University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 06-28-2012

Legal legend: Dr. Michael Moore is the first recipient of an award named in his honor by the State Bar of Texas.

State Bar of Texas names award after undergraduate dean

Michael Moore, dean of undergraduate studies and a senior vice provost, has been named the first recipient of an award created in his honor by the State Bar of Texas.

The Michael K. Moore Award for Research and Writing in the Area of Indigent Defense is to be awarded July 23 in San Antonio at the State Bar of Texas' annual Advanced Criminal Law Course.

Dr. Moore says the honor is among the highlights of his career. He served for 15 years on the Committee on Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters, during which he worked without compensation to produce pivotal research and writing that helped provide low-income residents in Texas with proper legal representation.

"It's very rewarding to know that other people have valued the work that we did because I believe it made a real difference in the lives of the people in Texas," Moore says. "I appreciate the opportunity the State Bar gave us to do this work, and I appreciate UT Arlington for affording me the time and ability to do this work."

Read more about the new Michael K. Moore Award.

Shakeela Hunter

Student financial literacy director appointed

Shakeela Hunter has been named UT Arlington's first director of student financial literacy.

Hunter will help shape the University’s new Student Money Management Center, which provides students the opportunity to learn how to manage budgets and debt, save, prevent identity theft, and plan for retirement, all before they earn their college degree.

The initiative is part of UT Arlington’s ongoing efforts to ensure student success. It also follows a 2011 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule directing general academic institutions to offer students training in personal financial literacy and provide students the knowledge and skills they need to make important financial decisions.

Hunter, formerly of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, helped launch Illinois' Student Money Management Center in the Student Financial Services office in 2010 to assist the university’s students with their personal financial needs.

Read more about the new director of student financial literacy.

Dr. Alan Bowling

Researchers receive grant to study new molecular models for how motor protons move

UT Arlington researchers have been awarded a $300,000 National Science Foundation grant to study a new model for how motor proteins behave in the body.

Their study could radically change the face of biology by explaining how proteins move and interact with other biological systems, says Jean-Pierre Bardet, dean of the College of Engineering.

Alan Bowling, an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, is the lead investigator. Samarendra Mohanty, an assistant professor of physics, and Subhrangsu Mandal, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are co-principal investigators.

The NSF award is funded through the Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research, or EAGER program. The grants support work on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches.

Read more about the NSF award.

Dr. Laura Mydlarz

Biologists taking coral reef research to Australia

Laura Mydlarz, an assistant professor of biology, is working with colleagues in Puerto Rico to assess the effects of warming ocean temperatures on coral reefs and will present her research at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium in Australia in July.

Dr. Mydlarz organized and co-chairs a series of talks on immune defenses of coral reef organisms at this summer’s conference. Coral reefs worldwide are threatened by pollution, overfishing, and climate change.

Mydlarz will present work conducted in her lab in collaboration with Jorge Pinzon, a post-doctoral fellow in the UT Arlington Biology Department. Mydlarz’ graduate students, Elizabeth McGinty and Whitney Mann, also will present their research at the conference.

Read more about Mydlarz's coral reef research.

Celebrate Independence Day with downtown fireworks, parade

Arlington's legendary Fourth of July celebration brings fireworks, live music, and a traditional parade to the downtown area next week.

Start the celebration early with Light Up Arlington 6-10:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, in downtown Arlington. Live music, a children's area, and fireworks are the highlights.

Cheer on UT Arlington representatives in Arlington's 47th Annual 4th of July Parade starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 4, in the east campus and downtown area.

University supporters Jeannie ('98 BA, '11 MA) and Will Deakyne sponsor the University's parade float again, as they have since 2003. University community members can walk beside the float by emailing pk@uta.edu.

Mr. and Ms. UTA, Navjot Singh and Ify Okonkwo; Student Congress President and Vice President, Jennifer Fox and Alaina Cardwell; UTA Ambassadors; and The Shorthorn are among the parade's 150 entries. The number of spectators has reached about 70,000.

