Research Newsletter

Engaging Research

Spring/Summer 2023

A collage of pictures from the Town Hall / Run to R1 1k run/walk event. From top to bottom, left to right: the Provost, President, and Vice President for Research speaking at the Town Hall; Translational Health Center staff walking at the 1k; STAR Park staff walking at the 1k run/walk event; Texas State University cross country team running at the 1k run/walk event; Divison of Research staff posing with President and the 1k run/walk event

Greetings from the Vice President for Research

Boots
Putting our best boot forward on the run to R1!

This has been a remarkable year for the TXST research community! We continue to make strides in our Run to R1. President Damphousse has committed to investing over $18 million in the Run to R1 initiative, including funding for post-doctoral researchers and additional Ph.D. tuition scholarships, stipends, and course release time for faculty members to concentrate on research.
 
We have seen this investment bear fruit, with record-breaking numbers of doctoral student applications, admissions, research assistantships, and tuition scholarships. The Run to R1 Postdoctoral Researcher Catalyst program attracted over 100 applications and resulted in 30 awards.
 
Our faculty have risen to the challenge! They attended a Run to R1 Town Hall hosted by the President, Provost, and me. Then, they participated in a literal Run to R1 1K run/walk. In case you missed it, a recording of the Town Hall is available on President Damphousse’s Run to R1 website. Research expenditures continue to build momentum, too. Total research and development expenditures are currently 40% over last year’s expenditures, and we are on pace to become an R1 by our target date.
 
This issue of Engaging Research highlights the impactful work of our colleagues. You will read about basic research and emerging corporate and community partnerships that will help position TXST as a leader in real-world change. We share stories about sports video game culture, management of an ecosystem for sustainable water use, mercury and selenide concentrations in Texas Bay and offshore fishes, research with an industrial partner to develop cooling technology for treating exertional heatstroke, and an awards program that recognizes resilience among the small Texas businesses hosted by our Translational Health Research Center and SCALEUP, a program of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
 
I am thrilled to be a part of this great university and am honored to share these stories of accomplishment with you!

New Faculty Research Spotlight

Ali Forbes - School of Journalism & Mass Communication

Faculty Research Spotlight

Cold tubs

Kevin Miller - Health and Human Performance

Texas State Faculty and Industry Partner on Research Cooling Technology to Treat Exertional Heatstroke

Faculty Research Spotlight

Scottsdale

Soe Myint - Geography and Environmental Studies

Real-World Application to Manage Phoenix Ecoysytem for More Sustainable Resource Use

Faculty Research Spotlight

shark

Jessica Dutton - Biology

Mercury and Selenide Concentration in Texas Bay and Offshore Fishes

Collaborative Spotlight

Jessica and Jim

THRC & SCALEUP

Fostering Economic Resilience through the Great Resilience in Texas (GRIT) Awards

About Division of Research

Exciting research happens every day in every department of Texas State University. Our faculty generate new knowledge and catalyze ideas into reality, combining creativity and determination to achieve innovation.

Each semester, we feature some of these accomplished researchers in our newsletter, where they share their work and advice about funding, managing teams, and more. The newsletter also includes practical tips for finding collaborators, mentoring students, and using Division of Research resources to the fullest.

Remember, Division of Research is here to support your research from start to finish.    

Editorial Team

Olga Gerhart, Editor

Katharyn Peterman

Joanne Palmer

Evy Gonzales

Yongxia Xia

Pasham Adwani