In January 2024, 10 students from the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) traveled to Texas to visit Houston, Texas A&M University, and other areas as a part of “METAVASIS” (Mobility for Energy Transition Awareness to Bring About Societal Impacts), a project funded by the United States Embassy in Athens.
The METAVASIS project is a joint effort between the Texas A&M Energy Institute and the Agricultural University of Athens, with support from the US Embassy in Athens, in partnership with the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC), and the Center for Houston’s Future. The project aims to understand the economic, social, and environmental impacts of a rapid energy transition on vulnerable communities and marginalized regions in Greece and Texas.
Dr. Konstantinos Pappas, the Assistant Director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute, is the project’s Principal Investigator and lead at Texas A&M and Dr. George Papadakis, a Professor of Renewable Energy Technology at the Agricultural University of Athens, is a Co-Principal Investigator and the lead in Greece.
The group started the visit in the greater Houston area, where they met with the Center for Houston’s Future to learn about the region’s ongoing efforts in new and renewable energy, including the HyVelocity Hub, which focuses on advancing the clean hydrogen ecosystem in Texas, Southwest Louisiana, and along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Later, students visited Greentown Labs Houston, which is the the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America.
Focusing on communities, the METAVASIS team took a special tour of the neighborhoods and areas that surround the Houston Ship Channel. Visiting public spaces directly adjacent to manufacturing facilities, such as Hartman Park in the Manchester Neighborhood of Houston, the students saw the challenges of developing energy infrastructure in close proximity to residential areas.
In College Station, Texas, and the campus of Texas A&M University, the AUA students joined students from Texas A&M University for a joint workshop on the Energy Transition, which included a special seminar by Dr. George Papadakis on “Reverse Osmosis Desalination Driven by Renewable Energy.” Looking into the future of nuclear energy, the group also toured the Center for Advanced Small Modular and Microreactors, a research center that is working to develop new and transformative technologies, materials, and methods to make nuclear fission more affordable.
In the final days, the Texas A&M and AUA students traveled to Prairie View, Texas, to tour the Prairie View A&M University’s Natural Resources and Environmental Systems (NRES) research centers, including the Governor Bill and Vara Daniel Farm and Ranch, the International Goat Research Center, and the Center of Excellence for Climate Resilient Food-Energy-Water Systems.
In addition to the research efforts and community engagement opportunities, the students were also able to visit Space Center Houston, attend a Houston Rockets basketball game, and tour the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station.
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