With the Southeastern Conference Tournament imminent, Texas A&M men’s basketball will face one last test against LSU on Saturday, March 7, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to close out the inaugural season of Bucky Ball in Aggieland.
February was a month the Aggies would like to forget after the hot start they experienced at the beginning of conference play, boasting a 17-4 record good enough for No.
1 in the SEC. But just like the fickle weather around this time of year, the squad turned cold, as a 2-6 February stretch dropped the Aggies all the way down to eighth in the conference.
While the road has been hard, A&M has kept itself close in games to keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The Aggies had 3 of their 6 contests last month come down to two-possession games, none more heartbreaking than dropping the Lone Star Showdown by just six points in front of the 12th Man.
“I know we’re disappointed, but I also know that no one’s more disappointed than those guys playing,” head coach Bucky McMillan said following the loss to Texas. “We’ll win a lot more of these than we’ll lose. We got a split this year, but I feel good about what we’re going to do going forward.”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology has the Aggies as a 10-seed, sitting right on the bubble for the tournament. This closing stretch of the season — with upcoming games against LSU and in the SEC Tournament — will prove crucial for A&M in cracking the field of 64.
The Aggie offense has been stagnant as of late, relying heavily on the likes of graduate
student forward Rashaun Agee and graduate student guard Marcus Hill. Unlike the beginning of the season, when multiple Aggies were putting points on the board, the past month has seen a heavier scoring burden on Agee and Hill.
“We need some of our guys to step it up in some ways, and we need some of our perimeter players to step it up a little bit,” McMillan said. “I think that it’s coming, you know, the guards this time of year, you’ll see here as we approach March, the guards got to rise up.”
The Fightin’ Farmers will head east to Baton Rouge to take on a familiar opponent, the LSU Tigers. The Aggies took on the Tigers in their opening matchup of SEC play, grabbing a 75-72 win in January. That game saw four Aggies score double-digit points, something that only happened once in the month of February.
Going forward, a name that must heat up for the Aggies is sophomore G Rubén Dominguez. The Spaniard started off the season as one of the best 3-point shooters in
the country, breaking the A&M record for 3-pointers made in a game. Recently, however, Dominguez hasn’t been himself from behind the arc, putting up double-digit points only twice since Jan. 21. A hot finish from him at this stage of the season could propel the Maroon and White to close out the regular season strong and push toward the NCAA Tournament.
Senior G Max Mackinnon will be a name to keep tabs on for the Tigers. The Brisbane, Australia native has led LSU in scoring all season with 15.5 points, notably putting up 20 against A&M in its first matchup.
“It just wasn’t our day,” Agee said. “We got a turnover to the next game. We got to get in the gym and get ready for the next game.”
With the SEC tournament pending, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line, A&M will need to flush the month of February and reset against LSU. Tipoff for
gie-on-Tiger matchup is set for
Maravich
Gold digging: Aggies face Golden Grizzlies
A&M returns to Blue Bell Park for weekend series vs. Oakland
By Ava Loth Associate Sports Editor
Making its way back to College Station, No. 22 Texas A&M baseball enters a threegame series against Oakland as part of its five-game homestead before preparation begins for its first Southeastern Conference matchup.
For their first true test of the season, accompanied by a major league backdrop, the Maroon and White traveled to take part in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. A&M walked away with two wins but faced its first reality check of the season against No. 1 UCLA.
Left in ruins by the Bruins with an 11-1 run-rule defeat, the Aggies saw light on either end of the tunnel with victories against the Virginia Tech Hokies and Arizona State Sun Devils.
Taking in the last breaths of its undefeated streak, A&M didn’t offer a single opportunity for the Virginia Tech offense, turning in an early opening night of the series with a 10-0 run-rule massacre. Even having ex-
perienced its first loss the day prior, it didn’t miss a beat barreling into Game 3, as A&M packed its bags with a 9-3 win over Arizona State.
Junior designated player Chris Hacopian made his first appearance back in the Aggie lineup since exiting the second game of the season on Feb. 14.
However, it was short-lived in Game 1, as he left the game in the bottom of the sixth inning after a homer in his first chance at the plate and a three-pitch strikeout in his second at-bat.
“It’s always day-to-day with that guy,” head coach Michael Earley said after the game against Virginia Tech. “He’s really tough. We also want to be smart. … We just got to get that guy. He’s a difference-maker.”
Now making its weekend return to the wonderful sight of Olsen Field with a 11-1 record, A&M can feel deja vu coming on. Defeating the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 45-14 in their season-opening series, the Aggies now welcome the Oakland Golden Grizzlies to Blue Bell Park in search of more treasure.
A 1-10 record is the only thing standing between the Aggies and another series sweep in front of the 12th Man. Oakland
picked up its sole victory of the season from an extra-inning 3-2 win over Lamar on Feb. 15, the same Lamar that A&M produced 25 runs against in its midweek tussle on Feb. 24.
