TAMEST Member News Roundup – February 2026
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
First Word Pharma: Study Identifies Why Some Breast Cancers Evade Treatment, TAMEST Member Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D. (NAM), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Science Blog: The Double Mutation That Unlocks Parkinson’s Disease, TAMEST Member Hugo J. Bellen, D.V.M., Ph.D. (NAS), Baylor College of Medicine
Phys.org: Protein ‘Dark Energy’ Provides Insight into Form vs. Function in Structure, TAMEST Member Peter G. Wolynes, Ph.D. (NAS, FRS), Rice University
Environment Energy Leader: Quantum Tech Moves from Theory to Industrial Backbone, TAMEST Member Marlan O. Scully, Ph.D. (NAS), Texas A&M University
Phys.org: Data-Driven 3D Chromosome Model Reveals Structural and Dynamic Features of DNA, TAMEST Member Jose Onuchic, Ph.D. (NAS), Rice University
National Today: Study: Psychosocial Factors Linked to Diet Quality in Rural Areas, TAMEST Member Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D. (NAM), Texas A&M University
ASBMB Today: American Society for Microbiology Members Receive ASM Awards, TAMEST Board Secretary Kim Orth, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
D Magazine: The Future is Here: UT Southwestern Wins $25M Federal Award to 3D-Print Human Organs, TAMEST 2026 Protégé Muhammad Rizwan, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center
Issues: A Texas-Sized, Texas-Shaped Approach to Biomedical Research, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT)
Business Insider: AMD and TCS to Bring State-of-the-Art ‘Helios’ Rack-Scale AI Architecture to India, TAMEST Member Lisa Su, Ph.D. (NAE), AMD
The Daily Texan: ‘World Class Opportunity’: The University of Texas System Signs Agreement with NASA, The University of Texas at Austin
UT News: 6 Longhorns Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, TAMEST Members John-Paul Clarke, Sc.D. (NAE) and Kenneth L. McMillan, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
The Journal of Petroleum Technology: 2021 Society of Petroleum Engineers President Tom Blasingame Elected to National Academy of Engineering, Thomas Alwin Blasingame, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University
Texas A&M Stories: Texas A&M Faculty Members Elected to National Academy of Engineering, TAMEST Member Thomas Alwin Blasingame, Ph.D. (NAE) and TAMEST Member and 2026 Hill Prize Recipient in Physical Sciences Karen Lynn Wooley, Ph.D. (NAE, NAS), Texas A&M University
Yahoo: Distinguished Researcher Elected to National Academy of Engineering, TAMEST Member Bruce Edward Gnade, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Dallas
Member Briefs
TAMEST is honored to now have two members serving on each council of the National Academies. The National Academy of Engineering Council includes TAMEST Members Roderic I. Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Texas A&M University and Houston Methodist and José G. Santiesteban, Ph.D. (NAE), ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. The National Academy of Medicine Council includes TAMEST Member Mae C. Jemison, M.D. (NAM), The Jemison Group and TAMEST Board Past President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine. Beginning July 1, TAMEST Member and 2026 Hill Prize in Engineering Recipient Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D., D.Sc. (NAE, NAS), Rice University, will join TAMEST Board Secretary Kim Orth, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center, on the National Academy of Sciences Council.
Southwest Research Institute Appoints Stephen A. Fuselier Vice President of Space Science Division
TAMEST Board Member Stephen A. Fuselier, Ph.D. (NAS), has been appointed as Vice President of the Space Science Division of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). A distinguished heliophysicist with more than 40 years of experience, Dr. Fuselier most recently Co-Chaired the National Academies of Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey, helping shape NASA’s scientific priorities for the coming decade. He has held key leadership roles on major NASA missions, including IMAP, IBEX, TRACERS and MMS, advancing research on the Sun, solar wind and the heliosphere. Read More
$14.1 Million Approved by Texas Space Commission for SEARF Grant Award
The Texas Space Commission (TSC) board of directors voted to conditionally approve a grant application totaling $14,154,767 for a proposed project led by Rice University. The project would create a Center for Space Technologies within the Rice Space Institute (RSI) targeting the following key areas: research and development (R&D); technology transfer and innovation; state-wide partnerships; workforce development training; as well as space-focused education programs. Read More
UT Southwestern Biochemist Zhijian ‘James’ Chen to Receive 2026 Japan Prize
TAMEST Member Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS, FRS), UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the 2026 Japan Prize in Life Sciences – one of the highest international honors for science and technology. He is one of the world’s top researchers on how the body’s immune system protects against threats such as bacteria and viruses. Read More
Rice Lab to Help Develop Bioprinted Kidneys as Part of ARPA-H PRINT Program Award
TAMEST Member Antonios G. Mikos, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE), Rice University, is part of a team of researchers led by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded up to $24.8 million over five years to help address the nation’s growing organ donor shortage by bioprinting on-demand kidney tissues. Read More
The Giant Fire Tornado That Could Save Our Oceans
In a first-of-its-kind, large-scale experiment, researchers led by TAMEST Member Elaine S. Oran, Ph.D. (NAE, FREng) and Qingsheng Wang, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, have developed a cleaner, faster solution to cleaning oil spills: massive fire whirls, or tornado-like flames that spin upward instead of spreading outward. The spinning vortex acts like a natural turbocharger, sucking in oxygen and creating a flame that burns hotter, faster and far more efficiently than fire pools. The fire whirl produced 40 percent less soot and consumed up to 95 percent of the fuel, leaving far fewer harmful particles and toxic residues behind. Read more
Rice Researchers Replicating Edison’s 1879 Light Bulb Experiments Show Graphene May Have Been Unintentional By-Product
Researchers at Rice University led by the lab of TAMEST Member James M. Tour, Ph.D. (NAE), have recreated Thomas Edison’s 1879 light bulb experiments and found that his carbon filaments may have unintentionally produced graphene more than a century before it was formally identified. The study suggests Edison’s high-temperature bulbs could have generated turbostratic graphene, revealing how modern science can uncover new insights in historic discoveries. Read More
CPRIT Approves More Than $15 Million in New Funding for Cancer Research and Recruitment
The governing board of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) met in Austin and approved more than $15 million in CPRIT Scholar recruitment grants to bring five new cancer scientists to four Texas research institutions. Read More
