Uncategorized
-
Awards & Honors: Spring 2010
The Silver Spurs, the student service organization that cares for Bevo, gave out its 21st annual Endowed Teaching Fellowship awards to four liberal arts professors, who each receive a $6,000 prize. The group surprises each recipient with an unannounced presentation. They are: Kirsten Belgum (Germanic Studies) Robert Moser (Government) Elizabeth Engelhardt (American Studies) Lisa Moore…
-
Student News: Spring 2010
The 2010 Dean’s Distinguished Graduates are: Ethan Alexander (Ancient History and Classical Civilization) Kaitlin Andryauskas (Sociology) Aaron Barr (Asian Studies) Casey Dorff (Government) Grace Eckhoff (Plan II Honors/Biology) Daniel Friedman (Plan II Honors/English) Angela Giordani (Arabic Language and Literature) James Hammond (Psychology) Joseph Kolker (Plan II Honors/History) Nicole Kreisberg (Latin American Studies) John Meyer (English/Government)…
-
Research Briefs: Spring 2010
The Not so Missing Link Scientists have discovered the key to understanding human evolution,” booms a typical movie-trailer voice in a History Channel documentary. “The chain is no longer missing a link.” Unfortunately, the scientists behind this documentary ignored 20 years of research, according to University of Texas anthropologist Chris Kirk. Last year, an article…
-
Retiring Faculty
James Brow, Anthropology Brow, professor of anthropology and Asian Studies, taught at the university for 30 years and served as chair of the Department of Anthropology from 1995 to 2005. His research focused on social and economic development in South Asia and Sri Lanka. Brow also served as acting director of the South Asia Institute from…
-
A Space of Our Own is Closer to Reality
The College of Liberal Arts continues to make great strides in our efforts to construct a new Liberal Arts building on the East Mall. By taking advantage of low interest rates and construction costs, we’ve reduced the project’s cost from $100 million to $95 million. We hope to begin construction next year. The new building will contain…
-
College Dedicates Charlie Wilson Chair
Grassroots effort helps create first privately funded chair in Pakistan Studies in the nation The College of Liberal Arts has successfully responded to a $500,000 challenge grant from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation of Lufkin to support the nation’s first privately funded faculty chair in Pakistan Studies. In all, the college raised $536,000 and received significant…
-
In Memoriam: Spring 2010
Shearer Davis Bowman, professor emeritus of history, died Dec. 4 at age 60. In 1986 Bowman began his career at The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught American history for 15 years. He wrote “Masters and Lords” and “At the Precipice,” which will be published this spring, as well as numerous articles and reviews.…
-
Tear Down the Wall
Students re-enact Berlin Wall destruction 20 years later Students from The University of Texas and other local schools came to the South Mall one evening last November carrying cardboard boxes that evoked the wall that once divided East and West Berlin. Like the eastern side of the wall, one side of each box was bare.…
-
Texas Politics Project
By the numbers In the run-up to the March gubernatorial primary, the Texas Politics Project at The University of Texas at Austin released a poll that not only predicted decisive victories by Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White, but also examined the voter sentiments that shaped those outcomes. Sponsored jointly by The Texas Tribune,…
-
Shakespeare at Winedale
Celebrates 40 years This summer, dozens of alumni of the English Department’s Shakespeare at Winedale program will take the stage once again at the Winedale Historical Complex to commemorate the program’s 40th anniversary. Every Saturday and Sunday from July 14 to Aug. 8, they will give special pre-show performances. The summer will conclude with a…
-
On a Mission
Working with Fort Hood soldiers, researchers look at what predisposes service members to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Brian Baldwin, a retired army officer and project manager for the Texas Combat PTSD Risk Project, knows first-hand the consequences of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His best friend and cousin, a serviceman in Vietnam, took his own life as…
-
The Environmental Philosopher
Professor brings human values to conservation When Conservation International began working with one of Indonesia’s largest energy companies on an environmentally conscious development plan two years ago, the groups looked to a philosopher for guidance. Sahotra Sarkar, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin and leader in the study of environmental ethics, worked…
-
A Major Step Forward
