MavWire 2014 Archive » MavWire — Monday, December 1, 2014

Emotional response: Dr. Julienne Greer, senior lecturer in theatre arts, based her research on robots such as Pepper to help scientists better understand the human experience.

Theatre arts research provides insight into human behavior for scientists, engineers who build social robots

Theatre arts lecturer Julienne Greer is building on her theatre experience to help scientists and robotics engineers better understand the human experience so they can build more responsive robots.

Dr. Greer's recent paper, “Building Emotional Authenticity Between Humans and Robots,” references Pepper, hailed as an emotionally responsive humanoid robot that understands feelings.

When Pepper was unveiled in Japan in June 2014, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said his company’s aim was to “develop affectionate robots that can make people smile.”

In her paper, Greer notes that when humans make certain gestures, such as a smile, it could mean that they're happy or that they're angry but smiling to make themselves less aggressive in tense situations.

Read more about Greer's social robotics research.

UT Arlington recognized for education of minority nurses

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation has been ranked third in the nation and highest in Texas for the volume of minority nurses with bachelor’s degrees it produces, according to a recent issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

UT Arlington awarded 747 bachelor’s degrees in nursing to students who identified themselves as Hispanic, African-American, or from another minority group, according to preliminary 2012-2013 statistics used in the magazine.

The University also came in at No. 21 on Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s list of schools producing minority graduates with master’s degrees in nursing.

Read more about the diversity in nursing ranking.

Dr. Beth Wright

College of Liberal Arts dean to return to art history faculty

Beth Wright, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a distinguished art historian, has announced that she will step down Dec. 31 after serving in her academic leadership position for more than a decade.

A national search for Dean Wright’s successor will begin immediately.

Dr. Wright plans to take a year’s leave and will return to her position as a professor in the Department of Art and Art History in 2016.

The University will rely on the college’s strong academic leadership team of associate and assistant deans to guide its 12 academic programs during the interim, says Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, provost and vice president for academic affairs. 

Under Wright’s leadership, the College of Liberal Arts has grown to include more than 4,500 students. The college awarded almost 1,200 degrees in the 2013-2014 academic year.

Read more about Dean Wright and the College of Liberal Arts.

Candidates for College of Science dean to visit campus

Candidates for dean of the College of Science will meet with administrators, faculty, staff, and students Monday-Friday, Dec. 1-5.

The name of each candidate will be released 24 hours in advance of his or her campus visit.

Visit the Senior Leadership Searches webpage to learn more about the dean search for the College of Science, as details become available.

Proposals for advising conference due today

Submissions are due today, Monday, Dec. 1, for the UT Arlington Advising Association's 18th annual advising conference, "Academic Marvels: Unleashing Your Advising Super Powers." 

Register online for the conference, set for Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015.

Blue light special More than 30,000 Maverick blue lights illuminate the Library mall for the holidays. Deck the Mall started the glowing tradition last Monday with hot chocolate, cookies, and other treats for guests.

ACES symposium now accepting abstract submissions

Abstracts are now being accepted for the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES), a University-wide symposium highlighting the best in student research and creativity. Submission deadline is Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.

To be featured at ACES, undergraduate and graduate students work with faculty mentors in their disciplines to write and submit abstracts for the competition. The approved abstracts are then turned into oral presentations or posters to be presented at the symposium. The day-long event includes a keynote speaker. 

ACES 2015 will take place Wednesday, March 25, in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Email questions to aces@uta.edu.

Participate in emergency response exercise

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the Office of Emergency Management’s annual Clery Act tabletop exercise Thursday, Dec. 4. The program is 1-4 p.m. in the back gym of the Maverick Activities Center.

The exercise addresses emergency response and evacuation on a campus-wide scale.

UTA Bookstore hosts reception for faculty, staff

Enjoy refreshments and savings at the UTA Bookstore 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3. The faculty and staff appreciation event includes discounts on everything except computers, software, textbooks, reference books, and convenience items.

MyMav maintenance planned for Dec. 7

Maintenance is planned for the MyMav system noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, by the Office of Information Technology. During this time, MyMav will be unavailable.

Questions? Contact the Help Desk at 2-2208 or helpdesk@uta.edu.

Beware of cyber criminals when shopping online

The Information Security Office encourages you to be aware of holiday seasonal scams, phishing, and malicious software distribution campaigns.

Cyber criminals often send personal messages that appear to be legitimate and include websites that look real with logos, email, or web templates.

These phishing and malware campaigns include fake shipping/courier notifications; electronic greeting cards or links to holiday screensavers; requests for charitable contributions that appear to be from the real organization; and credit card or gift card applications or enticing discounts that lead to unfamiliar websites.

Never click on links in emails that you’re not expecting, open attachments in emails that you’re not expecting, nor provide personal information in an email or on a website unless you are confident of the source.

If you do receive suspicious email messages, contact the Information Security Office at security@uta.edu.

Read more online security tips.

Wednesday, Dec. 3

Big Data Exploration and Analytics in Social Media and the Deep Web Gautam Das, professor of computer science and engineering, describes the technical challenges and algorithmic innovations encountered in novel application domains, such as collaborative/social media and deep web databases. Light breakfast provided. RSVP. Free. 7-8 a.m., Room 100, Nedderman Hall. Arlington Technology Association.

Women's and Gender Studies Speaker Anne Boring of Effective Gender Equality in Research and the Academia presents "Gender Biases in Student Evaluation of Teachers." Free. Noon-1 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library. Women's and Gender Studies.

