TAMEST Member News Roundup – July 2024
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
Center Times Plus: 20 Years of TAMEST: Supporting Innovation at UT Southwestern and Beyond, TAMEST 20th Anniversary
Houston Chronicle: Preparing for a Trip to the Moon or Mars? New Texas A&M Facility to Allow Testing of Crucial Tech, TAMEST Members Robert O. Ambrose, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University and Vanessa E. Wyche (NAE), NASA Johnson Space Center
Texas A&M Today: Pettigrew Aspires to Bold Initiatives in A&M System, TAMEST Board Member Roderic Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Texas A&M Health, Texas A&M University, Houston Methodist
ASBMB Today: Honors for DeBose–Boyd, Michel and Nelson, TAMEST Member and 2024 Hill Prize in Biological Sciences Recipient Russell A. DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Science and Information Conferences: Advancements in Carbon Capture & Utilization| A Conversation with Professor Ganesh, TAMEST Board Vice President Ganesh C. Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston
U.S. National Science Foundation: NSF Invests $90M in Innovative National Scientific Cyberinfrastructure for Transforming STEM Education, TAMEST Member Richard Baraniuk, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University
Austin American-Statesman: A New Dell Medical School Study Finds that PTSD and Depression Can Change Our Brains (Subscription Required), TAMEST Member Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), The University of Texas at Austin
National Academies: Unlocking the Promise of Digital Twins, TAMEST Member and TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference Co-Chair Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
AgriLife Today: Fight Against Cancer Brings Experts Together to Discuss Strategies, Solutions, TAMEST Member Kenneth S. Ramos, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Texas A&M Health
Yahoo News: New Male Contraceptive is Safe, Effective and Reversible, TAMEST Member and 2024 Hill Prize in Medicine Recipient Martin M. Matzuk, M.D., Ph.D. (NAS), Baylor College of Medicine
Lubbock Online: Texas Tech HSC’s Rice-Spearman Appointed to Governor’s Healthcare Workforce Task Force, President of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D.
National Academy of Engineering: National Academy of Engineering Elects New Council Members, TAMEST Board Member Roderic Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Texas A&M Health, Texas A&M University, Houston Methodist and TAMEST Member José G. Santiesteban, Ph.D. (NAE), ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
OA Online: Twelve Full-Time TTUHSC Researchers Named to Latest World’s Top 2% of Scientists Rankings, TTUHSC Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Lance R. McMahon, Ph.D.
Member Briefs
Rice’s Jamie Padgett Wins Charles Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award
2023 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering Recipient Jamie Padgett, Ph.D., Rice University, has received the 2024 Charles Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Dr. Padgett was recognized for her “contributions to fragility, risk and resilience modeling of multimodal transportation systems and their infrastructure components when subjected to earthquakes and other hazards.” Read More
Mechanical Engineering Faculty Selected as Foreign Fellow
TAMEST Member Ali Erdemir, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University, has been selected as a Foreign Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences representing the Engineering Division in recognition for his extensive and impactful contributions to science and research over his career. The European Academy of Science, a non-profit, independent organization, comprises eminent scholars and engineers at the forefront of research and technological advancement. They are committed to promoting science and technology to foster social and economic development. Read More
Rice Study Reveals Insights into Protein Evolution
TAMEST Member Peter G. Wolynes, Ph.D. (NAS, FRS), Rice University, and his research team have unveiled a breakthrough in understanding how specific genetic sequences, known as pseudogenes, evolve. Their paper was published May 13 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal. Led by Dr. Wolynes, the team focused on deciphering the complex energy landscapes of de-evolved, putative protein sequences corresponding to pseudogenes. Read More
Texas Tech Professor Receives $2 Million Grant for Produced Water Research
Texas Tech University’s Mahdi Malmali, Ph.D., along with team members including TAMEST Board Member Chau-Chyun Chen, Sc.D. (NAE), have received a $2 million grant as part of the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) investment into increasing the domestic supplies of water and critical minerals. The funding comes through the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as part of $8 million in funding to exploratory projects across the country that has been added to $10 million invested in similar projects in 2023. Read More
Welch Foundation, Jon Hagler Commit $15 Million To Texas A&M Foundation
