A&S Faculty News

December 2017

Tinsley Receives Grant from MTI Biotech

Grant Tinsley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, received grant funds of $24,698 from MTI Biotech, Inc. to support his research project, "Time-Restricted Feeding and HMB Supplementation During Resistance Training in Active Females." The grant was announced by TTU's Office of Research Services the week ending Dec. 8.

Patterson Wins Margolis Social Justice Award

Jill Patterson, Professor in the Department of English, has received the 2017 Richard J. Margolis Award. The award is given annually to a promising nonfiction writer whose work combines warmth, humor, wisdom and concern with social justice. Patterson's writing gives voice to indigent men and women charged with capital murder and facing execution in the state of Texas. In 2009, Patterson began working as the storyteller for public defenders, handling capital murder cases in Texas. Her narratives, which explore the defendants' lives from childhood to their crossroads, are used to help obtain a life-without-parole plea before going to trial. The Richard J. Margolis Award bears the name of a journalist, essayist and poet who wrote with a generous humanity about the rural poor, migrant farm workers, the elderly and Native Americans, as well as the political decisions that produce their economic hardships. According to a Dec. 8 in-depth story in Texas Tech Today, the 2017 award is accompanied by a $5,000 honorarium and a one-month residency at Blue Mountain Center, a working community of writers, artists and activists set in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains and Adirondack Park, the largest state park in the continental United States. "When I look at the long list of recipients of the Richard J. Margolis Award, and when I consider Margolis' work, it is daunting," Patterson said. Patterson's awards include a 2012 Embrey Human Rights Fellowship, a 2014 Soros Justice Fellowship and the 2014 Time and Place Prize in Brittany, France.

Hayhoe Speaks at San Antonio Climate Meet

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of TTU's Climate Science Center, was the keynote speaker at San Antonio's first official event on responding to climate change, which took place at the University of Texas-San Antonio's (UTSA) Downtown Campus. According to a Dec. 7 article in the San Antonio Express-News, the crowd of around 300 had "come to hear how the city of San Antonio, UTSA and CPS Energy are preparing a plan to adapt to the effects of a warming climate and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions that cause warming. If successful, San Antonio will be the largest city in Texas to implement a so-called Climate Action and Adaptation Plan." Hayhoe told the assemblage that average annual temperatures in San Antonio since 1960 have increased 0.7 degrees per decade in the winter and 0.5 degrees per decade in the summer, the newspaper reported. Hayhoe also was quoted in a Dec. 7 NPR report about wildfires that took place in 2012 in Oklahoma. The article, "What Scientists Say A Warming Climate Might Mean For Oklahoma," referenced the Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. 1 released in November. Hayhoe is one of the lead authors of the report, which she described as "the most comprehensive, up-to-date, state-of-the-art report on climate science in the entire world." The article went on to reveal that the upcoming second volume of the climate assessment will project how a warming climate could affect different parts of the country. It won't be published until sometime next year, but a draft of Vol. 2 is now available for public comment.

Smith Named RaiderReady Faculty Fellow

Chad Smith, PhD, Instructor in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, is the recipient of the RaiderReady First-Year Advocate and Faculty Fellowship Award. Recipients of this award have displayed innovation in instructional design, as well as caring for freshmen students by making their transition into the university a successful one. In addition to his teaching stipend, Smith will receive a $750 award for going above and beyond in his work with students. Smith was congratulated Dec. 7 by Patrick Hughes, Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education & Student Affairs, and Michelle Kiser, EdD, Senior Director of SOAR.

Pappas Named RaiderReady Faculty Fellow

Dimitri Pappas, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is the recipient of the RaiderReady First-Year Advocate and Faculty Fellowship Award. Recipients of this award have displayed innovation in instructional design, as well as caring for freshmen students by making their transition into the university a successful one. In addition to his teaching stipend, Pappas will receive a $750 award for going above and beyond in his work with students. Pappas was congratulated Dec. 7 by Patrick Hughes, Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education & Student Affairs, and Michelle Kiser, EdD, Senior Director of SOAR.

Borshuk Named Integrated Scholar for 2018

Michael Borshuk, Associate Professor in the Department of English, was named one of nine Integrated Scholars for 2018. Michael Galyean, TTU Provost and Senior Vice President, announced the roster of designees on Dec. 4. An Integrated Scholar at Texas Tech University is a faculty member who demonstrates significant accomplishments and effective synergy among the major professorial functions of teaching, research, and service. Faculty members who achieve this distinction have infused the results of their scholarship and creative activity into the learning experiences they provide to their students, and their service and engagement activities. This year, 27 applications or nominations for Integrated Scholars were received by the Provost Office, and because of the overall quality of the applications, it was not an easy task to narrow the field to this group of finalists, Provost Gaylean said in a written announcement. Traditionally, each Integrated Scholar is profiled on the Provost website with both a textual narrative and a video. By late March or early April 2018, a profile on each of this year's Integrated Scholars will be published on the Provost's website. Until then, the profiles of Integrated Scholars from previous years may be viewed at the link.

Elola Named Integrated Scholar for 2018

Idoia Elola, Associate Professor of Spanish and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, was named one of nine Integrated Scholars for 2018. Michael Galyean, TTU Provost and Senior Vice President, announced the roster of designees on Dec. 4. An Integrated Scholar at Texas Tech University is a faculty member who demonstrates significant accomplishments and effective synergy among the major professorial functions of teaching, research, and service. Faculty members who achieve this distinction have infused the results of their scholarship and creative activity into the learning experiences they provide to their students, and their service and engagement activities. This year, 27 applications or nominations for Integrated Scholars were received by the Provost Office, and because of the overall quality of the applications, it was not an easy task to narrow the field to this group of finalists, Provost Gaylean said in a written announcement. Traditionally, each Integrated Scholar is profiled on the Provost website with both a textual narrative and a video. By late March or early April 2018, a profile on each of this year's Integrated Scholars will be published on the Provost's website. Until then, the profiles of Integrated Scholars from previous years may be viewed at the link.

Thacker Named Integrated Scholar for 2018

Beth Thacker, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, was named one of nine Integrated Scholars for 2018. Michael Galyean, TTU Provost and Senior Vice President, announced the roster of designees on Dec. 4. An Integrated Scholar at Texas Tech University is a faculty member who demonstrates significant accomplishments and effective synergy among the major professorial functions of teaching, research, and service. Faculty members who achieve this distinction have infused the results of their scholarship and creative activity into the learning experiences they provide to their students, and their service and engagement activities. This year, 27 applications or nominations for Integrated Scholars were received by the Provost Office, and because of the overall quality of the applications, it was not an easy task to narrow the field to this group of finalists, Provost Gaylean said in a written announcement. Traditionally, each Integrated Scholar is profiled on the Provost website with both a textual narrative and a video. By late March or early April 2018, a profile on each of this year's Integrated Scholars will be published on the Provost's website. Until then, the profiles of Integrated Scholars from previous years may be viewed at the link.

Klein Appointed to EPA Board

David Klein, Associate Professor of Environmental, Clinical and Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Environmental Toxicology, has been appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC). This is a federal advisory committee that provides advice, information, and recommendations to EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) on its research programs.