University Communications » Internal Communications » TrailBlazer » TrailBlazer 02-09-2010

Ticket to Ride: Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut in space, will speak next Monday at Texas Hall.

Tickets remain for Sally Ride next Monday; Thursday's Magic Johnson lecture sold out

Tickets are still available for astronaut Sally Ride, who will talk at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at Texas Hall as part of the Maverick Speakers Series.

A sold-out lecture by basketball legend and business icon Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at Texas Hall.

One of America's most famous and most beloved astronauts, Dr. Ride will speak on "Leadership and America's Future in Space." Her lecture is part of the College of Engineering's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Ride is now a professor of physics at the University of California at San Diego and is president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, which focuses on getting children, especially girls, interested in science.

As with all Maverick Speakers Series events, the lectures are free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available at utatickets.com. For more information and for ticketing assistance, call 817-272-9234.

Online nursing master's program added

Registered nurses who want to move into nursing management have a new online preparation option through the College of Nursing.

Applications for the first cohort in the new Master of Science in Nursing Administration program are due Monday, Feb. 15, with classes beginning March 1.

The Academic Partnership program, delivered on a state-of-the-science distance education platform, allows graduate nursing students to earn a master's degree in 18 months on a flexible schedule geared toward the working professional.

More information on the MSNA program is online. Or call 866-489-2810 for details.

Plan to order official Maverick Ring next week

Place your order for an official Maverick Ring 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, Feb, 17-18, in the E.H. University Center.

This unique ring is reserved exclusively for qualified undergraduates who have completed 60 credit hours and graduate students who have completed 15 hours, as well as alumni. Rings will be presented by President James D. Spaniolo at the Official Maverick Ring Ceremony in April, and recipients will have the opportunity to sign the Official Maverick Ring Registry.

Read about the ring design.

For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 817-272-2594 or uta_alumni@uta.edu

Portion control Gita Christy, a junior finance major, left, and Tiffany Howard, interdisciplinary studies freshman, try their hand at estimating a healthy serving portion of snacks at the Red Heart Awareness Day last week. Health Services provided hands-on ways to learn about heart health at the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Submit research for ACES symposium

Deadline is Thursday, Feb. 11 for students to submit proposals for presentations to the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students, a university-wide symposium that showcases the best of UT Arlington's undergraduate and graduate students' research and creativity.

Abstracts can be submitted online at uta.edu/aces.

The Link connects international students with community members

Tonight's The Link information session matches international students with fellow students and community members so both groups can learn about each other's culture.  The Link partners may celebrate birthdays, holidays or various outings together.

Specific details about what to expect as a participant are explained starting at 6 p.m. today, Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Room 114 of the Swift Center. Contact Lauren Cutcher at 817-272-2355 or lcutcher@uta.edu.

Alumna on Amazing Race

Maverick alumna Dana Davis and her husband, Adrian, globe-trot on CBS's The Amazing Race, which begins at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, on KTVT/Channel 11. The Arlington couple will compete against 10 other two-person teams for a $1 million grand prize.

Davis earned a master's degree in professional accounting in 2000. The high school sweethearts have three children.

Blog on to Blazin' Construction

The Office of Facilities Management has created a blog called Blazin' Construction, which includes updates on campus construction projects.

The blog came about in response to a Student Congress resolution calling on University administrators to do more to update the campus community about ongoing projects.

See blog.uta.edu/facilities.

Carnival atmosphere Barbara Peet, Career Services director, center, served as ringmaster for the Career Carnival at the E.H. Hereford University Center, where she advised accounting juniors Caleb Warner, left, and Juman Haddad. Last week's carnival was a prelude to the Career Services spring job fair Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Learn to be a student leader

The Leadership Academy will show students how to get involved in campus leadership with two programs open to all students.

Getting Involved on Campus: What Does it Take to be a Leader? starts at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Student Congress Chambers, lower level, E.H. Hereford University Center. The discussion will include requirements for certain positions, dates of student leader openings and qualities needed in student leaders. Open to all students on campus who wish to become involved.

Shadow a Student Leader Week, Feb. 15-19, allows students to see firsthand what leadership positions require. Sign up through Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Leadership Center, lower level, E.H. Hereford University Center.

Contact Loretta Pequeno-Griffin at 817-272-9220 or lgriffin@uta.edu.

Campus memorial service for Donald Reaser Feb. 18

A memorial service and scholarship will honor geology Professor Emeritus Donald Reaser, who passed away Dec. 29 following a brief illness during the winter break. He was 78.

The service starts at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, in the Planetarium. A reception follows in Room 303 of the Chemistry and Physics Building.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Donald F. Reaser Scholarship, UT Arlington, P.O. Box 19047, Arlington, TX 76019. Contact Lori Norris at norris@uta.edu or 817-272-3494 for more information.

Energy boost: Physics assistant professors Dr. Yue Deng, left, and Dr. Amir Farbin received early career grants for their research.

Physicists awarded grants to study magnetosphere, space

Yue Deng and Amir Farbin, assistant professors of physics in the College of Science, have received early career grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, respectively.

Dr. Deng's five-year, $462,000 grant is for her study of energy output from the magnetosphere—space around the earth controlled by the earth's magnetic field—and its impact on the earth's upper atmosphere.

Dr. Farbin's award is one of only three granted to university researchers working with the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.