Breakthroughs in chemistry will play a crucial part in solving many of the world’s most complex challenges, such as finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, cleaning up the world’s water supply or traveling safely to Mars. Now thanks to major philanthropic commitments by the Robert A. Welch Foundation and Jon Hagler ’58, Texas A&M University’s Hagler Institute for Advanced Study will bring some of the world’s top chemistry researchers to campus. These leading scholars will work with Texas A&M faculty and students to further foster an innovative research culture that will position the university to be at the forefront of chemistry. Read More
The New Age of AI is Dawning in Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern
When cancer cells metastasize, breaking away from the primary tumor and spreading to blood, tissue, or lymph nodes, the disease is at its most lethal. Researchers, including TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference Co-Chair Gaudenz Danuser, Ph.D., at UT Southwestern Medical Center used artificial intelligence and deep machine learning to analyze 1.7 million raw images of patient-derived tumor samples, pinpointing a key distinction between skin cancer cells with high and low potential to metastasize – a discovery that could ultimately mean the difference between life or death for patients. Read More
CPRIT Adds $52 million to Fight Against Cancer, Names New CEO
The governing body of Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), TAMEST 2024 Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award Recipient, approved $51.8 million in grants to advance the state’s fight against cancer. The grants are a mix of academic research recruitment grants and product development research projects. The 16 grants approved include 10 CPRIT Scholar recruitment grants to bring world-class cancer researchers to Texas research institutions. The Board also voted to approve a new CEO to succeed then current-CEO Wayne Roberts who stepped down on June 30 after 12 years as CEO. Kristen Doyle, previously Deputy Executive Officer and General Counsel, assumed the role on July 1. Read More
New $50 Million Challenge Launched to Support a Safer, More Resilient and Sustainable Future for the US Gulf Coast Region
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program launched the Gulf Futures Challenge, a $50 million open competition designed to discover and invest in bold ideas that address critical challenges in the Gulf of Mexico region through the application, translation, or communication of science, engineering, and medical knowledge. The competition is seeking innovative solutions at the intersection of three futures: the future of the energy transition; the future of environmental change along the coast; and the future of healthy and resilient communities. Up to 10 finalists will receive as much as $1 million in project development support and technical assistance to strengthen their proposals. Two of the finalists will be selected to receive awards of $20 million each to implement their solutions. Read More
Rice’s Baker Institute Unveils Neuro-Policy Program, $1M Gift to Advance Texas ‘Brain Capital’
A $1 million gift to Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy from Harry Yan and Weiman Gao will establish a new Neuro-Policy Program to advance interdisciplinary approaches to addressing brain health challenges as well as spurring economic opportunity. As Rice continues its expansion of research and innovation efforts, health innovation is a strategic area of focus with neuroscience, neurotechnology, brain health and neuro-policy as top priorities, Rice Executive Vice President for Research and TAMEST Member Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), said. Read More
UTA Professor Wins Prestigious Automotive Award
TAMEST Member Hongtei Eric Tseng, Ph.D. (NAE), a distinguished university professor at The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Electrical Engineering, has been awarded the 2024 Soichiro Honda Medal, which recognizes an individual for an outstanding achievement or a series of significant engineering contributions in developing improvements in the field of personal transportation. Read More
Mutated Bone Stem Cells Caught in a Loop Leading to Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type V
A study conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine including TAMEST Board President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), and collaborating institutions reveals the molecular events leading to osteogenesis imperfecta type V, a form of brittle bone disease caused by a mutation in the gene IFITM5. Read More
Texas A&M Leads Nation in Engineering Research Expenditures
The College of Engineering at Texas A&M University has secured the No. 1 spot in fiscal year 2023 engineering research expenditures with $444.7 million in spending, according to the rankings released by the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Engineering Graduate Schools Rankings. Read More
Governor Abbott Announces Executive Director Of Texas Space Commission
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that Norman Roy Garza, Jr., Assistant Vice Chancellor of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), has been named as the Executive Director of the Texas Space Commission. The Texas Space Commission was created to further cement Texas’ position as a national leader in the space industry and secure its future in space exploration and development for the next generation of Texans. Read More
