See List of Guest Tours

Reliant Field Tour
		Monday, November 12, 2012 Time: 9:30am - 12 Noon Meet at 9:30am in Hotel Lobby, Depart at 9:45am Return to Hotel Lobby at Noon Cost: $30 Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA with a seating capacity of 71,054. Reliant Stadium is part of a collection of venues (including the Reliant Astrodome), which are collectively called Reliant Park. The stadium was constructed at the cost of $352 million. Reliant Stadium is the first facility in the NFL to have a retractable roof. The stadium is the home of the National Football League's Houston Texans, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Texas Bowl, host to many international soccer matches for the USA National Soccer Team, and other events. Tour Information: Reliant Stadium is a splendid architectural achievement of style, sophistication and ultra-efficiency. And just as its forefather, the Reliant Astrodome, was the first domed stadium, Reliant Stadium is also a pioneer of sports as the National Football League's first retractable-roof stadium. But the best way to truly appreciate this exceptional facility is to visit it yourself. Tour Highlights: Field side view of NFL's first retractable roof Field side view of NFL's first removable natural grass field (when installed) NFL Visiting Team Locker Room Stadium Press Box Premium Seating Areas - Club Level and a Party Suite (Some areas may be unavailable due to scheduled events.) Tours last approximately one hour to an hour and a half. Directions: Reliant Field is 13 minutes (6.82 miles) from the Houston Americas
Ocean Star Museum Tour
		Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Time: 9:15am- 1:00pm Meet at 9:15am in Hotel Lobby, Depart at 9:30am Return to Hotel Lobby at 1:00pm Cost: Adults with audio tour: $36 The Offshore Energy Center is dedicated to expand the awareness of the vast energy resources beneath the world's oceans, and to chronicle the unique heritage and technological accomplishments of the industry that discovers, produces, and delivers these resources in a safe and environmentally responsible way. The objectives of this mission statement are being met through a three-fold plan developed by the Center. First, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum and Education Center was established in Galveston, Texas. Second, the Offshore Pioneers Hall of Fame was established to recognize and record the individual and technological achievements of the offshore energy industry. Third, an Educational Program has been developed for students, teachers and the general public. Tour Information: Self-Guided Audio Tour: The museum is a self-guided facility, and groups can visit at their leisure after an introduction and film. Our one-of-a-kind facility gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the offshore oil and gas industry, all while being aboard a retired jack-up drilling rig. Audio tours consist of hand held random access units for each member of the group and contain more than two hours of recorded interpretive information provided by museum, engineering, and offshore professionals. These tours run approximately an hour and a half. Directions: The Ocean Star Museum is 1 hour (50.14 miles) from the Houston Americas.
Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen at Rice University Tour
		Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Time: 3:45pm- 6:00pm Meet at 3:45pm in Hotel Lobby, Depart at 4:00pm Return to Hotel Lobby at 6:00pm Cost: $25 The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) represents a shift in the culture of engineering design at Rice University. This engineering design lab provides undergraduate engineering students with ready access to design tools, prototyping equipment, computational facilities, meeting rooms and ample space for prototype design and development. The 12,000 square foot space is equipped with a fully functioning machine shop with lathes, mills, saws, etc., as well as a laser cutter, a 3D printer, an industrial sewing machine, a PCB mill, soldering stations, a wet lab, large format printers, audio/visual collaboration spaces and a full array of prototyping supplies. But the OEDK is more than a place where design happens - it is also a hub of activity and a social center that emphasizes creativity and experimentation. The next generation of engineers will face incredible challenges that will require them to have more than a deep understanding of engineering fundamentals - they also must have the ability to work in diverse teams during all phases of the design and technology development process and to effectively communicate ideas. To equip our students with the skills they need to succeed, we go beyond textbooks, classrooms and online learning platforms and provide them with the hands-on experiences they need to flourish. Such experiences, when tied to real-world design challenges, foster enthusiasm for problem solving and keep our students engaged throughout their academic careers. Our goal is to give every engineering student a significant team design experience before graduation. Tour Information: Guided Group Tour: This tour will run approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Directions: The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen is 10 minutes (4 miles) from the Houston Americas
University of Houston
