These are the things we hope to analyze. In order to examine language change over time, four people from each community will be interviewed to examine dialect boundaries and diffusion patterns. The Killgore funding will allow her to continue her study of the rest of West Texas. She will train students to conduct the interviews and plans to publish the information in the first complete, academic book on the language of Texas. In another research project, Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, assistant professor of agricultural business and economics, will work with Dr. David Parker, assistant professor of environmental science, and Dr. Brent Auvermann of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station to determine the overall economic benefits of solid-set sprinklers in commercial feedyards.
Sprinklers can keep the dust down and keep cattle from getting sick.
The water also keeps cattle cool in summer, which means they feel better, act better and eat better-things that should help with their average daily gain. We'll compare weight gain and the cattle's medical records to see if the benefits of these sprinkler systems outweigh the costs associated with putting them in, because they are expensive. Kunz, associate professor of sociology, plans to continue her studies in the effects of divorce on children's peer relationships. Kunz has also completed four other areas of study on children and divorce. She plans to use that research to develop her own studies.