TAMEST Member News Roundup – April 2025
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
Journal of Petroleum Technology: Ganesh Thakur Named President of Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology, TAMEST Board President Ganesh C. Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston
Innovation Map: Houston Space Org to Launch Experiments Aboard First Mission into Polar Orbit, TAMEST Member Richard A. Gibbs, Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
Texas A&M Stories: Texas A&M Researcher William Murphy Named 2025 SEC Professor of the Year, TAMEST Member William J. Murphy, Ph.D. (NAS), Texas A&M University
SciTechDaily: $8.4 Billion: Enormous Cache of Rare Earth Elements Discovered in America, TAMEST Member Bridget R. Scanlon, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
CBS: Astronaut Mae Jemison on Making History in Space and Inspiring Change on Earth, TAMEST Member Mae C. Jemison, M.D. (NAM), The Jemison Group
Newswise: Mosquito Saliva and Malaria, Brain Tumors and More, TAMEST Member Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Aerospace Manufacturing & Design: SwRI Addresses Critical Aging Aircraft Issue, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Dallas Innovates: NSA-Approved: UT Dallas Earns National Designation for Cybersecurity Research and Education, The University of Texas at Dallas
Texas Tribune: Texas A&M Board of Regents Names Glenn Hegar as University System’s Next Leader, Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar
The Daily Texan: Former Executive Vice President and Provost to Join SMU, Southern Methodist University and The University of Texas at Austin
Member Briefs
AAAS Welcomes 471 Scientists and Engineers as Honorary Fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, announced the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows, a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community. This latest class is comprised of 471 scientists, engineers and innovators, including TAMEST Member Reginald DesRoches, Ph.D. (NAE), Rice University, TAMEST 2025 O’Donnell Award in Medicine Recipient Lauren Averett Byers, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and 2016 TAMEST Protégé Angel A. Martí, Ph.D., Rice University. Read More
Neonatal Diabetes Model Provides Insights on How Condition Develops
A preclinical model developed by TAMEST Board Member Kim Orth, Ph.D. (NAS) and TAMEST 2024 Protégé Amanda Casey, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center, recapitulates a rare infant-onset form of diabetes. The model suggests that the condition stems from gradual damage to the pancreas through misregulation of a molecular pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The findings, published in Molecular Metabolism, could one day lead to new ways to treat more common subsets of diabetes, including Types 1 and 2, which affect hundreds of millions worldwide. Read More
Baylor Genetics Marks 10th Anniversary: A Look Back at a Decade of Innovation in Genetic Testing
Baylor Genetics, the clinical diagnostic laboratory joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and H.U. Group Holdings, marked its 10-year anniversary this year. The company offers a full spectrum of genetic tests and lab services spanning a wide variety of healthcare specialties, including neonatal and pediatric critical care, rare diseases, reproductive health, hereditary cancer and metabolic conditions. TAMEST Past President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), led its creation efforts on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine. Read More
Research Identifies Key Antibodies for Development of Broadly Protective Norovirus Vaccine
Scientists, including TAMEST Member George Georgiou, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a strategy to fight back against norovirus, a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Their new study, published in Science Translational Medicine, identifies powerful antibodies capable of neutralizing a wide range of norovirus strains. Read More
Rice Engineering and Computing Marks 50 Years of Discovery, Design and Impact
Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing celebrated half a century since its official inception with two days of events that gathered together nearly 400 people, including staff, faculty, students, alumni and friends of the school. “This moment gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we started, how far we have come and the extraordinary impact this school has made over the past five decades,” said Rice University President and TAMEST Member Reginald DesRoches, Ph.D. (NAE). Read More
Advancing Energy Through Research in Porous Media
TAMEST 2025 Protégé Rita Esuru Okoroafor, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, is the recipient of the Rien van Genuchten Early-Career Award of Porous Media for a Green World, for her research and dedication to this field of study. Dr. Okoroafor integrates geochemistry, geomechanics and reservoir engineering with laboratory experiments and advanced simulations to improve understanding of these fluid-rock interactions. She aims to enhance hydrogen storage efficiency, optimize geothermal reservoir performance and improve the long-term security of CO₂ storage. Read More
SwRI Receives $3.2 Million DARPA Contract to Predict Life of AM Components
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received a two-year, $3.2 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to predict the structural life of components made with additive manufacturing (AM). Researchers will update the SwRI-created DARWIN® software to support this work. Read More
Cross-Border University Collaboration Will Expand Research to Advance Precision Medicine
Tec de Monterrey and The University of Texas at Austin are launching OriGen Health Research Center (OHRC), the first research center to leverage Latin America’s largest biobank, alongside leading machine learning tools and a broad base of experts from the two universities, to advance the health of millions of people living in the Americas, including an estimated 65 million Latinos in the United States. Read More
CPRIT Releases Four Product Development Research Funding Opportunities
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announces the release of four Requests for Applications (RFAs) for FY 2026 Product Development Research grants. Complete RFAs and instructions are available in the “Apply for Funding” section of CPRIT’s website. Read More
Texas Tech to Develop Semiconductor Power Devices Through $6 Million Grant
Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering has secured a $6 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to develop advanced semiconductor materials and devices, particularly for high-power electronics and optoelectronics. The project aims to enhance the performance of wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, leading to more reliable, high-performance electronics for military applications. Read More
Texas A&M University and Texas Instruments Celebrate 25 Years of Advancing Semiconductor Test Engineering Education
The Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution (ETID), a ground-breaking partnership between Texas A&M University and Texas Instruments, is one of the world’s leaders in educating semiconductor test engineers. ETID’s lab stands out as an example of how academia and industry can work together to address pressing workforce needs. Read More
UT Health San Antonio Neurologists Among First to Treat Patients with Deep Brain Stimulation That Adapts to Patients’ Symptoms
In groundbreaking news for patients with movement disorders, neurologists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio are among the nation’s first to use technology that enables deep brain stimulation that adapts as symptoms change. The new adaptive DBS technology essentially is a software update that sets the generator battery to continually adjust stimulation based on the patient’s symptoms, using a tablet like an iPad that connects through Bluetooth. Read More
