#texas a&m university

[texasaggie-seaknight]

Good with his hands…

[beatrack92]

Heather Abadie (Texas A&M)

[athleticperfection1]

Texas A&M Volleyball

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Research team develops polymers that can kill bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a rapidly growing threat to public health. Each year, they account for more than 2.8 million infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without new antibiotics, even common injuries and infections harbor the potential to become lethal. Scientists are now one step closer to eliminating that threat, thanks to a Texas A&M University-led collaboration that has developed a new family of polymers capable of killing bacteria without inducing antibiotic resistance by disrupting the membrane of these microorganisms. "The new polymers we synthesized could help fight antibiotic resistance in the future by providing antibacterial molecules that operate through a mechanism against which bacteria do not seem to develop resistance," said Dr. Quentin Michaudel, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and lead investigator in the research, published Dec. 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Gregg Roman

 Milstein Writing Fellow Benjamin Weinthal's reporting on Texas A&M University at Qatar's (TAMUQ) dangerous research agreement with Qatar has spurred Mark Welsh, Texas A&M's new president of its main U.S. campus, to dismiss Weinthal's reporting as "insanity," according to KTBX News in Bryan, Texas.

Texas A&M is one of six American universities with all-expenses-paid campuses in Doha, Qatar. Doha is the major funder of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas, which on October 7 massacred over 1,200 Israelis and others and kidnapped 253 people.

Weinthal quoted a prior report that asserted "Qatar has acquired full ownership of more than 500 research projects at Texas A&M, some of which are in highly sensitive fields such as nuclear science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotech robotics, and weapons development." He added that the Qatar Foundation, controlled by that country's ruling al-Thani family, "owns all intellectual property developed at TAMUQ."

Welsh characterized Weinthal's report in words that better describe his university's Qatar agreement. "That's insanity. It's irresponsible." He went on: "We have a really, really strong track record of protecting national security research information every day and has [sic] been recognized by DOD, by the intelligence community, by a number of people."

"These findings pose a potential national security risk to the United States," Weinthal reported, adding that knowledge is transferred from A&M's main campus to Qatar in fields like "physics, computer science, and bioengineering with sensitive defense applications."

MEF Director Gregg Roman said, "What's to stop Qatar from passing along sensitive research from A&M's Texas and Doha campuses to America's enemies?"

"Tiny Qatar is the largest foreign donor to American universities," added Campus Watch director Winfield Myers. "Dangerous agreements like the one Texas A&M struck with Doha demonstrate that some schools will sell out to foreign powers if the cash flow is massive and dependable. Americans should demand an immediate investigation into this situation."

[alwaysreading2027]

Fellow SOC fans-

I found Pekka Rollins

It seems he has inserted himself into the American education system.

Someone tell Kaz

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The Texas A&M University Professor Joy Alonzo criticized the Texas Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick, during a visiting lecture in March 2023 on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Just hours later, Alonzo learned a student accused her of disparaging Patrick during the lecture. The complaint reached her supervisors and the Chancellor of Texas A&M, John Sharp, who was in communication directly with the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

The student is reportedly the daughter of the Texas Land Commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, who served in the Texas senate with Patrick for six years, received an endorsement from him in her run for Land Commissioner, and had attended Sharp’s wedding in May.

Less than two hours after the lecture had ended, Patrick’s chief of staff forwarded Alonzo’s professional biography to Sharp, reported the Texas Tribune. The Chancellor responded to the Lieutenant Governor directly via text message that Alonzo would immediately be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation to fire her.

The University of Texas Medical Board quickly issued a censure statement, distancing itself from any comments Alonzo made during the lecture.

Texas A&M and the University of Texas Medical Board did not specify what Alonzo said during the lecture that prompted the investigation. Students interviewed by the Texas Tribune only recalled a vague reference to Patrick during the lecture on opioid overdose policies. Texas A&M ultimately allowed Alonzo to retain her job after the investigation did not reveal any wrongdoing.

The swift investigation sparked criticism from Alonzo’s colleagues and free speech advocates over the interference of politicians into classroom discussions and how state universities are managed.

Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a non-profit legal group focused on protecting free speech on college campuses, criticized the investigation as “inappropriate” in an interview with the Tribune and noted its chilling effect, regardless of the outcome of the investigation.

Marcia Ory, a professor at Texas A&M Health and co-chair of the university’s Opioid Task Force with Alonzo, noted the long-term consequences of the interference in an email to Jon Mogford, vice-president of Texas A&M Health.

The reporting of the suspension and investigation of Alonzo comes as the Texas A&M President, Katherine Banks, resigned last week over the backlash to politically motivated outsiders halting the hiring by the university of Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin, to revive the journalism school at Texas A&M.

On Alonzo, a spokesperson for the university system told the Tribune: “It is not unusual to respond to any state official who has concerns about anything occurring at the Texas A&M System,” claiming the system followed standard procedure investigating the claim against Alonzo.

The Guardian has contacted Texas A&M, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Joy Alonzo for further comment.

[quadruple-a]

This, this is the university they are giving Amazon drones to. The one who puts ride share bikes in trees and on top of buildings to the point that both the veo company and the university had to send out messages. The school famous for it’s mechanical and computer engineering programs. The school with a long military history. Out of all the schools, you picked that one.

I give it a week tops

[usarmytrooper]

I swear, being an Aggie seems like a test from God sometimes. They lost to Miami yesterday, 33–48.

There’s always next week!

* That’s supposed to be our mascot, Miss Reveille, on top of the Snoopy dog house, which is properly colored maroon in this context.

[uboat53]

Yeah, I wasn't considering Texas universities anyways, but they're definitely off the list now…

If a professor can't give an unbiased technical opinion without being embroiled in a political firestorm, there's no way that those universities are going to produce good research or good education.

[texasaggie-seaknight]

Almost Friday Aggie Style…Whoop!

Thinkin’ ‘bout my Ags today as I was chattin’ on here with some legit good bros. 😎

[beatrack92]

Siena Palicke (Texas A&M)

2022 SEC Championships (Oxford, MS)

[sildarmillion-grounds]

Texas A&M University. Agrilife Center. 28 June 2022.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

3D printed electronic skin provides promise for human-machine interaction

With more than 1,000 nerve endings, human skin is the brain's largest sensory connection to the outside world, providing a wealth of feedback through touch, temperature and pressure. While these complex features make skin a vital organ, they also make it a challenge to replicate. By utilizing nanoengineered hydrogels that exhibit tunable electronic and thermal biosensing capabilities, researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a 3D-printed electronic skin (E-skin) that can flex, stretch and sense like human skin. "The ability to replicate the sense of touch and integrate it into various technologies opens up new possibilities for human-machine interaction and advanced sensory experiences," said Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar, professor and director of research for the Department of Biomedical Engineering. "It can potentially revolutionize industries and improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities."

Read more.

[gamma-xi-delta]

Texas A&M Zeta Tau Alpha 2022 Recruitment Video

Published by Zeta Recruitment

[edulete]

The first public university in the state, Texas A&M, began operations in 1876. Texas A&M is one of the biggest institutions in the country with a student body of more than 59,000 and a campus that spans more than 5,200 acres in College Station. The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established by the Texas state legislature on April 17, 1871, despite the fact that the State of Texas had promised to construct a college under the conditions of the Morrill Act in November 1866. In 1871, a panel established to choose the institution's location approved the residents of Brazos County's donation of 2,416 acres of property, and education got underway in 1876.