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


For Students of The University of Texas at Arlington	Tuesday, February 15, 2011

University to launch Frisco-based MBA for working professionals

UT Arlington is recruiting students for a two-year, fully accredited Master of Business Administration degree program that will be offered in Frisco beginning in fall 2011.

All classes will be held at the North Texas Enterprise Center for Technology near the North Dallas Tollway and Eldorado Parkway. Information sessions about the new MBA program are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 17, and 24, and Monday, Feb. 28, at the NTEC building. Classes begin Aug. 25.

“People who live and work here tend to be highly educated, but they face a marketplace that is more competitive than ever," says Dan Himarios, dean of the College of Business. "The MBA Professional Cohort at Frisco can provide the means to an important competitive edge for future business leaders in the area."

The program will cover all key elements of the traditional MBA but with a focus on business development and entrepreneurship. Additional courses focusing on global business, leadership and management, and the implementation of new technologies will prepare graduates for successful careers across the full spectrum of the marketplace.

For more information about the program or to RSVP for an informational session, visit uta.edu/frisco or contact the College of Business at 817-272-2881.

'Elect Her' workshop for women interested in student government set for Thursday

Women interested in running for student government can gain some insight at Elect Her: Campus Women Win, a free workshop tailored to women who have considered running for student government 4-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Carlisle Suite of the E.H. Hereford University Center.

The workshop teaches women how to enhance their leadership skills, run a successful campaign, network with local women in government, and how their student government involvement can pay off after graduation.

Featured speakers include Paula Pierson, former state representative; Reace Alvarenga-Smith, public relations manager for Texas Health Resources; and past and present UT Arlington Student Congress executives Melanie Johnson and Jennifer Fox.

There's no cost for the workshop and dinner, which are sponsored by the American Association of University Women.

John Maresca

Diplomat lectures on education today

Distinguished educator, diplomat, and humanitarian John J. Maresca shares his thoughts on "Education for the World of Tomorrow" at 7 p.m. today, Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Lone Star Auditorium of the Maverick Activities Center.

Maresca is rector of the University for Peace, a United Nations-mandated institution based in San Jose, Costa Rica. The university’s mission is the education of worldwide peace and conflict studies, and its ultimate goal is to reduce prejudice, hatred, and terrorism.

Maresca previously served as president of the Business Humanitarian Forum, a worldwide nonprofit association based in Geneva that encourages private sector support for humanitarian work in post-conflict and very poor countries of Asia, Africa, and southeastern Europe.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Maresca will visit classes prior to the lecture.

Locker talk

John Sauerhage, left, head track coach, shows off the renovated locker rooms at Maverick Stadium to President James D. Spaniolo, who received a few gifts from athletes for his support.

Take library survey and apply for chance to win Best Buy gift card

Students are invited to participate in LibQual+®, a standardized survey of library service quality, to help the library serve you better. This survey should take five minutes to complete and includes an open-text box for comments.

Complete the survey and enter a drawing to win one of four Best Buy gift cards. The survey runs through Friday, March 11.

Volunteers needed for spring job fair

The Career Center needs volunteers for the Spring 2011 Job Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 23, in the Maverick Activities Center. Shifts are available in one-hour increments 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Volunteers are needed to help with set up, clean up, loading dock crew, and staffing the student and employer check-in tables.

Student clubs and organizations are encouraged to volunteer.

To volunteer, contact Ayanna Parker at ayannap@uta.edu and include your name, department/organization, e-mail address, phone number, box number, T-shirt size, and the time you would like to volunteer.

For questions about the job fair or volunteering, call Parker at 817-272-1147.

Blue by you: Blaze and the cheerleading crew want students to be blue for Spirit Week.

Be blue for Maverick Spirit Week

Slam-dunk your professor? Make a mad Maverick dash across campus? They're all part of Maverick Spirit Week. The UTA Ambassadors hosts the fun as a precursor to Homecoming events next week.

Here's the lineup:

Tuesday, Feb. 15—Faculty/Staff vs. Students Basketball Game starts at 7 p.m. at the Maverick Activities Center basketball courts.
Wednesday, Feb. 16—Blue Out at Texas Hall has the Mavericks facing Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. Wear blue, of course.
Thursday, Feb. 17—MAVmazing Race, like the Amazing Race, starts at the University Center Gallery and goes all through campus.
Friday, Feb. 18—Sign the Spirit Banner midday on the University Center mall.

Golden Key needs your new socks

The Golden Key International Honour Society is collecting new socks for Mission Arlington. Donations can be dropped off in Room B29 of the Central Library through Friday, Feb. 18. For donation details or more information, contact Kevin Schuck at keschuck@uta.edu or 817-272-3313.

ERB field office to become parking lot

The temporary construction field office used by Engineering Research Building workers is being dismantled this week. The office is located at the corner of Nedderman Drive and UTA Boulevard.

After the units are removed and repairs made to the site, the area will be striped for parking. Cooper Chase and Forest Glenn apartment occupants should use only the south entrance/exit Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 17-20.