In their most recent defeat, the Golden Grizzlies faced the No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs, where they endured three run rulings, including two shutouts across the four-game series. At the mercy of the Black and Gold arms, they surrendered 48 combined runs in their last series alone, and their pitching now sits at a combined 10.56 ERA.
On the flip side, the Aggies have relinquished a combined 3.42 ERA, led by redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Shane Sdao. The usual Friday night starter has earned two wins among his three outings, as the Montgomery native currently sits atop A&M pitching with a 1.96 ERA, only allowing four runs and one homerun.
And while the A&M bats seemed to wander off against UCLA, they weren’t completely lost, putting up nine-plus runs on both ends of the weekend.
Junior right fielder Caden Sorrell distributed major offensive contributions in the No. 2 spot of the lineup. The Highland Village native leads the Aggies with an .895 slugging percentage, 20 RBIs and six home
runs.
“Getting on the board early, you know, that’s why we got him there in the twohole,” Earley said after the win over Arizona State. “We want him up as soon as possible.”
While only being in Aggieland for a short amount of time, freshman third baseman Nico Partida has gotten comfortable in his time at the plate, cementing himself as part of the lineup. Partida went 2-for4 against the Sun Devils, picking up two RBIs that helped secure the Aggies’ fourth run-rule victory of the season. The rookie has amassed three home runs, 13 hits and nine RBIs, planting him as a top offensive producer.
For Oakland, the bats have not ramped up enough to outhit its pitching woes. Despite the Black and Gold suffering run-rule losses in four of their previous games, they combined for a .243 batting average on top of 82 hits and 39 RBIs.
Accompanied by the Golden Grizzlies’ eight-game slump, the Aggies should be able to right any wrongs and add three wins to their record, as the conference schedule is not too far down the road.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6, as A&M will face off against Oakland in Game 1 at Olsen Field.
A&M seeks calm waters
Aggies face in-state rivals down Highway 21, with Southeastern Conference schedule on horizon
By Noah Ruiz
Associate Sports Editor
Continuing its trend of consecutive tournament appearances, No. 19 Texas A&M softball will travel down Highway 21 for the San Marcos Showdown, where it will face Tarleton State and Texas State in the city known for its cool rivers, endemic salamanders and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
The Maroon and White won’t receive any presidential pardons here, however, for they will be the target of two programs searching for their signature win against a ranked opponent, namely the Texans who are yet to win against a top-25 team.
The hosting Bobcats begin their thirdstraight home turf defense with a 12-7 record, after previously dispatching then-No. 18 Clemson at their States Up Invitational. However, the Aggies pose a unique chal-
lenge as sophomore left-handed pitcher
Kate Munnerlyn is coming off pitching the first perfect game for A&M in over 20 years against Kennesaw State.
The Bobcats have an experienced arm on the mound as well, with junior LHP Madison Azua taking care of business as the starter for the hosting squad. In 15 appearances, Azua has accrued an 8-6 record with 71 strikeouts and maintained a 2.39 ERA.
Texas State will be well-armed to face its in-state foes, as senior infielder Aiyana Coleman leads her squad with a whopping .439 batting average, paired with 18 hits and 16 RBIs. The Aggies, too, have themselves a prized slugger in junior designated player Mya Perez, whose 21 RBIs are second on the team and 10th in the Southeastern Conference.
Even more efficient in bringing runners home is senior first baseman Micaela Wark, a transfer from Oklahoma State who has made her presence known since coming to College Station. In her limited action with the Maroon and White, Wark has belted a team-leading 29 RBIs, while also leading A&M in home runs with nine.
Apart from Perez and Wark, sophomore catcher Ariel Kowaleski and senior second baseman Tallen Edwards have provided a strong fielding percentage while defending within the circle, while also providing 30 RBIs. As a unit, A&M has maintained a .965 percentage as discipline has been the key to head coach Trisha Ford’s recent success in her limited time at the helm of the program.
What was slated to be a back-to-back doubleheader weekend was shortened due to inclement weather, as the Aggies initially had two matches scheduled against the Texans and the Saint Francis Red Flash but will now have just a single doubleheader versus Tarleton and Texas State on their brief business trip.
While the Aggies still have their tournament hopes building in the early season, their near-immortality has diminished since the loss of key starters like former LHP Emiley Kennedy led to six ranked losses.
Even so, performances like Munnerlyn’s perfect game gave hope that A&M is on the come-up, which must be proven against formidable opponents such as Tarleton. Entering the tournament with a 14-7 record,
the Texans have sophomore C Macie Vickers carrying the load of their offense with her 27 hits and 28 RBIs charging the battery of a purple and white machine.
