Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Awards, which include cash gifts of $5,000 each, were presented to Aldrich and Wilson. The award honors top students who exemplify the leadership and related traits of the late Gen. Earl Rudder, a World War II hero who served as president of Texas A&M from 1959 until his death in 1970.

The Robert Gates-Muller Family Outstanding Student Award, which also includes a $5,000 gift, was presented to Loveless, who graduated in December but returned to the campus to receive the award.

The award was established through a gift from the Muller family of Galveston to provide public recognition to the outstanding seniors graduating from Texas A&M who have demonstrated those qualities of leadership, patriotism and courage exemplified by Robert M. Gates. He served as president of the university from 2002 until 2006, when he was named U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Aldrich graduated with a 3.59 grade-point average with a major in electrical engineering, a minor in Arabic studies and a minor in mathematics. One person who nominated her said, “Amy exceeds expectations and seeks opportunities that enrich her life and afford her a chance to give back to her community.”

Amy Leigh Aldrich

Aldrich has held several leadership positions in both academics and athletics. She was vice chair of the Memorial Student Center (MSC) Student Conference on National Affairs, served as a team leader for an Air Force research laboratory competition and was captain of soccer teams in both the United States and Qatar, where she spent the fall semester in 2009 on a study-abroad program.

Since 2008, she has also volunteered as a student ambassador for the Electrical Engineering Department, spending many evenings and weekends at student recruitment events, helping with phone-a-thons and giving campus tours to prospective students.

Another nominator said “the classes Amy took had a good number of outstanding students, yet she was by far the most impressive in terms of her academic achievement and personal character. In addition to her high academic achievement, Amy exhibits the highest level of professionalism and respect toward others.”

Tanner B. Wilson

Wilson graduated with both a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a master’s degree in mathematics. This is a five-year program that Wilson completed in just four years.

One person who nominated Wilson writes: “Tanner represents the ideal student for the 21st century. He displays a perfect balance between academic achievement and social responsibility, together with a broad and diversified knowledge base and interests.”

Wilson earned a 3.9 grade- point average in his undergraduate work and a 3.5 grade-point average in his master’s degree. He gained extensive research experience, primarily related to the medical field. In addition, he spent the summer of 2009 gaining clinical experience in the Department of Surgery at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. His academic achievements have been recognized with 20 awards and recognitions, including a President’s Endowed Scholarship and six semesters on the dean’s honor roll in the College of Science.

In addition, a nominator wrote that “Tanner has a remarkable history of service, leadership and dedication to Texas A&M.” Among these activities are extensive participation in student government, including serving as Speaker of the Senate in the 64th Session, being active as a musician in the Percussion Studio, and tutoring dozens of students in the College of Science.

Hilary Albrecht Loveless

Winner of the Robert Gates-Muller Family Award, Loveless graduated magna cum laude in December 2011with a major in political science and minors in business administration and history.

One person who nominated Loveless writes “Hilary is, academically and intellectually speaking, a star” whose “entire tenure at Texas A&M has reflected her dual desire to achieve and to lead.”

Her academic achievements include completing many more courses than required in the University Honors Program and being selected for the Cornerstone Honors Program in the College of Liberal Arts. For her outstanding achievements, she received nine awards, including the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior for the College of Liberal Arts, and an Association of Former Students scholarship.

Loveless also proved herself to be a leader outside the classroom. Another nominator wrote that she “gives one hundred percent to whatever she puts her mind to. She is open-minded and optimistic; she is adept at multi-tasking; she holds herself to the highest standards; she exhibits integrity and trustworthiness; and she seeks to serve and assist in any way possible.”

Her service activities included volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, serving as a delegate in the Qatar Spring Leadership Exchange, and as the founder of Helpmeets Bolivia. She was leader in student government, serving as president of the Class of 2012, representing students in the Northside Residence Halls as a senator in the 61st session, representing off-campus students as a senator in the 62nd session, and ultimately as speaker of the Student Senate in the 63rd session.

Media contact: Tura King, Division of Marketing & Communications, at (979) 845-4670

Amie Hufton

Amie Hufton, an instructor in physical education who has years of beach experience and is an open-water lifeguard, says beachgoers need to take certain precautions.

