MavWire 2015 Archive » MavWire — Monday, March 23, 2015

Dr. Majie Fan

NSF grant supports research of Rocky Mountains' ways

Majie Fan, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, has been awarded $485,627 from the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program to study the Rocky Mountains and how their modern, elevated landscape came to be.

During the next five years, she will use the new grant to conduct field investigations and collect rock samples from the mountain range, which stretches from Canada into central New Mexico.

Dr. Fan also will develop a camp for local high school students traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but who are interested in STEM fields.

Read more about Fan's grant.

Dr. Anne Bavier

Bavier to receive Legion of Honor Gold Medallion

Anne Bavier, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, will be awarded the Legion of Honor Gold Medallion from the Philadelphia-based Chapel of Four Chaplains.

The Gold Medallion is the organization’s highest award. It is presented to persons whose exceptional leadership has brought worldwide attention and whose life epitomizes the spirit of the sacrifice of the four U.S. Army chaplains.

The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation exists to further the cause of “unity without uniformity” by encouraging goodwill and cooperation among all people.

Read more about Dr. Bavier's honor.

TeleTalk: Sociology student Porsha Gunishaw uses a MantaroBot TeleMe to interact with students on the first floor of the Central Library.

Library to begin offering programming robots for checkout

Robots are available for checkout by faculty, staff, and students at the Central Library starting today, Monday, March 23.

Five MantaroBot TeleMes, or TelePresence Robots, will be available for up to three hours to participate in classes or events on campus. Smaller TelePresence robots including a Double and two Botiful robots also will be available.

The robots could allow faculty traveling to a conference to interact with students back at UT Arlington. Faculty also could use a robot to extend office hours to the Central Library, a popular study destination for students. 

The TeleMes units work as a remote avatar, allowing users to interact with environments where they cannot be physically present.

Read more about the library's robots.

Henry Cisneros here next week for Maverick Speakers Series

Tickets are still available to see Henry Cisneros at the next Maverick Speakers Series event.

He will speak on "Smart Growth: Developing the Economy, Infrastructure, and a Sustainable Future" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at Texas Hall.

A four-term mayor of San Antonio, Cisneros also served as the 10th secretary of housing and urban development during the Clinton administration. Since leaving public office, he has remained actively involved with housing development and urban revitalization.

Free general admission and preferred seating tickets are available at utatickets.com. For VIP tickets, contact Mark LaVelle at mlavelle@uta.edu or 2-5235.

ACES symposium displays student research

Students will show their research and creativity at the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES) symposium 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Poster presentations will be in the Bluebonnet Ballroom, and oral presentations are throughout the University Center. An awards presentation begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Rio Grande Ballroom.

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.

ACES is an interdisciplinary event in which any student from any program can participate.

Glass sale offers beautiful objects, bargain prices, auction

Beautifully crafted works of glass art are available at a UTA-only event Friday, March 27, and for the public Saturday, March 28, at the annual Glass Art Show and Sale at the Studio Arts Center, 810 S. Davis Dr.

The show and sale includes collector art pieces, vases, paperweights, platters, bowls, small sculptures, and other items for sale. Graduate students, faculty, and staff in the renowned glass art program craft most of the work.

Friday is reserved for sales 9 a.m.-2 p.m. to UTA accounts only. Departments can purchase works for display. Faculty and staff can scope out the works for purchase on Saturday.

Saturday's public sale runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with silent and live auctions, raffles, and glass-blowing demonstrations.

Half of the proceeds from student work go to the student artists. The rest benefits the glass art program and will be used to purchase or build equipment and to repair existing equipment. Faculty and staff build and maintain all of the program’s state-of-the art equipment.

Maverick blur Members of UTA's Formula SAE Racing Team burned some rubber on Lot 49 recently to test the machine and prepare for upcoming competitions. Read more about the team, its vehicles, and history in the spring issue of UTArlington Magazine.

TEDxUTA speakers announced

Six faculty members and four students will give presentations at TEDxUTA Saturday, March 28. The conference is 1-5 p.m. in the Rosebud Theatre of the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Speakers include faculty members Colleen Fitzgerald, linguistics; Seokjin Jeong, criminology and criminal justice; Zdzislaw Musielak, physics; Ya’Ke Smith, film; Michael Varner, music; and Abu Yilla, kinesiology. Read more about the speakers.

