TrailBlazer - Department of University Communications - The University of Texas at Arlington


For Students of The University of Texas at Arlington	Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Early voting begins next Monday

UT Arlington is an early voting polling site 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, May 2-4, for the May 14 local elections. The polling site will be in the Palo Duro Lounge of the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Voter information and links to local election offices are available through the Texas Secretary of State office at votexas.org.

For more information, contact Jennifer Fox at sc-extr@uta.edu or 817-272-0556.

Earth friendly

For the Earth Day celebration Wednesday, Alexandra Leister, left, landscape architecture graduate student, joins Ana Pina, environmental science sophomore, and Heinz Schwarzkopf, biology senior, in planting trees given to the University by the city of Arlington. See more Earth Day photos.

Bookstore buying textbooks during finals week at two locations

The UT Arlington Bookstore will buy textbooks during finals week at the store at 400 S. Pecan St. and at the E.H. Hereford University Center.

At the bookstore, buy-back times are 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, May 9-12; 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, May 13; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 14.

At the University Center, times are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, May 9-13, outside the Palo Duro Lounge.

Although the bookstore buys back every day, the best time to sell your textbooks back is two weeks before and during finals. This is when there is the most need for books and the bookstore offers the most cash.

Find more information about selling your textbooks and the "Top Most Wanted Titles" by visiting the UT Arlington Bookstore website.

Volunteers needed for Commencement

Be a volunteer greeter for Commencement 2011 May 12-15, and share your Maverick pride with our graduates' families and guests.

To sign up, contact Susann Asebedo at 817-272-2963 or susann@uta.edu.

Bike safety training program today on Library mall

You don't need a bike to attend this bicycle safety program, sponsored by the Office of Sustainability. The free event has two 30-minute sessions available at noon and 12:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, April 26, on the Library mall. Register online or 817-272-9299.

Funny Girl

Comedian Anjelah Johnson tells a wild tale to the sold-out audience at her appearance last Tuesday at the Bluebonnet Ballroom in the E.H. Hereford University Center. The funny girl—best known for portraying ghetto gal Bon Qui Qui—was sponsored by EXCEL Campus Activities.

Grants aid soil research to prevent damage to highways, underground pipes

Anand Puppala, a UT Arlington distinguished teaching professor in civil engineering, has secured $1.75 million in grants this year for soil research. Part of the funding will go toward developing a new sensor that will help measure soil stability and advances in soil treatments to better support highways and water and sewer pipes in unstable soil.

Among Dr. Puppala's awards is a new, highly competitive grant from the National Academy of Science’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program. The grant is part of the prestigious Innovation Deserving Exploratory Analysis, or IDEA, program.

Puppala and his team will use the funds to create a field sensor capable of more quickly and accurately detecting sulfate- or gypsum-induced buckling, or heaving, in soil. Such breaks wreck havoc on road systems and underground water and sewer pipes.

Read more about Puppala's soil research.

Health Services, Library seek information through surveys

Take a few moments to complete the quick and anonymous patient satisfaction Health Services' survey through Friday, April 29. Feedback on your impressions of the facility and experiences of care, service, and staff is important and encouraged.

Take the Library's survey and give your thoughts, suggestions, and insight into how the new Library website is working for you. At the end of the survey, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for a drawing. The survey and drawing run through Saturday, April 30, with prizes awarded in the last week of the spring semester.

NSF-funded exhibit at Planetarium examines search for gravitational waves

Feel drawn to the Planetarium? It could be caused by a National Science Foundation-funded exhibit about the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO.

“Astronomy's New Messengers: Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves” is on display in the Chemistry and Physics Building through July 29.

LIGO is a unique effort to detect and monitor ripples in the fabric of space and time produced by violent events like the collision of black holes. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of “gravitational waves” in his 1916 general theory of relativity. LIGO, which has a detection station in Louisiana and one in the state of Washington, was developed by scientists from the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Black holes are just one of those terms that catch the imagination of many people, and this exhibit has the potential to engage young students who may one day pursue a career in science,” says Manfred Cuntz, associate professor of physics and director of UT Arlington’s astronomy program.

Cessation programs help Mavs prepare for tobacco-free campus in August

Health Services offers free tobacco cessation education classes as UT Arlington moves toward becoming a tobacco-free campus in August.

The Fresh Start from Tobacco program consists of four one-hour classes designed to educate and assist individuals who are ready to make a fresh start from tobacco use. These seminars cover steps to understanding addiction, quitting and coping strategies, and receiving help. It is important to attend all four sessions.

The free classes are on the third Tuesday and Wednesday of each month in Room B03 of the Health Services Center.

Upcoming classes are May 17-18. Check the schedule for details. Read more about UT Arlington's tobacco-free policy.


May 6	Last day of classes
May 7-13	Final exams

Commencement guest tickets now available to claim

Guest tickets for commencement and related events are available now for graduation candidates.

Commencement activities include a formal ceremony in Texas Hall, followed by a reception on the east lawn of the hall.

Four guest tickets have been reserved for each graduate. Students can claim and print guest tickets online.

