University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 06-03-2010

Relieving the pain: Dr. Kytai Nguyen, left, assistant professor of bioengineering, and Dr. Yuan Peng, associate professor of psychology, received awards for their research concerning healing wounds and reducing pain, respectively. They are among eight UT Arlington grant recipients.

University faculty earn eight advanced research awards

UT Arlington faculty members have received eight Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program awards for $975,874 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The awards came in the fields of biology, psychology, computer science engineering, chemistry, mechanical and aerospace engineering, biochemistry, and mathematics.

The Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program is a competitive peer-reviewed grant program created in 1987 by the 70th Texas Legislature. The program encourages and provides support to faculty members and students in Texas institutions of higher education, both public and independent, to conduct basic research.

"We're very proud to have received these awards," says Ron Elsenbaumer, vice president for research and federal relations. "It is a very competitive process, and the number of awards received by UT Arlington is a testament to the importance of our research."

About 4 percent of the 2,387 proposals received funding, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website. A list of the UT Arlington winners, their grant amounts, and their research projects is online.

Construction continues: The Engineering Research Building is nearing completion on the exterior and is expected to open in January 2011. The L-shaped ERB is being designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Construction on schedule for Engineering Research Building

The building exterior for the Engineering Research Building should be substantially complete by the end of this month. Interior work is under way, and the facility is expected to open in mid-January 2011.

The $126 million structure will house state-of-the-art, multi-disciplinary teaching and research laboratories, support space, and administrative offices.

The ERB is part of the Engineering Research Complex that includes the Engineering Lab Building, Nedderman Hall, and the First and Yates Streets Mall. A bridge will connect the lab building to the research building, and the outdoor mall plaza will unite the three engineering centers.

A green roof installation on the north side of the ERB has started at the second level. The building is designed to meet LEED Silver standards with energy-saving features such as green and light-reflecting roofs, windows designed to make efficient use of available light, rain and condensation capture and storage systems for landscaping uses, and recycled materials.

Sustainability recipients: Dr. Carla Amaro-Jimenez, left, and Dr. Jeff Howard received sustainability awards for their classroom projects.

Amaro-Jimenez, Howard receive sustainability fellowships

Faculty members Carla Amaro-Jimenez and Jeff Howard received fellowships for sustainability in the curriculum, presented by the University Sustainability Committee's curriculum, research, and community engagement group. The fellowships are presented to faculty who best show the use of sustainability within their course curriculum.

Dr. Amaro-Jimenez received a $3,000 award for her project that will help pre-service teachers in bilingual education increase their knowledge of sustainability and develop ways to include the topic in their teaching. She is a visiting assistant professor of bilingual education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Health Professions.

Dr. Howard, assistant professor in the School of Urban and Public Affairs, received a $2,500 award for his project to develop a course titled Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Issues, which will be required for all students taking the new minor program in sustainability.

Baby snout: The infant crocodile snout found at the Arlington Archosaur Site is about one-fifth the size of an adult snout.

Infant crocodile fossils unearthed at Arlington Archosaur Site

Paleontologists have found the partial skull of an infant crocodile at the Arlington Archosaur Site, a prolific fossil site in north Arlington. The skull is a tiny version of the adult skull found at the site last summer.

The juvenile snout is three centimeters long, slightly more than one inch, compared to the adult snout, which was more than 15 centimeters long. The crocodiles lived nearly 100 million years ago.

In addition to the partial snout, crews have found baby scutes—the armored plates that cover the backs of crocodiles—teeth and tiny limb bones, says Derek Main, UT Arlington doctoral student and lecturer who heads the project.

"We haven't found the whole baby yet, but the discovery is really exciting," he says. "It's the first discovery of juvenile crocs from this time frame and this region."

To date, more dinosaur fossils have been recovered from the Arlington Archosaur Site than from any other site in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The site has yielded fossils from various species of animals, including dinosaurs. Crocodile fossils are among the most commonly found.

For more information, visit arlingtonarchosaursite.com.

