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Tuesday January 25, 2011 INDEX Calendar 2 Police Report 2 Scene 4 Classifieds 5 News 3,5,6
Volume 92, No. 65 www.theshorthorn.com
Full speed ahead
Since 1919
Students push for bicycle awareness in Arlington.
SCENE | PAGE 4
STUDENT SERVICES
Organizations look for new faces Activities Fair Day will help social cultural awareness and organizing events for other students. clubs and volunteer services The organizations will have recruit new members. tables set up from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. Wednesday on the University Center mall. Some organizations are focused on providing time and resources to the community, like UTA Volunteers. “It’s one of our chances to out-
BY BIANCA MONTES The Shorthorn staff
Students who want to get involved in campus life can meet with over 100 organizations that specialize in community service,
reach and look to prospective members, and just inform them that we are an organization that does a lot of volunteer events with the community,” said membership director Adrian Rodriguez. Young Life President Brittany Robbins said the group will be recruiting people who have a passion for working with high school and junior high students.
The Environmental Society will be utilizing booth time to bring awareness to the environment and sustainability, said Environmental Society secretary Ellen Ranit. “We will be focusing on our outreach with the Arlington Conservation Council, and upkeeping FAIR continues on page 3
WHEN AND WHERE What: Activity Fair Day When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday Where: University Center mall
More than 100 groups are planned to attend the fair. See the full list online at theshorthorn.com
LEGISLATURE
SUPER BOWL This is one in a series of stories covering the impact of the 2011 Super Bowl on the UTA community.
Faculty want more space for research If passed, the bill would allot $74.8 million for renovations to the Life Science Building BY ASHLEY BRADLEY The Shorthorn staff
The Shorthorn: Daniel Molina
From left, sports director and broadcasting senior Chris Mead, broadcasting seniors Francesca Washington and Meredith Case, and broadcasting sophomore Jordan Victorin will broadcast alongside professionals during the Super Bowl week. Mead is the host of two sports shows from 9 to 11 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
Working with the professionals Students will have the opportunity to broadcast from the Super Bowl for UTA Radio. BY: STEPHANIE KNEFEL The Shorthorn staff
Student radio personalities will get the chance of a lifetime come Super Bowl week. The Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau has invited the student-run
station to broadcast from the bureau’s satellite center during Super Bowl week, along with other mainstream media outlets. Students will broadcast from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4. They will broadcast at The 50-yard Line, a media hub where press can set up interviews and photo opportunities, alongside professional media. Broadcast senior Chris Mead is hoping to gain experience from working with the professional media.
“It is really exciting for me,” he said. “It’s a big deal because sports are my passion, that is what I want to do with my career. For me to get a chance broadcasting the Super Bowl here in Arlington and working along the professionals is an incredible opportunity. The eyes of the nation will be on Arlington.” The station will broadcast its sports RADIO continues on page 3
LISTEN TO THE BROADCASTS Where: Utaradio. com When: Feb. 1 and Feb. 4: 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 2: 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m.
The Life Science Building was built in 1970, yet houses research projects actively studied today. “The type of research in biology and psychology is very different that in 1970,” Science dean Pamela Jansma said. “Researchers are doing state-of-the-art work and that building isn’t as modern as it RENOVATIONS could be.” Sen. Judith The proposal inZaffirini, Dcludes plans to: Laredo, Senate Higher Ed• replace the roof ucation Com• update electrical mittee chair system • install fire sprinfiled a bill kler system that includes • redesign classa provision rooms and labs giving UTA • replace windows $74.8 million • update study to renovate area the Life Sci• remove asbestos ence Building. The bill will be considered during the current legislative session. If passed, the construction is targeted to start in June 2012 and conclude in August 2014. The bill calls for renovations to the 40-year-old building, but faculty conducting research say the building also needs more space. Psychology assistant professor Jared Kenworthy, who has a lab in the building, said, though renovations are needed to update the space, his main concern is the lack of space the building offers. BILL continues on page 6
RESEARCH
Building switch doesn’t slow research Graduate students continue research despite Engineering Research Building move in. BY JOHN HARDEN The Shorthorn senior staff
As graduate students transition into the Engineering Research Building, they haven’t allowed the move to slow their research progress. Maintaining focus and conducting research projects will be the priority as they move in to new lab spaces. “The building is great, but it’s not about the building. It’s about the resources it provides and how we will use them,” said Kanishka Tyagi, electrical engineering graduate student. “We need to continue focusing on research projects that are applicable
to day-to-day use.” With more lab space and resources available, graduate students can feel more at home while helping UTA reach its research goals, said Ronak Patel, a biomedical engineering graduate student. “We’re able to work closely with other departments and that helps with collaboration that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise,” he said. Patel said collaboration speeds up the research process by allowing for quicker interaction. According to Institutional Construction director Bryan Sims, Tyagi and Patel are two of the 333 graduate students who are moving into the building to help with research and teaching. The university was thoughtful
about including space for graduate students, said Science Dean Pamela Jansma. “It shows that we want them to succeed by providing them with resources and space that allows them to continue their work,“ she said. In Fall 2010, the university had about 7,000 graduate students, with 1,589 in the College of Engineering, according to a 2010 enrollment analysis. Graduate students conduct and help with most university research projects, said Provost Donald Bobbitt. “Graduate students teach the majority of our first and second year students,” he said. “When it comes to the quality of education we provide, GRADS continues on page 5
The Shorthorn: Sandy Kurtzman
Engineering graduate student Kanishka Tyagi works on algorithms for his thesis Monday in the Image Processing and Neural Networks Laboratory in the Engineering Laboratory Building. His work on these algorithms helps in the creation of pattern recognition software which could be used in facial recognition and image processing.