WACO, Texas, April 23 -- Baylor University issued the following news: A Baylor University marketing professor and advertising expert has created a list of brands and commercials she says are "stellar examples of empowered storytelling" during this time of pandemic. "'Empowered storytelling' is an emotional and powerful approach for brands who want a deeper emotional connection with their consumers," said Tyrha Lindsey-Warren, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of marketing in Baylor's Hankame  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 22 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveal that astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the brain, play a direct role in the regulation of neuronal circuits involved in learning and memory. The findings appear in the journal Neuron. "It has become increasingly clear that astrocytes are much more than supportive cells in the healthy adult brain. They play a direct role in a wide variety of comple  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 25 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: The Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center (BCM-HGSC) recently was awarded a National Institutes of Health grant for acquisition of the Pacific Biosciences Sequel II DNA sequencing instrument. This technology will help improve sequencing capacity and efficiency. "The Sequel II sequencer is a state-of-the art single molecule long-read sequencing platform that is capable of sequencing  more

RICHARDSON, Texas, April 22 -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas issued the following news release: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) gifted a $1 million grant to the Texas Restaurant Association's TX Restaurant Relief Fund, an initiative of the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation (TRAEF). Established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TX Restaurant Relief Fund provides immediate financial support to Texas' independent restauranteurs and their employees. This   more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 25 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: As the novel coronavirus pushes the American healthcare system to capacity, relief may come from research aiming to protect astronaut health in deep space. The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at the Baylor College of Medicine funds health and performance research for a future human-crewed mission to Mars. The Institute is a partner to NASA's Human Research Program. "Now more  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 22 -- Bracewell, a law firm, issued the following news release on April 21: Bracewell LLP announced that Martha Kammoun has joined the firm's New York office as a partner in the power practice, adding depth to the firm's energy and infrastructure platforms. Kammoun comes to Bracewell from Starwood Energy Group, a private equity investment firm that specializes in energy infrastructure investments, where she was co-general counsel. "I'm excited to welcome Martha to the fir  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release, dated April 20: The consequences of graduating during a recession are large, negative and persistent, but graduates should not lose hope, according to an expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Joyce Beebe, a fellow in public finance at the Baker Institute, is available to discuss what a recession means for graduates. Beebe addressed the topic in a new Baker Institute blog post on the impact   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 23 -- The University of Texas issued the following news release: Integrating sustainability throughout the educational and operational activities at The University of Texas at Austin has been a focus for years, and now the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) has given the university its first-ever achievement of a Gold rating. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education administers the STARS rating system for hundreds of  more

STEPHENVILLE, Texas, April 23 -- Tarleton State University issued the following news release on April 22: The top 25 percent of the graduating class at Joshua High School has scholarship opportunities and guaranteed admission thanks to an agreement announced Monday night. Tarleton State University and JISD joined forces to provide annual scholarships and admission to Joshua's top graduates. "We're very excited to partner with Joshua High School to ensure that some of the best and most intelli  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release, dated April 20: The Rice University COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee announced it will support projects to develop affordable diagnostic tools, seals to maximize the efficiency of surgical masks, a system to identify signs of the coronavirus in Houston wastewater and methods to ensure voter safety this fall. The projects are the first to be backed by the initiative. The application window is ope  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 24 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Rice University researchers plan to reconfigure their "trap and zap" wastewater-treatment technology to capture and deactivate the virus that causes COVID-19. Rice civil and environmental engineer Pedro Alvarez and bioscientist Yizhi Jane Tao have won a National Science Foundation (NSF) RAPID grant to develop a "novel approach for selective adsorption and photocatalytic disinfection" of SARS-CoV-2. Their chemical-f  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Prices for U.S. crude oil for May delivery turned negative Monday -- something that has never happened since oil futures began trading in 1983. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, said "the mind-blowing carnage in U.S. oil prices makes little sense in physical terms." He is available to discuss the implications and outlook with the news m  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 21 -- Rice University issued the following news release: If you're on skis, you want to avoid avalanches. But when the right kind happen in your brain, you shouldn't worry. You won't feel them. They're probably to your benefit. Scientists at Rice University's Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) have simulated the mechanics of a complex network that helps give neurons their ever-changing structures. They found the complex, Arp2/3, may be largely responsible fo  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: The Baker Institute Board of Advisors has elected five new members with expertise ranging from health and finance to technology and energy: Donald Bowers, Ann Fox, Jose-Alberto Lima, Jim Whitehurst and Dr. Huda Zoghbi. "The Baker Institute Board of Advisors is instrumental in helping to guide the institute's growth and impact," said Edward Djerejian, director of Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy. "The impress  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Muslims around the world are preparing for the holy month of Ramadan. Craig Considine, a lecturer in sociology at Rice and a scholar of Islam, is available to discuss how the faithful will observe while social distancing and dealing with the pandemic. Considine has written extensively about Islam and recently authored an opinion piece for Newsweek. Ramadan is a time in which Muslims enga  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: On Monday night, President Trump announced via Twitter that he plans to issue an executive order temporarily halting all immigration to the United States, citing his desire to prevent immigrants from competing with American workers for jobs during the economic recovery from the coronavirus. Kelsey Norman, fellow for the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the institute'  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Online learning may continue as the new normal in American education into the next school year, and experts at Rice University-based OpenStax are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting faculty and institutions with the tools and resources they need. The nonprofit will present a webinar this Friday, April 24, at noon CDT with experts Richard Baraniuk and Anthony Palmiotto discussing how to promote equity a  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- Rice University issued the following news release: In March, thousands of universities around the world said goodbye to spring break and hello to a world of online instruction. At Rice University, only three undergraduate classes were scheduled to be conducted completely online from the beginning of the semester. Now more than 1,900 have gone remote. The biggest revelations have been about the human -- rather than the technical -- dimension of teaching, said Caroli  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 24 -- Rice University issued the following news release: The Texas Policy Lab (TPL) in Rice University's School of Social Sciences has joined Harris County in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. TPL is providing support to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's office by drawing upon the expertise of its research scientists, professional staff and Rice faculty. Researchers have already been working around-the-clock for the past several weeks to provide the county the mos  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 25 [TNSgrants] -- Rice University issued the following news release: A Rice University lab has won a prestigious National Institutes of Health grant to pursue gene-editing research it hopes will lead to a cure for sickle cell disease (SCD). The four-year R01 grant to Gang Bao, Rice's Foyt Family Professor of Bioengineering and a professor of chemistry and of materials science and nanoengineering, is worth $2.45 million. The grant will be administered by the National Heart  more

