UTA In The News — Friday, February 5, 2021
Wastewater treatment plants and rising sea levels
Michelle Hummel, UTA assistant professor of water resources in the Department of Civil Engineering, spoke to NBC Bay Area about her research focusing on wastewater treatment plants’ exposure to flooding due to rising sea levels in the San Francisco Bay area. “There is a lot of vulnerability of these systems and we really need to start considering them and how we might adapt to future sea level rise,” Hummel said. “The goal of this study was to just highlight the magnitude of this potential threat.”
2D materials breakthrough
Kyungsuk Yum, UTA associate professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and his team have developed a technique that programs 2D materials to transform into complex 3D shapes, Mirage News reported. The goal of the work is to create synthetic materials that can mimic how living organisms expand and contract soft tissues and thus achieve complex 3D movements and functions.
Space weather research
A team led by Yue Deng, UTA distinguished professor of physics, is studying the impact of space weather on Earth, particularly solar-induced phenomena on our electrical power grids, Mirage News reported. The work is being funded by a four-year, $652,409 grant from NASA through its Heliophysics Living With a Star program. Deng is joined by Daniel Welling, assistant professor of physics, and Cheng Sheng, a research engineer scientist in her lab.
Alumna elected mayor
UTA alumna Rachel Proctor won a special election to fill the late Curtistene McCowan’s term as DeSoto mayor, The Dallas Morning News reported. The author and entrepreneur earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from UTA and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and a licensed minister.
Military Preparedness Commission reappointment
Gov. Abbott has reappointed UTA alumnus Kenneth Sheets to the Texas Military Preparedness Commission for a term set to expire February 1, 2027, The Fort Worth Business Press reported. Sheets received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UTA. The Commission’s goal is to preserve, protect, expand, and attract new military missions, assets and installations.
Named SPIE fellow
Fort Worth entrepreneur and inventor Nelson E. Claytor was selected as a 2021 Fellow of The International Society for Optics and Photonics, Dallas City Biz List reported. Claytor serves as a member of UTA’s College of Science Advisory Council. Fifty-seven professionals will be recognized this year for their technological advancements and contributions to science and the business of optics and photonics.