Aug. 26 Research Bulletin (Texas A&M University)

News-Media Coverage

Adi Joshi (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences), Knowridge and Science Alert, about findings that microplastics like polyethylene may affect the liver when ingested.

Ali Erdemir (Engineering), Scienmag, about how chemically converting hard-to-recycle PVC waste into synthetic lubricants can produce materials with strong friction- and wear-reducing performance, offering a potential path to turn plastic waste into high-value products.

Christopher Seabury (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences), Genetics Society of America, about the development of a genome-based model to predict chronic wasting disease susceptibility in North American elk, offering a potential tool for managing the disease through selective breeding.

Cliff Young and Kirby Goidel (Government and Public Service), The Dallas Morning News, about the use of Texas Pulse Poll data to examine how polling reveals candidates’ strengths, vulnerabilities and opportunities while shaping campaign strategies and the broader political landscape. (Paywall)

Daniel Oney and Yanling Mayer (Texas Real Estate Research Center), KAMU Brazos Matters, about the challenges facing first-time homebuyers, including rising costs, limited starter-home supply and changing affordability, along with insights into the Bryan-College Station housing market and advice for aspiring buyers.

Jean-Paul Rodrigue (Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies), Fortune, about how geopolitical instability and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have increased demand for shipbrokers like Clarksons, helping drive the company’s record earnings.

Jill Cetina (Business), The Wall Street Journal, about why rising Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities yields signal risks in Consumer Price Index data, and how to position bond portfolios.

Jingjing "Jenny" Qiu (Engineering), Straight Arrow News, about the development of fish-like nanorobots to extract lithium from seawater, with support from a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy award.

Jonathan Snodgrass (Engineering), NBC News, about how Texas' power grid meets record demand with investments in renewable energy like wind, solar and batteries.

Kirby Goidel (Government and Public Service), USA Today, about recent polling showing the governor’s race has become more competitive and that voters in the lieutenant governor’s race may be relying more on broader political and party cues than familiarity with the candidates.

Lynn Krebs (Texas Real Estate Research Center), Spectrum News 1, about how even though Webb County lowered its property tax rate five times during Tano Tijerina’s time as judge, rising property values mean residents’ average property tax bills still increased.

Maria Pia Miglietta (Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies), The Guardian and People, about “the immortal jellyfish,” or Turritopsis dohrnii, and its ability to reverse its life cycle through cellular transdifferentiation, allowing it to repeatedly return to a juvenile state and potentially avoid aging.

Nicolaas Engbertus Petrus Deutz (Education and Human Development), Nutrition Insight, about findings that Superbrewed Food’s postbiotic cultured protein performs comparably to whey and pea protein in muscle building, and a novel method for evaluating how the body utilizes dietary protein.

Siddharth Misra (Engineering), CNBC, about how the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s declining inventory could threaten cavern integrity, reduce emergency pumping capacity and damage infrastructure.

Shrihari Sridhar and Huachao Gao (Business), HR Executive, about findings that employees’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence vary by task and individual, suggesting employers should tailor adoption strategies rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

Steve Putna and Arum Han (Engineering), Satellite Evolution, about how Space Forge has selected The Texas A&M University System as the foundation for its first U.S. semiconductor materials manufacturing and processing capability, leveraging Texas A&M’s research infrastructure and expertise.

Thomas McMillan (Business), KBTX, about how rising costs and hidden school expenses are making back-to-school shopping more expensive, but artificial intelligence tools can help families plan and prioritize purchases.

Walt Magnussen (Center for Applied Communications and Networks), Urgent Communications, about positive findings from early tests of 5G sidelink, the 3GPP-standard technology that supports direct-mode communications when devices are not on a 5G network.

