Texas Tech Research

09/30/2026

Texas Tech University researchers have received a $900,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) program for the three-year project, "Making Invisible Ecological Processes Visible Through Technology-Enhanced Place-Based Science Learning."

Led by Dr. Muntazar Monsur, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, the interdisciplinary project will explore how extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and 3D fabrication can transform place-based STEM learning. The interdisciplinary Texas Tech team includes co-PIs Drs. Mihwa Park, Rozalynne Samira, Stas Tiomkin, and S. Y. Andalib, with Scott Longing serving as a senior/key personnel role. They bring expertise spanning landscape architecture, STEM education, plant pathology, entomology and ecology, AI, and emerging visualization technologies.

The project will develop technology-enhanced learning experiences that make these otherwise “invisible” ecological processes visible, tangible, and interactive. The research will investigate how combining immersive visualization, AI-supported conversational learning, physical 3D models, and direct experiences in nature can strengthen students’ understanding of complex ecological systems, engagement, and STEM learning.

Learning experiences will be developed and evaluated in partnership with local educational and community settings, including LISD AgriSTEM and the Lubbock Memorial Arboretum, with the broader goal of creating approaches that can be adapted to other nature-based learning environments. Ultimately, the project seeks to demonstrate how emerging technologies can augment, but not replace, direct experiences with nature.

Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
Texas Tech Landscape Architecture

09/29/2026

🏆 Two for Two: Texas Tech chemist Dr. Joshua Tropp earned another prestigious Department of Defense early-career award in 2026 - the DARPA Young Faculty Award. This is on top of his most recent AFOSR, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program (YIP) award.

Tropp’s newest award provides $822,591 from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA for his project, “Nanoconfined Polycondensation of Sequence-Defined Conjugated Materials Within Responsive Reticular Frameworks.”

Since its establishment in 2006, the highly competitive DARPA Young Faculty Award program has supported just over 500 early-career researchers nationwide, with recent cohorts typically comprising approximately 25 to 35 recipients. Selected from fields spanning chemistry, materials science, biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, quantum science and microsystems engineering, awardees are identified by DARPA as “rising stars” pursuing research capable of producing revolutionary, not merely incremental, technological advances.

Tropp’s project aims to create programmable “molecular machines” for manufacturing precision conjugated polymers. These are advanced materials with many potential applications in flexible electronics, bioelectronics, and photonic technologies. Conventional synthesis offers limited control over the sequence of molecular building blocks, contributing to batch-to-batch variability and unpredictable performance.

Inspired by enzymatic syntheses of natural polymers, his research group will use the nanoscale pores of metal-organic frameworks to organize molecular building blocks before polymerization. If successful, this approach could enable sequence-defined polymers with more reproducible and tunable performance.

College of Arts and Sciences, Texas Tech University
Chemistry & Biochemistry - Texas Tech University

09/28/2026

Texas Tech University research was center stage at the 2026 Global Sorghum Conference that took place in Lubbock this month. This event, the first of its kind in the United States, brought together scientists. industry experts, and ag producers to share developments on the future of sorghum, a smart crop that can be used for food, livestock, and fuel.

Haydee Laza, an assistant professor in plant physiology, focuses on semi-arid ecosystems and addressing interdisciplinary research gaps in food security. She has years of industry and government experience working in agriculture.

Luis Herrera-Estrella is the President's Distinguished Professor of Plant Genomics and the the director of the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST). His research is dedicated to studying how plants survive in adverse conditions using genetic research.

Gunvant Patil, an associate professor in molecular crop improvement, works on genomic interventions to address ecological stressors in plants. One of his recent projects involved reducing the amount of time it takes for gene regeneration in sorghum plants.

Read more:
https://www.ttu.edu/now/posts/2026/09/texas-tech-features-cast-of-plant-genomics-experts.php

Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
United Sorghum Checkoff Program
National Sorghum Producers
Igcast

09/25/2026

Dr. James Reecy, Vice President for Research & Innovation at Texas Tech University, launched the first Open Door, Open Floor monthly discussion.

These informal conversations are designed to foster engagement and exchange ideas for continuing the research and innovation at Texas Tech.

09/25/2026

Texas Tech Welcomes USDA Leadership to Campus

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials Scott Hutchins, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE), and Mindy Brashears, Under Secretary for Food Safety, stopped by Lubbock to see firsthand the agricultural research facilities at Texas Tech University. They toured the Raider Red Meats Laboratory, the International Center for Food Industry Excellence, and the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance.

Hutchins's REE Mission Area comprises the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the Economic Research Service. He also serves as the Chief Scientist for USDA and has decades of innovation and industry experience.

Brashears previously served as Horn Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Public Health in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences in the Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. She has extensive agriculture experience and managed food science teams around the world. Her research is centered around food security and safety, which is critical for many international communities.

Igcast
Texas Tech University Department of Animal & Food Sciences

09/21/2026

Big things are happening across West Texas!

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), in collaboration with Texas Tech University (TTU), has secured a historic $24.5 million U54 grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest NIH grant in @ Texas Tech University System history.

This five-year investment is about more than funding. It will help expand research capacity, support the development of researchers, strengthen mentorship and create new opportunities to engage with communities across our 121-county service area.

With a focus on multidisciplinary research and medically underserved populations, this work will help advance health research and address critical health needs across West Texas and beyond.

This is a significant achievement for our research community and an exciting opportunity to build an even stronger future for research at TTUHSC and TTU.

Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gMaNr5Rm

09/18/2026

That's a wrap on the 2026 Global Sorghum Conference!

Sorghum breeders, farmers, scientists, and industry experts celebrated the future of this special crop.

We would like to thank the Texas Tech Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, the Global Sorghum Association, National Sorghum Producers, and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program for organizing and putting on this event. Thanks to all the faculty and graduate students who attended, as well as the numerous volunteers and vendors that made this all possible.

09/18/2026

09/18/2026