“Bringing research development support for The Texas A&M University System members

to support the research enterprise across the System.”

Issue 43

September 2025

IN THIS ISSUE

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TAMUV Joins TAMUS

TEES Engineering the Future

TAMUT Sign Research Partnership

WT’s One West campaign success

Tarleton Health Professions Building

Around the System

Research Development Resources

Events

Funding Opportunities

Communities of Practice

Sponsor News

Chief Research Officers

Texas A&M University–Victoria Joins The Texas A&M University System

On August 28, 2025, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved the University of Houston–Victoria's transition into the Texas A&M University System, effective September 1. This addition establishes Texas A&M University–Victoria (TAMUV) as the system’s 12th university, backed by a $25 million state investment secured in the new budget and championed by State Senator Lois Kolkhorst. The move was unanimously supported by legislative leaders and system officials, underscoring a strategic alignment with regional workforce needs in petrochemicals, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Interim President Dr. James K. Nelson emphasized the seamless transition for current students, faculty, and staff while highlighting the new opportunities the “Aggie network” brings, including improved degree recognition and collaborative resources. Texas A&M System Chairman Robert Albritton and Chancellor Glenn Hegar noted that this expansion advances the system’s commitment to accessibility, fiscal responsibility, and regional economic development.

More on TAMUV joining The Texas A&M University System:

TAMUS: Regents Welcome Texas A&M University–Victoria into The Texas A&M University System

TAMUV: A&M Texas A&M University System Chancellor Visits University, Unveils New Branding

Houston Chronicle: Texas A&M University–Victoria transfer is official after 50 years under University of Houston System

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Engineering the Future

Texas A&M Engineering continues to expand its influence and infrastructure through strategic partnerships and investments, spanning materials science, space research, and semiconductor design. From launching a cutting-edge makerspace to opening doors on the International Space Station and integrating industry expertise into chip design education, these initiatives collectively signal the university’s growing role in shaping innovation ecosystems and preparing students for high-impact careers.

Engineering Programs Designed to Meet Tomorrow’s Workforce Needs
Texas A&M is actively redesigning its engineering programs to match the evolving demands of the workforce, introducing new curricula in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and sustainable infrastructure. The College of Engineering has strengthened ties with employers through advisory councils and internship pipelines, ensuring that graduates leave with both technical expertise and practical experience. Initiatives like the Zachry Engineering Education Complex’s interdisciplinary approach and new degree pathways are part of a system-wide effort to cultivate adaptable, industry-ready engineers who can lead in high-demand sectors.

Forging the Future: The Crucible Will Ignite Hands-On Innovation
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is set to debut "The Crucible," a dedicated 2,500 ft² active learning space at the Engineering Innovation Center, opening in 2026. Spurred by a dramatic increase in undergraduate enrollment and ABET accreditation, the facility will equip students with practical experience using induction melting, heat-treatment furnaces, metal 3D printing, forging tools, and microscopes.

Funded through the WoodNext TAMU Fund by donors Susan D. ’89 and Anthony J. Wood ’87, the space addresses a gap in hands-on access and is intended to foster innovation, better prepare students for industry, and boost the department’s national reputation.

Texas A&M and Aegis Aerospace Celebrate TAMU-SPIRIT Partnership
A formal partnership between Texas A&M and Aegis Aerospace was celebrated with the announcement of TAMU-SPIRIT (Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology), a university-dedicated research facility to be deployed on the International Space Station. Supported by the Texas A&M System and philanthropists Susan D. ’89 and Anthony J. Wood ’87, the platform will accept multidisciplinary research proposals from A&M System institutions spanning fields from robotics to agriculture.

With capabilities for in-space testing, manufacturing, and surveillance, the platform—modeled on Aegis’s MISSE flight facility—aims to launch its first experiments by 2027.

Texas A&M and Arm Forge Partnership to Advance U.S. Chip Design and Education
Texas A&M has entered a partnership with Arm to bolster semiconductor workforce development through education, research, and curriculum enhancement. As part of the CHIPS and Science Act ecosystem, the collaboration will bring Arm’s industry-developed materials into classrooms, enable joint research, including capstone projects, and establish pathways to internships and employment.

Faculty are already co-developing proposals with Arm engineers, and the university has joined Arm’s Semiconductor Education Alliance to solidify its role in shaping chip design education. The initiative aims to launch in Fall 2025.

