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.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. This year, the NAE elected 106 new members and 18 international members, which brought the total U.S. membership to 2,420 and the number of international members to 319.

TAMEST will welcome these and other new Texas-based National Academy members at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.

Meet our new NAE members: 

Leo H. Chiang, Ph.D. (NAE), Senior R&D fellow, Dow Chemical Co.,

For contributions to process data analytics and its applications to process monitoring and for continuous improvement in the chemical industry.

Benny D. Freeman, Ph.D. (NAE), William J. (Bill) Murray Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

For the development of polymeric membranes for gas separation, ion transport, and gas and water purification.

Karen Lozano, Ph.D. (NAE), Julia Beecherl Endowed Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

For contributions to nanofiber research and commercialization, and mentoring of undergraduate students from underserved populations.

Vanessa E. Wyche (NAE), director, NASA Johnson Space Center

For leadership of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, enabling a commercial space economy and future Moon and Mars missions.