At Texas A&M, numerous skills and talents are on display every day. But on a campus of around 90,000 students, faculty and staff, not all of those talents are visible. This bite-size audio series tells the stories of the important campus jobs you don’t see and the people that do them.
Building ‘Delightful’ Technology – Unsung Talents: Episode #15
Technology should do more than just work. It should delight. At Texas A&M, product managers like Allison Oslund and Jennifer Mandel Buratti work diligently to enhance technology for our campus. They translate complex tech language into digestible instructions for novice and experienced users, bridging the gap between IT professionals and the needs of students, faculty and staff. Currently, they’re dedicated to bringing an AI model comparison tool to life. Listen in as eager AI users are introduced to the product and find out how many projects each product manager juggles. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
30 Jul 2025
How to Hire Well – Unsung Talents: Episode #14
Reveille is a hit with everyone, even new hires on their first day in Aggieland. Special visits from Miss Rev are just one part of how Texas A&M changed the way it hires new employees. Since 2023, a centralized onboarding process has made new employees feel more welcome. Hear how much thought goes into crafting the onboarding experience - from behind-the-scenes checklists to what new hires see, hear and learn on their first day. Find out why it’s about to be busy season for the onboarding team, and listen to why they care so much about doing their jobs well. Bonus: you’ll learn Miss Rev’s favorite treat. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
6 May 2025
The Work Behind Graduation – Unsung Talents: Episode #13
Long hours and a few late nights make graduation possible. At Texas A&M, the Office of the Registrar is gearing up for nine commencement ceremonies in three days. 13,000+ students will cross the stage in one of the most special moments of their lives. And the registrar’s office has been working on these ceremonies since the last ones ended in December. Meet the team behind each ceremony and find out what they do behind the scenes. Hear the months of work that go into checking grades, creating reports, printing check-in cards and more. Listen to a commencement name caller describe his preparation process. And hear why the team isn’t in for a vacation even after the ceremonies end. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
16 Apr 2025
Biology’s Plant and Animal Parents – Unsung Talents: Episode #12
Cats aren’t normally a part of professor and TA office hours. Except in biology. Meet the prep team behind the three undergraduate biology lab programs at Texas A&M: introductory biology, microbiology and anatomy and physiology. Find out the number of students they serve (it’s a big number!) and the size of their small team. Tag along for an artery and vein refresher on a dissected cat. Hear the clinks of plates and tubes as the microbiology prep team flows seamlessly between tasks. Learn why the prep team is so passionate about taking care of students in the classroom and in life. And hear why a hug is rarely turned down. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
16 Apr 2025
The “Magic Elves” of Chemistry – Unsung Talents: Episode #11
Do you ever think about how green spinach is? Chemistry students do. Every semester in Texas A&M chemistry labs, students make a series of spinach dilutions to measure light absorption. But they couldn’t do it without the hidden support of the chemistry tech team. No, they’re not magic elves, but the work they do sure feels like magic. You’ll be shocked at the number of students they serve each year. Meet some of the full-time team and a student worker as they prepare for the spinach experiment. Hear why the team cares so much about making each lab an engaging experience. And learn why hundreds of vials, liters of chemicals and an ever-revolving door of lab sections keep them busy. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
Your next steak or chicken portion should be no bigger than a deck of cards. Smaller than you expected, right? But it’s your health we’re talking about! March is National Nutrition Month, so meet Taylor Cyrus, the registered dietitian for University Health Services at Texas A&M. Hear how she helps students find the right foods for their lives. Learn what a balanced meal really looks like in 2025. Find out why carbs get a bad rap and explore why genetics play a bigger role in nutrition than they used to. Listen as Cyrus guides a student wanting to lose weight through suggested lifestyle changes. Plus, everyone has a guilty pleasure food, but what is it for a dietitian? Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
20 Feb 2025
Ringing Bells – Unsung Talents: Episode #9
Beautiful bells play every 15 minutes on campus and toll for every hour. But have you ever thought about who keeps them sounding their best? Learn the ins and outs of the 49 bells in Texas A&M’s 14-story Albritton Bell Tower - you’ll be surprised by the department that’s in charge of the tower and the huge variety in bell range and size. Explore the tower’s history, including how the bells were kept safe during construction and how old-school MIDI tapes were used to play the bells for years. Climb the tower to hear the lowest and highest notes and find out what the bells have in common with A&M’s replica Liberty Bell. Plus, hear a rare recording of the tower’s 1984 dedication ceremony concert. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
17 Jan 2025
Making Biscuits at 5 a.m. – Unsung Talents: Episode #8
Where are you at 5 a.m.? Probably still asleep or just waking up to get ready for the day. But at Sbisa Dining Hall, breakfast cooks are already hard at work. Experience the sounds of a Texas A&M University kitchen as cook Iiesha Thomas - and her 5 a.m. energy that most people would envy - takes just over an hour to make 400 portions of biscuits and gravy, 400 portions of sausage, 300 portions of oatmeal and 150 portions of mushrooms. Hear potatoes frying, oatmeal being stirred and fruit being chopped in preparation for a busy day. Plus - find out just how quickly Thomas pivots from breakfast to lunch. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
18 Dec 2024
Episode #7 – Getting Paid on Time
Payroll administrator Dawn Suehs and her team of 13 colleagues process $145.75 million in monthly payments, revealing the intricate steps behind getting paid on time.
