WT Faculty, Students to Present Wide-Ranging Efforts in Research

Copy by 1910 PR, 1910pr@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas— From water availability to workplace victimization, and clown noir to the Texas Constitution, faculty and students from across West Texas A&M University will share their research on a wide variety of topics at Cornette Library’s 18th Annual Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair.

This year’s event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 2 in Cornette Library on WT’s Canyon campus.

For the first time, student researchers will present alongside WT faculty members.

The fair allows the community to interact with WT researchers and discuss their work in an informal setting, said Mark McKnight, outreach and instruction librarian at Cornette Library. This year’s session will offer a unique opportunity for student researchers to get feedback on their work, as well as an opportunity for all participants to network and gain knowledge both within and beyond their own fields, McKnight said.

Dr. Leslie Ramos Salazar, associate professor and WT’s Amjad Abdullat Professor of Business Communication and Decision Management in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, has participated in the research fair multiple times.

“I’m interested in learning about my WT colleagues’ research findings year after year because I highly value interdisciplinary scholarship,” Ramos Salazar said. “I learn new things about WT research involving theory, method or application by interacting with my WT colleagues. I’m often inspired by the work of my colleagues, which will keep me motivated to continue to do many research projects throughout my career.”

Ramos Salazar, who will present four of her recent research projects at the poster session, is one of seven guest speakers representing each of the colleges and the graduate school. They will discuss what research means to them and the impact of their research on the WT community and Texas Panhandle. Their remarks will begin at 12:15. Other speakers include:

• Dr. Henry Poduthase, associate professor of social work in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences;
• Dr. Nathan Howell, associate professor of environmental engineering in the College of Engineering;
• Dr. Priscella Correa, assistant professor of nursing in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences;
• Dr. De’Arno De’Armond, associate dean of Graduate School and Research;
• Dr. John T. Richeson, associate professor of animal science in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture & Natural Sciences; and
• Dr. Brian M. Ingrassia, associate professor in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

In a collaboration between the WT Graduate School and Cornette Library, 24 WT students and one Texas Tech University student also will present findings of their research via posters. Student research topics include cotton growth, feedyard performance and Arctic glaciers.

Eleven students received funding through the 2021-22 Graduate Student Research Internal Grants, which provides both seasoned and aspiring researchers with a competitive opportunity for funding their research initiatives. Four undergraduate students’ research was funded through the 2021-22 President’s Undergraduate Student Research Internal Grants.

Student researchers include Saman Aria, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo; Erica Barrera, a graduate biochemistry student from Amarillo; Christian Battistini, a junior mechanical engineering major from Tomball; Gabrielle Bognich, a graduate engineering student from Humble; Emily Brorman, a graduate plant, soil, environmental science student from Hereford; Mason Condren, a senior mechanical engineering major from Fritch; Garrett Cowey, a graduate animal science student from Alvin; Trung Diep, a graduate environmental science student from Canyon; Emily Goebel, a junior English major from Lubbock; Shaily Goyal, a graduate biology student from Erie, Pennsylvania; Sydney Hickerson, a graduate animal science student from Austin; Cooper Hokanson, a junior mechanical engineering major from Dumas; Jacob Hurst, a senior physics major from Canyon; Taylor Husz, a graduate animal science student from Maryville, Missouri; Tyresse Law, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo; Billy Lee, a senior biochemistry and biology major from Amarillo; Duncan Miertschin, a senior physics major from Amarillo; Thinh Nguyen, a graduate chemistry student from Dong Nai, Vietnam; Emmanuel Oko, a graduate environmental science student from Cotonou, Benin; Katy Jo Richardson, a graduate animal science student from Canyon; James Rhodes, a graduate biology student from Amarillo; Carolyn Salazar, a graduate history student from Canyon; Stephanie Simonsen, a graduate environmental science from Findlay, Ohio; Miranda Stotz, a graduate agriculture student from Skiatook, Oklahoma; Brooke Streicher, a Texas Tech graduate student in psychology from Boerne; and Colin Voiles, a graduate engineering student from Amarillo.

In addition to the student posters, 49 faculty research posters and one book will be on display.

A full list of researchers is below.

