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Communication for the staff and faculty of
The University of Texas at Dallas |
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Wednesday, March 24, 2021 |
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COVID-19 Information, Resources
During the disruption of regular services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Communications is maintaining a collection of information and resources for staff, faculty and students. For the latest information, visit the COVID-19 website, which will be updated frequently with FAQs and the latest information.
Vaccine Recipients Encouraged To Fill Out Online Form
UT Dallas encourages anyone who has received the COVID-19 vaccine to register using our voluntary registration form. Please fill out the form for each dose of the vaccine you receive.
For more information, email the Office of Emergency Management and Continuity Planning.
Weekly Proactive COVID-19 Testing Available
Weekly proactive COVID-19 testing is now available to employees who are onsite one or more days a week. Participation is encouraged to help reduce any potential asymptomatic spread within our campus community. For more information on how to enroll in the program, please email [email protected].
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HR Forum Scheduled for April 7
The Office of Human Resources will host its next HR Forum from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 7, as a Microsoft Teams live event. Please install Microsoft Teams prior to joining. If you need assistance, contact the Help Desk.
Each participant will have the option to turn on closed captioning. Participation will be through a moderated Q-and-A forum. Email your forum questions in advance to [email protected].
Please refer to the agenda:
- Welcome
- You Asked, We Answered
- Updates
- Living Our Values Task Force
- Update on search for the vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Guests Presenter
- COVID-19 vaccine information: UT Southwestern Medical Center
- HR Updates
- Return to campus plans
- Remote work arrangements
- Closing comments
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Jonsson School Announces New Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Enhancement
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science announces the appointment of Allan C. Mathew as its inaugural assistant dean for graduate student enhancement.
In his new position, Mathew will focus on all aspects of the graduate student experience, from recruitment and the admissions process through graduation. Mathew will work with advisors, faculty members and leaders throughout the Jonsson School, as well as with the UT Dallas Office of Graduate Education led by Dr. Juan E. Gonzalez.
Mathew joins the Jonsson School after serving as director of graduate recruitment at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
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Sign Up To Participate in Comets Giving Days
It’s almost that time of year — Comets Giving Days. Mark your calendars for May 26-27, as UT Dallas will continue the 1,969 minute-long giving celebration.
Whether you’re a part of an existing Comets Giving Days group, or looking to begin this year, all groups need to sign up to participate. After signing up and upon approval, your group will be added to the Comets Giving Days Team.
Trainings will begin at the beginning of April. For all Comets Giving Days questions, email [email protected].
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UTD Receives Fourth Tree Campus Higher Education Certification
UT Dallas has earned its fourth Tree Campus Higher Education certification. To obtain this distinction, UT Dallas has met five core standards for sustainable campus forestry, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, maintaining a tree care plan, and observing Arbor Day. Read more about the award.
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OIT To Host Research Computing Event
Researchers use high-performance computers, called supercomputers, for scientific and engineering problems that require massive amounts of data and computation. Now, thanks to a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the cyberinfrastructure team at UTD can help train facilitators who can support researchers.
Facilitators guide faculty members in how to structure research questions in a way that takes advantage of high-performance computing. The grant established the Texas Research and Education Cyberinfrastructure Services (TRECIS), which additionally provides trained personnel to historically Black colleges and universities to help support their research efforts.
Learn more about how this project engages both students and underrepresented groups as well as supports research at Research Computing, 11 a.m., Thursday, March 25, hosted by Dr. Christopher S. Simmons, director for cyberinfrastructure researcher support for the Office of Information Technology. Register to attend Research Computing.
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See ATEC Students’ Work, Attend Virtual Celebration
Join the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication in celebrating ATEC students’ work and advocacy for social justice issues at the inaugural ATEC Social Justice Art & Film Festival (SJAFF).
View the student contributors’ work starting at noon, Wednesday, March 24. A virtual SJAFF Celebration will be from 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 31, on Microsoft Teams.
The event will include an opening address by ATEC alum Maryam Baig BA’02, MFA’06, three panels featuring student contributors and an audience Q-and-A.
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UTD Report Examines STEM Employment for Women
While women have made large gains in STEM fields in recent years, there is still room for improvement in reaching equal pay and equal representation in the workforce.
The latest issue of The Connection highlights steps UT Dallas is taking to support women in STEM and examines gender disparity in STEM occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the country. Explore new interactive charts to compare dynamics across large metropolitan areas.
For more information on how UT Dallas and the local economy affect each other, contact Rachel Brasier in the Economic Development team. You can also subscribe to biweekly updates with the team’s latest analysis and news.
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Register To Attend Virtual Bioengineering 10th Anniversary Symposium
Join the Department of Bioengineering in commemorating its 10th anniversary at a free virtual symposium on April 8-9.
Hear from industry leaders, build your virtual network of colleagues and learn about the latest biomedical engineering research advancements at UT Dallas.
The symposium culminates the year-long celebration of the Department of Bioengineering’s 10th anniversary. Since the inception of the department a decade ago, UT Dallas has made remarkable progress in educating future bioengineers and performing groundbreaking research to improve human health.
