TRISH, or the Translational Institute of Space Health, has named three fellows to its new program. Photo via bcm.edu

Three Texas scientists have been selected for a Houston organization's prestigious program focused on space health.

TRISH, or the Translational Research Institute for Space Health, which is based out of Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine, has announced its selections for the TRISH 2023 fellowship. The program, announced last fall, is in partnership with California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Supporting the next generation of space health researchers ensures that we will have the best possible data to make evidence-based decisions about managing human systems risk for exploration class missions,” says Dr. Jennifer Fogarty, TRISH’s chief scientific officer, in a news release. “By investing in TRISH postdoctoral fellows, we’re investing in future experts who will strive to solve the complex problems and risks associated with human space exploration. We are thrilled to welcome these accomplished early-career scientists to the TRISH community.”

The three selected postdoctoral fellows are focused on researching within space health — specifically reducing the health risks associated with spaceflight. They will receive a two-year salary stipend and participate in TRISH’s Academy of Bioastronautics, a mentorship community for space health professionals.

“Pursuing my postdoctoral training at TRISH has accelerated my career and expanded my research portfolio, enabling me to make new connections and become a more well-rounded scientist,” says Dr. Evan Buettmann, a TRISH third-year postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, in the release. “Having completed my Ph.D. in bone regeneration, I didn’t initially anticipate that my studies would lead me to an academic career in space health. TRISH stood out to me as an excellent place to complete my postdoctoral training, as it’s at the cutting edge of both space science and medicine and offers extensive mentorship and leadership opportunities.”

This 2023 cohort of fellows include:

  • Stephanie Dudzinski, M.D., Ph.D. Her research focuses on extending healthy life in space by characterizing radiation-induced pro-inflammatory response and enhancing wound repair and recovery with radiation- mitigating thrombin peptide. Her mentor is Steven Frank, M.D., of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
  • Adrien Robin, Ph.D., who is looking at the effect of deconditioning on-gravitational dose-response curves for cardiovascular and ocular variables in men and women and is being mentored by Ana Diaz Artiles, Ph.D., Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
  • Katherine Wozniak, Ph.D., who is defining gut microbial changes to space-like radiation to develop a radiation-resistant microbiome. Her mentor is Robert Britton, Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine.
In addition to supporting scientists through its fellowship program, TRISH is actively conducting research aboard commercial space flights — most recently with Axiom Space's Ax-2 mission..
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Houston energy tech startup incubator secures federal support to accelerate tech entrepreneurship

seeing green

Sixty organizations across the country have received a grant from the United States Department of Commerce — and one recipient is based in Houston.

Greentown Labs, dual located in Houston and Somerville, Massachusetts, has received a grant from the 10th cohort of the Economic Development Administration's “Build to Scale” program for its Houston location. The $53 million of funding was awarded to 60 organizations across 36 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. All of the programs support technology entrepreneurs across industries.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is Investing in America to help create entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country and put quality, 21st century job opportunities in people’s backyards,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo says in the press release. “The ‘Build to Scale’ program will unlock innovation potential in regions all over the nation, improving our economic competitiveness now, and for decades to come.”

According to the EDA, Greentown, located in a growing innovation district, will receive $400,000 with a $400,000 local match confirmed. The project, named Houston Ion District Investor Activation, is described as a way to create economic opportunity through equitable capital access.

"This project capitalizes on the need for jobs and economic development, especially in communities most vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters," reads the project abstract. "EDA funding will enable the expansion of Greentown’s Investor Program into EDIJ, in partnership with the Ion, to further climate equity and resilience in Houston and empower underrepresented entrepreneurs as the city transitions from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy."

Greentown receives of of the 2023 Capital Challenge Grant Recipients. The other competition, the Venture Challenge, also awarded funding to another Houston organization. The Urban Partnerships Community Development Corporation received $741,925 to support the BioWell Start Accelerator Program, which is committed to scaling of bio-industrial startups.

“EDA is proud to partner with this year’s ‘Build to Scale’ grantees as they fuel regional innovation hubs and technology-based economic development strategies throughout the U.S.,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo says in the release. “Investing in scalable startups and expanding access entrepreneurial capital will yield good-paying jobs, economic resiliency, and equitable growth in communities throughout America.”

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Photos: Houston innovation ecosystem celebrates wins at annual event

Houston Innovation Awards

That's a wrap on the 2023 Houston Innovation Awards — and boy did the event deliver on networking, award wins, and plenty of celebrating Houston's tech and entrepreneurship community.

With a crowd of around 600 attendees, the Houston Innovation Awards, which took place on November 8 at Silver Street Studios in partnership with Houston Exponential, celebrated over 50 finalists and a dozen winners across categories. Click here to see who won an award.

Learn more about this year's honorees in InnovationMap's the editorial series:

See below for photos from the event.

The 2023 Houston Innovation Awards took place on Nov. 8.

Photo by Emily Jaschke/InnovationMap