On Campus: News From Across Texas A&M

New Program for Military Medicine

The Texas A&M College of Medicine is partnering with the Corps of Cadets to create quality military physicians through a new initiative called the Cadet to Medicine Early Assurance Program. This program will grant early admittance to Texas A&M’s medical school to high-performing cadets who demonstrate an interest in military medicine.

Each admissions cycle, up to five undergraduate members of the Corps who qualify and have a minimum 3.5 GPA will be conditionally admitted to the program during their junior year. Once accepted, cadets will receive free MCAT preparation, attend a seminar and shadow experienced practicing physicians.

“We are happy to continue honoring Texas A&M’s military legacy through this pipeline program with the College of Medicine,” said Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez ’79, Commandant of the Corps. “It is another opportunity for our cadets to showcase their talents, leadership and dedication to service through a targeted military medicine program that will serve to produce more military physicians for our nation.”

StoryCorps Compiles Aggie Stories

Last spring, StoryCorps gathered the inspirational stories of more than 40 Aggies as part of its national oral history project.

StoryCorps is a nonprofit that began in 2003 with a mission to archive the personal stories of our time and create a culture of listening. Since then, stories from all 50 states and locations worldwide have been compiled to create the largest single collection of human voices ever recorded. The stories are preserved in the Library of Congress Archives and shared with listeners across numerous platforms, including National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

The organization’s stop in Aggieland brought moving tales from students, former students, Yell Leaders, professors, and even President Michael K. Young and Chancellor John Sharp ’72. Not every story is easy to listen to, as some Aggies describe difficult events, from surviving a terrorist attack to surviving college as a first-generation student. Other stories bring forward the beauty of Texas A&M and its dedicated faculty and staff. Although the storytellers are individually unique, their tales are tied together by the Aggie Spirit and themed by the university’s core values. To listen to Aggieland’s stories, visit tamu.edu/storycorps.

Calling All Cultures

This spring, students traveled the world in seven days without ever leaving campus during the Texas A&M International Student Association’s annual International Week, or “I-Week.” There were seven international-themed events centered around the food, dance, dress and history of diverse cultures.

International Student Association President Fatima Wood ’19 emphasized the opportunity the event provided to promote understanding and celebration of different cultures among students. She especially praised I-Dinner, a culinary exhibition showcasing signature dishes from different countries. “Food and cooking are such integral parts of the formation of cultural identities,” Wood said, “and eating is something that everyone does, so what better way to bring people together?”

Other I-Week events included a student soccer tournament with teams representing different countries; a temporary henna tattoo station in Rudder Plaza; exhibits that displayed the rich history and traditions of countries; and a show in which students wore traditional costumes from different cultures and showcased their talent through performances, such as singing and dancing. Throughout the week, donations were also collected for 12th Can, the Texas A&M student-run food pantry.

Living Wall Showcases Plants

Merging by-product sheet metal from the automotive industry and drought-tolerant plants, Texas A&M University students and architecture professors Ahmed Ali and Bruce Dvorak designed and built a new “living wall” on the south side of Langford Architecture Center’s building B. The wall’s design offers an innovative approach on the “green wall,” a type of vertical gardening system that is popular in public buildings and places across Europe.

Crafted from galvanized sheet metal, the wall reduces heat consumption while demonstrating a sustainable, long-lasting and economical design. “This is the first living green wall made from sheet metal scrap generated from the automotive industry,” Ali said. “Our students cut the metal using a computer-controlled water jet, formed wall system units and assembled them with aluminum rivets, increasing their knowledge of design using unconventional materials.”

In the semesters leading up to the wall’s construction, students researched design patterns to determine which would best reflect sunlight before creating diamond-shaped planters. Dvorak chose hardy plants that would resist extreme heat, drought and wind to grow in the wall’s vertical insulated pockets.

Funded by a grant from Texas A&M and General Motors Co., the project allowed architecture and landscape architecture students to work across disciplines and promote sustainable development.