MavWire 2015 Archive » MavWire — Thursday, October 1, 2015

Dr. Heng Huang

Research uses data mining to help early identification, prevention of Alzheimer's disease

Heng Huang, professor of computer science and engineering, will analyze complex data and use imaging genomics to predict a person’s probability of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Huang won a five-year, $2 million grant through the National Institutes of Health to use multi-dimensional and longitudinal imaging genomic data to identify biomarkers that may be used for early prediction of Alzheimer’s disease, with the hope that the effects of the disease may be reversed or prevented.

He will develop data-mining techniques to analyze genotype and phenotype data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort, a database to study the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

Read more about Huang's Alzheimer's data research.

Dr. Sharolyn Dihigo

Nursing researchers urge primary health care providers to screen for depression, suicide risk in teens

A new paper from nursing researchers at UT Arlington and Texas Woman’s University finds that depression and suicide risk screening can assist health care providers in preventing suicides in teens.

Sharolyn Dihigo, pediatric nurse practitioner and clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and Barbara Gray, associate professor of nursing at TWU, recently examined available research to determine what screening tools nurse practitioners and others in primary care settings should access during well visits with teenage patients.

The paper appears in the September issue of The Nurse Practitioner  journal as part of a continuing education series, and it comes as the nation observes Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

Read more about the teen depression research.

One week until Mia Farrow appears for Maverick Speakers Series

Tickets to see actress and activist Mia Farrow for the Maverick Speakers Series are still available online.

Farrow will speak on "What Falls Away: One Woman’s Journey to Fulfillment" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Texas Hall. An audience question-and-answer session will follow the lecture.

She is perhaps best known for her role as Rosemary in Rosemary’s Baby and has appeared in more than 50 films, winning numerous awards since her career began in 1964. Her most recent film is 2011’s Dark Horse.

Farrow has worked extensively as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and is involved in humanitarian activities in Africa. In 2008, Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world.

General admission is free, but tickets are required. Season and preferred ticket packages are available and include reserved seating, parking, and more. For all these ticket options, go to utatickets.com.

For VIP packages, contact Mark LaVelle at mlavelle@uta.edu or 2-5235.

Campus Security and Fire Report available

UT Arlington's 2015 Annual Campus Security and Fire Report is available online and in hard copy.

The report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety such as crime prevention, fire safety, UTA Police law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures, and other matters of importance related to security and safety on campus.

The report also contains crime statistics for the three previous calendar years (2012-2014) concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus, in off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by UT Arlington, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

Required by law, the report is provided by the UT Arlington Police Department. For a hard copy of the 2015 Annual Campus Security and Fire Report, email campus_safety_report@uta.edu.

Got a parking permit? Get one before Oct. 5

Faculty and staff members and students who have not yet registered their vehicles through MAVPark, the University’s new decal-free permit system, are asked to do so immediately at uta.edu/mavpark.

Monitoring and enforcement of vehicles permitted to be parked on campus begins Monday, Oct. 5, following the traditional start-of-the-semester grace period. Owners of unauthorized vehicles are subject to a citation and a $50 fine.

Upgrades planned to fix Outlook OWA service interruptions

Due to the rapid growth in the use of smartphones, tablets, and Apple devices, there has been a significant increase in demand on the Outlook Web App (OWA) for email.

You may experience brief, intermittent delays or receive a gray outage screen when trying to send or receive emails. During this interruption, inbound emails will be queued until the connection is restored.

The Office of Information Technology is working on a permanent solution that includes upgrades to the Outlook servers. Look for updates about the upgrades in MavWire. For more details, go to the OIT website.

Beware of phishing email asking for UTA password

Some UT Arlington faculty and staff have received email messages with the subject line "Dear E-mail User, The University of Texas at Arlington Webmail update."

This is a malicious email—known as "phishing"—and was sent by someone not affiliated with the University to steal personal information through a legitimate-looking email message.

UT Arlington staff will never request that you submit your username (NetID) and/or passwords via email.

The Information Security Office offers these tips on how to avoid falling victim to phishing schemes:

• Do not provide your NetID and password in email.
• Do not respond to emails that require you to enter personal or financial information directly into the email.
• Do not reply to emails that ask you to send personal information.
• Do not respond to emails threatening to close your account if you do not provide personal information.
• Contact the OIT Helpdesk at 2-2208 if you are unsure about an email asking for personal information.
• Send a copy of the message to the Information Security Office (security@uta.edu).
• If the message comes from someone familiar but looks odd, contact that person directly via phone to verify the contents.

