| Science Scene |
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A real game-changer
UT Arlington's research profile received a huge boost on October 22 when the UT System Board of Regents
allocated $7.5 million from the Permanent University Fund toward the formation of the Institute for
Research Technologies at UT Arlington, a $25.2 million endeavor that will transform research capabilities
and STEM education throughout the UT System and Texas.
The Institute is a collaboration of The University of Texas at Arlington and Shimadzu Scientific Instruments,
a world leader in the analytical instruments industry. The new Institute will include three centers: The existing
Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry (which opened in April and is led by chemistry
and biochemistry associate professor Kevin Schug, above), the new Center for Imaging and the new Center
for Environmental, Forensic and Material Analysis.
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Morton retiring after 30 years as pre-med advisor
For three decades, Edward Morton has expertly guided UT Arlington students through the College of Science's>
pre-medical program, helping at least 1,500 of them gain admission to health profession schools. Counseling
students, he says, is his life's calling. But after spending 30 years advising students, Morton has decided it's
time to call it a career. He's retiring in May from his roles as Assistant Dean of Science for Student Affairs,
health professions advisor and the many other duties he has taken on over the years. Morton's departure
will leave a big void in the dean's office, and his friendly demeanor will be missed.
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Math Emporium aims to improve algebra scores
Seeking to turn around troubling statistics that plague universities nationwide, UT Arlington has instituted
a new program aimed at improving students' scores in college algebra courses. The University's College
Algebra Math Emporium, a 5,000-square-foot space in Pickard Hall, opened in August and had its official
grand opening on September 7. The emporium, a tutorial computer lab where students will spend twothirds
of their class time, is based on a model provided by the National Center for Academic Transformation
(NCAT). The emporium model has students spend one-third of their class time in normal classroom instruction
and the other two-thirds in the lab, where they have access to computers with specialized software
and can work at their own pace. Graduate students serve as tutors and four will be available at all
times when the lab is open. The room contains 102 desktop computers.
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Science Week showcases alumni achievements
 Seeking to turn around troubling statistics that plague universities nationwide, UT Arlington has instituted
a new program aimed at improving students' scores in college algebra courses. The University's College
Algebra Math Emporium, a 5,000-square-foot space in Pickard Hall, opened in August and had its official
grand opening on September 7. The emporium, a tutorial computer lab where students will spend twothirds
of their class time, is based on a model provided by the National Center for Academic Transformation
(NCAT). The emporium model has students spend one-third of their class time in normal classroom instruction
and the other two-thirds in the lab, where they have access to computers with specialized software
and can work at their own pace. Graduate students serve as tutors and four will be available at all
times when the lab is open. The room contains 102 desktop computers.
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UTeach program's enrollment tops 200 in year 3
Seeking to turn around troubling statistics that plague universities nationwide, UT Arlington has instituted
a new program aimed at improving students' scores in college algebra courses. The University's College
Algebra Math Emporium, a 5,000-square-foot space in Pickard Hall, opened in August and had its official
grand opening on September 7. The emporium, a tutorial computer lab where students will spend twothirds
of their class time, is based on a model provided by the National Center for Academic Transformation
(NCAT). The emporium model has students spend one-third of their class time in normal classroom instruction
and the other two-thirds in the lab, where they have access to computers with specialized software
and can work at their own pace. Graduate students serve as tutors and four will be available at all
times when the lab is open. The room contains 102 desktop computers. |
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College honors faculty, staff excellence
Seeking to turn around troubling statistics that plague universities nationwide, UT Arlington has instituted
a new program aimed at improving students' scores in college algebra courses. The University's College
Algebra Math Emporium, a 5,000-square-foot space in Pickard Hall, opened in August and had its official
grand opening on September 7. The emporium, a tutorial computer lab where students will spend twothirds
of their class time, is based on a model provided by the National Center for Academic Transformation