The virtual symposium is free. For more information and to register, visit the symposium site.
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Register To Attend Diversity Events
Women in Social Engagement: A Women of Color Discussion Group, noon-1:30 p.m., Thursday, March 25 — The celebration of Women's History Month continues with Dallas chef Ashtian Beck teaching how to prepare simple, delicious food. RSVP for the March 25 event. For more information, email Destiney Tolbert.
Comets Cultural Conversations 4: Dallas Asian American History and The Legacy of Systemic Racism, 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, March 30 — The Multicultural Center invites you to attend part four of this popular series featuring guest speaker Stephanie Drenka, communications director at Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. Join the dynamic presentation and interactive group conversation on understanding the concepts and impacts of systemic racism. Register for the March 30 program. For more information, email [email protected].
Let’s Talk About It: State of Multiracial Matters, 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 31 — This townhall discussion will focus on the needs and experiences of UT Dallas’ multiracial students, how to better serve them and the best ways to support them. To attend, RSVP for Let’s Talk About It. For more information, contact Adrienne Watson.
Juneteenth Celebration Planning Committee — The Multicultural Center is seeking volunteers from University departments, employee resource groups and student organizations to serve on the 2021 Juneteenth Planning Committee. To serve, complete this interest form by April 7. For more information, contact Adrienne Watson.
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CCF Lectures Explore Developmental Science Research
Join the UT Dallas Center for Children and Families for the latest research in developmental science at this year's 2021 Spring Lecture Series. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Friday, March 26, 9:30 a.m. — Dr. Cathie Tamis-LeMonda, professor of applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt, studies infant and toddler learning and development in social and cultural contexts. In this talk, she will present a series of studies with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that show how language inputs and interactions between caregivers and children reflect cultural values and norms. To join the Webex meeting, visit the lecture series site. This talk is being held as part of the UT Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Colloquium Series.
Tuesday, April 27, noon — “Relational Health: From Research to Practice with Families of Children with Autism or Hearing Differences” is the fourth webinar in the UT System Early Childhood Scholars Series, focusing on relational health. UT Dallas faculty members Drs. Pamela Rollins and Andrea Warner-Czyz will describe their research on early social and communication development in children with autism (Rollins) and on effects of childhood hearing differences on family relationships (Warner-Czyz). Both specific intervention applications and broader implications for practice will be discussed in each presentation. Registration for “Relational Health” is required.
For more information, email [email protected].
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Dr. Andy Walshe, Ben Potvin and Angel Collinson will speak at Sips & Science on Thursday, April 15.
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Sign Up To Attend Virtual BrainHealth Lectures
The Center for BrainHealth’s Frontiers of BrainHealth Spring Series continues at noon, Friday, March 26. Dr. Judson Brewer will present Unwinding Anxiety: Brain Mechanisms That Empower Us to Break Free from Anxiety and Stress.
Brewer is the creator of drjud.com, developed to help people overcome conditions and “everyday addictions” —based on 20 years of research at Yale, MIT and Brown University, exploring how our brains form negative behavior patterns, bad habits and addictions, and the specific techniques needed to create lasting change.
The Center for BrainHealth also will host Dr. Vince Calhoun, the founding director of the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, at noon, Friday, April 2. Calhoun is a recognized expert in developing algorithms to strengthen understanding of brain function, structure and genomics, and how each is affected during various tasks or by mental or neurological illness.
The next Sips & Science presentation, Creativity Is Your New Super Power, will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 15. The talk will feature Dr. Andy Walshe, a globally recognized leader and expert in the field of elite human performance; Ben Potvin, a former Canadian national gymnastics champion and Cirque du Soleil artist; and Angel Collinson, a champion professional free skier and environmental advocate.
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Office of Research Events
Research 411 Talk Show: Propaganda Then and Fake News Now, 3-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 24 — How did the United States weaponize information to secure Latin American support during World War II? What can those strategies tell us about the nature of propaganda campaigns in the age of "fake news"? Dr. Monica Rankin and her research assistant, Sam Worthington, examine articles and photos from the Latin America wartime publication En Guardia to analyze what propaganda is and how it's crafted. Learn more about propaganda tactics and how the persuasive of "fake news" can be. For more information, visit the Research 411 calendar listing or email Tiffany Willoughby.
IRB Book Study: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, 4-5 p.m., Thursdays, March 25-April 22 — Join the Office of Research as it presents a fascinating book study on The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The discussion will cover consent, ethical considerations, linguistic communication, cultural values and medicine. This session will include chapters 1-5. For more information, visit the IRB Book Study calendar listing or email Tiffany Willoughby.
Research 101 Series: Single IRB Review for Multi-Site Research, noon-12:45 p.m., Friday, March 26 — Join representatives from IRB Administration to learn about the new Single IRB requirements for multi-site research mandated by the 2018 Common Rule. This session will also cover NIH-funded Single IRB requirements, when a reliance is appropriate in multi-site research and how to submit an application to the UTD IRB via Cayuse when a reliance is requested. For more information, visit the Research 101 calendar listing or email Anricka Ziller.
