2015 CASNR E-NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

CASNR Distinguished &
Young Alumni Awards honor
seven at
Alumni Center
CASNR honored
seven
distinguished
alumni this month
at the university’s McKenzieMerket Alumni Center. The
Distinguished & Young Alumni
Awards honor alumni who’ve
made significant contributions to
society, and whose
accomplishments and careers have
brought distinction to the college
and to the professions associated
with agriculture and natural
resources. more »
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
The agricultural communications undergraduate program offered by Texas Tech University’s
Department of Agricultural Education and Communications is ranked as the best in the nation,
according to a new University of Arkansas study. “We have a very talented and dedicated faculty
combined with an outstanding set of students,” said Steve Fraze, Tech’s department chair of
agricultural education and communications. “Being ranked No. 1 nationally recognizes this fact and
helps in the recruitment of students, not only undergraduate but graduate students as well. It also
makes Texas Tech a desirable destination for future faculty.” Following the top-ranked Red Raiders
were the University of Florida, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas State. more »

Steel Rising; Outline of new
Bayer Plant Science Building
begins to take
shape
Cranes and
construction
workers begin to
set the metal core
of CASNR’s new $13.6 million
expansion and renovation of what
will be known as the ‘Bayer Plant
Science Building.’ Eric Hequet,
chairman of Tech’s Department of
Plant and Soil Science, said
construction is on schedule and
the building should be completed
by the end of August. more »
Sorghum hybrid firm is first tenant for Tech’s Research and Technology
Park
An agbiotech company that focuses on sorghum hybrids is the first tenant signed to
move into the new Texas Tech Innovation Hub and Research Park. Headquartered in
Chicago, Chromatin targets its research in areas such as water scarcity, increasing
global demand for food and the limits on fertile land, making a great fit for Texas Tech
and the South Plains region. more »
CASNR plant and soil science professor earns prestigious Carnegie
Fellowship
Theo Udeigwe, an assistant professor in the Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil
Science, has been awarded the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship (ADF), a program
for educational projects at higher education institutions in Africa. It is sponsored by the
Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International
Education. more »
CASNR students standout at Atlanta’s ASAS Southern Section meetings
Two grad students from Tech’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences, and a newly
formed Academic Quadrathalon Team, had a strong showing this month at the
ON THE SCENE
On The Map: CASNR unveils
new imbedded Google map
database
CASNR has a global footprint with
more than 80 international
projects in 42 countries. See our
new imbedded map database
here. The updated web section
includes featured international
news and CASNR’s study abroad
opportunities.
DID YOU KNOW?

Make a Gift: Your gifts to
CASNR help support
scholarships and much
more. It's good business.
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

TTU Spring Break
March 14-22, 2015
CASNR Honors Banquet
Friday, April 24, 2015

TTU Spring Commencement
May 16, 2015
First Summer Term - Class
June 1, 2015
American Society of Animal Science, Southern Section meetings in Atlanta. Kate Sharon won first place
in the graduate student competition, while Rand Broadway received the Swine Industry Award for
Innovation. more »
Brendan Kelly takes new post with Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil
Science
Brendan Kelly has been named a research assistant professor in Texas Tech’s
Department of Plant and Soil Science. He stepped into his new research post on Jan. 1.
The Midland native indicated that he is particularly interested in the measurement of
cotton fiber properties and investigating their impact on yarn quality and processing
performance. more »
GALLERY: CASNR Spring Career Expo rolls out at Red Raider Ballroom
CASNR hosted a Spring Career Expo this month in the university’s newly renovated Red
Raider Ballroom of Tech’s Student Union Building. This year’s expo featured company
representatives from some 25 businesses who were on hand to meet and schedule
CASNR students for potential interviews. Among the ag leaders were Cactus Feeders,
Cargill, and Texas Parks and Wildlife more »
Meat Judging Team grills competition at Southwestern Livestock
Exposition
Texas Tech’s Meat Judging Team had an 81-point victory this month at the
Southwestern Livestock Exposition’s Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest in Fort
Worth. The team dominated almost every division, winning the reasons division with a
record score of 893 points, in addition to taking the placings, overall beef, beef judging
and beef grading divisions. more »
CASNR Student Success Center’s focus remains recruiting, retaining top
students
They may not be Spiderman, Superman or Wonder Woman, but for a lot of students in
Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the professionals
in the Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center are superheroes in their own right,
largely due to their passion for Tech, CASNR and agriculture in general. more »
Food Safety; AFS’s ICFIE program adapts to environment, needs of
society
The research, outreach and education activities of the International Center for Food
Industry Excellence adapts to the environment and the needs of society. In addition to
focusing on disease-causing bacteria in food, the team also focuses on people. In
particular, much effort is focused on understanding the food safety culture of workers
in food production environments. more »
Demonstration Projects; TAWC lays groundwork for water
conservation
Hard times brought on by drought have taken a toll on a number of South Plains
producers, but not, it seems for Idalou farmer Randy McGee. “The 2011 drought was a
big learning curve, I guess you could say,” he said. Some of McGee’s agricultural
answers came from a huge demonstration project that started nine years earlier,
known as the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation. 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