Newsletter Issue 32, December 2023

From the Founding Director

On behalf of the staff of the Hagler Institute, as 2023 comes to close I extend my thanks to the Board of Regents, Chancellor Sharp, the administration of Texas A&M University, donors of endowments and gifts, and members of our External Advisory Board, Administrative Council, and Faculty Advisory Board, for helping us on our mission of excellence. The success of the Hagler Institute is a wonderful team effort which is a manifestation of the quest for excellence at Texas A&M. I also want to thank the Fellows and Lecturers of the Hagler Institute for lending your talents to our cause, for you are at the very heart of the institute. I invite you to review with me some of the impactful activities of the institute during 2023, a look back before we enter another year of progress for the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.   I wish for everyone a loving and peaceful holiday season.  Sincerely, John Junkins

Highlights of Hagler Institute Activities

During the 2023 calendar year, the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study held multiple events featuring Hagler Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers. These elevated the visibility of the Hagler Institute, both on campus and nationally, and expanded its involvement with rising star A&M faculty and students. Here are highlights from 2023.

Hagler Institute External Advisory Board Meeting: February 23, 2023 The Hagler Institute’s External Advisory Board (EAB) provides guidance, advice, and recommendations for the strategic planning and operations of the institute. This past year, the meeting was held on February 23, 2023 in the Hagler Institute’s conference room on the 8th floor of Rudder Tower.   Since its inception, the EAB has been headed by Norm Augustine, former CEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corporation, former President of the National Academy of Engineering, former Undersecretary of the U.S. Army, and recipient of the National Medal of Technology. I invite you to read on our website about the prestigious and accomplished individuals on the EAB, including the institute’s namesake, Jon L. Hagler ’58.   The EAB members congratulated the Hagler Institute for its admirable progress in bringing scholastic leaders to Texas A&M University, including many national academy-level scholars. In coming years, we plan to accomplish even more. The EAB has approved our plan to raise an additional endowment of $50 million by 2030 to fund chairs devoted to supporting Hagler Fellows and graduate students to work with them. The long run plan is for the Hagler Institute to bring 20 Fellows per year to Texas A&M and to fund two annual student fellowships per Fellow.

Hagler Institute Brunch for Fellows and Lecturers: February 23, 2023 Most Fellows arrive in College Station the night before the annual Hagler Institute gala to attend a brunch hosted by institute advocates, Stephanie Sale and Jim Singleton. Jim and Stephanie are well-known throughout the Bryan/College Station area for their contributions to the quality of life in the Bryan/College Station community. They host the brunch at their home. The brunch offers the first time the new Fellows assemble. Given their different fields of study, most Fellows meet one another for the first time at the brunch. The occasion is a spirited gathering of accomplished people in their chosen disciplines who have only one thing in common – they are the new Fellows in the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. Pictures provide a flavor of the celebration.

Pictured from the Hagler Institute’s External Advisory Board, left to right: Dallas based Architect Ron Skaggs ’65, Norm Augustine, and former President of Texas A&M University, Ray Bowen, and his wife Sally Bowen.

Pictured left to right: 2022-2023 Hagler Fellows Howard Frumkin, Lawrence Que, and Donald L. Sparks.

Pictured left to right: Director John Junkins, Ed Kane, Fellow Dimitar Filev, host Stephanie Sale, Mominka Filev, Joerg Steiner (Faculty Liaison for the Hagler Institute), and Fellow Hui Cao.

Hagler Institute Gala: February 24, 2023 On February 24, 2023, the Hagler Institute officially inducted thirteen of the fourteen 2022-2023 Fellows and one Distinguished Lecturer at its black-tie gala. The new members entered with their escorts through a saber arch provided by the honor guard of the Governor of Texas, the Ross Volunteers.

Hagler Fellow David Zilberman enters the gala escorted by student ambassador Heather Raun.

Director of the Hagler Institute, John Junkins.

