Stories

Eric Simanek, chair of TCU's Chemistry Department, leads the TCU Whiskey School. In his lectures, Simanek examines how science, technology, law, history, and art have impacted whiskey production.

College of Science & Engineering students Kynnedy Brown, Griffin McPherson, Jasmine Paz, and Kayla Thomas are among the first STEM Scholars to receive their degrees. In addition to 100 percent retention, their average GPA is 3.4. These stellar students have positively impacted the strength and vitality of the TCU community through their academic achievements, community involvement and commitment to the greater good.

It’s a normal part of existence, and nobody is immune to it. When stress rears its ugly head, it’s important to understand the causes and arm yourself with ways to combat it. In recognition of Stress Awareness Month, Casey Call, associate director of education at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development and associate professor of professional practice in the TCU Department of Psychology, shares the different ways we experience stress and how to best deal with it.

Omar Harvey understands the benefits of service learning for his students. Through the opportunities he presents, they learn more about the community and themselves while fulfilling a local need and meeting classroom or degree requirements. Harvey believes that service learning is important because it connects what is taught in the classroom with real-world experiences and instills the habit of performing a service for others.

TCU is involved in conservation and preservation efforts. This Earth Day, we look back at stories on how the College of Science & Engineering is making an impact, both locally and globally.

Recognizing a lack of emphasis on alternative energies in K-12 curricula, the University of Cambridge developed the “Primary School Energy Mapping Challenge.” TCU Chemistry Club has partnered with this initiative to help local elementary schools implement and investigate the benefits of renewable energy, assist in calculating the financial benefits of solar panels over a span of multiple years, and to help young students use proper design and debating skills to persuade the decision makers of Texas into investing in renewable energy.

At a reception this week, seven teams of exceptional students were recognized for the work they’ve accomplished through Experiential Projects to Impact the Community (EPIC) Grants. Since 2020 these students have worked with TCU faculty/staff and several partner organizations on service projects that have benefited TCU’s campus and the Fort Worth Community.

The student organization Food Recovery Network is sponsoring an online donation drive for Union Gospel Mission, one of the nonprofit organizations it serves. FRN hopes students, faculty and staff will want to participate. The mission has wish lists at Amazon, Target and Walmart.

Last year a collaborative effort was launched by TCU’s Department of Engineering, the TCU Electrical Department and the multi-disciplinary engineering firm of Baird, Hampton & Brown in Fort Worth to assess the power quality in TCU buildings. Morgan Kiani, associate professor of electrical engineering at TCU, says, “Specifically our overall objective is to assess the consumption of reactive power. By accurate compensation of reactive power (i.e. improving power factor), the cost of electricity will improve, and we will only pay for the active power.”