(NCAT). The emporium model has students spend one-third of their class time in normal classroom instruction
and the other two-thirds in the lab, where they have access to computers with specialized software
and can work at their own pace. Graduate students serve as tutors and four will be available at all
times when the lab is open. The room contains 102 desktop computers. |
Grover doing 'good things' as associate dean |
James Grover has been involved in a variety of research projects during his 19 years
at UT Arlington, but now he's getting a chance to play an even bigger role in the
groundbreaking work being done in the College of Science. Grover, a professor of
biology who has been at UT Arlington since 1993, took over as associate dean of
the College of Science on April 1. He has been heavily involved in improving the
college's research profile and in providing support in securing funding for faculty
and graduate students. |
Su expands leadership role as mathematics chair |
James Grover has been involved in a variety of research projects during his 19 years
at UT Arlington, but now he's getting a chance to play an even bigger role in the
groundbreaking work being done in the College of Science. Grover, a professor of
biology who has been at UT Arlington since 1993, took over as associate dean of
the College of Science on April 1. He has been heavily involved in improving the
college's research profile and in providing support in securing funding for faculty
and graduate students. |
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Message from the Dean
Welcome to the 2012-13 edition of
Maverick Science, the magazine that
highlights some of the exciting things
going on in the UT Arlington College of
Science. We have much to be proud of
thanks to our students, alumni and
faculty, and we're delighted to be able
to feature some of these people and
their accomplishments here. |
Tributes
Truman Black (1937-2012)
 Truman Black was a pioneering member
of the UT Arlington Department of
Physics, but more than that, he had a
love of people, a love of life, and he
never met a stranger. Dr. Black, who died
Sept. 12, 2012 at age 74, did extensive
research in experimental solid state
physics and optics, among other subjects.
He helped build the physics department
into a respected entity which
now brings in large amounts of research
funding, and he helped create the department's
doctoral programs. But he
will be remembered the most for the way
he mentored countless students, in
physics and in life.
Continue reading
Pablo Mora (1971-2012)
 Pablo Mora was devoted to his family and
to teaching and mentoring students. He
was thoughtful, supportive and generous
with his time and knowledge. Dr. Mora, an
assistant professor of psychology who died
in October 2012 at age 41, studied the relationship
of illness cognitions and illnessspecific
affective responses to illness
behavior and illness self-management.
Friends and colleagues remember him as
kind, compassionate, and always willing to
help others, especially students.
Continue reading |
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V. Lakshmikantham (1924-2012)
 Vangipuram Lakshmikantham, an influential
mathematician and authority on nonlinear
analysis who served as Department
of Mathematics chair during his tenure at
UT Arlington from 1973-86, died June 7,
2012 at age 88. While at UT Arlington, he
helped establish the department's first
doctoral program. He founded the prestigious
journal Nonlinear Analysis: Theory,
Methods and Applications in 1976.
Continue reading
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| College welcomes 10 new faculty members
In its campaign to help UT Arlington attain Tier I research university
status, attracting and retaining top-level faculty is one of the
College of Science's top priorities. The College hired seven new
faculty members for Fall 2012, and three more are joining the
ranks in Spring 2013. The new faculty members bring with them a
wealth of expertise and experience in research and teaching, including
serving as principal or co-investigators on research grants
and authoring or co-authoring papers published in various top professional
journals.
Continue reading |
| UTA, TCC partnership aims to boost
geoscience education for minority students
UT Arlington and Tarrant County College have created a partnership
to encourage students from underrepresented groups to consider
majoring in the geosciences and to establish an easy transfer
process between TCC and UT Arlington. Officials from the two institutions
received a $200,000, three-year grant from the National
Science Foundation's Opportunities to Enhance Diversity in the
Geosciences program. John Wickham, professor and former chair
of UT Arlington's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
is the principal investigator for the grant.
Continue reading |
| Schelly honored for work in electro-optics
Zoltan A. Schelly, professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry,
was awarded the 2012 Kerr Medal for his seminal contributions
to the field of electro-optics. Schelly was presented with
the award September 5 at the 13th International Symposium on
Colloidal and Molecular Electro-optics in Ghent, Belgium. The
Kerr Medal, named for Scottish physicist John Kerr, has been
awarded only eight times in the past 38 years.