Pictured left to right: Chancellor John Sharp, Fellow Mark O’Malley, and former President M. Katherine Banks.

The 2022-2023 class of Hagler Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers pictured left to right: Guy Bertrand (chemistry), Madhavi Sunder (law), Dimitar Filev (mechanical engineering), Jean-Paul Rodrigue (maritime business administration), Sebastian “Bas” Yonkman (coastal management), Howard Frumkin (public health), Nobel Prize winner Michael Young (biology), Lawrence Que (chemistry), Donald Sparks (soil and crop sciences), Hagler Lecturer Catherine Dulac (medicine), John Cullen (veterinary medicine), Hui Cao (physics).

Community of Scholars Engagement Evening: April 19, 2024 The Community of Scholars Engagement Evening brings the university’s most distinguished and accomplished faculty together with Hagler Fellows, outstanding graduate students, postdoctoral students and junior faculty members. The event was the idea of FY23 Hagler Institute Faculty Liaison, Joerg Steiner, Distinguished Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Its purpose is to foster additional multi-disciplinary connections between Hagler Fellows, Hagler affiliated faculty, University Distinguished Professors, Regents Professors, and students, understanding that there is an overlap of faculty in these distinguished groups.  The event was supported by the Vice President for Research, the Office of Faculty Affairs, the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, and the Office of the Provost. Photos from the event show faculty and students collaborating and networking.

University Distinguished Professor, Fuller Bazer (animal science) talks with a participant.

Hagler Fellow John Cullen and Director Junkins talk with attendees.

Dr. Jack Baldauf, Vice President for Research.

Professor of Law, Glynn Lunney.

Dr. Joerg Steiner, Faculty Liaison for the Hagler Institute.

Hagler Fellow Dr. John Cullen speaks at the event.

Spring Eminent Scholar Lecture: April 24, 2023 Dr. Huda Zoghbi, a Distinguished Lecturer of the Hagler Institute, presented the Hagler Institute’s spring 2023 Eminent Scholar Lecture, titled “Molecular Neurobiological Studies in Rett Syndrome and MECP2 Disorders.”   Dr. Zoghbi is the Founding Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she has assembled a large multidisciplinary team of researchers. Dr. Zoghbi manages to continue basic research, in addition to translational research for applications of new knowledge. Dr. Zoghbi is a visionary with a remarkable career of medical discovery. Among other breakthroughs, she discovered the gene that causes Rett Syndrome, a devasting developmental disorder seen mostly in females, as males cannot survive long with that gene problem. Rett Syndrome causes life-long loss of use of hands, loss of speech, development of seizures, and often severe scoliosis.  There is an ironic link between Dr. Zoghbi’s research and the Hagler Institute. Associate Director Clifford Fry’s daughter, Ashley, was the first person with Rett Syndrome that Dr. Zoghbi saw when she was an intern, shortly after the disorder became known in the United States. Dr. Zoghbi credits Ashley with inspiring her, and 16 years later, Dr. Zoghbi had Ashley as her special guest at the announcement of her discovery that the MECP2 gene is an important cause of Rett Syndrome.  Dr. Zoghbi is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is Distinguished Service Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, Neurology and Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, and is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Zoghbi’s other honors are prestigious and varied. Among others, she was recently awarded the Elaine Redding Brinster Prize for her impact on the field of biomedicine. She earned the Kavli Prize for her breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience. The Lundbeck Foundation awarded Dr. Zoghbi the prestigious Brain Prize for ground-breaking impact on brain research.