Texas A&M Texarkana

TAMUT and AIST Solutions Sign Educational/Research Partnership Agreement

Texas A&M University–Texarkana has entered its first-ever U.S. academic and research partnership with Japan’s AIST Solutions Co., a subsidiary of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding, the collaboration opens educational opportunities for all AIST Group employees. It offers tuition discounts, waived application fees, and access to the “First Flight Scholarship,” which provides their first course free if they enroll in at least six credit hours.

Beyond academics, the agreement includes a research partnership that pairs AIST’s technological capabilities and IP with TAMUT’s faculty and students, primarily within Engineering, Computing, and Technology disciplines. These joint efforts aim to address local industry challenges while offering students hands-on, real-world experience, a win for regional economic development and workforce preparedness.

Would you like to know more?

A&M-Texarkana and Japanese Technology Company AIST Solutions Sign Educational/Research Partnership Agreement

Texas A&M Texarkana teams with AISOL for education, research

West Texas A&M

WT’s One West campaign surpasses $175 million goal, will continue through 2025

West Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering has received a landmark $5 million anonymous gift, the largest single donation in the college’s history, to establish a new institute for engineering research. The institute will focus on advancing innovation relevant to the Texas Panhandle, aiming to address regional challenges and opportunities, and further aligns with the university’s long-range plan, WT 125, under its status as a Regional Research University.

Part of the gift’s agreement includes sustained funding commitments: the donor expects the college to raise at least $500,000 annually over the next ten years in external research, and the foundation itself will contribute an additional recurring $500,000 per year to support endowed programs, faculty, and infrastructure.

Research leaders at WT are emphasizing the gift's transformative potential: boosting WT Engineering's capacity to lead in areas such as sustainable resources, resilient infrastructure, and regional economic development. The gift comes as engineering research activity and funding have already surged—new research funding has more than doubled in recent years, and faculty grant requests have increased dramatically. Ultimately, this investment aims to elevate the college’s research profile, attract and retain top talent, and generate innovations that benefit both the university and broader Panhandle communities.

Tarleton State University

Tarleton State Celebrates Grand Opening of Health Professions Building

Tarleton State University has opened its new 92,000-square-foot Health Professions Building in Stephenville, a $80 million investment aimed at enhancing healthcare access and rural workforce training. The facility features specialized labs for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant studies, as well as a research lab, teaching classrooms, a food and nutrition science lab, and a 100-seat tiered lecture hall, all designed to deepen hands-on learning and support program growth.

Tarleton recently elevated its College of Health Sciences to the Division of Health Sciences, bringing together the Schools of Nursing, Kinesiology, and Health & Clinical Professions under one umbrella. A proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine is in applicant status. With state legislative backing, system support, and modern architecture by Perkins & Will, this building strengthens Tarleton’s capacity to conduct research, train professionals, and serve rural and underserved communities in Texas.

Around the System: Headline News

Governor Abbott Salutes Winners of Texas Veterans Commission’s Veteran Education Excellence Award

New Committee Outlines Goals to Attain R-1 Status Within The Texas A&M System

Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are Restoring Mined Lands Through Research And Training

Texas A&M Team, Led by Dr. Robert Ambrose, Develops Spherical Robot to Tackle Moon’s Toughest Terrain

Meta Partners with Texas A&M to Launch Disaster-Response AI Tools

Texas A&M Researcher Helps Feed the Hungry with Edible Cotton Seeds

When AI Rejects your Grant Proposal: Algorithms are Helping to Make Funding Decisions

Around the System: Funding Successes

Harte Research Institute (HRI) at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi is among the National Academies’ $50 million Gulf Coast resilience challenge finalists. Their proposal focuses on improving coastal water quality, ecosystem services, and infrastructure planning in the Gulf region through advanced modeling and community-informed strategies to anticipate and mitigate environmental threats.

Researchers at Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M University, along with partners at Texas Southern University and the University of Michigan, were awarded $2.2 million from the AFSOR to establish the Center for Scientific Machine Learning for Material Sciences. The center will develop a foundational SciML framework that will drive advancements in materials design and discovery.

Dr. Srividhya Iyer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology at Texas A&M University, is leading a three-year, NIH-funded study backed by $1.6 million to understand why fractures heal poorly or not at all in individuals with Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Her team is investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms that disrupt bone repair, aiming to pave the way for new therapies that restore proper healing in these vulnerable populations.

