News

TAMEST Welcomes Five Texans Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2023

TAMEST is proud to welcome three new members and two current members elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2023. The five were among the 120 members and 23 international members elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Happening Next Month: TAMEST 2023 Annual Conference

Join us for the TAMEST 2023 Annual Conference: Forward Texas — Accelerating Change, May 23–25, 2023, at The InterContinental — Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The conference will gather some of our most celebrated and innovative researchers to examine how science and technology are leading to fundamental changes in society. The TAMEST Annual Conference is open to the entire research community, including scientists at all levels of training.

2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Call for Nominations

This is the last chance to nominate for the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards. Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of a rising star researcher. The 2024 O’Donnell Awards will recognize recipients in the categories of Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology Innovation. The nomination deadline is April 30, 2023.

TAMEST Member Profile: Karen Lozano, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

TAMEST Member Karen Lozano, Ph.D. (NAE) made history this year as the first-ever faculty member from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to nanofiber research and commercialization. TAMEST connected with Dr. Lozano to hear more about her passion for nanotechnology, research and mentoring undergraduate students from underserved populations.

TAMEST Names MD Anderson’s Dr. Florencia McAllister as the Recipient of the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award & Lectureship

TAMEST is pleased to announce Florencia McAllister, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as the recipient of the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship in cancer research. She was chosen for her seminal discoveries at the intersection of microbes, the immune system and pancreatic cancer, leading to insights into early detection, prevention and therapeutic strategies to fight the disease.

TAMEST Welcomes Six New Member Institutions in 2023

TAMEST is proud to welcome six new member institutions in 2023. The new institutions include Baylor University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, The University of North Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas at El Paso, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

ACM Turing Award Honors Bob Metcalfe for Ethernet Invention

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, named TAMEST Member Bob Metcalfe, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin, as recipient of the 2022 ACM A.M. Turing Award for the invention, standardization, and commercialization of Ethernet. The ACM A.M. Turing Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Computing,” carries a $1 million prize with financial support provided by Google, Inc.

TAMEST Staff Profile: Stephanie Shaw, TAMEST Program Officer

As TAMEST’s Program Officer, Stephanie Shaw is responsible for managing all TAMEST programs, including the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards, Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship and the TAMEST Protégé Program. TAMEST connected with Stephanie to learn more about her passion for her work and to hear more about the latest in TAMEST programs.

TAMEST Welcomes Four New Members Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)

TAMEST congratulates four new members on their election to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The group includes the first faculty member from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to be elected to a National Academy. New TAMEST Member Karen Lozano, Ph.D. (NAE), UTRGV, was also a speaker at one of TAMEST’s first research summits in 2007.

Nominations are Now Open for the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards. The 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. Nominations for the 2024 O’Donnell Awards are open February 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.

TAMEST to Host Information Sessions on O’Donnell Award Nominations

An informational session on the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards will take place on Tuesday, March 7, at 11:00–11:45 a.m. CST for the Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences & Physical Sciences categories and at 2:00–2:45 p.m. CST for the Technology Innovation category. Registration is required and attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during the session.

TAMEST Member Profile: Elaine Oran, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University

TAMEST Member Elaine Oran, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University (TAMU), was recruited to Texas from Maryland in 2019 as a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and O’Donnell Foundation Chair IV, with the promise of creating an enormous explosion testing facility on TAMU’s RELLIS campus. TAMEST connected with Dr. Oran to learn how her methods unify concepts from science, physics, mathematics, engineering and computer science to form a new methodology.

2023 TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Recipients Announced

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 2023 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recipients.

TAMEST Board Appoints New Leadership

At its January 24, 2023 meeting, the TAMEST Board of Directors officially appointed Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine as President and Ganesh Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston as Vice President. Both will serve a two-year term. The TAMEST Board President and Vice President help coordinate and guide the TAMEST Board of Directors in planning strategy, programs and communications.

TAMEST Video Profile: TAMEST Board President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine

TAMEST connected with Board President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine, to learn more about his dedication to TAMEST and what he sees in the organization’s future.

