Faculty, Staff, and Student Research Activity
Explore what's happening in research presentations, publications, and achievements from our esteemed faculty, staff, and students.
We thank them for their strong commitment for research excellence.
School of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Congratulations to Ph.D. student Duwayne Poorboy who, along with co-author Adam Vaughn, just published their article "Critical Incident Management: Strengthening the Relationship Between Crisis Negotiations and Tactical Teams" in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
Duwayne A. Poorboy completed his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2004 and his master’s degree in criminal justice in 2021 at Texas State University. He has worked as a police officer for the San Marcos Police Department since 2006. His research interests is hostage/crisis negotiation and how these skills may be used in other facets of policing. He is also interested in helping the police profession understand and implement more evidence-based practices.
Synopsis
Crisis Negotiation Teams (CNT) and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams aim to save lives in critical incidents. However, they often have competing paradigms for resolving these situations. While CNT tends to try to gain a subject’s compliance without the use of force, SWAT often tries to find a quicker solution, even if it involves physical force. There can be tragic consequences when one philosophy dominates an attempt to solve a critical incident. An example when the SWAT philosophy dominated was the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX, which ended in the death of 76 people. The CNT philosophy took precedence at the 2014 Lindt Café siege in Sydney, Australia. After 16 hours of failed negotiations, the gunman killed a hostage; the police stormed the café and killed the gunman, but another hostage was killed by deflected fragments of a police-fired bullet. These two approaches must complement each other, which is accomplished through communication. Communication is best facilitated by training together.
Dr. Vaughan and Duwayne conducted a survey of 115 crisis negotiators and held focus groups with CNT subject matter experts (SMEs) to evaluate CNT's best practices related to working with SWAT. There were significant relationships between the importance and frequency of use in all best practices related to the relationship between CNT and SWAT training together; however, experience as a negotiator did not have a significant relationship with the best practices except training. The focus groups expanded on the importance of training with the SWAT team.
Duwayne's friend and mentor, Texas State University Professor Emeritus Dr. Wayman Mullins, made this study possible. Dr. Mullins provided the email list and SMEs for focus groups and was the impetus for the study. He has hosted the Texas State University Hostage Negotiation Competition and Seminar for 34 years.
Congratulations to Dr. Kathleen Padilla. Her article titled "'The bar is different as a woman': A thematic analysis of career advice given by female police officers" was just published in Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice. Dr. Padilla was lead author on the piece, which was co-authored with Kellie Renfro (Dallas PD) and Jessica Huff (University of Cincinnati).
Synopsis
‘The bar is different as a woman:’ A thematic analysis of career advice given by female police officers
Kathleen E. Padilla, Ph.D., Texas State University
Sergeant Kellie Renfro, Dallas Police Department
Jessie Huff, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati
At a time when public support for law enforcement continues to dwindle amid high profile use of force incidents, finding ways to improve the relationships between the police and the communities they serve is crucial. Despite making up a majority of the general population, women only make up approximately 13% of the police officer population, and an even smaller percentage of leadership in policing. Beyond examining the obstacles women face when choosing a career in policing, it is equally important for researchers and policymakers alike to understand why women might be leaving the field. In this study, we surveyed 915 current and former female officers of the Dallas Police Department and analyzed the responses of 154 women who provided advice to those debating a career in policing. Responses could be categorized into one of three groups: (1) strong discouragement, (2) strong encouragement, and (3) encouragement with a disclaimer. The women in this study spoke to challenges related to childcare and familial responsibilities, the machismo culture, and organizational obstacles in the promotional process.
Overall, there can be a lack of support and understanding from peers, superiors, and sometimes family members about the nuances and demands of the job. Potential avenues for improvement included more clarity about promotional procedures, assistance with childcare, and education about the importance of allyship from male officers in the department.
Suggested citation: Padilla, K. E., Renfro, K., & Huff, J. (2024). ‘The bar is different as a woman’: A thematic analysis of career advice given by female police officers. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 18, https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paae045
Department of Agricultural Sciences
Congratulations to Agricultural Sciences students for their presentations at the American Society of Animal Scientists Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky
Mikael Carrasco presented her thesis research focused on mealworm and black soldier fly larvae as novel protein supplements to enhance forge utilization in cattle. Emma Fukuda presented her thesis research on thymol as a supplement to modulate rumen microbial populations and potentially mitigate methane production. Delila Dominguez presented her undergraduate research that evaluated multiple edible insects as cattle feed using in-situ techniques. Greyson Frug, M.S. student and Alyssa Lopez, undergrad student, each presented research related to the value of help as feed for cattle.