Gas fuels Maverick Match International entrepreneur Mustaque Ahmed ('81 BS), center, saw his $125,000 gift for the new Festival of Ideas Global Research Institute become a $250,000 endowment thanks to the Maverick Match program. Revenue from natural gas production increases endowments by matching major contributions. Shown with Ahmed at the natural gas drilling site on the southeast edge of campus are President James D. Spaniolo, left, and College of Liberal Arts Dean Beth Wright. Read more about the Maverick Match in The Dallas Morning News.

Get discount tickets for Ranger games

The Texas Rangers are making discounted tickets available to 25 games this year for faculty, staff, students, alumni, family, and friends. Access texasrangers.com/uta and use the password rangers to purchase tickets for selected games June 5-Oct. 3.

Your input needed at Maverick Ideas

Visit Maverick Ideas and share your suggestions on making UT Arlington even better. More than 70 ideas have been posted along with more than 150 comments and almost 1,500 votes.

Maverick Ideas provides a venue for faculty and staff to share and express suggestions to potentially help cut costs, reduce waste, enhance learning, work smarter, and increase the University's impact.

The website is simple to navigate and easy to use. Instructions and guidelines for submitting ideas are posted on the site, as is the process for review and evaluation of ideas.

Summer camps available for youth

A wide variety of camps and programs for youth will be available on campus this summer. Some are free while others charge a fee. Day and residential camps are offered.

Summer camps and courses on campus include athletics, adaptive sports, engineering, music, nursing, SAT prep, science, and spirit/cheer. See more information about summer camps.

Save with Maverick Discount program

Many area businesses offer discounts to faculty, staff, and students through the Maverick Discount program. More information can be found on the Staff Advisory Council website.

The Staff Advisory Council will hold its monthly meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, in the Student Congress Chambers on the lower level of the E.H. Hereford University Center. All staff members are welcome to attend.

Tour of Waste Management Materials Recovery Facility

Faculty and staff are invited to take a tour of the Waste Management Materials Recovery Facility in Arlington. The facility processes all collected University material. Meet near Starbucks at the E.H. Hereford University Center. After the tour, participants will be treated to lunch in the Connection Café. Closed-toed shoes required. Limited to 30 people. Presented by Maverick Office Green Team. RSVP by Monday, June 7, to Becky Valentich at becky@uta.edu. 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 9.

Exercise classes free next week at MAC

The first week of summer group exercise classes are free June 7-13 at the Maverick Activities Center. Participants must have an activated ID and will be granted access to class up to five minutes after the posted class time.

Classes in BOSU blast, cardio dance craze, cycle, Latin fusion, pilates, yoga, and others continue through Friday, Aug. 13. For more information, see the Campus Recreation summer group exercise schedule.

Coping and Communicating In and Through Change

A Greek philosopher once said that the only constant is change. That is certainly true in our fast-paced society and work environment. This new course discusses the basic concept of change, available change strategies, how to be a change agent, how to communicate during change, and more. 2-4 p.m., Wednesday, June 9, Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. See a complete list of HR training classes.

Take a break with Mindful Moments

Take a break from stress with Mindful Moments each Wednesday this summer. Mindfulness draws on one's internal resources to cultivate awareness and practice being present in each moment of our lives. The summer session continues through Aug. 11. Free. 12:15-12:45 p.m. Wednesdays, Room 235, Business Building. Marie Bannister, 2-2771.

How to Build a Powerful Vocabulary

This course includes everything you need to start building a strong vocabulary, plus special accelerated word-infusion techniques designed to stimulate memory in the brain's language centers. $90. Register online. 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, June 26, Room E200F, Continuing Education and Workforce Development, 140 W. Mitchell.

Employment information

Check out employment opportunities at 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.

Sprinting to nationals: Cordero Gray, left, and Jasmine Walls qualified for the sprint events in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships next week.

Gray, Walls sprint their way to national track championships

Junior Cordero Gray and senior Jasmine Walls qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore.

