2016 CASNR E-NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Live, Learn, Intern; CASNR
leaders apply problemsolving skills in
Washington
Three students
from Tech’s
College of
Agriculture and
Natural Resources are spending
the spring working as interns in
the nation’s capital. Running from
January through May, the college’s
congressional spring intern
program will afford Sophia
Copeland, Audrey Mays and
Adriana Mora an opportunity to
experience first-hand the
government’s day-to-day
operations. more »
SNAPSHOT
GALLERY: CASNR
competitive teams greet
Texas Agriculture
Commissioner
Texas Agriculture
Commissioner,
Sid Miller,
dropped by
CASNR on Jan. 20
to meet members of the college’s
championship judging and
competitive teams in the atrium of
the AFS building. More than 50
team members and coaches from
Tech’s award-winning livestock
judging team, meat judging team,
wool judging team, ranch horse
team and rodeo team were on
hand to introduce themselves.
Benildo de los Reyes, an expert molecular geneticist, has been named professor of plant genomics and
Bayer CropScience Chair with Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science. He stepped into his new
research and teaching post on Jan. 1. The transformative knowledge uncovered by his current research
on rice is being translated to other major crops, including cotton and sorghum. more »
Texas Tech Meat Judging Team wins competition at National Western
Contest
Fresh off the program’s 12th national championship last fall, the Texas Tech’s meat
judging team opened the spring season with a victory Jan. 17 at the American Meat
Science Association National Western Collegiate Meat Judging Contest in Greeley,
Colorado. The team outpaced Colorado State with 4,198 points. CSU was second,
followed by Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. more »
CASNR graduate students excel at New Orleans’ Beltwide Cotton
Conference
Two graduate students from Texas Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science were
standout research competitors at this year’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. The honors
were presented to Deepkia Misra and Misha Manuchehri on Jan. 7 at this year’s event
in New Orleans. The three-day national meeting is coordinated by the National Cotton
Council. more »
Texas Tech Wool Team wins National Western Stock Show competition
Before the semester began, Tech’s Wool Judging Team has already picked up its first
victory of the spring, taking first and second place at the National Western Stock Show
in Denver. Two teams from CASNR outlasted Angelo State to earn the win. Tech Black
team took first with 2,043 points followed by Texas Tech Alternates with 2,036 points.
Texas Tech Red Team finished seventh with 1,992 points. more »
more »
DID YOU KNOW?

Make a Gift: Your gifts to
CASNR help support
scholarships and much
more.
CASNR’s leaders believe that Texas
Tech is a campus of opportunity.
Students who become Red Raiders
have the opportunity to grow,
learn and develop leadership skills,
and CASNR graduates continue to
be a testimony to CASNR’s success
UPCOMING
Kickstart your job journey;
CASNR Spring Career Expo
set for Feb. 24
Texas Tech’s
College of
Agricultural
Sciences and
Natural Resources
will host a Spring Career Expo from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 24 in the
Red Raider Ballroom of Tech’s
Student Union Building. This year
program leaders expect more than
20 company representatives from
businesses eager to meet and
schedule CASNR students for
potential interviews. more »

 CASNR Spring Break
March 12-20, 2016
 CASNR Honors Banquet
April 21, 2016
Merket Alumni Center
Tech’s Plant & Soil Science Department hosts Borlaug Fellow Tesfaye
Bitema
This spring, Texas Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science is hosting a Norman E.
Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellow. In this case, it’s
Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Disassa Bitema, who’ll be spending three months alongside his Tech
mentors, Venugopal Mendu, an assistant professor of cell wall biology, and David
Weindorf, CASNR’s Associate Dean for Research. more »
David Lawver named CASNR safety coordinator; Focus on training,
inspection
David Lawver, a noted agricultural educator and Fulbright Grant award winner, has
been named the safety coordinator for Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences
and Natural Resources. He officially steps into his new post on Feb. 1. Lawver will work
with cross-disciplinary teams within CASNR to ensure safety including addressing
chemical, biological, and occupational safety concerns. more »
Texas Tech program brings agricultural scholars from developing
countries
The leaders in Texas Tech’s Office of International Affairs are seeing growth of a
program that brings scholars from developing countries to Tech to complete a
doctorate degree and help solve food security and availability issues in their native
lands. Tech has been involved with the BHEARD program for two years and saw its
enrollment triple from the first year to the second. more »
Tech’s Department of Natural Resources Management adds climate
science expert
Sarah Fritts, an expert in wildlife population demography and climate change, has
been named a research assistant professor in climate science in the Department of
Natural Resources Management. The Georgia native stepped into her new post on Dec.
1. One of her goals is to strengthen collaborative efforts with the university, and
among Tech and federal agencies for climate change planning. more »
In The News: Cottonseed certification protocols vary across states,
crops
Ron Smith, the editor of Southwest Farm Press, recently noted observations on cotton
seed certification by CASNR’s Jason Woodward. Woodward spoke at this month’s
Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. In addition to offering the latest cotton
market, production, and policy updates, the national meeting also provided a
showcase for new products and services. more »
CASNR students featured at Tech’s December commencement
ceremonies
More than Texas Tech 2,500 students, including 105 from CASNR, received diplomas at
the university’s fall commencement ceremonies Dec. 12 at the United Supermarkets
Arena. During the event, outstanding students carried banners representing their
respective colleges. Jessica Anne LeFors, a horticulture and turfgrass science major
from Texarkana, represented CASNR. more »
Administrative Council
DR. MICHAEL GALYEAN
Dean
michael.galyean@ttu.edu
DR. CINDY AKERS
Associate Dean for Academic
& Student Programs
cindy.akers@ttu.edu
DR. MICHAEL BALLOU
Associate Dean for Research
michael.ballou@ttu.edu
DR. DAVID WEINDORF
Associate Dean for Research
david.weindorf@ttu.edu
DR. MICHAEL ORTH
Animal & Food Sciences
michael.orth@ttu.edu
DR. ERIC HEQUET
Plant & Soil Science
eric.hequet@ttu.edu
DR. STEVE FRAZE
Agricultural Education
& Communications
steven.fraze@ttu.edu
NORMAN MARTIN
Marketing & Communications
norman.martin@ttu.edu
DR. CHARLES KLEIN
Landscape Architecture
charles.klein@ttu.edu
JANE PIERCY
Development &
Alumni Relations
jane.piercy@ttu.edu
DR. MARK WALLACE
Natural Resources Management
mark.wallace@ttu.edu
ANN ULMER
Grants Administrator
ann.ulmer@ttu.edu
DR. PHILLIP JOHNSON
Agricultural & Applied Economics
phil.johnson@ttu.edu
College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
PO Box 42123
Lubbock, Texas 79409-2123
(806) 742-2808 phone
(806) 742-2836 fax