News from CLASS

UH System Board of Regents approve the new Hobby School of Public Affairs

UH now has a new school focusing on public policy. The UH System Board of Regents unanimously approved the creation of the Hobby School of Public Affairs during a recent meeting. CLASS's Center for Public Policy will be housed in The Hobby School and will continue its research projects, including its polling operations, government internship programs in Houston, Austin and Washington, D.C. and its Certified Public Manager program. The name honors former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby. read more

New cohort awarded dissertation completion fellowships

One of the top priorities of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is to increase the number of students awarded doctoral degrees. A new cohort of CLASS graduate students was recently awarded dissertation completion fellowships. These fellowships will allow the students to spend their time concentrating on the work necessary to finish their dissertations. read more

Environmental historian honored with 2016 Distinguished Scholar Award

Martin V. Melosi, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor and Director of the Center for Public History at the University of Houston, received the "Distinguished Scholar Award" for 2016 at the American Society for Environmental History conference in Seattle. The award recognizes an individual "who has contributed significantly to environmental history scholarship" over a career. The Daily Cougar recently ran a Q&A about the recognition. read more

Dr. Kei-Mu Yi appointed to be a Research Associate at the NBER

Kei-Mu Yi, M.D. Anderson Professor of Economics, has been appointed to be a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The NBER is the nation's leading nonprofit economic research organization. Dr. Yi will participate in two research programs, the International Trade and Investment program (ITI) and the International Finance and Macroeconomics program (IFM). read more

Student Spotlight: Hawley Kunz

Doctoral candidate researching immunology at NASA

After an astronaut returns to earth from a mission — and even during their space flight — they are thoroughly examined to determine how space travel affects the human body. Part of that research takes place within CLASS's Health and Human Performance department, and one of those researchers was PhD candidate Hawley Kunz. read more

Concert pianist hopes to play again after hand injury

Abbey Simon has played piano in the greatest concert halls around the world. But right now, the 96-year-old would settle for a renewed moment of freedom in front of any piano. The Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Music founded the International Piano Festival at UH in 1984. But earlier this year, he was in a car crash, suffering a badly broken right wrist and two broken fingers on the same hand. read more

Graphic Design and Architecture students team up for project on Houston’s Third Ward

Last semester, students from the School of Art's Graphic Design Program teamed up with peers in the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design to offer a glimpse into the Third Ward's past. The project, "Animating History," paired students who designed 22 life size map pins (like the ones used to point out locations on online maps) that illustrate once successful establishments along the Dowling Street corridor. read more

“Figurative Poetics” citywide banner project features quotes from UH creative writers

In association with Downtown District and CORE Design Studio, an eye-catching banner collection titled "Figurative Poetics" boasts 100 quotes from past and present Bayou City dwellers, touting everything from thought-provoking musings to quirky quips about what it means to be a Houstonian. The designers of the city streets beautification project collaborated with Writers in the Schools, High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the UH Creative Writing Program, as well as literary arts nonprofit Inprint for banner text that resonates with locals. Read more in a Houstonia magazine article.