Tarleton has been incredibly efficient in neutral-site games, racking up a 6-1 record when sitting in the gray area between home and away.When Vickers isn’t getting the ball in play, freshman OF Mikayla Wilson wastes no time since coming up from the prep level, as her 18 RBIs come second on the Texans’ squad. The Aggies, on the other hand, have had no such luck in the same situations, going 6-5 in neutral-site games, with each of those losses coming against ranked opponents. Nevertheless, A&M has the pieces necessary to make a deep postseason run if its bats stay on fire, most especially from senior third baseman Kennedy Powell, whose .475 batting average has had opposing squads fearing her efficiency on the plate. With
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SPORTS
Women’s hoops pursue postseason run
A&M takes on Auburn in first round of Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Palmetto State
By Dylan Fonville Sports Writer
Texas A&M women’s basketball has been unstoppable recently, stringing together five consecutive wins to end the regular season. On March 1, it capped off this stretch with an upset victory over then-No.18 Ole Miss, in Oxford, Mississippi. Moving forward, the Aggies must channel their “next-game mentality” as they prepare to compete in the Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. After their last several SEC wins, the Ma-
roon and White have set themselves up as the 10-seed in the conference tournament. A&M’s gauntlet begins with 15-seed Auburn, followed by possible rematches against 7-seed Ole Miss and 2-seed Vanderbilt. If A&M advances to the semifinals, it could possibly rematch rival 3-seed Texas.
This tournament will host every SEC team no matter the record or ranking, but because A&M just missed the 8-seed, it will not have the luxury of skipping any rounds.
The Maroon and White are joined by seven other teams that will compete in the first round of the tournament for an opportunity to play the top seeds in later rounds. This means that the Aggies face an uphill battle, and any win after the first round will be an upset. As far as seeding goes, the Fightin’ Farmers didn’t draw the short straw, as they fall on the side of the bracket with both the 2-seed and 3-seed, and if they make it through their side of the bracket, could still face the 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks
in the finals.
If A&M advances to the second round, it will face Ole Miss on Thursday, March 5.
The Aggies bested the Rebels in their regular-season finale by a score of 66-58. The biggest threat the Rebels bring will be their size, as it is no secret that the Maroon and White are undersized, especially given that their leading scorer is 5-foot-3.
The most frightening players on the Ole Miss roster are senior forwards Cotie McMahon and Latasha Lattimore. McMahon boasts a team best 19.8 points and 2.9 assists per game, while Lattimore is third in the SEC in blocks per game with 2.2. The Fightin’ Farmers will have their hands full with a clear NCAA Tournament contender and will need to utilize their speed and turnover ratio against the Rebels.
Led by sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes, one of the best bucket-getters in the country, the Commodores have knocked down the door of almost every opponent. Blakes leads the country in points per game at 27.1, along with dominating the SEC in several other categories. Beside being first in points, she’s third in 3-pointers made and fourth in steals per game. Vanderbilt has won by 40-plus points on six different occasions this season and has beaten four top-10 opponents. While the Aggies have momentum, it may not be enough to defeat the Commodores, who have proven to be unbeatable this season.
With its eyes set on making a deep run, A&M must first move past Auburn on Wednesday, March 4, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.
As it stands, if A&M were to progress to the third round of the tournament, it would face Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals. The Commodores have a record of 27-3, with their only three losses coming from conference opponents. Vanderbilt is a title contender, seeking a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Texas A&M hard ballers on hard court
Serving success: Aggie catalysts to watch out for in second half of spring season with SEC schedule well underway
By Roman Arteaga Senior Sports Writer
Halfway through the season, No. 14 Texas A&M men’s and No. 4 A&M women’s tennis have both shown flashes of promise against their competitors.
With three women ranked in singles and a pair ranked in doubles, the women have dominated their opponents, jumping out to an 11-2 overall record while holding a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play.
The men have proven to be experts as well, and with three men ranked in singles and two duos ranked in doubles, the Maroon and White have taken out multiple ranked opponents on their way to a 9-5 record overall.
Lucciana Perez
The junior from Lima, Peru, has slowly become a nightmare matchup every time she steps onto the court. Ranked No. 5 in singles with a perfect 8-0 record, Perez has shown superb skills from the baseline. Though undersized, Perez is able to use her speed and quickness to stay in rallies and turn defense into offense.
While she is great in singles, Perez is equally as dominant in doubles. Paired with senior Mia Kupres, both have been able to utilize their chemistry and net skills to claim the No. 15 spot in the rankings. Look out for Perez as she seeks to have the same success in the second half of the season.
Mia Kupres
With a lethal backhand and the ability to rip a baseline stroke at any moment, Kupres has kept her opponents on their toes. Netgame expertise has also been key, and paired with cannon-like baseline strokes, Kupres has the unique ability to quickly finish points to keep her opponents on defense.