Depending upon the weather, the parking lot should be available for use Monday, Feb. 21.

Cal Ripken Jr.

Stand-by tickets possible for Cal Ripken Jr. appearance

Cal Ripken Jr.'s appearance for the Maverick Speakers Series is sold out, but non-ticketed patrons will be seated as space permits. Ripken will speak on "The Keys to Perseverance" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in Texas Hall.

Ripken played 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His Hall-of-Fame career includes being one of only eight players to have 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995 he broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played (2,130), and he voluntarily ended the streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games.

Bill Nye—scientist, educator, engineer, comedian, author, and TV host—is the next guest in the speakers series. "A Night with the Science Guy" is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Texas Hall. Tickets will be available at utatickets.com starting Friday, Feb. 18.

Going up

College Park Center is taking shape on the east side of campus. Drive by the site between Center and Pecan streets or watch the construction webcam to see the latest progress.

Target tours look at daily operations, leadership issues at retail giant

Look behind the scenes at Target Corporation with a tour hosted by the Leadership Center and Career Center.

Discover how leadership informs the day-to-day operations with a tour of a Target store, the Midlothian distribution center, regional headquarters, and the Target Corporation crime scene lab.

Field trip dates are Tuesday, Feb. 22; Thursday, March 24; and Friday, April 15.

Registration is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. To register or for more details, contact Loretta Pequeno-Griffin at lgriffin@uta.edu or 817-272-9220.

Maverick Marauders needed for Student Alumni Association leadership

The Maverick Marauders—the name for the Student Alumni Association board of directors—needs some dedicated students to help plan annual events such as Oozeball, the tuition raffle, and Founders Day.

Learn more about SAA at the Blue Out men’s basketball game at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, in Texas Hall, and an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Alumni Association office, 841 W. Mitchell St.

Apply online by Friday, March 4. For details, e-mail saa@uta.edu or call 817-272-2594.

Video game system development could aid cerebral palsy assessments

A College of Engineering team has received two National Science Foundation grants worth a combined $802,000 to develop an adaptive, game-driven system to improve physical and mental assessments of children with cerebral palsy.

The disorder affects movement, muscle tone or posture and is caused by injury or abnormal development in the immature brain, most often before birth, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some 800,000 children and adults in the United States live with cerebral palsy, and about 10,000 babies born each year in the U.S. develop the disease.

Fillia Makedon, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, is principal investigator for the project, which will focus on children ages 5 to 8.

Read more about the cerebral palsy game system.

Dr. Mario Romero-Ortega

Research brings prosthetic closer to the real limb

Mario Romero-Ortega, an associate professor of bioengineering, and his research team have obtained a $2.2 million grant from DARPA, the research and development office for the U.S. Department of Defense, to further the development of technology that will allow amputees to naturally control and feel bionic limbs.

Dr. Romero-Ortega has built a neural interface that he thinks will lead to a better prosthetic arm that will allow more movement—and eventually sensation—for military veterans who desperately need them.

“What makes our research different is that we’re putting the neural interface in the limb itself,” says Romero-Ortega, speaking of the tiny interfaces that allow the arm to interpret what the brain is telling it to do, and for the brain to interpret what the arm is doing.

Read more about the prosthetic limb research.

Dr. Ellen Pritham

Water flea DNA boosts understanding of genes, environment

A UT Arlington biologist and her team have helped precisely map the DNA code of the water flea, Daphnia pulex, the first crustacean genome to be sequenced.

Daphnia is a model organism for the new field of environmental genomics where researchers aim to better understand how genes and the environment interact.

Ellen Pritham, assistant professor of biology, says more genes were found in the Daphnia pulex genome than any other animal ever sequenced. The Daphnia genome has about 31,000 genes compared to about 20,000 in humans.

Dr. Pritham’s work with an international team is reported this month’s edition of Science magazine and has been featured in Nature magazine.

Read more about the water flea DNA research.

Librarians author new book on Arlington's colorful past

Imagine a bustling downtown complete with a blacksmith and general store, a speakeasy with a brothel and plentiful gambling, and a horse racetrack with world-famous personalities dotting the crowd. Arlington had all of these things and more in the North Texas town's journey to become a premier tourist destination.

The historical image is now the focus of Arlington, a book co-authored by Evelyn Barker, information literacy librarian, and Lea Worcester, the Special Collections public services librarian. Their book includes more than 200 images ranging from 1870 to current day.

“The book starts with the first three businesses in Arlington and brings us forward to Cowboys Stadium,” Worcester says.

The book also shows Arlington within the context of national history, the Great Depression, and the development of the highway system.

Arlington will be available in late March at local booksellers and through Arcadia Publishing.


March 14-18	Spring Break
April 1	Last day to drop classes

What happens when you drop after Census Date?

If you drop or withdraw after the Census Date, a grade of W will be recorded on your transcript to reflect the drop.

The W will be counted toward the six-course drop limit (which affects students who entered a Texas public college or university in fall 2007 or later) and the excessive hours tuition law (which affects students who have more than 45 hours in excess of the hours required for a degree plan).

