. DeLoatch was revered by her peers, colleagues, students, the community


Her awards include


NAACP (Norfolk) Trailblazer Award, YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Information


Scouts and Lambda Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Sorority.


and her beloved Girl Alpha


the Technology Executive


Ivory Dome Achievement Award, and the Virginia Association of Educational Office Professionals Administrator of the Year, among others. As a Girl Scout, she received many recognitions. Those included three sponsored by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast: Woman of Distinction Award, Famous Former and the Dorothy Barber


Achievement Award. She also received two Girl Scout national awards – Thanks


Badge and Thanks Badge


II. In recognition of her substantial contributions to STEM initiatives


Fertilizer FROM PAGE 1


of chemistry and materials science and


engineering. “This delivery


system relies on using parts of one plant to actually nurture the needs of another plant. In addition to boosting agricultural efficiency, this delivery system promises to be one of the most cost-effective means for farmers to sustain and maximize their crop productivity.”


textbooks, and technical


Explosive growth in global population levels has forced the agricultural sector to see novel strategies to increase crop productivity, satisfy nutritional needs and achieve food security for billions of people worldwide. In fact, according to the American Association for the Advancement of


Science, in rising malnutrition


and undernutrition due to the insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals have stimulated interest


developing


systems capable of delivering safe, nutritious


and sustainable


farming food


supplies to the global community at large.


“Nanotechnology has enhanced farming across the world, but there still is an increasing need to target crops with species-specific nutrients,” he said. "In other words, our


delivery precision Lifetime system, agriculture, through is versatile


enough to deliver the specific nutrient or nutrients required — such as nitrogen, copper or zinc — to the specific plant in the desired quantities.”


Although currently available great-nephew, Tyler DeLoatch;


April/May 2018 brothers, Charles


E. DeLoatch and Earl H. DeLoatch; many other relatives; friends and the thousands of students;


faculty and


staff; and aspiring young people she mentored.


Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at East End Baptist


A viewing will be held 10 a.m. Church, 1056 Portsmouth


Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434 followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. In lieu of flower please make donations to Norfolk State University Foundation for Dr. Sandra J. DeLoatch (700 Park Avenue, Suite 410, Norfolk, VA 23504) and the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, (912 Cedar Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23322) www.gsccc.org.


Condolences to the


DeLoatch family may be extended to www.crockerfuneralhome.com. Professional services with dignity have been entrusted to Crocker Funeral Home, Inc.


chemical-based fertilizers


come and nutrient with


commercial delivery


systems help farmers increase crop yields and enhance profit margins, they


drawbacks conventional as


well. Chief among those is how these


“Because our delivery system is composed solely of plant biomass-based


fertilizers


could destabilize soils due to their toxicity, thereby adversely affecting the environment.


cellulose and the


nutrients needed by the plant, it presents no ecological detriment to the environment,” Curry said. “It degrades without the release of toxins that can leach into the soil, water supplies and the plants themselves.”


Along with patenting their


research, Curry and Findley are moving their discovery from the lab to the field for further testing. Along with Tuskegee University colleagues Dr. Willard Collier, an assistant professor of chemistry, and Dr. Richard Whittington, an assistant professor of biology, Curry has partnered with Dr. Jason White, vice


director Agricultural of Experiment


the Connecticut Station,


and Dr. Kimberly Cook-Chenault, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University, to further optimize


and explore the


advantages of the newly designed nutrient delivery system.


the Tuskegee team will opportunities


to


Curry hopes from there that explore


bring this


technology to the marketplace in the next 12 months.


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