WT Faculty, Student Research to Be Highlighted at March 5 Event

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Faculty and student researchers at West Texas A&M University will showcase their study into such topics as water resources, artificial intelligence, female entrepreneurship, sign language-capable robotic hands and more at an upcoming event.

The 21st annual Faculty and Student Research Poster Session and Research Fair is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 5 in the first-floor gallery in Cornette Library on the WT campus in Canyon.

Ninety projects will be featured in posters and live presentations, including 31 faculty projects and 59 student projects.

Several projects were funded in part by the WT Graduate School’s internal grants program and the Office of Sponsored Research Services, including Killgore Faculty Research Grants with funding assistance from the WTAMU Foundation; graduate student research grants; and the President’s Undergraduate Student Research Grant. Some funding also was provided by the Richard and Mary West Traylor Research Grant and the Center for the Study of the American West.

Among the notable research work done by WT faculty members—solo, with colleagues or with student workers—include a study of the Dockum Aquifer; research into the connection between ADHD and homelessness; using artificial intelligence in research, academic writing and procurement; superconductivity; and literacy in preschoolers.

Among the significant work done by WT students and recent include using a bilingual robotic hand for sign language; green chemistry; Panhandle air quality and respiratory health; autism; cattle abscesses; Palo Duro Canyon’s bat population; Lake Meredith water quality; and the trendiness inspired by the BookTok phenomenon.

Students and faculty represent each of WT’s six Colleges: the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

A full list of projects is below.

In August, WT was classified by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Research College and University, or RCU. The new designation identifies research happening at colleges and universities that historically have not been recognized for their research activity.

WT spends approximately $10 million per year on research activities and currently offers two doctoral degrees: one in agriculture and one in educational leadership.

The research fair provides ample evidence of WT’s commitment to being a Regional Research University, as laid out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign, which is now winding down, has raised more than $175 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Faculty Posters

Alemayehu, Fisseha M.; Anguiano, Fernando; Bhattacharia, Sanjoy; Partheepan, Joshua: “Impact Absorption Properties Comparison using SHPB of different Lattice Structures of 3D Printed Specimen” (Killgore grant recipient)

Alemayehu, Fisseha M.; Ayivor, Fredrick; Neil, Byron; Trevizo, Aaron; Tabei, Fatemehsadat; Askarian, Behnam: “Comparison of Machine Learning Algorithms for Wind Turbine Drivetrain Diagnostics Considering the Effect of Non-Torsional Loads”

Allen, Benton; Kelly, Trent; Howell, Nathan; Hunt, Emily: “Dockum Access for Agricultural Resiliency (Dockum AFAR) - Unlocking the Dockum Aquifer for Agricultural Production” (USDA-NRCS funding recipient)

Barakovic, Azra: “Improving Emotional Well-Being, Functionality, and Performance of Intensive Care Unit Nurses Using Debriefing Methods Following Code Blue Events: A Review of Literature”

Clements, Kore; Fredman, Traci: “Ultrasound for Speech Sound Disorders: Increasing Access in Rural Schools” (Killgore grant recipient)

DeJong-Shier, Meg; Ashymov, Genna; Ananthasubramaniam, Aparna; Yakas, Laura: “ADHD and Homelessness: Is There a Relationship?”

Devkota, Shravan; Loftin, Collette; Friemel, Alee; Jeffreys, Holly: “From Setback to Success: A Phenomenological Study of NCLEX-RN Repeat Test-Takers Path to Success”

Doucette, Emma: “Theoretical Insights into Exploring Chemical Space for Efficient Photochromic Dyes for Semi-transparent Solar Cells” (NSF award)

Dowd, Whitney; Phillips, Angela; Smoot, Teresa; Miller, Marilyn: “Exploring Family Nurse Practitioner Student Knowledge of Social Determinants of Health Learning Modules”

Friemel, Alee; Loftin, Collette: “Interdisciplinary Communication Development in Pre-Licensure Nursing Students Using the Teamsteppsâ Model and Simulation to Improve Communication Attitudes”

Henderson, Eddie W.; Hindman, Janet: “Redefining Scholarship: Artificial Intelligence in Research and Academic Writing in Graduate Education”

