Special Projects

Dr. Amede Rubio holds a Plant and Soil Science PhD from Texas Tech and brings about two decades of teaching experience in biology and ecology at both high school and university levels. At Texas A&M International University, his research concentrates on invasive plant species along the Rio Grande in Webb County, Texas, examining their effects on native biodiversity. His research focus for the TAMIU Garden aims to explore the benefits of traditional Milpa intercropping systems in raised bed gardens.

Maya Bhatt received his PhD degree in natural resources and environmental studies with a focus in biogeochemistry from the University of New Hampshire and earned his master’s degrees in chemistry from Tribhuvan University and in environmental geochemistry from Nagoya University. Dr. Bhatt has worked at the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University, Hamburg University, and University of North Texas as a postdoctoral fellow/scholar and as a faculty at TU, KU, PU and Concord University.

Dr. Monica O. Mendez is an Associate Professor of Environmental Biology. Her research focuses on environmental microbiology, plant-microbe interactions, and bioremediation. She studies the link between contaminants in recycled water and impacts on soil systems. Dr. Mendez performs laboratory, greenhouse and field research to understand the impact of irrigation water contaminants on the plant-soil microbiome and crop quality. Her projects examine factors contributing to antimicrobial-resistance and its mitigation in crop systems.

Dr. Vásquez serves as an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Psychology & Communication. He is proud to be a 7^th generation Laredoan. Dr. Vásquez has published in the areas of violence and traumatic stress sequelae, with a focus on peritraumatic and persistent dissociation. He has also published in the areas of cultural psychology and traumatic brain injury (concussion) care in athletes. Dr. Vásquez is glad to serve on the TAMIU Agricultural Workgroup housed within the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) and as the co-coordinator for the University Garden, specifically. His role in this group allows him to learn more about the interrelationships between the care, gathering, and consumption of native plants as food sources, the local cultural practices related to eating, and how these tie in to mental health, while also giving him the opportunity to spend time working under the hot sun of south Texas border with Mexico, for which he is heartily grateful.

TAMIU Faculty Profile - Arenaz, Rebekah A.