News

Three UH students from the IDEAS² Center are interning at NASA JSC, contributing to advanced research on deployable structures, lunar docking dynamics, and rover vibration modeling.

UH IDEAS² Center Co-Is Drs. Tian Chen and Theo Baxevanis, along with their students, published three papers advancing the science of deployable and bistable structures for aerospace applications.

The Texas A&M MIRO IDEAS² Center opened a newly renovated laboratory that now serves as the main hub for student-led research in deployable space structures and tensegrity truss systems.

Surabhi Sharma, a graduate research assistant with UH’s Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and the IDEAS² Center, successfully defended her MS thesis on lunar structure design and analysis.

HCC, in collaboration with the IDEAS² Center, led a STEM mentorship program pairing college and middle school students to design and test a functional model of the International Space Station.

Six UH Senior Design teams, supported by the IDEAS² Center, showcased innovative aerospace engineering projects addressing space systems, robotics, and dust mitigation.

Three UH Senior Design II teams completed aerospace-themed projects under the IDEAS² Center, focusing on rocket design, lunar rovers, and NASA fuel cell demonstrations.

HCC’s West Houston Institute led an 8-week New Space Explorers program introducing STEM students to space exploration, 3D printing, and technology through the MIRO initiative.

UH PhD students Neha Arora and Jyoti Sonawane had their research papers accepted for presentation at the 2025 Mach Conference in Annapolis, Maryland, supported by Cullen Fellowship and MIRO funding.

Dr. Tim Chen’s MIRO research on knitted architectures was featured in UH News, highlighting its applications in lightweight, flexible materials for aerospace systems.

The IDEAS² Center hosted students and teachers from Pin Oak Middle School for a Space Exploration Day featuring UH space research demonstrations and lab visits.

UH’s IDEAS² Center signed an MOU with Axiom Space to collaborate on research, development, and educational initiatives aligned with NASA’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Microgravity Strategy.

Texas A&M University hosted a Solar Sail Design Competition supported by the NASA MIRO grant, engaging students in hands-on design, teamwork, and innovation aligned with NASA’s goals.

IDEAS² Center faculty and students participated in the 2025 Mars Rover Celebration, mentoring over 100 young students in hands-on STEM activities and space engineering design.

IDEAS² Center faculty and students presented aerospace research at the ASME SSDM 2025 Conference in Houston, highlighting innovations in structural dynamics and deployable space systems.

The University of Houston officially recognized Aerospace as a major research priority for the first time, following the success and impact of the IDEAS² NASA MIRO Center.

The IDEAS² Center showcased aerospace research and STEM innovation at the Science & Engineering Fair of Houston, inspiring students to pursue careers in aerospace.

The IDEAS² Center strengthened its experimental capabilities by procuring state-of-the-art equipment to support advanced aerospace materials fabrication and testing.

UH graduate student Amber Jozwiak received the prestigious 2025 Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellowship, recognizing her excellence in aerospace research and leadership.

Texas A&M researchers are acquiring a deployable shape memory alloy (SMA) tower to advance IDEAS² research on deployable systems and smart actuation, in collaboration with WAVETRUSS.