Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources students had an opportunity to present their hard-won academic results as part of an annual Graduate Student Research Poster Competition on Thursday (Sept. 28). The program, which featured more than 60 presentations, was held in the Texas Tech Dairy Barn.

“This was our second year for the graduate student poster competition, and we had about 10 percent more presenters this year than last,” said Darren Hudson, Davis College Interim Associate Dean for Research. “The competition was very tight with fewer than 10 points separating 1st from 10th in most categories.” 

The exciting thing about this competition from the Davis College standpoint is that it demonstrates the breadth of research taking place in core strategic areas, he said. Every department was represented, and the research cut across departmental lines and demonstrated real integrated research. 

“That is our goal at Davis College, and this is one demonstration of our success,” Hudson said. “The competition provides a great opportunity for students to practice their presentation skills and learn how to answer questions and present to audiences that are not technical experts in their field of study. This type of experience improves their ability to communicate as they enter their professional careers.”

Davis College’s Lead Grant Writer Monica Hightower, added “The competition was college-wide, and a good internal networking event.”  The event’s judges included area USDA experts, along with Texas Tech faculty, post-doctoral candidates and upper-level graduate students from a variety of agricultural backgrounds. 

Presentation of winners were recognized during a reception and awards ceremony, said Sandra Addo, Davis College’s Program Manager for Graduate Student Recruitment. As part of the program, scholarships were awarded to the top three student posters in each of five categories. Among the Davis College winners (listed first through third place) were:

Crop and Livestock Production and Health, and Companion Animals

• Sam Barker (AFS) First Place: Ante-Mortem Stress Effects the Oxidative Products and Color Stability of Steaks Following Retail Display
• Connor Kern (AFS) Second Place: Effects of Cottonseed Meal Supplementation on Heifer Performance and Forage Utilization Grazing Late Season Summer Forage
• James Okon (VS) Third Place: Transcriptomic Insights into Liver Abscesses in Beef Cattle: A GI Tissue Perspective

Economic and Social Systems, Communications, and Education

• Alexandra Salinas (AEC) First Place: Expectations Vs. Realities: An Examination of Statedworkforce Development Skills in The Agricultural Industry
• Brooke Vyvlecka (AEC) Second Place: Examining Adult Consumers’ thoughts After Viewing Beef Nutrition Influencer Messages on Social Media
• Krysti Kelley (AEC) Third Place: An Analysis of Time Allocation of Student Teachers in Each Circle of The Three-Circle Model of Agricultural Education

Food Products, Safety, Security, and Nutrition

• Reagan Brashears Jimenez  (AFS) First Place: Mitigation of Salmonella in Ground Pork Products Through Gland Removal in Pork Trimmings
• Grace Akumu (AFS) Second Place: Survival and Growth of Salmonella Enteriditis, and Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Alfalfa and Mung Beansprouts
• FNU Pallavi (VS) Third Place: Understanding the Molecular Mechanism of Sugarcane Aphid Resistance in Sorghum

Landscapes and Wildlife

• Sadie Roth (NRM) First Place: Constructed Sonoran Desert Wildlife Waters Do Not Support Amphibian Breeding During Drought
• Harshita Sharma (PSS) Second Place: First Documentation of Endofungal Bacteria in Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi and Endofungal Associates of a Temperate Terrestrial Orchid
• Umme Haque (LA) Third Place: Re-Imagining Art, Literature, Andmusic Area in A Playground for Children Below 3 A Vision for The TTU Center For Early Head Start (CEHS) Courtyard Space

Water Conservation and Security

• Owen George (NRM) First Place: Assessing the Top-Down and Bottom-Up Effects of Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) On the Secondary Production of Sensitive Fish Species
• Preetaman Bajwa (PSS) Second Place: Impact of Planting Dates and Seeding Densities on Soil Water Depletion, And Water Productivity of Industrial Hemp in West Texas
• Arjun Kafle (PSS) Third Place: Soil Water Extraction Pattern and Water Use Efficiency of Cucumber in Response to Deficit Irrigation and Biochar Amendment in West Texas

CONTACT: Clint Krehbiel, Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or Clint.Krehbiel@ttu.edu

1002NM23