Texas A&M AgriLife Research Quarterly Newsletter | March 2022
Director's message
Cliff Lamb AgriLife research Acting Director
Howdy,

I am honored that The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recently confirmed that I would be serving as director for Texas A&M AgriLife Research. 

Our agency has a strong history as the premier agricultural and life science research entity in the country. AgriLife Research has earned that reputation by conducting cutting-edge research with positive impacts on commodities, natural resources and people's livelihoods in Texas, the United States and the world. My hope is that in the coming years, we will all work together and continue to advance AgriLife Research so that we gain additional recognition as THE premier agricultural and life sciences research entity, globally. To do this, we will need to effectively partner with other Texas A&M System agencies and universities, engage effectively with our state and federal agencies and strengthen our relationships with commodity entities and communities. 

As I have had the opportunity to engage with administrators, stakeholders and research faculty and staff, it has become clear that we will need to focus on enhancing our infrastructure and capacity to continue advancing AgriLife Research. 

For infrastructure, there is a statewide need for improvement in equipment, laboratories and bricks and mortar. Investment in some of these areas will be quick, whereas others will require a more strategic approach. The latter may involve local or state support and leveraging partnerships with sister institutions or agencies, such as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. 

The focus on growing capacity will be in three areas:
 
  1. Recruiting and hiring additional productive junior and established faculty. Some of this will be done through joint appointments with AgriLife Extension. 
  2. Increasing opportunities for graduate students, especially by providing avenues for graduate students to have valuable experiences at our off-campus locations. 
  3. Developing strategies to recruit and retain research support staff, especially given the current competitive job market.

The AgriLife Research office is currently restructuring its administrative organization to more effectively assess and implement approaches that ensure our researchers are appropriately resourced. One new position that we seek is an associate director for operations and development. This individual will have the skillset to assist our various units in operational strategies, such as budget, corporate purchasing and marketing of products. They will have the ability to provide development strategies and to work with units on fundraising opportunities — increasing resources for research. I look forward to having a completely staffed office by the end of April.

I intend to visit all on-campus academic departments and off-campus research centers within the next 12 months. I also hope to meet with various commodity groups and state/federal officials to discuss how we can all collaborate to enhance our research outputs. As we start a new era for AgriLife Research, I look forward to interacting with as many of you as possible. I am excited about what is to come.

Gig ‘em!
G. Cliff Lamb
Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research 
Agency news
Top experts recruited to lead Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture at Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA — the world’s first academic institute to connect responsive agriculture, precision nutrition, and behavioral and social sciences research for public health — announced today an expansion of its leadership team...
Texas A&M AgriLife Research turfgrass DALSA 1618 ready for production as 'Cobalt'
The latest turfgrass developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research will be the most drought-resistant St. Augustine variety on the market, researchers said. “It creates a healthy lawn with less frequent irrigation, saving increasingly important water resources,” said Ambika Chandra, Ph.D., AgriLife Research professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics, Dallas, in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
Texas to lead drone data processing, part of $15 million national wheat project
Texas A&M AgriLife will lead the creation of an unmanned aircraft system, UAS, data hub as a component of a $15 million grant that brings together the strengths of the public wheat breeding programs in 19 universities across the U.S.
Medical breakthrough could help produce more beef
Rodolfo Cardoso, DVM, Ph.D., assistant professor and reproductive physiologist in the Department of Animal Science, applies revolutionary advances in biomedical research to improve beef cattle reproductive efficiency.
Recognizing impact
Singh elected to National Academy of Engineering
Vijay Singh, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and Caroline and William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Leskovar earns horticulture society leadership award
Daniel Leskovar, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Centers at Dallas and Uvalde, has received the Paul Smeal Leadership and Administration Award, bestowed by the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science.
A life of impact: Neville Clarke, longtime Texas A&M AgriLife leader, dies
Neville Clarke, DVM, Ph.D., a giant in the story of Texas A&M AgriLife Research and that of many Texas A&M-based programs, has died. From his first leadership role in 1975 as director of AgriLife Research — known then as the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station — Clarke left an impression on the agriculture and health fields, and Texas A&M, that will endure for generations.
Research funding opportunities and project support

The Texas A&M AgriLife office of Corporate Engagement and Research Support, CERS, assists research faculty in obtaining federal and private funding for comprehensive multidisciplinary research projects. CERS aims to alleviate administrative burdens associated with larger projects, allowing faculty more focus on research activities. Read more about CERS and sign up for the office’s Weekly Funding Opportunity Newsletter online.
In the news
Texas A&M AgriLife Research making headlines

Texas A&M AgriLife Research faculty experts often provide science-based commentary on current events that affect the lives of all Texans. The following abridged selection of recent news articles features AgriLife Research expertise and innovative research programming.
The Aggie food moon shot

Patrick Stover, Ph.D., director of the new Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, discusses the IHA's mission to transform food systems for improved health.
Can Florida’s Iconic Citrus Industry Survive Its Own Pandemic?

Texas A&M AgriLife Research efforts — part of a $7 million project to combat citrus greening — work toward a spectrum of solutions to devastating citrus greening.
How a Texas songbird and its endangered status became the center of a fight over the Hill Country

Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute researchers discuss research on golden-cheeked warbler populations in Texas and dissent over the bird's listing as an endangered species.
Small fish could play large role in drought detection

Joshuah Perkin, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research fish ecologist in the Texas A&M Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, discusses how shiner minnow populations might reveal insights on future drought conditions.
Around Texas
The future of agricultural research across South Texas
Texas A&M AgriLife Research Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer Henry Fadamiro, Ph.D., (blue blazer) visits the Texas A&M AgriLife Research centers at Weslaco and Corpus Christi. Fadamiro met with faculty and staff to assess the needs of center facilities and discuss enhancing advanced agricultural research.
Follow Texas A&M AgriLife Research on social media | @txresearch