If you responded to a phishing email with your UTA password, go to uta.edu/selfservice and change your password immediately. If you are unable to change your password, contact the OIT Helpdesk at 2-2208 as soon as possible.

Check out UT Arlington’s anti-phishing website for guidance on how to recognize a phishing message and what to do if you’ve received a suspicious message or if you’ve fallen victim to one. For more information, visit uta.edu/security/spam/index.

Mark calendar for Fall Faculty and Associates Meeting

The Fall Faculty and Associates Meeting is set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Rio Grande Ballroom of the E.H. Hereford University Center. The program includes recognition of 11 professor emeriti and new faculty members.

UTA PD hosts National Night Out next week

Join the UTA Police Department for the annual National Night Out event Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Meet police officers and staff as well as campus leaders while learning crime prevention tips and emergency management and watching fire safety demonstrations. Enjoy free food, games, prizes, and more.

The event is 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the University Center mall.

Candidates for AVP for research visit campus

Candidates for associate vice president for research will meet with administrators, faculty, staff, and students.

Jon Weidanz of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is the third candidate. His public session is 3-4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in Room 601 of Nedderman Hall. He is a professor of immunotherapeutics at TTU HSC's School of Pharmacy.

The last candidate is Gautam Pillay, Tuesday, Oct. 6. Candidates visiting previously include Kurt Zinn and Steve West.

Each candidate will speak and then answer questions.

Plan for Homecoming game road trip

Make plans to cheer on the Maverick women's basketball team when they face the Baylor Bears for one of the UTA Homecoming games Friday, Nov. 13, at the Ferrell Center in Waco.

Tickets are $30 for faculty, staff, and alumni and $15 for students. Price includes the game ticket, food, a T-shirt, and transportation to and from the game.

Participate in the pre-game tip-off with food and activities 1:30-3 p.m. at Moritz Plaza at College Park Center. Buses leave for the game at 3 p.m. The game starts at 6 p.m.

Tickets will be available soon at uta.edu/homecoming along with other details about Homecoming 2015. Purchase your ticket by Monday, Nov. 2.

Questions? Student Affairs has answers at 2-6080.

Town hall meetings on campus carry continue

Town hall meetings continue this week to gather ideas, suggestions, and feedback from the campus community about the implementation of Senate Bill 11 (SB 11), better known as “Campus Carry,” at UTA.

During the 84th Legislative Session, lawmakers passed SB 11, which allows a license holder to carry a concealed handgun on the campus.

Upcoming meetings are:

• Graduate Assembly, 2:30 p.m. today, Thursday, Oct. 1, San Saba Room, University Center
• 5 p.m. today, Thursday, Oct. 1, Room 108, University Hall
• 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, Rio Grande A, University Center
• Faculty Senate, 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7, Student Congress Chambers, University Center
• 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, Bluebonnet Ballroom, University Center
• Staff Advisory Council, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, Student Congress Chambers, University Center

For more information, go to uta.edu/campuscarry for meeting dates and locations, frequently asked questions, information on the legislation, and a survey to complete if you are not able to attend one of the meetings.

Keep on rollin' Wheels were rolling from noon to midnight for Monday's Cyclethon at the Maverick Activities Center as part of World Heart Day. Twenty teams kept the cycles in motion to raise $1,020 for the American Heart Association. Delta Delta Delta sorority won the competition.

All-Sports Pass a bargain for faculty, staff at only $99

The Faculty/Staff All-Sports Pass gives you access to more than 100 on-campus Maverick athletic events.

For only $99, you can watch the action for volleyball and basketball at College Park Center, baseball at Clay Gould Ballpark, and softball at Allan Saxe Field. Individual tickets for these games are $5-$7 each.

To purchase the Faculty/Staff All-Sports Pass, go to utatickets.com.

Enhanced UT System Dashboard focuses on user friendliness and key performance measures

The UT System Dashboard is now equipped with user-friendly features to better measure performance.

Developed by the UT System’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, the dashboard provides access to data on topics such as affordability, student success, post-graduation earnings, research, health care, and state economic impact.