TAMEST 2022 Year in Review: Support TAMEST Today

As 2022 draws to a close and we reflect on what we have accomplished, we encourage you to make a year-end contribution to the TAMEST Annual Fund. With your support, TAMEST is fulfilling its mission to nurture the next generation by creating new research awards and expanding initiatives like the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards and Protégé Program.

TAMEST Member Profile: Oliver C. Mullins, Ph.D. (NAE), SLB

TAMEST Member Oliver C. Mullins, Ph.D. (NAE), SLB Fellow at SLB (formerly Schlumberger), is a chemist and earth science technologist who has dedicated much of his career to transforming the oil and gas industry. His work has led to an entirely new discipline in reservoir evaluation, Reservoir Fluid Geodynamics (RFG), and he is the primary originator of Downhole Fluid Analysis (DFA) in well logging. The Yen-Mullins model of asphaltene science was also named in part after his research.

Two TAMEST Members Elected to National Academy of Medicine

TAMEST is proud to congratulate two TAMEST Members on their election to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in October. TAMEST Member Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center and TAMEST Board Member Lora V. Hooper, Ph.D. (NAS, NAM), UT Southwestern Medical Center, now hold dual elections to The National Academy of Medicine and The National Academy of Sciences.

TAMEST Member Profile: Former TAMEST Board President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio

TAMEST Member and former Board President Francisco Gonzalez Cigarroa, M.D. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio, is a world-renowned transplant surgeon and former Chancellor of the University of Texas System. Dr. Cigarroa has dedicated his life to his patients, family and leading the next generation of talent in Texas. Born in Laredo to a medical family, some of Dr. Cigarroa’s favorite childhood memories were tagging along and watching his physician father provide care in his community. In high school, he watched his surgeon uncle perform a procedure and knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps.

TAMEST Hosts Final 2022 Mary Beth Maddox Lecture in Dallas with UT Southwestern Medical Center

On Tuesday, November 15, TAMEST teamed up with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center to host the final presentation in the 2022 Mary Beth Maddox lecture series. Nearly 50 people across Dallas registered to attend the lecture, “TET Mediated Epigenetic Regulation in Health and Disease,” presented by Dr. Yun Nancy Huang, Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

Nominations Now Open for the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship. The award recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer. It was created in memory and honor of former TAMEST Executive Director Mary Beth Maddox, who passed away in 2018 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.

TAMEST Member Profile: Ganesh C. Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston

TAMEST Board Treasurer Ganesh C. Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston, has always been passionate about utilizing his skills and knowledge to provide more affordable, cleaner energy to enhance our world. After his retirement from Chevron and election to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2016, Dr. Thakur transitioned to a new academic leadership role at University of Houston as part of the Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI). TAMEST connected with Dr. Thakur to hear more about his groundbreaking research and why he donates his time and expertise to TAMEST’s mission.

TAMEST Lecture Series for Mary Beth Maddox Award

On Wednesday, September 28, TAMEST hosted the first Mary Beth Maddox Award lecture series and networking event with inaugural award recipient Yun Nancy Huang, Ph.D., Texas A&M Health. The next lecture will take place Tuesday, November 15 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building at UT Southwestern Medical Center (6001 Forest Park Road) in Dallas, Texas.

TAMEST Member Profile: Bridget R. Scanlon, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin

TAMEST Member Bridget R. Scanlon, Ph.D. (NAE) is often called a world-leading authority on water research. Dr. Scanlon, a Senior Research Scientist at The University of Texas at Austin, currently heads the Sustainable Water Resource Program for the UT Bureau of Economic Geology. TAMEST connected with Dr. Scanlon to learn more about her commitment to water sustainability and how she utilizes satellite data, surface hydrologic data and groundwater data to examine different approaches to coping with extreme conditions.

