UTA In The News — Friday, February 15, 2019
Tier 1 benchmark
UTA has reached another benchmark toward becoming a Tier 1 research university with Dereje Agonafer, a UTA mechanical engineering professor, being elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. UTA must maintain the benchmarks for two years — then the University can have access to the state’s pool of dollars known as the National Research University Fund. UTA President Vistasp M. Karbhari said, “Number one, it provides us with the recognition close on the heels of UT Dallas. It also provides us additional funds to recruit top faculty and maintain the ones we have.”
Physicist named to academy
Ramon Lopez, a UTA professor of physics, has been named to the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers for his excellence in teaching and mentoring students, Scienmag, Bioengineer.org and BioPortfolio reported.
Grid optimization team
A high-powered team from many universities is focused on greatly improving the speed and efficiency of energy delivery through the nation's power grid, Phys.org reported. Ramtin Madani, an assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering Department, is leading a team in the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, Grid Optimization Competition, with colleagues from UT Austin and the University of California-Berkeley.
Communication needed
Daniel Sledge and Herschel Thomas, two UTA political science professors, have published a study in the American Journal of Public Health about the lack of communication between governmental entities and nonprofit organizations during natural disasters, Science Daily, BioPortfolio, Medical Xpress, Bioengineer.org and many other websites reported.