University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 01-05-2012

Register and verify your mobile phone number to receive MavAlert emergency notifications

Your safety is a priority at UT Arlington. The University maintains the MavAlert Emergency Notification System to rapidly notify faculty, staff, and students in the event of a campus emergency. The multi-tiered communications system can deliver emergency notifications to the campus community via text message, email, and voice mail.

It is critical that you register and verify your mobile phone number through the MyMav system each semester. Go to uta.edu/mymav and follow the instructions in the center of the portal page.

Your cellphone number must be classified as a "mobile" phone in the emergency contact form to enable MavAlert text messages.

Beware of phishing email

Don't take the bait of malicious email messages that attempt to steal personal information through a legitimate-looking email, also known as "phishing." The messages urge recipients to click on a link or reply by email and confirm their username and/or password.

UT Arlington staff will never request that you submit your username (NetID) or passwords via email.

When you receive questionable email, be sure to examine the email header and the reply-to address. Most of the phishing email are sent from external email addresses, such as yahoo.com, gmail.com, and other sites. Sometimes the email appears to come from a uta.edu email address. Always be cautious of links in suspicious email messages, which may go to an illegitimate website or a fraudulent login page.

The Information Security Office offers these guidelines:

• Do not provide a NetID and password in email.

• Do not respond to emails that require you to enter personal or financial information directly into the email.

• Do not reply to emails asking you to send personal information.

• Do not use your email address as your password.

• Do not respond to emails threatening to close your account if you do not provide personal information.

If you have responded to a phishing scheme by submitting information about your password, immediately change your password at uta.edu/selfservice. If you are unable to change your password, contact the OIT Helpdesk at 2-2208.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien visits in February for Maverick Speakers Series

Soledad O'Brien, CNN anchor and special correspondent, discusses "Diversity in America" in the next Maverick Speakers Series presentation Friday, Feb. 24, at Texas Hall.

Since joining CNN in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe and has produced award-winning and critically acclaimed documentaries. She is also part of CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television.”

In 2010 O’Brien released her memoir, The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities. Recognition for her work includes awards such as Journalist of the Year and the Edward R. Murrow Award.

Tickets will be available beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6.

Other Maverick Speakers Series presentations during the spring semester include oceanographer Robert Ballard on Tuesday, March 6, at Texas Hall, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday, March 23, at College Park Center.

Basketball tickets available for College Park Center games

Single-game tickets for February basketball games in College Park Center are available at utatickets.com. Admission is free, but tickets are required.

For those who have purchased or wish to purchase courtside or center-court seats, you can select your seats at College Park Center at 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Jan. 5. For more information, see select-a-seat night.

Opening night for the 7,000-seat arena is Wednesday, Feb. 1, when the women's and men's basketball teams play UT San Antonio. The women have four other games at College Park Center in February while the men have three.

There are seven games remaining in Texas Hall this month. Tickets for those games are $8 and also are available at utatickets.com.

Speaking of change: Sam Nix ('04 BA) is among the speakers at the Sharing the Dream Banquet.

MLK Celebration begins with Jan. 13 banquet

The annual Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration begins with the Sharing the Dream Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at the Bluebonnet Ballroom in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

This year's program features four community change agents—former Tarrant County College Southeast President Judith Carrier, Tarrant County Commissioner Andy Nguyen, Arlington YMCA President Willie Dean, and Carter Junior High Principal Sam Nix—discussing the theme "Change Begins With Me." Tickets to the banquet are available at utatickets.com.

Tickets for "An Evening of Spoken Word Slam Poetry" also are available at utatickets.com. The slam is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Bluebonnet Ballroom.

The MLK Celebration events continue through Monday, Jan. 16.

UT Metroplex Day registration due by Jan. 15

UT Arlington will host the annual UT Metroplex Day, an event that highlights research opportunities at UT Arlington, UT Dallas, and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

The goal of this one-day event Friday, Feb. 3, is to present science research conducted at the three UT System institutions in North Texas and to encourage collaborations.

The event is open to all faculty, post doctoral fellows, students, and research staff and trainees at the sponsoring schools. Deadline for abstract submission and registration is Sunday, Jan. 15.

The keynote speaker is Sean Mackey, chief of the Pain Management Division and associate professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Neurosciences and Neurology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He will discuss “Opening Windows to the Brain: Lessons Learned From Neuroimaging of Pain.”

Faculty members and selected graduate students representing each school also will speak and present their winning posters. An award presentation for poster winners will conclude the event.