Gathering of Eagles Symposium: April 27-28, 2023 The “Gathering of Eagles" was a symposium held on April 27 and 28, 2023, co-sponsored by the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, the Department of Electrical Engineering, and the College of Engineering. The finest electrical engineers and computer scientists in the country, including Hagler Fellows Mark O’ Malley and Dimitar Filev, shared their research and visions. The symposium sparked many in-depth interactions and still-ongoing collaborations.  Here is list of the participants and the title of their presentations. Chair of the Symposium – Dr. H. Vincent Poor, 2018-2019 Fellow of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University Dr. Muriel Médard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - “Modularity for Optimality” Dr. José Moura, Carnegie Mellon University - “Signal and Data Processing: The Past, Present and Future” Dr. Michael Jordan, University of California, Berkeley - “The Decision-Making Side of Machine Learning: Computational, Inferential and Economic Perspectives” Dr. Anjan Bose, Washington State University - “Don’t Let the Lights Go Out While We Are Saving the World from Climate Change” Dr. Dimitar Filev, 2022-23 Hagler Fellow, Ford Motor Company - "Autonomous Vehicles: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” Dr. Frank J. Doyle, Harvard University – “Translating Control Technology for Personalized Medicine” Dr. Lydia E. Kavraki, Rice University – “Robotics, AI, and the Quest for Human-Centered Autonomous Systems” Dr. Theodore Rappaport, New York University – “The move to Terahertz – why it will happen and a new framework to reduce wasted power and maximize energy efficiency in future wireless networks” Dr. Alan Bovik, The University of Texas at Austin – “Is Video Quality Prediction Really So Hard?” Dr. Mark O’Malley, 2022-23 Hagler Fellow, Imperial College London – “The Changing Electric Grid: The Good the Bad and the Ugly” Presentations are catalysts for the exchange of cutting-edge ideas important to research advancement.

Gathering of Eagles Symposium speakers and Texas A&M University leadership.

Pictured left to right: Miroslav Begovic, Texas A&M Professor of Electrical Engineering, Hagler Fellow Mark O’Malley from Imperial College London, and Hagler Fellow H. Vincent Poor from Princeton University.

New Frontiers of Solid Mechanics Symposium: September 18, 2023  Alan Needleman, one of the most cited materials science and engineering scholars in the world, was in the first group of Fellows. When he joined Texas A&M’s faculty in 2015, the College of Science and the College of Engineering formed a new department of Materials Science and Engineering centered around him. Since then, George Pharr, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a co-author of the most cited paper in the materials science and engineering field, joined that department from the University of Tennessee. In 2020, Edwin “Ned” Thomas, a Hagler Fellow and former Dean of Engineering at Rice University, joined the faculty of that department, helping give it national visibility. Alan Needleman, at the podium in the picture below, arranged a symposium on the topic, “New Frontiers of Solid Mechanics.” Two additional Hagler Fellows were presenters. Huajian Gao, 2016-2017 Hagler Fellow, is sitting next to the podium. Dr. Gao is Distinguished University Professor at Nanyang Technological University and Scientific Director of the Institute for High Performance Computing A*STAR in Singapore. At the other end of the presenter table is Yonggang Huang, 2018-2019 Fellow of the Hagler Institute, the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Materials Science at Northwestern University.    Dr. Gao is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and Dr. Huang is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Joining them, are presenters Ankit Srivastava, Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M, and Hiroko Kitajima, Associate Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Texas A&M University.

Attendees at the reception. Yonggang Huang discusses issues with Dimitris Lagoudas, University Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering.

The Hagler Institute sponsored a dinner for symposium speakers and invited guests the night before the Symposium.

At the table are Clifford and Judy Fry, Shirin and Soroosh Sorooshian, and Yonggang and Lily Huang.

Community of Scholars: September 18, 2023  The fall Community of Scholars event was held on September 18, 2023. Joerg Steiner served as Master Ceremonies, and Director Junkins provided the Opening Remarks.  Three speakers enriched the event. Frances S. Ligler spoke about Optical Biosensors, and William Sage reviewed issues in Health Policy.

Frances S. Ligler (NAE) is the Eppright Chair and a professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University.

