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Web of influence: An online service provided by the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center connects innovations and inventions with potential investors, distributors and manufacturers.

TMAC provides
Web site to help manufacturers buy, inventors sell ideas

The Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at UT Arlington is providing a new Web-based service that will match inventions with companies that can use them.

The Innovation Marketplace is designed to connect innovations and inventions with potential investors, distributors and manufacturers. Think of it as an online "matchmaker" marketplace where inventors, patent holders and intellectual property owners can post ideas in search of partners, buyers and licensees, but with one big exception. Before inventions are listed, the registry provides in-person or online workshops to help inventors recast their often-technical prose in jargon-free descriptions for the business and industrial customers shopping at the site.

In North Texas, TMAC has an alliance with UT Arlington at the University's Automation and Robotics Research Institute (ARRI).

The new Web site service is free to manufacturers. TMAC and the Innovation Marketplace charge entrepreneurs a fee for listing ideas or inventions. A free 60-minute demonstration of how to use the Innovation Marketplace will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 at ARRI, 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. South in Fort Worth.

Contact TMAC growth coach Tom Pryor at 817-475-2945 or e-mail Tom.Pryor@TMAC.org for more information on the new Web site, listing ideas or registering for the free Aug. 5 demo.

Read more about the National Innovation Marketplace program, TMAC or see the news release.

Handy wrap: This theater-themed art piece is one of many on display in an exhibit of boxes at the University Center Gallery.

Box art part of 'Fluxhibition'
at University Center Gallery

A box is a box is a box—except when it's art.

The box as an expressive medium is the premise of Fluxhibition #3: Thinking Inside of the Box, an exhibit that runs through July at the University Center Gallery in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Ceil Touchon, the exhibit's curator and a UT Arlington graduate, organized the exhibit in two months, asking artists around the world to contribute boxes for the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction and the FluxMuseum, both of which are housed in his Fort Worth home.

Among these boxes are political messages, personal stories, jokes, social commentary, inventions, commemorative works, obsessive passions, homage to other artists, games, gadgets, dead bugs, a rotten egg from Macedonia, family heirlooms from Demark, handmade objects, scientific paraphernalia from the EPA, training kits, the hair of virgins, magic boxes, hidden compartment boxes, a pot of lightning from Greece, air from Colorado and even a bottle "chock full of God."

Fluxus, a Latin word meaning "to flow," is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s.

The Gallery is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and the exhibition is sponsored by the UT Arlington Student Art Association. For more information, see the news release.

Cowboys Stadium employees to use campus parking

Five of UT Arlington's 26 student parking lots will be reserved Sunday, July 19 for use by Cowboys Stadium employees, who will be shuttled to the new stadium for a pro soccer game. The University is allowing stadium employees to use Lots 47, 49, 50, 51 and 52. Nursing students will be allowed to park at the north end of Lot 47, east of Pickard Hall. All other students, faculty and staff will be redirected to Lot F-10 and, if needed, Lot F-13.

UT Arlington is an active partner in the Arlington community and, as such, has agreed to allow stadium employees to use some student lots during off-peak hours and on weekends in exchange for University promotions at the stadium and other support.

Similar procedures are expected to be in effect during major stadium events throughout the year.

Parking permits available online

Faculty/staff parking permits for the 2009-10 academic year are now available online at www.uta.edu/mymav. All employees need a permit to be properly parked on campus, and faculty/staff must have their permits no later than Aug. 31.

The parking link will take you to the MyMav sign-in page, where you will log in using your net ID and password. Click on Parking Self Service on the left side of that page. Follow directions by entering your UT EID or Emplid, typing in your name and selecting pre-tax or after-tax options. Once you click on Submit Parking Request, your order is complete, but a confirmation page will not appear.

Veterans benefits increase Veterans benefits coordinator Anita Perez addresses the Veterans Forum in the E.H. Hereford University Center last week. Seated at right is Kevin Smith, ROTC admissions/recruiting officer at UT Arlington. The forum informed faculty and staff of new benefits, programs and resources available to veterans. Universities are preparing for more veterans to enroll in courses to take advantage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, which go into effect Aug. 1.

