University of Texas Arlington

Addressing fears

Alex del Carmen, head of the criminology and criminal justice department at The University of Texas at Arlington, was quoted in a Dallas Morning News story about parents’ fears about the safety of their local schools following news of the tragic school shooting in Connecticut Friday. He said: “As long as you have someone who has the intention of killing someone and the ability to arm themselves, you will always be vulnerable to that.” But schools can be proactive in making sure they minimize threats as much as possible through the use of video cameras, limited-access points and other measures, del Carmen said. Del Carmen was also interviewed on KRLD/1080 AM and Telemundo about the tragedy.

Switch the channel

Child psychologists and social workers said parents can help their children deal with the horrific news of Friday’s shootings in Connecticut by reassuring them that their school is safe and that such events are extremely rare, according to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story that quoted Norman Cobb, associate professor in the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Arlington. Cobb said exposure to media coverage and potentially distressing images that could exacerbate anxiety should be limited. "If there are gruesome details, I'd switch the channel," he said.

Building better robots

Engineers at UT Arlington’s Research Institute recently won a $1.35 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will fund a project to help robots feel pressure, pain, temperature and other data through skin - robot skin, a story on the website CultureMap Dallas said. UTARI engineers hope to develop skin filled with sensors that would enable robots to better interact with humans as well as improve prosthetics. Dan Popa, a UT Arlington associate professor of electrical engineering, will lead the project.

Engineer honored

Khosrow Behbehani, chairman of the bioengineering department at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Fort Worth Business Press reported. Behbehani, a bioengineering professor, was honored for his contributions to the development of respiratory therapy devices in chronic pulmonary diseases.

Chemistry professor to be recognized

UT Arlington associate professor Kevin Schug will be recognized next year at the international laboratory science conference Pittcon 2013 for his outstanding contributions to analytical chemistry, the website Bio-Medicine reported. Schug will receive the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science at Pittcon 2013, which is scheduled March 17-21 in Philadelphia.