Lexington Reed
Following a stellar freshman season that saw her post a 29-9 record in singles, sophomore Lexington Reed has continued to emerge as a star for the Fightin’ Farmers. With her powerful serve and deadly forehand, Reed has developed a one-two punch that makes it difficult to generate a break point. From here, she will be looking to improve as the second half of the season gets underway.
Theo Papamalamis
The sophomore from Lessy, France, has slowly climbed the ranks for the Aggies. Now ranked No. 78 in singles and No. 80 in doubles, Papamalamis is only getting better. With a creative arsenal and consistent forehand and backhand, Papamalamis has secured seven singles victories. Watch out as he looks to build upon his success in the second half of the spring campaign.
Kholo Montsi
Sophomore Kholo Montsi has shown flashes of excellence throughout the start of this season. An Oklahoma transfer from East London, South Africa, Montsi is now ranked No. 105 in singles with a 10-5 record.
Though he struggled at the beginning of the season, Montsi seems to have found his groove, as he has won his last three singles matches and 8 of his last 10 overall. With more play approaching, Montsi will be sure to give it his all against highly ranked SEC competition.
A former member of the All-Southeastern Conference First Team, Kupres has once again had a wonderful start to the 2026 spring season. Though she specializes in doubles, Kupres has had huge success in singles as well and is currently ranked No. 35 with an 11-4 overall record.
Guard Ny’Ceara Pryor (1) shoots the ball during Texas A&M women’s basketball’s game against Auburn at Reed Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION
Welcome to Howdywood
Inaugural student-led film festival hosted by MSC Aggie Cinema to share original short, feature films at Rudder Forum
By Sophia Munoz Associate Life & Arts Editor
Actors, artists, producers and directors alike will come together for MSC Aggie Cinema’s inaugural film festival, Howdywood, from March 20-22 at Rudder Forum. Current and former students will compete for cash prizes with their original short and feature film entries, engage with film industry professionals and celebrate one another’s cinematic accomplishments. The festival, however, is not the first of its kind, as a little over 20 years ago campus buzzed with pride for its nationally recognized creation.
Back to one
In 1993, Texas A&M MSC Film Society — known today as Aggie Cinema — started the Texas Film Festival, which quickly became the largest student-led film festival in the nation.
“[Texas Film Festival organizers] were screening a bunch of submissions from all over Texas and, I’m sure, beyond,” Aggie Cinema Chair and accounting senior Sam Brady said. “They were even hosting a bunch of notable people in the industry like Spike Lee, Sean Astin, Robert Rodriguez — all of these incredibly, incredibly talented people, here at Texas A&M.”
However, in 2005, festivities came to a screeching halt when the MSC underwent reconstruction. Despite this setback, the cameras never stopped rolling for A&M’s film enthusiasts as campus organizations such as The Aggie Arthouse, Aggie SWAMP Filmmaking Club and Aggie Cinema kept the heart of cinematic creativity beating with live film showings, original student productions and accessible streaming sites for students.
Brady said that while organizations like SWAMP have continued to host their own film festivals, Aggie Cinema looks to create a festival that adds to the competition’s experience, offering students networking opportunities by housing speakers and professionals. Hence, Howdywood’s planning began as soon as Fall 2024 in preparation for Aggie Cinema’s 60th anniversary during the 20252026 academic year.
“We had a whole series of films planned out for the fall semester to celebrate that as sort of an all-encompassing retrospective history, 60s to the 2020s, how far we’ve come,” Brady said. “But we needed something special, or we wanted something special for the spring semester, to take it a step further.”
Start of beautiful friendships
During festival planning, Aggie Cinema was in search of guidance and support, soon finding it in faculty from the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, or PVFA.
“They’ve been very enthusiastic, and it’s very nice to see how excited the PVFA has been to work with us, to engage with us, even though this is the first time we’re doing an event like this,” Brady said.
Through this relationship, Aggie Cinema has gained access to some of its key speakers for Howdywood, including “Sorry To Bother You” filmmaker and writer Raymond Lawrence “Boots” Riley. In addition, PVFA faculty will serve as speakers for a professional panel during the event. Coordinators also went further than campus grounds in search of ways to improve festival plans.
“[Howdywood coordinators] did some early outreach to the Queen Film Society in Downtown Bryan,” Assistant Director of MSC Student Programs and festival advisor Mary Compton said. “ … Aggie Cinema did a lot of work early on. They reached out to some other college campuses that have a film program or a film festival and talked to those student leaders and kind of got some tips and tricks on how to do festivals.”
Compton said such outreach efforts have allowed Howdywood coordinators to get in touch with student leaders of the Dallas International Film Festival for advice on successful planning. Once satisfied with their festival preparation, research and outreach, it came time to start building an itinerary for the event.
It’s showtime
Howdywood began taking film entries in early October 2025, with entry acceptance ending in mid-February. Applicants had choices of entering their pieces into three film categories: features, current student short and former student short. As its name implies, the feature film category comprises both former and current students on account of the difficulty required for this type of entry.