Read more about the new UT System Dashboard.

Greek Row Drive closed Saturday morning

Greek Row Drive will be closed 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, between Davis Drive and Kerby Street for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Program Assistance Fund available for student organizations

Faculty and staff advisers for student organizations can apply for the Program Assistance Fund, which offers supplemental funding for student organization activities and travel.

Applications are available in the Student Congress offices in Suite B150 of the E.H. Hereford University Center. For more information, visit uta.edu/sc or email sc-parl@uta.edu.

UT Arlington Advising Association invites new members

The UT Arlington Advising Association (UTAAA) is open to all undergraduate advisers, graduate advisers, professional advisers, faculty advisers, and graduate students with an interest in academic advising.

UTAAA is a forum for sharing ideas and information related to advising services, opportunities for professional development, and peer support.

Learn more and sign up for the UTAAA listserv for conference updates and monthly meeting information.

Thursday, Oct. 1

Earth and Environmental Sciences Lectures Nilotpal Ghosh, right, lecturer in earth and environmental sciences, discusses “Evidence of catastrophe across the Permian-Triassic boundary in Spiti Valley, Indian Himalayas.” 4 p.m., Room 100, Geoscience Building. Also, Julia Morgan of Rice University, Oct. 8; Thomas Darrah of Ohio State University, Oct. 15; Bob Gregory of Southern Methodist University, Oct. 22; and Bastian Georg of Trent University, Oct. 29. Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Qualitative Research Brown-bag Meetups Mary-Colette Lybrand and Alyson Stearns of UTA's Regulatory Services discuss "Demystifying the Institutional Review Board." Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 414, Central Library. Also, Shima Hamidi of planning and landscape architecture, Oct. 15; Priscila Caçola of kinesiology, "Mixed Methods and Working on Research as an Interdisciplinary Team," Oct. 30; and Yekang Ko and Ann Foss of planning and landscape architecture, "Measuring Climate Literacy: Using Survey Data for Interdisciplinary Environmental Education," Nov. 12. Qualitative Research Meetup.

Friday, Oct. 2

Mathematics Colloquium Series Santiago Schnell, president of the Society for Mathematical Biology and professor at the University of Michigan, is guest speaker. 3 p.m., Room 311, Pickard Hall. Also, Weiqiang Wang of the University of Virginia, Oct. 16, and Patrick Shipman of Colorado State University, Nov. 6. Mathematics.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

Breast Cancer Awareness Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Palo Duro Lounge, E.H. Hereford University Center. Health Services.

Managing Department Funds Register online. 1:30-3:30 p.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

Arlington Technology Association UT Arlington President Vistasp Karbhari discusses the future of engineering professions and the roles engineers will play in designing and guiding the world’s mechanisms. Light breakfast provided. RSVP. Free. 7-8 a.m,, Room 100, Nedderman Hall. Arlington Technology Association.

Food for Thought: Motivation Becky Garner, right, clinical assistant professor of kinesiology, presents an interactive program about motivation to fit your exercise program with your lifestyle. Noon-1 p.m., Room 213, Maverick Activities Center. Campus Recreation.

Architecture Lecture Signe and Jason Smith discuss “Love + Architecture.” Free. 4 p.m., Room 204, Architecture Building. Architecture.

CAAS Lecture "Backing Black & the Blue" addresses the topic of police encounters with persons of color and provides students and community members with information to be more comfortable when interacting with law enforcement personnel. 5:30 p.m., Bluebonnet Ballroom, E.H. Hereford University Center. Center for African American Studies.

Thursday, Oct. 8

Women's and Gender Studies Lecture Kathryne Beebe, assistant professor of history, and Anna Noga of the University of New Mexico discuss “Transported in Spirit: Visionary Travel in the Old World and the New." Free. 12:30-2 p.m., sixth floor, Central Library. Women’s and Gender Studies.

Timekeeper Register online. 9:30-11:30 a.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building.  Business Affairs.

M.S. in Health Care Administration Info Session Learn more about the accelerated, cohort-based program designed for professionals in the health care industry. Register online. 6 p.m., Fort Worth Center. Business.

Coming up

Peer Observation of Teaching Training Learn about this powerful tool for professional growth, documenting great teaching, and sharing new ideas. Register online. 9 a.m.-noon Friday, Oct. 9, Room 415, Central Library. Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Faculty Affairs.

