West has been studying thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase, two enzymes that work together to protect cells against oxidative stress, for about 15 years. His NIH grant will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental biochemistry of thioredoxin reductase and may provide a new therapeutic avenue (or avenues) for treating microbial infections by exploiting the unique features of the microbial protein.

James West, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, and chemistry

鈥淚dentifying new properties of the microbial thioredoxin reductase could set the stage for developing drugs that exclusively block its function in the future,鈥� said West. 鈥淭he award will also provide meaningful opportunities for undergraduate students who have a long-term interest in biomedical research and health-related disciplines.鈥�

West supported seven students on the grant during the 2025-26 academic year and three completed Independent Study projects closely aligned with it. In summer 2026, four students are working with him in the lab on related projects. They have started conducting different biochemical and cellular experiments to see whether thioredoxin reductase works with the new interaction partners they have identified.

鈥淟ong-term, the opportunities provided through the NIH grant and other internal programs at 黑料社, like sophomore research and I.S., set students up for admission into top graduate and professional schools, as well as awards, scholarships, and fellowships as they move on from 黑料社,鈥� said West.

Regan and her students have been modeling both the Epithelial to Mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the process of senescence since almost 2015 when she started at 黑料社. According to Regan, both EMT and senescence cell behaviors are relevant in tissue healing and appear to be mutually exclusive in a single cell, so a community of cells must coordinate their actions for proper healing.

Erzs茅bet Regan, Whitmore-Williams Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

鈥淩eceiving this NIH grant feels great, and it鈥檚 validation that my work is seen and appreciated,鈥� said Regan. Getting experimental validation for the model is a major research goal for the grant, and her team will continue developing her lab鈥檚 code and performing massive comparisons between model behavior and published cell behavior data.

鈥淪enescence is the fate of molecularly damaged cells by oxidative stress, toxins, ultraviolet exposure, etc., but they can help neighboring healthy cells heal the wound,鈥� she explained. 鈥淗owever, if they are not cleared by our immune system, they age the tissue. Uncleared senescent cells accumulate in all our aging tissues, and we鈥檙e asking 鈥榳hy鈥� and 鈥榟ow can we prevent this鈥�?鈥�

A major reason Regan submitted this NIH proposal was to secure funding for a larger team of students and make sure she had the funds to bring them to present at the Systems Approaches to Cancer Biology conference in January 2027. 鈥淪everal former students found positions in prestigious Ph.D. programs in part due to the contacts they made at conferences,鈥� said Regan.

Two of her 2027 I.S. mentees are working off of the grant this summer modeling senescence and EMT in vascular patterning (which extends a model built by a former I.S. student). They will be leading teams with four sophomore researchers while Regan works with her software developer to write code that can automate the more tedious parts of comparing their model鈥檚 behaviors to published experimental data.

鈥淪tudents are gaining skills that transfer to I.S., whether in my lab or a colleague鈥檚,鈥� said Regan. 鈥淭hey also gain exposure to the challenges of doing research which is inherently a much less predictable endeavor than classwork.鈥�

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Findley collaborated with choreographer Vanessa Cook and poet Darlene Young, both of whom he met at the Artists Residency at the Center for Latter-day Saints Arts in New York City. Findley also connected with visual artists Michelle Nixon and Justin Wheatley, as well as essayist Isaac Richards. The connection between these six interdisciplinary artists at the residency resulted in a long-term periodic Zoom call to discuss artistic questions, update each other on individual milestones in their work, and eventually, to combine their efforts for a project together.

The project that became A Brief Collection of Moments was commissioned by the Ariel Bybee Endowment at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. This endowment commissions original scholarship or new art each year to honor the legacy of the distinguished mezzo-soprano Ariel Bybee, who sang for 18 seasons with the Metropolitan Opera. While it is frequently focused on a single artistic medium, this year was a distinctive experience as the choreographer Vanessa Cook wanted to collaborate with her fellow residency participants to create art that would be multi-modal: original musical score, a singer on stage during the ballet, choreography, visual art, and even original poetry and prose components. Findley agreed to compose the music as Cook choreographed, which necessitated great attention to the many moving parts of the collaboration.