“Any beach can be dangerous, and you need to be careful at all times, especially if children are with you,” she explains.

“Swimmers always need to be careful. One of the biggest dangers they face is a rip current. A rip current is created when the backrushing of water from the beach is channeled in a direction away from the shore,” she explains. “Some of these can very strong, strong enough to pull you far away from the beach.”

Studies conducted by the U.S. Lifesaving Association show that 80 percent of the rescues done by ocean lifeguards involve persons caught in rip currents. These currents are often near man-made objects, such as piers, rock groins or jetties, and these tend to funnel the current offshore which can pull against a swimmer.

“If you feel a rip current or think you might be in one, never swim against it,” Hufton says. “Try to stay calm and swim perpendicular to the current, which usually means parallel to the shore.”

Another dangerous item beachgoers face has nothing to do with water. It’s alcohol — and too much of it.

Alcohol is one of the biggest factors in drownings on recreational beaches, and studies show that 50 percent of all drowning victims over the age of 13 had a significantly high blood-alcohol content.

Hufton offers these tips to have a safe time at the beach.

Beachgoers need to take precautions

• Don’t swim alone. “It’s never wise to swim alone, and if possible, use a buddy system to watch over each other in the water,” she notes. “Also, try to swim where there is a lifeguard tower. Most drownings occur on beaches where there is no lifeguard present.”

• Avoid cheap plastic rafts. “The plastic kind you buy for a few dollars can easily be torn,” she adds. “Use the heavy canvas type that has a rope attached to the sides, and try to use one that is U.S. Coast Guard approved.”

• Watch those kids. “Kids can easily wander off by themselves at the beach,” Hufton notes. “If they get lost, they often follow the path of least resistance, which means they usually walk away from the sun, and often with the wind. Finding them often involves tracing a route from where they were last seen.”

Hufton adds that a “trip to the beach can be a fun experience, but it can also be a nightmare if things go wrong. If you use good common sense, plus courtesy to others, injuries and accidents can be greatly reduced.”

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Media contact: Keith Randall, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4644 or Amie Hufton at (409) 740-4928

In his current role, Bryk is leading work on strengthening the research and development infrastructure for improving teaching and learning. From 2004 until assuming Carnegie’s presidency in September 2008, Bryk held the Spencer Chair in Organizational Studies in the School of Education and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Bryk’s lecture, sponsored by Texas A&M’s College of Education and Human Development and Educational Leadership Research Center, is free and open to the public.

Byrk’s main areas of expertise are school organization, education reform and educational statistics, officials note.  

Prior to his service at Stanford, he held the Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education post in the sociology department at the University of Chicago. He was founding director of the Center for Urban School Improvement which supports reform efforts within the Chicago Public Schools and launched the university’s professional development charter school in the North Kenwood/Oakland neighborhood. Bryk is also founding director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research.

In 2003, Bryk was awarded the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Prize for Distinguished Contributions to Educational Scholarship and the Distinguished Career Contributions Award from the American Educational Research Association. He is also a former fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences. Most recently, Boston College conferred an honorary doctorate of Human Letters for his contributions to educational reform.

For questions about the program, contact Mary Henderson at (979) 862-4267.

 Media contact: Tura King, Division of Marketing & Communications, at (979) 845-4670

Renata Ivanek-Miojevic

Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis is a major public health burden that carries a significant economic price tag. Recent news stories about outbreaks of salmonellosis have led to detrimental effects on impacted industries. Historically, pigs and the consumption of salmonella contaminated pork have been a major source for the transmission of this disease to humans. To better control exposure to and infection by this pathogen in humans, it is important to gain a better understanding of the swine host-pathogen relationship that will lead to better detection measures.

Scientists at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science working in collaboration with researchers from the Swedish National Veterinary Institute and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, examined the intermittent pattern in which pigs shed salmonella bacteria in their feces and discovered that salmonella may lay dormant in the host at an undetectable level as a survival strategy that prolongs the host’s infection. Furthermore, different salmonella serotypes are shed and go dormant in different frequencies, making detection difficult at best. The results of this study were recently published in PLoS ONE.