SharePoint implementation starts this month

SharePoint—a Microsoft program that allows groups to collaborate on documents—will be added to a few departments each month starting this month by the Office of Information Technology.

SharePoint initially will be used as an intranet for faculty and staff, implementing only its basic collaboration features. At first, SharePoint will not be used to create public or course-related sites.

Training and support will take more than a year for all faculty and staff. User training will be presented through lynda.com. Users will have full access to these courses during their department’s rollout.

Classroom training will be provided to departmental site owners. Planning for additional classroom training and demonstrations is under way.

Read more or watch the video about SharePoint and the rollout at UT Arlington.

Doctoral student receives research award

Richa Karanjekar, an engineering doctoral student studying ways to monitor chemical releases from landfills, was one of four people nationwide to win Environmental Research and Education Foundation scholarships for 2011, the North Carolina-based group recently announced.

Karanjekar will receive a $12,000 award that is renewable for up to two additional years if she continues her research. She is developing a model for more accurately predicting methane generation from landfills based on factors such as rainfall, temperature, and waste composition. The data could be used to determine the feasibility of capturing the methane for energy production, she says.

Karanjekar is expected to receive her doctorate from the College of Engineering in 2012. Her advisers are Melanie Sattler and Sahadat Hossain, both associate professors in the Department of Civil Engineering.

File services unavailable on Jan. 14

File services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, until midnight Sunday, Jan. 15, for system maintenance, according to the Office of Information Technology. This will affect faculty/staff J: drives.

Get a free pass to the MAC

Faculty and staff can sign up for a free pass to the Maverick Activities Center valid through Monday, Jan. 16, at the MAC Services and Information desk.

The MAC facilities feature cardio machines, circuit training units, free weights, group exercise rooms, basketball courts, volleyball courts, indoor tracks, racquetball courts, badminton courts, a game room, and a climbing wall.

Memberships for employees and retirees can be paid monthly, by semester, or by payroll deduction. Memberships for employee spouses also are available. For more information, call 2-3277 or visit uta.edu/campusrec.

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 email employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Academic leader: Senior Tara Frantz was the top Maverick on the Southland Conference All-Academic Volleyball Team with a 3.71 GPA.

Volleyball players earn academic honors

Tara Frantz and Alicia Shaffer earned first-team Southland Conference All-Academic Volleyball Team honors, while Amanda Aguilera was named to the second team.

Frantz, a kinesiology senior, led the Maverick contingent with a 3.71 GPA, while Shaffer, a business management senior, has a 3.65 GPA.

Mav men win SLC opener; host Nicholls on Saturday

After opening Southland Conference play with an 85-46 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday, the men's basketball team hosts Nicholls State in another SLC game at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Texas Hall.

The Mavericks, who received votes in the latest national mid-major poll, are 8-5 overall and take a four-game winning streak into Saturday's contest.

Women's basketball opens conference action on road

Following a rugged non-conference schedule, the women's basketball team opens Southland Conference play at Nicholls State on Saturday, Jan. 7.

The Mavericks defeated Houston Baptist 78-61 last Saturday before losing to Fresno State 78-48 Tuesday as they stand 2-9 on the season.

Movin' Mavs win six at Kansas tourney

The Movin’ Mavs wheelchair basketball team won all six games to repeat as champions of the Gorilla Invitational in December at Pittsburg, Kan.

Next tournament for the Movin’ Mavs is Jan. 13-15 at the Pioneer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.

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

Friday, Jan. 6

$2 Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord. Rated PG-13. 5:30 p.m.; also 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Saturday, Jan. 7

Men's Basketball Mavericks vs. Nicholls State. Tickets $8. 7 p.m., Texas Hall. Athletics, 2-2261.

Wednesday, Jan. 11

$2 Movie: Super 8 During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town. Rated PG-13. 5:30 p.m.; also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Men's Basketball Mavericks vs. Sam Houston State. Tickets $8. 7 p.m., Texas Hall. Athletics, 2-2261.

Ongoing

Life and Death in the Northern Pass Photojournalist Dominic Bracco II ('08 BA) provides a view of drug violence in Ciudad Juarez. Free. Through Saturday, Jan. 14. Sixth floor parlor, Central Library.

Impressions of the West: Works of Art from Special Collections The American West comes alive in more than 30 paintings, sculptures, and prints. Free. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through Saturday, Jan. 14. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library, 2-3393.

Planetarium Enjoy a '60s-style laser light show set to the music of Pink Floyd. 7 p.m. Saturdays. Planetarium, 2-1183.

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