People, papers and presentations

George Hirasaki, the A.J. Hartsook Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has won the 2016 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Heritage Award for “his extensive research on reservoir simulation, enhanced oil recovery, formation evaluation, well logging and reservoir wettability.” Hirasaki will receive the honor at the 2016 OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards Luncheon May 3.

Alan Russell, director of Disability Support Services, has been appointed to the Ethics Committee at TIRR Memorial Hermann. The committee was established to provide a mechanism for consideration of ethical issues that arise in the care of patients and to provide education to caregivers and patients on ethical issues in health care. TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized as one of America’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Richard Tapia, University Professor, the Maxfield-Oshman Professor in Engineering and a professor of computational and applied mathematics, received the College-Level Promotion of Education Award at the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) STEM Global Competitiveness Conference held in Philadelphia Feb. 18-20. The College Level-Promotion of Education Award is given to collegiate faculty or administrative staffers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to preserving superior engineering, scientific and technical education programs. The annual BEYA STEM Conference brings together students, college administrators, recruiters, engineering and IT professionals, scientists and high-level decision-makers from the corporate, government and military communities in an effort to broaden diversity in the country’s technical and scientific workforces.

In honor of Black History Month, Johnny Whitehead, Rice chief of police, was acknowledged by the Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland as the first African-American to be promoted to the ranks of captain, major and colonel in the department.