TAMEST Announces Lecture Series for Mary Beth Maddox Award

TAMEST is pleased to announce a lecture series featuring the 2022 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Recipient Nancy Huang, Ph.D., Texas A&M Health. The first lecture will take place on Wednesday, September 28 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at MD Anderson’s Dan L Duncan Building (1155 Pressler St) in Houston, Texas. The lecture will be hosted by MD Anderson Cancer Center in partnership with the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

TAMEST 2022 Conference Summary, Videos, Photos and Slides Now Available

TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology) held its annual conference, Forward Texas: Imperatives for Health, on June 20–22 in San Antonio, Texas. The three-day event brought together the top minds in research and industry to examine the scientific successes in response to COVID-19 as well as discuss the barriers that still exist to better health care, education and infrastructure for our communities. Photos, videos and the conference summary are now available. 

TAMEST Natural Hazards Summit Looks at Impacts and Mitigating Effects

The TAMEST Natural Hazards Summit: Responding to and Mitigating the Impacts held Part II of its two-part series on Monday, May 16, presented by Texas Tech University’s National Wind Institute. Nearly 75 experts convened from across the United States and Canada at Texas Tech’s International Cultural Center in Lubbock, Texas for the discussions. The summit examined natural hazards’ warnings, response, and engineering aspects, with a focus on tornadoes, thunderstorms, drought and hail.

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TAMEST Hosts O’Donnell Awards Information Sessions

TAMEST is hosting two information sessions on the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards on Thursday, April 7 to discuss the nomination and selection process for the prestigious awards.

The programming will be broken into two sessions: the Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences Awards will take place at 10 a.m. CT and the Technology Innovation Award will take place at 2 p.m. CT.

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

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

The O’Donnell Foundation has announced a $1.15 million gift to TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas) to further support outstanding achievements by the next generation of top scientists.

The gift will help expand the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards, which recognize rising star Texas researchers addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society. The work of these scientists meets the highest standards of exemplary professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness.

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TAMEST Board President David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE) is a former Deputy Chancellor of the University of Texas System and previously served as the fourth president of The University of Texas at Dallas from 2005 to 2015. In 2000, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his “leadership in developing the geoenvironmental engineering field, and major contributions to engineering practice involving landfills and waste containment systems.”

TAMEST connected with Dr. Daniel to hear more about his varied career path and leading TAMEST.

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

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

TAMEST is proud to welcome four new members elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) this month, including a past TAMEST Protégé.

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More than one hundred individuals from across the country joined TAMEST online on Tuesday, October 19 for Part I of the TAMEST Natural Hazards Summit: Responding to and Mitigating the Impacts. Video and slides from the presentations are now available. 

Dr. Carlos Roberto Jaén, UT Health San Antonio, grew up in Panama, and later moved to the United States to study and begin his career in the cross-section of family medicine and population health. He has dedicated the last twenty years in Texas to helping patients, improving understanding of health disparities and lowering barriers to health care access for underrepresented communities. Dr. Jaén serves on the program committee for the upcoming TAMEST Annual Conference, Forward Texas – Imperatives for Health. TAMEST connected with Dr. Jaén to find out more about his life, work and commitment to TAMEST.

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

Join TAMEST online for Part I of its TAMEST Natural Hazards Summit: Responding to and Mitigating the Impacts, presented by the Hurricane Resilience Research Institute (HuRRI) at the University of Houston. It will highlight the influence of natural hazards on the economy and well-being of communities in Texas. The one-day virtual summit is complimentary and open to the research community.

Join TAMEST at The Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, January 11-13, 2022, for the TAMEST 2022 Annual Conference: Forward Texas — Imperatives for Health. The conference will explore how Texas can build the vibrant, healthy communities of tomorrow and address topics like health care, education, infrastructure and infectious disease. It will also be an important opportunity to examine the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its long-term impacts on our communities and discuss the innovative solutions and interventions that happened as a result.

TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas) is excited to announce that nominations are now open for its newly created Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship. The new award and lectureship recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer. It was named in memory and honor of former TAMEST Executive Director Mary Beth Maddox, who passed away in 2018 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.

