AUSTIN, Texas, May 2 -- The Austin Community College District issued the following news: Dr. Jenna Cullinane Hege joins Austin Community College (ACC) as vice president of Institutional Research & Analytics (formerly the Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Accountability, OIEA). In this position, she is responsible for leading the college's collection and analysis of data to support informed decision-making and strategic planning. She will lead a wide variety of research efforts to assess t  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 2 -- The Austin Community College District issued the following news: Austin Community College (ACC) continues to meet or exceed student expectations, according to the 2020 Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) results. Overall, 91 percent of students who participated said ACC has met or exceeded their expectations, 85 percent were satisfied with their experience, and 90 percent said they would re-enroll. The Noel-Levitz SSI is conducted every three years to ass  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 6 [TNSgrants] -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Baylor College of Medicine recently received a Superfund Research Program (SRP) grant of nearly $10 million over five years from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a Multiproject Research Center at Baylor. The grant will fund researchers from Baylor and its collaborators from Rice University and the University of Texas Medical Branch to study how toxicity of e  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 8 [TNSmedicalresearch] -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Sound waves decrease in amplitude as they pass through the fluid-filled cochlea of the inner ear. The inner ear's outer hair cells (OHCs) are specially equipped to mitigate this loss in amplitude so that sounds remain perceptible, but how this happens isn't fully understood. New research from Baylor College of Medicine suggests that multiple voltage-sensing pathways exist in the late  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: The National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development have formed a new partnership with PATH, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health. Together, these institutions will advance the development of a low-cost, safe and effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Through this alliance, researchers with Bay  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Low blood sugar levels, known as hypoglycemia, can be a life-threatening situation, especially for people with type 1 diabetes who rely on intensive insulin therapy to prevent blood sugar from going too high. Solutions to this problem may come from a better understanding of the basic mechanisms keeping blood sugar in balance. At Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions, researchers led by Dr. Yo  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: A potential tool in the fight against COVID-19 could be found in a vaccine that already is being used widely around the world. The BCG, or bacille Calmette-Guerin, vaccine prevents tuberculosis and is one of the oldest vaccines still in clinical use. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and four other institutions around the country are working to find out if it also can work against COVID-19. They a  more

WACO, Texas, May 2 -- Baylor University issued the following news: COVID-19 and the global response to a pandemic has forced practitioners in fields from healthcare to government to rapidly determine ethical responses to an array of challenging issues. From finite products like medical supplies to life-and-death questions related to where and whom to allocate these resources, leaders are grappling in real time with consequential decisions. For students aspiring to future leadership, the crisis  more

WACO, Texas, May 8 -- Baylor University issued the following news: Youth aging out of foster care, at-risk single moms and homeless veterans achieved significant life transformation through an intensive, volunteer-based, relationship-focused model, according to a preliminary study of a limited number of participants in the Open Table program conducted by Baylor University's Program on Prosocial Behavior. Scholars from Baylor University conducted a case study evaluation of the Open Table progra  more

WACO, Texas, May 7 -- Baylor University issued the following news: More than 80 specialists from around the globe who deal daily with the issues of dying and grief -- including three from Baylor University -- have joined to develop new rituals and resources to honor those who die during the COVID-19 era and to aid the living as they grapple with the crisis. The newly formed Virtual Funeral Collective has launched a new website called COVID White Paper, which features an extensive report, guide  more

LEWISVILLE, Texas, May 9 -- BayMark Health Services issued the following news: Americans struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD) face significant challenges to change their lives and recover, even in the best of circumstances. With social distancing requirements and self-isolation to combat the spread of coronavirus, those challenges are greater than ever before. Worsening year after year since the early 2000's, President Trump officially declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency   more

WACO, Texas, May 7 -- Baylor University issued the following news: Following a nationwide search, Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., announced that Shanna Hagan-Burke, Ph.D., professor of special education and head of the department of educational psychology at Texas A&M University's College of Education and Human Development, has been selected as Dean of the Baylor School of Education. Her appointment is effective July 1. Dr. Hagan-Burke will succeed Terrill F. Saxon, Ph.D., p  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, May 4 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: The FDA on May 1 gave emergency authorization to a new anti-viral drug to treat patients with COVID-19. The announcement was made during an afternoon news conference by President Trump. It comes two days after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) released preliminary results of a national clinical trial showing that the new drug, remdesivir, i  more