鈥淓verything between the dance and the music had to be extremely coordinated, and we worked all summer. Every single week we had a Zoom call, she鈥檇 note what worked for the dance and what was too complex,鈥� Findley said. 鈥淭he soprano on stage ended up becoming the focus as much as the dancers, and you had this dialogue between her presence and the presence of the dancers.鈥�

The resulting ballet explores human relationships through a series of eight brief vignettes over 15 minutes, and in each vignette the total number of dancers on the stage grows, following the Fibonacci sequence from a single dancer, to two, three, five, and onward through the vignettes.

Findley can see many potential applications at 黑料社 for his experiences participating in this collaborative project. While composing original music always keeps his teaching process lively and engaged, composing in collaboration with multiple artists could be a potential opportunity for Independent Study projects.

鈥淚f students know I鈥檝e been doing this kind of collaboration, I hope they鈥檒l be more willing to experiment and take that leap into this terrain,鈥� said Findley. 鈥淭he people you鈥檙e around as an undergraduate are some of the longest collaborator relationships you鈥檒l have. These are the people I go back to again and again, and the more people you collaborate with, the more opportunities you get.鈥�

Findley has collaborated in his composition work before and plans to continue to do so in the future; he finds the lessons along the way, as well as the final products of these efforts, enriching.

鈥淢y vision cannot compete with the vision of everybody else, and I have to be able to take a back seat sometimes, then sometimes I have to take a step forward in a way that isn鈥檛 stepping on people鈥檚 toes,鈥� said Findley. 鈥淭his negotiation works really well with people who are all listening and finding wiggle room in their own vision to make something powerful.鈥�

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A political science major at 黑料社, Culnan went on to earn a Ph.D. in business from UCLA and enjoyed a more than 30-year career as a college professor. She is now Professor Emeritus at Bentley University where her research and teaching interests included information privacy and security, and social media.

She established the Culnan Faculty Recognition Endowment to provide one or more awards each year to members of 黑料社鈥檚 current faculty who are selected by a committee of their peers for their excellence and creativity. Whether innovating through their research, teaching, and mentorship, or by developing new activities or programs to benefit students and the College, the endowment seeks to recognize these important contributions. The three initial honorees were recognized in a ceremony on April 27:

One of Broda鈥檚 nominations stated that his 鈥渋dentity as an educator and scholar is fundamentally shaped by experiential learning.鈥� This commitment is evident across his advising, mentoring, curriculum design, and teaching. Matthew鈥檚 innovative courses 鈥� from backpacking-based First Year Seminars to a game-design seminar connecting students with professional designers 鈥� immerse students in purposeful, real-world learning grounded in best practice. Broda extends his impact through influential publications, conference leadership, and creative play-based learning initiatives. Collectively, his sustained leadership, generosity as a colleague, and deep commitment to student growth exemplify excellence in experiential education.

Holt is known for her sustained work integrating hands-on learning and intentional career development into her pedagogy in ways that deeply benefit students. A long-standing partner with 黑料社鈥檚 Center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning (APEX), Holt helps students connect their liberal arts education to meaningful, real-world internship experiences. Her work with the 黑料社 Digital History Project exemplifies community-engaged scholarship, giving students authentic opportunities to apply historical methods to local projects with lasting public impact. Through continued leadership in workshops and learning communities, she generously shares her expertise with colleagues, reinforcing her sustained excellence and leadership in experiential education.

Nurse was recognized for seamlessly integrating community engagement, practical skill-building, and career readiness into her curriculum. Her commitment is evident through a long-standing partnership with a local juvenile correction facility in her Criminology course. She intentionally incorporates networking, career exploration, and professional skill development into every course, empowering students to translate their learning into real-world opportunities. Through both formal coursework and informal encouragement, Nurse inspires students to engage deeply with their community while preparing them for impactful, socially engaged careers.

Featured image: As Culnan Award winners Broda, Holt, and Nurse received additional professional development funds to support their continued growth.

