ALUMNI INNOVATORS @ WORK

CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, TRAILBLAZING CAREERS

INNOVATION HAS BEEN PART OF UNT’S CULTURE SINCE 1890, AND GRADUATES HAVE CARRIED THAT SPIRIT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AS RESEARCHERS, INNOVATORS AND LEADERS.

Protecting Crops From Pathogens

John Ryals (’77) is co-founder of AgBiome, which fnds bacteria in the soil so it can protect crops against insects and pathogens. A board member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University and Duke University, he boasts 30 years of experience in plant genetics and bioengineering. He served as head of research for CIBA-Geigy Agricultural Biotechnology, which created the frst genetically engineered corn seed product, Maximizer Seeds. He established Paradigm Genetics and Metabolon, one of the world’s leaders in metabolomics, and other companies that focus on plant genetics and commercialization. He completed his postdoctoral training and taught at the University of Zurich.

Finding Humanity In Words

Rebecca Bernard’s (’21 Ph.D.) teaching work at a men’s prison in Kentucky provided a new way of looking at incarcerated people – and inspiration for her writing. Bernard, an assistant professor of English at Angelo State University, worked on the stories during her frst two years of her doctoral work in creative writing and fction at UNT that became the book Our Sister Who Will Not Die. It won the 2021 Non/Fiction Collection Prize from Te Journal and was published by Mad Creek Books, an imprint of Te Ohio State University Press. Her dissertation, with the working title In the Way of Family, is now undergoing revisions with her agent.

Stem Leader In Aviation Innovation

Johnna Sargent (’16), an engineering specialist for the mission systems group at Bell Flight, received the Modern Day Technology Leader Award from the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference. Te award recognizes midlevel professionals who help shape the future of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in their careers and communities. Sargent worked on the Bell Boeing CMV-22B Navy Carrier onboard delivery confguration and helped create innovative technology that reads the fuel gauge while improving the amount of fuel carried and the fight distance. Sargent previously received the Women of Color’s STEM Technology Rising Star Award.