Honors Student Listserv

Coming up in the Honors College
- 09/18: Lyceum Lecture Series
- 09/23: UH Energy Career Fair
- 10/14: Film Screening: DUST
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ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Grand Challenges Forum
The Grand Challenges Forum encourages students to think critically, discuss openly, and learn unequivocally. The New Grand Challenges Forum offers students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the local community a time to hear a wide range of lectures dedicated to a compelling theme. Fridays from 1-2 p.m. in the Honors College Commons.
Look for the fall 2026 schedule here.
Lyceum Lecture Series
The Lyceum Initiative hosts a Lecture Series each academic year, focused on a theme of special interest to its mission. The theme for 2026 is "The Declaration at 250!" Each talk in the 2026 Lecture Series will focus upon one of the fundamental principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence, signed by delegates to the Continental Congress in July of 1776.
Look for the fall 2026 schedule here.
PAIR: Partnership for the Advancement & Immersion of Refugees
PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees) is a student organization at the University of Houston dedicated to empowering refugee youth and families in the Houston area through educational mentoring programs. These semester-long programs are held once a week (same time and day each week) depending on the availability of volunteers. Volunteers can choose between the Global Leaders Program and Global Learners Program, which are respectively held in high schools and middle schools. During these programs, volunteer get the opportunity to work with and tutor refugee students, guiding them in engaging lesson activities designed to help them read, speak, and write English.
The applications for the Fall Semester are currently available on PAIR's website.
If you have any questions about the organization, please reach out at pairuofh@gmail.com! More information is also available on PAIR's Instagram page (@pairuh).
Energy Day T-shirt Competition
Coogs, put your energy into a T-shirt design! UH Energy is inviting all UH students to participate in a T-shirt design competition for Energy Day 2026!
We’re looking for a simple, creative design that represents UH and the energy community. Bring your ideas to life and create a design that students, faculty, and energy enthusiasts will be proud to wear. Prize: $100 gift card.
Submission deadline: September 21, 2026
SUBMIT HERE! Open to all UH students. Whether you’re a design pro or simply have a great idea, we want to see it! Learn more about Energy Day 2026.
UH Energy Career Fair
Join UH Energy, the Energy Coalition, and University Career Services on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, from 11-2 p.m. in the Student Center South: Houston Room for the UH Energy Career Fair. The event is open to students of all majors, with a focus on those studying business, engineering, technology, and science who are interested in careers in the energy sector. Participating organizations represent a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, electric power, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Students must register through Cougar Pathway to attend HERE!
Getting Started in Research Webinar
Learn about the benefits of researching as an undergraduate, how to identify and reach out to faculty mentors, and how you can apply to undergraduate research programs offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards in this webinar! Registration is required!
Date: September 25, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Stories from the Heart of Medicine: Submission Call
Stories from the Heart of Medicine is accepting submissions for its medical storytelling Halloween event. This year's theme is: "What Lies Beneath."
Submit an 800–1,000-word story exploring mysterious or eerie themes connected to medicine by September 27, 2026 (no HIPAA-protected health information permitted).
While your story's themes must connect with medicine, its setting can be clinical or far from health care. The story may be true, fictional, or some mix of both. Pack your story with engaging characters, realistic dialogue, and vivid scenes. Give us dramatic action! Don't simply state what happens. Instead, show us how events unfold. Send submissions here!
Selected authors will read their work live at the TMC Library on October 29, 2026, from 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Questions? Email: andrew.childress@bcm.edu
Applying to Ph.D. Programs in STEM Webinar
Learn how to identify the right graduate program for you in the life sciences and STEM, alongside how to prepare your application with Dr. Richard Meisel, associate professor in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. Registration is required!
Date: October 2, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Film Screening: DUST
DUST is the award-winning debut feature film by University of Houston professor Dr. Christine LeVeaux-Haley. The runtime of the film is 110 minutes. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Christine LeVeaux-Haley.
Synopsis: Set in a small Mississippi town in the 1990s, DUST tells the story of one young woman’s efforts to learn the truth about the circumstances surrounding the lynching of her grandfather and the unlikely partnership that is forged between her and a man who, as a child, was present at the lynching 50 years earlier.
