January 27, 2014
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OPINION, PAGE 3
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Comets reign
victorious
LIFE&ARTS
SPECIAL FEATURE
Come one, come all Student seeks to revolutionize Dallas art scene with gallery, residency for people balancing work, life and art
MARCELO YATES | STAFF
Senior forward Kyle Schleigh dunks a basket, leading the team with 18 points against Ozarks.
CHRISTOPHER WANG | PHOTO EDITOR
Men's basketball coasts against competition; undefeated in ASC PARTH SAMPAT Sports Editor
The men’s basketball team had a resounding week as they vanquished two of the conference’s bigwigs, which included the largest margin of victory over a NCAA D-III opponent in program history. The Comets (15-1 overall) are undefeated in ASC after demolishing national runnerups Mary Hardin-Baylor 70-58 on Jan. 16, dismantling defending ASC champions Concordia 95-49 on Jan. 18 and crushing Ozarks 84-63 on Jan. 20, as the first half of the regular season drew to a close. “Our team has done a great job of adapting to situations, both home and away,” head coach Terry Butterfield said. “They have shown a lot of character and a real desire to be prepared for each contest.” UTD conquered Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first time in six games, a losing streak that dates back to the 2009-10 season. UTD shot 47.9 percent from field goal range and 75 percent from the foul line against the Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Comets managed to keep a tight lid on the Crusaders for the entire game as the opponents shot just 35.2 percent from the floor. Butterfield expressed his satisfaction, as well as the seniors’, about the victory, which was a long time due. Junior point guard Nolan Harvey led the
→ SEE MBBALL, PAGE 8
LEFT AND ABOVE: VIVIANA CRUZ | STAFF
Clockwise from top left: Arts and performance senior Jonathan Foisset co-founded Two Bronze Doors, a gallery and artist residency in Dallas; Aesthetic studies graduate student and 2BD program director Christopher George looks over co-founder Natalie Vaughn and Foisset's work; Art pieces hang in the gallery of 2BD. Many of 2BD's artists juggle other careers and use the gallery as a creative outlet. VIVIANA CRUZ Mercury Staff
The art gallery Two Bronze Doors sits on a corner where a street lined with bars meets a street lined with 1920s bungalow architecture. The contrast of revelry with quiet family homes says everything about Two Bronze Doors’ philosophy — all are welcome to walk through these doors. Art and performance senior Jonathan Foisset is the gallery director and co-owner of Two Bronze Doors, or 2BD. Foisset’s fiancée and 2BD co-owner, Natalie Vaughan, founded the gallery and artists’ residency space in October 2012. Vaughan wanted to establish a site that addressed what Foisset termed “the art-
ist’s plight” — the typical hardships many artists go through just to be able to create art and the reality they face by not having the time to do it. “From what she saw that I had to go through just to make art, she wanted us to create something that would be beneficial to artists and provide an environment where we would grow off each other,” Foisset said. Foisset and Vaughan reside at Two Bronze Doors along with musician Nash Vaughan and visual artist Matt Brunner. They oversee the gallery downstairs and are always around to make sure workshops and other events run smoothly. Two Bronze Doors is an artists’ residency as well as a gallery; everyone who
resides there is creatively inclined and showcases at 2BD regularly. However, many of 2BD’s artists who are considered resident artists have other jobs and responsibilities. Vaughan said she wanted 2BD to be an inspiring resource not just for those who could fully commit to producing artwork on a daily basis but to anyone with the impulse to do so. “One of the tenets of 2BD is that we want to invite people to do their art in many forms. We feel we got here by putting faith in our artists,” Foisset said. “We want to fit residencies in people’s workday realities so that people have their day jobs, but they create something they want
→ SEE 2BD, PAGE 7
Materials science org focuses on outreach, education New research society to help interdisciplinary science program expand MIGUEL PEREZ Life & Arts Editor
CONNIE CHENG | STAFF
Materials science and engineering students and MRS officers Luis Delmar, Mônica Jung de Andrade and Erika Fuentes-Fernandez plan to focus on student engagement and education.
Eager to spread the word about her field of research, postdoctoral student Erika Fuentes-Fernandez has an anecdote ready for defining an often-overlooked field of science. “If you have a bowl and you put some math, physics, chemistry and electronics in it and you mix everything up, materials science will be the result,” Fuentes-Fernandez said. She is part of the materials science and engineering program, or MSE, and is the web officer for the new student chapter of the Materials Research Society. The UTD chapter of MRS became an official organization this month. The national society encourages discussion on the potential of materials research and hosts two symposiums a year for chapter members. Some prominent members of the national organization are UTD faculty. MSE professor Orlando Auciello is the society’s past president, and MSE department head Yves Chabal is the chair of the Member Engagement Committee. Chabal, who is also advisor for the student chapter, said
the officers want to focus on bringing students into the field to promote interest. “I’m really proud and amazed at how proactive our chapter is. They’re really thinking about outreach, and it’s going to be a fantastic operation to help bring in undergraduates,” Chabal said. “What this chapter has done is it’s already had more undergraduate students sign up than grad students.” Already, the chapter has 100 members signed up, Chabal said. MSE post-doctoral student and president of the chapter Mônica Jung de Andrade said the officers have been working hard planning events and programs to promote the chapter. “One thing we want to do is a panel for discussion among students,” de Andrade said. “(Students) will be able to interact among themselves and learn from each other.” De Andrade said the chapter is contributing to Engineers Week in February and offering recycling related programs during Earth Week. She said the chapter also plans to bring in industry professionals.
→ SEE MRS, PAGE 12