Campus Kudos
Happy anniversary to Plan II
The Tower at The University of Texas at Austin will be lit burnt orange and emblazoned with a giant “75” to mark the 75th anniversary of the Plan II Honors Program, one of the premier honors programs at the university.
College of Education ranked No. 2, according to survey
The College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, moved to the No. 2 position among American schools of education, up from No. 10, in the U.S. News and World Report 2012 Best Graduate Schools rankings. The Cockrell School of Engineering and the School of Law each increased their positions, to 8 and 14 respectively.
Professor Chelikowsky Named Materials Research Society Fellow
James R. Chelikowsky, professor in physics and chemical engineering, and W.A.”Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Chair of Computational Materials at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named a 2011 Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS) for his “outstanding contributions to the theory of electronic materials.”
Professor named editor-in-chief of sociology journal
Debra Umberson, professor of sociology and affiliate of the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named editor-in-chief of the American Sociological Association’s Journal of Health and Social Behavior, one of the most prestigious and widely respected scientific journals in the field of sociology.
VP Gregory J. Vincent to receive PVIL Lifetime Achievement Award
Gregory J. Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin, will receive an honorary Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association (PVILCA) Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work in helping to preserve the history of the organization and its members.
Press Mentions
The New York Times: Texas silver mine gets new life after 1942 closure
March 19
Rich Kyle, Jackson School of Geosciences, comments on the re-opening of a silver mine in Shafter, and what it means for Texas, a state dominated by the petroleum industry.
USA Today: 5 things the U.S. should consider in Libya
March 22
Alan J. Kuperman, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, writes an opinion piece proposing five principles to guide humanitarian intervention.
The New York Times: Texas may consider a bill forcing losers in a suit to pay opponent’s legal fees
March 10
A loser-pays proposal could curb frivolous lawsuits, but Charles M. Silver, School of Law, says legal scholars question whether frivolous litigation is even a significant problem.
The New York Times: Resignation comes at sensitive time for NPR
March 9
In this article, Stewart Vanderwilt, of KUT, comments on Vivian Schiller’s resignation and his concerns about public broadcasting funding.
The New York Times’ Dot Earth blog: Pedal to the Metal
March 10
This blog post mentions Allan Shearer, School of Architecture, and the phrase “courage to fear” which was used in a recent discussion of tipping points by Shearer.
Nature: Biodiversity’s ills not all down to climate change
March 20
In this Q-and-A, Camille Parmesan, College of Natural Sciences, explains that climate change is affecting the world in many ways but it’s not the only thing harming wildlife.
The Christian Science Monitor: At the salon, Egyptians plan their future
March 9
Samer Ali, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, discusses the historical aspects of group gatherings. Ali says that the act of people meeting to exchange ideas dates back to 3,000 B.C.
The New York Times: Whatever nuclear power’s threat, no easy alternatives
March 20
The fear of nuclear radiation had Texans raiding drugstores for potassium iodide. Nuclear accidents, despite being rare, scare people because “radiation is something you can’t see, can’t smell, can’t taste,” says Dale Klein, Energy Institute, in this article.
The Christian Science Monitor: Is ‘Check it out bro, I’m in prison!’ an appropriate Facebook status update?
March 21
Fining or extending prison terms for inmates caught using social media or contraband cellphones is a “meaningless strategy,” says Michele Deitch, School of Law, in this story. She recommends better controls within the prison.
The New York Times: Why monogamy matters
March 6
The book “Premarital Sex in America,” written by Mark Regnerus, Department of Sociology, with Jeremy Uecker, is mentioned in this column about teens and 20-somethings waiting longer to have sex.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: U. of Texas snags archives of ‘Cyberpunk’ literary pioneer Bruce Sterling
March 8
Bruce Sterling, an influential science-fiction novelist, Internet theorist, design futurist, blogger and traveling academic, is donating (in stages) his archive to the Harry Ransom Center.
The Independent: The problem with Tennessee: Too hot and too cool
March 13
Producers were told to make 34 changes to the script of “A Streetcar Named Desire” before it was deemed acceptable for London, according to a letter that’s part of the Harry Ransom Center’s Tennessee Williams collection.
Read the last edition of In the Know.