By ordering your permit online, you can utilize payroll deduction, which will occur over an 8-month period starting with your Oct. 1 paycheck. You need a current appointment in Define to participate in the payroll deduction process, and you must work at least 30 hours per week. Once you order your permit and update your address, your permit will be mailed to the address listed. Be sure to keep up with your University account balances online because bills for amounts due on permits are not mailed. If you order online and do not receive your permit in the mail by Aug. 24, call the Parking Office at 2-3907.

If you have questions, call the Parking Office at 2-3907 or e-mail mabry@uta.edu.

SAC needs volunteers to greet troops

The Staff Advisory Council is seeking volunteers to greet troops as they come through DFW Airport on Saturday, July 18. Volunteers are urged to wear a UT Arlington shirt. Greeters are screened like passengers and should limit items brought through security. Be sure to bring a photo ID.

Flight arrival is between 7 and 9 a.m. at Terminal D, Gate 22. Greeters are expected to be flexible as arrival times are subject to change. Greeters can call 972-574-0392 the evening prior for an up-to-date automated recording on arrival times. They may park in the lot located on the ground level and walk across to greet the troops in the Arrival Hall. Parking passes will be issued as you arrive, so there is no parking fee or charge to your toll tag. Toll tags must be taken down before entering the airport, since DFW Airport isn't able to reimburse toll tags.

Those interested in carpooling should contact Ashley Smith at ashsmith@uta.edu or 2-2076. Carpoolers can meet that morning in the parking lot at 301 S. Center St., between Abram and UTA Boulevard, the Southwest Securities/Charles C. Wade Building. The meeting time will be determined by the flight arrival time.

More information on the "Welcoming Home A Hero" program can be found at www.dfwairport.com/heroes.

Help reduce power demands

Weather forecasters are predicting temperatures well over 100 degrees for much of the week, and electricity providers are concerned about the strain these temperatures will put on the power grid. Facilities Management is asking the campus community to help reduce power demands with a few simple adjustments:

• Turn off all unnecessary lighting when leaving your office. This includes task lighting and office lighting when leaving for lunch.

• Turn off all lighting when leaving your office at the end of the workday.

• Turn off hall lighting when natural or exit lighting provides adequate illumination.

• Close all window blinds and shades to help reduce the solar load, unless this requires you to turn on more lighting.

• Refrain from using space heaters.

• Contact the Service Call Center at 2-2000 to have your office temperature adjusted if your area is over-cooled.

Each kilowatt hour of lighting electricity requires an additional kilowatt hour of air conditioning electricity to counteract the residual heating from the lighting. This significantly impacts our energy use.

Please assist Facilities Management with these energy conservation measures.

Caddyshack golf tournament deadline is Friday

The Department of Campus Recreation will host the Caddyshack Classic IV Golf Tournament at 8 a.m. Friday, July 24 at Tangle Ridge Golf Club in Grand Prairie. Registration deadline is Friday, July 17.

The event is open to faculty, staff and guests. The format will be Florida Scramble with four-person teams. Refreshments will be provided during and after the tournament, and there will be a hamburger lunch. The entry fee is $60 per person and includes green fees, golf carts and range balls. Entry forms are available at the Maverick Activities Center information desk. For more information, contact Chris Muller at cmuller@uta.edu or 2-3277.

Faculty/staff to receive free Planetarium admission on Thursdays

Faculty and staff and their accompanying family members will receive free admission to Planetarium shows on Thursdays through Aug. 20.

Thursday shows include "The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket" each week at 2 p.m. with "Black Holes" showing at 7 p.m. A UTA ID is required to receive free admission. Get more information at Planetarium or call 2-1183.

Annual Enrollment meeting Thursday

The second Annual Enrollment meeting for the 2009-10 benefit plan year will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, July 16 in Rio Grande B of the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Vendors will provide information and have prize giveaways. Participating vendors include BlueCross BlueShield, Medco Health, PayFlex, Delta Dental, Assurant Dental, Superior Vision, Fort Dearborn Life and Employee Benefits Services.

