天美传媒

 

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� The latest 天美传媒 Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of Oct. 20-24.

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HempWood Founder Greg Wilson, who works closely with 天美传媒鈥檚 Hutson School of Agriculture, opened a second factory in Murray in August, capitalizing on growth in the hemp industry in Kentucky and nationwide. 

Sen. Rand Paul attended the official opening and performed the ceremonial 鈥渂oard-cutting.鈥�

Wilson, a Maryland native, has a history of working with alternatives to traditional building materials. He spent more than a decade working for a company in China that manufactured bamboo flooring. It was there that he developed a respiratory condition due to exposure to the manufacturing adhesive formaldehyde. That experience 鈥� plus the U.S. legalization of hemp in the 2014 Farm Bill 鈥� is what inspired him to search for a safe, cost-effective alternative to traditional lumber materials. That鈥檚 when he began working closely with 天美传媒鈥檚 Agriculture Department.

In 2019, HempWood began hiring students from the University鈥檚 agricultural department. Several of those interns continued to work for HempWood after graduation. Austin Corn is one such alumnus who now has partial ownership of the company.

HempWood opened its first factory six years ago, producing lumber materials from the fibers of the cannabis plant. The company is also known for creating an eco-friendly, soy-based adhesive, which Wilson credits to 天美传媒 Chemistry Professor Dr. Kevin Miller. The unique adhesive is one of the keys to Wilson鈥檚 patented formula for turning hemp fibers into a sustainable wood product that Wilson says has a 20% higher density than oak.

Wilson said from start to finish the process for making HempWood is all done locally.

Chris Wooldridge, director of the 天美传媒 Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development said HempWood鈥檚 growth is in large part to Wilson鈥檚 commitment to success.

鈥淲orking with Greg and HempWood is an honor and an education,鈥� said Wooldridge. 鈥淲atching his drive, focus and determination to make an amazing, eco-friendly product from a fast growing, carbon adsorbing plant that is grown right here in the Commonwealth is inspiring and impressive.鈥�

天美传媒 planted the first legal agricultural hemp research plot in Kentucky in 2014 鈥� some of the first hemp plants grown in the U.S. since its cultivation was prohibited in 1970. 天美传媒 was cited by Congressman James Comer as the first university in the country to participate in the hemp pilot program.

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The 天美传媒 Speech and Debate Union had an excellent showing at the Big Apple Debate Tournament, a virtual tournament hosted by Queens College, in late September.

Freshman debater Coleton Boyd, of Simpsonville, Kentucky, dominated the preliminary rounds with a staggering 6-0 record, making him the #1 seed in the tournament. Elimination rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals and finals) were single elimination brackets, best of three ballots.

Boyd won quarterfinals and semifinals on a 3-0 decision, meaning he swept all three ballots in each round, which set up a final round between 天美传媒 and Colorado University - Boulder. Boyd lost the final round on a razor thin 2-1 decision.

Director of 天美传媒鈥檚 Speech and Debate Union Dr. Ryan Goke said that Boyd winning 13 of 15 ballots is an incredible feat for any debater, but especially for a novice at his first ever tournament. Goke said Boyd demonstrated exceptional persuasive skills and kept the judges on the edge of their seats to the very end of the final round.

Boyd walked away with Second Place Novice International Public Debate Association Debate Award and Second Place Novice Speaker Award. Caleb McCurren, a senior of Paducah, Kentucky, also earned Eighth Place Varsity Speaker Award, with more than 50 competitors in his division. Together the team took home fifth place in Overall Sweepstakes Awards out of about 30 schools who participated.

"I am incredibly proud of the exceptional performance and the unmatched work ethic of our students,鈥� said Goke. 鈥淚 think this is just the beginning of a spectacular speech and debate season for the Racers."

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Dr. Leiza Nochebuena-Evans, assistant professor of finance at 天美传媒, was recently featured in WalletHub's article about the best credit cards for people with fair credit. Read the full article at .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sydney Naber, a senior from Murray, Kentucky, was chosen to be a 2025-2026 Circle Delegate for Omicron Delta Kappa鈥檚 (ODK) Student Advisory Board. Naber is also president of 天美传媒鈥檚 ODK chapter.

As a member of the Student Advisory Board, she represents the chapter鈥檚 ideas, connects with leaders nationwide and helps shape the future of ODK.

鈥淲e meet to discuss how we can make our campus a better place for students and ODK members,鈥� Naber said. 鈥淲e compare chapters and discuss issues and how to combat them.鈥�

ODK is a national honor society that recognizes leadership and scholarship and has founded more than 400 chapters or circles nationwide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dr. John Dressler, professor emeritus in the 天美传媒 Department of Music, spent three weeks in England over the summer pursuing research and performance.

Week one was spent at the University of Birmingham鈥檚 Special Collections Library and the Royal Library and Archive, Windsor Castle researching Sir Edward Elgar (of Pomp and Circumstance fame, among other works) in his role as Master of the King鈥檚 Musick (1924-34) for a presentation to the Elgar Society鈥檚 June 2026 meeting in York, England.

Week two involved completing research on composer Ruth Gipps (1921-99) at the BBC Written Archives Centre in Reading regarding contracts and documentation related to her music, which premiered on radio throughout her career for a bio-bibliography, which will be available in late 2026 by the combined presses: Clemson University and University of Liverpool.

Week three found Dressler back again in the French horn section of the annual Sherborne Summer Festival Orchestra in Dorset, not far from Bournemouth and Southampton. For the first three days of three 90-minute rehearsals each, the orchestra reads six masterworks. At the end of Wednesday鈥檚 final rehearsal, the orchestra votes for what will be the three pieces performed that Saturday evening in its public concert.

Thankfully, late July/early August in the United Kingdom was cooler than the heat wave it experienced just two weeks prior to that. Not many places are equipped with air conditioning, including the dormitories at the Sherborne Boys School where the festival orchestra is held. Famous graduates of the Sherborne Boys School include Hugh Bonneville and Jeremy Irons (actors), John le Carre (author), Cecil Day Lewis (poet laureate) and Alan Turing (decipherer of the Enigma Code during World War II).