Student Success
Teri Mullins Presents at the Conference on College Composition and Communication
Teri Mullins, a current Technical Communication undergraduate, made history by being the first undergraduate student from SHSU to present at CCCC's. Her research "AI - Technology's Newest CHallenges for Technical Writers," explores the complex ways AI is impacting the field of Technical Communication.
"Last week, I had the opportunity to represent Sam Houston State University at the 2025 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) in Baltimore, MD. My research poster, titled "AI – Technology's Newest Challenge for Technical Writers," explored the evolving impact of artificial intelligence on the technical writing profession—both in its current applications and its potential influence on the industry’s future. As AI continues to reshape communication practices, the topic sparked meaningful discussions about the changing role of educators in preparing students to write in AI-integrated environments.
During the conference, I connected with faculty and scholars from across the country, exchanging ideas and gaining valuable insights into the role of AI in the technical writing classroom. I left the conference feeling more energized than ever about advancing my research. I plan to continue expanding this project, incorporating the thoughtful feedback I received throughout the event." - Teri Mullins
Students Incorporate Peers and Community for BBQ Culture Class
"I designed the Texas BBQ course to be an immersive research experience in which students explore the development of a regional 'taste,' a distinctive set of cultural, social, and economical practices related to the production, preparation, and consumption of food. As in a traditional senior seminar in English, students read widely in barbeque literature, including culinary histories, anthropology, historical cookbooks, satirical literature and cartooning, work in archives, including the new Prison Rodeo and Walker County Fairgrounds Association archives in the Newton Gresham Library, and produce both written and oral presentations on their findings. In this community-engaged course, they also interview local pit-masters, grocers, competitive barbeque teams, and others working in the world of Texas BBQ today. They visit historic places in Texas BBQ history and BBQ joints ranked among the best in Texas by Texas Monthly. They serve as judges in the annual Walker County BBQ Cookoff and then host their own mini-cookoff in which they compete against each other under the supervision of experienced SHSU alumni cooks. In doing so, they connect academic studies in Humanities to public life as it is experienced in the present through a series of highly relevant projects. Having gathered stories and historical documents, photos and film footage, recipes and cooking experience, students produce short videos about thier experiences over the fifteen weeks, which tell the story not of Texas BBQ but of their personal transformation through this cultural and social engagement." - Dr. Michael Demson