Lab to Launch Series: Robots for Humans, 2-2:45 p.m., Monday, March 29 — Apptronik, a spin-out from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at The University of Texas at Austin, focuses on building machines that will take humanity into the next stage of evolution — Man+Machine. Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and VP of strategy at Apptronik, will share insights and lessons learned from the lab to successfully launching an advanced robotic startup that makes robots for the Age of AI. For more information, visit the Lab to Launch calendar listing or email Anricka Ziller.
Comet Corner Series: Dealing with Adversity in Research - Women Making History, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, March 31 — The Comet Corner Series, created by the UT Dallas Office of Research and in partnership with the schools across our campus, hosts chats with notable alumni to hear how they have taken their research out into the world and made #UTDResearchImpact. Jamie Wright BS ’10, who is a candidate for a combined MD and PhD at UT Health McGovern Medical School, will share some of her journey to becoming a physician scientist while also dealing with a chronic health condition. For more information, visit the Comet Corner Series calendar listing or email Anricka Ziller.
Center Stage Seminar Series: Center for Digital MEMS, noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, April 6 — Do you know that digital micromirrors light up nearly every movie screen in the world? But that's not all they can do. Academy Award-winning inventor of digital micromirrors Dr. Larry Hornbeck will introduce the technology that has been described as "the most complex, multidisciplinary technology in the semiconductor world." (which he explains in his Oscar acceptance speech). He also will review applications that may surprise you and present phenomenon that the Center for Digital MEMS has studied. For more information, visit the Center Stage Seminar Series calendar listing or email Tiffany Willoughby.
The Family Office Association (TOFA) Symposium featuring Randi Zuckerberg, 9-11 a.m., Wednesday and Thursday, April 7-8 — TFOA’s Annual Single Family Office Symposium is a highly anticipated, private event for the global family office community to benefit from leading industry research and networking with like-minded peers. For this event, TFOA curates a world-class lineup of policy experts and investment practitioners to share valuable insights on the latest research and ideas in the fields of public and private market investing and family office management. Students, staff, faculty and community guests are invited to register through the open track. Keynote speakers include Randi and Arielle Zuckerberg and Mitch Kapor. See the full schedule. Register for the TFOA open track. For more information, email Dresden Goldberg.
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Attend Center for Teaching and Learning Workshops
Avoiding Late Student Work, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, March 31 — Most major assignments (e.g., papers, group projects, take-home exams) are designed with the intention that students will carefully craft their work, starting well before the deadline and revising their writing multiple times before turning in the final product. In reality, some (and sometimes, most) students will wait until the night before the deadline before beginning a long-term assignment. What can instructors do to encourage better student habits and ultimately higher quality work? Dr. Paul Diehl and Dr. Karen Huxtable-Jester, CTL director and associate director, will share their advice. RSVP for the March 31 workshop.
Better Searching Through Better Resources, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, April 14 — Matt Makowka, research services librarian and subject specialist for ECS and ATEC, will discuss library resources to share with students such as the Discover search and online databases, places guaranteed to have quality information. He also will cover search tips that students need along the way. RSVP for the April 14 workshop.
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Reminders
Register To Compete in Homecoming Virtual 5K
Sign up to participate in the UT Dallas Homecoming Virtual 5K — a run/walk event for all Comets wherever they are in the world.
UT Dallas students, alumni, faculty, staff, family and friends can support the UT Dallas Student Emergency Fund by running or walking their favorite 5K course during the month of March. A portion of every nonstudent registration fee goes directly toward the fund which supports UT Dallas students facing financial hardship. Race kits include an exclusive UT Dallas Homecoming 5K T-shirt, a finisher’s medal and a personalized bib.
Registration for the 5K is open through Wednesday, March 31. Cost is $40 for nonstudents and $30 for current UTD students. Time submissions can be made through Friday, April 30.
For more information, email Melanie Depoian.
Join Campus Connection for HR Info
To stay up-to-date on the latest news and information related to employment, immigration, wellness, benefits, talent development, as well as other Human Resources activities, join the HR Campus Connection in Teams. Use the code 4nstab6 to join.
Connect with Colleagues at Watercooler Wednesday
It's important to take breaks and stay in touch with colleagues as many staff and faculty work remotely. You are invited to virtually connect with colleagues on Watercooler Wednesday through a Microsoft Teams live event at 10-10:15 a.m. and 3-3:15 p.m. Each session will include a wellness activity. Join early or hang around after and visit with colleagues and meet new folks.
Visit the Campus Wellness Committee site for more information about Watercooler Wednesday and other virtual resources related to wellness.
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About This Newsletter
InterCom is the official University-wide newsletter for UT Dallas faculty and staff members. This periodic publication is designed to provide University employees with important information necessary for the workplace, as well as community news that supports the University's mission. Guidelines about content and submissions can be found here or contact Robert Tracy at [email protected] or ext. 3521. |
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