UTA In The News — Monday, January 4, 2021
De-icing technology
A UT Arlington team of researchers is studying how geothermal technology can be used to de-ice bridges and overpasses in inclement weather, The Dallas Morning News reported. Xinbao Yu, a UT Arlington associate professor of civil engineering, said that newer bridges are built in a way that already helps de-icing, but his team is studying how to apply geothermal technology to older bridges.
New session starting soon
Rebecca Deen, chair of the UT Arlington Department of Political Science, said the upcoming Texas Legislative session will be tied to falling revenue and a budget stretched thin, KUT 90.5 reported. Part two of the broadcast can be heard here. Deen also said redistricting may be moved to a special session if the Census Bureau doesn’t get current population figures to the state in time for the regular session.
Parents advice during pandemic
UT Arlington’s Jandel Crutchfield, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, advised parents to find ways to make children feel at ease with the ongoing pandemic, even if they are not ready to step out to do socially distanced activities, Spectrum News reported in a story highlighting a Fort Worth family’s decision to visit a local, small carnival instead of the State Fair.
Project seeks to get older adults moving
Thanks to support from the W.W. Caruth Jr. Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas, a University of Texas at Arlington multidisciplinary research team is developing a study aimed at helping older adults lead more active lifestyles, Mirage News reported. Kate Hyun, assistant professor of civil engineering, is leading the $535,000 project.
Autonomous vehicle project
The city of Arlington is partnering with UT Arlington, Via and May Mobility to introduce autonomous cars into the city’s mass transit operation, Dallas Innovates reported in a recap of top stories of 2020.
UTA named for adapting
Latino Leaders Magazine reported that UT Arlington is one of the universities that has quickly adapted to societal changes and gone above its calling.
Nationalistic tendencies
Analysis from Evan Mistur, a UT Arlington assistant professor of public policy, suggests that nationalistic governments around the globe are more likely to copy other nationalistic governments in responding to the current pandemic, CDC & FDA Daily reported.Notable songwriter remembered
Sergio Espinosa, UT Arlington associate professor of music, said legendary Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero wrote from his heart to honor loved ones, Texas Public Radio and KERA 90.1 FM reported upon the death of the songwriter. Manzanero died from complications due to COVID. Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett were two artists who covered the towering figure in Latino music.
Stay safe during holidays
Erin Carlson, associate clinical professor in the UT Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation, should continue to take safety precautions with the new strain of COVID-19 during the holiday season, the Dallas Observer reported.Music lessons
UT Arlington’s Department of Music is teaming with Levitt Pavilion Arlington and Urban Alchemy to offer guitar basics and other music appreciation classes, Patch.com reported.ARC wind tunnel team news
UT Arlington’s Aerodynamics Research Center wind tunnel team is partnering with Princeton University to explore low temperature plasma for innovative uses, Mirage News and Newswise reported. Princeton researcher Arthur Dogariu, a pioneer of advanced optical diagnostic techniques, conducted a project at UT Arlington that characterized the high-velocity flow of plasma in an arc jet facility — a wind tunnel-like device that tests the heat-resistance of innovative materials for space vehicles reentry to Earth re-entry. Such materials will be vital for crewed Moon or Mars return missions, according to the UT Arlington team. Heading the team is Professor Luca Maddalena with graduate students Daniel Palmquist and Vijay Gopal, together with postdoctoral researcher Davide Vigano. “This work demonstrated that these new optical, non-intrusive techniques can be used to characterize the flows in the arc jet tunnels in a way that was not done before,” Dogariu said. The U.S. Department of Energy website highlighted the UT Arlington team’s work on plasma flows with Princeton University under the energy.gov’s University and Stakeholder News section.
UTAPD earns award
The UT Arlington Police Department earned a National Association of Town Watch award for the ninth consecutive year for its National Night Out programming, U.S. Fed News reported.
Liao named fellow
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has named Jun Liao, a UTA bioengineering associate professor a fellow of the organization, U.S. Fed News reported.