University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 09-10-2012

Dr. Kaushik De and Dr. Gergely Zaruba

UT Arlington professors expanding "big data" technology for ATLAS

UT Arlington is teaming with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven and Argonne national laboratories to develop a universal version of PanDA, a workload management system built to process huge volumes of data from experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland.

The new project will bolster science and engineering research that relies on “big data,” a priority recently promoted by The White House. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research has awarded a combined $1.7 million to Brookhaven and UT Arlington to fund the PanDA work over the next three years.

Kaushik De, a physics professor and director of UT Arlington’s Center of Excellence for High Energy Physics, and Gergely Zaruba, an associate professor of computer science and engineering, are co-principal investigators for the University’s portion, which totals $704,488.

UT Arlington and Brookhaven developed PanDA for use by the ATLAS collaboration, a particle physics experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. ATLAS includes 3,000 physicists from UT Arlington and more than 170 other institutions, 40 of which are in the United States.

ATLAS computing hardware is located at 100 computing centers around the world that manage more than 50 petabytes, or 50 million gigabytes, of data. UT Arlington is home to the ATLAS Southwest Tier 2 grid computing center.

Read more about the PanDA project.

Jeter named director of Legislative Relations

UT Arlington has hired Jeff Jeter, former chief of staff and legislative director for state Sen. Chris Harris, to represent UT Arlington in Austin as the director of Legislative Relations. He will begin work Sept. 17.

“Jeff was an essential part of the team as Sen. Harris worked to pass legislation and craft policy that improved the lives of his constituents in North Texas,” says President James D. Spaniolo. "We expect he’ll bring the same high level of commitment and confidence to telling UT Arlington’s story in Austin.”

Jeter joined Sen. Harris’ staff in 2006 and has overseen all aspects of his Senate office, including creating, negotiating and implementing his legislative and political priorities. Jeter received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UT Austin. Jeter spent the first ten years of his career serving assistant sergeant at arms in the Texas House of Representatives for two different Speaker administrations.

Answer man President James D. Spaniolo answered questions Thursday at the annual Leadership Luncheon in the E.H. Hereford University Center. Topics included the 2013 legislative session, the University's progress toward becoming a major national research institution, enrollment, and the transition in presidential leadership. Leading the question-and-answer format was Mark Permenter, executive director of publications and editor of UTArlington Magazine in the Office of University Communications.

Job Fair volunteers needed

Volunteers are needed for the Fall Job Fair Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the Maverick Activities Center. The fair, hosted by the Career Center, has shifts available in one-hour increments 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

Faculty and staff are needed most 7-9 a.m. during set up, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. to allow a lunch break for the Career Center staff while ensuring the job fair is still supervised. Volunteer duties include set up, clean up, loading dock, and check-in tables.

Organizations also may volunteer. Fill out the Job Fair volunteer form or contact the Career Center at 2-2932 or careers@uta.edu.

New policy to affect electronic access

Effective Monday, Oct. 1, Mav Express will automatically remove electronic access privileges to campus doors and parking gates based on various conditions that affect a cardholder’s status with the University.

For example, access privileges will be automatically removed 10 days after an employee no longer has an active employment assignment. For students, access privileges will be automatically removed 10 days after the student is no longer enrolled.

While departments will continue to be responsible for immediately requesting removal of electronic access privileges when an individual is no longer eligible, this automatic removal of privileges is an important safeguard to enhance campus safety and security.

See more details and examples. Send questions or concerns to mavexpress@uta.edu.

Survey invites sustainability feedback

Want to have a say in UT Arlington’s sustainability efforts? Take a brief, nine-question sustainability survey and provide feedback on economic, cultural, and environmental topics.

UT System enhancements for 2013

An enhanced health and wellness initiative will be introduced in January 2013, according to the Office of Employee Benefits for the UT System. The Living Well program will move in a new direction that will include additional tools, resources, and programs to help you take better care of your health and well-being. See the September issue of the UT System Health Newsletter.

Mindful Moments

Take a break from stress 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.

Thursday, Sept. 13

Biology Colloquium Series Kurt Anderson, assistant professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside, discusses "Modeling Spatial Ecological Dynamics in Streams and Rivers." Free. 4 p.m., Room 119, Life Science Building. Biology.

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

Monday, Sept. 10

Voice Division Recital Performances by vocal students. Free. Noon-1 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Tuesday, Sept. 11

Music Honors Recital Performances by music faculty members and outstanding students. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Thursday, Sept. 13

Jazz on the Lawn An outdoor performance of UT Arlington jazz bands and ensembles. Free. 7 p.m., Architecture Building courtyard. Music.

Levitt Pavilion Joe King Carrasco, right, the King of Tex-Mex rock 'n' roll, performs. Also Smile Smile, Friday, Sept. 14; Blaine Gray, Saturday, Sept. 15; Delta Rae, Sunday, Sept. 16. Free. 8 p.m., Abram at Pecan streets, downtown Arlington. Levitt Pavilion.

Friday, Sept. 14

Passion Pit An American electropop band. Tickets $21.50-$29.50. 8 p.m., College Park Center, 2-9595.

Coming up

Maverick Speakers Series Sportswriter and commentator Frank DeFord speaks on “Journalism: Sports and Beyond.” Free, but tickets required. Premium seating $25. 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25, Texas Hall. Also, Cokie Roberts, "An Insider's View of Washington, D.C.," 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, Texas Hall. Maverick Speakers Series.

Toby Mac Christian recording artist Toby Mac with special guests Chris August and Jamie Grace, along with the Diverse City Band. Tickets $15-$40. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, College Park Center, 2-9595.

Flo Rida Tickets available to UT Arlington students, faculty, and staff only through Wednesday, Sept. 19; to public 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 20. Tickets $35-$80; four ticket limit. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 19, College Park Center, 2-9595.

Ongoing

Texas Rangers Baseball Get tickets for faculty, staff, students, alumni, family, and friends. Access texasrangers.com/uta and use the password MAVS12 for designated games through Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Gallery 76102: Power Grid Greg Bahr and Josh Fletcher offer critical scrutiny of power structures in their art exhibit. Free. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays; 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, Gallery 76012. Through Saturday, Sept. 29. Fort Worth Center.

The Gallery at UTA: The State of Drawing Group exhibition showcasing drawing by artists living and working in Texas. At right, "Fat Girls with Nest" by Karin Broker. Free. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Through Saturday, Oct. 6. The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building.

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

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 p.m. Sundays. Planetarium.

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