From courtroom to Congress
Conservative lawyer Chris Gober ‘01 makes bid to replace Michael McCaul in U.S. House
By Ian Curtis Senior Enterprise Reporter
Chris Gober’s ‘01 campaign ad — aptly titled “Boots” — tells a simple story.
It brands the former oil field worker-turned-Aggie business student-turned-lawyer as a rural Texan, complete with a narrative centered on a pair of boots Gober received when he was 16 years old.
Designed to appeal to a broad swath of voters in a district that spans from urban Austin in the west to rural Crockett in the east and taking elements from every part of Gober’s lived experience, from the oil field to the courtroom, he casts himself as, primarily, a fighter.
“
In early 2025, The New York Times described Gober as a “swaggering Texas-based lawyer” — a claim that Gober has accepted as a compliment on his law firm’s website.
enough to secure an endorsement from President Donald Trump, the holy grail in a congressional primary election where name recognition can be hard to come by, and deep enough to raise over $1.1 million dollars, more than any other candidate in the primary.
Fighter in court
Gober is the founding partner and CEO of the law firm Lex Politica. The firm describes its focus as “Specializing in Political, Public Policy, Nonprofit, and Regulatory Matters.” It’s designed to fill a void that Gober identified during his law career: a boutique firm tailored toward a focus on political law, specifically toward conservative causes.
Gober described the firm — which has been named to the “Aggie 100” list of growing Aggie-owned and Aggie-led busi-
Holtzman Vogel in early 2025.
In plain English: If there has been a high-profile political law case involving a Republican — especially in Texas — the odds are Gober has been involved in it.
He served as the chief lawyer of billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC and defended Musk in a case involving payouts to swing state voters. Gober’s other clients have included Republican politicians Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, the Texas Republican Party and “dozens” of other Republicans, according to his page on Lex Politica’s website.. He also served as counsel for Texas Republicans during multiple state congressional redistricting cycles, including the controversial mid-cycle redistricting last summer.
Some clients — especially Musk — have driven outside attention toward Gober and his work in law. But he insists that there was no single client that gave him a boost.
I built the law firm that allows me to wake up in the morning and say, ‘My job today is to win for conservatives and Beat the Hell Outta the Radical Left.’
Chris Gober ‘01 Republican U.S. Congressional Candidate
But even in the courtroom, Gober wants voters to realize that he is the ideological warrior he brands himself as.
“Aggies wake up in the morning and say, ‘Beat the Hell Outta t.u.,’” Gober wrote via email. “I built the law firm that allows me to wake up in the morning and say ‘My job today is to win for conservatives and Beat the Hell Outta the Radical Left.’”
Gober brings a unique background to the crowded field of 10 Republicans running to replace United States Rep. Michael McCaul in Texas’ District 10. The Aggie business management graduate grew up in the Texas Big Country towns of Graham and Throckmorton before making his way to Aggieland.
Unlike several of his challengers, Gober has not held elected office. But — also unlike most of the primary field — his ties to the conservative movement run deep. Deep
nesses — as an all-inclusive resource for the nation’s conservative policy makers.
“The moment something comes in, say, ‘Oh, this is conservative,’ and it objects [to] some liberal sensitivities, one of these coastal elites, it’s like, they won’t take it,” Gober said. “So really, we saw an incredible opportunity to say,‘You know, these so-called high profile, prestigious firms, they’re not doing the work. They are not out there representing conservative interests, conservative ideals, conservative causes.’ And we believe that there was really a gap for that of the top-tier talent and top-tier law firms that are really leaning into that head on.”
During a period of recent expansion,The New York Times described Gober and the firm as “building a new conservative legal powerhouse” after Gober hired four Republican-aligned lawyers from major firm
“We don’t really have a story of ‘Boom, we got this client, and then all of a sudden our revenues doubled,’ or things like that,” Gober said. “I mean, it really is a story of just solid, consistent, usually pretty controlled growth where we’re somewhat cyclical with an election cycle.”
Building business
When Gober thinks of what it took to build his law career, he remembers an Elmo balloon. It’s early 2012: Gober just struck out on his own after founding his own practice in February 2011. Texas’ redistricting cycle kept him slammed, but for his daughter’s second birthday, the family took her to an Elmo-themed concert.
Photos courtesy of Chris Gober ’01
Top to bottom: U.S. House candidate Chris Gober ‘01 poses for a photo while on the campaign trail. U.S. House candidate Chris Gober ‘01 speaks while on the campaign trail.
Aggie engineer fuses fashion, technology
doing Q&As through my stories.”
By Julia Kazda News Editor
When technological genius meets creativity, a fashion engineer is born. Aarathi Devakumar, a multidisciplinary engineering technology sophomore with a concentration in mechatronics, finds herself balancing on a ledge between two worlds: science and art. Instead of leaning toward one side, she has built an innovative haven for herself right in the center.