Only 100 tickets are available. Tickets are $25 for faculty and staff (limit 2), $15 for students (limit 2), and $30 for the general public (limit 4) at utatickets.com.

Follow TEDxUTA on Facebook and Twitter for updates on speakers.

UTA takes second place in Stanley Security grant competition

The UT Arlington Police Department won a $75,000 grant as runner-up in Stanley Security’s Together for Safer Schools Grant Program. The funds will be used for campus security equipment and installation.

A total of six schools will be awarded grants.

Discount tickets available for HBO's boxing championship at CPC

Receive a 20 percent discount on tickets to the World Junior Welterweight Championship through Tuesday, March 31.

Undefeated WBO world lightweight champion Terence Crawford, the BWAA 2014 Fighter of the Year, will take on top contender Thomas Dulorme in an HBO After Dark rumble Saturday, April 18, at College Park Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

For discount tickets, use the promo code UTAHBO at utatickets.com or call 2-9595.

Fellowships available from Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact

The Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact offers faculty fellowships on sustainability in the curriculum.

Fellowships of $2,000-$5,000 for one semester support development of modules on sustainability for existing courses, laboratory exercises, service learning exercises, field trips, development of new courses, or development of other curriculum products.

Application deadline is Wednesday, April 15. For an application or more information, contact Chris Morris at morris@uta.edu.

Webb Lectures reset for April 24

The second day of the 50th Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lectures is now on Friday, April 24, in the Rio Grande Ballroom of the E.H. Hereford University Center. 

The event, originally set for March 5, was postponed because of snow and ice.

Topics include “Disability and Slave Motherhood in the Antebellum South,” “Defining Idiocy in 19th Century Families,” and “Personal Politics, Disability Rights and the Deinstitutionalization of Psychiatric Hospitals.”  

Susan Burch of Middlebury College will give the keynote lecture “Disorderly Pasts: Kinship, Diagnoses, and Native American-U.S. Histories” at 7:30 p.m. in the Bluebonnet Ballroom.

Sponsors include History, Disability Studies, the Office for Students with Disabilities, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Movin’ Mavs Adapted Sports and Recreation.

Encourage students to file for upcoming campus elections

Students can now apply for spring elections. Positions include Student Congress president, vice president, and senators, Mr. and Ms. UTA, UTA Ambassadors, and Student Services Allocation Committee representatives.

Applications are available in the Student Activities and Organizations office in Suite B120 of the E.H. Hereford University Center. The deadline to file is 5 p.m. Thursday, March 26. Learn more on the campus elections website.

Cuttin' up Kimoi Jeptoo, mathematics sophomore, and Somesh Arora, computer science freshman, help demolish "popcorn" trees, an invasive plant along the Gulf Coast, during the Alternative Spring Break trip to Mississippi. Jeptoo said the work was easy because she cut similar trees for firewood in her native Kenya.

Finalize outside activity disclosures by March 31

Finalize your disclosures for the 2014 calendar year in the Outside Activity Portal by Tuesday, March 31.

Significant interest in a business or gifts received are required to be disclosed. Disclosure may be required for your spouse and dependents.

If you previously have requested approval for outside employment, service on a board, or uncompensated activity outside of UTA and additional disclosure is required, the information will appear on the Disclosure tab when you log in.

To request approval for outside activities, use the Request Approval tab.

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Chapman in University Compliance Services at 2-2080 or uts180conflictsofinterest@uta.edu.

Performance reviews due March 31

Annual performance reviews for employees must be completed by Tuesday, March 31. The reviews do not include faculty members and graduate assistants.

Performance Management Forms and Procedures for supervisors is offered 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in Room 200 of the J.D. Wetsel Service Center.

Evaluation forms are online.

For questions, email hrperformreviews@uta.edu or call 2-5554.

Monday, March 23

Women's and Gender Studies Mini-Conference Students present their original scholarship on women, gender, and related topics. Free. 1-4 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library. Women’s and Gender Studies, Women’s History Month.

