WT AG Students Elected as Student Body President & Vice President

Congratulations to Mary Vivian Ivey and Boone Begert on being elected as WTAMU Student Body President and Vice President.

Both individuals are students of the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and are heavily involved in WT AG.

Begert is a member of the Herdsmen team, Alpha Gama Rho and serves as an Ag Ambassador. Ivey is involved in Delta Zeta, Rodgers LEAD and is also an Ag Ambassador.

Ivey explained how the Department of Agricultural Sciences has prepared her for this opportunity to serve the students at WTAMU.

"My journey at WT Ag transformed me completely," Ivey said. "The perfect blend of competition and support in the ag building built my confidence and revealed leadership potential I never knew I had. Without these incredible opportunities, professors, and peers, I would never have dreamed of standing here today."

Saying Farewell to Retiring Faculty

As the end of the semester draws near, two faculty members will be retiring from WTAMU: Paul Engler Professor of Microbiology, Dr. Carolyn Bouma and Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Donna Byers.

Their contributions to the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and their impact on students will be remembered.

We wish them the best of luck on their new adventures and thank them for their time serving WTAMU!

Dr. Carolyn Bouma has been an integral part of the WTAMU community for the past 20 years. During that time, Dr. Bouma taught basic and upper division biology courses, including Microbiology, Medical Microbiology and Histology. Dr. Bouma also assumed a leading role as advisor to students in WTAMU's pre-professional health programs. Dr. Bouma describes herself as a no-nonsense educator- she has high expectations for her students, and does her part to help them excel, in and out of the classroom.

"I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with many wonderful faculty colleagues in LEES, across the University and for the support of many wonderful staff members," Dr. Bouma said. "And, of course, it’s always a privilege to play a part in guiding our students toward their goals."

Dr. Bouma says that she looks forward to spending more time going to the gym, traveling and reading.

Dr. Donna Byers joined the faculty at WTAMU in 2015 and has taught basic and upper division biology courses, including Introductory Biology, Cancer Biology and Cell biology.

Dr. Byers is known as a mentor to her colleagues and for her dedication to students. Dr. Byers also plays a significant role as advisor to students pursuing a pre-professional health specialization, and specifically to pre-dental students.

"While at WTAMU, I've had the amazing opportunity to teach and mentor some of our most talented students, the next generation of scientists and healthcare providers," Dr. Byers said. "To think that I have played a small part in laying their foundation is an awesome thing. Now I'm excited to see the new and incoming faculty bringing their energy and fresh ideas to our department and campus."

Faculty Awarded During Spring College Meeting

The Spring Faculty/Staff College Meeting was held on

Thursday, May 8.

During this meeting, many faculty members were awarded for their contributions, service and dedication to WTAMU and the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

Two new faculty were recognized, Dr. Kayla Alward and Dr. JP Andrade.

Dr. Carolyn Bouma and Dr. Donna Byers were honored for their hard work and contribution to the College and their upcoming retirement.

Additionally, two faculty members were honored by the University: Dr. Bridget Guerrero was awarded with the Distinction in Sponsored Research and Dr. Ty Lawrence was named as the Faculty Senate Regents Professor.

Faculty Awards for 2024-2025

Dr. Olivia Villanueva

Instructional Responsibilities - Chemistry & Physics

Dr. Bridget Guerrero

Intellectual Contributions - Agricultural Sciences

Sara-Louise Newcomer

Professional Service - Life, Earth & Environmental Sciences

Christy Adams

Young Faculty - Agricultural Sciences

Fernando Diaz

Young Faculty - Life, Earth & Environmental Sciences

Congratulations to these outstanding faculty members!

Student Wins Research Poster Competition

Biochemistry major, Marlene Jantes, presented research at the American Oil Chemists' Society's Annual Meeting & Expo in Portland, Oregon on April 27-30.

AOCS is an international, professional society that presents recent research findings, oversees proficiency testing, supplies reference materials and collaborates with other scientific organizations to scientific advancement.

Jantes won first place in the industrial oil products category for the poster competition. Her research was concerning the liquid from cashew shells as a sustainable source for synthesizing types of molecules and epoxy resin.

This research was funded by the Welch Department Fellowship, National Science Foundation and McNair Scholars Program.

Congratulations Marlene on this accomplishment!

The Ag Gathering 2025

Students, faculty and staff from the Department of Agricultural Sciences gathered at the Piehl- Schaeffer Pavilion on May 7, for The Ag Gathering, an annual event held to celebrate the past year's achievements.

This year's Kentucky Derby themed event recognized judging and athletic teams, outstanding seniors and underclassmen, student organizations and scholarship recipients.

Over 40 underclassmen from the Department were recognized. McKinley Begert was named Outstanding MS Graduate Student, and Kasi Schneid and Megan Eckhardt as Outstanding PhD Graduate Students.

Additionally, senior agriculture major, Campbell Offield, and junior agricultural business and economics major, Henry Downing, were honored with the Smallwood Leaders Award.

Junior animal science major, Helene Keiser was recognized as WT Intern of the Year.

Outstanding Seniors

Emma Bohnen - Agricultural Business & Economics

Elijah Weisensee - Agribusiness

Haley Bucher - Equine Industry & Business