This “off and on” pattern of pathogen excretion can lead to a host being misdiagnosed as clear of bacteria when indeed it is still infected. In the either stage, pigs typically do not show physical signs of being infected. In the “on stage,” the host sheds the bacteria in fecal material, while in the “off stage,” the pathogen is still present in the host but is not shed. Therefore, the leading method of detecting infection, fecal shedding, becomes difficult.

“Because of the important role that pigs have played in salmonellosis outbreaks in other pigs and humans, reliable detection measures and models are critical in developing efficient salmonella control efforts,” said Dr. Renata Ivanek-Miojevic, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Department.

While this early study has documented the ability of salmonella bacteria to lay dormant thereby extending its presence in the infected host, future research will investigate if the same association between the cyclic behavior and the length of infection holds true in other host-pathogen models.

“With this study, we were able to observe the relationship between shedding pattern and length of infection in several serotypes of salmonella in the swine host,” noted Ivanek-Miojevic. “From here, we will need to use what we learned and the models that we were able to develop to see if the same behavior is observed in other host-pathogen systems.

“If so, the relationship may be useful not only in improving detection methods but also in understanding evolutionary ecology of this and similar infectious diseases with ‘off and on’ pattern of pathogen excretion, and consequently adopting better control measures.”

This study, funded by the National Science Foundation, will become a model for future studies aimed at furthering the detection capabilities and effective control for salmonella and similar infectious agents in their animal and human host populations.

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Media contact: Angela G. Clendenin, director of communications & public relations, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biological Science at (979) 862-2675

Children participate in a variety of physical activities designed to develop motor skills and enhance self-understanding. Field trips are arranged to introduce the children to Texas A&M. Creative activities like dance and arts and crafts are an integral part of the day. The dates for this year’s camp are July 30-August 3 and August 6-10. The cost of the camp is $200 per week. Each session is 8a.m.-5p.m., Monday-Friday. Campers bring their own lunches.

For more information about Camp Aggieland, contact Mike Hanik at (979) 862-4836. You can also visit the Camp Aggieland website. 

The three-day symposium, which is sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, will be held at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George Bush Presidential Library. The program will highlight new trends and progress made in biomedical optical technologies and applications in diagnostics and therapeutics to improve public health worldwide. A student development workshop at the Emerging Technologies Building will feature a session with author Peter Fiske and an entrepreneurial panel discussion with industry leaders and university researchers. Tours of the facilities and biomedical optics labs round out the three-day event and are open to all symposium participants.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University and founder of Beyond Traditional Borders, and Lihong Wang, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University and author of Biomedical Optics: Principles and Imaging, will give invited talks. Robert Nordstrom from the National Cancer Institute, Sohi Rastegar from the National Science Foundation, and Ramesh Raghavachari from the Food and Drug Administration will lead a panel discussion on the future direction of biomedical optics.

Kristen Maitland

“We hope this inaugural symposium will become an annual event,” said Kristen Maitland, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and chair of the BioMedOpTex Symposium. “Optical techniques play a critical role in biomedical studies ranging from basic biological science to in vivo imaging and therapies. We have a high concentration of researchers in biomedical optics at Texas A&M and at other institutions across Texas. This symposium will showcase cutting edge research in the region, provide an opportunity for students to interact with experts in the field and foster collaborations.”

Presentations and a panel discussion will feature academic researchers and industry leaders from across the region to showcase research and promote knowledge exchange between institutions and industry. A student poster reception will provide a venue for students to present their research and interact with the experts. Student poster award recipients in each student category (undergraduate and graduate) will be presented at the completion of the conference.

Full details on the program and schedule are available at this website.

For more information, contact Kristen Maitland (979)845-1864.

As winner of the vote, Texas A&M will host ESPN’s College GameDay on campus this summer, where the show will film one of its national commercials to be aired during the upcoming fall football season.

Aggies flocked to social media and online forums such as TexAgs.com to lead an aggressive voting campaign through the final hours of the contest, rallying the support of Texas governor and Texas A&M former student Rick Perry,  ABC’s Modern Family star Rico Rodriguez, former Texas A&M football player NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Von Miller, Texas Monthly magazine and more.

