TAMEST Member News Roundup – August 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
The Daily Texan: Former Director Dr. J. Tinsley Oden Reflects on 50-Year Career, Top-Tier Institute at UT, TAMEST Member J. Tinsley Oden, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
Houston Public Media: Dr. Peter Hotez on the Latest Vaccine Research, TAMEST Member Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
Futurism: When AI is Trained on AI-Generated Data, Strange Things Start to Happen, TAMEST Member Richard Baraniuk, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University
Forbes: The Ethernet Invention: How Dr. Bob Metcalfe Connected the World, TAMEST Member Bob Metcalfe, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
The Guardian: Dead Flies Could Be Used to Make Biodegradable Plastic, Scientists Say, TAMEST Member Karen Wooley, Ph.D. (NAS), Texas A&M University
D Magazine: Malaria Came Back to Texas, But Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Panic, TAMEST Member Margaret Phillips, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Member Briefs
Hagler Institute for Advanced Study Selects TAMEST Honorary Chair Kay Bailey Hutchison as an External Advisory Board Member
The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University has added two members to its External Advisory Board: Former United States Senator and TAMEST Honorary Chair The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison and Austin aviation attorney Michael Slack. The External Advisory Board annually reviews the activities of the Hagler Institute to provide guidance, advice and recommendations. Read More
New Materials That Could Transform Our Lives Are in the Works at UT Austin
Faculty members from the Cockrell School and the College of Natural Sciences including 2018 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Science Recipient Xiaoqin Elaine Li, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, will team up to lead new research thrusts that will bring to life materials with enhanced properties and capabilities. The two major focuses will be on soft, highly adaptive materials and hyper-thin moiré materials. Read More
Dr. Moshe Vardi Wins Four Prestigious Scientific Awards
Renowned computer scientist, mathematician and University Professor TAMEST Member Moshe Y. Vardi, Ph.D. (NAE, NAS, FRS), Rice University, has received four prestigious awards in automata theory and automated reasoning within the past few months. On June 14, he accepted the 2023 Salomaa Prize for fundamental achievements in automata theory and formal languages theory in Umeå, Sweden. In early July, Dr. Vardi traveled to Rome to accept two more annual prizes – the Herbrand Award and the Thoralf Skolem Award – at the 29th Conference on Automated Deduction (CADE-29). Also, this summer, he received the 2023 IEEE/ACM Richard A. Newton Technical Impact Award in Electronic Design Automation, which was presented on July 11 at the 60th Design Automation Conference in San Francisco. Read More
James Webb Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever ‘Dark Stars’
A team of astrophysicists including TAMEST Member Katherine Freese, Ph.D. (NAS), The University of Texas at Austin, analyzed images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and found three bright objects that might be “dark stars,” theoretical objects much bigger and brighter than our sun, powered by particles of dark matter annihilating. If confirmed, dark stars could reveal the nature of dark matter, one of the deepest unsolved problems in all of physics. Read More
UT Health San Antonio recognized as Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center
TAMEST Member Institution UT Health San Antonio has been designated a Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center, the first of its kind in the state of Texas. The Parkinson’s Foundation announced the expansion of its Global Care Network with the addition of four Centers of Excellence and four Comprehensive Care Centers, the latter category including UT Health San Antonio. The expansion recognizes centers that are providing excellent care to people with Parkinson’s disease within a broad geographic region. Read More
Dr. Amelie Ramirez Wins AACI Cancer Health Equity Award
TAMEST Member and Former Board President Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio, has won the 2023 Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) Cancer Health Equity Award. The award recognizes exceptional leadership in promoting health equity, mitigating cancer disparities and advocating for diversity and inclusion at a cancer center. Dr. Ramirez is associate director of cancer outreach and engagement at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Read More
University of Texas System Regents Announce Plans to Build UT Medical Center on Site of Erwin Center
The University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife announced plans to launch a monumental healthcare initiative to accelerate and expand TAMEST Member Institution The University of Texas at Austin’s burgeoning medical district into a world-class academic medical center for education, research and patient care. The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center will start with two new hospital towers — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a UT Austin hospital. Read More
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Approve Texas A&M Space Institute
The members of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System approved the creation of the Texas A&M Space Institute and the construction of a Texas A&M facility next to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The vision for the institute involves expanding Texas’s role as the leader in the new space economy. It would leverage TAMEST Member Institution Texas A&M’s existing expertise and resources to make new discoveries, technological developments, health advances and workforce growth. Read More
SMU Gets $30M Gift from O’Donnell Foundation for Data Science Institute, Digital Innovation Initiative
TAMEST Member Institution Southern Methodist University announced that The O’Donnell Foundation is donating $30 million to the university to create 10 endowed academic positions in engineering and data science, as well as to support research in those fields. It’s a gift that will elevate SMU’s standing as a premier global research institution, the university said. Read More
Lyda Hill Philanthropies Awards Texas Woman’s University Grant for New STEM Pathways
TAMEST Hill Prizes Funder Lyda Hill Philanthropies has awarded Texas Woman’s University with a grant to create additional pathways for community college students to receive four-year STEM degrees. The gift will fund one-day experiential STEM learning opportunities for 100 community college students from Dallas College, North Central Texas College, and Tarrant County College, and paid, two-week internships for 10 students. Read More