Devakumar is currently working under assistant professor Amir Zavareh, Ph.D., conducting research on canine spine sensors that can sense a dog’s posture and link it to different kinds of behaviors. She is also involved in the Texas A&M University Robotics Team & Leadership Experience, where she leads a team in her most wellknown project, Fashionable Assistive Spinal Harness, or FASH, an integration of fashion within robotics.
Using the technology from Zavareh’s spinal sensors, Devakumar is working to design pieces of clothing that can sense the movements of the wearer and adapt accordingly. This could prove to be influential for performance arts such as ballet, during which the attached article of clothing could learn to move and perform with the dancer.
“She’s very creative,” Executive Director
of the Meloy Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship program and professor of practice Jim Donnell said. “She’s very passionate. She’s very creative, and so she’s a great team member because she’s got lots of good ideas. And so it’s just fun to watch her work with her team.”
Because of her acclaim echoing across A&M’s network of engineers, Mohamed Gharib, Ph.D., said he was more than willing to join Devakumar’s crowd of praisers.
As the program coordinator for Multidisciplinary Engineering Technology, Gharib learned about her work in FASH through numerous press releases.
“So, I know she’s designing and developing wearable robotics, integrating fashion to technology, and this is something very impressive and creative in terms of how can we utilize technology in our daily life, even if for something that could be entertaining, but in the future also to help humans in many other aspects,” Gharib said.
Contrary to the mainstream portrayal of an engineer, Devakumar finds herself fascinated with the arts. Although she attributes her inspiration to designers such as Maia Hirsch, a mechanical engineer and Ph.D. student at Cornell University, her first spark of artistic passion bloomed from a place that was closer to home.
“So I think being South Indian and having an older sister and a mom who did a lot of South Indian classical dancing, I think that really got me into the fine arts,” Devakumar said. “I also played a lot of instru-
While Devakumar’s FASH initiative has taken off, it was not always well-regarded. Because of its ingenuity, people first found the melding of fashion and engineering to be a hobby without a concrete societal purpose.
“A lot of it was like not being taken seriously, especially when we switched, a lot of people were like, ‘Is this really worth it? I mean, is there really a purpose for it? Are you really trying to solve anything, or is it just for funsies,’” Devakumar said. “And to be fair, a lot of it was just for funsies. But you know, it could really help cure the boredom of Broadway if you really want to think about it like that. And in the future, we do hope on collaborating with the Aggie Theatre Company and participating in cosplay competitions, so that will be really fun.”
Inspired by creators like She Builds Robots, Devakumar has brought her unique skill for combining fashion and engineering to the masses, hoping to inspire young minds to follow in the footsteps of her legacy.
“I do content creation, and my goal in doing content creation is to share my experiences about being a Texas A&M engineering student and encouraging young girls to find an interest in engineering through raw and personal experiences,” Devakumar said. “And recently, I’m trying to document about my fashion meetings and what we’re doing, and I want to make it interactive by
Instead of diving head first into her work and allowing the engineering community to fade into the back of her mind, Devakumar makes it a point to prioritize young innovators.
“One of the things that I’m doing is this one series called Advice with Art,” Devakumar said. “So I usually ask people, I’m like, ‘Hey, put in a question that you have for me, and I’ll answer it in a reel.’ So people ask questions and I’m like, ‘Okay, wait, let me answer this. I got you, girl.’ So there’s that. It’s been growing quite recently, and over the past few months too, which is really cool. And it’s brought me with a lot of cool people and a really supportive group of women in engineering too, which I think we can uplift each other on.”
A creative mind, inventor and teacher, Devakumar has left her mark on the Aggie engineering community with her work in FASH. According to Gharib, her integration of fashion is not only creative, but it could greatly contribute to the future world of entertainment. While her mechanical feats may take many grand stages in the future, her community of Aggie engineers will be in a constant state of gratuitous applause, proven by the previous testaments of Donnell and Gharib.
“You should always be curious about your surroundings, and everything,” Devakumar said. “I like to say that, and I like to say that in my content creation stuff, too. Always stay curious.”
Semiconductor facility electrifies RELLIS
New facility to combine research, manufacturing in rapidly expanding industy
By Emily Anderson News Reporter
A new $226 million semiconductor research facility is set to open at the RELLIS campus in 2028. The Director of Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute, Steve Putna, Ph.D., said plans for the state-funded facility started in 2023 spearheaded by Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engineering Research David Staack, Ph.D. Semiconductors, also commonly referred to as chips, are electronic devices fabricated using nanofabrication technology, the
science of manipulating materials at a molecular scale, to integrate a very large and complex circuitry into a very small space, according to Associate Dean of Engineering Research Arum Han, Ph.D.
