Dr. Colton Atkins
Assistant Professor of Agriculture Technology
Office: Happy State Bank Academic and Research Building, Room 354
Email: catkins@wtamu.edu
Phone: 806-651-2719
Professional Profile
Dr. Atkins joined the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Science in 2022. He received a B.S. in Animal Science and a B.S. in Agricultural Communications in 2011, and an M.S. in Agricultural Communications in 2013, all from Texas A&M University. Dr. Atkins went on to Colorado State University where he completed a Ph.D. in 2018 in Animal Science with an emphasis in Agriculture Technology.
Dr. Atkins founded an online animal traceability company, RaiseAg, and has worked around the state consulting with producers and companies on agriculture technology and multimedia development.
Teaching and Related Service
Dr. Atkins teaches online courses in several areas within Animal Science such as Food Science, Agriculture Technology and Precision Management, Integrated Animal Resource Management, and Advanced Livestock Management Systems. He is committed to teaching students from across the state and nation through top-tier online courses.
Dr. Atkins is a member of the American Society of Animal Science and several other industry and academic organizations.
Research and Creative Activity
Dr. Atkins’ research interests include agricultural technology and precision management ranging from novel applications of sensors and tools for livestock and crop production to data science. Dr. Atkins works extensively between the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Engineering on innovations for sustainable water usage in the Texas Panhandle, livestock welfare, and general agriculture production.
Dr. Atkins’ previous research has included sensor development for temperature detection in cattle, platform creation for automated gait analysis in horses and cattle, as well as human-computer interaction related to agriculture. He has presented papers, abstracts, and posters at several conferences, such as SPIE. He has been an invited speaker for groups at NCBA and has done university talks on agriculture technology and its future. His work has also been featured in several agriculture publications and radio interviews. Additionally, Dr. Atkins has a background in agricultural startup endeavors and has travelled internationally with colleagues for agricultural innovation and startup competitions. He has been involved in developing and/or promoting new inference methods for health monitoring in cattle, hardware for lameness detection, and online traceability.
Personal Sketch
Dr. Atkins is originally from College Station, Texas where he grew up showing Brahman heifers, market hogs and steers. He is an avid photographer, multimedia artist, and coffee drinker. Dr. Atkins has worked on several large-scale university art installations, as well as multimedia projects and material for both Texas A&M University and Colorado State University. He is also a passionate fitness enthusiast, pet owner, and plant collector.