Podcasts about whitacre college

Robotics outreach, education research and service learning are key components to the integrated scholarship of Tanja Karp, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. For more than a decade, Karp has developed and promoted outreach efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Essential to this focus has been the Get Excited About Robotics (GEAR) program, which she launched in 2007 as a LEGO robotics-based competition for area students. GEAR has also provided an opportunity for Texas Tech engineering students to serve the community. Freshmen enrolled in Karp’s service learning course meet with and mentor student teams that are participating in the GEAR program. Karp’s findings from her outreach efforts have provided a basis for research in STEM education, particularly as it pertains to student retention. The topic has additionally enabled Karp to collaborate with faculty across disciplines on her research. She is a member of the Texas Tech Teaching Academy and faculty adviser to the Society of Women Engineers, in addition to serving on university committees. In 2012 Karp received the Whitacre College of Engineering’s Butler Distinguished Educator Fellow Award, and the Harriet B. Rigas Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Education Society.

The director of Texas Tech University Press has some words of wisdom for transforming a doctoral dissertation into a book manuscript; the Rawls College of Business showed improved rankings for its undergraduate and master's accounting programs; the Whitacre College of Engineering has tapped a $2 million donation for its Petroleum Engineering Research Building. Also, Provost Bob Smith spotlights Integrated Faculty Scholar Genevieve Durham DeCesaro.

Texas Tech has broken ground on the new home of the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering; cybersecurity education earns the Whitacre College of Engineering and School of Law a grant from NSF; Peggy Miller promoted to vice provost; and the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization established in the Honors College. Also, Provost Bob Smith profiles Integrated Faculty Scholar Linda Allen.

Imagine being tagged “a world expert.” That’s exactly how a number of Professor Jackson’s peers characterize him. Indeed, noted endowed professors at Purdue and Rice universities recently wrote about him: “Dr. Jackson’s major research focus is biological wastewater treatment, and Andrew is a recognized international leader in that field,” and, “[He] is unquestionably a world expert on the transport, fate, and remediation of perchlorate in the environment.” Because of his expertise, Professor Jackson was recently invited to go to Antarctica as a member of a field team of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The field team is part of a research group that focuses on Mars exploration and the search for life on Mars. They used Antarctica as a model for Mars, and since perchlorate has been found on Mars, Professor Jackson was invited to participate on the Antarctica trip. His grant record, including more than $2.3 million in competitive awards over 13 years, attests to his mastery in the field of environmental engineering. Apparently, his colleagues in the Whitacre College of Engineering also agree, since they have recognized him as a top departmental and college-level researcher on several occasions. As a teacher, Professor Jackson receives high marks both from undergraduate and graduate students through course evaluations. His success in assisting graduate students in master’s and doctoral programs is also well above the norm. On the service side, Professor Jackson is the academic adviser for all environmental engineering majors, faculty adviser for the student chapter of the Water Environment Federation, and has recently been appointed graduate adviser for the environmental and water resources area of civil engineering. He also is an associate editor of the world-recognized journal Air Water & Soil Pollution. Professor Jackson also has served on the editorial boards of two other respected journals. If these efforts are not enough to inform of his teaching and research, Professor Jackson has unselfishly served as external reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s small business development grant programs. Additionally, he currently is serving on the steering committee for the annual NASA Life Support Conference (i.e., The International Conference on Environmental Systems, or ICES). Taken together, we consider that his roles as research world expert, notable teacher, and unselfish contributor to his discipline – coupled with his ability to bring such experiences together for the benefits of students, faculty, and staff at TTU – all make a strong case for the integrated scholarship of Professor Andrew Jackson.