WT News & Notes | May 2026

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Here's a roundup of the latest news and accomplishments of West Texas A&M University students, faculty and staff.

WT Student Wins Second Place in Research Conference

Kyla Snyder, a senior chemistry major from Lubbock, won second place in a poster competition at the American Oil Chemists' Society annual meeting and expo.

Snyder presented a poster highlighting research into the use of cashew nut shells rather than petroleum-based chemicals in polymer industries while competing against undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the United States and Canada.

Snyder's research investigates whether the shells could produce an oil that's more effective than soybean or castor oil.

She received an AOCS membership and a $200 cash prize for her presentation.

In addition to the student competition, Dr. Maha Shrestha, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Physics in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, served as chair for the abstract review process for the AOCS Student Lightning Talk Competition, a featured session of the annual meeting.

The conference, held May 3-6 in New Orleans, provided opportunities for professional development, networking and the exchange of research ideas within the fields of oil chemistry, food science and related disciplines.

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Graduate Student Awarded Herpetological Research Grant

Grace Laskey, a graduate student in biology from Silver City, New Mexico, has been awarded the Laurence M. Klauber Memorial Summer Research Grant from the Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research.

The grant will support Laskey's thesis research project, "Diet of a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the State of Texas, the Western Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sisturus tergeminus)."

Her research focuses on the Western Massasauga Rattlesnake, a species identified as a conservation priority in Texas, and will contribute to a greater understanding of its ecology and dietary habits.

The Western Massasauga Rattlesnake is native to the Texas Panhandle.

The external funding highlights both the quality of graduate student research taking place within the Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the importance of conservation-focused scientific study, said Dr. Dylan Maag, assistant professor of biology.

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Business Students Take BuffTrek to Ben E. Keith

Students from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business recently visited the Ben E. Keith Distribution Center in Amarillo on their latest BuffTrek excursion.

The trip, part of a continued effort to integrate academic learning with real-world industry experience, provided a comprehensive look into the logistical and corporate operations of one of the region's major employers, said Dr. Robert A. King, associate dean of undergraduate business programs.

Students received a multi-disciplinary overview of how a large-scale enterprise functions, with rapid-fire sessions with department heads, an etiquette lunch and a tour of warehouse facilities.

"The goal of BuffTreks is to get our students in front of professionals and alumni to build their networks early," King said. "We want them to see exactly what their future careers could look like and ensure they feel like an active part of the business community before they even graduate."

Participating students were Cesar Zazueta Cabrera, a senior finance major from Dumas; Rylyn Forsman, a junior accounting major from Amarillo; Lizbeth Fuentes, an MBA student from Dimmitt; Gavin Rinehardt, a senior finance major from Arlington, Washington; Tory Trahern, a senior finance and accounting major from Sunray; and Maylee Wertz, a senior marketing major from Balko, Oklahoma.

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Promoting quality, both in education and student work, is a cornerstone of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

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