Business Week Speakers share their insights into globalization and the future of business. See the schedule. Through Wednesday, March 25. Alumna Jacqualyn Fouse is the keynote speaker at the Executive Dinner, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26, Bluebonnet Ballroom, E.H. Hereford University Center. Tickets online. Business, Business Week.

Tuesday, March 24

Developing Assertive Communication Skills Register online. 9-11 a.m., Room 200, J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Cancer Support Network at UTA Faculty and staff who have experienced or are in treatment for cancer can be part of private, respectful support group discussions. Free. 11 a.m.-noon, Room 314, Central Library. Also, April 8 and 22, May 6. Contact Jody Bailey at jbailey@uta.edu or Bruce Bower at bower@uta.edu.

Statement of Account and the Reconciliation Process For employees who reconcile the statement of account (SOA). Register online. 2:30-4:30 p.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education. Business Affairs.

Women's History Month Lectures: Charlaine Harris New York Times best-selling author Charlaine Harris—whose Sookie Stackhouse series inspired the HBO drama True Blood—discusses "Futuristic Females: Women in Science and Science Fiction." Free. 7 p.m., sixth floor, Central Library. Women’s and Gender Studies, Women's History Month.

Wednesday, March 25

LINK Lab Lecture Series A roundtable discussion on “Conversations on Strategies and Support for Under-Represented Learners” with, at right, Holly Hungerford-Kresser, left, associate professor of English education and literacy studies, and Maria Martinez-Cosio, associate professor of urban and public affairs and assistant vice provost for faculty development. Noon, Room 246, Nedderman Hall. LINK Research Lab.

Travel and Expenses For employees responsible for managing travel requests and reimbursements. Register online. 1:30-4:30 p.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education. Business Affairs.

Architecture Speakers Series Tom Kundig of Seattle discusses his recent works. Free. 4 p.m. Room 204, Architecture Building. Also, Joe Self, Wednesday, April 8. Architecture.

CMAS Speaker Series A panel discussion on "Ser Bilingue Es Un Regalo (Being Bilingual Is a Gift): Dual-Language Education in Texas K-12." Free. 4-6 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library. Center for Mexican American Studies.  

Performance Management Forms and Procedures Register online. 2-3 p.m., Room 200, J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Thursday, March 26

Engineering Speakers Series Pallab Bhattacharya of the University of Michigan discusses "III-Nitride Nanostructures: A Formidable Technology." Free. 6 p.m., Room 100, Nedderman Hall. Engineering.

Friday, March 27

The Art of Listening Register online. 10 a.m.-noon, Room 200, J.D. Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Faculty Peer Review Training Become a certified peer reviewer. Register online. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Room 115, Central Library. Also, 1-5 p.m. Friday, March 27; 1-5 p.m. Monday, April 6. Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.

UTARI Seminar Hyejin Moon, associate professor and director of UTA’s Integrated Micro and Nanofluidics Laboratory, presents “Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) Digital Microfluidics and its Applications.” RSVP to ride shuttle. Lunch included. Free. Noon-1 p.m., boardroom, UTARI, 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. S. UT Arlington Research Institute.

Saturday, March 28

Juneteenth in Texas: 150 Years of Freedom Lectures Lectures include “Understanding Juneteenth from Emancipation to Jim Crow,” "Juneteenth from the Texas Centennial to Civil Rights,” and “Teaching About a Missing Chapter in American History.” Register online. Free. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library. History, Center for Greater Southwestern Studies.

Tuesday, March 31

Safe Zone Ally Training Learn to create a visible network of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning individuals, and their allies. Register online. 9 a.m.-noon, Concho Room, E.H. Hereford University Center. Also, 1-4 p.m. Thursday, April 16, Neches Room, University Center. LGBTQA Program.

Wine Appreciation Explore the history of wine in a four-course food and wine pairing. Call 2-2581 for faculty, staff discount fee of $80. 7-9 p.m.. Continuing Education.

Wednesday, April 1

Arlington Technology Series Brian Huff, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, explains why "Your Next Co-pilot Will Be a Robot," how unmanned systems are not truly unmanned, and offers predictions on how future systems of all kinds will interact with human activities. Light breakfast provided. RSVP. Free. 7-8 a.m., Room 100, Nedderman Hall. Arlington Technology Association.

