President Loftin’s Letter to the A&M Family

Unexpected Interest In An Army Futures Command Event At Texas A&M

The Army Futures Command, which has a presence on the RELLIS campus, is hosting a two day event on the Texas A&M campus related to the development of robots that the Army says “can help protect soldiers and revolutionize warfare.” Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez is among the government, academic, and industry partners associated with the event associated with the Army’s human-machine integration, or HMI program. Click HERE to read and download a news release about the HMI program and the event at Texas A&M from the Army News Service. Gutierrez said during his visit on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs (November 6) that the event was originally going draw around 300 people. But Gutierrez said more than 1,000 applied to attend, so they “kind of pivoted and we’re trying to figure out how do we make all these people feel as welcomed as they should feel.” Gutierrez says attendees includes possible contractors, generals, and others “who are making these decisions on how do we go forward and how we protect our people”, which is a reference to protecting those who are on the battlefield. An article from the Army News Service says HMI forces, using unmanned vehicles, drones, and other machines “could shoulder risks normally assumed by Soldiers.” That could help achieve the Army’s goal of “no blood for first contact” on battlefields. The article also says the purpose of the two day event at A&M is “to inform academic, industry and government partners on HMI development and explore cost-cutting solutions.” Click below to hear comments from Bobby Gutierrez, visiting with Scott DeLucia on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs.  

Construction Contract Awarded To Rebuild A Portion Of College Station’s William D. Fitch Parkway

The College Station city council at its last meeting (October 24) awarded a $5.6 million dollar contract to rebuild William D. Fitch Parkway from Highway 30 to Tonkaway Lake Road. Click HERE to read and download project information that was approved at the October 24, 2024 College Station city council meeting. Before the council’s unanimous vote, came a discussion about using asphalt and not concrete pavement. Capital projects director Jennifer Cain explained what steps were being taken to prevent Fitch from winding up like Rock Prairie Road, which was initially rebuilt with asphalt several years ago but is now being rebuilt with concrete. City manager Bryan Woods says it is a council policy decision on the type of pavement. Woods and Cain explained the process that led to using asphalt on this project. Cain also said asphalt will be used when Fitch is rebuilt from Tonkaway Lake to Rock Prairie Road. She also said this section was not being rebuilt now because the city is still acquiring easements. Once construction starts, the project is expected to take ten months to complete, weather permitting. Click below to hear comments from Jennifer Cain and Bryan Woods from the November 6, 2024 College Station city council meeting.  

A Bryan ISD School Board Member Is Interested In Adding Academic Assistance During School Vacation Periods

Bryan ISD school board members have started talking about composing the calendar for the 2025-26 school year. During Monday’s meeting (November 4), board member David Stasny asked about the possibility of providing during school vacation periods, giving students an opportunity to catch up academically, which would also provide additional pay for interested teachers. Associate superintendent Barbara Ybarra says the teacher who sees the student every day is the best person for helping the child. Board members were told that parents of Bryan ISD students will be getting calendar surveys in December. Click below to hear comments from David Stasny and Barbara Ybarra during the November 4, 2024 Bryan ISD school board meeting.   Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the November 4, 2024 BISD school board meeting about the development of the 2025-26 school year calendar.