15 Nov 2024
Episode #6 – Cleaning Bonfire Memorial
Art won’t stay pretty on its own. It fights the elements. So, on a recent sticky, cloudy morning, volunteers gathered to scrub bronze and sweep granite at Bonfire Memorial. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of Bonfire collapse and the annual ceremony remembering the 12 Aggies who died, join volunteers as they scrub, wash and wax every inch of the memorial. Hear from University Art Galleries collections manager Amanda Neel as she explains every step of the process and hear why Texas A&M students and staff, plus members of Texas Exes, chose to spend their morning helping out. Then, learn more about Neel’s job maintaining about 50 other sculptures and caring for 2,500 pieces of art in the university’s collections. If you’d like to volunteer for future sculpture cleanings, fill out this form to sign up (https://uart.tamu.edu/volunteer/). Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
15 Oct 2024
Episode #5 – Nurturing a Nature Preserve
Imagine Texas as it used to be. Natural land, oak trees spaced out, grass and wildflowers growing underneath. Nowadays, as College Station continues to grow, there's not much natural land left within the city. But across Texas Avenue from campus, just eight blocks from one of the busiest roads in the city, lies the Schob Nature Preserve: a quiet, small property where native grasses grow and birds and insects thrive. Meet landscape architecture professor Bruce Dvorak, in charge of restoring the land to its natural state. Hear how challenging it is to remove invasive species and why he’s encouraged by wildlife observations. And listen as landscape architecture students put their mark on the property with class projects like a bee pollinator hotel. If you’d like to volunteer your time to help the Schob Nature Preserve succeed, contact Professor Dvorak at bdvorak@tamu.edu. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
17 Sept 2024
Episode #4 – Raising Flags
The unmistakable sound of cadet shoes and boots smacking the sidewalk breaks through the quiet of sunrise on campus. Follow a team of B Battery cadets on their first assignment of the day: raising the American flags on campus. Hear the process and the purpose behind the simple routine. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
21 Aug 2024
Episode #3 – Finding Library Books
Books don’t just appear on shelves. Meet the librarian responsible for purchasing every item owned by Texas A&M University Libraries. Hear why his team cares more about student success than you might expect. Plus, learn about an A&M library program that started a national trend and why its librarians have daily discussions with libraries worldwide. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
29 Jul 2024
Episode #2 – Overseeing The Gardens
With 800 different trees, flowers and other plants growing in his domain, Gardens manager Joseph Johnson has a lot to manage. Hear firsthand what goes into maintaining the seven acres of tranquility. Plus: what plant smells like grape Kool-Aid? Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
9 Jul 2024
Episode #1 – Bus Trainers
Aggie Spirit bus drivers: visible. Bus trainers: not visible. Meet some of the trainers responsible for teaching students how to drive A&M's 14-ton, 40-foot-long buses. Ride along on a mock route and hear how supportive and encouraging trainers are. And hear from students about their training experience. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
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