CAAS Power Hour Anne Nordberg, assistant professor of social work, discusses “The Audacity of Injustice: Power and Contemporary Acts of Violence.” Noon-1 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library. Center for African American Studies.

Thursday, April 2

Qualitative Research Networking Taryn Ozuna Allen and Leaf Zhang of Education Leadership and Policy Studies present "Dedicated to the Degree: Adult Learners in Engineering Baccalaureate Programs." Noon-1 p.m., Room 415, Central Library. Also, Alexa Smith-Osborne of Social Work discusses "The Student Veteran Project and Military Youth Resilience Project," Thursday, April 16. Qualitative Research Networking.

Biology Colloquium Series Michael Sadowsky of the University of Minnesota on "Microbial Bile Acid Metabolism Is One Mechanism Behind the Success of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation." 4 p.m., Room 124, Life Science. Also, Rayna Bell of the University of California, Berkeley, Thursday, April 9. Biology.

Termini Distinguished Anthropologist Lecture Cemal Pulak, the Frederick R. Mayer Faculty Professor of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University, presents "Excavating the World’s Oldest Shipwreck: Uluburun and Late Bronze Age Trade in the Mediterranean.” Free. 7 p.m., auditorium, Architecture Building. Sociology and Anthropology.

Friday, April 3

LINK Lab Lecture Series Sabrina Habib, assistant professor of communication, presents "Qualitative Video Data Collection and Analysis." Noon, Room 601, Nedderman Hall. LINK Research Lab.

Coming up

Robotics Week Showcase Today’s most innovative technology by UTA faculty and industry collaborators. To reserve exhibit space, call 2-5900 or email utari-events@uta.edu. A shuttle will run between campuses. Free. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, UT Arlington Research Institute, 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. S., Fort Worth. UTARI.

Social Works Ethics Forum “Big Data, Privacy, and Your Agency’s Functioning: A Forum on Social Work Ethics in the Age of Electronic Record Keeping and Coordination of Care.” Free but registration required. 1-4 p.m. Friday, April 10, Room 245, Business Building. Social Work.

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

Monday, March 23

Blood Drive Carter Blood Care will be on campus March 23-26 on the library mall and University Center mall.

Faculty Trombone Recital Dennis Bubert, visiting assistant professor of trombone, performs. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Tuesday, March 24

Clavier Piano Recital Piano students perform. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Wednesday, March 25

Faculty Bassoon Recital Scott Pool, assistant professor of bassoon, performs. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Thursday, March 26

Faculty Vocal Recital Jennifer Ciobanu, adjunct instructor of voice, performs. Free. 5:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Trumpet Studio Recital Trumpet students perform. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Friday, March 27

Friday Night Film: 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' Rated PG-13. Free, fresh-popped popcorn while supplies last; other concessions for sale. Tickets $1, $1.50 with credit card. 8 p.m., Rosebud Theatre, E.H. Hereford University Center. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Trombone Choir Concert Trombone students perform. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Tuesday, March 31

Mavs Got Talent Show A showcase of talented students. Free. 7 p.m., Rosebud Theatre, E.H. Hereford University Center. EXCEL Campus Activities. 

Ongoing

Architecture Gallery: Cliff Welch Dallas architect Cliff Welch exhibits "Abstractions: Sketches, Paintings, and Photography through the Eye of an Architect." Hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Architecture Gallery, Architecture Building. Through March 27. Architecture.

Gallery 76102: 'The Ties That Bind' Artist Kelly Ingleright-Telgenhoff's work elevates an isolated single object in her personal quest for beauty, calm, and serenity. Gallery hours noon-6 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. Through March 28. Free. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

The Gallery at UTA: 'Subject Disability' Nine artists address disability by illustrating the ways art can challenge and inform our experience of others. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Through April 4. The Gallery at UTA.

Special Collections: !Viva Mexico! A Comic Book History of Mexico A rare look inside the rise of comic books in 20th century Mexico, their literary, cultural, and entertainment value, and influence by the Mexican government. Hours 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, sixth floor, Central Library. Through Aug. 8. UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections.

Visual Resource Commons and Gallery The African Art Collection is a multi-dimensional collection of 11th- to 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 spring schedule features Black Holes, Dynamic Earth, Pink Floyd, Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, and Spacepark 360: Infinity. Planetarium.

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