The use of semiconductors in everyday technology is vast and vital, with almost every device we use in daily life requiring semiconductor technology.
“Your cell phone, laptop, autonomous vehicle, satellite communication and even kids toys, almost every single product you have has semiconductor chips,” Han said.
“Some semiconductor chips that are being used for AI are highly expensive state-ofthe-art, some semiconductors, as an example one that goes into a very low-cost toy, can be extremely cheap. The range is pretty broad, but it’s pretty much driving everybody’s everyday life.”
Putna said the facility is tied in with what many are calling the “chip wars,” a growing concern about the U.S.’ leadership in the development and manufacturing of chips. Most chip-related processes have shifted to Asia, specifically Taiwan and Korea. Research facilities, like the one being developed at RELLIS, play a vital role in helping the United States remain a global leader in the rapidly growing field of chip design and production.
While the United States may be attempting to regain leadership in the semiconductor industry, from an exports perspective, Texas is the No. 1 semiconductor economy in the country. Currently, there are some smaller semiconductor facilities in Texas, such as the Texas Institute for Electronics at the University of Texas, which focuses mainly on semiconductor manufacturing,
but not at the scale and focus of A&M’s facility, according to Putna.
There is currently a small nanofabrication facility on A&M’s campus, called AggieFab. AggieFab has a program, sponsored by Samsung, that provides students sponsorships for working and training at the facility and then provides them with internships over the summer. Many of those students also receive offers for full-time jobs through the program.
“As we build out our new facility … we would mirror that programming and expand on that programming that’s offered,” Putna said.
ments too.”
STEM to hems: Student brings science to clothing design
Photos courtesy of Aarathi Devakumar
Left to right: Multidisciplinary engineering technology junior Aarathi Devakumar poses for a photo doing a “Gig ‘em” at the Administration Building. Project Lead for Fashion and Wearable Robots, Aarathi Devakumar and her team at the TURTLE Robotics semesterly showcase.
OPINION
Opinion: Monkey’s meaning for mankind
Peeling away the layers in search of fruitful discovery
By Marie Kneeland Opinion Writer
Do you still have stuffed animals?
It’s OK, I do, too! When I was a kid, I watched “Toy Story” — a monumental moment for any young child — and it influenced my opinion of stuffies forever. I could never get rid of a single one, because what if they were secretly alive and had to learn about friendship and loyalty over the course of an hour-long movie?
I digress.
It turns out that we aren’t the only species that loves a furry friend — real-life furry friends love stuffed animals, too!
As you might have seen on your social media feeds, a baby monkey named Punch has gone completely viral for his sad circumstances and his comfort stuffed orangutan. Punch’s mother abandoned him when he was born, and without her guidance, Punch was shunned by the rest of the monkeys in his habitat. It was heartbreaking for the baby, and the world’s heart broke with him.
Zookeepers have since assured the public
that the behaviors of all monkeys involved — including poor Punch — are completely normal and to be expected. For most of us, those assurances are a difficult pill to swallow. All we see is a creature impacted by feelings of loneliness, social separation and abandonment — this is something we can all relate to.
But why?
For thousands of years, we’ve connected with animals on a deeply human level. Andrew Jackson kept a parrot named Poll who used such profane language that he was kicked out of the former president’s funeral. In 1957, everyone mourned Laika, the first dog sent into space, when she died upon reentering the atmosphere. More recently, you may recall seeing the penguin from Werner Herzog’s documentary reemerge from the shadows, famous for separating from its colony and wandering off toward the mountains — and certain death.
To quote Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”: “What does it mean? What does it mean?”
Some say it means “like understands like,” and that, therefore, humans obviously have some flimsy connection to other mammals; others say it means we’re all secretly Dr. Dolittle, speaking to animals when no one is watching; many say it means nothing, and
that we should get off the internet.
I say that our connection to these creatures proves that life has meaning.
Whoa. Things got deep!
In order to see the full picture, we need all the puzzle pieces. First, there’s an important term to know — after all, it’s what we’re arguing against. Nihilism is a system of thought that says there are no principles or beliefs that have any meaning. Depressing, I know.
You’ve probably heard variations of this argument before, claiming that everything we see meaning in is a clump of cells or merely biological tendencies as opposed to something that holds any actual meaning.
Here’s what I see: If nothing has inherent meaning, then why are we assigning that nonexistent purpose to other species?
The truth is, we’re projecting our human emotions.
When we see a monkey left alone, we don’t say, “Oh, that’s the normal behavioral reaction of a macaque in a new environment.” Instead, we say, “Oh, he’s lonely.”
The reason behind this is simple. We view the world through the lens of our own experiences; since we experience loneliness, it only makes sense that other creatures do, too. It’s a human reaction that tells us Punch’s behaviors have meaning.