New Teacher Webinar Series Join the webinar live or watch the video later on YouTube and Slideshare. Webinars Oct. 10, Nov. 7, Dec. 5, Jan. 30, Feb. 27, March 26, and April 16. New Teacher Webinar Series, Curriculum and Instruction.

Graduate Business Forum Learn about graduate degree programs in the College of Business. Register online. 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 10, Room 147, Business Building. Business.

LINK Lab Lecture Series Dragan Gasevic is guest speaker. Noon-1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, Room 246, Nedderman Hall. LINK Lab.

RADS Self-Defense for Women Self-defense course for female faculty, staff, and students. Register online. Free. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Oct. 17 and Nov. 7, Room 102-B, Maverick Activities Center. UT Arlington Police.

Human Resources Training Register online. Team Building for Supervisors, Oct. 13; Americans with Disabilities Act in the Workplace, Oct. 14; Powerful Presentation Skills, Oct. 21; Dealing Effectively with Conflict and Confrontation, Oct. 23; Your Professional Image, Oct. 27; Time Management: Keys to Everyday Office Success, Oct. 29. Human Resources.

Hermanns Lecture Series Guest speakers address the literature of life writing including diaries, letters, memoirs, social media, and comic books. See the schedule. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, sixth floor parlor, Central Library. English.

Business Affairs Training Register online. ProCard, Oct. 13; Travel and Expenses, Oct. 15; Requisitions, Oct. 20; Payment Vouchers, Oct. 22; Financial Statements and the Reconciliation Process, Oct. 27; Position and Workforce Management, Oct. 29. Business Affairs.

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

Outstanding Mavs: Cassidy Wheeler (7), left, Gabriela Alfonzo, Michael Guerrero, and Grant Copeland turned in outstanding performances in volleyball and cross country competitions last week.

Volleyball team drops pair of road matches

UTA went toe-to-toe with defending Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas-Little Rock but came up short Sunday in a five-set thriller in Little Rock. Sophomore setter Cassidy Wheeler paced the Mavericks with a career-high 51 assists.

Last Friday, UTA fell 3-1 to No. 25 Arkansas State in Jonesboro. Sophomore outside hitter Qiana Canete had 16 kills and 11 digs.

The Mavericks are 11-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play. They return to College Park Center this week for matches against Georgia Southern today, Thursday, Oct. 1, and Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Cross country teams 8th at Texas A&M Invitational

The women’s and men’s cross country teams both placed eighth among strong fields Saturday at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station.

Senior Katelyn Hayward was the top finisher among all UTA runners, placing 11th. Senior Gabriela Alfonzo was 15th. On the men’s side, sophomore Michael Guerrero led the Mavericks with a 17th-place showing, while junior Grant Copeland came in 29th.

The Mavericks run in the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, Oct. 2, in Austin.

Women's tennis team makes strong showing

The women’s tennis team had its weekend shortened due to rain Sunday at the Rice Invitational in Houston.

Despite the unfriendly weather, the Mavericks went a combined 6-0 in the first round of singles matchups and 6-1 against Big 12 opponents overall. Junior Angeles de los Rios reached the semifinals of Flight 2.

The women return to the court Friday, Oct. 2, at the SMU Invitational in Dallas, while the men compete Oct. 3-7 at the Saint Francis ITA All-American in Tulsa, Okla.

Sports Shorts

• Freshman Rachel Kroener has been selected to represent the U.S. at the International Paralympic Committee Athletics (Track and Field) World Championships in October in Qatar. As of spring 2015, she was ranked 18th in the world in the shot put and 11th in the javelin.

• In its first tournament of the season, the golf team finished eighth Sunday at the Sun Belt Preview in Destin, Fla.

Intramural sports deadline soon for fantasy basketball

Upcoming intramural sports deadlines are fantasy basketball, Friday, Oct. 16; 4-on-4 basketball, Wednesday, Oct. 21; table tennis, Thursday, Oct. 22; drop-in basketball, Monday, Oct. 26; and Halloween ultimate disc, Friday, Oct. 30.

See the intramural sports schedule. Pick up entry forms at the Services and Information Desk of the Maverick Activities Center. For questions, call 2-3277 or email imsports@uta.edu.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, uta.edu/movinmavs, or uta.edu/campusrec.)