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, April 22 -- Sabre, a travel technology company, issued the following news release: Sabre Corporation ("Sabre") (Nasdaq: SABR) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Sabre GLBL Inc. ("Sabre GLBL") has closed private offerings of (1) $775,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 9.250% senior secured notes due 2025 (the "Secured Notes") and (2) $345,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.000% senior exchangeable notes due 2025 (the "Exchangeable Notes" and together wit  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Jeannette Pierro Smith to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for a term set to expire on January 31, 2025. The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy protects the public by ensuring that persons issued certificates as certified public accountants (CPAs) possess the necessary education, skills and capabilities and that they perform competently in the profession   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Tomeka Moses Herod to the Texas Medical Board for a term set to expire on April 13, 2025. The board regulates the practice of medicine in Texas. Tomeka Moses Herod of Allen is the president of The Wilkins Group, Inc. She is a member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Council. In additi  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Albert D. "Pat" Pattillo, III to the 216th Judicial District Court in Gillespie and Kerr Counties, effective May 1, 2020, for a term set to expire on December 31, 2020, or until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified. Albert D. "Pat" Pattillo, III of Kerrville is an attorney at Pattillo Richards, P.C., and is Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law. "He is a me  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Sharon McCormick and Laura Warren and reappointed Hector J. Cerna to the Finance Commission of Texas for terms set to expire on February 1, 2026. The commission is the governing body of the state banking, savings and loan, and consumer credit agencies. Sharon McCormick of Frisco is a senior loan officer for PrimeLending, A PlainsCaptal Company and has a real estate broker  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 22 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott provided an update on job openings in the Lone Star State and outlined resources for Texans seeking employment due to the economic effects of COVID-19. The Governor also announced that nearly 500,000 job openings are currently listed on WorkInTexas.com, a powerful online job matching and workforce solution system developed by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). This system provides fa  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 23 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following statement: Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement following reports of widespread damage from severe weather, including a tornado, in several Polk County communities. "My office, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and other state agencies are working with local officials to provide immediate support to the areas devastated by this tornado," said Governor Abbott. "The state has already deployed response teams  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 23 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has waived certain testing requirements for Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) as part of the state's response to COVID-19. As a result of this waiver, new APRN graduates who have applied for APRN licensure with the Board of Nursing and have met all licensure requirements except national certification may begin practicing under direct physician supervision. This graduate appr  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 23 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has temporarily waived certain restrictions to allow Texas higher education institutions to transfer all unexpended student financial aid funds from the Texas College Work-Study (TCWS) program to other financial aid programs that do not have a work-study requirement to ensure students will continue receiving financial assistance. Those programs include the TEXAS Grant program, the Tex  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 24 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on April 23: Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will provide a series of free online trainings to help local officials understand, acquire, and administer federal assistance available to the state of Texas and municipalities through the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Be  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 24 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will receive nearly $54 million in federal funds to support older Texans and people with disabilities during the COVID-19 response. The funding will be used to support programs and services administered by the state's 28 Area Agencies on Aging such as home delivered meals, help with household chores, assistance with grocer  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 24 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott and Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy issued a joint statement in response to the severe weather, including a tornado, that touched down in Polk County last night -- killing at least 3 people and injuring at least 20. In the joint statement, Governor Abbott and Judge Murphy stated that Texas and Polk County officials are working collaboratively on recovery efforts and providing resources   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 25 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) have launched an online COVID-19 test collection map to help Texans locate test collection sites within their community. The interactive map displays detailed information on public and private mobile, walk-in, and drive-thru test collection sites around the state.   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 25 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announced that Texas will provide HOME Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) to Texans experiencing housing challenges due to COVID-19. These TBRA funds have been made possible through a series of waivers recently authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These waivers give Texas the flex  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard will be mobilizing more than 1,200 personnel as part of COVID-19 mobile testing teams (MTT). The 45 member teams will be mobilized in various parts of the state providing greater access to medical testing. The areas for these MTTs will be identified by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) with the first two of the 25 teams deployed  more

