Is it hot enough for you, Houston? This month, student athletes are bringing the heat and innovative research shines in our story round-up:

Emmy-award winning reporter Amy Davis (’98) is passionate about helping people, so it’s no wonder she is the winner of the Houston Association of Certified Fraud Examiners 2016 Global Fraud Impact Award!

Dr. Jamel Vaughn (’09, O.D. ’13) recently became the new owner of Advanced Eye Care in Dalhart, Texas. He received his bachelor of science degree in biology from UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and went on to receive his doctor of optometry degree at UH as well.

Raquel Padilla (’01) is a Principal Engineer at EXP Engineering International in Houston, having studied electrical engineering at Cullen College of Engineering. She is a Galveston-area native, but now lives within Houston’s inner loop, and loves to take advantage of Houston’s diverse cultural offerings.

Matt Brawley (’95) has spent the last 20 years directing, shooting and editing productions for Houston’s PBS affiliate, KUHT-TV 8, at Houston Public Media on the UH campus. Recently, he achieved his longtime goal of winning craft achievement Lone Star Emmys for three very different aspects of his job — director, photographer, and editor — a rare feat in a business full of specialists.

Filo Castore came to Houston from Italy for his education at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and hasn’t looked back. He is heading up a Houston branch of DLR Group, an architecture and engineering firm that was responsible for TDECU Stadium and its beautiful downtown Houston view, and the new basketball practice facility: the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility.

School may be out for summer, but we’re still celebrating out-of-this-world Cougars! Speaking of which, see how many space-related stories you can spot in this story round-up:

Gabriel Preisser, a 2016 League of American Orchestras Emerging Artist, is a lyric baritone singer whose resume includes more than 40 operatic and musical theater roles. He recently became executive and artistic director of Opera Orlando, and is co-founder and CEO of Angels & Demons Entertainment.

Jeremy Rincon and his company, Clarus Glassboards, went from the 11th to the sixth spot on the Cougar 100 over the past two years. That means that he leads the sixth largest Cougar-owned company in the pool of companies that submitted their businesses for competition.

Our May story round-up has a graduation theme, and showcases a variety of Coogs and UH supporters!