Complete the RSVP form here to mark your attendance at the screening of DUST on October 14th, 2026 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the Student Center South Theatre.
Seating is limited. RSVP is required to attend.
See the film trailer here! For more information, visit: DUST Film Website.
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TRAVEL & SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
TEX-E Fellowship Information Session
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student in STEM interested in energy, innovation, entrepreneurship, or emerging technologies, the TEX-E Fellowship is for you. The TEX-E Fellowship offers students an opportunity to connect with the energy innovation ecosystem in Texas and Boston while building relationships with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and fellow students.
Fellows receive access to networking opportunities, corporate events, internships, travel opportunities, and more. Learn more at UH’s TEX-E Fellowship Information.
Information Session Date: September 29, 2026, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Where: Student Center North - Senate Chamber.
Join us to learn more about the fellowship, what Fellows can expect, and how you can position yourself for this unique opportunity. Visit the website here!
PowerHouse Texas Energy Policy Fellowship
Applications are now open for the PowerHouse Texas Energy Policy Fellowship (Spring 2027), a paid, full-time opportunity at the Texas State Capitol. Fellows work in bipartisan Texas House or Senate offices, researching energy legislation while engaging with scientists, industry leaders, and policymakers. Open to STEM and environmental science undergraduates (2+ years completed), graduate students, and recent graduates. Fellows receive $4,100/month, a $700 relocation stipend, and health benefits. Rolling application deadlines: August 30, October 15, and November 30, 2026. LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE!
Provost's Undergraduate Research Scholarship (PURS) Program: Spring 2027
The Provost's Undergraduate Research Scholarship (PURS) program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in a semester-long research project under the direction of a UH faculty mentor. Recipients will receive a $1,000 scholarship to conduct part-time research (6-7 hours/week) with their faculty mentor. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all majors with a minimum 3.0 GPA are eligible to apply.
Submission Deadline: November 2, 2026
Energy Scholars Program 2027
The UH Energy Scholars Program provides a $6,000 scholarship to students for conducting an energy-related faculty-mentored research project in the spring, summer, and fall of 2026. Participants will conduct their research part-time (6-7 hours/week) during the spring and fall semesters and full-time during the summer. This program is open to students of all disciplines who are interested in working on a research project related to energy or sustainability. Scholarships will be awarded to continuing sophomores and above with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students graduating in the spring or summer of the program year are not eligible.
Date: Spring-Fall, 2027
Submission Deadline: November 2, 2026
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RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Digital Phenotyping Research Study
The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Houston is seeking female students aged 18 and older to participate in a 3-month Digital Phenotyping Research Study examining how smartphones and wearables track stress, cognitive status, and mental well-being in real time. To learn more, click here. To be eligible, you must be a female student at the University of Houston and must not be pregnant, on daily prescribed medications, or recently hospitalized. Contact smarri@cougarnet.uh.edu for more information. To sign up, click here!
Coogs for Energy Hackathon
Registration is now open for the Coogs for Energy Hackathon.
Students are invited to form teams and participate in this 1.5-day hackathon focused on tackling real-world challenges in the energy transition. Teams will develop innovative solutions with an emphasis on sustainability, clean energy and the future of energy.
The hackathon provides UH students with an opportunity to work on challenges presented by leading energy companies, community organizations and local governments, turning ideas into practical solutions to address today’s energy challenges.
Deadline for registration is October 3, 2026. REGISTER HERE.
The Coogs for Energy Hackathon event will take place October 23-24, 2026, at the University of Houston. For any questions, contact uheti@central.uh.edu.
Valuing Social Time - Research Survey
Participate in a 10-minute, anonymous University of Houston research survey exploring how college students spend and value their social time across in-person interactions, online connections, and AI chatbots. Eligible participants must be UH students aged 18 or older, and completing the voluntary survey offers an optional entry into a raffle to win one of four $25 Amazon gift cards. Contact Alexander Matthews at agmatthe@cougarnet.uh.edu with any questions. Visit the survey link here to participate. Survey ends December 30, 2026.