Campus News and Events

The Islander Army ROTC program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi develops a dutiful culture centered on molding cadets through a basic Army training regimen while also providing students with a solid future, civilian or military, built upon strong character, respect, and leadership skills to excel in any facet of their lives.

To help students struggling with literacy, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College of Education and Human Development has partnered with John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Oso ISD for an initiative called Islanders Helping the Early Acceleration of Readers Together (iHeart).

In a moving demonstration of how we’re all connected, Islanders gathered to spread a paper chain across campus. Faculty, staff, and students christened each link with words of encouragement displaying their caring for each member of the University.

Many people only dream of meeting NFL greats, but Joseph Eberhardt, senior athletic training major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, spent the summer working with some of his favorite players as an athletic training intern with the NFL Buffalo Bills in New York.

The Island University is currently hosting two international instructors to teach critical language courses in Arabic and Chinese. The partnership allows Islander students to gain exposure to two important and sometimes misunderstood cultures while the instructors receive professional career development and an immersive United States experience.

Set up in celebration of International Games Week, the escape room challenged the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi community – students, faculty, and staff – to team up and test their minds in a competition to see who can most quickly navigate the puzzle-filled room.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has teamed up with West Oso High School to create “Learn from the Experts,” a 10-week after-school program that allows Spanish-speaking high school student and English-speaking Islander students to help each other become bilingual.

To some, an art gallery is a place to go to immerse themselves in art. To others, they are rooms filled with knowledge of history, both current and past. To Atlanta-based artist Martha Whittington, a gallery is a canvas waiting to be filled with sculpted pieces of intrigue and beauty.

Christopher Potter, senior business major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, is the epitome of Islander pride. Led by a fascination with the University’s origins and a desire to share that information with others, Potter created a documentary detailing the entire history of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Shakas up” to Gino Montalvo `12, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The former radio host, turned real estate agent, is starring in a new HGTV pilot called “Shoring the House,” which is set in Corpus Christi.

He’s known affectionately as “Mr. Islander.” He’s a constant fixture at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi events, from Homecoming to alumni meet and greets to Islanders sporting games. Now, Ed Cantu `81 will be able to check another box off his Islander bucket list as he delivers the commencement address to 535 graduating students at the summer 2018 commencement ceremony.

From your first day on the job to the day you retire, it is the unsung heroes – the people who work in Human Resources (HR) department – who help navigate the many milestones of a career. Denise Rocha, who will be one of 535 students walking the stage during Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s summer commencement ceremony on Aug. 4, hopes to one day become an “HR hero” so she can positively impact people within an organization.

A group 15 faculty members and students representing the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi gave a total of seven presentations at the 44th Annual Transcultural Nursing Society Conference, which was held Oct. 18-20 in San Antonio.

In a moving demonstration of how we’re all connected, Islanders gathered to spread a paper chain across campus. Faculty, staff, and students christened each link with words of encouragement displaying their caring for each member of the University.

On Aug. 2, a total of 35 undergraduates, four graduates, one doctoral student, and one community nurse leader were inducted into the Eta Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau in front of their friends and family.

Scientists, activists, and leaders from all over the world have set an ambitious goal of finding a cure for AIDS by 2030, and two Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi nursing professors are making a meaningful impact toward that mission. Dr. Mary Jane Hamilton and Dr. Liz Sefcik have each taken a holistic approach to researching persons living with HIV.

It’s not every day that a college student has the chance to participate in a national conference, let alone attend one in their own backyard. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students were excited to have this unique opportunity in mid-November as the Texas Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) held its biannual meeting on campus for the first time. Students and faculty from across the state of Texas came to the Island University to engage in thoughtful discussion and idea sharing.

Bacteria are a natural part of life and can be found everywhere. However, while unavoidable, bacteria are not something to be afraid of, according to Nicole Elledge, a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Ph.D. student in the marine biology program who received a $9,000 Eugene and Millicent Goldschmidt Graduate Student Award last year. The funds helped her to kick-start her research on tracking bacteria that indicate fecal contamination in Corpus Christi Bay. While it may be a gross study, it’s one that’s important.

The Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation (LSUASC) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi entered into an agreement on Oct. 31 with Nueces County to provide emergency drone support in the event of future natural disasters.

From a relaxing boat ride to the Laguna Madre Field Station to a feast of savory Cajun-style shrimp, Islander alumni, faculty, and staff enjoyed an idyllic afternoon of science, food, and sunshine as part of the 2018 Alumni Shrimp Boil, hosted by the College of Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Oct. 27.

It’s not every day that a college student has the chance to participate in a national conference, let alone attend one in their own backyard. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students were excited to have this unique opportunity in mid-November as the Texas Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) held its biannual meeting on campus for the first time. Students and faculty from across the state of Texas came to the Island University to engage in thoughtful discussion and idea sharing.

Bacteria are a natural part of life and can be found everywhere. However, while unavoidable, bacteria are not something to be afraid of, according to Nicole Elledge, a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Ph.D. student in the marine biology program who received a $9,000 Eugene and Millicent Goldschmidt Graduate Student Award last year. The funds helped her to kick-start her research on tracking bacteria that indicate fecal contamination in Corpus Christi Bay. While it may be a gross study, it’s one that’s important.

