AUSTIN, Texas—The following is a summary of education news and resources from The University of Texas at Austin. This month, we focus on K-12 Web resources that will keep children learning all summer long.
Play a role in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with “Shakespeare Kids” produced by Shakespeare at Winedale.
Solve ancient mysteries with “Dr. Dirt,” the armadillo archeologist in Texas Beyond History’s virtual archeology museum.
Cook a quick, healthy meal with “Bevo Bites.”
Compare 3-D skeletons of humans and primates in the “eSkeletons” project led by the Department of Anthropology.
Get the inside story on Texas politics.
Chase tornadoes with meteorologists from the Department of Geography with “Tornadoes: A Satellite and Radar Perspective.” On a rainy day, keep your head in the clouds with “Clouds and Precipitation.”
Journey through Dante’s three realms of the afterlife: Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, in “Danteworlds.”
Travel to Latin America via the “Latin American Network Information Center.”
Graph your romantic relationship and learn how to make it stronger with “Romance Under the Microscope.”
Understand stereotypes with the Gender and Racial Attitudes Lab in the Department of Psychology.
Learn a foreign language with the Texas Language Technology Center.
NEWS BRIEFS
College Graduates Less Likely to Abandon Religion
College graduates are more likely to maintain their religious beliefs and practices than those who never attend college, new research at The University of Texas at Austin has found. The findings are detailed in the study “Losing My Religion” in the journal, Social Forces.
Contact: Mark Regnerus, assistant professor of sociology, at 512-232-6307.
New Partnership with Ann Richards School
The Center for Women’s and Gender Studies has entered a three-year partnership with the Ann Richards School. The center, which brings together 250 faculty members from across campus, will provide curriculum and program support to the school for sixth through 12th grade students.
Contact: Carol Petrucci, program coordinator, at 512-731-5491.
Faculty Create Technology Resources for Schools in Mexico
The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) enlisted technology-in-education experts Walter Stroup and Guadalupe Carmon in the College of Education to implement math and science initiatives in Mexico schools. The NCCEP aims to dramatically expand its programs in Mexico.
Contact: Kay Randall, public affairs representative, at 512-232-3910.
Astronomers Discover Multi-Planet System
Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin astronomers William Cochran and Michael Endl discovered a system of two Jupiter-like planets orbiting a star. The NASA-funded study has implications for theories of planet formation.
Contact: Rebecca Johnson, McDonald Observatory, at 512-471-6763.
TexasBeyondHistory.net Introduces New Exhibit
TexasBeyondHistory.net, a virtual museum produced by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, introduced the exhibit “Los Adaes: 18th-Century Spanish Capital of Texas.” The exhibit features findings from recent excavations at the Los Adaes site near Robeline, La.
Contact: Susan Dial, co-editor, at 512-471-0963.
EXPERT SPOTLIGHT
Mahmoud Al-Batal, Director of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad
Al-Batal is associate professor of Arabic in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. He studies the critical need for the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language in the post-9/11 era. Read more in the Christian Science Monitor story, “Why the Pool of Arabic Speakers is Still a Puddle.”
Contact: Mahmoud Al-Batal at 512-471-3463.
For more information contact: Jennifer McAndrews, public affairs specialist, College of Liberal Arts, 512-232-4730.
