History

HARC owes its origins to the fertile imagination and initiative of Houston oilman, real estate developer and philanthropist George P. Mitchell. In 1974, Mr. Mitchell and his wife Cynthia assembled a group of business and academic leaders who shared a common concern about global issues related to energy, food, environment, and population growth. They forged plans for a multi-year program to seek solutions, and the resulting Woodlands Conference Series began in 1975.

Mitchell was fascinated by the ability of business leaders, government representatives and academicians to work together and produce something that was greater than the individual parts. He began discussions with Texas A&M University, Rice University, and the University of Houston to establish the Houston Area Research Center. A subsequent feasibility study, conducted by Arthur D. Little, Inc., concluded that The Woodlands was a viable location to establish a center in basic, applied, and policy research funded by contracts, grants, and gifts. In 1982, the Houston Area Research Center was founded.

In 1983, The Woodlands Conferences and associated Mitchell international essay competitions established the groundwork for HARC's Center for Global Studies that focused on global environmental issues, sustainable development, and the social and policy implications of science and technology. HARC's first research program, a laser study of materials sponsored by the Strategic Defense Initiative program, was also established that year.

In 1984, The University of Texas joined Rice, Texas A&M, and the University of Houston as founding members of the HARC consortium. The Texas Accelerator Center was formed and received $1.6 million from the Department of Energy in support of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) program. A five-volume analysis of six potential super collider sites in Texas was delivered to Texas Governor Mark White the following year.

Created by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1985, HARC's Geotechnology Research Institute (GTRI) opened to improve technology used in oil and gas exploration. NEC located its first supercomputer in North America — the NEC SX-2 — at HARC in 1986.

In 1985 the Center for Global Studies was merged into HARC and became an operating division of the organization. The Center organized the Woodlands Conferences, managed the Mitchell Prize competition, and developed field work in Houston, the Rio Grande and Northeast Brazil.

HARC's name was changed to the Houston Advanced Research Center in 1990, and the Texas Accelerator Center completed construction of the SSC's "first foot" — the instrument designed to discharge negative ions and send them speeding into the main accelerator ring. Construction of HARC's microwave imaging facility was completed the following year. New laboratories were opened for DNA technology and geographical information systems.

HARC, Baylor College of Medicine and MIT Lincoln Laboratory received a three-year $2m grant from the National Institutes of Health — the National Center for Human Genome Research Insititute in 1992 to develop DNA microchips for sequencing by hybridization.

In 1993, HARC researchers set a world record for the highest current through a super-conducting cable in the HARC high-bay test facility.

In 1994, the State of Texas awarded HARC a three-year, $3.75 million grant to develop and test superconducting magnetic energy storage systems. HARC initiated Houston Environmental Foresight Program, funded as part of Houston Endowments's $1.5 million grant from The Houston Endowment, Inc. and matched by public and private funds. The program brought together decision makers, environmental groups and citizens to determine the most pressing environmental risks in an eight-county region including and surrounding Houston. HARC joined the National Academy of Sciences in its launch of The Global Commons Project to define the role of science in sustainable development. This led to publication of a groundbreaking Academy report on sustainability science, Our Common Journey, in 1999.

In 1995, working in partnership with Varian Instruments, HARC delivered the world's first actively shielded magnet for NMR spectroscopy to The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. After a series of experiments, HARC laser physicists were the first to observe "lasing without inversion," a significant breakthrough in laser science.

Through the early- and mid-1990's the The Fondren Foundation provided nearly $1 million in grants to support HARC's DNA technology programs and life sciences research infrastructure.

In 1996, Houston Environmental Foresight published "Seeking Environmental Improvement," the results of a two-year study identifying and ranking the Houston region's most pressing environmental risks. In 1997, HARC and the University of Houston published "A Guide to Electric Power in Texas," (the first of three editions) a report providing background and key issues for understanding the deregulation of electricity. HARC developed the Airborne LIDAR Topographic Mapping System (ALTMS) to acquire elevation data of earth features in a joint project with NASA. The project's 300 flight lines generated — for the first time — highly accurate data over a 1,700 square mile area in the Greater Houston area.