Claim only the number of tickets you intend to use. Donate your unused tickets to a general ticket pool to be made available to fellow graduates who need more guest tickets.

Additional guest tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and quantities are limited.

Housing has apartments available for summer and fall

On-campus apartment complexes are available for summer and fall. Stop by the Housing Office in the E.H. Hereford University Center for information and pricing, or apply online today at uta.edu/housing to be able to move in and join a great community. Contact the Housing Office at 817-272-2791 or housing@uta.edu.

Registration continues for summer and fall

Priority registration has opened for summer and fall 2011. MyMav is your gateway to the Schedule of Classes and the Registration Timetables for making registration plans. Your registration dates can be found under Enrollment Dates on the right side of your Student Center.

To determine if you need adviser clearance, check your portal page at MyMav and click on Student Center. You will see a section on the right titled Holds. Click the details link for specific hold information. If your academic department requires advising, you will see an academic department service indicator (hold).

Seminars offer help in choosing a major

Discover resources on campus that can help you choose the right major. Academic advisers in University College host free one-hour seminars in the large, third-floor conference room of Ransom Hall.

Sessions are noon Wednesday, April 27; noon Wednesday, May 4; noon Thursday, May 5; and noon Tuesday, May 10.

Spring TheatreFest features one-act plays

Spring TheatreFest, a festival of one-act plays presented by the Department of Theatre Arts, hits the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 28-30, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1, in the Studio Theatre of the Fine Arts Building.

Featuring theatre arts faculty and students, this year's festival includes Blind Date by Horton Foote, The Questioning of Nick by Arthur Kopit, Lurker by Don Nigro, The Role of Della by John J. Wooten, and The Fat Lady Sings in Little Grimley by David Tristram.

Pictured are Theatrefest ensemble performers and theatre arts majors, front row from left, Wesley Farnsworth, sophomore; and Eliamaria Madrid-Onofre, freshman; back row, Melanie Rickett, junior; Jackie Pickard, senior; and Robert Bell, junior.

Tickets are $7 for students, faculty, staff, and seniors, and $10 for the general public.

For reservations, contact the theatre arts box office at 817-272-2669.

Tuesday, April 26

Homerathon The annual day-long oral recitation of Homer's epic poem, "The Odyssey." Free. 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m., University Center mall. University Classics Club, Charles Chiasson, 817-272-2764.

Leadership Recognition Ceremony Student leaders honored. 7-9 p.m., Bluebonnet Ballroom, E.H. Hereford University Center. Leadership Center, 817-272-9220.

UTA Choirs Spring Concert Features the A Cappella Choir and University Singers, conducted by Karen Kenaston-French. $5. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Wednesday, April 27

$2 Movie: Tangled The long-haired Rapunzel is about to discover the world for the first time. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Business Executive Dinner Ed Whitacre, former chairman and chief executive officer of General Motors and AT&T, speaks at the College of Business annual event. Tickets $45. 7 p.m., Arlington Sheraton Hotel. College of Business Executive Dinner, James Sharp, jksharp@uta.edu.

Thursday, April 28

UTA Symphony Orchestra Concert Clifton Evans conducts the Symphony Orchestra, featuring a violin concerto by Martha Walvoord. $5. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Friday, April 29

Small Works Art Sale Paintings by art students for sale in a salon-style studio tour. Paintings are $25-$100. 4-7 p.m., Studio Arts Center.

Faculty Voice Recital Soo Hong Kim, right, performs. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Saturday, April 30

Bassoon Studio Recital Students of Scott Pool perform. Free. 2:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Sunday, May 1

Band Concert Symphonic Winds and Symphonic Band, both conducted by Matthew Luttrell. Free. 3 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Ongoing

Architecture Exhibit: Richard Ferrier The School of Architecture honors the late Professor Richard Ferrier through an exhibit of his work and his life. Ferrier taught at UT Arlington from 1968-2010 and was associate dean from 1985-95. Free. 1-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays through April 30. Room 206, Architecture Building. Architecture.

Gallery 76102 "Reconsidering Art History," a solo exhibit by Betsy Williamson ('06 BFA), who uses pre-existing images to create specific juxtapositions. Through May 31. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center. 817-272-0365.

Combat Narratives: Stories and Artifacts from UT Arlington Veterans Artifacts, memorabilia, and gear on loan from UT Arlington military veterans and objects carried, used, or found by U.S. servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Free. Through May 21. Sixth floor atrium, Central Library.

Exposure: Photos from the Second Battle of Fallujah Photographs from the Second Battle of Fallujah taken by UT Arlington student and Marine Corps veteran Joel Chaverri. Free. Through May 21. Sixth floor parlor, Central Library.

Six Flags Over Texas Exhibit Celebrate 50 years of an Arlington landmark with this interactive exhibit. Free. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through Aug. 13. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library.

Planetarium The beauty of a starlit sky conceals the violent forces at work within our universe in Violent Universe. 6 p.m. Tuesdays, 1 p.m. Saturdays. See the complete Planetarium schedule, 817-272-1183.

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