Friday, August 2

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences students and faculty present at a National Conference




Baton Rouge, La. – Faculty and students from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences attended the 105th American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Annual Conference and Expo held June 23 – June 26, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Arch located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Samii Kennedy Benson, Assistant Professor of Apparel Merchandising and Textiles (AMTX) traveled to the national conference with four members from Southern University’s collegiate chapter of the Student Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (SAFCS) which included: Kendall Hall, a junior, Human Nutrition and Food major; Aravian Louis, a senior, Child Development major; Patricia Mitchell, a sophomore, Apparel Merchandising and Textiles major; and Lynette Weems, a senior, Apparel Merchandising and Textiles major.

Dr. Kennedy Benson and the students participated in “i3: Inspiration – Innovation – Impact,” a fast-paced session designed to share high impact ideas for 25 minutes at a round table, while others present simultaneously. The group presented their collaborative research project, Vision Boarding in the Classroom: Incorporating Vision Boards into the FCS Curriculum, complete with lively anecdotes, examples of vision board’s created by FACS students and handouts to share with participants.

Dr. Kennedy Benson also presented her research, FACS @ HBCUs: An Overview of Family and Consumer Sciences Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, during the Oral Research Session sponsored by the Community of Colleges, Universities and Research (CUR) and the Assembly of Higher Education (AHE).

Drs. Cheryl Atkinson, Chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and Jung-Im Seo, AMTX Assistant Professor, also attended the conference. Dr. Seo presented research conducted in collaboration with Senior AMTX student, Autumn Hamilton titled, Ready-To-Wear Clothing Fit Satisfaction Based on Body-Shape Perception, during the Poster Session. Autumn and Dr. Seo explained that each person’s perception of their body shape has different locations of ready-to-wear clothing fit issues. The research found that young consumers preferred to wear tight clothing in the current fashion trend.

In addition to presenting their research, the faculty and students participated in various workshops and informational sessions reflective of the mission of AAFCS: to provide leadership and support for professionals whose work assists individuals, families, and communities in making informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve an optimal quality of life.

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