Dr. Marcelo C. Andrade received the 1997 George and Cynthia Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development for his efforts to involve corporations in the conservation and sustainable development of tropical resources. The George and Cynthia Mitchell Young Scholars Awards for Sustainable Development were established.

From 1996-2000 the largest technology oriented university in Mexico — ITESM — teamed with HARC to conduct the first binational assessment of water and development issues in the Lower Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin. The study was funded by a $900,000 EPA grant as part of the new "Science to Achieve Results" program. The final report, "Water and Sustainable Development in the Binational Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basins" presents water management options for "doing more with less."

In 1999, The Center for Global Studies received a three-year grant from the Turner Foundation through the National Academy of Sciences to continue its investigation into the private sector's role in sustainability. Case studies of five multinational corporations (Ford Motor Company, Royal Dutch/Shell, Enron, Alcoa, and Formosa Plastics-Texas) examined their motivations to pursue proactive environmental strategies.

The Hewlett Foundation granted an award to the Center for Global Studies as part of a partnership with New Mexico State University and the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez to develop a regional water policy program for the Paso del Norte region in the Rio Grande Basin. The Center received an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for "Binational Wastewater Management in the Texas/Mexico Border Region."

In 1999, HARC kicked off Houston Environmental Foresight Phase 2 to develop recommendations for addressing the risks identified in Phase 1: outdoor air pollution, habitat loss, lack of parks/open space, and indoor contamination.

The Center for Fuel Cell Research and Applications was created in 1998. Funded by a consortium of electrical utilities and major energy companies, the Center evaluates fuel cell applications and determines the conditions under which hydrogen fuel cells can be used as a clean, reliable energy source.

The 76th Texas Legislature signed into law a bill expanding the scope of HARC's Geotechnology Research Institute (GTRI). H.B.2547 extended GTRI's charter to include environmental geosciences. The team responsible for developing the airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) topographic mapping system, a joint effort by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, HARC, and TerraPoint, LLC, received the 1999 Government Technology Leadership Award sponsored by Government Executives Magazine. Earlier that year, HARC's topographic mapping systems team and TerraPoint, LLC, received NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center's first ever achievement award in the National Resources category, recognizing NASA partners who were instrumental in the commercial development of NASA/Goddard-patented technology.

With financial support from the Hewlett Foundation, HARC's Center for Global Studies began to manage a new non-governmental organization for water planning — the Paso del Norte Water Task Force. The Task Force is made up of three urban water utilities (El Paso, Las Cruces, and Ciudad Juárez), three irrigation districts, community leaders, and large water users. A group of university experts provides research and support.

In 1998 Premdor International invested $1.25 million dollars in the development of an environmentally friendly fiberboard exterior door skin. A patent for the new process — trademarked under the name HARCwood™ — was jointly awarded to HARC and Premdor in 2003. The HARCwood™ technology received the Innovative Technology Award for Wood Treatment Processing at the New Product Showcase, 2003 Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers Fair.

In 2000, following a careful review of programs, HARC's leaders narrowed its focus: given the needs of the region, the interests of its founder, and HARC's successful work in the field, HARC was restructured as an organization dedicated entirely to applying and further developing sustainability science at the regional level.

Today, HARC is a non-partisan, non-profit research organization dedicated to moving knowledge to action to improve human well-being and protect the environment. HARC has combined its traditional engineering and technology strength with its 25-year history addressing regional and global environmental challenges, to refocus its operating core competency: facilitating the adoption of technologies and policies that lead to a sustainable balance between human and environmental needs. Since 2000 HARC has seen steady growth in its six core program priorities and a four-fold increase in revenues. This growth is testament to the technical abilities of HARC's research staff and the development of solid business and project management systems to support the goals of its clients.

In 2005, George P. Mitchell established the Endowment for Regional Sustainability Science. Income from this endowment gives HARC the stability to pursue in perpetuity its mission to advance technologies and policies that support regional sustainability.