Hieb, Kimberly: “Cultivating a Compositional Voice on the High Plains” (CSAW grant recipient)

Hindman, Janet; Henderson, Eddie W.: “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Doctoral Programs: Preparing Scholar-Practitioners for Responsible Innovation”

Hwang, Sang: “Intergenerational Refugee Learners’ Writing Stages”

Hwang, Sang; Meller, Summer; Hildinger, Klaire: “Voices, Screens, and Pages: How Multimodal Repeated Read-Alouds Foster Preschoolers’ Literacy Growth”

McKee, Eric; Zhang, Wei; Macy, Anne: “With the Advice and Consent of the Senate He Shall Appoint Judges of the Supreme Court: The Importance of the Senate in Measuring Judicial Ideology”

Pawar, Shefali: “Radiation and Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves Using Metasurface Cloaks in Printed Antenna Technology” (Killgore grant recipient)

Peeples, Shanna; Hart, Monica: “Enhancing Teacher Education through Place-Based Writing: The Route 66 Writing Project Pilot” (Killgore grant recipient, Amarillo Area Foundation grant recipient)

Ramos Salazar, Leslie; Butkovich Kraus, Nichole M.; Osei-Hwere, Enyonam: “Refugee Mental Health: Factors Explaining Depression among Myanmar Refugees”

Rausch, John David, Jr.; Rausch, Mary Scanlon: “Examination of Voter Turnout in State Constitutional Amendment Elections: The Case of 1975”

Roy, Juganta Kumar; Lafferty, Tyler: “Exploring Photoinduced Charge Transfer in Hole Transport Materials: DFT and ML Approach” (Killgore grant recipient)

Selby, Brandon Lee; McCraw, Annsleigh: “WTAMU Initiative to Validate Counseling Program Outcomes Through NCE Performance” (Killgore grant recipient)

Shrestha, Keshav: “Electronic Structure, Topology, and Superconductivity in Kagome Metals AV3Sb5 (A = Cs, Rb, K)” (Welch Foundation grant, NSF award)

Singh, Shefin; Arizpe, Emily; Matlack, Ray; Flynn, Nick: “Influence of Student Communicators on Natural Sciences social media outcomes” (Welch Foundation grant recipient)

Song, Misty; Nix, Vincent: “Mapping the Terrain: A National, longitudinal Multi-Method Study on Evolving Priorities and Challenges in Student Affairs Assessment”

Song, Misty; Pal, Anirban: “Applying Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Model in STEM Education: A Multi-Method Case Study on Assessing Student Learning Outcomes” (NSF award)

Thapa, Sushil; Shrestha, Rajan; Xue, Qingwu; Bell, Jourdan; Rooney, William: “Physiological Responses of Biomass Sorghum to Drought Stress in the Texas High Plains” (USDA-NIFA grant recipient)

Tian, Jingyi: “AI Bidding in Procurement”

Wiseman, Austin Ackerly: “Use of Simulation for Nursing Faculty to Increase Confidence and Competence in Clinical Evaluation Practices”

Yarbrough, Jillian R. Williamson; Ramos Salazar, Leslie; Contrell Robinson, Elaina: “Women Entrepreneurs in the Texas Panhandle: Resilience, Community, and Faith” (Paul Engler Societal Impact grant recipient)

Young, Bailey A.: “Management Practices and Adoption Incentives on Beef-on-Dairy Operations: A Comparison by Ownership Structure” (Killgore grant recipient)

Student Posters

Zane Allsup, graduate student in biology from Decatur: “Genetic Diversity and Identification of Drosophila Species in the Texas Panhandle”

Myranda Alvarez, graduate student in engineering from Morton: “Bilingual Robotic Sign Language Hand”

Fernando Anguiano, senior mechanical engineering major from Spearman: “Investigation of High-Speed Impact properties of 3D Printed Materials”

Emily Arizpe, senior biochemistry major from Amarillo; Graceson Carthel, senior biochemistry major from Amarillo; Jacob Goettsche, senior biochemistry from Amarillo; Ngam Pham, senior biology major from Amarillo; and Nhi Pham, senior biochemistry major from Amarillo: “The Twelve Cornerstones of Green Chemistry”

