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Also In This Issue

On Campus: News From Across Texas A&M

Yahoo for Yearbooks

Searching for long-lost Aggie history is easier than ever now that the Texas A&M University Yearbook Collection is online.

The free digital archive, produced by the Texas A&M University Libraries, enables users to explore the university’s history page-by-page or with keyword searches, such as names of people and organizations. Each page of every yearbook was scanned using optical character recognition software and the Internet Archive BookReader.

“By digitizing the yearbooks, we are providing access to a source of Texas A&M history widely requested by our patrons,” said Greg Bailey, university archivist. “This allows us to reach a greater number of former students and their families as they look to research their time at Texas A&M.”

With the exception of the four most recent years, the digital collection contains every Texas A&M yearbook produced, beginning with the first edition published in 1895 under the name Olio. The second yearbook was not published until 1903 under the new name The Longhorn and in 1949, the student body renamed the yearbook to the Aggieland.

The 1949 Aggieland editors addressed the name change in the first volume by stating, “This book is essentially the same as the many Longhorns that have preceded it, but it carries the name, you, the student body, chose to give to your yearbook.”

The libraries’ digitization efforts are part of an ongoing initiative to make more digital collection resources at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives available to the public for free. Funding for the yearbook collection archive was provided by the Class of 1949.

Visit library.tamu.edu/yearbooks to view the collection.

To support future digitization projects and the University Libraries, contact Adelle Hedleston ’88 at adelle-h@library.tamu.edu or (979) 862-4574.

The Art of Inspiration

Walking to class is more visually interesting thanks to a handful of unique creations by Texas sculptor George Tobolowsky. Seven welded steel abstract sculptures found a temporary home on campus in April and will remain through late December.

“The sculptures encourage a free exchange of ideas and opinions, which is precisely what this university is all about,” said Cathy Hastedt, director of the Texas A&M University Art Galleries.

The assemblages, a 3D art form similar to a two-dimensional collage, were brought to campus through a joint venture between the Arts Council of Brazos Valley and the university art galleries. Made from scrapyard metal, Tobolowsky’s sculptures reflect one part assemblage and one part recycling. Through the galleries’ partnership with the arts council, Hastedt plans to continue bringing outside exhibitions to campus to inspire students—ideally on a semester basis.

“We hope to enhance the academic experience by exposing students, staff and faculty to a wide variety of art forms,” she said. Tobolowsky’s sculptures are located on West Campus near the Wehner building as well as throughout Academic Plaza.

Engineering Leaders

The College of Education and Human Development offered a Chinese and Korean culture and language summer enrichment program in June for 45 incoming third and fourth graders in Bryan-College Station.

During the free, month-long program, students learned about Chinese and Korean cultures and languages through crafts, music performing arts, hands-on science projects and creative use of technology. More than 15 Chinese and Korean graduate students from Texas A&M University served as instructors and teaching assistants.

“Research shows that bilingual experience can have a positive impact on a child’s cognitive and socio-emotional development,” said associate professor Li-Jen Kuo.

The program was co-directed by Kuo and Professor Zohreh Eslami, who applied for a federal STARTALK grant for funding. STARTALK seeks to increase the number of Americans learning, speaking and teaching critical foreign languages by offering K-16 students and teachers engaging summer experiences.

Sex and Foreign Policy

Named a 2015 Andrew Carnegie Fellow for her research addressing urgent challenges to U.S. democracy and international order, Professor Valerie Hudson continues her studies in a new coauthored book, The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy.

As holder of the George H.W. Bush Chair in The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Hudson studies the relationship between national security and women’s stability. Her research indicates that one of the best predictors of a nation’s peacefulness is its level of violence against women.

Using fieldwork, policy analysis and case studies from Guatemala, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Hudson investigates the Hillary Doctrine, the assertion by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the subjugation of women worldwide poses a threat to U.S. national security.

Small Homes, Big Deed

Environmental design and construction science students in the College of Architecture made a case for small spaces by building two tiny houses for Austin-area homeless people.

The houses were designed for a contest sponsored by Texas A&M University’s Center for Housing and Urban Development. This summer, Texas A&M donated the buildings to Community First Village, a master-planned development that provides affordable, sustainable housing for disabled homeless people in the Austin area.

Each residence is 300 square feet or less and includes separate living and bedroom areas, multipurpose shelving, storage compartments and closet space. Because the village has communal facilities for cooking and bathing, the homes do not include kitchens or bathrooms.

“The students loved getting their hands on a real project and seeing their designs come to life,” said Ben Bigelow ’05, assistant professor of construction science. “They got a firsthand look at how long a building project takes and learned how weather delays and changes by designers create challenges for construction.”

Learn more about the Tiny Homes project:

Class Notes

Renovated and Revamped
The Department of Construction Science relocated into the newly renovated Francis Hall following completion of the building’s $10 million award-winning facelift. Through exposed cabling, ductwork and pipes, students are able to experience the inner workings of the building, making the space a lesson in itself.
Muster Monument
A monument designed by master of architecture students Carmen Torres ’14 and Luis Martinez ’12 was unveiled and installed on Corregidor Island during this year’s Muster ceremonies. The monument commemorates Aggies who fell defending Corregidor and the Bataan Providence in World War II.
No Weather Woes Here
LendEdu ranked Texas A&M University at Galveston fifth nationally among college campuses with the best weather due to its sunny days and mild climate. The Gulf sun adds extra appeal to the marine-based academics, which allow students to do things like operate ships and research sea turtles.
Climbing the Ranks
The College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences ranked No. 6 in the world and No. 3 in the nation by Quacquarelli Symonds, an educational services firm that rated the top 50 veterinary medicine schools globally based on academic reputation, employer reputation and academic citations in research papers.
A New Seal
After 52 years, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a new university seal to optimize brand recognition. The new design includes a “Block T” in the center as opposed to the traditional “T Star.”
Setting the Bar High
With a 79.59 percent pass rate, Texas A&M University School of Law ranked third among Texas law schools for first-time examinees’ pass rate on the February Texas Bar Exam. Thirty-nine of 49 Aggies passed.
The Missing Lynx
With the help of Startup Aggieland, Madison Jones ’14, Matt Kinsel ’15 and Jared Knowles ’16 launched Lynx Toys, a company that produces plastic couplings to connect foam pool noodles. In May 2015, they opened in the University/Post Oak Mall Co-Lab in College Station, the first time a Texas mall has opened a retail incubator in conjunction with a university.