Gray qualified in the men's 100- and 200-meter dash events at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet last weekend in Austin. Walls qualified in the women's 200-meter event, also in Austin.

Gray and Walls are no strangers to the NCAA championships, as both advanced last year and earned All-America status.

Baseballers win two, lose two at conference tournament

The Mavericks advanced to the finals for their bracket with a pair of early wins in the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, but two straight losses to Texas State kept the team from reaching the championship round.

Outfielder Michael Choice and first baseman Jordan Vaughn were named to the SLC All-Tournament Team.

Intramural entries due; sand volleyball registration begins next week

Intramural entries for indoor soccer, softball, and the FIFA World Cup group stage pick 'em are due Thursday, June 10, while entries for tennis and racquetball are due Friday, June 11. Sand volleyball registration begins Thursday, June 10, and ends Thursday, June 24.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members are eligible to participate as long as they have an active Campus Recreation membership. A faculty/staff league will be available for softball at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and sand volleyball at 6 p.m. Tuesdays. Faculty/staff softball teams may have five students per team, and faculty/staff sand volleyball teams may have one student per team.

For more information, see the intramural sports summer calendar.

Sports shorts

Outfielder Michael Choice is a projected top-15 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft, which begins Monday, June 7. Read the mlb.com feature article and mock draft. Choice is also one of 30 semifinalists for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, presented to the nation's top amateur baseball player. ... Four UT Arlington tennis players were named to the 2010 Southland Conference All-Academic Team. Men's team members named to the first team included senior Dmitry Minkin and sophomore Adam Srkala. Women's players named to the second team were senior Klara Jagosova and sophomore Maria Martinez-Romero.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, utamovinmavs.com, or uta.edu/campusrec.)

Special Collections summer exhibit spotlights labor "For All Workers: The Legacy of the Texas Labor Movement, 1838-2010" is the Special Collections summer exhibit on the sixth floor of the Central Library. The exhibit features the personal papers of labor and political activist John "J.W." Jackson, as well as numerous items from the Texas Labor Archives at UT Arlington. Inspired by Jackson's generous donations of labor archive records and personal papers, the exhibit explains what labor unions are and why they are important, shows the importance of the labor movement as seen through Jackson's life, and concludes with accounts of labor events that have impacted Texas history. The labor movement is a little-known aspect of Texas history, but is inextricably intertwined with the legacy of what it means to be a Texan. The exhibit runs through Aug. 7 and is free and open to the public. Summer hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. For more information call 2-7511.

Friday, June 4

Band of Heathens Concert The College of Engineering hosts a free evening concert with Band of Heathens. See upcoming concerts at levittpavilionarlington.org. Free. 8 p.m. Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram.

Friday-Sunday, June 4-6

Texas Scottish Festival and Highland Games Scottish music, dance, history, foods, Highland athletics, and more. Two-for-one tickets are available Friday and Sunday for faculty and staff with ID. Regular price for adults is $10 Friday and Sunday and $15 Saturday. 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 9 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Maverick Stadium. texasscottishfestival.com.

Thursday, June 10

Opening Reception for 'New Works: UTA Photography Faculty' The UTA photography faculty represent varied ages, genders, ethnicities, and artistic viewpoints. "New Works" features the work of Bryan Florentin, Scott Hilton, Leighton McWilliams, Kenda North, and Andrew Ortiz. Through July 31. Free. 6-8 p.m., Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Through Aug. 31

MFA Summer Exhibition The third annual summer exhibition by 16 Master of Fine Arts students represents the Department of Art and Art History graduate program in intermedia studio, glass, visual communication, and film and video. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building.

Ongoing

Downtown Farmers Market Arlington's downtown farmers market features locally grown produce and locally made baked goods, arts, and crafts. Co-sponsored by UT Arlington Dining Services. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays, 215 E. Front St.

Planetarium Programs Texas Stargazing is among the shows on the summer schedule, which begins Tuesday, June 8. $4 faculty, staff. uta.edu/planetarium, 2-1183.

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