2011 Annual Conference
Innovation in Texas: Past, Present and Future

January 6-7, 2011, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Austin, TX

Hyatt Regency Hotel

  
 

The theme of TAMEST’s 2011 Annual Conference is Innovation in Texas: Past, Present and Future, with innovation being defined as revolutionary changes in technologies, medical therapies, scientific applications or business practices resulting in significant societal impact. This unique event will examine innovation from several perspectives and will:

  • celebrate groundbreaking past innovations in Texas;
  • present contemporary and emerging areas of innovation;
  • define areas where innovation is needed to address key societal needs; and
  • explore the process of innovation and how it can be fostered by Texas universities, government and commercial enterprise.

The opening session of the conference on January 6th will feature a series of presentations by prominent Texas leaders who will trace the history of significant areas of innovation in the state from their beginnings through the resulting societal impact in today’s world. Presentations will include:
 Welcome and Opening Address
          The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, United States Senator
          Honorary Chair of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas
 Keynote Speakers

          Meeting Energy Challenges with Oil and Gas Technologies
          Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil Corporation

          The Silicon Transistor and the Integrated Circuit
          Rich Templeton, Chairman, President and CEO, Texas Instruments Incorporated
 Featured Speakers

          The Regulation of Cholesterol Metabolism
          Michael S. Brown, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Regental Professor, Department of Biophysics and
          Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center          

          Cancer Research and Treatment
          John Mendelsohn, M.D., President, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

          Cardiovascular Surgery and Devices
          George P. Noon, M.D., Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery and Assist Devices, Michael E.
          DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine

          Polyethylene and the Plastics Revolution
          Kurt Swogger, CEO and Founding Member, Designed Nanotubes L.L.C. and past Vice
          President of Performance Plastics and Chemicals Business Development at Dow Chemical
          Company 

          Space Exploration
          NASA Film Presentation  

 Innovation Panels   

Conference sessions will feature panels engaging the audience in discussions on emerging technologies with game-changing industrial and societal impact and the examination of conceptual models for nurturing and sustaining innovation. Panel topics will include:

 
  • Biotech and Biomedical Technologies
  • Information Technology
  • Energy
  • Automation, Displays and Sensors
  • Promoting, Launching and Sustaining Innovation
  • Educating Texas’ Future Innovators

 Innovation panel chairpersons and members will be identified in future conference updates.

 2011 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Presentations
The O'Donnell Awards were established in 2005 to recognize rising Texas researchers who are addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society. Recipients of the 2011 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards in Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology Innovation will be honored with a banquet on January 6th and will present their research to conference participants on January 7th.
 Innovation Showcase
Throughout the conference, visual displays highlighting innovations from across Texas will be prominently featured. At the close of the conference, FIRST LEGO League teams will demonstrate their responses to the 2010 Body Forward Challenge, where middle school students explore the cutting-edge world of biomedical engineering to discover innovative ways to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions and maximize the body’s potential.