During Annual Enrollment, which continues until July 31, you may enroll, change your group insurance benefit elections and add or remove dependents from coverage. Another meeting is scheduled from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22 in Rio Grande B.

You may access more information about Annual Enrollment and your UT Arlington benefits online at policy.uta.edu/benefits, by contacting Employee Benefits Services at 2-5558 or by e-mailing benefits@uta.edu.

Erin O'Malley, exhibits and outreach assistant in the Special Collections Division of the Library, received the 2009 Best in Show award from the Library Leadership Administration and Management Association (LLAMA) for her work on the Reeder School online exhibit. She holds a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a graduate certificate in museum studies. Q: Tell us about the award. A: LLAMA is a committee of the American Library Association, and its annual Best of Show awards recognize the very best public relations materials produced by libraries in the past year. Q: How did you go about collecting items for the exhibit? A: The exhibit came about because Special Collections received the Dickson and Flora Reeder Papers and Reeder School Records. The collections contain some wonderful items, including photographs, personal papers and original costume and set designs. Q: What other exhibits have you compiled since you've been at UT Arlington? A: We do three exhibits a year that cover a wide range of topics. After the Reeder exhibit, we did one that focused on the Cold War. Last fall, we had a large map exhibit that coincided with our biannual Virginia Garrett lecture series and focused on the American West. The exhibit up now is fun and appropriate for the summer since it looks at what travelers used to trek across the country, what they saw and how they remembered their trips. Q: What do you do in the area of outreach? A: I often help the other library branches with their exhibits. We also have a project in Special Collections called Time Frames that spotlights a photograph, map or document drawn from a broad spectrum of subjects in our extensive collections. The items are published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and we produce online videos and maintain a Web page of certain Time Frames. Q: What do you have planned for the fall? A: We're working on another map exhibit in conjunction with the meeting of the Texas Map Society. The exhibit will focus on German cartography.

Plan now for retirement

While reviewing insurance coverage for yourself and your family, Annual Enrollment is also a great time to review coverage for your financial health.

People are living longer, healthier lives, and that means they need more robust retirement income sources. The UT System provides a number of vehicles you can use to ensure those income sources are available when you need them most.

You may enroll or increase your contribution in the UTSaver TSA or UTSaver DCP at any time, and annual enrollment is a great time to think about your total benefit needs. Contributions can be as little as $15 per month for the TSA ($20 per month for the DCP) or as much as $16,500 a year. In some cases, you may even be able to contribute more. All contributions are conveniently deducted from your paycheck before taxes, which means your taxable income decreases. Or you may choose to make your contributions after taxes have been deducted.

To learn more about retirement savings opportunities, visit www.utretirement.utsystem.edu.

Building blocks of business writing

Everything you write by hand or produce on a computer is a reflection of who you are as a professional. Taking the time to communicate effectively in writing is a key to your workplace success. In this course, you'll learn basic and next level skills that will help you achieve the greatest level of effectiveness in your writing. 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, Wetsel Service Center, Room 200. See a complete list of training classes.

Access 2007 Level III: Forms

This course expands on the basics learned in the previous Access training courses. You will learn how to create and modify forms. Register to attend. 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, Ransom Hall, Room 211A. See a complete list of OIT training classes.

Employment information

Check out UT Arlington employment opportunities at www.uta.edu/jobs. Have questions? Call Human Resources/Employment Services at 2-3461 or TDD 2-8139 or e-mail employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Wednesday, July 15 Night Skies over Hogwarts This one-hour, live night sky talk will give a magical new perspective to the nighttime sky. Dress up as your favorite Harry Potter character. Space is limited, so make your reservations early. $5 adults, $4 children/seniors. 5 p.m., Planetarium, Chemistry and Physics Building. Call 2-1183 for tickets.

