Houston Science Enthusiasts

ONLINE: "National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt will discuss the status of the United States’ research enterprise, global leadership in science, and implications for economic competitiveness in the third State of the Science address, to be delivered on June 2 in Washington, D.C.

"The address — McNutt’s last before she steps down as NAS president on June 30 — will present data and evidence on the state of the research enterprise, trends in education and employment, and strategic and funding priorities.

"The address will be followed by a panel discussion with other research leaders. Policymakers and leaders in academia, government, the private sector, and philanthropy are invited to discuss how the U.S. research enterprise can meet current challenges and persevere in making essential contributions to the nation in the years ahead."

Click here for more information or to register to attend.

HYBRID: The Houston Astronomical Society presents Benjamin Gross, Head of Fellowships and Scholarly Programs at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, in a talk entitled "Collecting the Cosmos: Astronomical Highlights from the Harry Ransom Center."

Description: "The Harry Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research center at The University of Texas at Austin. It is home to the world’s oldest photograph, a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, and the personal papers of Gabriel García Márquez, Gloria Swanson, and Lorne Michaels. While best known for its literary and artistic collections, the Center has also been acquiring rare scientific books and manuscripts since the 1960s. This presentation will provide an overview of the Center’s collections and showcases some of its remarkable astronomical holdings, including early lunar maps, handwritten notes and drawings created by the Herschel family, and memorabilia from the launch of Apollo 11."

Speaker: Benjamin Gross is Head of Fellowships and Scholarly Programs at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Before moving to Austin, he served as Vice President for Research and Scholarship at the Linda Hall Library, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Science History Institute, and consulting curator of the Sarnoff Collection at the College of New Jersey. He earned a PhD in the history of science at Princeton University, and his book, The TVs of Tomorrow: How RCA’s Flat-Screen Dreams Led to the First LCDs, was published in 2018 by the University of Chicago Press.

In Person and Online Meeting: Our next meeting will be on Friday, June 5th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and you can participate in one of two ways, either face to face at HAS’s new meeting location:

HCC Alief Hayes Campus
2811 Hayes Rd
Houston, TX
https://www.hccs.edu/locations/northwest-college/alief-hayes-campus/

or virtually via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, you must register for the meeting. You can use the link below. You will receive an email with the details of the meeting and a link that will allow you to join in.

Register here.
You only need to register once!
Join us on Friday, June 5th, 2026, at 6:00 pm CT.

IN-PERSON: "The Women in Coastal Science Speaker Series is a free, award-winning program that brings together leading female scientists, conservationists, and researchers to share their expertise. Held monthly, this engaging series covers topics ranging from marine mammal rescue to habitat restoration, giving attendees an inside look at the critical efforts shaping our Gulf shores."

Shannon Guillot-Wright, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at UTHealth School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Deputy Director of the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. Her program of research focuses on occupational health equity and the use of evidence in policymaking, with an emphasis on precarious employment and environmental determinants of health among low-income and im/migrant workers. She is particularly interested in investigating how the political-economy contributes to health disparities in medically underserved communities using participatory research methods, such as ethnography, photovoice, and film. She was recently a Visiting Scholar in Health Policy at the Robert Graham Center in Washington, DC and is President-Elect of the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). Her work has been featured in the American Journal of Public Health, National Public Radio, New York Times, TIME Magazine, and Texas Monthly.

Here is an article about her work: https://civileats.com/2026/04/01/a-mobile-clinic-delivers-critical-care-for-texas-shrimpers/

More information: https://www.visitgalveston.com/women-in-coastal-science/

Directions: https://www.visitgalveston.com/things-to-do/beaches/east-beach/

NOTE: This is a NON-HOSTED meetup.

HYBRID: The Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society will hold a meeting featuring "A Series of Short Presentations by JSCAS Members."

The meeting at will be held at the University of Houston-Clear Lake STEM Building, Room 1203 starting at 7:30 p.m.. People should arrive between 7 and 7:15 p.m. Attendees should park in Parking Lots D3 or D4 no earlier than 7 p.m.

Please see the UHCL Map here -- Please park in lots D3 and D4. The STEM building is building #5 on the map. Come in from the east side and go left. When you come to the end of hallway, you should find the auditorium where the meeting will be.

The meeting can be accessed by going to the JSCAS YouTube Channel at the link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JSCAstronomicalSociety

Also, the JSCAS YouTube Channel link will be posted on the JSCAS web page: http://www.jscas.net

To submit questions for our presenters during the meeting, please either enter your questions as a YouTube comment (if you have an account that will allow doing so) or send your questions to: jscaslive@gmail.com

JSCAS is open to anyone who wants to learn about astronomy and membership is free. After joining, you’ll have access to our amazing Astronomy DVD Library with 100’s of choices to learn from (from Astronomy Magazine, NASA, The Great Courses, Discovery Channel, etc.).

Top photo: NASA