Texas State Updates: Bobcats in Baseball

Ramos gets off to fast start;
Miller announces retirement

Former Texas State pitcher/infielder Dominic Ramos has started the Can-Am League season by going 9 for 21 with three doubles and a home run.

Ramos, the shortstop for the league’s Brockton (Mass.) Rox, is hitting .429. He is fourth in team history with 319 hits.

Another former Bobcat, Matt Miller, announced his retirement from baseball last week. Miller was an all-star at every level of the minors as he progressed through the Colorado Rockies’ farm system. He was in the Philadelphia Phillies organization this season.

Paul Goldschmidt continues to lead the Southern League in home runs (17), on-base percentage (.450), slugging (.677), extra-base hits (29), total bases (126), runs scored (41) and walks (40). He has been intentionally
walked seven times.

Player	Team	League	Level	Avg.	HR	RBI
Thomas Field	Tulsa (Rockies)	Texas	2A	.241	5	20
Paul Goldschmidt	Mobile (D’backs)	Southern	2A	.333	17	48
Jason Martinson	Hagerstown (Nationals)	South Atlantic	A	.261	3	14
Dominic Ramos	Brockton	Can-Am	Ind.	.429	1	3
Iggy Suarez	Somerset	Atlantic	Ind.	.154	0	4
Ben Theriot	NW Arkansas (Royals)	Texas	2A	.184	1	6
Pitcher	Team	League	Level	W-L	ERA	S
Mike Hart	Burlington (A’s)	Midwest	A	3-2	2.25	1
Kane Holbrooks	Fort Myers (Twins)	Florida State	A	2-7	5.02	0
Scott Linebrink	Braves	National	ML	1-1	4.66	0
Josh Walter	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	California	A	2-1	4.05	0

Risng Stars: Jackson Scholars

Passion for teaching, learning,
leading earns recognition

By Mary-Love Bigony, University Marketing

Public school teachers of the 21st century face perplexing issues, from curricula that fail to fit all students, to diverse classrooms of students with different learning styles, to standardized tests that drive lesson plans.

Texas State’s doctoral program in school improvement addresses these issues — and more.

“Students and faculty of the school improvement program work within such challenges to build the assets and strength of schools, communities and their citizens,” says Dr. Miguel Guajardo of the College of Education.

Doctoral students in the program focus on becoming educational leaders and agents of change. Three of those students — Israel Aguilar, Genise Henry and Mónica M. Valadez — are receiving extra support after being named Jackson scholars for 2010-2011.

The Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Network, part of the University Council for Educational Administration, provides mentors for graduate students of color who are studying in UCEA-member institutions’ doctoral programs in educational leadership.

For the rest of the story, visit the Rising Stars archive at the Texas State website.

Faculty: Mike Forstner

Texas State herpetologist works to help
Houston toads hop off endangered list

Bufo houstonensis, the Houston toad.

By Billi London-Gray

Blind salamanders. Fountain darters. Texas wild rice grass. The home of the Bobcats is also home to endangered species and environmental advocates. But looking beyond the San Marcos River, a Texas State University biology professor has been working persistently to help restore populations of endangered Houston toads.

Texas State professor Michael Forstner, who holds the Alexander/Stone Chair of Genetics in the Department of Biology and has taught at the university since 1999, is one of the foremost experts on the Houston toad. He has been studying and raising awareness about the species since 1995.

“Effectively all field research on the taxon during the past decade has been completed by Texas State faculty and students in biology,” Forstner says. “My group represents the current lead for science-based recovery efforts, provides data useful to applied and theoretical aspects of small population biology, amphibian recovery, and amphibian population declines.”

Texas State Updates: Nanotechnology

New electronics material
comes closer to reality

A scanning electron microscope picture shows the structure of graphene. (Photo courtesy the University of Houston, via Purdue University)

A team of researchers, including Texas State University’s Qingkai Yu, have developed a method for creating a single-atom-thick material that someday could replace silicon in high-performance electronic devices.

