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Welcome to the January edition of HDFS Buzz, the newsletter of the Texas Tech University Department of Human Development and Family Studies. As we enter a new year, we take a moment to look back on exciting events and accomplishments from the fall semester.
HDFS faculty and students presented research at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) in Fort Worth, Texas in November. The fall semester was also a time for celebrating our alumni, with our department hosting an HDFS Homecoming Alumni Reception during Texas Tech’s homecoming week and an HDFS Alumni and Friends reception at the NCFR conference for alumni in the Fort Worth area. Our faculty and students continue to be recognized for their achievements and contributions to their respective fields of study through various awards and publications.
I encourage you to send us your latest news and accomplishments to share with the HDFS community. Thank you for taking the time to read about the latest news in Human Development and Family Studies. We encourage you to visit our website to see our recently added “Give Now” feature, which provides an opportunity to support our programs through the HDFS Fund for Excellence.
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Ann M. Mastergeorge, Ph.D.
Department Chair
Rockwell Endowed Professor
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
College of Human Sciences
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NCFR Conference & Reception
Twenty-three HDFS faculty and students attended the National Council on Family Relations in Fort Worth, Texas from November 20 – 23. The department also sponsored a Newcomers Reception, University Reception, and TTU HDFS Alumni and Friends Reception at the conference.
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Landscape Architecture Class Creates Recycled-Material Playscapes for CDRC
Twenty-one sophomore landscape architecture students designed and created recycled-material playscapes for the preschool classes at the Christine DeVitt and Helen DeVitt Jones Child Development Research Center (CDRC) on Oct. 17, 2019.
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- Dr. Jennifer Rojas-McWhinney was selected for the 2019 StarCare Specialty Health System Community Partner award.
- On November 2, faculty from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies were honored at the Texas Tech Mortar Board Forum Chapter’s annual Apple Polishing Mentor Recognition Luncheon, where Mortar Board members recognize and celebrate outstanding faculty mentors. Each member has the opportunity to select a professor or advisor that has made a personal and profound impact on his or her collegiate career. This year’s HDFS honorees included Dr. Jennifer Rojas-McWhinney, nominated by Anthony Inyang, Dr. Dana Weiser, nominated by Emily Means, and Mitzi Ziegner, nominated by Elizabeth Hart.
- Dr. Christy Rogers was selected as 1 of 20 early career participants for the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) and Jacobs Foundation workshop series on Social Learning and Cultural Evolution. She attended the first workshop in Amsterdam, Netherlands from September 5-8 and discussed potential avenues to bolster social learning and cultural evolution to ameliorate issues in our families, communities, countries, and world.
- Dr. Christy Rogers attended the Society for Development Cognitive Neuroscience (FLUX) Congress from August 30 to September 1. She presented her research on "The enduring effect of parents and peers on the neural correlates of risk taking and antisocial behavior during adolescence."
- Doctoral candidate Jes Fyall Cardenas, HDFS professor Dr. Malinda J. Colwell, and alumna Dr. Jennifer K. Chapman collaborated on a new article about social support for mothers in the childcare setting, published in the 2019 Fall edition of Early Years. Jes' dissertation research is focused on maternal well-being and early childhood caregiver relationships.
- Dr. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo has been invited to serve as a part of the National Fulbright U.S. Scholar Peer Review Committee for Psychology for 2019-2020 and she has also been invited to serve as a Peer Reviewer for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
- Dr. Chanaka N. Kahathuduwa, Blake D. West, Jessica Blume, Nagaraju Dharavath, Dr. Naima Moustaid-Moussa, and Dr. Ann Mastergeorge were featured in Obesity Reviews for their work on a recent meta-analysis revealing that children with autism spectrum disorders had a 41.1% higher risk of developing obesity than matched groups of children, and on average, 22 out of 100 children with autism were found to have obesity. Publication
- The United Future Leaders (UFL) program was highlighted in the first issue of Reach Out, Engage, Transform – a University Outreach & Engagement newsletter that highlights various programs throughout the university. Publication
- Undergraduate student, Tyler Weathers, was featured in the Discoveries to Impact video series, which showcased student outreach and engagement through her work to develop young leaders alongside the TTU faculty and staff affiliated with the UFL program. VIDEO
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|  | HDFS Hosts Alumni Reception at Texas Tech Homecoming Weekend
On October 18, the Department of Human Development and Family Studies hosted an Alumni Reception to kick of the celebration of Texas Tech Homecoming weekend. The HDFS Ambassadors welcomed alumni, faculty and graduate students with swag items and everyone enjoyed catching up connecting and cookies. The department hopes to plan a yearly alumni event to reach out and reconnect with HDFS alumni.
| |  | Early Childhood Education Graduate Selected as Elementary Teacher of the Year
Erica Hoyt, Texas Tech University graduate of 2013, was selected as Elementary Teacher of the Year for Richardson ISD. Erica graduated from Texas Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. She went on to the University of Texas at Arlington to earn her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Language and Literacy.
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|  | Undergraduate Student of the Month, Jenna Moye, Speaks About Her Passion for People
October 2019 Undergraduate Student of the Month, Jenna Moye, is a Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major from Richmond Texas. Jenna is set to graduate with her bachelor's degree in May 2020 and is also pursuing a minor in Human Sciences.
| |  | Consider Supporting HDFS With A Gift
Gifts made to the Department of Human Development nad Family Studies (HDFS) at Texas Tech University will directly support department initiatives and growth. We kindly invite you to partner with HDFS to help take our program to the next level.
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