The parade begins at West and Mitchell streets, turning north on Pecan Street, west on UTA Boulevard, north on West Street, then east on Abram Street. The route will turn south at Center Street, west on Mitchell Street to Pecan Street, and conclude near Doug Russell Road.

The parade route is closed to vehicle traffic 7:30 a.m-1 p.m. Those living in the area who plan to leave their residence in a car that morning should do so before 7:30 a.m.

Get tax exempt certificate for Amazon.com purchases before July 1

Beginning Sunday, July 1, Amazon.com will collect sales tax for Texas purchases. As a state agency, UT Arlington is exempt from sales tax.

In order for Amazon.com purchases to qualify for the exemption, each Procurement card (Procard) holder must perform a one-time upload of the Texas Sales Tax Exemption Certificate as soon as possible to ensure that Amazon.com has accepted the certificates before July 1.

Visit uta.edu/procurement for step-by-step instructions.

Note that the Amazon.com account used for University Procard purchases cannot be identical to an account used for personal purchases. Users must create a separate account for official University business.

Checking in Jillian Fleming, center, program officer for corporate citizenship and community investments at ExxonMobil, presents a check for $64,275 to President James D. Spaniolo, left, and Jim Lewis, vice president for development. The company matches, three-to-one, donations made to UT Arlington by ExxonMobil employees and retirees through its Educational Matching Gift Program.

Management chapter receives award from human resource association

For the second year in a row, the Society for Human Resource Management has conferred the Superior Merit Award to the UT Arlington Student SHRM Chapter for an exceptional job of providing opportunities for growth and development to its members. The chapter also earned this level of recognition in 2011.

The College of Business offers a Master of Science in Human Resource Management. It is the only master’s program of its kind in North Texas, preparing students for advanced careers as human resource managers.

SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management.

Green Team has many rewards, including recognition, mountain bike

Form a Green Team in your office and start reducing, reusing, and recycling. Meet certain environmental initiatives and your team can earn recognition.

Complete a self-audit by July 31 and be entered to win a chance for a new mountain bike. The winning department will hold a drawing, and one lucky individual in the office will go home with the bike, courtesy of Pepsi.

For more information, see uta.edu/greenteam or email Becky Valentich, recycling coordinator, at becky@uta.edu.

Network outage Friday night; VPN change set for July 9

The Office of Information Technology will conduct maintenance on network equipment connecting the main UT Arlington campus and the Arlington Regional Data Center 8 p.m.-midnight Friday, June 29. Any interruption in service caused by this maintenance activity during the four-hour time frame should last between five and 15 minutes. Connectivity from the campus to the Internet will not be affected by this work. Connectivity to resources housed at ARDC—MyMav, access to campus web pages, faculty/staff exchange email, file servers—will be affected.

On Monday, July 9, OIT will simplify the campus VPN remote access system by eliminating the “No Split” logon feature of this service. The “No Split” feature has historically been used to access library catalog and subscription services available via the Internet that required special licensing for access. OIT and the Library identified resources that require such security provisions and have taken steps to accommodate this access using the standard default VPN service.

Revision of indirect costs updated in handbook

A revision of the UT Arlington Handbook of Operating Procedures policy 5-202 Distribution of Indirect Cost Recovery has been published.

Weight/Strength Training

The Weight/Strength Training class at the Maverick Activities Center teaches proper lifting techniques, basic exercises for each muscle group, human anatomy as it relates to your workout goals, and how to structure your workouts to reach your goals.

Sign up at the MAC services and information desk by Monday, July 9, for the course, which is 1-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays July 10-Aug. 16. Class price is $120.

For more information, contact Jeremy Roden at jroden@uta.edu.

Mindful Moments

Take a break with Mindful Moments. Free. 12:15-12:45 p.m., Wednesdays, Room 219, Health Services Center. Health Services.

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.

Scholar-athlete: Softballer Courtney Zink was selected UT Arlington Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the Southland Conference and also was named to the SLC Softball All-Academic team for the third straight year.

