Two faculty members from Texas Tech University's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources have been tapped as Service Learning Faculty Fellows by the university's Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center (TLPDC), program officials announced today (Jun. 18).

Samantha Kahl, an assistant professor with Tech's Department of Natural Resources Management, and Jhones Sarturi, an assistant professor of beef cattle nutrition and metabolism with Tech's Department of Animal and Food Sciences, will focus on the program's goal of increased attention to the role of civic engagement in the development of Texas Tech students. Part of completing the program involves attending a workshop and development of a service learning project.

Supported by the TLPDC, the Service Learning Faculty Fellows program fosters a community of scholars who integrate the philosophy, pedagogy, and process of service learning into each component of their professional lives—research, teaching, and service.

"We believe that service learning is a powerful pedagogy that will enhance your students' learning and we are excited to work with you," said TLPDC Associate Director Micah Logan. Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

Kahl's research focuses on landscape and habitat planning, human dimensions, invasive species management, wildlife conservation and herpetology. The Saint Louis, Missouri, native received her bachelor's degrees from Blackburn College (Carlinville, Ill.), and her master's degree from Saint Louis University. Her doctorate in wildlife science is from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Sarturi's research focus is on beef cattle nutrition and ruminal metabolism, specifically the development of strategies to improve, evaluate, and better utilize byproducts, forages, and grains in ruminant diets. The Brazil native received his degree in veterinary medicine from UNIDERP (Campo Grande, Brazil), and a master's degree in agronomy from the University of Sao Paulo (Piracicaba, Brazil). His doctorate in animal science and ruminant nutrition is from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

CONTACT: William Brown, Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or william.f.brown@ttu.edu

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