Lauren Solice presented at the Ruminant Animal Production Management and Physiology session at the American Society of Animal Science Southern Section in Louisville, Kentucky. Her research presentation was titled Effects of intratesticular injectable zinc as an alternative castration method compared to banding one-week post-weaning in beef bulls: effects on health, inflammation, behavior, and growth during the backgrounding period.
Castration is a widely practiced management strategy that results in temporary pain with adverse effects on growth performance. With growing concerns for animal welfare and management practices being called into question, her presentation focused on investigating a castration alternative in hopes that it would mitigate the pain experienced without compromising growth performance.
Although the research reported no adverse effects on growth performance, it was concluded that castrating with Zn at weaning is not a viable castration alternative as indicated by behaviors associated with pain and high haptoglobin levels. Lauren will begin her master’s degree this summer and conduct research that focuses on reducing stress during shipping and breeding in young heifers. Her expected graduation date is in the summer of 2025 after which she wishes to pursue a Ph.D.
Relationship of electrical conductivity to color variables (chroma, hue, L*, a*, b*) of fresh beef loins
The primary purpose of this study was to empirically improve quality assessment evaluations on beef loin color and electrical conductivity to subsequently estimate water forms in meat. Dr. Richardson, the head of this study, aided Carolina Mesquita in her thesis research to analyze all quality assessments individually after sources, instrumentation, and data collection within the time frame of cutting beef loins. Information from this study may aid the beef industry to improve/aid value by enhancing beef products to an exceptional level thus providing high quality products for consumers.
Congratulations TXST Faculty Dr. Madan M. Dey, Dr. Pratheesh Omana Sudhakaran, and their research team for their presentations at Aquaculture America in San Antonio, Texas
Three faculty members (Dr. Madan M Dey, Dr. Pratheesh Omana Sudhakaran, Dr. Akhtarruzzaman Khan) and 3 graduate students (Hurunnahar Khushi, Anindita Mandal, Emran Hossain) attended and presented their work at Aquaculture America 2024 held at Mariott River Center, San Antonio, TX. The presentations were prepared based on three different international research project conducted in Bangladesh.
Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Safer Fish in Bangladesh
Hurunnahar Khushi, Pratheesh Omana Sudhakan, Md. Saidur Rahman, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan, Madan Mohan Dey
This project was funded by the USAID - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety
Assessing Women's Involvement and their Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (Kap) on Safe Fish Production
Anindita Mandal, Ummum Tamim Dolon, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan, Md. Saidur Rahman, Pratheesh Omana Sudhakan, Madan Mohan Dey
This project was funded by the USAID - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety
Youth Engagement in Aquaculture Development: The Role of Farmer’s Age on Aquaculture Productivity, Performance, and Efficiency
Md. Emran Hossain, Madan Mohan Dey, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan
This project was funded by the USAID - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish
Resilience Capacity and Sustainability of Prawn Farming in Bangladesh
Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan, Nayeema Akter, Sajjad Hossain, Max Neilsen, Rasmus Neilsen
This project was funded by DANIDA
From Pond to Plate: Assessing fish producers’ know-how, and consumers willingness to pay for safer fish in Bangladesh
Md. Saidur Rahman, Madan Mohan Dey, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan, Md. Farid Dewan, K.H.M Nazmul Hussain Nazir, Pratheesh Omana Sudhakan
This project was funded by the USAID - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety
Estimation of food demand and nutrient elasticities: a disaggregated analysis of the Bangladesh household income and expenditure survey data of 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2016
Madan Mohan Dey, Abhipsita Das, Md. Takibur Rahman, Prokash Deb, Md. Emran Hossain, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Khan
This project was funded by the USAID - Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish
School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Congratulations to Dr. Nadim Adi for his presentation at the Alzheimer's Association Pitch Competition in Chicago, Illinois
The Dementia Inclusive Design Hub is a pioneering initiative dedicated to revolutionizing environments for individuals living with dementia and their support networks. This innovative hub operates at the intersection of design, collaboration, and education, with a primary focus on implementing person-centered approaches. By fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including designers, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, the hub drives innovation in creating inclusive spaces that empower and support those affected by dementia. Through its dedication to education and advocacy, the hub aims to raise awareness and promote understanding of the profound impact of person-centered design on the lives of individuals living with dementia. With a call to action for experts in marketing and business, the hub seeks to expand its reach and expertise while developing accessible and compelling content to further amplify its mission.
The research aspect focuses on evaluating designs using virtual reality to create better environments for those living with dementia. These environments aim to reduce the chances of injury and improve performance.