Dr. William Sage (NAM), former Hagler Fellow from the University of Texas and an authority on health law and policy, is a professor in Texas A&M University’s medical and law schools, a professor by courtesy in the Bush School of Government & Public Service, and an associate vice president in the Health Science Center charged with developing a university-wide institute for healthcare access.

Announcement of the 2023-2024 Class: September 25, 2023 The Hagler Institute was proud to announce the new class of Hagler Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers on September 25, 2023. Speakers included Chancellor John Sharp and then Interim President General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III. Dr. John Junkins introduced each member of the class and shared their credentials. Several Hagler Fellows were in attendance, and a small dinner was held afterward to honor the new Fellows in attendance and former Fellows who have Joined Texas A&M’s faculty.

Chancellor Sharp reviews the importance of the Hagler Institute.

President General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III welcomes the new Fellows.

Dr. Junkins introduces the new class of Fellows and Lecturers.

Pictured left to right: Paul Motheral, Elizabeth Motheral, John Junkins, and Clifford Fry.

Symposium On the Art of Collaboration in Academic Research: November 7, 2023 The Hagler Institute sponsored a unique symposium on “The Art of Collaboration in Academic Research,” to our knowledge the first on this topic in the world. The presenters were a collection of the some of the world’s finest researchers, chosen by Dr. John Rogers, 2015-2016 Hagler Fellow, and one of the few scholars to have been inducted into all three national academies, engineering, medicine, and sciences. The all-day event was chaired by Dr. Rogers and provided a showcase for renowned scholars in science and engineering who have won numerous research awards to discuss their careers, their experiences, and the importance of collaborative research, an important message regardless of field of study. More than half of the speakers were in multiple national academies.  Thirteen scholars, including two past Hagler Fellows, participated:  • Dr. Supriyo Datta, Purdue University  • Dr. Naomi J. Halas, Rice University  • Dr. Yonggang Huang, Northwestern University, Hagler Fellow Class of 2018-19  • Dr. Dae-Hyeong Kim, Seoul National University  • Dr. Nanshu Lu, The University of Texas at Austin • Dr. Mark Lundstrom, Purdue University   • Dr. Peter J.A. Nordlander, Rice University   • Dr. Warren Oliver, KLA Corporation • Dr. George M. Pharr, Texas A&M University  • Dr. John A. Rogers, Northwestern University, Hagler Fellow Class of 2015-16 • Dr. Dashun Wang, Northwestern University  • Dr. R. Stanley Williams, Texas A&M University • Dr. Joshua Yang, University of Southern California At a dinner afterward for select attendees, Dr. Julio M. Ottino, Distinguished Lecturer of the Hagler Institute and former Dean of Engineering at Northwestern University, spoke about the art and science of creative collaboration.   Engineering honors students who attended the symposium had the opportunity to complete a questionnaire about each session and enter a “What Did I Learn?” contest. Guest speakers selected the winners based on their responses to the questions. The winners were recognized on December 4, 2023, at a large gathering of friends of the Hagler Institute. Photos below are from the symposium.

Symposium Chair, Dr. John Rogers speaks to attendees.

Dr. Dashun Wang presents his lecture.

Dr. George Pharr of Texas A&M University speaks while Dr. Warren Oliver, his co-presenter listens.  These co-authors published what is now the most cited paper in materials science and engineering.

Hagler Institute Associate Director, Dr. Clifford Fry addresses the group.

Presenter Dr. Naomi J. Halas (NAE, NAS) from Rice University, is talking with Dr. Yonggang Huang (NAE, NAS), Northwestern University, and Hagler Fellow Class of 2018-19. To the left is Director Junkins (NAE), and Texas A&M Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Richard Miles (NAE). To the right is Dr. Halas’ co-author, Dr. Peter J. A. Nordlander, Professor at Rice University.

Dr. Julio M. Ottino (NAE), Northwestern University, speaks during the after-dinner program.

