WT News & Notes | October 2026

Media contact: Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Here’s a roundup of the latest news and accomplishments of West Texas A&M University students, faculty and staff.

WT Researchers Examine Student Experiences with ChatGPT

A quartet of multidisciplinary researchers from three Colleges at West Texas A&M University recently published research into how artificial intelligence chatbots may help some students overcome educational challenges.

“Learning with ChatGPT: Challenges and Benefits for Diverse College Students in Higher Education” was published in September in Education Sciences.

Faculty authors are Dr. Leslie Ramos Salazar, WT’s Abdullat Professor of Business; Dr. Shanna Peeples, WT’s John G. O’Brien Distinguished Chair in Education; and Dr. Mary Liz Brooks, WT’s Barbara Petty Professor of Business Education. They represent the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.

Hyndhavi Sirisilla, a 2024 alumna of WT’s College of Engineering, is a coauthor of the paper.

The researchers interviewed 27 students, and their findings reveal that students with intersecting identities face challenges such as a lack of critical thinking, not knowing how to use AI, becoming dependent on AI, encountering inaccuracies and misinformation, concerns about academic integrity, and research and creativity limitations, Ramos Salazar said.

“Our findings have important implications for learning access and inclusion, and they have broader pedagogical and institutional implications,” Peeples said “For example, educators may explore ways to incorporate AI to design assignments that enlist AI as a collaborative tool, and have students critically evaluate AI-generated content.”

The students said ChatGPT is helpful in time management, in breaking down complex ideas, in language development and proficiency, in brainstorming and understanding assignments, and in studying.

“A takeaway from this research is that students from diverse backgrounds—such as being a first-generation, Hispanic and ESL student—face unique learning challenges, and ChatGPT can help students understand academic vocabulary and learn more effectively,” Brooks said. 

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WT Scientist Contributes to Published Research on Antibacterial Nanomaterials

Dr. Juganta K. Roy, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, recently co-authored a research article published in the American Chemical Society’s peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Nano Materials.

The article, “Magnetic Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites Functionalized with Benzalkonium Chloride for Potential Pathogen Control,” represents a multidisciplinary collaboration involving researchers from WT, the University of Dayton, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Cincinnati.

The research focuses on developing sustainable, cellulose-based magnetic nanomaterials with antibacterial properties.

By combining environmentally friendly cellulose nanocrystals with magnetic nanoparticles and an antimicrobial compound, the research team developed materials demonstrating promising antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The study combined experimental characterization with computational modeling to better understand the materials’ properties and interactions.

These findings could contribute to future advancements in food safety, antimicrobial coatings, and smart disinfection technologies, Roy said.

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WT Chemistry Society Chapter Recognized for Sustainability

The West Texas A&M University student chapter of the American Chemical Society has been recognized as a Green Chemistry Chapter.

According to ACS, the Green Chemistry Student Chapter Award is an acknowledgement of green chemistry activities conducted by a student chapter. Knowledge of and involvement in green chemistry principles and practices is essential for preparing students for careers in which they can work toward solutions to global sustainability challenges, ACS said.

This is the first time the WT chapter has earned the designation, said faculty adviser Dr. Nick Flynn, professor of biochemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

To earn the recognition, which highlights work the WT student chapter did during the 2025-2026 academic year, the students must host at least three green chemistry events, including an explanation of how the event ties into one of the 12 principles of green chemistry.

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WT McNair Students Present Research in Albuquerque

Four West Texas A&M University students in the McNair Scholars program recently presented at the 2026 University of New Mexico McNair Scholars Research Conference in Albuquerque.

The conference, held in September, hosted students from McNair Scholar programs from across the country.

Presenters and their papers included:

• Kimberly Beltrán, a senior psychology major from Amarillo: “Affirming the Healer, Honoring the Patient: Psychological Strategies for Equitable BIPOC Care”
• Abby Gaytan, a senior biology major from Amarillo: “Thermal Tolerance in Response to Larval Acclimation in Cactophilic Drosophila”
• Fatima Gomez, a senior biology major from Wiley, Colorado: “The Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Black Widow Spider Mortality”
• and Samantha Holt, a senior wildlife biology major from Cañon City, Colorado: “Mitochondrial DNA Based Assessment of Genetic Diversity and the Evolutionary Origin of Game-Farm Ring-Necked Pheasants in Texas”

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program, at WT prepares income-eligible and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities.

The program has been offered at WT since 1999. In that time 301 McNair Scholars have earned their bachelor’s degrees, and another 169 have earned graduate or professional degrees.

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WT Ag Students Win Major Meat Foundation Scholarships

Two students from West Texas A&M University’s Department of Agricultural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences were named winners of 2026-2027 Meat Foundation scholarships.

In all, the foundation gave $100,000 to 12 students pursuing degrees in animal, meat and food sciences in universities around the country.

Among undergraduates, Kade Lawrence, a senior animal science major from Canyon, won the Carpenter Scholarship, the foundation’s top prize, earning him $15,000. Avel Zermeño, a junior animal science major from Lorenzo, won a $10,000 merit scholarship.

Among graduate students, Shelton Luedke, a May graduate who is now pursuing a master’s in animal science at Texas Tech University, won a $10,000 merit scholarship.

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WT Senior Wins American Hereford Association Scholarship

Addison Koontz, a senior animal science / pre-vet major from Thomas, Oklahoma, recently was presented a $5,000 scholarship at the 2026 American Hereford Association annual meeting.

Koontz was one of 28 National Junior Hereford Association members to be awarded $168,000 in scholarships at the meeting.

According to the association, the CBY Polled Herefords Bob and Dolores Call Scholarship, sponsored by HYFA, is a $5,000 scholarship offered in honor of the late Dolores and Bob Call. Bob Call was a founding and influential member of the HYFA board of directors.

“I would like to open my own veterinary practice alongside other veterinarians, allowing me to provide quality large animal services and better serve the farmers and ranchers in the agricultural community that raised me,” Koontz told the Hereford Youth Foundation of America.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University 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 about 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 65 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 41 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and three 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; WT offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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