cosmic coogs

University of Houston launches bigger, better agreement with Johnson Space Center

UH System Chancellor Renu Khator and JSC Director Vanessa Wyche sign an extension of a longtime partnership.

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

A new partnership between a leading university and NASA is taking our Space City moniker to new heights.

The University of Houston System and Johnson Space Center have announced the expansion of a longtime partnership for joint research, technology development, technology transfer, training and educational and outreach initiatives.

This means a system-wide effort from all schools: University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, University of Houston-Clear Lake and University of Houston-Victoria. The new initiative spans undergraduate, graduate, and joint research programs, per press materials.

At a recent event, University of Houston System chancellor Renu Khator ceremonially signed the agreement at Johnson Space Center with JSC Director Vanessa Wyche. Loren Blanchard and Richard Walker, presidents of UH-Downtown and UH-Clear Lake, respectively, also attended.

“Houston is ‘Space City,’ so it’s important for students and faculty in relevant disciplines across the UH System to have opportunities to engage in and be exposed to real world space flight-related research and technology development with NASA,” said Khator at the ceremony. “These are the kinds of projects that shape lives and create innovations for the greater good.”

To address the greater good, this partnership will encompass science, engineering, technology and business disciplines that are vital for human and robotic spaceflight missions, aerial and ground-based research, including data analytics, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies – all areas facing critical workforce shortages, a release notes. Entrepreneurship students at UH, for example, are currently working to commercialize various NASA technologies.

How does NASA benefit? Wyche noted that this agreement will “enable JSC to reduce gaps in mission relevant technology development essential for future human spaceflight missions and inspire and engage students in aeronautics, space and science.”

Not surprisingly, given their proximity, UH-Clear Lake and NASA have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship ever since the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) was formed in 1961. UH-Downtown, meanwhile, will work with the NASA Office of STEM Engagement to target students and identify learning opportunities and provide connections to NASA’s missions and work through seminars, campus-wide open houses, classroom visits, and more.

“We are eager to partner and collaborate with the University of Houston system in vital research and technology development initiatives that will enable us to meet our nation’s exploration goals and advance human spaceflight as we work to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis,” Wyche added.

colleges technology

a major award

5 Houston-area companies named among world's most innovative for 2026

Courtesy of Hertha Metals/Business Wire

U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell and Hertha Metals founder and CEO Laureen Meroueh toured Hertha’s Conroe plant in August.

Led by Conroe-based Hertha Metals, five organizations in the Houston area earned praise on Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026.

Hertha Metals ranked No. 1 in the manufacturing category.

Last year, Hertha unveiled a single-step process for steelmaking that it says is cheaper, more energy-efficient and just as scalable as traditional steel manufacturing. It started testing the process in 2024 at a one-metric-ton-per-day pilot plant.

At the same time, Hertha announced more than $17 million in venture capital funding from investors such as Breakthrough Energy, Clean Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Pear VC.

“We’re not just reinventing steelmaking; we’re redefining what’s possible in materials, manufacturing, and national resilience,” Laureen Meroueh, founder and CEO of Hertha, said at the time.

Meroueh was also recently named to Inc. Magazine's 2026 Female Founders 500 list.

Hertha, founded in 2022, says traditional steelmaking relies on an outdated, coal-based multistep process that is costly, and contributes up to 9 percent of industrial energy use and 10 percent of global carbon emissions.

By contrast, Hertha’s method converts low-grade iron ore into molten steel or high-purity iron in one step. The company says its process is 30 percent more energy-efficient than traditional steelmaking and costs less than producing steel in China.

Last year, Hertha said it planned to break ground in 2026 on a plant capable of producing more than 9,000 metric tons of steel per year. In its next phase, the company plans to operate at 500,000 metric tons of steel production per year.

Here are

Fast Company’s rankings for the four other Houston-area organizations:

Houston-based Vaulted Deep, No. 3 in catchall “other” category.
XGS Energy, No. 7 in the energy category. XGS’ proprietary solid-state geothermal system uses thermally conductive materials to deliver affordable energy anywhere hot rock is located. While Fast Company lists Houston as XGS’ headquarters, and the company has a major presence in the city, XGS is based in Palo Alto, California.
Houston-based residential real estate brokerage Epique Realty, No. 10 in the business services category. Epique, which bills itself as the industry’s first AI brokerage, provides a free AI toolkit for real estate agents to enhance marketing, streamline content creation, and improve engagement with clients and prospects.
Texas A&M University’s Nanostructured Materials Lab in College Station. The lab studies nano-structured materials to make materials lighter for the aerospace industry, improve energy storage, and enable the creation of “smart” textiles.

---

This article first appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

awards lists media business