UTA In The News — Friday, May 13, 2022
Graduate feature
UT Arlington graduate Christine Abasi was featured on FOX 4 for her inspiring story about how she overcame a childhood stutter to complete bachelor's degrees in psychology and communication studies this May. “What matters is you have a voice and a right to be heard with that voice,” said Abasi.
May ‘Flower Moon’
A total lunar eclipse will be visible early Sunday night for North Texans, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. UTA Planetarium director Levent Gurdemir said the eclipse will be visible within an hour after sunset on Sunday, around 9:30 p.m., with a full dark red color seen after 10:30 p.m. The May full moon is also known as the Flower Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes for the abundant flowers seen this time of year
Native American history courses
A new American Indian/Native studies course is being piloted as an elective for Texas high schoolers in Grand Prairie, The Dallas Morning News reported. Kenneth Roemer, a professor emeritus at UT Arlington who developed courses in Native American literature, said few school districts across the country offer specific lessons on American Indian/Native studies. District officials hope the State Board of Education will adopt standards for it, making it easier for all high schools to offer the curriculum.
Blackstone LaunchPad
UTA has joined the Texas network of Blackstone LaunchPad, a statewide organization of university-based entrepreneurship programs supported by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Dallas Innovates reported. UT Arlington’s Blackstone LaunchPad operates out of the University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Innovation and is open to all UTA students. The program enables student entrepreneurs to earn national recognition and startup resources through a national network.
Student disengagement
A New York Times opinion piece calls for colleges and universities to enact policies to fight student disengagement. Ahlam Atallah, a UTA senior and mother of two, touted remote learning as a way to continue her studies without the struggles of commuting to campus. UTA professors were also quoted, including Amy Austin with modern languages, Matthew Fujita from biology and Melissa Walsh from biology and environmental sciences.
Advocacy award
The humanitarian organization Refugees International honored Roshan Mashal, a Texas International Education Consortium fellow at The University of Texas at Arlington, with its 2022 Exceptional Service Award for her extraordinary commitment to human rights in Afghanistan, U.S. Fed News reported. At the Refugees International Advocacy Awards ceremony, Mashal was joined by former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, recipient of this year's McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award.
Nurses are superheroes
UTA alum and nurse C.P. Mitchell has made her literary debut with a children’s book, Nurses Are Superheroes Too: Heroes Wear Scrubs and Stethoscopes, BlackNews.com reported. The book highlights nurses and the instrumental role that they play in the health care system. Mitchell is using her platform to educate children on the various career paths available in the nursing profession.