Campus News and Events

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.

Mindful, passionate, unfiltered, outspoken, cultured, artists. These are words a group of young students used to describe themselves after attending Barrio Writers, a one-week creative writing workshop hosted by the Antonio E. Garcia Arts & Education Center and facilitated by faculty from the College of Education and Human Development and the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

One member of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi family, Dr. Stephen Lenz, associate professor of counseling education, and his students have partnered with Community Action Corporation of South Texas (CACOST) on a project titled Behavioral and Health Outreach Leadership Development (BHOLD).

The Department of Theatre and Dance offered two versions of its first play of the fall 2018 season, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” one traditional and one that was sensory friendly.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi touched every corner of the Island campus. With 30+ events in 30 days, Islanders and community members celebrated the vibrant histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Between studying for exams, completing semester projects, and maintaining self-care, college can be difficult. With the addition of a chronic health condition, students not only face the common challenges of higher education, but also the management of illness while striving to earn good grades. When Kierra “Keke” Hill, a sophomore majoring in psychology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, had to leave classes mid-semester during spring 2018 for an operation, she continued pursuing her degree with the support of Islander faculty and staff.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi collaborated with surrounding local special education classes, to arrange an adapted rehearsal by Russian Renaissance for students affected by Sensory Processing Disorder on Oct. 10.

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.

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.

For the second year in a row, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi nursing and health science students took time out of their summer to help the disadvantaged.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is proud to announce “The Texas State Aquarium Endowed Scholarship in Biodiversity and Conservation Science,” a new scholarship funded by the Texas State Aquarium.

John Harrison, a senior physics major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was selected to participate in the Department of Energy’s highly competitive Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for the summer 2018 term.

Each year, students from across South Texas gather at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to flex their scientific muscles in a hands-on engineering competition. This year marks the seventh anniversary of that contest – the Coastal Bend Engineering Competition.

Dr. Jeremy Conkle, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Physical and Environmental Science, and Dr. Ajay Katangur, associate professor in the Department of Computing Sciences, recently earned two National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grants, totaling $739,798.

John Harrison, a senior physics major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was selected to participate in the Department of Energy’s highly competitive Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for the summer 2018 term.

Encouraging innovative research with real-world impact, supporting partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations, and providing unique opportunities are all part of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s mission. Support for these ideas drove the Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by the Division of Research, Commercialization, and Outreach (RCO) and Institutional Advancement.

To support Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi faculty and the exceptional research they produce, the Center for Faculty Excellence is now offering Travel Grants of up to $1,000 to aid them in presenting research or pedagogy at conferences within the United States.

Dr. Christopher Patrick was one of 20 individuals from around the country to receive a 2018 Early-Career Research Fellowship from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi touched every corner of the Island campus. With 30+ events in 30 days, Islanders and community members celebrated the vibrant histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

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.

Between studying for exams, completing semester projects, and maintaining self-care, college can be difficult. With the addition of a chronic health condition, students not only face the common challenges of higher education, but also the management of illness while striving to earn good grades. When Kierra “Keke” Hill, a sophomore majoring in psychology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, had to leave classes mid-semester during spring 2018 for an operation, she continued pursuing her degree with the support of Islander faculty and staff.

The theme of the event was centered around the movie “Coco” and offered a myriad experience of Latin culture including food from local vendors and an “ofrenda” highlighting eight Latina and Latinos and their contributions to society.

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.

Each year, the National Islander Alumni Association and Islanders Athletics at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi celebrate Islander alumni who positively impact both the University and their communities. The nomination process for 2019 nominees is now OPEN!

Tales of survival and perseverance after Harvey poured out from all over Texas, though the stories, even a year later, often provoke tears and solemn memories. And while there are many stories of loss, below are the accounts of three Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey and their determination to succeed, even under dire circumstances.

The landscape of Corpus Christi is changing – one wall at a time. The city today looks very different than it did 10 years ago. With a rapidly expanding arts movement, and murals cropping up all over the city, the “Sparkling City by the Sea” is gleaming brighter than ever. As this transformation occurs, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is proud to call many leaders of this new mural movement “family” – Islander family.

The Bailando International Dance Festival celebrated its 19th year with guest artists Ad Deum Dance Company, Ballet Austin, Danza Universitaria and NobleMotion Dance Company. The annual series of well-attended evening dance concerts and master classes was held Oct. 4-6 at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The Department of Theatre and Dance offered two versions of its first play of the fall 2018 season, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” one traditional and one that was sensory friendly.

A dramatic spike in the number of student applications since the 2011-12 school year has vaulted Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi into the top three U.S. postsecondary institutions where student applications are on the rise. The new data analysis list released by 24/7 Wall Street ranks the Island University at No. 3 in the top 100 colleges and universities for a five-year range.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi touched every corner of the Island campus. With 30+ events in 30 days, Islanders and community members celebrated the vibrant histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

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.