At the Engineering Leadership Board (ELB) dinner on November 5, two organizations were honored with induction into the Bridgebuilder Society for the Cullen College of Engineering.
Established in 2000, the Bridgebuilder Society recognizes and honors individuals who have made transformational and impactful gifts to the Cullen College of Engineering. Induction into the society is the highest honor the Cullen College bestows upon a donor.
This year, Joseph W. Tedesco, dean of the Cullen College, recognized The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation, also known as TIRR Foundation, and the Offshore Industry Crawfish Boil Committee for their significant financial contributions and commitment to the future of the college.
The TIRR Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization that seeks to improve the lives of people who have sustained central nervous system damage through injury or disease. The TIRR Foundation created, directs and funds Mission Connect, a collaborative neurotrauma research project. Mission Connect is focused on supporting the discovery of preventions, treatments and cures for central nervous system damage caused by brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.
Led by executive director Cynthia Adkins, the TIRR Foundation has provided significant support to Jose Luis “Pepe” Contreras-Vidal, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his Non-Invasive Brain Machine Interface Systems Laboratory at the UH Cullen College.
The Offshore Industry Crawfish Boil Committee has organized, managed and lead efforts to host the annual offshore industry, pre-OTC crawfish boil for 27 years. The popular on-campus event draws several thousand individuals to the University each year, including industry partners, alumni and community members. The tireless efforts of the committee members have resulted in more than a million dollars of financial support for programs and student scholarships in the Cullen College of Engineering.