UTA In The News — Friday, July 31, 2020
Air filtration important
Melanie Sattler, UT Arlington associate professor of civil engineering, said people should look at upgrading or changing their air filtration systems to provide an added measure of safety during COVID-19, KTVT CBS 11 reported. “Most particles of the virus people disperse are caught by masks, but there is a small amount that aren’t.”
Unity Council
The Arlington Unity Council will begin studying disparities across the city, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Jason Shelton, UT Arlington associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for African American Studies, chairs the council.
Center changes emphasis
To help achieve its goal of facilitating a safe return to campus in the fall for the Maverick community, UT Arlington is leveraging the expertise and resources of its North Texas Genome Center to bolster UTA’s on-campus COVID-19 testing capabilities, the Fort Worth Business Press reported.
Architecture professors honored
Brad Bell and Kathryn (Kate) Holliday, associate professors of architecture, were honored for their outstanding educational contributions and excellence in the promotion of architecture, Texas Architect Magazine reported. The two were part of the Texas Society of Architects 2020 Honor Awards announcement.
COVID-19 in bats for decades
Close relatives of COVID-19 likely circulated in bats for decades before the pandemic-responsible virus made the jump into humans last year, according to a study released Tuesday, Al Dia and the Concord Monitor reported. The paper, co-authored by Todd Castoe, a University of Texas at Arlington researcher and associate professor of biology, and published in the journal Nature Microbiology, also found no evidence that the virus was either manufactured in or accidentally released from a lab in Wuhan, China, as some have speculated.
Safety is priority
Pranesh Ashwath, UT Arlington interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the University has plans in place for the return of students in the fall, but added that the “flexibility should be rule No.1” in regard to any plan, WFAA ABC 8 and One News Page reported. He said masks will be worn and social distancing in the classroom will be maintained. “The No. 1 priority is health and safety,” he said.
UT Arlington has policies in place
KDFW Fox 4’s Good Day said UT Arlington has mask and social distancing policies in place in anticipation for students return to campus in the fall.