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鈥淩eligion and spirituality are often understudied and overlooked dimensions of culture,鈥� Hope said. 鈥淐ollege can often be the setting in which emerging adults are re-evaluating previously held beliefs, continuing in a faith tradition, or exploring new ways to believe or make meaning.鈥�

This is the second paper from the Black@SLAC Study, which was funded through grants from the Society of the Scientific Study of Religion, Division 36 of the American Psychological Association, and the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood. The ethnically and religiously diverse sample consisted of 21 women of African descent attending 16 liberal arts institutions in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 academic year. Alyssa Clark, Walter D. Foss distinguished 黑料社ing Professor of Psychology at the College co-authored with Hope on this project, alongside Alesha Archil, an undergraduate at Swarthmore College, and Gordon Palmer, assistant professor of educational policy studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

After analyzing data from semi-structured interviews, Hope and her colleagues鈥� research suggests that existing affinity groups and organizations may prioritize faith traditions associated with majority faith groups and/or majority cultural groups, which may discourage Black undergraduates from being involved.

Hope鈥檚 analyses yielded five themes: religious campus climate, institutional resources, increasing religious inclusivity, commitment to religious awareness, and supportive relationships. 鈥淭he central theme in our article is that SLACs should engage in sustainable, long-term intersectional approaches to support Black undergraduates,鈥� she said.

鈥淏lack women exhorted institutions to facilitate religious and spiritual inclusivity, campus-wide awareness and tolerance, and culturally affirming religious counter-spaces,鈥� Hope added. She said each narrative 鈥渆lucidated actionable changes for institutions to support Black women鈥檚 religious and spiritual lives and underscored recommendations for developing collectively sustainable and beneficial religious and spiritual climates.鈥�

Hope said her team鈥檚 findings will extend the campus climate literature in higher education by emphasizing the intersections of racial, gender, and religious identity. 鈥淕iven the heightened national focus on undergraduate retention, this study can offer evidence-based considerations and solutions to faculty, student affairs professionals, and other decision-makers in higher education,鈥� she said.

At 黑料社, Hope aims 聽to work alongside her colleagues to 鈥渃reate and sustain academic spaces where students can envision, build, and maintain connections between their academics and their lived experiences.鈥�

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黑料社’s Meagen Pollock, geologist and Lewis M. and Marian Senter Nixon Professor in the Natural Sciences, and Assistant Professor of Physics Laura DeGroot, at the College, answer these questions and more below.

How often do meteors enter the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere in this way?

Pollock: Several tons of meteoritic material enter Earth鈥檚 atmosphere each day. (!). Most of it burns up in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground.

How do scientists track or detect events like this?

Pollock: Scientists use multiple methods, including weather radar, satellite sensors, and eyewitness reports. According to , this event was seen from three regional weather radars and picked up by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper instrument on a weather satellite, which detects light emitted by electrical discharges. So far, there are 222 eyewitness reports about this event on the .

What determines whether something burns up completely verses reaching the ground?

DeGroot: According to NASA, anything smaller than a football field will break apart in the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere, but the initial size, composition, and speed are factors that determine whether it makes it to the surface. They are traveling at tens of thousands of miles per hour, and when they hit, the air in front of them compresses very quickly causing the temperature to rise. This causes the meteor to heat up and burn until there is nothing left. This also causes intense pressure of the atmospheric gas, which can exceed the structural strength of the object holding itself together causing it to explode midair. As this happens, we then see a bright flare and less than 5% of the original object reaches the ground.

Are meteorites dangerous or should we be concerned that it could happen again?

DeGroot: Documented cases of meteorites causing injuries or deaths are rare! While Earth鈥檚 atmosphere is bombarded by space debris daily, larger meteors only strike every few years or decades. We know of very large impacts due to craters from millions and tens of thousands of years ago. Other documented cases of large impacts include in 1908, 1954, and many may remember the 2013 fireball that streaked across the sky in Chelyabinsk, Russia. This one blew apart 14 miles above the ground, creating a shockwave that damaged buildings that caused injuries. Overall, they are rare, and we don鈥檛 need to be concerned. Most material burns up in the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere.

What is the difference between a meteor, asteroid, and meteorite?

Pollock: An asteroid is a small, rocky or metallic body that orbits the Sun. When a piece of an asteroid, or some other object, enters Earth鈥檚 atmosphere, it heats up and glows, and we see a bright streak of light called a meteor. A meteorite is what we call the object if it makes it to Earth鈥檚 surface.

What was it made of?