Dr. Fei Liu, Associate Professor for the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine, received $643,574 from the NIH to research therapeutic potentials and mechanisms of iPSC-MSC-derived extracellular vesicles on dry mouth caused by Sjögren's syndrome or radiotherapy.

Dr. Yinan Wei, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Texas A&M College of Pharmacy in Kingsville, was awarded $624,267 from the NIH to research the Gram-negative (GN) bacterial cellular envelope to identify promising drug candidates targeting GN bacteria

Dr. Minghui Zheng, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, received $600,000 from the NSF to leverage emerging AI technologies and contribute new knowledge and novel robotic solutions related to the repair of aged electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Dr. Wei Chen, Dr. Wei Gao, and Dr. Chenglin Wu from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station were awarded $479,982 from the NSF to investigate how artificial intelligence can overcome current challenges in designing biosensors based on two-dimensional materials, moving beyond laborious trial-and-error methods.

Dr. John Kilburn, Dr. Cindy Lynn Salazar-Collier, and Dr. Adriana Blasco-Rubio from Texas A&M International University received a $400,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to help reduce mental health disparities among low-income adults in Laredo

Dr. Navid Jafari, Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, received $393,419 from the NSF to research effective coastal hazard mitigation. His research integrates morphodynamic modeling of coastal wetlands with field-based hydrodynamic, eco-geomorphic, and geotechnical measurements to assess and predict the performance of natural and hybrid infrastructure subject to hurricane impacts.

Dr. Shinjiro Sueda, Associate Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, was awarded $290,000 from the NSF to create a new class of computational tools for physiologically accurate human motion simulation by bridging the critical gap between computer graphics and biomechanics

Dr. Florent Baudier, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Texas A&M University, received $199,581 from the NSF to measure the distortion of a geometric structure when it is mapped into curved space using non-standard probabilistic framework, concentrating on new metrics invariants and capturing the geometry of countably branching diamond graphs and trees.

Dr. Xi Wang, Assistant Professor of Construction Science at Texas A&M University, was awarded $192,286 from the NSF to improve collaboration between humans and robots in dynamic industrial environments such as construction and manufacturing settings. This research aims to develop an adaptive human-robot collaboration framework.

Dr. Chetna Dureja, Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Institute of Biosciences and Technology at Texas A&M Health Science Center, received $161,859 from the NIH to research novel antivirulence drug targets for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), an antibiotic-associated diarrhea and a leading cause of hospital-acquired infection and death.

Dr. Brani Vidakovic, Professor and H.O. Hartley Chair of Statistics at Texas A&M University, received $100,123 from the NSF to develop advanced statistical methods that improve signal recovery and noise reduction through innovative shrinkage and thresholding techniques applied in multiscale domains like wavelets.

Dr. Sarah Conrad, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Prairie View A&M University, was awarded nearly $75,000 from the National Academies to advance research aimed at building a more sustainable Gulf region. The program helps build the capacity of Gulf region colleges and universities to prepare and inspire undergraduate students as future change agents.

Dr. Flavia Belpoliti, Associate Professor of Spanish at East Texas A&M University, received $16,585 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Division of Digital Learning to develop course curricula based on Open Educational Resources (OER).

Around the System: Awards and Accomplishments

Dr. Benton Allen, Bell Professor of Engineering, and Dr. Audrey Meador, Clair Mayes Professor of Mathematics, have been appointed to endowed professorships at West Texas A&M University's College of Engineering. Dr. Allen's research focuses on innovative materials with applications in agriculture and corrosion protection, while Dr. Meador's work addresses STEM education, particularly in mathematics and assistive technology.

Dr. Volkan Ozbek, Assistant Professor of Management at Texas A&M University–San Antonio, has received a prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program award from the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Ozbek will be at the University of Presov in the Slovak Republic, where he will collaborate with faculty on research focused on building lasting institutional partnerships to effectively deal with global instability and uncertainty

Dr. Gary Smith, emeritus professor of Meat Science at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, was awarded the 2025 Certified Angus Beef Industry Achievement Award. His research has been at the forefront of studies on beef palatability, food safety, product packaging, beef shelf life, transoceanic shipment of meat, and mitigation of E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria in packing plants.