CANYON, Texas, May 2 -- West Texas A&M University issued the following news: The National Association of System Heads (NASH) is pleased to announce four leading higher education systems have been selected to participate in Scaling Instructional Excellence for Student Success, a strategic initiative focused on improving quality instruction and student success through intentional, high-quality professional development for faculty. The California State University System, City University of New Yo  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 8 -- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued the following news: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia in filing their opening brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against efforts by the Trump Administration, a group of states led by Texas, and others to invalidate the entire ACA. Striking down the ACA would put the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans a  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 6 -- Rice University issued the following news release: The vast majority of Houston-area residents who are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are not getting tested for it, according to initial results of a survey from the COVID-19 Registry at Rice University. In addition, more than 40% of households have lost income as a result of the crisis -- and the economic impact appears to be much more severe among African American and Hispanic households than white and   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 7 -- North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein issued the following news release on May 6: Attorney General Josh Stein filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against efforts by the Trump administration and the state of Texas to strike down the entire ACA, putting the health care of tens of millions of Americans at risk. "The current pandemic makes clear that access to health care is a matter of life or death for millions of  more

ALBANY, New York, May 7 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on May 6: New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of states fought to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against efforts by the Trump Administration and the State of Texas to repeal the law, putting the health care of tens of millions of Americans at risk. If the ACA is repealed, 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage or charged more based o  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 8 [TNSscientificresearch] -- Rice University issued the following news release: Rice University researchers have found evidence of piezoelectricity in lab-grown, two-dimensional flakes of molybdenum dioxide. Their investigation showed the surprise electrical properties are due to electrons trapped in defects throughout the material, which is less than 10 nanometers thick. They characterize these charges as electrets, which appear in some insulating materials and generate in  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Hydrogen as a zero-carbon energy carrier has the potential to fundamentally transform the global energy landscape -- but the production must benefit the environment, according to experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Rachel Meidl, the fellow in energy and environment at the institute's Center for Energy Studies, and Emily Yedinak, a doctoral candidate in materials science and nanoengineering a  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 8 -- Rice University issued the following news release on May 7: The Rice University COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee announced it will fund six additional projects by faculty working to mitigate the effects of the new coronavirus. Researchers at Rice, some with the help of off-campus colleagues, plan to develop a device that rapidly identifies high-risk COVID-19 patients; a mobile phone-based test to detect the virus; a project to show how images, narr  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 [TNSgrants] -- Rice University issued the following news release: A Rice University researcher has won a prestigious federal grant to study how a recently identified protein in the cornea aids development, homeostasis and wound healing in the eye. Peter Lwigale, an associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology, has been awarded a four-year, $1.5 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant to study nephronectin (Npnt), a protein recently identified by his lab to  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- Rice University issued the following news release: A regulatory conundrum faces researchers trying to slow the spread of HIV among minors. Sometimes those researchers need consent from parents, a requirement that can leave some of the most endangered minors out of the picture. Establishing a common set of rules for legally and ethically conducting HIV prevention research on minors is crucial to reducing the infection's spread among young people, according to health exp  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 5 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Rice University researchers have created an efficient, low-cost device that splits water to produce hydrogen fuel. The platform developed by the Brown School of Engineering lab of Rice materials scientist Jun Lou integrates catalytic electrodes and perovskite solar cells that, when triggered by sunlight, produce electricity. The current flows to the catalysts that turn water into hydrogen and oxygen, with a sunlight-to  more

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 7 [TNSgrants] -- Tarrant County College issued the following news release: Beginning Summer 2020 and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, Tarrant County College (TCC) will offer financial assistance to eligible student-parents to defray the costs for child care. Initially, TCC's Child-Care Assistance Program will serve approximately 125 eligible student-parents annually. The TCC Child-Care Assistance Program works jointly with Tarrant County Child Care Ma  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 5 -- The Texas A&M University's Engineering Experiment Station issued the following news: With the millions of bacteria that naturally exit in the environment and the many more that can be engineered for biological warfare, the need to recognize whether a bacterium is potentially harmful is ever-increasing. To rapidly identify different bacteria that exist in a given sample, Dr. Arum Han, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&  more

