Texas A&M Returns To SXSW With Fast Company As ‘A Force For Good’
Visionary leaders from Texas A&M will join Fast Company at SXSW in Austin to explore how science and technology will create a brighter and safer future for the people of Texas, the nation and beyond.
Texas A&M University today announced it will be joining Fast Company at South By Southwest (SXSW) at the Fast Company Grill on March 8-10.
SXSW is an annual conference for global professionals featuring panel discussions, film and television screenings, musical performances, exhibitions and more; the event draws hundreds of thousands of people to Austin each March.
United as “A Force For Good,” thought leaders and visionaries will provide their perspectives on “real transformation” — what happens when leaders of character stand up, step forward and drive meaningful action.
Texas A&M’s three-day presence at the Fast Company Grill at SXSW will showcase its impact as one of the nation’s premier land-, sea- and space-grant institutions. That means whether on land, at sea or in space, Texas A&M research and researchers are leading the way.
At SXSW, the “land” component will focus on how Texas A&M research enables sustainable farming and coffee production. The “sea” component will focus on research from Texas A&M University at Galveston on sustainable fishing practices and their impact on the blue economy. And the “space” component will focus on a remarkable breakthrough from Texas A&M AgriLife: the world’s first chickpeas grown in moondust and how it will impact the future of food being grown in inhospitable or extraterrestrial environments.
Exclusive Texas A&M “A Force for Good,” tote bags, designed by Aggie students, will be given away at SXSW, while supplies last.
“South by Southwest is a global event, that just happens to be in our backyard, and we could not be attending with a more ideal partner than Fast Company, the only media brand dedicated to chronicling the future of business and the leaders, ideas, and companies defining where business is headed,” said R. Ethan Braden, vice president and chief marketing officer at Texas A&M. “Joining this powerful environment full of dynamic thinkers and world-changers is a natural fit for the Texas A&M University brand. We are at the forefront of multiple areas of critical need, and bringing our story to SXSW with Fast Company gives us the chance to showcase the transformative work Aggies are doing here in Texas and around the world.”
During “A Force for Good: Visionaries Redefining the Future” panelists Dr. Amy Waer, dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine; Col. Michael E. Fossum, vice president and COO of Texas A&M-Galveston; and Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and president of DEKA Research & Development Corp., will discuss how they are finding solutions for the good of the world in their respective fields and fostering a culture that encourages that for the future. This 30-minute panel session will begin on Monday at 5:10 p.m. at the Cedar Door Patio Bar and Grill.
A Texas A&M-sponsored happy hour following the panel at the Fast Company Grill will include a live musical performance from Garrett Talamantes, a true Aggie triple threat: an honors student at Texas A&M, a rodeo cowboy and an up-and-coming singer-songwriter with a unique blend of country, rock, pop and Spanish classics.
Texas A&M at Fast Company Grill House
A Force for Good: Visionaries Redefining the Future Panel Discussion
Monday, March 10
5:10-5:40 p.m.
Cedar Door Patio Bar & Grill
201 Brazos St., Austin
Panelists
Col. Michael E. Fossum, chief operating officer, Texas A&M University at Galveston; vice president of Texas A&M University; superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy; and executive professor of Maritime Administration. Fossum, a former NASA astronaut, is helping to propel Texas A&M-Galveston as a leader in the blue economy — the economic, social, political and ecological vitality of our oceans and surrounding ecosystems.
Dr. Amy Waer, dean of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, has focused her research and clinical interests on surgery and surgical education, specifically for breast cancer prevention and early detection. Waer has insights into what medical school is like now and how technologies like AI are making the future for medical professionals and their patients brighter.
Dean Kamen, inventor, entrepreneur, best known for inventing the Segway and IBOT and co-founding the nonprofit organization FIRST with Woodie Flowers. As executive director at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), he is pioneering efforts to use patients’ own cells to grow new organs that their bodies recognize as their own. Kamen holds over 1,000 patents.
Find out more about SXSW 2025 at sxsw.com.