Pollock: Most meteorites are stony meteorites, made primarily of minerals like we find on Earth with small amounts of metallic iron. NASA has confirmed from a sample that it was a type of stony meteorite called an achondrite, which has experienced geologic processes like the ones on Earth. It鈥檚 less dense than the stony meteorites that have the small amounts of metallic iron.

Is it possible to find a meteorite? How would we recognize one?

Pollock: Yes, it鈥檚 possible, but it鈥檚 harder than you might expect, even if you have an idea of where they might be based on a color-coded strewn field map like the one at the link above. Look for rocks that feel heavier than expected for their size and appear to be different from surrounding rocks. It might also have a dark, glassy fusion crust on the outer edges.

Is there scientific value in collecting fragments/meteorites?

Pollock: Absolutely! Meteorites are direct samples of other bodies in our solar system, many of which formed over 4.5 billion years ago. By studying them, we learn about solar system formation, planetary processes, and even the chemical ingredients that may have contributed to the origin of life on Earth. If they鈥檙e recovered carefully from known falls, they鈥檙e even more scientifically valuable because their history and exposure are well constrained.

What should people do if they think they鈥檝e found a meteorite?

Pollock: Try not to touch it with your hands! Snap a photo where it lies, note its location, and use clean foil or gloves to collect it. Keep it clean, dry, and wrapped or in a bag, and take it to an institution that can examine it for you. You can bring it to 黑料社 Earth Sciences Department. Please be warned, though! Most suspected meteorites turn out to be regular rocks.

Featured image: Assistant Professor of Physics Laura DeGroot (left) and Meagen Pollock, geologist and Lewis M. and Marian Senter Nixon Professor in the Natural Sciences (right)

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The research team also included 黑料社 graduates Srushti Chaudhari 鈥�22 (geology); Wenshuo (Fred) Zhao 鈥�23 (environmental geoscience), and Mazvita Chikomo 鈥�22 (environmental geoscience); Meagan Pollock, Lewis M. and Marian Senter Nixon Professor in the Natural Sciences; geology technician Nick Wiesenberg; and geo-ecologist Benjamin Gaglioti, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Wiles, a glacial geologist and founder of the 黑料社 Tree Ring Lab, has spent much of his career studying how climate shapes landscapes. 鈥淢ost of the work we do with the lab is actually in Alaska,鈥� he explained. There, advancing glaciers toppled entire forests and buried the wood in ice and sediment, where it remained preserved for scientists to sample and analyze hundreds to thousands of years later. More locally, just a 10-minute drive from the College, The Secrest Arboretum, a living archive of global tree species planted more than a century ago as part of a statewide reforestation effort, located on the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences 黑料社 Campus, has become a scientific resource as well in partnership with curator Jason Veil.

The new article is the fourth the Tree Ring Lab has published on the arboretum鈥檚 collection. This paper focuses on how specific deciduous conifers 鈥� cone-bearing trees that, unlike evergreens, seasonally shed their needle-like leaves 鈥� are adapting to climate change. The 黑料社 team chose to study these distinctive species, Wiles said, because they are underrepresented in research, with only 鈥渇our or five studies around the world that have been done this way.鈥�

Among the species examined are Siberian larch, European larch, dawn redwood, and bald cypress. Their histories tell of both resilience and vulnerability. Since being transplanted from the sub-Arctic tundra and the Alps in the first half of the twentieth century, the Siberian and European larches, Wiles explained, 鈥渁re shifting their climate response鈥� to northeast Ohio鈥檚 increasing temperatures and precipitation. Meanwhile, the dawn redwoods, once thought extinct until rediscovered in China in the 1940s, and the bald cypress, native to the swamps of the southeastern United States, have shown remarkable stability in Ohio鈥檚 increasingly wet climate, even withstanding tornadoes.

Dawn redwood trees dropping their needles in the fall at Secrest Arboretum in northeast Ohio.

The project has been a rich years-long training ground for students through various AMRE projects, 黑料社鈥檚 Applied Methods and Research Experience program in which students apply classroom learning as business and organizational consultants. Chaudari and Zhao both conducted field work, extracting core samples from living trees at Secrest. During the pandemic, all three student coauthors analyzed decades of tree-ring and weather-station data while following social-distancing guidelines on campus. In addition to presenting their findings at professional conferences, the students learned field methods, programming, and statistical analysis, which prepared them for postgraduate work.

