POINTS OF PRIDE

Aligning with our strategic plan, every initiative at University of Houston-Clear Lake is centered on a specific formula for success—what we call the Three Ts approach: Transform, Translate, and Transcend. The achievements of our students, combined with the programs we offer for Hawks and community members, serve as our application of the Three Ts and of our points of pride.

Transform

We TRANSFORM students’ lives through experiential learning and workforce readiness, using highly credentialed faculty with real-world experience, focusing upon diverse communities, first-generation students, and lifelong learners.

Kaylee Madden’s internship at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), Sonia Tom’s internship at Amazon, and UHCL’s partnership with Boeing are just a few ways in which we are transforming lives.

Kaylee Madden’s CBCF Internship

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Finance in 2022, Kaylee Madden became UHCL’s first student to be awarded a coveted two-month internship with the CBCF. She worked in the office of Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana’s 7th Congressional District at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The CBCF is a nonprofit organization created to offer opportunities for minority students who are interested in politics.

In 2020, Madden started the university’s chapter of SUPERGirls SHINE Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at exposing women between the ages of 10-17 in underrepresented communities to leadership opportunities through mentorships to pursue STEM-related careers. She later became a member of the organization’s board and a collegiate ambassador.

“I got interested in SUPERGirls SHINE because of their focus on making an impact,” she said. “SUPERGirls SHINE helped me see how I could help others.”

During the 2022-23 academic year, SUPERGirls SHINE will present the Kaylee Madden Leadership IMPACT award to students who demonstrate leadership, character and initiative to create and make change in the community that results in access and equity for more girls in underserved communities to pursue STEM careers.

Sonia Tom’s Amazon Internship

As a senior majoring in information technology, Sonia Tom wanted to gain experience in something different to see how non-technical areas worked. In the summer of 2022, she got the opportunity of a lifetime when she landed an internship at Amazon Headquarters in Seattle.

She worked on a project team that focused on social media marketing, branding, and recruitment marketing. She also did research on what competitors were posting and how their recruiters were reaching out to candidates. Even though the internship was not directly related to her course of study, she said she learned that every company needed marketing and proven methods to attract good candidates.

Tom said she had a great experience and learned several key lessons. “Always show you’re willing to learn, share your ideas and be open to constructive feedback,” she said. “It’s not just about your GPA. You need to like being around other people and ask a lot of questions. They know you are an intern and you don’t know much, but they want to see you asking questions and wanting to learn.”

Grant Expands Telehealth Autism Project in Africa

Since 2016, the Telehealth ABA World Project at University of Houston-Clear Lake has been educating and coaching parents, teachers and caregivers of children with autism around the globe- an almost round-the-clock effort powered without funds by volunteer board certified behavior analysts.

Loukia Tsami, the project’s program manager and research associate at UH-Clear Lake’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders, received an international grant in the spring of 2022 from the Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Analysis (SABA) to help reach people in countries without access to behavioral services where often internet access is sporadic or unavailable.

The $1,000 grant supports continued research in the dissemination of behavior analysis, and was matched with an additional $1,000 from CADD. The funds are broadening services in Kenya, Liberia and Ethiopia.

“We already have many connections and colleagues in these countries, but we have been limited in what we could offer,” Tsami said. “Now we can bring teachers together in a central location that will have internet access and begin having regular training. Parents are also waiting for us to get set up for training on weekends.”

Translate

We TRANSLATE knowledge to actionable solutions and interventions by generating and applying research and discovery learning through multidisciplinary approaches to solve crucial social and scientific problems. UHCL’s Environmental Justice Association’s pocket prairie project, the Center for Neurologic Injury and Recovery initiative for brain injury victims, and Jason Nagro’s drone research on western chicken turtles demonstrate ways our students translate their knowledge into measurably improving people’s lives and positively impacting the community in which we live.

UHCL’s Environmental Justice Association’s Pocket Prairie Project

UHCL considers the natural beauty of its campus one of its greatest assets. That’s why the Environmental Justice Association, a newly-formed student organization, decided to bring a garden featuring over 80 native wildflower and grass species, called a “pocket prairie,” to campus.

“We removed non-native, invasive trees and overgrown plants from the acre of land at Entrance 2 and made it a pocket prairie site,” Jeff Fato, cofounder of the association, said. “In doing so, we saved some of the oldest trees on our campus.”

With the help of students and volunteers, the area was seeded months later and began growing beautifully. These plants provide so much to the ecosystem in the area with their root systems, helping increase water infiltration so that rain will inundate the soil rather than create runoff.

Fato said that one of the goals is for the pocket prairie to be a living lab, where people can learn more about recognizing the plants and the benefits of investing in green infrastructure or natural capital, alongside the addition of urban infrastructure.

