Energy — an abundance of energy, along with an expansive vision — is what the new director brings to the re-energized Texas A&M Energy Institute. His goal: transform the energy research landscape — in Texas, elsewhere in the United States and beyond — and educate the next generation of leaders in energy.
Prof. Christodoulos A. Floudas also brings to the Texas A&M Energy Institute directorship sterling credentials at various levels: membership in the highly select National Academy of Engineering as well in the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas and, internationally, in the Academy of Athens. In conjunction with joining the Texas A&M University faculty, he is the holder of the Erle Nye ’59 Chair Professorship for Engineering Excellence, and from Princeton, he brings with him the titles of Stephen C. Macaleer ’63 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science, Emeritus, and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Emeritus.
“Emeritus” designation often conjures up thoughts of someone having retired. Floudas, however, is in the prime of his academic career and, in his case, it means he has left behind his affiliation with the prestigious Ivy League school for an institution where he says he thinks he can best carry out his aspirations in the varied fields and forms of energy.
Researchers in the Department of Aerospace Engineering have partnered with NASA Langley Research Center to design reflectors that redirect solar power to the moon’s craters.