TAMEST Member News Roundup – November 2022
TAMEST loves to share the accolades of our membership. If you have been nominated for an award, been interviewed by the media or otherwise have a reason to celebrate, please share your news with TAMEST.
TAMEST In The News
The Washington Post: Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Succeeds Where Others Failed, TAMEST Member Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
NBC News: NIH-Funded Psychedelic Trial Will Study Whether Hallucinogen Can Help Smokers Quit, TAMEST Member Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), The University of Texas at Austin
Green Car Congress: Rice Team Develops Plasmonic Photocatalyst for One-Step Light-Driven Conversation of H2S to Hydrogen and Sulfur, TAMEST Member Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D., D.Sc., (NAE, NAS), Rice University
The Maritime Executive: ABS Opens Industry-Leading LNG Training Center in Doha, TAMEST Member Christopher J. Wiernicki (NAE), American Bureau of Shipping
Market Place: How Colleges Can Adapt to a Shape-Shifting Economy, with Rice University’s New President, TAMEST Member Reginald DesRoches, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University
The Eagle: Texas A&M AgriLife IHA Works to Reduce Chronic Disease, TAMEST Member Patrick J. Stover, Ph.D. (NAS), Texas A&M University
Member Briefs
TAMEST Mourns the Loss of Three Cherished Members: Dr. James Biard, Dr. Henry H. Rachford and Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
TAMEST mourns the loss of three TAMEST Members, James Biard, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University; Harry H. Rachford Jr., Sc.D. (NAE), GL Industrial Services; and Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, Ph.D. (NAE, NAS), Texas A&M University. Dr. Biard was an electrical engineer who held more than 70 patents and discovered the Light Emitting Diode, or LED, and invited the Read Only Memory, or ROM, as well as numerous other electronic devices that laid the foundation for our modern computer and cell phone world. Dr. Rachford was a software developer and engineer, known for contributions in the numerical solution of partial differential equations to solve petroleum reservoir and pipeline hydraulics problems. Dr. Rodriguez-Iturbe was among the premiere hydrologists of his generation. He led a fulfilling 50-year career and traced the underlying patterns of river networks and explored the interaction between water and the environment. They all will be deeply missed and remembered at the opening reception of our 2023 TAMEST Annual Conference next May.
TAMEST Member Dr. Oliver C. Mullins Named Pioneer in Energy Research
TAMEST Member Oliver C. Mullins, Ph.D. (NAE), SLB, was named Pioneer in Energy Research by the Energy & Fuels Division of the American Chemical Society. Energy & Fuels established an annual recognition of Pioneers in Energy Research (PIERs) in 2021 to honor distinguished researchers who made significant fundamental contributions in their respective fields of energy research. Dr. Mullins was honored for his distinguished contributions to fundamental science and applied engineering research in the petroleum industry. Read More
WHO and MD Anderson Launch a New Partnership to Reduce the Global Burden of Women’s Cancers
The World Health Organization (WHO) and TAMEST Member Institution The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a formal agreement to establish a new international partnership to reduce the global burden of women’s cancers. The agreement builds on years of collaboration between the two institutions and further promotes their shared efforts to advance global initiatives in women’s cancers, including breast and cervical cancers. Read More
Rice Partners with Greentown Labs to Create Student-Driven Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Houston
Greentown Labs, the largest “climatetech” startup incubator in North America, announced the launch of the Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) with TAMEST Member Institution Rice University and other leading university entrepreneurship centers. The initiative aims to create a student-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem in Houston and will focus on energy innovation. Students will have access to mentorship with Greentown Labs’ climatetech entrepreneurs, networking events, career opportunities and pitch competitions. Read More
Space Environmentalist Awarded ‘Genius Grant’ by MacArthur Foundation
TAMEST 2020 Protégé Moriba Jah, Ph.D., an astrodynamicist, space environmentalist and aerospace engineer at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the “genius grant.” The award recognizes Dr. Jah’s work to track and monitor the more than 30,000 human-made objects orbiting the earth. Read More
Defect in Gene Caused Massive Obesity in Mice Despite Normal Food Intake
A faulty gene, rather than a faulty diet, may explain why some people gain excessive weight even when they don’t eat more than others. The findings, published in Cell Metabolism and co-led by TAMEST Member and Nobel Laureate Bruce Beutler, M.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center, describe how a defect in a gene called Ovol2 caused mice with normal activity levels and food intake to become obese as they reached adulthood due to problems generating body heat. Read More
Baylor Receives NIH Funding to Study Neuronal Anatomy of the Knee Joint
Baylor College of Medicine has been named a site for the Restoring Joint Health and Function to Reduce Pain (RE-JOIN) Consortium, part of the National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term® (HEAL) Initiative. Baylor researchers, including principal investigator and TAMEST Vice President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine, will be awarded up to $12 million over five years to map and characterize the neurons that supply the tissues forming the knee joint and mediate the sensation of pain. Read More
