Local Podcast Host Christian Hamilton
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.
Episodes
Balanced Plates, Healthy Lives – Unsung Talents: Episode #10 March 19, 2025 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.
Ringing Bells – Unsung Talents: Episode #9 February 20, 2025 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.
Making Biscuits at 5 a.m. – Unsung Talents: Episode #8 January 17, 2025 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.
Getting Paid on Time – Unsung Talents: Episode #7 December 18, 2024 It may seem like magic when your paycheck appears in your bank account, but there are a lot of steps to get it there. Meet Dawn Suehs, one of 14 payroll administrators for the university. Together, the payroll team pays 32,575 people every month - that’s a whopping $145,750,649 each month. Find out what goes into getting people paid on time and if Suehs gets jealous seeing what everyone makes. Listen to more episodes at tx.ag/unsungtalents.
Cleaning Bonfire Memorial – Unsung Talents: Episode #6 November 15, 2024 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.
Nurturing a Nature Preserve – Unsung Talents: Episode #5 October 15, 2024 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.
Raising Flags – Unsung Talents: Episode #4 September 17, 2024 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.
Finding Library Books – Unsung Talents: Episode #3 August 21, 2024 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.
Overseeing The Gardens – Unsung Talents: Episode #2 July 29, 2024 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.
Bus Trainers – Unsung Talents: Episode #1 July 9, 2024 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.