CMAS DIRECTOR NAMED. Susan González Baker has been named director of the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) and associate professor of sociology. Her research focuses on Latino population issues, including homelessness, U.S. policies on undocumented immigration, and Latina immigrants and Mexican American women in the U.S. labor force. She has received numerous teaching and research awards, including a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship that took her to Spain to study undocumented immigration from northern Africa. She holds a doctorate in sociology with a specialization in demography from UT Austin, where she most recently worked, and a master of arts in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. “My vision for the center is one of a rich, stimulating teaching and research hub,” said Dr. Baker, who began the position Aug. 1.

CHARITY BEGINS AT WORK. The Texas State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) recently awarded UT Arlington its Top Pacesetter and Top Per Capita awards for having the highest percentage increase in giving and for giving more per employee than any other educational institution in the 2004-05 academic year. Started in 1993, the SECC has raised more than $7.7 million for charitable organizations.

LEAVING A LEGACY. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dana Dunn has received a Legacy of Women Award for her leadership in education. The Tarrant County Women’s Shelter nominated her. The awards, in their 13th year, honor Tarrant County women for their contributions to the arts, business, education, health and human services, and volunteerism.

ARCHITECT OF EDUCATION. Landscape architecture Associate Professor Gary Robinette has been named 2005 Outstanding Educator by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. The award honors a national or international educator who has made significant contributions to the discipline. Robinette is a registered landscape architect and a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). He has served as executive director of the ASLA Foundation and the Center for Landscape Architectural Education and Research.

SENIORS’ MOMENT. Five aerospace engineering seniors recently shared a top-tier award in a NASA-sponsored competition for an exploration air vehicle. Hisashi Inoue, Shinya Sato, Nemu Shirota, Kimiharu Onda and David Fullmer designed an autonomous, unmanned aircraft that could perform diverse missions on Mars and other planets. The competition was organized by the Aerospace Vehicle Systems Technology Office at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

BOOK VALUE. History Associate Professor Alusine Jalloh recently presented 18,473 books worth an estimated $500,000 to principals and representatives of schools and universities in Sierra Leone. The donation is part of a partnership with Books for Africa, a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota. Dr. Jalloh directs UT Arlington’s Africa Program, which he founded in 1994.

AUTOMATIC VICTORY. A team of aerospace engineering students and a faculty adviser recently took top honors at the 3rd Annual Student Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Competition in Maryland. The team won first place for best overall performance, plus the Best Mission Performance and Best Safety Design awards. The group’s system performed a complete autonomous mission, including automatic takeoff, GPS-guided navigation and automatic target imaging. The system was the first in the history of the competition to perform an automatic landing.

WINNING EDGE. Architecture students Jesus Rodriguez and Alexis Flores were among the winners of a recent national design competition sponsored by Urban Edge Developers of Dallas. They were recognized for designing innovative, sustainable modernist houses for the new Urban Reserve neighborhood. Their work may be used to custom-build 50 homes in the area. The New Visions Design Competition showcases young architects and architecture students nationwide.