New department focuses on African experience A brand new academic department will focus on the experiences of African Americans, indigenous Africans and people of African descent around the world and, ultimately, will be the only Black Studies department in the South or Southwest that offers Ph.D.s. The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies was…
-
Learning Curve
Texas Language Technology Center develops low-cost textbook alternative With textbooks often costing more than rent, many students will be relieved to know the Texas Language Technology Center (TLTC) is working on an alternative to the bulky old textbook that’s easier on the wallet and offers interactive features and compelling content. The TLTC has won a…
-
Books: Spring 2010
Oscar Casares’ “Amigoland” Is 2010 Mayor’s Book Club Selection The book “Amigoland” (2009, Little, Brown) is set in a small Mexican border town. It tells the story of two estranged and aging brothers, Don Fidencio Rosales and Don Celestino, who are brought back together by a young cleaning woman and a mystery. The improbable trio takes…
-
Standing on CloverStreet:
Willie Tichenor’s Legacy Rocks On At 16 years old, Dallas native Willie Tichenor joined the band CloverStreet as lead vocalist and journeyed to Austin to perform at the South by Southwest music festival. “My lifelong dream is to travel around the country with five stinky guys in a van and sing for strangers every night,”…
-
Literature Electric
Celebrated poems of Milton, Whitman come alive for students through multimedia teaching tools Poetry is not meant to be read with the eyes alone, but also with the ears. As University of Texas at Austin English professor and Milton scholar John Rumrich explains, the true meaning of verse can’t be divined just by looking at…
-
Studying the Brain, Understanding the Mind
Renowned neuroscientist heads up Texas’ brain imaging center More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates pondered the relationship between the human brain and the mind. He asked what role the brain might play not just in how we see, hear and smell, but in how we remember, understand and know. Today, scientists are finally beginning to…
-
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas
Program fosters understanding of great books and concepts To understand the challenges we face as Americans and to use the extraordinary freedom and responsibility we have inherited, students must first understand the philosophy, literature, religion and science that shaped our society. That basic notion provides the foundation for the new Thomas Jefferson Center for the…
-
Graduation Caps Years of Courage
Monika Merola overcomes brain injury and reaches academic goals Monika Merola was struck by an epiphany eight years ago while walking her 6-year-old daughter, Cecilia, home from kindergarten. “Mommy, why don’t you have a degree?” asked Cecilia. Merola stopped in her tracks and suddenly felt tears well up in her eyes. “I thought, how could…
-
Retiring Faculty
Laura Lein (Anthropology) Lein, professor in the Department of Anthropology and the School of Social Work, taught at the university for 24 years. Lein directed the Women’s Studies Program at the university for two terms, from 1987 to 1991, where she coordinated interdisciplinary curriculum, fund development and new programs. She served on boards of many organizations,…
-
In Memoriam: Fall 2009
Pablo Beltrán de Heredia, emeritus professor of Spanish and Portuguese, died Aug. 21 at the age of 92. He taught at the university for 25 years. He was a noted scholar of Spanish art and literature. Recognized as a key figure of cultural and political life in Santander, Spain, Beltrán de Heredia was named the…
-
News & Notes: Fall 2009
Debate and Individual Event alumni looking to reconnect The university’s debate and individual events (IE) teams have an illustrious history on campus. Both groups have won numerous championships and both feature outstanding alumni. Still, there has not been an alumni association for these successful teams… until now. Are you a former debate team member? Did…
-
10 Tips to Land a Career in Today’s Job Market
Liberal Arts career coach discusses what matters most in job hunt Job hunting is tough these days, and in a recession it can feel hopeless. But according to Liberal Arts Career Services Director Kate Brooks, there is hope and there are jobs to be had. The key to finding and keeping a career in tough…
-
From Pre-K to Graduation Day
Sociologist separates truth from rhetoric in studies of educational experience Eighteen years ago, the federal government enlisted leading researchers to study the effects of childcare on early development. What the researchers couldn’t have anticipated was that this monumental research would still be going on today. What began as a 10-site study of 1,300 children, all…