We attribute this meaning to other things, too.You’ve probably had a pet that was your best friend for years, or maybe you recently listened to a song that brought back feelings of nostalgia. As we established at the beginning, you definitely have a stuffed animal that you can’t live without. If there truly is no purpose to life — no meaning — I find it baffling that humans are constantly assigning it everywhere we go. Why would we be created to see something that isn’t there? To quote C.S. Lewis, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists.”
If you’re hungry, you can eat; if you’re tired, you can sleep. If we feel a hole where purpose should be, then that purpose exists.
You can walk away from this article and wash your hands clean of the whole affair. You can say that projecting emotions sounds like cheap therapy, and that life is meaningless and empty.
For my part, I will continue to argue that this emptiness is proof of meaning. Nihilism must fail because it dismisses every instinct, every unyielding desire, that tells us to feel for a little monkey in a zoo across the globe.
Marie Kneeland is an English honors freshman and an opinion writer for The Battalion.
Opinion: A penguin’s place in posterity
Life isn’t found in the black and white but in wings of purpose
By Aidan Zamany Opinion Writer
Is there such a thing as insanity among penguins?
One viral clip from Werner Herzog’s masterful Antarctic documentary, “Encounters at the End of the World,” has recently brought this exact question to the forefront of public discussion. With a team of cinematographers and scientists at his side, Herzog explored the inhospitable frontier of the frozen tundra and its unique inhabitants, among which are miniature Adelie penguins.
The nature of Adelies is reflected in their highly social, densely populated colonies. Clustered in rookeries across the Antarctic icescape, they huddle together for warmth, protection and companionship.
From afar, the mob of penguins forms a black island of birds drifting across a sea of glimmering white ice. Up close, they are practically identical in appearance and behavior, and it is impossible to distinguish between these animals as they hunt, forage and mate among themselves. In many ways, they are unremarkable.
“But one of them caught our eye,” Herzog said. “The one in the center. He would neither go towards the feeding grounds at the edge of the ice nor return to the colony. Shortly afterwards, we saw him heading straight towards the mountains, some 70 kilometers away. Dr. Ainley explained that even if we caught him and brought him back to the colony, he would immediately head right back for the mountains … but why?”
Why abandon the safety and comfort of the colony?
As they followed the solitary, waddling penguin — careful not to interfere in its inexplicable voyage — Herzog contemplated if the bird had committed to killing itself as an escape from the cruel conditions of Antarctic life.
“And here he is heading off into the interior of the vast continent,” Herzog said. “With 5,000 kilometers ahead of him, he is heading towards certain death.”
But his journey is an expression of neither defeat nor despair. To resign to apathy and accept the meaninglessness of existence is to become a passive nihilist; it’s a denial of the spirit of life and a relinquishing of the natural will to power we all possess. To abandon this truth is to be nothing, and from that perspective, suicide becomes a course of action incredibly easy to justify.
To live is to suffer, but to survive one must find meaning in suffering. Those who don’t are condemned to walk the Earth as vertical corpses until they, like melting snow, disappear as if never having existed in the first place. Today, this archetype has become the dystopic norm: They sit in cells, celebrated for their mediocrity and rewarded as a master does his dog.
Friedrich Nietzsche offers a cure to this sickness, a method to unshackle oneself from the slavery of life. Contrary to the Last Man, the philosopher with the hammer prepares to implement the reevaluation of all values. Behold the Übermensch: not just superior, but beyond man, creating purpose of his own where it does not exist. By forging meaning and combating pessimism, the active nihilist can achieve fulfillment.
So, as onlookers to one little, lonely bird defiantly marching toward a distant horizon, we ought not to weep, but rather praise and follow his example. Initially, in overcoming nihilism, you may feel yourself reduced relative to the dogmatic customs and expectations of civilization — pay no attention to the false authority of these petty rules. The higher we fly, the smaller we appear to those on the ground. It is also likely that, to the masses of the colony — to society — you will appear delusional, but remember that those who were
seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. The symphony is glorious, and it’s an unfortunate reality that most individuals will never conceive of its sound, for the weak are too obsessively occupied with attempting to survive that they will never begin to live.
However, as the courageous penguin realized, vitality is found in acknowledging and approaching death. Do not measure and calculate, wondering if it is even possible to reach the peaks.The gods envy us because we are mortal, because any moment may be our last, and this fated doom makes everything that much more beautiful. History proves that many men are born posthumously, prevailing in time — knowing this, what better life purpose is there than to perish in attempting the great and impossible?
One must see the penguin not as the Last Man, but as the Übermensch, transcending the conventions of the colony and thereby enabling one to seek their own fate and write their own future. Nietzsche gifted us the wisdom to realize this: “The rest are merely humanity. One must make one’s self superior to humanity, in power, in loftiness of soul, in contempt.”
Aidan Zamany is a political science sophomore and opinion writer for The Battalion.
