TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology)

2027 Hill Prizes Information Sessions

Join TAMEST on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, for Zoom sessions about the 2027 Hill Prizes and application process:

Academic Session (10:00–10:45 a.m. CT): Covers prizes in Artificial Intelligence, Biological Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Physical Sciences and Public Health.
Private Sector Session (1:00–1:45 p.m. CT): Covers the Commercialization, Innovation & Technology prize and Artificial Intelligence prize.

Committee Chair David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE), will discuss prize goals, application details, evaluation criteria and host a Q&A.

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Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Call for Nominations

The Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer.

Nominations for the 2027 award are open from April 1–April 30, 2026.

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Save the Date: Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit

Save the date for the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit: Celebrating 20 Years of Innovation and Impact on Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Austin, Texas. To commemorate 20 years of the awards, TAMEST will host a special one-day summit highlighting the groundbreaking research and discoveries of past award recipients and celebrate the broader impact of the awards on Texas research and innovation.

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Save the Date: 2027 Annual Conference in Houston

Save the date for the TAMEST 2027 Annual Conference: Frontiers of Discovery, February 1–3, 2027, at the InterContinental Houston in Houston, Texas.

The conference will explore how new discoveries are reshaping our world, from the nanoscale to deep space.

The program will examine how advances in science and technology at every scale are leading society into exciting new frontiers. Speakers and sessions across disciplines will explore innovations in the fields of precision medicine, nanoscale engineering and manufacturing, disease treatment and therapeutics and deep space exploration.

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O’Donnell Foundation Contributes $1 Million to Endow TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Ceremony

TAMEST is pleased to announce a transformational $1 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation to endow the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Ceremony and related components of its prestigious annual awards program.

The announcement was made by The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, TAMEST Honorary Chair, Former United States Senator and Former United States Ambassador to NATO, during the 20th Anniversary Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Dinner and Ceremony, held on February 3, 2026, at the Kimpton Santo Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, during the TAMEST 2026 Annual Conference.

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Recipients of the 2026 Hill Prizes Announced

TAMEST and Lyda Hill Philanthropies are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Hill Prizes. The prizes, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, propel high-risk, high-reward ideas and innovations that demonstrate significant potential for real-world impact and can lead to new, paradigm-shifting paths in research.

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2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Recipient

Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is the recipient of the 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship in cancer research. She was chosen for her pioneering research revealing how cancer cells harness nutrients to drive their growth and for creating targeted strategies to suppress otherwise untreatable cancers. Learn more about the 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship recipient.

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2026 O’Donnell Awards Recipients

The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards annually recognize rising Texas researchers who are addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society, and whose work meets the highest standards of exemplary professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness. Learn more about the 2026 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recipients.

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TAMEST News

Last Chance to Nominate for the 2027 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship

Nominations are due next week for the 2027 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship, honoring Texas-based early career women scientists advancing innovative cancer research. The recipient will be recognized at the TAMEST 2027 Annual Conference in Houston, receive a $5,000 honorarium and present their work across the state through lectures at TAMEST member institutions with NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Centers. The award covers the recipient’s travel and lodging for the lectures and includes organized visits and networking at the NCI Cancer Centers. Nominations are due on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. CT, and multiple nominations per institution are welcome.

2027 Hill Prizes Information Sessions Video and Slides Now Available

TAMEST hosted two information sessions recently on the 2027 Hill Prizes, which open May 1 to June 1, 2026. Funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, the Hill Prizes will award $500,000 in non-dilutive funding across seven categories to advance high-impact research in Texas. The sessions covered eligibility, evaluation criteria and the application process, featuring Hill Prizes Committee Chair David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE), UT Dallas, and Hill Prize in Commercialization, Innovation and Technology Subcommittee Chair Lynda Chin, M.D. (NAM), Apricity Health.

TAMEST Profile: TAMEST Member Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Rice University

TAMEST Member Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE) of Rice University has spent his career advancing the frontiers of regenerative medicine by applying engineering principles to some of medicine’s most complex challenges. In 2007, Dr. Mikos received the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering from TAMEST. Since then, he has been elected to both the National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Engineering, demonstrating the profound interdisciplinary impact of his work. As TAMEST celebrates the 20th anniversary of the O’Donnell Awards in 2026, Dr. Mikos reflected on how the recognition influenced his career.

TAMEST Members News Roundup- April 2026

From award nominations to media interviews, TAMEST loves to share the accolades of our membership. Read the April compilation of our membership’s recent accomplishments, research breakthroughs and more.

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TAMEST News and Updates

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