Read more about Deng's and Farbin's awards and research.

Fort Worth Center stages women's leadership conference next month

The Institute for Professional Development at the UT Arlington Fort Worth Center will host "Success: A Woman's Leadership Conference," a one-day event Thursday, March 11, in downtown Fort Worth.

The conference is an initiative of the center and is dedicated to helping women enhance their leadership skills, both professionally and personally. The conference will highlight career, educational and social issues affecting all women.

Registration is $95 per person with a 10 percent discount for University employees. Events will be at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa.

Go to uta.edu/successconference or call 817-272-5988 to register or for more information.

Cost may remain for classes dropped

Students may drop classes through the last drop date (April 2) and a grade of "W" will appear on your transcript.

If a class is dropped after Feb. 3 and you remain enrolled, you are financially responsible for the full cost of the course. If you drop all classes, you are responsible for the pro-rata share of tuition, fees and charges.

Students must meet with their academic advisor or designated representative in the major academic unit in order to drop one or more classes. Check the list of all advising offices.

Financial aid recipients should meet with a financial aid officer to determine how dropping will affect their financial aid package. Financial Aid is in Room 252 of E.E. Davis Hall or call 817-272-3561.

Laugh a little at One Mic Comedy Series Comedienne and actress Whitney Cummings takes the stage for the One Mic Comedy Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the Bluebonnet Ballroom of the E.H. Hereford University Center. A former cast member of MTV's Punk'd, Cummings has performed on HBO's Down and Dirty with Jim Norton and NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly Comics Unleashed. Her standup comedy program Live! Nude! Comedy! premiered on Showtime in July. She also has appeared on Chelsea Lately on E! Sponsored by EXCEL Campus Activities. For more details, call 817-272-2963 or e-mail excel-entertainment@uta.edu.

Wednesday, Feb.10

Allan Saxe Party Free ice cream will be served to the first 1,000 Mavericks at a celebration of Allan Saxe's birthday and his recent gift of a garden at the traffic circle near the entrance of the Planetarium. Free. 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. atrium, Chemistry and Physics Building. 817-272-3494.

$2 movie: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 5:30 p.m., Planetarium. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

Women's Basketball UT Arlington vs. McNeese State. AISD elementary and middle school students on the A/B honor roll receive free admission. Free with student ID. 7 p.m., Texas Hall.

Thursday, Feb. 11

Guest Pianist Henning Vauth of Auburn University performs. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. 817-272-3471.

Friday, Feb. 12

Friday Night Movie: The Twilight Saga: New Moon The second flick in the Twilight tale. Sponsored by EXCEL Campus Activities. Rated PG-13. Free. 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Lone Star Auditorium, Maverick Activities Center. 817-272-2963.

Saturday, Feb. 13

Women's Basketball UT Arlington vs. UT San Antonio. Mavericks will wear pink jerseys, and fans are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer research. Donations go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Free with student ID.  2 p.m., Texas Hall.

Through March 6

Prime Perception Visual communication professors and active designers and artists Robert Grame and Robert Hower exhibit their work. Free. 10 a.m-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday. The Gallery at UTA, Room 169, Fine Arts Building. 817-272-5658.

Through March 31

Creativity Test Artists Marilyn Jolly and Maraya Lopez bring a new perspective to paint-by-the-numbers. Free. 6-8 p.m., Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Ongoing

UT Arlington Planetarium programs See the complete Planetarium schedule. 817-272-1183, planetarium@uta.edu.

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

Gray matter: Cordero Gray, shown here in outdoor competition last year, is off to a great start in this year's indoor track season.

Gray comes in third at weekend New Balance invitational

Sprinter Cordero Gray finished third in the 60-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter event at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational indoor track and field competition in New York last weekend.

Gray faced some of the nation's top sprinters in the meet. Jasmine Walls competed for the Mavericks in the women's 60 and 200, but did not qualify for the finals.

Basketball teams continue winning ways

Marquez Haynes scored 32 points, and his basket in the final seconds gave the men's basketball team its fourth straight win, an 81-80 triumph over Northwestern State, Saturday night at Texas Hall. The women's team has won two of its last three after taking an 86-82 decision at Northwestern State on Saturday.

The women return home to face McNeese State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, in Texas Hall, while the men will be on the road at McNeese State the same night. Both teams are now 4-4 in the Southland Conference as they seek to finish among top eight teams to earn a berth in the conference tournament in March.

Softball season begins Friday with tourney at San Marcos

The softball team opens the season this weekend in the CenturyLink Classic at San Marcos as the Mavericks will face Oklahoma State and New Mexico on Friday, followed by two games with Northern Illinois on Saturday and one game with Texas State on Sunday.

For more sports news, see utamavs.com.

Deadlines to sign up for intramural sports nearing

Several intramural sports have entry deadlines in February, including billiards, racquetball, flag football, foosball, rock climbing, tennis, NBA Video Game tournament, and outdoor soccer.

Entries are due today, Tuesday, Feb. 9, for the billiards tournament. Entries must be turned in between 6 and 6:50 p.m. in Bowling and Billiards at the E.H. Hereford University Center. Competition begins at 7 p.m.

Flag football and racquetball entries are due Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Maverick Activities Center services and information desk. See intramural sports for other entry deadlines.

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