Articles From Colleges and Schools

Ali Erdemir, Seungjoo Lee and Gugyeong Sung (Engineering) helped develop a method to convert difficult-to-recycle PVC plastic waste into high-performance lubricants, offering a potential pathway to reduce plastic waste while improving energy efficiency in industrial systems. Transforming Low-Cost Plastic Waste Into Premium Lubricants
Carlos Valiente, Hope Gerde, Kay Wijekumar, Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Jamaal Young and Tugce Aldemir (Education and Human Development) are translating research into practical approaches that strengthen education from early childhood through artificial intelligence-focused STEM learning. Teaching, Learning and Culture Research Reaches Classrooms and Communities
Chelsea Hu (Engineering) developed real-time feedback and mathematical modeling tools to better understand and control engineered biological systems, with potential applications in biological manufacturing and cell-based therapies. Building Real-Time Control for Engineered Biological Systems
Christine Budke (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) contributed research to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s updated estimates showing that foodborne parasitic diseases continue to pose a significant global public health burden. New WHO Estimates Show Foodborne Parasites Still Taking a Global Toll
Diane Davis (Engineering) is developing space traffic management strategies to safely coordinate spacecraft around NASA’s Gateway lunar space station. ‘Now Boarding’ ...240,000 Miles From Earth, at the Moon’s First Airport
Gabriel Hamer, Timara Vereen (Agriculture and Life Sciences) and their Argentine colleagues validated a new solar-powered trap for monitoring disease-carrying kissing bugs in Argentina, strengthening international research that could improve efforts to track and prevent Chagas disease in the U.S. Fulbright Scholar’s Work in South America Helps Fight Chagas Disease in U.S.
Ian Hughes (Arts and Sciences) and team found that doomscrolling at work can fuel rumination and reduce employees’ work engagement, with the effects lingering beyond the time spent scrolling. Doomscrolling at Work Wastes Time, but the Real Cost Is What Happens After
Jenna Yentes (Education and Human Development) and team are studying whether subtle changes in walking patterns can reveal early biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease years before cognitive symptoms appear. Could the Way You Walk Reveal Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms Begin?
Jessica Labonté (Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies) found that Tropical Storm Bertha dramatically reduced the Gulf’s hypoxic “dead zone,” offering new insights into how storms may influence oxygen levels and marine ecosystems. Tropical Storm Bertha Drops ‘Dead Zone’ Ahead of Survey
Leif Andersson and Minal Jamsandekar (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) found that Atlantic herring have unprecedented diversity in immune genes, offering new insight into how species evolve to defend against pathogens. Texas A&M Researchers Discover Extraordinary Immune Gene Diversity in Atlantic Herring
Lucien Nana Yobo, Michael Waters and Jessi Halligan (Arts and Sciences) found geochemical evidence that a cluster of volcanic eruptions, rather than an extraterrestrial impact, likely triggered the Younger Dryas cooling period about 13,000 years ago. Volcanic Eruptions Explain One of Earth’s Most Debated Climate Mysteries
Marie Strader, James Fifer (Arts and Sciences) and team found that coral survivors of a devastating 2019 heat wave passed heat-tolerant genetic variants to their offspring, providing evidence of rapid evolution that could help reefs adapt to warming oceans. The Deadly Heat Waves Evolving Coral Reefs
Matthew Call (Business) and colleagues found that star employees create value differently throughout their careers, shifting from individual performance early on to mentoring, collaborating and developing future top performers later in their careers. How the Value of Star Employees Changes Over a Career
Murukarthick Jayakodi, Ambika Chandra, Sae Hyun Lee (Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Preethi Purushotham (AgriLife Research) developed the first complete zoysia grass genome, providing a foundation for faster breeding of drought-, heat- and stress-tolerant turfgrass varieties. First Full Zoysia Grass Genetic Blueprint Opens Doors for Drought-Tolerant Turf