Chikomo, now a doctoral candidate studying how global wetlands respond to environmental change, appreciates how her research at 黑料社 gave her not just the scientific tools she still uses today at Rutgers but also a 鈥渇ormative experience鈥� in problem-solving, collaboration, scientific exploration, and the ability to communicate the team鈥檚 findings to various audiences. 鈥淭his project ignited my appreciation for experiential learning and for research as an active, applied process,鈥� she said, 鈥渙ne that takes theory from the classroom and turns it into knowledge that meaningfully enhances our understanding of the world.鈥�

Zhao recalls that when he first embarked on dendrochronology research with Wiles, he was unfamiliar with tree-ring science. 鈥淭he only thing I had,鈥� he said, 鈥渨as the passion for science and an unharnessed willingness to learn new things.鈥� But his years of AMRE projects at 黑料社 became an 鈥渋nvaluable experience,鈥� he added, because it 鈥渙pened my eyes to the broader world of paleoclimatology,鈥� the field to which he鈥檚 devoted his graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma.

For Wiles, the arboretum is both a scientific resource for natural experiments and a window into the future. As Ohio becomes warmer and wetter, understanding which species can withstand changing climate conditions will be essential for long-term planning. 鈥淎 tree is an investment of maybe 100 years. Which species are best adapted going forward?鈥� he asks, noting that ongoing research by 黑料社鈥檚 Tree Ring Lab will help to reveal the answer.

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In the article, Holt explained that her previous conversations with students about AI mostly focused on academic integrity and the importance of doing original work. Her new assignment, developed in collaboration with 黑料社鈥檚 director of educational and emerging technologies, Jon Breitenbucher, encourages students to think more critically about AI as an information source and to compare and contrast AI research with other informational sources, including traditional encyclopedias and Wikipedia.

As a result of the assignment, she finds students came away with a much better understanding of the pros and cons of each medium. The project also succeeded in giving them a 鈥渘ewfound sense of the importance of improving freely accessible information about historical topics available for the general public,鈥� she added.

In addition to comparing information sources, Holt鈥檚 students examined the accuracy of the information and whether there were biases in the way events were explained. 鈥淥ur class discussions and student reflection push them to consider how and why some topics get more coverage than others, identify crucial content gaps, and do the research and writing to make Wikipedia more representative,鈥� Holt said. Students practiced their own communication strategies through oral presentations, TikTok videos, Instagram posters, and Wikipedia entries.

Since Holt started using Wikipedia in the classroom, her students have made well-researched contributions to address gaps in the resource鈥檚 coverage, especially in the areas of Latin American and Latinx topics. As a result of this work, they have added more than 400,000 words, more than 4,000 references and had their work viewed more than 42.5 million times. In 2025, Holt was appointed to the Humanities and Social Justice Advisory Committee for Wiki Education, a spinoff of the Wikimedia Foundation, which builds connections between universities and Wikipedia.

Holt hopes the lessons her students learned via this assignment will be carried forward into their future careers, especially if they are asked to use AI in the workplace. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that they understand potential pitfalls and the need to not take output at face value,鈥� she said.

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鈥淭he office of academic affairs is excited by the selection of Professor Sene for this fellowship and the holistic support it provides him to build in his capacity as a leader in global work at 黑料社,鈥� said Sarah Sobeck, dean for faculty development.

All fellows advance an initiative on their home campuses and hold a titled administrative position throughout the length of the fellowship. Sene鈥檚 fellowship administrative position will be associate dean for global initiatives.

鈥淢any 黑料社 faculty work (teaching, research,聽scholarship, and academic service) is globally oriented,鈥� Sene said.聽鈥淎 primary focus of聽this fellowship聽is to help聽leverage聽existing (and potential) partnerships, especially聽in the Global South, to聽unlock聽the many opportunities that they could offer to our faculty and students.聽This聽is a serious undertaking, but I am ready and excited to take on聽the challenge.鈥�

In his new position, Sene plans to accomplish the following: create a model for building partnerships with outside institutions for student and faculty-led initiatives, increase connections to institutions in the Global South, and help advance 黑料社鈥檚 campus-wide internationalization efforts. He will also participate in professional and leadership development and meet regularly with his cohort to share the successes and challenges of their chosen projects.