Najely Ascacio, May graduate in sports and exercise science from Amarillo: “Comparison of Physiological and Hydration Effects of BODYARMOR vs Water”

Luis Avila, senior nursing major from Hereford: “Declining Air Quality and Respiratory Health Derivatives in the Panhandle”

Allan Baltazar, graduate student in psychology from Houston, and Luisa Martinez, senior psychology major from Amarillo: “Signals of Belonging: How Language and Representation Shape Trust in Science for Hispanic Audiences”

Tucker Beekmann, senior physics major from Fritch: “Computational Modeling of Tyndall Effect Optical Scattering from Gold Nanospheres to Detect Mercury”

Thatcher Bentley, junior chemistry major from Amarillo: “Influence of Benzylalkonium Halide Alkyl Chain Length on Magnetite–Cellulose Nanocomposites: First-Principles Insights”

Karla Berkshire, senior civil engineering major from Wichita Falls: “Fiber reinforced actuators and their applications for hand rehabilitations”

William Blackmon, senior electrical engineering major from Hereford: “Developing battery models of Li-ion cells vs electrochemical testing”

Emma Bohnen, graduate student in animal science from Bethune, Colorado: “Enterprise Budget Analysis of Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cow-Calf Operations”

Caleb Butler, senior environmental science major from Happy: “Hard Rock, Long Journey: Quartzite Pathways in the Miocene Ogallala of the Southern High Plains”

Graceson Carthel, senior biochemistry major from Amarillo: “Transgenerational effects of long-term thermal exposure on desert-adapted Drosophila”

April Chavez, senior biology major from Amarillo, and Wendy Lambert, senior biology major from Amarillo: “In Silico Identification of Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulators to Preserve Muscle Stem Cell Function in Diabetic Myopathy”

Sandipon Chowdhury, graduate student in engineering from Canyon: “Removal of PFAS< chemical dyes, micro plastics, and emerging contaminants from water using graphene-oxide and ZnCl₂ functionalized nano-engineered biochar beads”

Chloe Cochennet, senior biology major from Amarillo; Trever Martin, sophomore undeclared major from Canyon; and Kaleb West, sophomore undeclared major from Canyon: “Lessons learned and results from a brewery internship”

Anindita Das, graduate student in engineering from Amarillo: “AI-Driven Weed Detection in Cotton Fields Using UAV Imagery”

Ashby Dauer, May graduate with master’s in animal science from Panhandle: “Conception rates in Beef Cattle using estrous synchronization and timed artificial insemination”

Keenan Davis, August graduate in psychology from Amarillo: “Investigating the Impact of Diagnostic Disclosure Among Individuals with Autism” 

Megan Eckhardt, December graduate with Ph.D. in agriculture from New Braunfels: “Abscess severity and cattle type effect on beef color”

Stephanie Esquivel, senior health sciences major from Perryton: “Signals of Belonging: How Language and Representation Shape Trust in Science for Hispanic Audiences”

Morgan Griffith, junior English major from Sundown: “Book Tok: The instability of ‘Trendy’ Reading”

Margaret Harr, junior wildlife biology from Clute: “Petrographic Diversity of Volcanic Clasts in Ogallala Formation Gravels: Implications for Source Region and Ancient Drainage Evolution”

Ciera Heinrich, graduate student in biology from Idaho Falls, Idaho: “Behavior of Bats at Palo Duro Canyon”

Alexander Hernandez, senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo: “Optimization of Ice Nucleation Cold Stage by Investigating Droplet Thermodynamics”

Ember Hines, senior wildlife biology major from Colorado Springs, Colorado: “WTAMU Digital Archive for Rocks, Minerals, and Biological Specimens”

Ashley Jenkins, graduate student in English from Amarillo: “Deification of Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction”

Helene Keiser, senior animal science major from Gothenburg, Nebraska: “Nutritional Analysis and Comparison of Sow and Butcher Hog Spleens”

Andy Kraus, graduate student in public administration from Grantville, Kansas: “Beyond ‘Little House on the Prairie’: How the Myth of ‘Real America’ Shapes Rural Broadband Policy and Digital Inequality”

