TAMEST Member News Roundup – August 2026

TAMEST In The News

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Where Serendipity Happens: The Frances Ligler Story, TAMEST Member and O’Donnell Awards Committee Chair Frances S. Ligler, D.Sc., D.Phil. (NAE), Texas A&M University

The Daily Texan: Artificial Intelligence Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin Are Awarded Grants in Department of Energy Initiative, TAMEST Member and Hill Prize in Artificial Intelligence Committee Member Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin

ZDNET: How Would AI Data Centers in Space Work? A Former NASA Robotics Chief Explains, TAMEST Member and TAMEST 2027 Annual Conference Technology Co-Chair Robert O. Ambrose, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University

The Dallas Morning News (Subscription Required): Lyda Hill, the Dynamic Woman Quietly Shaping Modern Dallas, 2025 Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award Recipient Lyda Hill and Lyda Hill Philanthropies

Innovation Map: Rice University Lands $19 Million Grant to Build AI-Driven Quantum Materials Lab, TAMEST Member and Rice University Executive Vice President for Research David Scott Sholl, Ph.D. (NAE)

Bioengineer: Study Uncovers Ultrafast Gene Evolution Driving Chicken Feather Color Diversity, TAMEST Member Leif Andersson, Ph.D. (NAS), Texas A&M University

KENS5: UT San Antonio and SwRI Have NASA Approval for Mars-Themed Project, The University of Texas at San Antonio and Southwest Research Institute

San Antonio Report: A Summer in the Lab: San Antonio Teens Chase STEM Careers at Texas Biomed, Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Member Briefs

TAMEST honors the life and legacy of Tom Luce, an irreplaceable civic giant, a key supporter of TAMEST and a true architect of Texas’ education policy and pioneering biotechnology ecosystem. Mr. Luce’s career reflected an unwavering commitment to building a stronger state — from fighting for public education reform and student literacy to establishing Texas 2036 to ensure data-driven, nonpartisan solutions for our state’s long-term future. His legacy will remain foundational to the state’s continued progress, and he will be deeply missed.

George Ligler Appointed to National Academy of Engineering Council

The National Academy of Engineering has appointed TAMEST Board Member George T. Ligler, D.Phil. (NAE), Texas A&M University, as Councillor. Dr. Ligler was elected to the NAE for leadership and engineering innovation in specifying and implementing complex computer-based systems for aviation and the U.S. Census. He has contributed extensively to the work of the National Academies since 1990, serving on numerous panels, committees and boards. In 2014, he was recognized as a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Read More

Triple Crown Celebration for Lydia E. Kavraki and Rebecca Richards‑Kortum

Today, August 27, the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University will host a celebration honoring TAMEST Members Lydia E. Kavraki, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE, NAS) and Rebecca Richards‑Kortum, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE, NAS), recognizing their election to all three U.S. national academies. This rare “triple crown” distinction underscores the national impact of their contributions to robotics, computational biology, global health and low‑cost diagnostic technologies. Read More

The International Society for Engineering Health First Annual Summit on Engineering the Elimination of Diseases

The International Society for Engineering Health (ISEH), led by TAMEST Member Roderic I. Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Texas A&M University, Houston Methodist, will hold its First Annual Summit, September 10–11 at Rice University. This inaugural gathering brings together leaders in medicine, engineering, science, industry, government and patient advocacy to identify the challenging diseases most ready for elimination and to launch the first ISEH initiatives. Read More

US Department of Energy Announces First Genesis Mission Projects Selected to Accelerate AI-Driven Scientific Discovery

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first projects selected under the Genesis Mission Request for Applications (RFA) as part of President Trump’s Genesis Mission. Selected researchers include teams from The University of Texas at Austin — including TAMEST Member and Hill Prize in Artificial Intelligence Committee Member Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE) — as well as Rice University, Texas State University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Arlington and University of Houston. The teams will help develop and demonstrate AI-enabled scientific workflows designed to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security. Read More

Reshaping the Gut Microbiome Can Boost Chemotherapy Delivery to Tumors

A study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, including TAMEST Member and Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit Speaker Jennifer Wargo, M.D. (NAM), has identified a way to reshape the gut microbiome that can enhance the delivery of certain chemotherapies to tumors, offering a potential strategy to make nanoparticle-based cancer drugs more effective. Read More