Zink, Subirats named top scholars

Softballer Courtney Zink and tennis player David Subirats are the UT Arlington representatives as Southland Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

The conference annually recognizes the outstanding male and female student-athletes from each of the league's member institutions. Student-athletes must be a letterwinner with a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA and have completed at least two years of intercollegiate competition at the school from which they were nominated.

Six Mavericks named to SLC All-Academic teams

Six UT Arlington student-athletes earned recognition on Southland Conference All-Academic teams.

Infielder Courtney Zink made the softball first team for the third straight year.

Pitcher Adam Boydston and infielder Ryan Walker were named to the baseball first team.

Discus thrower Samantha Little, distance runner Hance Loyd, sprinter/jumper Lionel Mungwari, and pole vaulter Jeff Rodriguez were included on the men's and women's teams for track and field and cross country.

Conference spring honor roll includes 76 Mavericks

UT Arlington had 76 athletes named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for spring 2012.

The honor roll includes student-athletes who participated in collegiate sports while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Former Maverick selected for baseball futures game

Former UT Arlington outfielder Michael Choice has been selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 8, in Kansas City.

The game, which is hosted by Major League Baseball, features the top minor league prospects. Choice is playing for Midland in the Oakland A’s organization. He is hitting .264 with six home runs and 43 runs batted in.

Sports shorts

• Golf – Paul McConnell qualified for the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links championship, which will be held July 9-14 in Midway, Utah.

• Baseball – Outfielder Preston Beck was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America third team. Pitcher Adam Boydston signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago White Sox while pitcher Collin Reynolds inked with the San Diego Padres.

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

'Glengarry Glen Ross' opens tonight Faculty join students and alumni on stage for David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross, all for a good cause. Box office proceeds benefit the theatre arts scholarship fund. Glengarry Glen Ross is the story of four Chicago salesmen and their supervisor who work together selling undesirable real estate at inflated prices. The play takes place at the end of a month in which the bosses of the company have declared a sales contest. The salesman who clears a certain high dollar amount will win a Cadillac, and the two salesmen who perform worst will be fired. Above, theatre arts senior Robert Bell, left, plays salesman Aaronow, and David Wilson-Brown ('06 BFA) plays Moss. Directing the show is Natalie Gaupp, senior lecturer of theatre arts and playwright in residence. Tickets are $5, cash only at the door. Due to adult language and themes, children are not permitted. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 28-30, at the Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts Building.

Thursday, June 28

Outdoor Movie: Wrath of the Titans Enjoy free popcorn or buy soft drinks and snacks at the concession stand. Bring a blanket or chair for the lawn seating. Children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Free. 9 p.m., west lawn, Maverick Activities Center. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Tuesday, July 3

Light Up Arlington Celebrate our nation's independence with live music, a children's area, and fireworks. Free. 6-10:30 p.m., downtown Arlington. Light Up Arlington.

Wednesday, July 4

Fourth of July Parade Come out to see Arlington's 47th Annual 4th of July Parade. 9 a.m., east campus and downtown area. Campus offices closed for holiday.

Thursday, July 5

Outdoor Movie: American Reunion Enjoy free popcorn or buy soft drinks and snacks at the concession stand. Bring a blanket or chair for the lawn seating. Children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Free. 9 p.m., west lawn, Maverick Activities Center. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Ongoing

897 Square Exhibit features artists who live and/or work in Tarrant County. Free. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesday, Saturdays; 4-8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays. Through July 31. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Texas "Identity" Politics: 1900-Present Focuses on the ways in which politics have become intertwined with our identities. Shows different groups advocating for their civil rights in relation to various aspects of their identities, such as worker, mother, or citizen. Free. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through Aug. 5. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library.

India Unveiled: The Photography of Robert Arnett A collection of images highlighting the diversity of India and its various regions. Free. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through Jan. 5, 2013. Special Collections, sixth floor parlor, Central Library.

Planetarium Spacepark 360 is an out-of-this-world entertainment experience. Get transported to surreal vistas and experience the most thrilling amusement park rides the solar system has to offer. 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sundays. Planetarium.

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