TAMU-T Junior Thomas Strawn Showcases Research in Austin

On Wednesday, March 5, 2015, Thomas Strawn, a junior at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, had his research showcased at the Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. The event, which serves to promote “undergraduate students engaged on research for the Texas legislature and public through high quality poster displays” represented over 50 higher education institutions.

Dr. Kati Stoddard (Assistant Professor of Environmental Science), Thomas’ research mentor and professor, said this event was “perfect for Thomas as it displayed his exceptional researching and writing skills.”  She added “he is well on his way to achieving his goals of pursuing advanced degrees in Biology or Environmental Science and the skills, knowledge, and experience he is gaining at A&M-Texarkana are preparing him to be highly successful in graduate school.

Thomas is currently working on his degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Science.

Thomas was accompanied at the event by Dr. Nurul Alam, Associate Professor of Biology, who said, “Research Day at the Capitol provided a great experience for the student and myself. They not only presented their research but interacted with their peers and learned what it takes to become a good researcher from the panel of established researchers.”

Specifically, Thomas’ research focused on the desertification effects being observed throughout the world. His research analyzed existing models and the current literature and concluded that “climatological influences such as the oceanic oscillations and climate change are influencing monsoon seasons.”  His assessment of the current research on desertification indicates “the possibility exists that global climate change may begin to further influence human impacted regions at a greater scale”, and that “current assessments show deserts as a zone potentially at risk, but no in-depth analysis has been carried out on the subject.”

According to his research, although the scientific community is still investigating the role and influence global warming and human land mismanagement have on desertification, they have “more recently come to the agreement that in large part human land mismanagement is the primary culprit of desertification.”