What if your wireless network knew you were about to move before you took a single step? That's the premise behind a $648,094 National Science Foundation CAREER Award granted to Dr. Debashri Roy, an assistant professor in UTA's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The NSF CAREER award is the agency's highest honor for junior faculty, recognizing researchers poised to become leaders in both discovery and education.

Today's wireless networks are reactive: they wait for a device—a phone, a drone, a vehicle—to signal that signal quality is degrading before they make any adjustments. Dead zones and dropped connections are the result. Dr. Roy's research aims to flip that model. By tapping into sensors already embedded in our environments—cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) units, and other infrastructure—her framework would give networks the ability to anticipate a device's movement and adapt proactively, before quality ever dips.

"If we already have sensors in place, we can capture a user's intent to move or change and give that information to the network so the network can proactively adapt to that change," Roy explained. Critically, the system would not track individual identities—it simply recognizes that a device is in motion, addressing key privacy concerns.

The work has drawn praise from Hong Jiang, chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department, who called it a strong first grant with potential for widespread adoption in an increasingly connected society. Dr. Roy, who joined UTA in 2023 after three years as an associate research scientist at Northeastern University, leads the Transformative Wireless Systems and Technology (TWiST) Lab, where her team explores wireless systems, multimodal sensor fusion, digital twins, and networked robotics.

Every time a GPS signal drifts or a satellite radio link cuts out near the equator, it may trace back to an atmospheric phenomenon called the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA)—a pair of high-density plasma bands that form on either side of Earth's magnetic equator and shift unpredictably during solar storms. Understanding exactly how and why they shift is now the central mission of Tapendra Sodari, a third-year physics Ph.D. student at UTA, who has been awarded a highly competitive NASA Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) fellowship.

The fellowship, awarded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate Heliophysics Division, provides $50,000 annually for three years—and carries a roughly 18 percent selection rate. "FINESST is highly competitive, so it is exciting and encouraging to receive this recognition," Sodari said.

Sodari's project combines observational data from NASA's Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD) satellite—a geostationary imaging instrument launched in 2018—with two advanced computer models: the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM) and SAMI3. By comparing what GOLD actually observes with what the models predict, Sodari maps how the EIA's twin plasma crests shift in shape, intensity, and position based on longitude, time of day, and geomagnetic disturbances. When those crests move, GPS positioning degrades and radio communications can fail across entire low-latitude regions.

Sodari is mentored by Dr. Zihan Wang, UTA assistant professor of physics, who called him "an outstanding Ph.D. student who is always highly motivated and energetic." Sodari chose UTA specifically for its strength in magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling research, and ultimately hopes his work will sharpen space weather prediction capabilities—protecting the satellites, navigation systems, and communications networks that modern life depends on.

What if a building could be printed? At UTA's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA), that question is becoming reality. On April 24, the Architectural Robotic Construction Lab (ARC Lab) debuted its large-scale 3D printing technology before an audience that included UTA President Jennifer Cowley, CAPPA Dean Ming-Han Li, and visionary alumnus H. Ralph Hawkins, whose philanthropy made the lab possible.

During the live demonstration, attendees watched the lab's advanced robotic printer translate digital designs directly into full-scale concrete structures—a capability that could reshape efficiency, sustainability, and creative possibility across the construction industry. The ARC Lab is already embedded in CAPPA's graduate and undergraduate architecture studios, giving students hands-on experience bridging conceptual design and physical fabrication.

The lab is led by Professor Shadi Nazarian, the inaugural H. Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, Chair in Architecture and a cross-disciplinary scholar specializing in construction materials innovation and large-scale additive manufacturing. Recruited to UTA in 2023, Dr. Nazarian established the ARC Lab in 2024 with a mission centered on shared access, experiential learning, and industry engagement.

"Through interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on exploration, the lab fosters breakthroughs that extend from campus to community to industry," Nazarian said. The ARC Lab brings together expertise in architecture, engineering, arts, and sciences, supported by adjunct faculty Negar Ashrafi and Brad McCorkle, along with graduate research assistant Shane Pellerin. Dean Li noted that the lab positions CAPPA at the forefront of architectural research and creates powerful learning opportunities—while UTA President Cowley credited the lab as exemplifying the kind of innovation that defines UTA's future direction.