Saturday, July 25 Jaime Escalante: Math, Education and the Desire to Succeed The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers' educational foundation, Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science, presents Jamie Escalante, the East Los Angeles high school calculus teacher who was profiled in the movie "Stand and Deliver." Escalante received the Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education from President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1999. $10 in advance; $20 at the door. 6 p.m., Texas Hall. Contact Gary Cruz at ahetems@shpe.org or call 2-1116.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UT Arlington Calendar)

Thursday, July 16 EXCEL Summer Movie Series "Hannah Montana: The Movie" will be shown on the west wall of the Maverick Activities Center. Sponsored by EXCEL Campus Activities. Bring chairs or blankets. Free popcorn will be available, and candy and drinks will be available for purchase. Free and open to the public. The movie will begin at dusk, approximately 8:30 or 9 p.m. Anyone under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. See calendar.

Friday, July 17 UT Arlington Night at Texas Rangers Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins. Fireworks after the game. Discount tickets for UT Arlington faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. Go to www.texasrangers.com/uta and use the password: "rangers." 7:05 p.m., Rangers Ballpark at Arlington.

Thursday, July 23 Alumni Mixer The Alumni Association will host an Alumni Mixer at BlackFinn American Saloon in the Arlington Highlands. Alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University are invited. Limited complimentary appetizers, cash bar and alumni giveaways. Wear your Maverick attire and bring a friend. RSVP by Tuesday, July 21 to 2-2594 or uta_alumni@uta.edu. Free. 6-8 p.m., BlackFinn, Arlington Highlands, 4001 Bagpiper Way, Suite 101.

Now through July 31 Fluxhibition #3: Thinking Inside of the Box This is the largest exhibition dedicated to contemporary Fluxus/Assemblage box artists ever assembled in the history of the Fluxus community. Inspired initially by Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Cornell, Fluxus box assemblage quickly became a staple in the Fluxus community to gather together small works and editions of works from many artists into group and individual box assemblages. Free. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, E.H. Hereford University Center Art Gallery.

Now through Aug. 8 Special Collections Exhibit "The Road West: Travel Through America" looks at what travelers used to trek across the country, what they saw and how they remembered their trips. Free. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Library, Special Collections, Sixth Floor. For more information, visit Special Collections or call 2-3393.

Now through Aug. 22 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition The second annual Master of Fine Arts Exhibition features works by a diverse group of graduate student artists at varying stages of their program of study. Free. The Gallery at UTA, Room 169, Fine Arts Building. Films will be screened concurrently in Room 2105. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 22. Contact the Department of Art and Art History at 2-2891.

Now through Sept. 30 Fort Worth: A Vision in Glass Gallery 76102 at the Fort Worth Center hosts an exhibit that highlights various disciplines in the glass arts including glassblowing, kiln-formed glass, flameworking, neon sculpture, stained glass, glass mosaic and cast glass. Free. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday. Monday, Wednesday and Friday by appointment only. Contact Christina Graves at 2-5988.

Ongoing UT Arlington Planetarium programs Summer shows include Texas Stargazing, Stars of the Pharaohs, Black Holes, Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, Stars at Night are Big and Bright, Bad Astronomy, matinees and $2 movies. Check the Planetarium Web site for upcoming shows. Contact the Planetarium at 2-1183 or planetarium@uta.edu for tickets.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UT Arlington Calendar)

Editors: Jim Patterson, Teresa Newton Web Developer: James Barberousse Photographers: Beth McHenry, Robert Crosby Executive Director for University Publications: Mark Permenter Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing: David Johnson Vice President for Communications: Jerry Lewis Published by University Communications © 2009 The University of Texas at Arlington

MavWire is published by the Department of University Communications on Mondays and Thursdays (except for holidays) during the fall and spring semesters, and on Wednesdays during the summer. To submit items for possible inclusion in MavWire, e-mail mavwire@uta.edu. Items must be received three working days before distribution. Inclusion of events and activities in MavWire does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by the University. Read the MavWire Guidelines. MavWire welcomes any non-employees of UT Arlington who would like to subscribe.