Texas A&M at Work: March 9, 2026
Texas A&M will be part of the Fast Company Grill at SXSW, 27 faculty and staff were honored with Distinguished Achievement Awards, six faculty members become National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Senior Members, and Technology Services will host resource tables around the main campus in March.
Texas A&M at Work is a biweekly email designed to keep employees up to date on the most vital and relevant information, news and events across all Texas A&M University campuses.
Texas A&M returns to SXSW with expanded Fast Company partnership showcasing innovation as a force for good
Texas A&M University is returning to SXSW in 2026 with an expanded presence in Austin, Texas, building on its relationship with Fast Company through a three-day activation at the Fast Company Grill and a new fourth day of joint programming created in partnership with the influential media brand.
From March 13-15, Texas A&M will be active at the Fast Company Grill at the Cedar Door in downtown Austin, where the university will exhibit throughout the event and participate in panel programming inside one of SXSW’s most visible gathering places for leaders in business, media, technology and culture.
Then, on March 16, Texas A&M and Fast Company will extend that collaboration with “In Good Company,” a new day of cocreated programming that builds on the existing activation and brings Texas A&M’s values, people and ideas into sharper focus. Inspired by Fast Company’s name and Texas A&M’s brand essence, “In Good Company” will convene prominent Aggies alongside leaders from business, entrepreneurship, media and culture for a day of conversations about innovation, responsibility and the power of ideas to do good.
The four-day presence positions Texas A&M at the intersection of innovation, culture and purpose, showing how the university is helping build a brighter, safer world through research, leadership and service.
Firewall redundancy test, network outages possible
Technology Services will perform scheduled maintenance on the Texas A&M network from midnight to 6 a.m. (CDT) on Tuesday, March 10, to ensure firewall redundancy. Brief network outages may occur during this time. Updates will be posted at status.it.tamu.edu, where you can also sign up to receive text or email alerts about outages. If you have any questions or concerns or experience issues after the maintenance period, please contact Help Desk Central at 979-845-8300 or helpdesk@tamu.edu.
Build confidence in your financial future
Strengthen your money skills this spring with “Your Path to Financial Confidence,” a three-part virtual workshop series for Texas A&M employees. Each Zoom session runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and covers topics such as spending plans, saving, investing, Social Security and retirement planning. Attend one, two or all three sessions. Learn more and register on the HROE employee calendar.
Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students announce 27 Distinguished Achievement Award winners
Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students have selected 27 outstanding faculty and staff to be honored with the 2026 university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards. Since 1955, the Distinguished Achievement Awards have been awarded to those who exhibit the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M.
The award honors Texas A&M faculty and staff members in teaching, research, individual student engagement, graduate mentoring, extension/outreach/continuing education/professional development, administration, executive management and staff support.
“The university-level awards from The Association of Former Students highlight how our campus community and culture continually grow stronger,” said Dr. Blanca Lupiani, vice provost for faculty affairs. “Each year, the list of honorees includes familiar names we already associate with ‘distinguished achievement,’ but it also introduces new faces who set fresh standards for faculty and staff excellence at Texas A&M University.”
“Texas has always powered this country, and The Texas A&M University System is helping power what comes next,” he said. “We’re advancing research, training the workforce and building partnerships that keep safety and transparency first. As AI and advanced manufacturing place new demands on the grid, our focus is clear — strengthen reliability, secure energy independence and create opportunity for Texans and the nation.”
6 Texas A&M faculty earn NAI Senior Membership
Six Texas A&M faculty members have earned one of the highest distinctions in innovation and groundbreaking research.
Representing the College of Engineering and two Texas A&M Health academic colleges, these educators are among 231 emerging inventors — representing 81 member institutions and contributing to more than 2,000 United States patents — selected to the National Academy of Inventors’ (NAI) 2026 class of Senior Members.
“The National Academy of Inventors continues to recognize the remarkable innovation of our Texas A&M faculty,” said Dr. Blanca Lupiani, vice provost for faculty affairs. “We encourage all faculty to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation, creating positive change in our local communities, across the nation and around the world. We are proud to welcome these outstanding colleagues as the newest members of our distinguished group of NAI Fellows and Senior Members at the university.”
New NAI Senior Members include:
- Dr. Guillermo Aguilar (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering)
- Stavros Kalafatis (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
- Dr. Heng Pan (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering)
- Dr. Xingyong Song (Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution)
- Dr. Narendra Kumar (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
- Dr. Yubin Zhou (Department of Translational Medical Sciences)
Technology Services resource tables March 2026
This month, Technology Services will host a series of resource table events offering employees and students at our main campus an in-person opportunity to receive help with their technology needs. From setting up DUO multifactor authentication on a new device to assisting with software or other tech-related questions, Help Desk Central will be on hand, collaborating with local IT professionals, to provide support and guidance.
Stop by any of the following locations from 12:30 to 4 p.m. to help make sure your technology needs are met:
- Monday, March 16: Polo Road Building, lobby
- Tuesday, March 17: Langford Architecture Center Building A, lobby
- Wednesday, March 18: Zachry Engineering Education Complex, lobby
- Thursday, March 19: Blocker Building, lobby
Upcoming Events
- OPAS Presents Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man”
March 17-18
- Moving Into Retirement (registration required)
March 17
- University Staff Council Meeting
March 17
- Common Grounds – Behind the Scenes of Research Safety
March 17
- Catapult Health Exams – GSC, College Station (registration required)
March 18-19
- The Leadership Collective – Know Yourself To Lead Yourself (registration required)
March 19
- All of Us and More Conference (registration required)
March 19-20
- Elements With Enid
March 20-May 10
- Field Day
March 20
- Maroon & White Night
March 20
- An Evening With Boots Riley
March 20
- The Big Event
March 21
- Faculty/Staff Appreciation Games – Softball
March 22
- Successfully Transitioning Through Change: It Starts With You (registration required)
March 24
- Taking Control of Conflict (registration required)
March 25
- Moving Into Retirement – Virtual (registration required)
March 25
- Crafting Circle (registration required)
March 25
- AI@Work: Tools for Today’s Workplace (registration required)
March 25
- Powering Texas – Challenges and Opportunities
March 25
- Lazy Meal Prep That Actually Works (in 1 Hour or Less) (registration required)
March 25
- The Leadership Collective Meet Up @ Rudy’s BBQ (registration required)
March 26
- Staying Connected: Keeping the Spark Alive in Your Relationship With ComPsych EAP (registration required)
March 26
- Performance Management – Supervisory Best Practices (registration required)
March 26
- Physics and Engineering Festival
March 28
- OPAS Presents Blue Man Group Bluevolution World Tour
March 31-April 1
- Resilience: Building Strength in the Face of Workplace Stress (registration required)
March 31
- Driving Your Career Forward – Virtual (registration required)
April 1
- Your Path to Financial Confidence – Part I (registration required)
April 1
- The Leadership Collective – Build Your Purpose, Don’t Wait To Find It (registration required)
April 2
- Performance Management – Employee Best Practices (registration required)
April 2
- Fallon-Marshall Lecture 2026: Zina Trost
April 6
- Texas A&M Singing Cadets – Family Weekend Spring Concert
April 11
- Maroon & White Night
April 17
- The Gardens Hullabloom Fest
April 18
- 2026 Campus Muster Ceremony
April 21
In Case You Missed It
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The first large-scale experiment shows fire whirls burn oil spills faster and cleaner than fire pools, proving their game-changing potential for ocean cleanups.
Texas A&M researchers have developed a tissue-adhesive sensor for real-time oral health monitoring to combat long-term issues such as gum disease and tooth loss.