COMMERCE, Texas, May 9 -- Texas A&M University's Commerce Campus issued the following news release: The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Texas A&M University-Commerce has played an integral part in formulating the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when the EOC needed to track news and trends surrounding the outbreak, they asked Dr. Brian McGinley to come up with a solution. "They needed someone keeping up with the headlines so they could stay focused on the university's r  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 7 [TNSscientificresearch]-- Texas A&M University's College of Engineering issued the following news: Spoiling foods, souring wine and worsening wounds have a common culprit -- a process called oxidation. Although the ill effects of these chemical reactions can be curtailed by the action of antioxidants, creating a sturdy platform capable of providing prolonged antioxidant activity is an ongoing challenge. Researchers at Texas A&M University might have solved this pr  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 5 -- The Texas A&M University's Engineering Experiment Station issued the following news: A typical nuclear reactor uses only a small fraction of its fuel rod to produce power before the energy-generating reaction naturally terminates. What is left behind is an assortment of radioactive elements, including unused fuel, that are disposed of as nuclear waste in the United States. Although certain elements recycled from waste can be used for powering newer generations o  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 7 [TNSscientificresearch] -- Texas A&M University's College of Engineering issued the following news: A typical nuclear reactor uses only a small fraction of its fuel rod to produce power before the energy-generating reaction naturally terminates. What is left behind is an assortment of radioactive elements, including unused fuel, that are disposed of as nuclear waste in the United States. Although certain elements recycled from waste can be used for powering newer g  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following joint statement: Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Motor Speedway released a statement applauding INDYCAR's decision to kick off the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race will take place on Saturday, June 6th and will be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will air on NBCSN at 7:00 p.m. CT. In addition, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Texas Motor Speedway   more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 5 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Jennifer A. Habert to the 50th Judicial District Court in Baylor, Cottle, King and Knox Counties for a term set to expire on December 31, 2020, or until her successor shall be duly elected and qualified. Jennifer A. Habert of Seymour is the District Attorney of the 50th Judicial District in Baylor, Cottle, King and Knox Counties, a position she has held since 2017. Prior to   more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 5 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Kenneth "Ken" Jordan to the Texas Animal Health Commission for a term set to expire on September 6, 2021. Additionally, the Governor appointed Jimmie Ruth Evans and Melanie Johnson, Ed.D., and reappointed Barret J. Klein, Joe Leathers, and Thomas "Tommy" Oates for terms set to expire on September 6, 2025. The commission works to protect and enhance the health of animal popu  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 5 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Michael P. Henry, D.C. and Scott Wofford, D.C. and appointed Brandon Allen to the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners for terms set to expire on February 1, 2025. The board is responsible for regulating the practice of chiropractic. Michael P. Henry, D.C. of Austin is a doctor of chiropractic, the founder and CEO of TexStar Chiropractic clinics, and currently serves as t  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 5 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation declaring May 3rd to the 9th as Hurricane Preparedness Week in the state of Texas. This proclamation raises awareness about the dangers of hurricanes and the precautions Texans can take as hurricane season approaches. The Governor is asking all Texans to take important steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from the danger and destruction that hurrican  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 6 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference where announced that he will be issuing an Executive Order to expand openings of certain businesses and activities. The Governor also announced new guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on graduation ceremonies and the creation of Surge Response Teams to combat any COVID-19 flare ups in Texas. "Texas is in a position to continue opening parts of our econo  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 8 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott modified his executive orders related to COVID-19 to eliminate confinement as a punishment for violating these orders. These modifications are being applied retroactively. "Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen," said Governor Abbott. "That is why I am modifying my executive orders  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 5 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on May 4: Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Tina Yturria Buford, Starr Corbin, Karen Harris, Amy Henderson, Karen Manning, Nathali Parker, Rienke Radler, Jinous Rouhani, Catherine Susser, Patsy Wesson, and Laura Koenig Young to the Governor's Commission for Women for terms set to expire on December 31, 2021. Additionally, the Governor has named Harris as chairman and Parker as vice chairman. Governor Abbott   more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 6 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has received approval for a $3 million emergency grant for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living. ADRCs are a one-stop shop offering resources for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers in Texas. "I am grate  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 7 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has received $5.8 million in federal funding to provide crisis counseling services to Texans who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Immediate Services Crisis Counseling and Training Program. "I thank our partners at FEMA for providing   more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 7 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott and the OneStar Foundation announced the Texas COVID Relief Fund, which will provide critical funding and resources to organizations across the state working on the ground to support the economic recovery of local communities. Funds raised will be distributed through grants focused on the areas of community and economic development, healthcare, and education. Funds will also be used to sup  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 9 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Category B assistance funding to provide financial support to Texas' network of food banks. If approved, this funding will provide nearly $70 million for Texas' network of 21 food banks and will allow food banks to work with their supply chain networks to shore up s  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 9 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and Dallas Independent School District (DISD) launched Operation Connectivity, a statewide initiative to deliver internet connectivity and device solutions for school districts, families, and students in Texas. Operation Connectivity was originally started in Dallas to address the the lack of high speed internet and/or home laptops for many DISD students   more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 9 -- Bracewell, a law firm, issued the following news release: Three Bracewell partners have been recognized as IP Stars in the 2020 edition of Managing Intellectual Property: Albert B. Kimball, for patent and trademark in Texas Constance Gall Rhebergen, for patent in Texas Douglas W. Rommelmann, for patent in Texas Bracewell's intellectual property practice advises on a wide range of trademark and patent matters in various industries, including energy, finance, technolo  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 8 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: With severe blood disorders, such as leukemia, doctors often rely on leukapheresis, a procedure in which large machines extract whole blood from patients to separate white blood cells from the rest of the blood, which is then returned back to the patient. This procedure is generally used to urgently reduce a dangerously elevated white blood cell count, or to collect various white blood cell subsets for therape  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 8 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: As the spread of COVID-19 sparked a global search for ventilators to help critically ill patients, an international collaboration of particle physicists and engineers pivoted to design a mechanical ventilator made from readily available components. The ventilator, approved late last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use with COVID-19 patients, came together in about six weeks, driven  more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 2 -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted people across Houston/Harris County, through its radical transformations of everyone's work experience and major changes around food access, childcare, education, living arrangements, household dynamics, and relationships, as well as health and mental health. The University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality is working to understand how   more