“We want to inform people of the greater good that is being done by planting these plants, and we want the pocket prairies to be seen as public,” he said. “We are demonstrating we’re using the best environmental practices possible to create environmental sustainability on our campus.”

Center for Neurologic Injury and Recovery Initiative for Brain Injury Victims

Last winter, the Health and Human Performance Institute (HHPI) launched the Center for Neurologic Injury and Recovery. This initiative aims to identify and help rehabilitate those who have suffered severe neurologic injuries, concussions, or other mild traumatic brain injuries due to intimate partner violence (IPV), sports or occupational injuries. It provides unique services and research while training students working toward a Master of Science in Exercise and Health Sciences to apply the concepts they are learning in class in a hands-on setting.

“The experiential learning opportunities gained from working directly with clients puts the students far ahead of others who are entering the workforce,” said HHPI Clinical Director Joe Hazzard, who also provides oversight and guidance to students.

One aim of the initiative is to raise awareness about signs and symptoms among people who provide resources to IPV victims. Another is to use exercise to begin the path to recovery. “Signs of traumatic head injury are not always obvious, so we teach others how to ask the right questions and recognize subtle signs, and then use gradual exercise as a tool to address the symptoms,” he said.

Hazzard said that research demonstrates the benefits of exercise on brain health in general. He also added that the goal of the initiative is for people to return to their sporting or work environment as quickly and as safely as possible, while giving students in the Exercise and Health Sciences Program the kind of hands-on experience that few others can take into the work environment.

Center for Neurologic Injury and Recovery

Jason Negro’s Western Chicken Turtle Drone Research

Jason Nagro, who is FAA-trained and licensed to fly small unmanned aerial systems, recently used his skills to learn about an elusive, yet critical wetland-dwelling species — the western chicken turtle. While pursuing his Master of Science in Environmental Science, the Environmental Institute of Houston brought him on as a research assistant to work on a study focused on the distribution and habitat of the Western Chicken Turtle in Texas.

“These turtles are reliant upon environmental conditions, so they’re a good species to study to infer what is going on with the overall habitat of these areas,” he said. “If any part of the pyramid is skewed, the chicken turtles will suffer.”

Drones are a big part of how he collects the needed data. The goal is to find environmental DNA that indicates the turtles are there, or are nearby. Using the drone, he determines where the drone will fly. The drone then records videos, takes still photos and multi-spectrum images, and provides data from a thermal sensor.

He said that his proficiency with drones will enhance his appeal to potential employers when he enters the job market. “My ability to use this technology increases the value of my skill set.”

We TRANSCEND boundaries to collaborate across industry and community partnerships to develop our economy, our educational systems, our physical and social ecology, and our quality of life. Dr. Beth Merfish’s appointment as chair of the City of Houston Women’s Commission, the Houston Food Bank’s Food for Change grocery distributions, and Janet Rivera’s Tesla internship confirm our intention to transcend boundaries.

Dr. Beth Merfish Appointed Chair of the City of Houston Women’s Commission

In September 2021, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner appointed Dr. Beth Merfish, associate professor of art history, as the inaugural chair of the City of Houston Women’s Commission, which will advance equality and equity for women in the city by identifying and addressing disparities in healthcare, employment, safety and security across communities and industries, both in Houston’s public and private sectors. The commission will develop and propose policy recommendations, identify gaps in information that need further study, and advise city leaders on ways to improve the quality of life for women throughout Houston.

Houston Food Bank’s Food for Change Grocery Distributions

The Houston Food Bank’s mission isn’t just about feeding students and other members of the community. It’s about helping them achieve their life goals.

As part of its commitment to address food insecurities, the Houston Food Bank continued its Food for Change

(FFC) partnership with UHCL to provide food donations to students twice a week while classes were in session.

From September 2021 to August 2022, 960 grocery orders were filled for students. Each order included 60 pounds of food, including 15 pounds of fruit, 15 pounds of vegetables, 10 pounds of protein, and 20 pounds of dry goods and grains. This equated to 57,600 pounds of food distributed.

Janet Rivera’s Tesla Internship

In January of 2022, Janet Rivera began an internship at the Gigafactory in Austin, a few months before she received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management. She said it was important to her to work for a company like Tesla, whose values aligned with her own.

“They are a company that believed in electric vehicles before it was trendy or popular,” she said. “They were already ahead with electric vehicles. They are not doing this because others are. They are about cleaner energy because it’s always been their mission.”

She said she chose this career path after a trip in Thailand, where she saw two boys fishing out of necessity from contaminated water. “Seeing that really broke my heart,” she said.

The experience made her want to make a difference. It’s what led her to pursue the four-month internship at Tesla, where her focus was set on environmental management.