'The Theory of Relativity' a musical exploration The Maverick Theatre Company presents The Theory of Relativity, a new musical that explores the interconnectedness of our personal orbits as we stand on a little rock hurtling through space. The cast includes theatre majors Paulie Cocke, Alexander Pope, Kelly Stewart, Brian Boyce, Tyler Carson, Marcos Villegas, Bailey Venable, Elizabeth Stevens, Alexandria Fazzari, Austin Bender, Hailee Draughon, Haley Boswell, Tiffany Sellers, Arturo Martinez, Tyler Moore, and Kevin Dang. Director and musical director is Assistant Professor Anne Healy with D.J. Badon as scenic designer, Jared Land as lighting and sound designer, and Elly Hunt as costumer. Whitley White-Body is stage manager, and Megan Gates is assistant stage manager. Performances of The Theory of Relativity are at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 7-10, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.  Performances are in the Mainstage Theatre of the Fine Arts Building. Tickets are $12 for general public and $9 for students/senior citizens/UTA faculty and staff. For tickets, reservations, group rates, or more details, contact the Theatre Arts box office at 2-2669 or uta.edu/theatre.

Thursday, Oct. 1

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Georgia Southern. Pre-Game Tailgate, October Fest/Beer Tasting, Pink Night, Greek Out. Tickets $5; $3 with student ID. 6:30 p.m., College Park Center. Athletics.

Friday, Oct. 2

Friday Night Film: Ant-Man Rated PG-13. Free popcorn. Concessions for sale. $1, $1.50 with credit card. 9 p.m., Rosebud Theatre, E.H. Hereford University Center. EXCEL Campus Activities.

Saturday, Oct. 3

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Arkansas-Little Rock. Youth Day, Jersey Day, Blazes Kids Club, Post Game Autographs, International Frugal Fun Day. Tickets $5; $3 with student ID. 1 p.m., College Park Center. Athletics.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

Tail-Waggin' Wednesday Students, faculty, and staff can take a break filled with unconditional love. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., sixth floor, Central Library. UT Arlington Libraries.

35th Annual Bed Races The Bed Races feature beds on wheels with five students—four pushing and one riding on the bed—competing in three categories. Free admission. 7 p.m., Maverick Stadium. Campus Recreation, EXCEL Campus Activities.

Thursday, Oct. 8

Guest Piano Recital A performance by Kent Lyman of Meredith College. Free. 7:30-8:30 p.m., Room 105, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Coming up

Pride Week: 3rd Annual Drag Show Hosted by DFW drag superstar Kiana Lee. Free. 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, Rosebud Theatre, E.H. Hereford University Center. LGBTQA Program.

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Texas State. Dig Pink Game, Pink Shirt Handout, National Medical Professional Night, New Maverick Employee Night, Maverick Club Pre-Game Reception. Tickets $5; $3 with student ID. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, College Park Center. Athletics.

Interactive Wellness Expo 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, Palo Duro Lounge, E.H Hereford University Center. Health Services.

Parent and Family Weekend Parents and families spend a weekend on campus visiting their students’ residence halls and classrooms, listening to faculty presentations, and participating in a variety of fun activities. Schedule. Register online. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 23-25. Parent and Family Center.

Ongoing

Gallery 76102: Tshuchigama/Earthen Kiln Tshuchigama or “dirt kiln” is recognized by scholars as Japan's earliest high-fire kiln type. Free. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays; 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, Gallery 76102. Through Oct. 10. Fort Worth Center.

Ornament and Adornment: The Decoration and Application Techniques of African Masks Examine the design and style of decorations on African masks from the Dowdey-Campbell and Brodie African Art Collections. Gallery hours 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Through Dec. 9. Visual Resources Commons, Room 2109, Fine Arts Building. Art and Art History.

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

Special Collections: Ringside: Memories of WCC Wrestling Photos by Cirrus Bonneau of World Class Championship Wrestling at the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth in 1982-83. Gallery hours 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Free. Sixth floor, Central Library. Through Jan. 16. UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections.

Planetarium Three new shows—SOFIA 3-D, Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, and From the Earth to the Universe—are part of the fall schedule. Also showing are Astronaut, Pink Floyd, and Spacepark 360: Infinity. Planetarium.

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