2026 History Talks

Dr. Moriba Jah is the president and co-founder of GaiaVerse, a leading space environmentalist and social justice advocate, and a MacArthur Fellow. He is a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship.

He directs the Jah Decision Intelligence Group at the Oden Institute and serves as chief scientist at Privateer and co-founder of Moriba Jah Universal.

Dr. Olga Bannova is a research professor at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering and director of the world’s only Master of Science in Space Architecture program and the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture.

Her research focuses on the design of orbital and surface habitats, including inflatable structures, space habitation under varying gravity conditions, and habitat concepts for extreme environments on Earth. Her current work explores habitat testing and evaluation using extended reality, combining VR technology with physical mockups and mission-specific concepts of operations.

Roberto E. Nañes is a certified archivist and archivist at the University of Houston–Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections, where he supports collection development, processing, and preservation of university and regional history materials.

His research interests focus on technology-enhanced and AI-assisted archival workflows to improve description and researcher access. He previously worked at the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University and is a San Jacinto College graduate with an MLS from the University of North Texas.

Matthew M. Peek holds a BA in history and dual master’s degrees in American history and public history from Wright State University. He has been a certified archivist since 2012 and was the founding corporate archivist and historian for Airstream, Inc.

From 2014 to 2022, he served as military collection archivist for the State Archives of North Carolina, managing veterans’ papers, home front materials, and oral histories spanning all war periods. He has served as associate director of the University of Houston–Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections since March 2022.

Traci Patterson is an Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at the Woodson Research Center at Rice University, where she has worked for eight years.

Her work focuses on managing and providing access to both physical and digital materials from Woodson's University Archives and Special Collections.

Dr. Janes is the associate vice chancellor of Continuing and Professional Development at San Jacinto College, where she oversees the divisions of Corporate Training and Community Education. Her work includes leadership of certifications in applied trades, health care, aerospace, IT, advanced manufacturing, and apprenticeships. She serves as principal investigator of the NSF CC* BRICCS-TX grant and previously as co–principal investigator of the NSF BRICCS grant.

Dr. Janes is a U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Ambassador and facilitator of the Houston Area Apprenticeship Advisory Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, a master’s degree in mathematics, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Texas A&M University.