CAMPUS

BUZZ

REPUTATION

Top 10 ranking. A recent national survey places the Master’s in City and Regional Planning degree in the School of Urban and Public Affairs eighth in the South Region. The survey in the Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs in the United States and Canada, 2009 polled 1,400 urban planning scholars and 1,500 practitioners. The study also ranked SUPA’s program seventh in the nation among those charging less than $15,000 in tuition annually, as well as sixth for most diverse student body in the country based on race, ethnicity, gender and national origin. Nationally, approximately 100 universities offer graduate degrees in urban planning.  

Taking NASA by storm. Physics doctoral student Elizabeth Mitchell received a NASA Graduate Student Research Proposal fellowship to study the variations in the solar wind that produce relatively large geomagnetic storms. The fellowship provides support for graduate studies, research and travel to two conferences to present her results. Mitchell, who is working with UT Arlington physics Professor Ramon Lopez and James Slavin at the Goddard Space Flight Center, expects to complete the research and her doctorate in physics in 12-18 months.

High honors. UT Arlington’s green roof project recently received the state award from the Recycling Alliance of Texas at its Texas Recycling Summit. The experimental roof, believed to be the first of its kind in North Texas, was installed April 11 on 1,000 square feet atop the Life Science Building. The project involved installing the roofing systems, irrigation, plants, wireless sensors to monitor light, temperature and moisture, and about 30,000 pounds of soil. The green roof also received the Environmental Leadership Award for Outstanding Sustainable Project from the Greater DFW Recycling Alliance. Future UT Arlington buildings include plans for green roofs, which have benefits ranging from energy savings to improving air quality.

No pilot, no problem. A student team from UT Arlington’s Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory won first place in several categories and third place overall at the Student Unmanned Aerial System Competition in July. Team members won first place for their written report and oral presentation and third for mission performance. They also received the NAVAIR Logistician’s Award for Best Design for Supportability. The flying portion of the competition was to design an unmanned, radio-controllable aircraft to be launched and continue to autonomous flight. The UT Arlington aircraft performed its takeoff, waypoint navigation and landing autonomously. A grant from the Texas Workforce Commission helped support the team.

Instrumental success. Sophomore music performance major Adam Hanna won the International Trombone Association Larry Wiehe Solo Competition in May. The competition is one of several the ITA sponsors to encourage solo playing, promote genres of literature and reward new talent on the trombone. Hanna advanced to the finals along with two other candidates following a recorded first round in December 2007 and played his final round for a jury of three professional players in front of a live audience of several hundred trombonists from around the world. His winnings include a prototype of an instrument being developed by the Yamaha Corp. Past winners have received appointments to the most prestigious orchestral posts in the world and accepted teaching positions at major colleges, universities and conservatories nationally and abroad.