Bailey Lamb, graduate student in animal science from Huntsville: “Effects of wool judging on professional and interpersonal skills”

Kersi Latham, December graduate with master’s in animal science from Delta, Colorado: “The effect of FerAppease on the health and weigh performance of Angus cross calves”

Macy Lawrence, graduate student in animal science from Canyon: “Exploration of Pain Receptors in Bovine Livers via Gene Expression”

Tania Ledford, junior mechanical engineering major from Canyon: “A Flexible Future”

Nita Likes, doctoral student in educational leadership from Canyon: “The Efficacy of Collegiate Recovery Programs on Recovery Capital and Resiliency”

Jason McCaslin, senior chemistry major from Amarillo: “Development of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Fiber Optic Caffeine Sensors”

Elizabeth McGibbon, August graduate with master’s in animal science from Green Valley, Arizona: “Assessing Embryonic Viability and Genomic EPDs via Microbiopsy”

Alexandra McKinney, junior environmental science major from Canyon: “Ancient Shells Tell Tales: Microfossils Indicate Provenance of Carbonate Gravels in the Ogallala Formation, Texas”

Eliz Miranda, senior wildlife biology major from El Paso: “Effects of temperature and ALAN on cannibalism in black widows”

Kyler Ochoa, senior psychology major from Alice, and Luisa Martinez, senior psychology major from Amarillo: “Conspiratorial Worldview and Risk Perception Moderate Message Framing in Promoting Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies”

Charles Otwere, graduate student in business from Accra, Ghana: “Open-Source Mailroom Management System”

Elvis Owusu, graduate student in finance from Accra, Ghana: “Predicting business performance through strategic investments in the Texas Panhandle”

Madison Peters, senior communication major from Denver City: “Frankenstein: Do I Have Your Attention Now?”

Aidan Petty, freshman math major from Rockwall: “Heterogeneous ice nucleation research using Molecular Dynamics”

Daniel Raab, May graduate in animal science from Fredericksburg: “Sensory effects of injected sodium biocarbonate of cow Longissimus lumborum”

Oaklynn Recker, senior agricultural business and economics from Andrews: “Incorporating the New World Screwworm of the U.S. Border Closure into a Fed and Feeder Cattle Multimarket Mode”

Mehrdad Samimi, graduate student in finance from Karaj, Iran: “Fundamental Analysis & Investment Outlook for NVIDIA & TSMC”

Tanner Sargent, graduate student in biology from Valley Mills: “Aoudad use of archeological sites and vegetation in West Texas”

Aniruddha Sharma, senior mechanical engineering from Canyon: “Determining the Effectiveness of Cloud Seeding in the Texas Panhandle”

Kyryl Shtefiienko, senior physics major from Kyiv: “Studies of Fermi surface of the Kagome metal YV6Sn6”

Clayton Stevenson, senior animal science major from Earth: “Evaluation of Consumer Freezing and Aging on Tenderness in Beef”

Oyshrojo Talukder, senior mechanical engineering major from Canyon: “Investigating Atmospheric Ice Formation Impacted by Wildfires”

Holly Thomas, May graduate with master’s in animal science from Canyon: “Effects of Bacteria within Bovine Follicular Fluid on Oocyte Grade”

Dayton Varnado, senior environmental science major from Houston: “Lake Meredith Water Quality: Multi-year Analysis”

Iris Vera, December graduate in mechanical engineering from Dumas: “3D-Printed Millifluidic Microcapsule Generator for Diverse Industrial Applications”

Clover Watson, graduate student in biology from Lufkin: “Genetic Diversity of Black Widow Spiders in Natural and Urban Environments”

Emmalee Wood, December 2024 graduate in mechanical engineering from San Antonio: “Using Advanced Coatings to Enhance Functionality of 3D Printed Components”

Madeline Wright, senior environmental science major from Amarillo: “Following the Volcanic Trail: Petrographic Provenance Analysis of Rhyolitic and Intermediate Clasts in the Ogallala Formation, Southern High Plains”

Joye Zimmerman, May graduate with master’s in biology from Hutto: “Circadian Assessment of Platelet Aggritability”

—WT—