To drop or withdraw from classes, undergraduate students must meet with an academic adviser in their major department. Check the list of advising offices.

'Evolution of Hip-Hop' looks at lifestyle, music

Discover the ever-changing hip-hop world through a fashion show, rap battle, and a presentation of different hip-hop elements at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, Rio Grande Ballroom, E.H. Hereford University Center. A DJ will play both old school and new school hip-hop beats.

Platanos and Collard Greens performance is at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, in the Rosebud Theatre of the University Center.

These Black History Month events are sponsored by Multicultural Affairs. Call 817-272-2099 for more details.

Tuesday, Feb. 15

Clavier Piano Recital Piano students perform. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Wednesday, Feb. 16

$2 Movie: Easy A A clean-cut high school student relies on the school's rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing. Rated PG. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Men's Basketball Mavericks vs. Stephen F. Austin. Blue Out Night. Blue shirts and hats for the first 250, sponsored by the Student Alumni Association. All students are encouraged to wear blue Maverick gear and pack Texas Hall. Free with student ID. 7 p.m., Texas Hall. Athletics, 817-272-2261.

Thursday, Feb. 17

Wind Symphony Concert The UT Arlington Wind Symphony presents three iconic works for winds. $3 students, seniors; $5 general public. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Friday, Feb. 18

Free Movie: Due Date Things go awry for an expectant first-time father as he tries to get home in time for the birth. Rated R. Free. 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Lone Star Auditorium, Maverick Activities Center. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Guest Strings Recital The Aspen Trio with David Perry, violin; Victoria Chiang, viola; and Michael Mermagen, cello, perform Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Saturday, Feb. 19

Women's Basketball Mavericks vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Free with student ID, 2 p.m., Texas Hall. Athletics, 817-272-2261.

The Trouble Begins at 8: An Evening with Mark Twain Dennis Maher, right, assistant professor of theatre arts, presents the writings and speeches of the legendary storyteller, Mark Twain, a.k.a. Samuel Clemens. $7 with student ID. 8 p.m. Also, Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Studio Theatre, Fine Arts Building. Theatre Arts, 817-272-2669.

Monday, Feb. 21

Downtown Arlington Music Mondays A 30-minute lunchtime concert featuring Music Department students and faculty. Followed by free lunch. Free. 12:15 p.m., First Baptist Church Sanctuary, 300 S. Center. Music, 817-272-3471.

Wednesday, Feb. 23

Men's Basketball Mavericks vs. McNeese State. Free with student ID. 7 p.m., Texas Hall. Athletics, 817-272-2261.

$2 Movie: Legend of the Guardians When a young owl is abducted by an evil Owl army, he must escape with newfound friends to seek out the legendary Guardians to stop the menace. Rated PG. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Thursday, Feb. 24

Commuter Appreciation Breakfast Join the Off-Campus Mavericks program for a morning meal, information, and giveaways. 7:30-9:30 a.m., Maverick Activities Center. Off-Campus Mavericks, 817-272-3213.

Baseball Mavericks vs. Dallas Baptist. Free with student ID. 3 p.m., Clay Gould Ballpark. Athletics, 817-272-2261.

UTA Symphony Orchestra Concert The UTA Symphony Orchestra performs music by Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, and Copland. Students $3. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, 817-272-3471.

Friday, Feb. 25

Baseball Mavericks vs. South Dakota State. Free with student ID. 3 p.m., Clay Gould Ballpark. Athletics, 817-272-2261.

Opening Reception Reception to honor Sedrick Huckaby and Barbra Riley, the artists currently showing their work in The Gallery at UTA. Free. 6 p.m., The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Buildling. Art and Art History, 817-272-2891.

The Adding Machine A darkly comic and slightly nightmarish look at advancing technology and human relationships. $7 students, faculty, staff, seniors; $10 general public. 8 p.m.; also 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, Thursday-Saturday, March 3-5, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 6. Mainstage Theatre, Fine Arts Building. Theatre Arts, 817-272-2669.

Homecoming: The Bash A free, alcohol-free celebration of Homecoming. 8 p.m., E.H. Hereford University Center.

Ongoing

Gallery 76102 "A Certain Shade of the Aftermath," an exhibit by Timothy Harding, deals with U.S. history, corporate infrastructure, heavy metal music, terrorism, and popular culture. Free. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Through March 31. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Six Flags Over Texas Exhibit Celebrate 50 years of an Arlington landmark with the free interactive exhibit "What You Wish the World Could Be: The Early Years of Six Flags Over Texas." Through May 14. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through May 14. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library.

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, 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, Central Library.

Planetarium Enjoy a '60s style laser light show set to the music of Pink Floyd. See the complete Planetarium schedule, 817-272-1183.

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

Tuesday-Friday, Feb. 15-18

Resume Critiques Make your resume shine in time for the Job Fair. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Palo Duro Lounge, E.H. Hereford University Center. Career Center, careers@uta.edu, 817-272-2932.