Dr. Steven Chumbley and Dr. Tolulope Agunbiade of Texas A&M University–Kingsville were introduced as two of the 2025 USDA E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Fellows by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Dr. David Drake, researcher at both Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and East Texas A&M University, was recently awarded Texas Wheat County Agent of the Year by the Texas Wheat Producers Board for his research in multiple production and variety trials on fertilizer, crop rotation, pest and disease control, and crop protection products

Around the System: Research Highlights

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is developing a $53.5 million, 43,500-square-foot research center at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen, Texas. The facility aims to address regional agricultural, health, and food security challenges through advanced laboratories, clinical research support, and a fabrication center for sensor development.

Dr. Mohammad Naraghi, Director of the Nanostructured Materials Lab and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, developed an ultra-durable carbon-fiber thermoset composite (ATSP) that self-heals like skin, reshapes with heat, and exhibits strength exceeding that of steel. Supported by the U.S. Department of Defense and in partnership with the University of Tulsa, this recyclable smart material promises transformative applications across aerospace, defense, and automotive sectors.

Dr. Ali Mostafavi, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, led a Houston workshop on using AI to improve hurricane preparedness. Participants explored AI tools for evacuation forecasting, damage assessment, and power outage prediction to strengthen disaster response.

Dr. Dmitry Kurouski, Associate Professor at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, leads research developing a handheld Raman spectroscopy device that analyzes skin to detect dietary patterns, biological age, sex, and nutrient deficiencies with up to 90% accuracy. This noninvasive tool could provide a practical alternative to food diaries and blood tests for monitoring health and nutrition.

Dr. Linda Katehi and Dr. Jian Tao from Texas A&M University are developing digital twin technology to create customizable, AI-powered sensor systems that can be built faster, more affordably, and with better performance. The project aims to revolutionize how devices gather and utilize information by simulating the behavior of the real system under various conditions, making it a valuable tool for testing, optimization, and innovation.

A century of South Texas agricultural, economic, and community history is being preserved thanks to a landmark acquisition by the Special Collections and Archives at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. The collection joins other high-profile holdings, including the personal papers of civil rights leader Dr. Hector P. Garcia, the records of the American GI Forum, and historical land surveys from Charles von Blucher.

In a major milestone for the growing 16-year-old South Side institution, Texas A&M University–San Antonio announced it will start its first doctoral degree program in educational leadership in fall 2026.

Dr. Merli V. Guerra, Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, has organized a partnership between Texas A&M and the National Park Service that combines visualization and 3D printing technology. The project, “Fossilizing the Ephemeral,” is a multi-year artistic and technological endeavor that uses motion capture, 3D modeling, and fabrication to create sculptures based on the dancers’ movements.

Researchers from the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center at Prairie View A&M University recently demonstrated the impact of bauxite mining on vegetation, health, and air quality in Jamaica. Their results underscore the urgent need for sustainable mining policies, enhanced dust mitigation measures, and ecosystem restoration efforts to counteract the adverse environmental effects of bauxite mining in Jamaica.

Researchers from Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station are using artificial intelligence to track pollution caused by accidental chemical emissions following natural hazards. An increased understanding of the relationship between natural hazards and unplanned chemical emissions may help researchers and policymakers predict, and hopefully prevent, future pollution.

Dr. Myra Arana and Dr. Shiquan Tao from West Texas A&M University have developed a low-cost, rapid, and portable sensor for detecting caffeic acid, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antibacterial properties. The detection limit was 30–100 times lower than reported HPLC-UV/Vis methods, allowing for rapid field detection or continuous monitoring of caffeic acid concentration in food production.

Dr. Rajani Srinivasan and her team at Tarleton University are using plant-based extracts to remove microplastics from water. Initial experiments conducted in water spiked with microplastics showed that one gram of either okra or fenugreek powder in a quart of water trapped microplastics the most effectively. Compared to synthetic polymers, natural polymers performed significantly more effectively, promising strong potential for removing microplastics.

Researchers at Texas A&M University–Kingsville measured how traffic volume and distance to the highway influenced mammal beta diversity, demonstrating that traffic volume is an important indicator of mammal community composition around roads. These changes in wildlife community structure and species behavior can affect conservation efforts along roads, such as wildlife crossing construction.