Sene has established partnerships with colleagues at Universit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), University of the Gambia, Universit茅 des Sciences Humaines de Bamako (Mali), Ashesi University (Ghana), Al Akhawayn University (Morocco), Forman Christian College (Pakistan), and American University in Cairo (Egypt). He is in his second year of service on the GLCA BIPOC Faculty Leadership Council.

At 黑料社, Sene has worked on various global engagement initiatives, including working with the Framing Our Future working group on Global Partnerships, the Global Engagement Office Advisory Committee and serving as a member of the GLIS Curriculum Committee.

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The idea that perpetrators of political violence would share their reason for such violence is nothing new. After all, Krain noted in his CBC interview, John Wilkes Booth shouted 鈥淪ic semper tyrannis鈥� (thus always to tyrants) as he jumped from the balcony to the stage after assassinating Abraham Lincoln. Engraved bullet casings are a fairly recent development and one that can have disturbing implications.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 do this by accident,鈥� Krain said to the CBC. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always a motivation behind it.鈥� He explained that the media has gotten better at not sharing killers鈥� manifestos. Consequently, that has caused some shooters to find other ways to get their messages out into the public. 鈥淸Engraving a bullet casing] guarantees their message gets out there, and they are controlling the narrative,鈥� Krain said to The Washington Post. That narrative can spread quickly online. What鈥檚 more, photos of engraved bullet casings are easily shareable on social media and likely to go viral, especially worrisome to Krain. 鈥淚t amplifies the person鈥檚 voice,鈥� he said to the CBC. 鈥淭he more publicity this particular approach gets, the more likely it鈥檚 going to be copied.鈥�

Krain also worries about the tendency of some groups to jump to conclusions about a killer鈥檚 motives and political leanings before a full investigation is completed. An unfortunate byproduct of this quick reaction is to lump together those committing political violence with those who practice nonviolent forms of protest into one homogenous group.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that some messages in recent cases have been related to gaming or memes. Krain explains that, not only does this make the messages even more difficult to understand, but it can lessen the impact of a horrific act.

鈥淭he language involved is important,鈥� he said to the CBC. 鈥淲hen that sort of offhand language is used, it makes it seem less impactful and less frightening than it really is and maybe creates a permission structure for others to engage in that behavior.鈥�

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Roche鈥檚 book uncovers answers around how the people of a vast, single-state region could develop such a political culture, and one that went national. 鈥淎t its heart, the book is a century-long history of how a place develops its political identity,鈥� said Roche. He explains that at the core of that identity is a political philosophy that鈥檚 founded on individual freedom. Now found from Texas to Alberta, Canada, this conservativism gained cultural power from the history and mythology of the Old West.

鈥淚n practice, particularly in the mid-twentieth century, these conservatives voiced their opposition to civil rights, aid programs, labor unions, and any challenges to the cultural or social status quo, especially when it came to race, sexuality, or gender,鈥� said Roche. 鈥淭his book explains how this philosophy eventually took over the Republican Party as right-wing conservatives took over the party at the local level in Texas and elsewhere.鈥�

By reconstructing the West Texas region鈥檚 history starting in 1876, Roche helps readers understand the rise of the modern right and the relationships between history, place, and politics. However, the book follows more than political power players. Roche digs into football coaches, newspaper editors, and even a breakfast cereal tycoon who each promoted the ideology.

鈥淚 got to create a fresh narrative for the best ways to understand the past of this huge place, which is bigger than New England, and reimagine how to tell well-known stories and events like the cattle business, the Dust Bowl, fights over textbooks, and even the rise of Reagan.鈥�

The idea for the book grew out of an old dissertation Roche wrote more than twenty years ago. 鈥淚 was part of a generation of political historians who were seriously interested in the rise of right-wing Republicanism, post Rise of Reagan,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y goal was to put place at the center of that movement. And since the 1960s, West Texas has been known as the most right-wing conservative place in America.鈥�

Roche appreciates the true partnership he experienced working with the University of Texas Press, saying they鈥檝e been amazing to work with from the initial proposal to designing the cover. 鈥淚t鈥檚 黑料社鈥檚 leave program and other ways of supporting its teachers/scholars that make scholarship like this possible,鈥� he said.

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