For those who cannot attend in person, video recordings of some presenters discussing their research are available on the Cornette Library webpage.

“I enjoy sharing my latest scholarship with the WT community,” Ramos Salazar said. “Interacting with colleagues and students in a positive and friendly library environment enables me to obtain valuable feedback on projects, which often triggers future research ideas and collaboration.” 

Cornette Library’s annual Research Poster Session and Research Fair is an important learning opportunity for students and faculty as WT continues to solidify its standing as a regional research university, as set out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs. 

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Following is a list of West Texas A&M University faculty members participating in Cornette Library’s 18th Annual Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair on March 2:

Alemayehu, Fisseha M.—Testing and Calibration of an In-House Built Fatigue Testing Machine-Part 2 [Killgore grant recipient]

Askarian, Behnam—Smartphone lo T-Based Point of Care Method for Arrhythmia Detection

Bednarz, Craig; Parker, David—Accomplishments Under the Chancellor's Research Initiative in Water Resources at WTAMU [Irrigation Innovation Consortium grant, Ogallala Aquifer Program grant]

Bithi, Swastika S.—Tuning the Crystallization Properties of Advanced Phase Change Materials [Killgore grant recipient]

Byers, Donna M.; Jeter, Briley—Resveratrol Affects Ganglioside Remodeling and Inflammatory Markers in Glioblastoma Multiforme [Funds provided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects]

Collom, Zeth Everick; Cross, Brenda Fields; Brown, Morgan -Teaching Undergraduate Clinical Thinking: A Cross-Curricular and Case-Based Approach

De Butte, Maxine—Effect of Melatonin on Neurobehavioral Functioning in Middle-Aged Female Rats [Kilgore grant recipient]

Devadoss, Timothy; Arla, Saman; Hiranuma, Naruki; Bhattacharia, Sanjoy; Bithi, Swastika S.—High-Resolution Microfluidic Device for Atmospheric Ice Nucleation Study

Devadoss, Timothy; Bithi, Swastika S.—A Microfluidic Platform to Study the Kinetics of Renal Crystal Growth [Killgore grant recipient]

Devkota, Shravan; Friemel, Alee; Correa, Priscella; Loftin, Collette; Drinnon, Sherri—The Lived Experience of Nursing Students Caring for COVID-19 Patients

Doernte, Lee; Phipps, Riley—Metabolic and Performance Differences of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Between a Hard Surface and Hospital Mattress [Killgore grant recipient]

Flynn, Nick; Lamsal, Kushal—Evaluation of Spent Grain Biochar for Effluent Remediation [Welch Foundation grant]

Franken, Noah; Garcia, Nancy; Ramos Salazar, Leslie—A Photovoice Study of Work-Life Balance for Faculty in Higher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fredman, Traci; Stephens, Buddy; Coneway, Betty—Take a Look, It's in a Book: Supporting Student Learning Through Interdisciplinary, Community-Based, Experiential Learning

Garcia, Nancy; Ramos Salazar, Leslie; Correa, Priscella—jBienvenidos! Committing to Diversity and Inclusion with Spanish-Language College Orientations for Parents and Family

Garcia Oyervides, Juan—Xavier Tizoc Martinez: Selfportraits of Indigeneity in San Francisco [Killgore grant recipient]

Garrison, Mark—Factors Influencing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in the Texas Panhandle [Independent grant from the Graduate School]

Hieb, Kimberly- The Amarillo Symphony: The First 100 Years [Killgore grant recipient]

Hindman, Janet—Let the Symbols Speak: A Story of Leadership

Hiranuma, Naruki; Wilbourn, Elise K.; Alrimaly, Sarah; Williams, Holly; Hurst, Jacob; McGovern, Gregory P.; Anderson, Todd A.—Integrated Science Teaching in Atmospheric Ice Nucleation Research: Immersion Freezing Experiments [National Science Foundation grant]

Howard, Aubrey; Deleon, Lyanna; Zavala, Maria—Increase in Aeroallergen, Allergy cases in the Texas Panhandle with a special reference to PM2.S and Respiratory Ailments [Killgore grant recipient]