Dr. Praveen Malali, Assistant Professor of Engineering at Texas A&M University–Central Texas, and Zihao Ding, Ph.D. candidate from the Petersen Research Group at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, recently studied the existing Hydrokinetic Energy Converters (HEC), providing a comprehensive review of their designs using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale. Their findings indicate that there are fourteen HECs—categorized into riverine, tidal, and oceanic types distributed across different stages of technological development and corresponding TRL ratings.

Dr. Timothy A. Davis, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the Texas A&M Engineering Station, employs mathematical algorithms to transform music into visual art. His methodological approach relies on Fourier transforms, graph theory, sparse matrix methods, and force-directed graph visualization. His creations reflect the transformative power of interdisciplinary thinking and produce art that reveals unexpected connections, inspiring others to see the world and even its data differently.

Dr. Yubin Zhou and Dr. Yun Huang with the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology have repurposed salicylic acid, i.e., aspirin, to combat two common blood cancers: acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell lymphoma. This technology—called Salicylic Acid-Mediated Binary Association (SAMBA)—works by engineering CAR T cells so their cancer-killing activity can be turned on or off simply by giving or withholding salicylic acid, allowing doctors to precisely control when the treatment is active.

Dr. Matthew Boyce, Assistant Professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, led a study that offers a comprehensive content analysis of how Chicago’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) leveraged the social media platform X—known as Twitter at the time—for the dissemination of health messages throughout these overlapping emergencies. This research sheds light on both the potential and the limitations of social media as a vector for public health communication in times of crisis.

Dr. John Kagochi, Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University–Victoria, evaluates the impact of energy outages and in-house power generators on capacity utilization among approximately 12,000 African firms. The findings show that the impact of power outages on capacity utilization depends on the measurement and ownership of self-generators.

Dr. Timothy Logan, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University, played a key role in confirming a new world record for the longest lightning flash ever recorded. The findings were published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and add to WMO’s official Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes.

Dr. Wendy Jepson, Professor of Geography and Director of the Environment and Sustainability Initiative at Texas A&M University, is co-leading a national team of researchers that reveals hidden struggles with water access and insecurity in U.S. households. To address these challenges, the team is developing a survey tool that measures water insecurity through six dimensions: affordability, water quality, emotional distress, quantity, reliability, and coping strategies.

A team of fourth-year medical students at Texas A&M University School of Engineering Medicine is developing technology that would allow surgeons to visualize a real-time map of a patient’s nerves, significantly lowering the risk of nerve injuries during surgeries. Their unique technique utilizes nanoparticles that bind specifically to nerve tissue and can be detected using MRI technology or magnetic probes. This project is supervised by Dr. Paul Derry, Assistant Professor at the Center of Genomic and Precision Medicine in the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

Dr. Huseyin Cinoglu, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Texas A&M International University, has co-authored a new book that provides a systematic approach for comparing terrorist groups through the lenses of ideology, organization, and operations. Titled "Typologies of Terrorist Organizations," and published by Carolina Academic Press, the book was written to fill a gap in academic resources, offering a clear guide for students, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and professionals.

Dr. Joshua Gonzalez, Assistant Professor of Physiology at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, and a team of fellow faculty and students have embarked on a study to investigate the impact e-cigarettes have on a person’s sleep. The study focuses on endothelial damage, i.e., harm to the small blood vessels under the skin, which makes quality sleep harder to achieve.

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

Military-Connected Employee Resource Group (ERG)

This new ERG is open to any employee with a military connection—including veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses, caregivers, and family members.

The mission of the Military-Connected Employee Resource Group at The Texas A&M University System Offices is to create a supportive network for employees with a military connection. Through community-building, collaboration with veteran- and military-serving organizations, and professional development, we strive to empower our members, provide access to resources, and recognize the valuable contributions of service members, veterans, spouses, caregivers, and families across our organization."

If you would like to be added to the ERG distribution list and receive a calendar invitation for the first meeting, please connect with Dr. Monteigne S. Long.

The Texas A&M University System Research Development website features federal agency resources to support System researchers with checklists, outlines, templates, graphic and design concepts, and other information for NSF, NIH, USDA, DOE, DOD, and NASA. We continually add new resources to support specific research opportunities.

RDO
Website

EVENTS

Rural Resilience Summit

The Summit aims to position TAMUS as a national model for rural resilience by fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, aligning academic and outreach efforts, and creating sustainable solutions for rural wellness.