Texas A&M University to Build First National Self-Driving Laboratory for Metals, Open to Researchers Nationwide 

A six-year, $24.9 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will establish the Autonomous Robotic Metallurgist Materials Innovation Platform (ARM-MIP) at Texas A&M University — a national user facility where robots and artificial intelligence take on the repetitive labor of alloy discovery, freeing scientists to focus on discovery itself. The effort brings together leading scientists including TAMEST Members Julie Schoenung, Ph.D. (NAE) and Enrique Lavernia, Ph.D. (NAE), and past TAMEST Protégé Raymundo Arroyave, Ph.D. Read More

Lydia Kavraki Conferred Honorary Doctorate by the University of Crete, Her Alma Mater

TAMEST Member and Hill Prize in Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee Chair, Lydia E. Kavraki, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE, NAS), Rice University, was conferred an honorary doctorate of the Department of Computer Science of the School of Sciences and Engineering at the University of Crete, where she earned her undergraduate degree. This academic distinction recognizes Dr. Kavraki’s outstanding international scientific career, leadership and collaborations, and honors her transformative research innovations in the fields of computer science, robotics, computational biology and artificial intelligence. Read More

Huda Zoghbi Lab Researchers Explain Differences in Brain Tissue Vulnerability in Neurological Disease

Many neurological diseases damage specific parts of the brain, even though the harmful protein involved is present throughout the brain. Researchers at Texas Children’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) and the lab of TAMEST Member and Nobel and Breakthrough Prize Laureates Committee Member Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. (NAM, NAS) at Baylor College of Medicine, report in Genes & Development new evidence that explains these differences in brain tissue vulnerability. The findings, which could be applied to other conditions, suggest that directing therapies to specific protein forms may improve treatment. Read More

2026 United States Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2026 Symposium will be hosted by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), and Co‑Chaired by TAMEST Members Mark Papermaster (NAE), AMD, and Karen E. Willcox, Ph.D. (NAE), UT Austin. It will take place on September 21-24 and will include about 100 outstanding early-career engineers who will meet for an intensive 2-1/2-day symposium to discuss cutting-edge developments in four key research areas. Read More

Texas A&M University Team Awarded $5 Million Welch Catalyst for Discovery Grant

A team of Texas A&M University researchers including TAMEST Member and 2026 Hill Prize in Physical Sciences Recipient Karen Wooley, Ph.D. (NAS) and Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Summit Speaker Jodie Lutkenhaus, Ph.D., have been awarded a $5 million Catalyst for Discovery Program Grant to support an ambitious effort to explore a new generation of battery materials designed to address some of the biggest challenges facing today’s energy storage technologies. Read More

Wildfire Collaborative Expands into Grasslands with $2.7 Million Grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies

2025 Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award Recipient Lyda Hill and Lyda Hill Philanthropies have awarded $2.7 million to Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in support of the Western Fire & Forest Resilience Collaborative (WFFRC) program. The two-year grant, which expands upon the philanthropy’s 2024 investment, will allow the collaborative to develop science for living safely and sustainably with fire in western U.S. grasslands and shrublands, emphasizing West Texas. It will also add capacity to study fire impacts on water resources in Colorado in ways that directly support land managers. Read More

Texas Quantum Strategy Takes Shape at UT Dallas Summit

Leaders from academia, industry and government convened at The University of Texas at Dallas for the 2026 Texas Quantum Summit, outlining statewide priorities in quantum research, infrastructure development and commercialization as Texas advances its coordinated quantum strategy. Among the featured experts was TAMEST Member Scott J. Aaronson, Ph.D. (NAS), The University of Texas at Austin, who contributed insights on the scientific foundations and long‑term challenges of quantum computing as Texas positions itself as a national leader in the field. Read More

Texas Invests $35 Million to Recruit Top Scientists and Drive Cancer Innovation

The governing board of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) met in August and approved more than $35 million in new cancer research and innovation grants for institutions and companies across Texas. The Oversight Committee voted to create a new CPRIT Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence (ACAI) to address the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, including its potential to accelerate cancer research and the importance of responsible and cautious implementation. The 11 inaugural members of the new panel represent academic institutions from across Texas, including El Paso, Austin, College Station, Houston and Dallas. Read More