TAMEST Board Vice President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), first discovered TAMEST more than twelve years ago when he participated in TAMEST’s Protégé Program. He went on to receive the 2009 TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine and became a member of the National Academy of Medicine and TAMEST in 2013. TAMEST connected with Dr. Lee about his exposure to TAMEST in the formative years of his career and his commitment to giving back to the next generation of researchers.

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

Stephen Fuselier, Ph.D. (NAS), Executive Director of Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) Space Science Directorate, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2021 for his achievements in original research. He holds key positions on several NASA missions and serves as Adjoint Professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where he gets to collaborate and mentor early-career researchers in his field of space physics. TAMEST connected with Dr. Fuselier to learn more about his career, passion for mentorship and the future of space research in Texas.

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

TAMEST partnered with Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy to test a pilot program of science policy fellows in 2021 for the 87th session of the Texas Legislature. In May, fellows from the program joined the TAMEST Board of Directors virtually to share their experiences.

After a 33-year career in the uniformed service, Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D. (NAM), was supposed to retire from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in Spring 2020, but she put retirement on hold to help handle the quickly unfolding hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic. In October, she became the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) at Fort Worth.

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

On Thursday, March 25, TAMEST hosted a virtual workshop on the 2022 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards nomination and selection process. The conversation was hosted by 2022 O’Donnell Awards Committee Chair Ann Beal Salamone (NAE), Rochal Industries LLC; Science Subcommittee Member Bonnie Bartel, Ph.D. (NAS), Rice University; TAMEST Executive Director Terrence Henry; and TAMEST Director of Development Christine McCoy. Topics covered included who can nominate, award eligibility requirements as well the renomination process.

For nearly four decades, TAMEST Member Thomas Overbye, Ph.D. (NAE), Professor and Director of Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEES) Smart Grid Center (SGC), has made a career out of providing cutting-edge innovation to the electric power grid industry. TAMEST connected with Dr. Overbye to learn more about Texas’ recent grid problems and how his work aims to modernize how electricity is delivered from suppliers to consumers and to enable new electricity products, services, and markets.

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.

TAMEST is proud to welcome four new members elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2021. The four elected, including 2010 TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award Recipient in Technology Innovation S.V. Sreenivasan, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, were among 106 new members and 23 international members welcomed to the organization.

After a devastating winter storm last month left millions of Texans without power, water and other basic necessities, Texas’ medical and research institutions were quick to step up and help those in need. There are many stories of resilience, aid and service by the Texas research community in response to the unprecedented winter storm; TAMEST has highlighted a few from our member institutions.

When the pandemic hit, TAMEST Member Vivian Ho, Ph.D. (NAM), Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, pivoted her research examining the effects of economic incentives and regulations on the quality and costs of health care to focus on how lockdowns early in a pandemic can impact related deaths months later. TAMEST spoke with Dr. Ho to learn more about her work before, during and after the pandemic.

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

Opening up new types of treatment for addiction and eating disorders. Utilizing nanotechnology to provide solutions for water sustainability and energy storage. Discovering the links between cellular pathways and cancerous cell growth. Understanding how soil and nature can help reduce our carbon footprint. These are the discoveries by Texas’ rising stars in research being honored with the 2021 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by TAMEST.

At its January 2021 meeting, the TAMEST Board of Directors elected David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE), President Emeritus of The University of Texas at Dallas, to serve as Board President for a two-year term. Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine, was elected Vice President of the Board of Directors for a two-year term.

On Tuesday, January 12, TAMEST virtually welcomed its 29 new National Academy members at its 2021 Members Meeting. The new class of Texas-based scientists and researchers were elected to the National Academies or recruited/relocated to the state in 2020. Included in this year’s class are three past recipients of the TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards.

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

Nine months since the first known case of COVID-19 in Texas, the first round of vaccines is being distributed across the state this week. Texas researchers have been instrumental in rapidly developing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, creating models to track its spread and more. Read our compilation of how TAMEST member institutions and industry partners across the state are continuing the fight against COVID-19.