Friday, Dec. 5

Conducting Effective Meetings Register online. Free. 9-11 a.m., J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Monday, Dec. 8

Engineering Speakers Series Michael Cho of the University of Illinois at Chicago presents "Functional Biomechanics of Stem Cells: Launch of Single Cell Analysis." Free. 11 a.m.-noon, Room 601, Nedderman Hall. Engineering.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Managing Stress in the Workplace Register online. Free. 9-11 a.m., J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Partnering with Your Boss Register online. Free. 9-11 a.m., J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Faculty Research Incubator Seminar Series David Rakowski, associate professor of finance and real estate, is guest speaker. Free. 1:30-3:30 p.m., Room 609, Business Building. Business.

Thursday, Dec. 11

Engineering Speakers Series Fengnian Xia of Yale University discusses "Graphene Photonics and Plasmonics." Free. 3:30-5 p.m., Room 601, Nedderman Hall. Engineering.

Friday, Dec. 12

The Art of Listening Register online. Free. 9-11 a.m., J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Saturday, Dec. 13

2014-15 Health Insurance Marketplace Enrollment Information sessions and enrollment assistance for the 2014-15 Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplace. Patient navigators who speak English, Spanish, and Vietnamese available. Co-sponsors are the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the United Way of Tarrant County. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Guadalupe Room, E.H. Hereford University Center. Nursing and Health Innovation, Rural Health Outreach Program.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UTA calendar.)

German students unveil original play Students in Sabine Harvey’s German drama class have written an original play, “Murder Abroad.” The performance will be in German—with English subtitles—at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in Room 204 of the Architecture Building. Admission is free. Last summer, Harvey, a senior lecturer and coordinator for German Studies in the Department of Modern Languages, led a student group on a study abroad trip to Berlin and Erfurt. Many of their experiences were written into the play. “The students came up with the idea and wanted to put some of their experiences, some of the funnier incidences, into a play,” she says. “Putting this together, we realized more about ourselves and more about Germany. It’s been a very enlightening experience.” Harvey says students used the modern German dramas they read this semester as a template for their original work. Students researched the history of places they visited and worked those details into the play. They also met regularly for an hour before class to work on acting, staging, directing, and other elements necessary to build a successful performance. "They used research, their own experiences, and immense creativity to work on the dialogue, acting, and music," she says. "I also noticed they were more aware of the language and pronunciation throughout the whole process.”

Monday, Dec. 1-Wednesday, Dec. 10

Paws for Finals Therapy dogs help with the stress of final exams. Free. Second floor, Central Library. UT Arlington Libraries.

Tuesday, Dec. 2

Women's Basketball Mavericks vs. UT San Antonio. Tickets $7. 7 p.m., College Park Center. Also, vs. McMurry, Wednesday, Dec. 17. Athletics.

Wednesday, Dec. 3

CAAS: An Evening with Authors Meet the authors from UT Arlington. 5:30–7:30 p.m., Carlisle Suite, E.H. Hereford University Center. Center for African American Studies.

Friday, Dec. 5

BFA Exhibit Opening Reception The Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition showcases works by 47 graduating seniors in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, film/video, photography, and visual communication. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Reception 5-7 p.m., The Gallery at UTA. Through Dec. 13. Art and Art History.

Friends of the Library Chants Encounters performs holiday music. Free. 7:30 p.m., sixth floor Central Library. Friends of the Library.

Dance Ensemble Concert The UTA Dance Ensemble presents works by Danielle Georgiou, Martin Godoy, and student choreographers. $7 general admission, $5 with student ID. 8 p.m., MainStage Theatre, Fine Arts Building. Also, Saturday, Dec. 6. Theatre Arts.

Saturday, Dec. 6

Men's Basketball Mavericks vs. Weber State. Tickets $7. 2 p.m., College Park Center. Also, Howard Payne, Saturday, Dec. 20. Athletics.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Faculty and Staff Holiday Reception Enjoy holiday refreshments and music by the UTA Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Tim Ishii. Free. 3-5 p.m., Bluebonnet Ballroom, E.H. Hereford University Center. Dining Services, Office of the President.

Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 11-13

Commencement Ceremonies Graduating students celebrate their achievements. See the Commencement schedule. College Park Center.

Ongoing

MavsArt The semi-annual UTA community art show features 67 works by 25 artists who are UTA students, faculty, and staff. Through Dec. 3. UT Arlington Libraries, MavsArt.

Digital Photography Student artwork showcased. Gallery hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Free. University Center Gallery, E.H. Hereford University Center. Through Dec. 12. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Max Sullivan Gallery: Statera-Hymns of Balance Paintings by Andrew Kochie. Gallery hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Free. Max Sullivan Gallery, Room 206, Architecture Building. Through Dec. 15. Architecture.

Cuba: Histories of the Present Explore daily life in modern Cuba through photographs by David LaFevor, assistant professor of history. Sixth floor, Central Library. Through Dec. 22.

Special Collections: The Price of Manifest Destiny Discover how maps and war interlock in the 19th century in a new exhibit. Hours 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, sixth floor, Central Library. Through Feb. 7, 2015. UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections.

Visual Resource Commons and Gallery The African Art Collection is a multi-dimensional collection of 11th-20th century art and artifacts. Free. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, Suite 2109, Fine Arts Building. Art and Art History.

Planetarium The winter schedule, Dec. 4-21, features Season of Light; Holiday Music Magic; Back to the Moon for Good; Experience the Aurora; One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure; Pink Floyd; and Spacepark 360 Infinity. Planetarium.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UTA calendar.)