DOWNTOWN LEARNING. The UT System Board of Regents has approved a 10-year sublease between UT Arlington and the Fort Worth Tax Increment Finance District #3 for the Santa Fe Freight Building. Beginning in spring 2007, the University will offer graduate-level and continuing education courses at the facility on Jones Street in downtown Fort Worth. The historic building is next to the Intermodal Transportation Center, a downtown hub for bus and train service. UT Arlington will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet, including 15,000 square feet of classroom and support space on the ground floor of the building, which will serve as headquarters for the UT Arlington/Fort Worth Center. “Last year, we surveyed businesses in Fort Worth to determine their interest in a downtown classroom site, and the result was very positive,” said center Director Mike West. “This will be an excellent addition to the educational resources we currently offer in Fort Worth.”

HEALTHY READING. A 60-page book on the history of nursing at UT Arlington debuted in March at the School of Nursing’s Dream Makers/Smart Hospital Scholarship Luncheon. The University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing 35 Years traces the school from its beginnings at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with 67 students and three faculty members to the state-of-the-science institution it is today. Co-editors are Professors Emeritus Ferne Kyba and Karen Heusinkveld in collaboration with Myrna Pickard, the school’s founding dean, and current Dean Elizabeth Poster. The JPS Health Network, Texas Health Resources, Harris Methodist Fort Worth and the United Service Association for Health Care Foundation helped support the publication, which is available for $25 by calling 817-272-2776.

TOPS IN TEXAS. UT Arlington’s two student publications were named best in the state in April by two news organizations. The Shorthorn, the student newspaper, was named Best Daily College Newspaper by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. Renegade, the student magazine, was named Best Magazine by TIPA. TIPA also named The Shorthorn Online (www.theshorthorn.com) the best online college newspaper in the state. Texas APME is an association of professional newspapers statewide. TIPA is the largest college media organization in the state.

SEEING STARS. The University has received a $14,000 grant from NASA to develop a planetarium show, “Starlight and Life in the Cosmos,” based on observations secured with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). Physics Assistant Professor Manfred Cuntz says the program studies far-UV radiation from K-type main-sequence stars of different stellar age. FUSE is a NASA-supported astrophysics mission begun in 1999 to explore the universe using high-resolution spectroscopy. K-type main-sequence stars are cooler and less massive than the sun but much more numerous. Therefore, they are expected to be highly relevant to astrobiology. The show will explore the key role the stars play in the evolution of planets and their suitability for life. Dr. Cuntz will work with planetarium Director Robert Bonadurer to develop the production. The planetarium, one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the nation, opened in March.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. Graduate student Gene Hintz was named Social Work Student of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers Tarrant County Branch in March. The award recognizes a student member of NASW/Tarrant County who is enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate social work program and has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. Hintz coordinated food and clothing drives throughout the School of Social Work for more than 1,000 people affected by Hurricane Katrina. He also worked with the Mental Health Association of North Texas and the Arlington Disaster Relief Team to provide support for evacuees. He is pursuing a master of science in social work and a master of arts in urban affairs.