Stories

Veterans in Engineering, Technology, and the Sciences (V.E.T.S.) officially launched in 2020. This program connects veterans, military, and non-traditional students to STEM programs. In addition to initiatives to assist veterans in STEM programs at TCU, V.E.T.S. is focused on academic advising, internships, networking, and peer support.

Carnivorous plants have a wild array of adaptations that help them flourish in nutrient-poor environments, which include strategies to lure prey to their traps. John Horner, TCU biology professor, is an evolutionary ecologist with research interests in plant-insect interactions. Here he answers some in-depth questions about these fascinating plants.

The College of Science and Engineering will launch its Peer Mentoring Program in the spring. For the program, students have been selected from each department major to peer mentor other students. Peer mentors will provide a connection with prospective, first-year, returning, transferring, and underrepresented students in their transition to the TCU community by providing resources to increase their success and engagement with the University.

October was first declared National Substance Abuse Prevention Month in 2011. It’s a time to highlight the important role of substance abuse prevention in both individual and community health, as well as an opportunity to remember those who have lost their lives to substance abuse. CSE's IBR and KPICD are working with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and other county juvenile probation departments on trying to prevent substance abuse in local and national communities.

Biology graduate student, Kimberlee Whitmore, biology alumna, Maddy Hannappel, and Matt Chumchal, biology professor and director of the Pre-Health Professions Institute, worked with a team of high school students and their teacher, Andrew Brinker, from the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences. They collected dragonflies for the Dragonfly Mercury Project at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.

SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) and SLA, two cultural organizations on TCU campus, hosted the Mexican Cultural Showcase on Sept. 25. The showcase brought many dances and performances from students and clubs on campus.

There was some big news this month in the College of Science & Engineering. TCU’s Department of Environmental Sciences was officially renamed the Department of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences.

Family Weekend is the perfect opportunity to experience the community your students call home. Families will have the opportunity to interact with the College of Science and Engineering’s world-class faculty and staff while enjoying refreshments. Check out the CSE Family Weekend activities here.

Matt McLennan has been named the new Houston Livestock and Rodeo Professor in Ranch Management at Texas Christian University. McLennan graduated from TCU’s Ranch Management program in 1992. After graduating, he worked in stocker cattle production and cow calf production in eastern New Mexico and in Comanche, Texas. McLennan managed the Beaumont Ranch south of Fort Worth for four years. This led him to the cattle feeding and stocker operations of the Panhandle area of Texas.