Campus Life

12 Moments That Defined Texas A&M In 2017

December 21, 2017

12 moments that defined Texas A&M in 2017 banner

By Sam Peshek, Texas A&M University Marketing and Communications

As 2017 draws to a close, take a look back at 12 Aggie moments that made it memorable.

1

Texas A&M students, faculty and staff stepped up to serve in the wake of Hurricane Harvey

The state of Texas took on historic amounts of storm damage during Hurricane Harvey, but it didn’t prevent Aggies from serving their neighbors through rescue efforts or researchers from sharing their expertise to help the world understand the storm. And thanks to the generous donations of so many, the university was able to open a disaster relief fund to help students and employees affected by the storm.

2

Five Living U.S. presidents hosted the One America Appeal Concert at Texas A&M

All five living U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama helped raise $2.6 million for victims of hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during the One America Appeal Concert at Reed Arena. More than $33 million total was raised through the One America Appeal effort.

3

Texas A&M innovation bursts onto the world stage at SXSW

For five days in March, Texas A&M hosted panel discussions, put research innovations on display and hosted emerging musical talents during SXSW Interactive Week.

4

Big Event broke a volunteer record on its 35th anniversary

More than 21,000 students fulfilled a record 2,800 service projects in the Bryan-College Station community for Big Event 2017.

5

The Texas A&M School of Innovation was established

During his annual State of the University address, President Young formally announced the creation of the School of Innovation, saying “We have the creativity and energy to do it, and we want Texas A&M to be the place where the entire world comes for help to solve its problems.” Former Texas A&M School of Law Dean Andrew Morriss will serve as the founding Dean of the School of Innovation and Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

6

Texas A&M researchers made discoveries of major scientific importance

Whether on land, in sea or space, Texas A&M scientists contributed to research that helped humans better understand the world around them.

  • Astronomer Jennifer Marshall was one of the first scientists to witness gravitational waves produced by a neutron star collision
  • A research team from the College of Engineering uncovered a mechanism that could answer how the building blocks of life were formed
  • A study of Darwin’s Finches revealed species can evolve in as little as two generations
  • Astronomers discover earliest ancient dead galaxy, giving pause to modern galaxy evolution theories
  • Galveston scientists discovered a new crustacean species in saltwater caves
  • A Texas A&M anthropologist was part of a team that discovered another species of hominin could have survived alongside the first humans in Africa
  • A Texas A&M biologist’s postdoctoral research proved essential in a Nobel Prize-winning discovery

7

A Mays Business School professor went viral

The story of Mays professor Henry Musoma comforting a student’s restless child during class turned into a national story and resulted in an appearance on the Ellen show and the inaugural Mays Spirit Award.

8

The College of Engineering and the Health Science Center announced as leaders for EnHealth

Dr. Roderic I. Pettigrew joined Texas A&M to lead Engineering Health (EnHealth), the nation’s first comprehensive educational program to fully integrate engineering into all health-related disciplines.

9

Texas A&M athletes made waves at a national level

The Texas A&M track and field team won its first ever indoor national team title this year in College Station. The Texas A&M equestrian team built upon an already dominant track record by winning a 12th national championship. This year was also the first time in Texas A&M history that Aggie softball and baseball reached the College World Series in the same season. And this spring, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett became the first Aggie to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.

10

Texas A&M continued its rise in major national rankings

Texas A&M bolstered its reputation as a great value and a premier educational experience in 2017 in major ranking categories.

11

Former astronaut Michael Fossum was picked to lead Texas A&M University at Galveston

Colonel Michael E. Fossum, former astronaut and a 1980 Texas A&M University graduate, was named a vice president of Texas A&M and chief operating officer of Texas A&M University Galveston.

12

The Bush Library celebrated its 20th anniversary

The Bush Library celebrated a major milestone on its 20th anniversary by welcoming its 3 millionth guest.

delaria

Honorable mention: Texas A&M hosted influential figures in 2017

  • Nate Silver pit big data against intuition at an MSC talk.
  • “Orange is the New Black” star Lea Delaria shared her personal story and issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in her discussion.
  • Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, and former National Economic Council Director Dr. Laura Tyson discussed U.S.-Mexico relations in a Wiley Lecture Series discussion moderated by NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
  • Carla Hills, lead negotiator of NAFTA, and Texas A&M President Michael K. Young were part of a panel discussion that debated the trade deal’s future.
  • Renowned sexual violence researcher, author and filmmaker Jackson Katz led a two-day discussion on ways individuals can take initiative to change campus climate.
  • Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges discussed her life experiences at the Martin Luther King breakfast.
  • Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush taught a class at the Bush School.

Year In Review: 12 Moments That Defined Texas A&M In 2016

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