Hwang, Sang; Hindman, Janet; Robinson, Elaina; Cervantes, Karime—Challenges in Special Education Identification for Multilingual Learners [Richard and Mary West Traylor Research grant recipient]

Islam, Tania; Almas, Lal; Arnold, Chelsea; Guerrero, Bridget—Import Demand Analysis for U.S. Grain Sorghum to China: Considering Macroeconomic Circumstances [Funding from the USDA-ARS Ogallala Aquifer Program]

Karaganis, Stephen—Circadian Regulation of Peripheral Serotonin in Mice [Killgore grant recipient]

Kundapur, Karthik; Unnikrishnan, Vinu—Computational Modeling and Size Effects of Solid Liquid Composites

Loftin, Collette; Devkota, Shravan; Friemel, Alee; Jeffreys, Holly—Lived Experience of a Nursing Course Failure

Marcillo, Guillermo—An Evaluation of Water Availability Sources for Land Value Prediction in Kansas: A Machine Learning Application

Nix, Vince—Formative Assessment As Learning: Establishing Key Performance Indicators for Online Instruction

Ozmaian, Masoumeh—Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle and Its Application in Drug Delivery

Ozmaian, Masoumeh—Smart Materials and Soft Robotic; How They Mimic Nature

Ozmaian, Masoumeh—Two-Dimensional Materials at the Nanoscale; Rolling C60 on Graphyne

Peeples, Shanna—Reimagining the Mother Road with StoryMaps: Social Justice Work in Challenging Contexts [National Geographic Education Seed grant recipient]

Phillips, Angela; Neely, Shaina; Smoot, Teresa—Clinical Experience of Family Nurse Practitioner Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Phillips, Angela; Smoot, Teresa; Robinson, Lisa—Objective Structured Clinical Examination: Five Years and Counting

Ramos Salazar, Leslie; Weiss, Adam; Yarbrough, Jillian W.; Sell, Katelynn—The Effects of COVID-19 Risk, Gender, and Self-Compassion on the Workplace Cyberbullying and Job Satisfaction of University Faculty

Rausch, John D., Jr.; Rausch, Mary Scanlon—A Texas Constitutional Amendment 'Do Over': Understanding Changes in the Political Environment in a Decade

Richardson, Katylyn Jo—Comparison of Reproductive and Early Growth Performance of an F1 USDA Prime Yield Grade One Carcass Clone Sire and an Industry-Leading Purebred Sire in the Beef x Dairy Production System [Killgore grant recipient]

Rogers, Elizabeth—Elementary Teacher Perceptions of the Role and Function of the Professional School Counselor: Experiences and Collaboration

Shrestha, Keshav—Fermiology of Dirac Type-II Semimetals (Ni,Zr)Te2 [Killgore grant recipient, Welch Foundation grant]

Sibley, Echo—Silent Reflections: A Clown Noir Cabaret [Killgore grant recipient; Guest Artist Travel grant]

Siddiqui, Mohammad Faridul Haque—A Multimodal Facial Emotion Recognition Framework through the Fusion of Speech with Visible and Infrared Images

Spidel, Tavia; Noble, Isaac; Limer, Crystal; Shrestha, Maha L.—Preparation of Bio-Based Resins from Soybean Oil and Orange Peel [Killgore grant recipient]

Tabei, Azi—Personalized & Smartphone-Based Solution for Arrhythmia Detection [Killgore grant recipient]

Terblanche, Cherise; Garcia, Aurora; Thomason, Roy; Khan, David—Development of Improved Targeted Liposomal-Based Chemotherapeutics to Treat Metastatic Breast Cancer

Varatharaj, Varatharaj; Baillio, Jonathan—Small Scale Wind Turbine for Back Up Power Generation

Waza, Andebo; Hiranuma, Naruki—The Influence of the Atmospheric Low-Pressure Core on the Ground-Based Ice-Nucleation Particle Abundance in the North Slope of Alaska [Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy]

Wu, Qlngquan—Group Table and Sudoku Puzzles

Xie, Ming; Chen, Li—Make Hay While the Sun Shines: How Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations Cultivate Refugees' Social Capital and Disaster Resilience [Killgore grant recipient]

Yarbrough, Jillian Williamson; Ramos Salazar, Leslie—Socio-Psychological Theories and Contemporary Research: Can Unmet Needs Contribute to Victimization in the Workplace?