Continue reading |
| Campbell receives 2012 Henry Fitch Award
Jonathan Campbell, a UT Arlington biology professor known for
traveling into the most remote regions of Central and South
America to catalogue biodiversity, received the 2012 Henry S.
Fitch Award for Excellence in Herpetology, a national honor
given by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
The annual award was announced last summer at the 7th
World Congress of Herpetology in Vancouver, Canada.
Continue reading |
| UTA names Martin Distinguished Alumnus
Dr. E. Dale Martin, D.D.S., who earned a B.A. in Chemistry in 1978
with four minors, was given the UT Arlington Distinguished Alumni
Service Award at the 47th Annual Distinguished Alumni Gala on October
20. Martin, a pediatric dentist for more than 25 years, also
earned a law degree from SMU. He is on staff at Cook Children's
Medical Center, USMD-Fort Worth, Harris HEB, and the Texas Pediatric
Surgery Center..
Continue reading |
| EES receives $4.4 million in-kind software
Global information and analytics provider IHS has granted a software
license worth an estimated $4.4 million over three years to
UT Arlington's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
giving students and professors access to the latest in petroleum industry
technology. The grant, made in February 2012, represents
the largest in-kind gift ever to the College of Science.
Continue reading |
| Team secures $1.4 million in GAANN funds
Tuncay Aktosun, professor of mathematics, helped UT Arlington
secure nearly $1.47 million in federal grants to help qualified
graduate students earn their doctoral degrees in areas of national
need. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Graduate
Assistance in Areas of National Need, or GAANN, grants of
$533,064 to the UT Arlington College of Science's Department of
Mathematics and the College of Engineering's Computer Science
& Engineering Department.
Continue reading |
| Planetarium installs new projection system
The Planetarium at UT Arlington is making changes that will
allow schoolchildren and other planetarium patrons an even
better picture of our galaxy and beyond, including the opportunity
to experience 3-D features. A new Digistar 5 projection
system was installed in December and was put into use for
shows beginning in early January. The planetarium is the only
North Texas facility with the new software..
Continue reading |
| Lopez helping shape new science standards
Professor of physics Ramon Lopez has been honored nationally for
his role in elevating science education. So, it's only natural that
he is involved in shaping the Next Generation Science Standards,
an ongoing effort to create a new set of standards for K-12 science
education in the United States.
Continue reading |
| UT Metroplex Day draws record turnout
IThe sixth annual UT Metroplex Day was bigger and better than
ever before, with a record number of attendees and research
posters entered in the daylong event. The 2012 Metroplex Day,
held February 4 at UT Arlington's E.H. Hereford University Center,
brought together students and faculty from UT Arlington,
UT Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas for a
day of lectures and camaraderie, and gave students a chance
to show off their research and explore opportunities for collaboration
with those from the other institutions.
Continue reading |
| Ballard encourages future ocean explorers
Oceanographer Robert Ballard visited UT Arlington on March 6, encouraging
the next generation of scientists to never stop exploring
and saying the way to strengthen students' interest in science is
to promote scientists as role models. Ballard gave a talk to a soldout
Texas Hall as part of the Maverick Speaker Series. Ballard has
spent over 50 years as a sea explorer and researcher and is probably
best known as the man who found the wreckage of the Titanic
in 1985. He said educators need to sell science "stars" to young
students so that they can envision themselves in those roles.
Continue reading |
Flower Mound wins UT Arlington Calculus Bowl for third consecutive year
Flower Mound High School is making a habit of winning the UT Arlington
Calculus Bowl – the school claimed its third straight title
and fourth in five years at the 12th annual fast-paced advanced
math competition, held March 2 in Pickard Hall. Teams from 22
area high schools matched wits to answer a series of challenging
calculus problems. Flower Mound edged runner-up Highland Park
by a single point to retain the title.
Continue reading |
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