While prime-time TV shows would have us believing it only takes one hour to solve a crime, Dr. Wendi Pollock, associate professor of criminal justice at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, knows that’s not the case and has made it her mission to prepare the next generation of real-life criminal justice heroes.

To help students struggling with literacy, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College of Education and Human Development has partnered with John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Oso ISD for an initiative called Islanders Helping the Early Acceleration of Readers Together (iHeart).

Despite the lingering chill in the November air, hearts were warm as Islanders gathered together in the University Center to kick off International Education Week (Nov. 12-16) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. At the celebration, the delicious aroma of food from India, Jamaica, Brazil and more was accompanied by the sound of cheerful chatter as the campus community celebrated international students.

The Islander Army ROTC program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi develops a dutiful culture centered on molding cadets through a basic Army training regimen while also providing students with a solid future, civilian or military, built upon strong character, respect, and leadership skills to excel in any facet of their lives.

The Island University is currently hosting two international instructors to teach critical language courses in Arabic and Chinese. The partnership allows Islander students to gain exposure to two important and sometimes misunderstood cultures while the instructors receive professional career development and an immersive United States experience.

Set up in celebration of International Games Week, the escape room challenged the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi community – students, faculty, and staff – to team up and test their minds in a competition to see who can most quickly navigate the puzzle-filled room.

Preparations are underway at the Island University for Homecoming Week 2019, set to take place Sunday, Feb. 3, through Saturday, Feb. 9. For details on Homecoming 2019 events, visit IslanderHoco.com.

The Joan Aleshire and LeRoy Arthur Ufkes Excellence Fund in Spanish was established by Dr. Frances M. Ufkes `15, Islander alumna, in memory of her parents. Although she had a successful career first as a geography professor at Dartmouth College and then as a hospital administrator in Iowa, Ufkes discovered a new passion while working with Spanish speaking patients at a clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. Ufkes created this annual scholarship and other special awards to inspire other Islanders to discover the wonders of Spanish and to help the Spanish-speaking community of South Texas.

From a relaxing boat ride to the Laguna Madre Field Station to a feast of savory Cajun-style shrimp, Islander alumni, faculty, and staff enjoyed an idyllic afternoon of science, food, and sunshine as part of the 2018 Alumni Shrimp Boil, hosted by the College of Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Oct. 27.

Islander alumnus Matthew Trevino is in the running for a Grammy Music Educator Award. The San Antonio-based elementary school music specialist learned in early October he was one of 25 semifinalists vying to move on to the final round, which whittles the field down to 10 music teachers from over 2,800 nominations from across the U.S. A winner will be announced in 2019.

Despite the lingering chill in the November air, hearts were warm as Islanders gathered together in the University Center to kick off International Education Week (Nov. 12-16) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. At the celebration, the delicious aroma of food from India, Jamaica, Brazil and more was accompanied by the sound of cheerful chatter as the campus community celebrated international students.

It’s not every day that a college student has the chance to participate in a national conference, let alone attend one in their own backyard. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students were excited to have this unique opportunity in mid-November as the Texas Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) held its biannual meeting on campus for the first time. Students and faculty from across the state of Texas came to the Island University to engage in thoughtful discussion and idea sharing.

The Islander Army ROTC program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi develops a dutiful culture centered on molding cadets through a basic Army training regimen while also providing students with a solid future, civilian or military, built upon strong character, respect, and leadership skills to excel in any facet of their lives.

The Island University is currently hosting two international instructors to teach critical language courses in Arabic and Chinese. The partnership allows Islander students to gain exposure to two important and sometimes misunderstood cultures while the instructors receive professional career development and an immersive United States experience.

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi attended a forum hosted by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Academic Network from July 30 to Aug. 3.

The public now has online access to these historical and legally significant documents, the earliest of which are the Blucher Family Papers, thanks to a partnership between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Special Collections and Archives Department at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library and the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science.

Dr. Tianxing Chu, assistant research scientist at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science, and researchers from Wuhan University, China, created an app to improve smartphone limitations when it comes to GPS.

Dr. Michael Starek, associate professor of geospatial systems engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, received a $41,084 grant from the National Academies of Sciences' Gulf Research Program Scientific Research Disaster Recovery Grants.

Nestled on the second floor of the Mary & Jeff Bell Library, Graduate Resource and Opportunity Workplace, better known as GROW, facilitates the unique needs of graduate students. The space is a comprehensive resource at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi that illustrates commitment to service excellence for more than 2,200 currently enrolled graduate students.

An information session about Study in America will be held Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the University Center, room 310. All interested students are invited to attend.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi doctoral student Kevin Nelson spent eight weeks at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center conducting proprietary research on the development of new algorithms used to identify extreme precipitation events as well as examine their spatiotemporal and physical characteristics.

VANTAGE, which stands for Vocational Awareness and Team-Based Girls Empowerment, challenged the young ladies to explore career opportunities, gain leadership skills and establish meaningful relationships with high-achieving women in the community.