When the pandemic hit, TAMEST Member Mary Pat Moyer, Ph.D. (NAE), Founder, CEO and Chief Science Officer of INCELL, immediately knew her biomedical product manufacturing business in San Antonio had to pivot to develop new COVID-19 related products. Though a definite risk, she says her blue-collar upbringing instilled her with a moral compass to do what is right and help people when and how you can. TAMEST connected with Dr. Moyer to hear more about her life, work, and the shift to develop a vaccine and an at-home COVID-19 diagnostic kit.

Telehealth visits have seen a drastic increase in popularity across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic. In Texas, the uptick in telehealth services has provided more access to care than ever before for the nearly 20 percent of the state’s population, or 3 million Texans, that live in “rural” and medically underserved areas. On Wednesday, December 9, TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas) convened our Annual Conference Chair Nancy W. Dickey, M.D. (NAM), Executive Director of the Texas A&M Rural & Community Health Institute, and other health experts to discuss what the increase of telemedicine in Texas during COVID-19 will mean for the future of rural health care access.

Prior to COVID-19, Texas already had the highest uninsured rate in the country. As a result of the pandemic, this issue has become even more challenging as the United States experiences the largest increase in the number of uninsured adults in recorded history. On Tuesday, November 10, TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas) convened several physicians along with TAMEST Member Dr. Carlos Roberto Jaén, a leader in preventive care research at UT Health San Antonio, to address this issue and discuss what changes are needed in primary care to build a healthier Texas.

TAMEST is proud to welcome two new members elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) this week, including one of our past TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recipients. The two elected were among 90 regular members and 10 international members elected to the NAM in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

As members of both the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and TAMEST, the Piwnica-Worms’ are dedicated supporters of TAMEST with their time, leadership and financial support. The two say they continue to give to TAMEST because of their belief in supporting science, bridging the gap between institutions and disciplines and encouraging convening and collaboration among their peers in Texas.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, architects around the world have been forced to hit pause on major commercial projects to reevaluate facility design. Hospitals and care clinics, in particular, are tasked with redesigning existing spaces and implementing protocols following the latest CDC guidelines for patient and worker safety. On Wednesday, October 7, TAMEST convened top medical facility design experts to discuss COVID-19: Healthcare Architecture and Facility Design.

Kenneth Ramos, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), an internationally recognized leader in genomics, toxicology and precision medicine, moved back to Texas in 2019 to lead the Texas A&M University Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston and to serve as assistant vice chancellor for health services for the Texas A&M University System. TAMEST connected with Dr. Ramos to find out more about his life and work.

Doctors are seeing a growing number of patients with long-term symptoms of COVID-19 that may last months after infection, including severe fatigue, elevated heart rates, lung damage, brain fog and more. TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas) held a conversation on COVID-19: Survival and Recovery, on Wednesday, September 9 to explore what the path to recovery looks like and what long-term health impacts may result from the novel coronavirus.

From the rapid transition from lecture halls to online classrooms to pressing health and safety concerns for students, faculty and staff, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many new obstacles for higher education in Texas and across the country. To discuss these challenges, TAMEST convened top academic leaders on Wednesday, August 26 from across multiple university systems to discuss how Texas research universities are navigating the ongoing pandemic.

As the pandemic continues, Texas researchers are racing to create solutions for the unique challenges presented by the novel coronavirus. From the critical shortages of personal protective equipment early on in the pandemic to rapid vaccine and therapeutic development across the state, Texas has seen unprecedented collaboration between industry and academia in the last few months.

On July 1, 2020, TAMEST Member Reginald DesRoches, Ph.D. (NAE) pivoted from a long career in infrastructure system design and resiliency to take on the role of Howard Hughes Provost at Rice University. TAMEST connected with Dr. DesRoches to learn about his work and how he is navigating the barriers that come with educating students and fostering research in the middle of a pandemic.

On Wednesday, July 29, TAMEST Board President and leading health disparities researcher, Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio, led a panel of population health experts to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted racial disparities in American health outcomes and explore opportunities to advance health equity during this crisis.