Texas A&M also enlisted the support of its 12th Man Foundation and The Association of Former Students.

Perhaps most telling was the support Texas A&M gained from members institutions of the Southeastern Conference, of which the university will officially become a member on July 1. Hundreds of fans from SEC schools united to vote for Texas A&M, giving its newest member the crucial last-minute votes that elevated it into first place over the University of Nebraska of the Big 10 Conference.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Texas A&M. We can’t thank the 12th Man and our new SEC family enough for the support.  We look forward to welcoming ESPN to Aggieland this summer and representing Texas A&M and the SEC in the GameDay commercial,” said Jason Cook, Texas A&M vice president for marketing and communications.

Texas A&M’s GameDay vote effort was led by the university’s Division of Marketing & Communications.

The two professors will be introduced at the commencement ceremonies at which their respective colleges award degrees. 

The selection of Prof. Boas and Prof. Goodson for the prestigious faculty designation was formally announced by President R. Bowen Loftin.

“Dr. Boas and Dr. Goodson personify the teaching qualities that we value so highly at Texas A&M — caring for students, being dedicated and innovative and being leaders in their fields,” Loftin said.  “They join a growing number of distinguished faculty who have had bestowed on them this special designation — the university’s highest form of recognition for teaching excellence.”

The award, established in 2003 by former Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates to underscore the importance of teaching at a major research university, provides for presentation each spring of two Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence Awards, each with a $25,000 stipend that includes the title of “Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence” — with the recipient retaining that title for the remainder of his or her career.

Harold P. Boas

Boas has been a member of the faculty at Texas A&M since 1984 and is known for his innovative approach to teaching and his lasting influence on students. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for teaching and scholarship, including the first Outstanding Teaching Award from the Department of Mathematics in 1994. He was a recipient of The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching for the College of Science in 2009 and at the university level in 2010.

Known as a professor and mentor who inspires his students, Boas has seen many of his former students become professors of mathematics. As one former student noted, “Dr. Boas defines what a true teacher is: someone who makes you feel as though you are learning with him, not for him.” Another former student stated, “Not many days go by that I do not think of the influence that Dr. Boas has had on my life.”

According to university officials, this reputation stems from Boas’ contributions to Texas A&M’s teaching mission and his philosophy of teaching: love the students. He was a moving force behind several important curriculum development initiatives in the Department of Mathematics and for its distance education programs. Also, he has contributed significantly to the discipline of mathematics, as a member and chair of the Educational Testing Service’s Committee of Examiners for the Mathematics Subject Test of the Graduate Record Examination and served as the book review editor of the American Mathematical Monthly and as editor of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, among other activities.

Patricia Goodson

Goodson, who has been a member of the faculty at Texas A&M since 1999, is known for the depth of her caring for her students and for the “dialogical process” she uses to develop “synergy among listening, acting and reflecting” in the classroom. The POWER program she directs was created to help graduate students deal with the common problems and complexities of writing. Through the program, graduate students discuss the writing process and its difficulties and learn practical tips for improving their academic writing.

Since it was launched in 2007, more than 220 students and 51 faculty members have participated in POWER initiatives. In addition, it is estimated that student publishing rates in the college have increased 12 fold.

One former student wrote, “She is one of the best teachers I have ever had. She does a wonderful job of explaining complex issues, and her teaching style forces students to think critically and fully understand the concepts being discussed.”

“For Dr. Goodson, teaching and mentoring students is not a career, but her vocation, and this is obvious to every student, faculty and staff member who has had the privilege of working with her,” wrote another student.

Goodson’s many awards and honors include The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching at the university level in 2010 and at the college level in 2005. She was the recipient of the Outstanding New Faculty Award in 2000.

Nominations for the Presidential Professor awards are made by students, faculty members and deans in each of the university’s colleges. Faculty Senate representatives review each nomination and narrow the list that is sent to the president for the final selections.

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Media contact: Lane Stephenson, Division of Marketing & Communications, at (979) 845-4662