Fall Eminent Scholar Lecture: November 9, 2023 Hagler Fellow Dr. Howard Frumkin from the Trust for Public Land presented the Fall Eminent Scholar Lecture about research evidence of “The Health Benefits of Nature Contact: From Intuition to Science to Policy.”   Howard Frumkin is a physician-epidemiologist whose career has spanned academia, government, philanthropy, and the non-profit sector. He is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, where he served as Dean of the School of Public Health from 2010-2016; he is Senior Vice President of Trust for Public Land, where he leads that organization’s national Land and People Lab; and he is a Hagler Fellow at Texas A&M University. Previously he was head of the Our Planet, Our Health initiative at the Wellcome Trust in London (2018-19), Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005-10), and Professor and Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health, and Professor of Medicine, at Emory University (1990-2005).   Dr. Frumkin’s work has focused on health aspects of global change, the built environment, nature contact, and sustainability. His community and professional activities have included serving on numerous National Academy of Sciences committees, on the Boards of the Bullitt Foundation, the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Washington State Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Green Building Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the American Public Health Association, and the National Environmental Education Foundation, on advisory committees to the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (Columbia University), the Harvard Center on Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health (George Mason University), and the European Centre on Environment and Human Health (University of Exeter), on the Steering Committee of the Planetary Health Alliance (Harvard University), on the National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors, and on the American Institute of Architects Design and Health Leadership Group.   He is the author or co-author of over 300 scientific journal articles and chapters. His ten books include Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Island Press, 2011 and 2022), Environmental Health: From Global to Local (Jossey-Bass, 3rd Edition 2016), Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves (Island Press, 2020), and Planetary Health: Safeguarding Human Health and the Environment in the Anthropocene (Cambridge University Press, 2021).   Frumkin was educated at Brown (A.B.), the University of Pennsylvania (M.D.), and Harvard (M.P.H. and Dr.P.H.). He is an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and of the National Academy of Medicine. He lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, across the water from Seattle, with his wife Joanne Silberner, a global health journalist.

Dr. Howard Frumkin presents his talk.

Hagler Institute Holiday Party: December 4, 2023 To celebrate the season, the Hagler institute held its annual Christmas/Holiday party, complete with a decorated tree and plenty of calories for the invited guests. The occasion was made special by Dr. Junkins’ presentation of the institute’s Permanent Member medallion to Rachel F. Moran, a Hagler Fellow from the University of California, Irvine School of Law, who joined the faculty of Texas A&M’s School of Law. The “icing on the cake," so to speak, was Dr. Junkins' presentation to the student winners of the “What Did I Learn?” Engineering Honors contest held in conjunction with the “The Art of Collaboration in Academic Research“ symposium. The winners received a $100 gift certificate to the Barnes and Noble bookstore in A&M’s Memorial Student Center and a medallion indicating their achievement.  Please enjoy some photos from the party.

Director John Junkins pictured with Rachel Moran, 2019-2020 Distinguished Lecturer of the Hagler Institute and 2020-2021 Hagler Fellow, with Vice President for Research, Jack Baldauf. Professor Moran is holding the mahogany box containing her Permanent Member medallion in recognition of her joining the faculty of the Texas A&M School of Law.

Author Tim Gregg with Director John Junkins.

Hagler Institute Advocates Jim Singleton and Stephanie Sale (seated) with John White, member of the External Advisory Board of the Hagler Institute.

Daisy White and Elouise Junkins.

Hagler Fellow, John Cullen, with Judy Fry and Frayda Cullen.

Tyson Voelkel, President and CEO of the Texas A&M Foundation pictured with Judy and Clifford Fry.

Now a Texas A&M Faculty Member, former 2018-2019 Hagler Fellow, Bill Unruh, talking with Clifford Fry, with Pat Unruh looking on.

Debbie Fry, George Mann, Professor of Architecture and Health Facilities Design, and Ed Fry, A&M University Distinguished Professor of Physics.