AMHERST, Massachusetts, April 23 -- The University of Massachusetts Amherst campus issued the following news: A team of academic and industry experts, including the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) in the College of Engineering, is collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on a project aimed at controlling an expected increase in low-flying manned and unmanned aircraft over cities in the U.S. in the next decade. The team inclu  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 23 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: Drones have become a quick and relatively inexpensive way to capture on-the-ground images of geographic areas, offering valuable information to soldiers and others. But those images have a drawback: they often can't accurately be compared with images taken previously - images which generally were collected using different standards and formats - in order to determine how the terrain has changed over time.   more

VICTORIA, Texas, April 23 -- The University of Houston Victoria campus issued the following news release: National website Best Colleges Online recently listed the University of Houston-Victoria Master of Arts in forensic psychology as the second most affordable, quality degree in the U.S. based on tuition, accreditation and inclusion in major publications. The website included UHV's degree in its 2020 Top 25 Most Affordable Master's in Forensic Psychology Online Programs list. The programs we  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 25 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: Restaurant owners across Texas have spent the past month pivoting to new business models, offering meals to-go and the sale of bulk produce and other staples. But around half report temporarily or permanently closing in the month since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all dine-in restaurants and bars in the state to shut down. Four out of five owners said they have laid off at least some of their employees, accord  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 24 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: Researchers at the University of Houston last year reported a new imaging method capable of producing fast and inexpensive three-dimensional images, offering the potential to more easily track the progress of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and cancer at the cellular level. David Mayerich, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH and corresponding author for a paper descri  more

DENTON, Texas, April 23 -- The University of North Texas issued the following news release: University of North Texas College of Education assistant professor Christopher Long is making the best of the situation after his research project was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, Long was studying learning environments and student attitudes toward science. However, as schools shut down and students moved to learning from home, his research ground to a halt. Not to be deterred,   more

DENTON, Texas, April 23 -- The University of North Texas issued the following news release: In the next 10 years, low-flying traffic over cities in the United States is expected to increase significantly and a University of North Texas-led team of academic and industry experts is working together to ensure safe skies through proper communication and coordination. "Our team is developing the Resilient Air Space Operations and Services platform which will allow low-flying traffic, both manned an  more

ARLINGTON, Texas, April 22 -- The University of Texas Arlington campus issued the following news release: A bioengineer at The University of Texas at Arlington is developing an imaging technique and a special electrocardiogram (EKG) for zebrafish to determine why they are able to regenerate their heart tissue after cardiac arrest. The research could provide crucial insights into one of the United States' most pressing health problems. Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack. W  more

RICHARDSON, Texas, April 19 -- The University of Texas Dallas campus issued the following news release: As more people live to advanced ages due to health care innovations, more also are dealing with the decline in mental acuity that can come late in life. Cognitive training is often touted as a way of treating -- or even preempting -- these issues, but there is significant disagreement on the effectiveness of various methods. Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas' Center for Vita  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 21 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: To understand and prevent COVID-19-induced heart disease, researchers at UT Health San Antonio will follow recovered patients for the next 10-15 years, all the while studying basic mechanisms that underlie the cardiac damage now observed in one-fifth of COVID-19 patients. Faculty in the university's Long School of Medicine will test two molecular drugs in infected cel  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 25 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: Scientists in Texas and Pennsylvania have identified a protein sensor that restricts how much sugar and fat our cells convert into energy during periods of starvation. It is possible, the scientists say, that the sensor could be fine-tuned to prompt more sugar and fat conversion in people with metabolic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease wh  more

GALVESTON, Texas, April 22 -- The University of Texas Medical Branch issued the following news release: A detailed study of the monoclonal antibodies from a person who survived a Marburg infection led researchers to identify novel mechanisms that contribute protection against the disease, according to the latest findings of a collaborative team led by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The findings are now available in Cell Host & Micro  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 24 [TNSgrants] -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: Hyundai Hope On Wheels(R) and San Antonio-area Hyundai dealers have awarded UT Health San Antonio a $100,000 grant for COVID-19 testing. The university is one of 22 health institutions throughout the nation to share in a total of $4 million awarded this year through the Hyundai Hope On Wheels program. The gift will be used to provide on-campus COVID-19 tes  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 25 -- The University of Texas issued the following news release: Although many Texas voters (66%) say that the coronavirus is a "significant crisis," they register higher levels of concern about the deepening economic problem and the impact it is having in their lives, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. In a battery of questions asking 1,200 registered Texas voters their level of concern about current issues and problems, 54% indicated they wer  more