HOUSTON, Texas, May 6 [TNSgrants] -- The University of Houston issued the following news release: The use of metals in drug molecules could offer major benefits, such as allowing for lower therapeutic dosages and fewer side effects. In particular, a special class of metal compounds called catalysts has often been overlooked in drug discovery research. Loi Do, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Houston, is pursuing novel inorganic platforms for drug discovery using a $1.53 mi  more

AUSTIN, Texas, May 7 -- The University of Texas issued the following news release: Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Nino in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin has found. If it comes to pass, floods, storms and drought are likely to worsen and become more regular, disproportionately affecting populations most vulnerable to climate change. Computer s  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, May 5 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: Do thinking and walking go hand in hand in determining the health course of senior adults? A study published by UT Health San Antonio researchers found that, indeed, the two functions often parallel each other in determining a person's health trajectory. The researchers analyzed data from 370 participants in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA) and found t  more

TYLER, Texas, May 8 -- The University of Texas's Tyler Campus issued the following news release: The University of Texas at Tyler announced that Dr. Mena Souliman, associate professor of civil engineering, received a $400,000 UT System Science and Technology Acquisition (STARs) Award to address the future challenges of the US transportation system. "Dr. Souliman has developed strong partnerships with local, state and national transportation agencies, focusing on safety and efficiency," said Dr  more

CANYON, Texas, May 5 -- West Texas A&M University issued the following news: West Texas A&M University students will continue to benefit from a newly extended partnership with a major textbook provider. The University Bookstore has partnered with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) to provide a variety of services, continuing a relationship that has been in place for more than 15 years between WT and MBS Textbook Exchange, which BNC's parent company purchased in 2017. "WT strives to make sure studen  more