TAMEST Member News Roundup – February 2023
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
Houston Public Media: UH Professor to Lead ‘Best and Brightest’ Scientists and Researchers in Texas, TAMEST Vice President Ganesh Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston
Innovation Map: Four Houston Scientists Named Rising Stars in Research, 2023 O’Donnell Award Recipients Jennifer Wargo, M.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center; Jamie Padgett, Ph.D., Rice University; Erez Lieberman Aiden, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine; Chengbo Li, Ph.D., ConocoPhillips and James J. Collins III, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center
National Academy of Sciences: 2023 NAS Awards Recipients Announced, TAMEST Member Nancy A. Moran, Ph.D. (NAS) and 2022 O’Donnell Award Recipient Jason McLellan, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
The Daily Texan: UT Professors Appointed to Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, TAMEST Member Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE) and TAMEST 2020 Protégé Moriba Jah, The University of Texas at Austin
Chemistry Shorts: Dreyfus Foundation-Sponsored Film About Directed Evolution Released, 2019 O’Donnell Award Recipient Hal S. Alper, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
Phys.org: Researchers Uncover Dynamics Behind Protein Crucial in Breast Cancer, TAMEST Member Peter G. Wolynes, Ph.D. (NAS), Rice University
Member Briefs
UT Southwestern Biochemist Benjamin Tu, Molecular Biologist Kim Orth to Receive HHMI Emerging Pathogens Awards
Two of UT Southwestern’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers, TAMEST Board Member Kim Orth, Ph.D. (NAS) and 2021 O’Donnell Award Recipient Benjamin Tu, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center, will lead separate teams as part of HHMI’s Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI) targeting infectious diseases that pose a threat to human health. Read More
James Hubbard Jr. and Stratos Pistikopoulos Earn Texas A&M’s Highest Honor
Texas A&M University has awarded the title of University Distinguished Professor, its highest faculty award, to eight scholars including TAMEST Members James E. Hubbard Jr., Ph.D. (NAE) and Stratos Pistikopoulos, Ph.D. (FREng). The 2023 University Distinguished Professors represent the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, as well as the Schools of Medicine, Law and Public Health. Read More
International Policy Adviser, Epidemiologist Dr. Saad Omer Selected Inaugural Dean for UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell School of Public Health
Internationally recognized epidemiologist and new TAMEST Member Saad B. Omer, Ph.D. (NAM), who currently directs the Yale Institute for Global Health, has been appointed the inaugural Dean of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Read More
Naomi Halas Named University Professor
Rice University has promoted TAMEST Member Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D., D.Sc. (NAE, NAS), to University Professor, the institution’s highest academic rank. She becomes only the 10th person and second woman to earn the title in Rice’s 111-year history. Read More
American Institute of Chemical Engineers Recognizes UTSA’s Rena Bizios for Lifetime Achievement
TAMEST Member Rena Bizios, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), The University of Texas at San Antonio, was honored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), a leading, global organization for chemical engineering professionals, with the Margaret H. Rousseau Award for Lifetime Achievement by a Woman Chemical Engineer. The award recognizes female members of AIChE who have made significant contributions to chemical engineering research or practice—in academic, industrial or government settings—over the course of their careers. Read More
UTD Aims to Strengthen Semiconductor Tech, Trade with New Hubs
The University of Texas at Dallas hired two former TI experts to lead the institute. Ted Moise, Ph.D., the Institute’s Director, received The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award for Technology Innovation in 2012 for his development of ultra-low-power ferroelectric random-access memory. That major breakthrough provided a new method for storing data on a chip and made it possible for electronics to work faster, store more data and use less battery. Read More
Four UT Professors Including Past TAMEST O’Donnell Award Recipients Jason McLellan and Delia J. Milliron, and 2019 Protégé Jennifer Maynard Among National Academy of Inventors’ Top Members
Four faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin have been named to the National Academy of Inventors’ 2023 class of Senior Members. The honorees include three faculty members from the Cockrell School of Engineering and one from the College of Natural Sciences. They are TAMEST 2022 O’Donnell Award Recipient Jason McLellan, Ph.D., 2018 O’Donnell Award Recipient Delia J. Milliron, Ph.D. and 2019 Protégé Jennifer Maynard, Ph.D. and Sriram Vishwanath. Read More
