UTA In The News — Monday, May 12, 2025
Spring 2025 commencement
NBC 5 and Eyewitness News Evansville featured John Shirley—a 60-year-old Navy veteran graduate. Shirley is a first-generation college graduate who has overcome homelessness and colon cancer. He earned his degree in real estate and will work toward alleviating homelessness. Yahoo! News, FOX 56, Tristatehomepage.com, CW 39 Houston, FOX 8, NBC 13, NBC 3, and Spot on Texas reshared this news story.
Univision highlighted Ana Gonzalez, the first Univision Tu Futuro scholarship recipient to graduate from UTA. She earned two degrees in under three years and said it’s not only a great accomplishment for her, but also for her family and community.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram told the story of Aurora Ruvalcaba, a graduate from the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs, and Ana Peredo-Manor, Ruvalcaba’s college advisor. Peredo-Manor retired from UTA after 25 years. She never missed a graduation, with Friday’s being her 72nd and last. It was also most special, as she watched Ruvalcaba receive her master’s in architecture. Ruvalcaba faced many challenges during her academic journey, including an ongoing fight with cancer, but accomplished her goals thanks to the support of people like Peredo-Manor. MSN reshared this news story.
Flowerpot snakes
The Dallas Morning News covered a UTA scientist’s latest discovery of a unique genome in one of the world’s smallest snakes. Biology Professor Matthew Fujita and his collaborators say the flowerpot snake could provide valuable insights into genetic repair mechanisms to deepen our understanding of human genetic conditions like Down Syndrome.
80,000-year-old discovery
Researchers from UTA and their colleagues discovered a bone spearhead approximately 80,000 years old and identified it as the oldest one in Europe crafted by Neanderthals, the Jerusalem Post reported. MSN reshared this news story.
Brain mapping
Researchers from UTA published a study on an innovative brain-mapping technique that pinpoints specific memory-related brain cells that exhibit vulnerability to protein accumulation, an essential factor in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The study was referenced by Radiology Today.
AI identifies pollen
A new artificial intelligence system developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington makes it easier for scientists to distinguish between pollen grains, which has the potential to help allergy sufferers. Securities.io reshared this news story.
Microplastics in wastewater
According to new research from UTA, a significant portion of our microplastic exposure may come from drinking water, as wastewater treatment plants are still not effectively removing microplastics. MSN and The Cool Down reshared this news story.
SEVIS
Court records show that a man from India, who had recently completed his master’s degree at the University of Texas at Arlington and was granted authorization to work as a full-time data engineer, was notified that his immigration status had been terminated in SEVIS. According to the lawsuit, the former student received no warning of the termination or opportunity to respond to the allegations, KXAN in Austin reported.
Expert interviews
Stephen Mattingly, a professor of civil engineering, spoke with The Dallas Morning News about the playbook the Texas Department of Transportation usually follows when attempting to seize private property to build highways.