Eastern New Mexico University Students win awards at the Western Region American Association for Agriculture Education Conference

Portales, NM – Sept. 28, 2023 – Students from the Eastern New Mexico Agriculture Department traveled to Utah to present research and explore agricultural industries at the 2023 Western Region American Association for Agriculture Education Conference Sept. 18-20 in Logan, Utah.

ENMU Student Makenzie Drake won a Top 10 Innovative Poster on her project on “Determining Agricultural Literacy at a Small Sized Western Region University.”

ENMU and Texas Tech Students and professors Carlos Duran Gabela, Joshue Lewis Mite, Amy Boren-Alpizar, Kalynn Baldock, Erica Irlbeck, Jessiann Dusenbery, Makenzie Drake, and Brianna Fryman were awarded an excellent poster design award for their presentation on “HERO in Undergraduates Students: A Comparative Study of Two Agricultural Colleges’ PsyCap.”

ENMU and Texas Tech students and professors Joshue Lewis Mite, Carlos Duran Gabela, Amy Boren-Alpizar, Erica Irlbeck, Kalynn Baldock, Isaac Ramirez, Haley Warren, Hannah Sanchez also presented on “Everything Will Be Fine! Understanding the Role of Self-Efficacy in Agricultural Undergraduate Students' Academic Achievement” at the conference.

“This conference was a great opportunity for students to communicate their research ideas and data with other researchers in the field,” said Kaylnn Baldock, Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Agriculture at ENMU.  “Students were able to meet researchers from other Universities within the region and network with other undergraduate and graduate students.  Through these opportunities, I hope that students can realize the incredible opportunities available to them after receiving their degrees here at ENMU.”

The WAAAE conference advocates for improving teaching and learning in agriculture, providing a forum to address issues in agricultural education, providing an approach to identifying, prioritizing, and organizing research in agricultural education, and providing opportunities for individual and organizational growth, development, and renewal.

For more information on the American Association for Agriculture Education, please visit https://aaaeonline.org/