Mustafa E. S. Akbulut (Engineering), Phillip Kaufman and Jordan Salomon (Agriculture and Life Sciences), along with their team, are developing three fast-acting, low-residue wound treatments designed to quickly kill New World screwworm larvae in livestock and provide ranchers with a rapid response option for infestations. Texas A&M Engineering Leads Work on Rapid Screwworm Treatment
Patrick Suermann and Chi Lan Huynh (Architecture) are developing autonomous construction technologies to improve jobsite safety on Earth and enable infrastructure development in harsh lunar environments. Tackling Construction’s Toughest Jobs on Earth — and the Moon
Pijuan Yu, Anzu Kawazoe, Rebecca Friesen (Engineering) and Ericka Greene (Engineering Medicine) are developing haptic technology that could enable physicians to remotely “feel” patients during exams, expanding access to specialized medical care for rural and underserved communities. A Hands-On Approach to Distance Medicine
Raghavan “Srini” Srinivasan (AgriLife Research) and more than 150 researchers from 32 countries across five continents converged in Greece for the 37th international conference on the latest applications and developments of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. Top Digital Modeling Scientists Share Expertise in Greece
Rebecca Brooker, Emily Mallin and JungWon Choi (Arts and Sciences) found that the link between synchrony and infant development is not as straightforward as previously believed. Greater Mother-Infant Synchrony Predicts Less Positive Emotion in Infants at High Levels of Maternal Anxiety
Rotem Dvir and Carol Goldsmith (Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy [ISTPP]), along with ISTPP research fellow Hyunseok Hwang, developed a text-based measure of social capital that captures emotional connections often missed by traditional surveys, offering new insights into how social relationships shape perceptions of environmental health risks. ISTPP Research – A New Study Published in International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (IJDRR)
Sayantan Tripathy, Samuel Mabbott and Gerard Coté (Engineering) developed a highly sensitive, portable test for cardiac troponin I that could bring faster heart attack diagnosis to ambulances, rural areas and other settings without immediate access to specialized laboratory equipment. Closing the Gap Between Suspecting a Heart Attack and Confirming It
Susanne Talcott, Stephen Talcott, Marco Palma, Shannon Schmidt-Combest (Agriculture and Life Sciences), Mark Holtzapple (Engineering) and team are exploring prickly pear cactus as a sustainable source of food ingredients and biofuels while developing markets and supply chains that could benefit farmers, consumers and rural communities. Research Explores New Markets for Prickly Pear Cactus
Thomas Kent (Institute of Biosciences and Technology), Larry Suva (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences), Karthik Mouli (Medicine) and team found that excess hydrogen sulfide production may contribute to immune dysfunction, chronic inflammation and age-related health complications in people with Down syndrome. Texas A&M Researchers Find New Clue to Why People With Down Syndrome Face Greater Infection Risks
Thomas McMillan (Business) found that families are spending record amounts on back-to-school shopping due to inflation, tariffs and a rise in oil prices, causing them to prioritize necessities and spread-out purchases. Back-to-School Shopping Starts Earlier, Lasts Longer and Costs More Than Ever
Tugce Aldemir (Education and Human Development), Donggil Song (Engineering), Ram Ray (Prairie View A&M) and team are developing an artificial intelligence-guided agriculture STEM learning model that helps rural middle school students use technology, data and scientific inquiry to solve real-world agricultural challenges and prepare for future careers. Preparing Rural Students for the Future of Agriculture
Zhe Zhang (Arts and Sciences) and team developed Sustainable Blue for Fishery Management, a user-friendly tool that combines climate and biogeochemistry data with industry input to help West Coast fishery managers make more informed, sustainable decisions. Sustainable Blue: A Participatory Spatial Decision Support System for Fishery Management
Zhilong Yang and Djamal Brahim Belhaouari (Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) found that excess RNA can damage mitochondria and reduce cellular energy production, offering new insights into viral infections, aging-related diseases and RNA-based therapies. Too Much RNA Can Starve Cells of Energy, Study Finds