Date: October 9-10, 2025

Location: Animal Reproductive Biotechnology Center, RELLIS Campus

Website

17th Annual Texas A&M University System Military-Affiliated Symposium

This year’s symposium brings together educators, administrators, policymakers, and community partners from across the country to share best practices and innovative strategies that advance the success of student veterans, active-duty service members, and military-connected families.

Date: October 13-14, 2025

Location: Hilton Fort Worth, Main Street, Fort Worth, TX, USA

Website

Health Sciences and Technology Research Symposium

Hosted in collaboration by Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and Driscoll Health System, this annual event brings together leading researchers, healthcare professionals, and innovators to share groundbreaking discoveries and explore solutions that advance patient care and shape the future of medicine.

Date: October 25, 2025

Location: Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi University Center

Website

2025 Texas Semiconductor Summit

Explore the future of semiconductor technology in Texas and beyond.

Date: October 29-30, 2025

Location: Hilton College Station and Conference Center

Website

2026 Academic Security and Counter Exploitation Program

ASCE fosters a sense of community among university research security professionals, uniting them in a collaborative defense against emerging threats.

Date: February 24-25, 2026

Location: Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center

Website

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Energy Department Announces $60 Million to Secure Domestic Critical Mineral Supply and Strengthen Magnet Manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) today announced up to $60 million in funding for two new technology programs to secure and expand America’s critical minerals supply chain, strengthen domestic magnet manufacturing, and reduce reliance on foreign-controlled supply chains:

DE-FOA-0003592: Reliable Ore Characterization with Keystone Sensing (ROCKS)

DE-FOA-0003590: Magnetic Acceleration Generating New Innovations and Tactical Outcomes (MAGNITO)

The call for TAMU-SPIRIT Experiment Proposals is now open!

The Texas A&M/Aegis Aerospace Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology (TAMU-SPIRIT) is a first-of-its-kind Texas A&M-branded low-Earth orbit research platform to be flown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It is a unique resource that can accommodate a wide range of experiments and samples for Texas A&M System faculty, researchers, and students.

The facility, a partnership between Texas A&M University and Aegis Aerospace, will provide experiment space on the Express Logistics Carrier 3 on the ISS for activities such as in-space research, testing, advanced materials manufacturing, robotics testing, space surveillance, and tracking technologies. Texas A&M researchers will have exclusive priority rights to send science, engineering, and technology experiments to be installed on the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility.

For more information about TAMU-SPIRIT capabilities that will help you to start planning your TAMU-SPIRIT flight experiment, please contact TAMU-SPIRIT@tamu.edu.

Funding Opportunities

Funding Archives

Research Development

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE (CoP)

The Texas A&M University System researchers and staff are invited to join our monthly gathering of the Research Development Communities of Practice (CoP) group, meeting via Zoom on the final Friday of each month at noon CST. We aim to facilitate learning from and about RD offices within TAMUS, offering valuable resources to enhance your endeavors. For further information, please don't hesitate to reach out.

We look forward to connecting with you.

Join our next virtual meeting by registering for the CoP

TOPICS

TAMUS AI
presented by William Deigaard, TAMU Associate VP for IT Architecture & Design

DATE

September 26th

TIME

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

SPONSOR NEWS

NIH is providing guidance to researchers on the appropriate usage of artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain the fairness and originality of NIH’s research application process. NIH is also instituting a new policy limiting the number of applications that NIH will consider per Principal Investigator per calendar year.

Department of Energy

Those researchers who will be submitting Department of Energy (DOE) proposals on or after May 1, 2025 are required to complete research security training PRIOR to proposal submission. This applies to all Covered Individuals, including any principal investigator (PI); project director (PD); co-principal investigator (Co-PI); co-project director (Co-PD); project manager; and any individual regardless of title that is functionally performing as a PI, PD, Co-PI, Co-PD, or project manager, as well as anyone designated by DOE.

To meet this requirement, course 2114875: Research Security Training (Combined) is now available in TrainTraq and will meet this requirement; however, if you have previously taken all four NSF training modules (TrainTraq courses 2114744 NSF Introduction to Research Security; 2114745 NSF The Importance of Disclosure; 2114746 NSF Manage & Mitigate Risk; and 2114747 NSF The Value of International Collaboration) this will also meet DOE’s training requirement.

Please note that Covered Individuals must certify via their Current and Pending Support disclosure that they have completed research security training. SRS must also certify that all Covered Individuals who are listed on the application have completed the training prior to submission.