The nanotechnology study was the result of work done at Texas State, Purdue University, the University of Houston, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratories and Carl Zeiss SMT Inc.

Alumni: Marc Dunham

From carnitas to haute cuisine,
Dunham cooks up success

Marc Dunham (Photo by Jenny Dunham)

By Billi London-Gray

When it comes to cooking, Marc Dunham is an expert. From his Oklahoma City taco trailer to some of the most elite kitchens in the nation, Dunham keeps his menus and his life full of zest.

Texas State Updates: Bobcats in Baseball

Former Texas State pitcher
posting great stats in Class A

Here’s the weekly statistical report on former members of the Texas State baseball team playing professionally around the country, from Mobile to Tulsa.

Pitcher Mike Hart has turned into one of the stoppers in the bullpen for the Burlington (Iowa) Bees in the Class A Midwest League. Opposing hitters are batting just .188 against him, and he has 26 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings this season, with just 10 walks.

Player	Team	League	Level	Avg.	HR	RBI
Thomas Field	Tulsa (Rockies)	Texas	2A	.228	4	19
Paul Goldschmidt	Mobile (D’backs)	Southern	2A	.333	15	43
Jason Martinson	Hagerstown (Nationals)	South Atlantic	A	.263	2	12
Matt Miller	Reading (Phillies)	Eastern	2A	273	0	11
Iggy Suarez	Somerset	Atlantic	Ind.	.154	0	4
Ben Theriot	NW Arkansas (Royals)	Texas	2A	.167	0	4
Pitcher	Team	League	Level	W-L	ERA	S
Mike Hart	Burlington (A’s)	Midwest	A	3-1	2.33	0
Kane Holbrooks	Fort Myers (Twins)	Florida State	A	2-6	3.33	0
Scott Linebrink	Braves	National	ML	0-1	5.87	0
Josh Walter	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	California	A	2-1	4.95	0

Alumni: John Boulanger

Texas State graduate Boulanger
directs prize-winning play near home

Texas State graduate John Boulanger was profiled by Michelle Villarreal in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on Sunday, as his play “House of Several Stories” finished its run:

John Boulanger

Ingleside native John Boulanger wrote the play “House of Several Stories” in 2007. Two years later, Boulanger won national playwriting awards for the play, and it was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Not bad for a master’s thesis at Texas State University. His then-three-act comedic script thrived into a full production, which is being performed at Harbor Playhouse.

Around Campus: The Quest for the Ring

It’s a fairy tale ending
as graduate, ring are reunited

Just to brighten your week a little, here’s a story of graduation, celebration, detective work and happiness involving a Texas State class ring (pictured) … all wrapped up in 65 seconds, thanks to the wizardry of YouTube:

Here’s the story: San Marcos resident Tuukka Toivonen found a Texas State class ring while snorkeling in the San Marcos River right after graduation, and his wife Katherine tried to track down the owner through the initials engraved in the ring. Her friend, Texas State professor Cynthia Gonzales, searched the campus directory, an e-mail went out, and graduate Samantha Smith was reunited with her ring the next day.

Texas State Updates: Faculty Honors

Texas State University announces
promotions, tenure for faculty

The office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas State announced 46 promotions and 40 elections to tenure for members of the faculty on Friday. The changes become effective Sept. 1.

Spotlight: Amanda Duran

Decoding diseases drives
first-generation grad to doctorate

Amanda Duran

By Billi London-Gray

Biochemist. Microbiologist. Scholar. First-generation college student. However you describe her, Amanda Duran exemplifies how hard work and a strong support system can put a student’s highest ambitions within reach.

“Amanda is an excellent student and an outstanding role model for women pursuing careers in science and engineering,” says Susan Romanella, director of the Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Scholars Program (H-LSAMP) in Texas State University’s College of Science. “Her success also stands as a testament to the stellar education and experiences she has pursued while at Texas State.”

Duran, a brand-new graduate of Texas State, majored in biochemistry with a minor in psychology. And she says she came to San Marcos knowing exactly what she wanted.