SCIENCE AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

The Mitchell family's support of Texas A&M's programs in fundamental physics and astronomy (and the buildings in which they are housed) totals more than $50 million. In 2002, George Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation founded the George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy within the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University. The Institute brings together leading international scholars for extended periods of interaction and collaboration with the goal of advancing the understanding of theoretical high-energy physics, astroparticle physics, astronomy, and cosmology; to conduct research in string theory, M-theory, and particle phenomenology; and to explore the interface with observation in particle physics, astronomy, and cosmology. The activities of the Institute include research workshops, conferences, and a visitors' program.

A key focus of the endeavor is Steven Hawking, Lucasian Professor at Cambridge, who is widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Albert Einstein and the best-known science author in the world. Texas A&M already has impressive national and international recognition for its activities in high-energy physics and numbers some of the most productive and highly cited researchers among its ranks. It is expected that the Institute will boost this profile yet higher, and that Texas A&M will become one of the leading centers of activity in the field of fundamental physical theory.

George Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation contributed $35 million toward the construction of two physics buildings to house the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University. Accommodating many types of users, the complex is organized as a six-story, 43,700 square foot elliptical building for the Mitchell Institute's conference facilities and offices, connected to a five-story L-shaped Physics Building of 158,300 SF with classrooms, research and teaching laboratories, and a 468-seat tiered auditorium. Consistent with its scientific mission, the LEED-Silver project is energy efficient and a model for sustainability at the University. Sustainable attributes include a building shape and orientation that minimize heat gain, under-floor air delivery, daylighting, materials with high recycled content, and a green roof above the auditorium planted with native drought-resistant plants and irrigated by AHU condensate and rainwater collected onsite.

George and Cynthia Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation have jointly contributed to the establishment of 13 academic chairs and professorships, a post-doctoral fellowship in astronomy, an Astronomy Lecture Series, and an Astronomy Colloquium Series at Texas A&M University. The academic chairs include the following:

• George P. Mitchell '40 Chair in Marine Sciences
• George P. Mitchell '40 Chair in Sustainable Coasts
• George P. Mitchell '40 Chair in Sustainable Fisheries
• George P. Mitchell '40 Endowed Chair in Statistics
• George P. Mitchell '40 Chair in Experimental Physics
• Stephen Hawking Chair in Fundamental Physics
• Mitchell-Heep Chair in Theoretical High-Energy Physics
• Mitchell/Heep Chair in Experimental High Energy Physics
• Mitchell/Munnerlyn/Heep Chair in Observational Astronomy/Cosmology
• Schüssler-Laux/Mitchell/Heep Chair in Optical and Biomedical Physics
• Rachal/Mitchell/Heep Professorship in Physics & Astronomy
• Mitchell/Munnerlyn/Heep Career Enhancement Professorship
• Stephen E. Harris Professorship in Quantum Optics

With gifts and pledges exceeding $30 million, George and Cynthia Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation have jointly contributed to the Giant Magellan Telescope, in particular, focusing on Texas A&M's participation in the project.

Scheduled for completion in 2018, the Giant Magellan Telescope is a collaborative effort among universities and research organizations to develop and build a state-of-the-art next-generation extremely large telescope. The Giant Magellan Telescope will open new avenues of scientific exploration, including understanding the origin and evolution of planetary systems; witnessing the formation of stars, galaxies, and black holes; and exploring the properties of dark matter and dark energy in the cosmos.

Giant Magellan Telescope website

Since 2005, the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation has granted over $2 million to the McDonald Observatory in support of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX).

HETDEX is a project designed to understand the evolutionary history of dark energy, which is the mysterious property that comprises over 70 percent of the total energy in the universe. Beyond its existence, we know very little about it. The goal is to use results from HETDEX to precisely describe how the universe expands, thereby illuminating the nature of dark energy.

HETDEX website

Both personally and through their foundation, Cynthia and George Mitchell donated $22 million to establish and support continued research at the George and Cynthia Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The 17-story, 485,700 square foot state-of-the-art building was constructed to accommodate M.D. Anderson's growing research needs, including almost 70 laboratories for molecular genetics, epidemiology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and brain cancer research, as well as veterinary medicine and tissue bank facilities.

The George and Cynthia Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building now serves as the home for the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, which offers students the opportunity to prepare for careers in research and education in the biomedical sciences.

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After Cynthia was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, George Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation began funding research aimed at developing treatments and finding a cure for this devastating disease. Over the past 10 years, these gifts have exceeded $12 million. These grants have supported:

• The establishment of the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston.
• The Drug Discovery and Development Program at UTMB to accelerate new drugs in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease, in addition to clinical research that will lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease.
• The George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Center for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston
• The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Endowed Research Fund in Alzheimer's Disease at Baylor College of Medicine.
• A collaborative research project among Baylor College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins, and The University of Texas Medical Branch regarding the early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

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