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Issue 151, Volume 75
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UH tapped by Perry to aid in research ‘Gulf Project’ bring together State experts, aims to tackle future oil spill disasters
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Cougar News Service Governor Rick Perry tapped UH to be a part of a coalition of experts that will research ways to prevent future oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. The coalition, named the Gulf Project, will be made up of energy and environmental scientists, policy experts, academic researchers, private sector research
scientists and state officials from UH, NASA and Rice University, among others. UH President Renu Khator said research programs at UH, including the Texas Center for Superconductivity, are slated to be part of the project. “Our faculty and students in engineering, law, business, geosciences, technology and research are working diligently to address the world’s energy challenges today and in the future,” Khator said. “The chance to exchange ideas and work in partnership with our peers, industry and researchers will lead to important
contributions toward protecting our environment, while providing our students with hands-on experience in shaping energy policy and forging new business approaches to the way energy is created, delivered, used and shared.” Other UH programs that will take part in the project, according to a press release, are the Mission Oriented Seismic Research Program; Well Logging Group; Global Energy Management Institute; Composites Engineering & Applications Center; Center for Applied Geosciences and Energy; Institute for Multi-dimensional Air Quality Studies; and the Center for
By Jose Aguilar The Daily Cougar
Cougar News Service
see GRANTS, page 8
the next generation in offshore oil exploration safety and response,” Perry said in the press release. “The Gulf Project is an unprecedented collaboration of the state’s top scientists, engineers and researchers, focused on protecting our residents, environment and economy, and solving the unique challenges presented by the next generation of domestic energy exploration and production.” Along with UH and Rice, Perry has called upon most of the state’s top universities, including the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Southern Methodist University to take part in the project.
State group honors student
Energy facility receives grant UH’s Energy Research Park will be the site of a new testing facility that University researchers will build after being awarded a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Wind Energy Center (NWEC), which will develop and test composite materials and components for large offshore wind turbines, is likely to help establish the University as a national leader in offshore wind technology. “The new testing facility will not only g g Joseph Tedesco help propel this region to the forefront of U.S. offshore wind development, but it will also help UH in becoming ‘The Energy University,’” UH Cullen College of Engineering Dean Joseph Tedesco said in a press release. “Gaining a fuller understanding of the challenges associated with offshore wind energy technology is critical if we are to move into a clean energy future.” Plans are for the facility and
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources. Perry is hoping the project will tackle all the issues currently affecting and halting progress on the current Gulf disaster. He also thinks the project will help solidify Houston’s status as an energy capital. “To keep our g g Rick Perry status as the energy capital of the nation and preserve our environment, jobs and economy, Texas must become the world leader in developing
The Daily Cougar File Photo
Summer Recreation
U
H’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center is available for students to get a break from the heat. Air-conditioned indoor activities offered at the center include rock wall climbing, racquetball, basketball and use of the natatorium. An outdoor leisure pool is also available for anyone wanting to enjoy the sun.
The Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers named UH graduate student Meghan Baker the state’s Social Work Student of the Year. Baker, a J.D. and M.S.W. dual degree student in the Law Center and Graduate College of Social Work, will be honored at the organization’s annual conference in October. “It feels amazing to be recognized by the NASW and to have been nominated by my peers, many of whom are themselves deserving of this award,” Baker said. “It is an honor I do not take lightly, and I am grateful to be recognized by this outstanding organization.” Baker received the award in part for demonstrating a commitment to the profession of social work, her clients and to social justice. “I think that fighting social injustice is inherent in almost all the work we do as social workers,” Baker said. “I think that being committed to the profession of social work within my experience has meant being mindful of social work values, something I strive to incorporate in everything I do.” The profession’s commitment to fighting injustice wherever it occurs is what drew her to the field in the first place. “As a member of the GLBT community, I have observed first hand the discrimination and oppression that we face, so that was a natural place for me to serve,” she said. “However, I like to think I am also committed to righting wrongs that affect other groups as well,
Courtesy uh.edu
Meghan Baker was named SocialWork Student of the Year by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. and I have worked to advocate for people with disabilities, youth in foster care, and other vulnerable populations.” Baker’s active work in the community includes working with the Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homosexuals (HATCH), a support group for the city’s GLBT youth. “The work I do with youth is probably the most meaningful to me. At HATCH, my partner and I serve as volunteer facilitators, a role I moved into after finishing a one-year social work internship at HATCH,” Baker said. “Among other things, it gives us a chance to give back to the community and to provide a safe space for queer kids to hang out, something we did not see BAKER, page 8