2024 Department of History Newsletter

October 18, 2024 —

History

Read the most recent issue of the Department Newsletter, an annual publication in which we showcase the work our community completed in the past academic year.

Top Stories

June 26, 2025

Political moves threaten US fossil fuel industry

Republican-led efforts, including deep budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks, are threatening U.S. fossil fuel companies by undermining federal support for technologies like carbon capture and clean hydrogen. While aimed at boosting fossil fuels, these moves may weaken the industry’s global competitiveness in emerging energy markets.

June 18, 2025

Designed to Make You SIT Up

Take a seat — the winners of the annual SIT Furniture Design Awards include four industrial design students from the Hines College! Camila Campos, Mary Leath, and Diya Suresh Nair were part of associate professor and industrial design co-director Jeff Feng’s INDS 3500 studio. Rachel Feine (M.S. ’25) entered the competition independently, wanting to explore playful, modular design in furniture to foster imaginative play.

June 16, 2025

NOMAD Project Secures International Design Acclaim for PXD LAB

What began as a classroom exploration in advanced UX design has quickly evolved into an internationally recognized achievement for the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. Last week, Red Dot announced that NOMAD, a groundbreaking AI-powered, screen-free hiking system by recent industrial design graduate Varshini Chouthri, has been awarded the prestigious recognition of Red Dot’s “Best of the Best,” placing it among the top design innovations worldwide.