		Monday, November 12, 2012 Time: 1:00pm- 4:30pm Meet at 12:45pm in Hotel Lobby, Depart at 1:00pm Return to Hotel Lobby at 4:30pm Cost: $25 The following facilities will be showcased: Alternative Energy Storage Lab: We are interested in innovative materials design, fabrication, characterization, modeling and simulation related to energy storage and electronic applications. Current topics include: Transport mechanisms in polymer nanocomposite electrolytes in lithium ion batteries and fuel cells Electrode/electrolyte interfacial issues in lithium ion batteries Resolving the "dead-layer" effect in nanocapacitors Biomaterials used for energy storage Nanostructured materials for electronic applications Our facilities include VAC dual operator glove box, Autolab electrochemical analyzer, DSC, TMA, TGA, DMA, vacuum ovens, FTIR, RH-Temperature oven, super speed centrifuge, sonicator, etc. Advanced Functional Materials Laboratory: Our lab designs, studies and fabricates advanced functional materials. These materials include magnetic nanowires, nanowire templates, carbon nanofiber sheets, and other electrochemically produced nanomaterials. The facilities include multiple rooms that hold; our custom designed UHV magnetron sputtering system, PAR 263 electrodeposition system, micro tensile tester, Instron 4467, 4482, 4467 tensile machines, Veeco Dimension 3100 atomic force microscope, MTS Nano Indenter XP with CSM, Leo 1525 field emission scanning electron microscope, and multiple other equipment. Dr. Venkat Selvamanickam's Lab: Photovoltaic cells with efficiencies at the higher end of the spectrum are expensive due to high materials costs. Cells made with single crystalline silicon have demonstrated efficiencies of 24%, but the cost of fabrication of single crystals that are then sawed into wafers of a few hundred microns in thickness is high (nearly 50% of the module costs). Cells based on III-V compounds have exhibited efficiencies of about 40%, but have found only limited use because of their cost, which is primarily driven by the high cost of single crystal substrates. Additionally, multi-junction or tandem cells which have resulted in high efficiencies in both Si and III-V compounds have been viable only with single crystalline individual cells [1]. On the other end of the spectrum, thin film solar cells offer advantage of low-cost fabrication, but have not yielded the higher efficiencies of single crystalline cells. In poly silicon films for instance, grain boundaries have been problematic due to recombination of charge carriers [2]. Large grain sizes similar to that in bulk multicrystalline cells have been desired and demonstrated in the range of tens of micrometers [3], but there has not been any path pursued to achieve of grain sizes in the order of a centimeter. Misfit dislocations at high angle grain boundaries have been identified as traps to charge carriers reducing the open circuit voltage [4] and initial attempts have been made to fabricate thin films with low angle grain boundaries [5]. However, to our knowledge there has been no published attempt of single crystalline photovoltaic thin films on polycrystalline substrates or lattice mismatched substrates. In III-V compounds in particular, the need for single crystalline quality films is critical, and there is hardly an understanding of the science of defect generation and propagation and their influence on photovoltaic properties when grown on substrates other than single crystals. Hence, achievement of single crystalline III-V thin film photovoltaics on polycrystalline/lattice mismatched substrates concomitantly with a low density of defects can be game-changing in the photovoltaic research arena by combining high efficiency with low cost. National Wind Center: With the federal government attempting to fuel 30 percent of the nation's electricity consumption through wind sources by 2030, researchers at the National Wind Energy Center are working establish an offshore wind energy operation to lead the nation toward this goal. They are working to develop advanced materials to be used in turbine blades and towers that can withstand extreme offshore conditions. In addition, they hope to streamline the manufacturing process for blades larger than 70 meters. Composite Engineering and Applications Center: The Composites Engineering & Applications Center was formed in 1994 to undertake research in support of the reliable and the economical cost benefits of composite materials in onshore and offshore operations. A major goal of the center is to facilitate, develop, establish and/or conduct programs to respond to new opportunities within the exploration and production areas and to meet the regulatory needs of the United States and Canadian petroleum and related industries and governmental/certification agencies. CEAC provides an opportunity to educate men and women in onshore and offshore operations for both undergraduate and graduate programs through instruction and research opportunities. Directions: The University of Houston is 10 minutes (4 miles) from the Houston Americas.
Johnson Space Center Tour (NASA) - SOLD OUT!
		Wednesday, November 14, 2012 Time: 8:15am- 1:45pm Meet at 8:00am in Hotel Lobby, Depart at 8:15am Return to Hotel Lobby at 1:45pm Cost: $25 Your visit will consist of: Space Vehicle Mockup Facility The Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) develops, operates and maintains the mockup and trainer facilities to support astronaut training and engineering activities at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The SVMF consists of: Space Shuttle Orbiter Trainers, International Space Station Trainer, Precision Air Bearing Facility and the Partial Gravity Simulator. Mission Control Center and Flight Operations Since 1965, Mission Control has been the helm of America's human spaceflights. Since International Space Station assembly began in 1998, the center has become a focal point for human spaceflight worldwide. The teams that work in Mission Control, Houston, have been vital to every U.S. human spaceflight since the Gemini IV mission in 1965, including the Apollo missions that took humans to the moon and the more than 110 space shuttle flights since 1981. Morpheus and Robonaut Labs