University of Texas Arlington

Making robots more human

A team from UT Arlington's Research Institute in Fort Worth could help humans get one step closer to more intelligent, and more human-like, robots -- complete with soft skin and high-tech sensors, according to KERA/90.1 FM. The story said the four-year project headed by electrical engineering professor Dan Popa aims to develop robots with more advanced functions that can interact with humans in a variety of settings. Popa’s team works with manufacturers to allow robots to do more advanced tasks by implanting sensors and giving them more delicate motor functions.

Nationally-noted chemist

Kevin Schug, Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry at UT Arlington, will receive the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science, according to the Houston Chronicle, Lab Manager magazine and other outlets. The award will be presented during a symposium in March at Pittcon 2013, a prestigious international conference.

Bacteria battles

A research collaboration that included UT Arlington assistant biology professor Jorge Rodrigues and a team from UT Southwestern Medical Center examined the role of unique viruses called bacteriophages in the digestive system, according to ScienceDaily, Bio-Medicine and other outlets. They found that a bacteriophage unique to Enterococcus faecalis strain V583 acts as a predator, infecting and harming other similar, competing bacterial strains.

Teaming up with Arlington

The Dallas Observer’s Unfair Park blog featured a post on a joint plan by the city of Arlington and The University of Texas at Arlington for a bus service connecting the Trinity Railway Express' CentrePort station to the university. The site said the limited scope has the obvious benefit of limiting cost, but it also means it won't require a public referendum.