News from WT: Food drive, theater honors, research grant, more

CANYON — Ahead of this weekend's fall commencement ceremonies, West Texas A&M University (WT) capped off the fall semester with several notable news items before the holiday break began. For more from the Dec. 8 and 9 events, see this week's Globe-News editions and online at www.amarillo.com .

WT Alumni Association to launch Student Food Drive for the holidays

WT alumni and the community can do their part to combat food insecurity among WT students. The WT Alumni Association’s holiday food drive will run Dec. 11 to 13, gathering nonperishable food items for The Market on Tierra Blanca, a Canyon food bank at St. Helen’s Outreach, an arm of St. Ann’s Catholic Church.

Donors can drop off their items at Buffalo Courts on the WT campus in Canyon or at Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St.

Purchases also may be made on Amazon and shipped to the Alumni Association. To view the wish list, visit bit.ly/WTAlumFoodDrive23.

The donations will be shelved in a section at The Market designated for WT students. The Market officially will open Jan. 9; previously St. Ann’s worked with WT’s Catholic Student Center on a smaller food bank.

“Studies and our numerous conversations with WT leaders have indicated a need for food among university students,” said Glenn Backus, director of St. Helen’s Outreach. “Alumni can make a big difference by donating healthy, nutritious food items that meet the unique needs of college students who have limited or no access to a kitchen or appliances.”

WT students advance in National Theatre Festival

WT Theatre’s two fall productions each scored several nominees to advance in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Savannah Bohl, a senior theatre major from Muenster, and Kyndal Knapp, a junior theater major from Pampa, both earned Irene Ryan acting nominations for “She Kills Monsters,” which was staged Oct. 26 to Nov. 5. Victoria Reyes, a junior musical theatre major from Inez, and Edgar Camarena, a senior theatre major from Amarillo, also earned Irene Ryan nominations for “Once Upon a Mattress,” which was staged Sept. 28 to Oct. 8.

They’ll take part in Irene Ryan Scholarship auditions Feb. 26 to 29 in Abilene at the Region 6 festival. Designers also are eligible to present their designs in Abilene.

Students earning meritorious achievement awards for “She Kills Monsters” were Leighson Selman, a senior musical theatre major from Amarillo, for acting; Signe Elder, a senior musical theatre major from Lubbock, for acting; Raimar Ortiz, a senior theatre major from Lubbock, for lighting design; Christian Howard, a recent theatre graduate from Lubbock, for sound design; Caleb King, a sophomore history major from Canyon, for properties and weapons design; and Riley Harbour, a junior theatre major from Amarillo, for stage management Faculty members earning meritorious achievement awards for “She Kills Monsters” were Leigh Anne Crandall, instructor of theatre, for costume design; and Stephen Crandall, professor of theatre, for directing and fight choreography.

Students earning meritorious achievement awards for “Mattress” include Kelli Zapalac, a junior theatre major from Schulenburg, for costume design; Noah Seth Santos, a senior theatre major from Lubbock, for lighting design; and Marissa Lemus, a senior theatre major from Baytown, for stage management. Additionally, the full cast of “Mattress” earned a meritorious achievement award for excellence in outstanding ensemble.

The 2023-24 WT Theatre season continues with “She Loves Me” from Feb. 8 to 18 and “Rumors” from April 4 to 14.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities across the country. According to its website, it “has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills, and receive national recognition for excellence.”

WT researchers win national grant to research Panhandle refugee population

Two WT professors are continuing their research into the refugee population of the Texas Panhandle, thanks to a nearly $30,000 grant.

Ten teams were awarded grants from the Natural Hazards Center to support studies into public health solutions to hazards in vulnerable communities across the United States. Leading the project at WT are Dr. Ming Xie, assistant professor of emergency management administration in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, and Dr. Li Chen, associate professor of media communication in the Department of Communication in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

For their project, “Refugees’ Public Health Risks and Resilience to Climate-Related Disasters in Rural Communities,” Xie and Chen will survey at least 300 refugees in the area to explore how people from different cultures and backgrounds feel and experience health problems from disasters like extreme cold, floods and heat.

The Texas Panhandle has a growing refugee population from countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, and Somalia. The professors hope this research will shine a light on the population, encouraging follow-up research, educational programs and policymaking.

“Our research project will provide firsthand information for local emergency management specialists and public health professionals to develop tailored disaster management programs for local communities, especially refugees and other vulnerable groups,” Chen said. “Our research findings will directly benefit the local community, resonating with WT’s mission as a Regional Research University.”

Dairy cattle production specialist joins VERO faculty

Many people who work in the agriculture industry have a farming background; others find their way to this community through their love for animals, science, or, sometimes, both. Despite growing up in rural Ohio, Dr. Michael Kleinhenz’s family didn’t own a farm. But that didn’t stop him from discovering a love for dairy cows at a young age.

“The dairy industry always fascinated me as a kid, so I started milking cows in high school,” said Kleinhenz, who is now a dairy cattle production veterinarian. “I’ve always enjoyed them. They’re such an interactive species to watch. Anytime I can go hang around with cows, I’m a happy person.”

As the newest faculty member at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) campus in the Texas Panhandle, Kleinhenz hopes to continue blending his passion for veterinary medicine with pharmacology, another passion he discovered along the way, to continue improving the health of dairy cattle throughout the industry.

For Kleinhenz, joining the faculty at VERO was an ideal choice for someone who works with food animals and wants to be part of cutting-edge research.

“I decided to join the VERO team because of its proximity to the dairy industry in the Texas Panhandle,” Kleinhenz said. “Canyon is kind of the beating heart of the Texas dairy industry, so it’s the perfect place to do research and train future food animal veterinarians.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WTAMU news includes food drive, theater honors, research grant