Tim Gregg with Hagler Institute staff, Assistant Director Amanda Scott, part-time Event Assistant Kay Choate, and Associate Director Clifford Fry.

John R. August, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine. Joerg Steiner, University Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine, talking with Tim Gregg and Jack Baldauf.

Richard Miles, A&M University Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering (NAE) talking with Dan Oran, attorney and husband of Elaine Oran, Professor of Aerospace Engineering (NAE).

Below, Kristi Shryock, Director, Craig and Galen Brown Engineering Honors Program and Vice President for Research, Jack Baldauf, pose with student winners of the “What Did I Learn?” contest.

Haley Bertolet

Alexander Mandanis

Raj Nallanthighal

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Initiative The Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings, originally established in 1951 to reconnect German scientists with the global scientific community after WWII, has grown into a conference for young scientists, primarily from Europe, to meet with Nobel Laureates in an intimate setting. In 2023, the topics of the 72nd Nobel Laureate meeting were physiology and medicine, with 41 Nobel Laureates and 600 young scientists attending the week-long meeting. In the past, participation from the United States has been sporadic. While many Nobel Laureates come from the U.S., young scientists either came from the University of California system or had been supported by isolated donations. No structured program existed to solicit nominations from young scientists from the U.S. and help finance their attendance.  Texas A&M’s Involvement  Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor and Faculty Liaison of the Hagler Institute, Joerg Steiner, and former Fellow of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, Stefan H.E. Kaufmann, initiated greater involvement for Texas A&M. Steiner worked with Provost Alan Sams to obtain financial support from Texas A&M University, the Hagler Institute, the Texas A&M Foundation, and others, to finance greater A&M involvement in this program. During the 2023 Lindau meeting, Provost Sams signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Foundation. The MOU lays out a plan for Texas A&M to send a total of 20 young scientists (graduate students) to the Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings from across the U.S. for the next four years. While Texas A&M was able to take 5 young scientists to the meeting in 2023, A&M will take a total of 20 young scientists in 2024. Seven to ten of these young scientists will come from Texas A&M, while the remainder will be chosen by A&M from nominations from across the U.S.   The topic of the meeting in 2024 will be physics, and Texas A&M received 27 local nominations, of which 12 were chosen to be forwarded to the scientific committee of the Foundation for final selection. All the young scientists from around the U.S. who could potentially go to Lindau with the A&M group will be invited to a 2-day preparatory meeting at Texas A&M in the spring of 2024.  Texas A&M has since been able to expand the program through a collaboration with the Rare Diseases Division of Amgen (formerly Horizon Therapeutics). Horizon funded 10 young scientists to participate in Lindau in 2023, and they will add their group of young scientists to A&M’s so that Texas A&M should have a group of 30 in 2024.  In celebration of this tremendous development, Texas A&M University will host the International Evening in Lindau during the 2024 Nobel Laureate meeting. Every year, a country is invited to present itself to all participants, by offering local food, speeches, and some cultural entertainment. While Texas is no longer a country, Texas A&M was selected to host this event in 2024.

Lindau, Germany: The island of Lindau is located in the biggest lake in Germany, Lake Constance, also known as Lake Bodensee. It is bordered by Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, with Liechtenstein being only a few miles away and is both fed and drained by the Rhine River.

2023 Delegation: Pictured here are the five young scientists as well as Dr. Joerg Steiner (left) and Provost Dr. Alan Sams (right), who had the pleasure of attending the 2023 meeting in physiology and medicine.

Nobel Laureates 2023: This picture shows the faculty of the 72nd Nobel Laureate meeting with Countess Bettina Bernadotte of Wisborg, the daughter of the late Count Lennart Bernadotte.

This picture was taken at the International Evening at one of the Nobel Laureate meetings.

