School of Engineering and Computer Science Success Stories Student Masters IBM. A West Texas A&M University student took FIRST-place honors in the IBM 2010 “Master the Mainframe” Competition, which included more than 3,500 students from 400 schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. For his efforts, Patricio Reynago, a senior computer science major from Dumas, Texas, will receive an all expense-paid trip to IBM’s mainframe laboratory in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and an iPad. Munitions at Pantex. Students and faculty at West Texas A&M University are conducting important research to quantify the stability of aging explosive crystals stored at the Pantex Plant. WTAMU’s Department of Engineering and Computer Science has received a $400,000 contract from Pantex to conduct a two-year study of the aging characteristics of energetic materials. Pantex is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Principal Investigator: Dr. Emily Hunt. Passing Muster. WTAMU mechanical engineering students taking the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) national licensure exam have a first-time pass rate of 89 percent compared to a national first-time pass rate that varies between 66 and 72 percent. NSF Grant. Dr. Freddie Davis, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, received funding from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education for a four-year, $90,000 per year grant. Funding provides scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students interested in studying computer science, engineering and mathematics. Hot Topics. Dr. Emily Hunt, Interim Director of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, has received the Young Investigator Award from the Defense Threat Reducation Agency (DTRA), a part of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Strategic Command. She recieved the award for her project on "Energetic Nano-Materials for Bio-Agent Defeat". She will receive $150,000 a year for two years to continue the research. WTAMU is now on Halliburton's recognized list of approved colleges for recruiting. | 