Accomplishments

Arash Noshadravan (Engineering) received an Amazon Research Award to develop a reliable artificial intelligence inspection platform.

James Hirons, Tatiana Erukimova, Dawson Nodurft, William Bassichis, Scott Crawford and undergraduate Kaylyn Sitka (Arts and Sciences) co-authored a study that received the Physical Review Physics Education Research journal’s Editor’s Suggestion designation.

Jay Maddock (Public Health) was featured in “The Nature Dose,” a documentary about the health benefits of being in nature that was produced through a collaboration between The Redford Center and REI’s Cooperative Action Fund.

Ryan Higgins (Law) received the Education Law Association’s Education Law Scholars Early Career Fellowship, which supports emerging research scholars in education law and policy.

Funding

Nathan Tichenor, David Taylor (Bush Combat Development Center), Richard Miles, Rodney Bowersox and Thomas Lacy (Engineering) received a $14.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to support a project titled, “BAM Range Phase IIb Capability Development To Address DoW Critical Technologies.”

Jodie Lutkenhaus (Engineering), Karen Wooley, Daniel Tabor, Alison Fout and Emily Pentzer (Arts and Sciences) were awarded a $5 million Catalyst for Discovery Program Grant from the Robert A. Welch Foundation to develop new battery materials and advance more sustainable energy storage.

Yossef “Joe” Elabd (Engineering) received a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a project titled, “Weather Detection and Reporting for AAM.”

Sarah Trawinski and Julie Thompson (Education and Human Development) received a $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support a project titled, “Building Special Education Administrators for Change Through Outcomes and Networks (BEACON) Doctoral Training.”

Angela Mitchell, Beiyan Nan (Arts and Sciences) and Pushkar Lele (Engineering) received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project titled, “Regulation of Isoprenoid Carrier Homeostasis in Enterobacterales.”

Robert Brydia (Transportation Institute) received a $3 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to support a project titled, “Technical Support for Connected and Automated Vehicle Task Force.”

Richard Gomer (Arts and Sciences) received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project called, “Elucidation of a Eukaryotic Chemorepulsion Mechanism.”

Xin Yan (Arts and Sciences) received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project titled, “LipiX-MS: Chemical Crosslinking Mass Spectrometry Approach for Decoding Lipid-Protein Interactions.”

Yubin Zhou (Institute of Biosciences and Technology) received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project titled, “Molecular Control of Calcium Signaling at Membrane Contact Sites.”

Ali Bicer, Tugce Aldemir (Education and Human Development) and Donggil Song (Engineering) received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support a project titled, “AI-Driven Professional Development for Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers’ Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Mathematical Creativity and Creativity-Directed Teaching Practices.”

Zachary Steelman (Engineering) received a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project titled, “Advanced Label-Free Microscopy To Link Cell Structure to Mechanobiology.”

Jeetain Mittal (Engineering) received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a project titled, “Functional and Pathological Interactions of TDP-43.”

Tugce Aldemir (Education and Human Development) received a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support a project titled, “3AforCT: AI-Guided, Authentic, Ag-STEM Inquiry for Cultivating Computational Thinking in Rural Middle Schools.”

Santosh S. Palmate (AgriLife) was awarded a NASA grant through the A.8 Water Resources Applications program to develop a transboundary water data repository and modeling interface to support U.S.-Mexico cooperation on Rio Grande and border groundwater management.

Professional Development

Research Development Services offers faculty development programs and research funding workshops to assist in the process of applying for grants.             

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) offers virtual workshops that meet the face-to-face requirements of University SAP 15.99.99.M0.04. Please note that it is the responsibility of each college or school (with support or information from individual principal investigators) to ensure that all student and postdoctoral researchers associated with them are compliant with the RCR training requirements.             

High Performance Research Computing offers an ongoing series of short training courses for beginning, intermediate and advanced researchers.             

University Libraries presents a series of online workshops in research-related subjects, such as managing citations, managing research data, searching databases, and publishing and copyright.       

The Animal Welfare Office (AWO) offers virtual workshops that meet the continuing education requirements for investigators as described in the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” (“the Guide”). Common topics include understanding and applying Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines and crafting a well-written animal use protocol. Course offerings change quarterly.

Events

The Advancing Research, Creativity and Innovations Through Private Sector Partnerships workshop will be held Sept. 18 in MSC rooms 2300 D and E. This workshop will provide researchers with practical resources for initiating, structuring, and sustaining partnerships with the private sector including industry, philanthropic foundations, and nonprofit organizations. Register by Sept. 4.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026