Following is a list of students participating in Cornette Library’s 18th Annual Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair on March 2:

Saman Aria, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo: “Ice Nucleation Study with Calorimetry”

Erica Barrera, a graduate biochemistry student from Amarillo: “Manure Wash Methods and Effect on Seed Germination”

Christian Battistini, a junior mechanical engineering major from Tomball, and Mason Condren, a senior mechanical engineering major from Fritch: “Fault Detection in Wind Turbines”

Gabrielle Bognich, a graduate engineering student from Humble: “Assessing the Capability of Wastewater Based Epidemiology in Rural Communities”

Emily Brorman, a graduate plant, soil, environmental science student from Hereford: “Monitoring Cotton Growth and Development in the Texas Panhandle”

Garrett Cowey, a graduate animal science student from Alvin: “Observation of Behavioral Changes at the Onset of Estrus in Commercial Beef Cows”

Trung Diep, a graduate environmental science student from Canyon: “Chemical Properties and Ice Nucleation Activities of Aerosol Particles Collected from the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic”

Emily Goebel, a junior English major from Lubbock: “‘Excellent Friend’: Frankenstein and Queer Theory”

Shaily Goyal, a graduate biology student from Erie, Pennsylvania: “Reducation in Particulate Matter Concentration to Improve the Indoor Air Quality Using Nanotechnology Based Air Purifiers”

Sydney Hickerson, a graduate animal science student from Austin: “Assessment of Embryo Viability Based on Morphokinetics in Cattle and Horses”

Cooper Hokanson, a junior mechanical engineering major from Dumas: “Manure Wash Methods and Effect on Seed Germination”

Jacob Hurst, a senior physics major from Canyon: “Using a Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor at a High-Elevation Observatory to Analyze the Physicochemical Properties of Cloud Residuals and Aerosol Particles”

Taylor Husz, a graduate animal science student from Maryville, Missouri: “Influence of Comfort on Growth, Intramuscular Fat Accretion, and Ultrasound Ribeye Area in Akaushi Steers and Heifers at Time of Weaning”

Tyresse Law, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo: “Plastic Up-Cycling for Rocket Fuel Applications”

Billy Lee, a senior biochemistry and biology major from Amarillo: “The Effect of Restricted Feeding on the Circadian Rhythms of Serotonin in the Stool of Mice”

Duncan Miertschin, a senior physics major from Amarillo: “Doping Dependence and Fermi Surface Studies of the Topological Crystalline Insulators, SnxPb1-xTe/Se”

Thinh Nguyen, a graduate chemistry student from Dong Nai, Vietnam: “Fermi Surface Studies of ZrSiS Using Torque Magnetometry”

Emmanuel Oko, a graduate environmental science student from Cotonou, Benin: “Potential Impact of the Arctic Glacier Recession on Our Climate”

Katy Jo Richardson, a graduate animal science student from Canyon: “Comparison of Reproductive and Early Growth Performance of an F1 USDA Prime Yield Grade One Carcass Clone Sire and Industry-Leading Purebred Sire in the Beef X Dairy Production System”

James Rhodes, a graduate biology student from Amarillo: “Influence of Seasonal Fire on Pollinators in a Sand-Sage Ecosystem”

Carolyn Salazar, a graduate history student from Canyon: “Taos Art Research for Thesis Titled: ‘Lots of Love, Gisella’”

Stephanie Simonsen, a graduate environmental science from Findlay, Ohio: “High Concentrations of Ice Particles Observed During the Storm in North Slope of Alaska”

Miranda Stotz, a graduate agriculture student from Skiatook, Oklahoma: “Correlation Between Crown Size and Spacing off Perennial Grass Species on Rangeland Productivity”

Brooke Streicher, a Texas Tech University graduate student in psychology from Boerne: “The Impact of Siblings and Family Cohesion on Child Physical Activity”

Colin Voiles, a graduate engineering student from Amarillo: “Feasibility of Tracking COVID-19 Spread Through Rural Wastewater Using GIS”