The Board of Regents Honors the Hagler Institute The Board of Regents hosted a reception roughly a decade ago to honor the institute. Each year, also, the Board invites the Hagler Institute and any Fellows in town to watch one football game from the Board of Regents’ suite. This year, for the first time, the Board has offered tickets for the Hagler Institute for each home game. This allows the institute to take a series of visiting Hagler Fellows to experience A&M football in a prestigious and comfortable setting, starting with a visit to Chancellor Sharp’s “tailgate” in the A&M Hotel. This new schedule allows the Regents to meet and talk with more of our Hagler Fellows. Fellows are scholars at the forefront of knowledge in their fields. Whether football fans or not, a home football game at Texas A&M is something to experience. Some scholars from Europe are particularly impressed. In Europe, soccer competitions are serious events, and often fans on each side are full of animosity for supporters of the opposing team.  The combination of crowd intensity and good sportsmanship at TAMU football games is a unique experience for many of the Fellows. The grounds of Texas A&M prior to a football game are full of families, meetings of old friends, much food and drink, and a mingling at times of fans from each team. One Hagler Fellow from Europe exclaimed in amazement, “It's like one big PARTY!”   We deeply appreciate the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System for their hospitality and for honoring Fellows of the Hagler Institute. They understood at the outset the importance of bringing these scholars to Texas A&M University.

Director of the Hagler Institute, John Junkins, with 2023-2024 Hagler Fellow Soroosh Sorooshian (NAE), an atmospheric scientist from the University of California, Irvine, and Colonel Michael E. Fossum ’80, USAFR (Ret.) and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Texas A&M at Galveston campus.

Elouise Junkins, the "better half” of Director Junkins, enjoys talking with Hugh McElroy, early 1970’s football great and the first black player to start a game at Texas A&M and, also, to make a touchdown. Hugh is currently the development officer for A&M’s School of Public Health

John White, former Regent and currently a member of the External Advisory Board of the Hagler Institute, toasts the game event with Daisy White and 2022-2023 Fellow of the Hagler Institute, Mark O’Malley who is visiting the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Imperial College London.

Pictured left to right: Charles Kaufman, 2023-2024 Fellow Radia Perlman, known as the mother of the internet, Brad (’88) and Liz Worsham, supporters of the Hagler Institute, Ben Gibbons, visiting from Alabama, and Hagler Institute Director, John Junkins.

Pictured left to right: 2023-2024 Fellow in Biomedical Engineering, Kyle Myers, 2022-2023 Fellow in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, John Cullen, Frayda Cullen, Judy Fry, and Clifford Fry ’67.

Pictured left to right: Brad (’88) and Liz Worsham, 2023-2024 Fellow Radia Perlman, and Charles Kaufman.

Pictured left to right: 2022-2023 Fellow Mark O’ Malley, Glenn Orlin, 2020-2021 Fellow and Shakespeare scholar Lena Orlin, 2023-2024 Fellow Kyle Myers, Judy and Clifford Fry, and 2022-2023 Fellow John Cullen and his wife Frayda.

Pictured left to right: John Junkins, Clifford and Judy Fry, Adrienne and James Hubbard, Jr., 2017-2018 Fellow of the Hagler Institute now on A&M’s engineering faculty, 2023-2024 Fellow Gunter Wagner, Elouise Junkins, 2021-2022 Fellow and Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Donna Strickland, and Doug Dykaar, research scientist in the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering.

The Hagler Institute staff looks forward to an even more productive and impactful 2024. Happy New Year!

Upcoming Events

MARCH 5, 2024 / 3:30 pm Spring Eminent Scholar Lecture: Hagler Fellow Stefan H.E. Kaufmann Memorial Student Center, Bethancourt Ballroom, 2300C APRIL 8, 2024 / TBD Hagler Institute Symposium: Hagler Fellow Vanderlei Bagnato Rudder Forum, Rudder Theater Complex Please RSVP to hias@tamu.edu if you would like to attend an event.

If you have news to share, please send articles, suggestions, or other information to: Dr. Clifford L. Fry, Associate Director Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University cfry@tamu.edu