UT Dallas Offers Safe Cloud Storage Service for Employees

  
The proliferation of cloud storage services to store and share files has led campus users to wonder which ones are safe for University data. In response, the Information Security Office has announced its CometSpace initiative and the Box.com service provided by UT Dallas.

Users can log in to Box.com with an existing NetID, access and share files from anywhere, synchronize files between devices, and enjoy 100GB of storage capacity.

Earlier this year, many campus users agreed to test Box.com. With their feedback, Information Security created CometSpace as a one-stop page where UT Dallas users can find solutions to their cloud storage needs.

Because Box.com satisfied the Information Security Office vendor evaluation criteria, users can now enjoy convenient features while not putting the University at unnecessary risk or violating the Information Security and Acceptable Use Policy.

Former CIA Officers to Present Year’s Final ATEC Lecture

UT Dallas will welcome former CIA intelligence officers Tony and Jonna Mendez on Tuesday, April 28, for the last presentation in this year’s Arts and Technology Distinguished Lecture Series.

Tony Mendez’s mission to free a group of U.S. diplomats during the Iranian revolution was the basis for the Oscar-winning film Argo. The couple will talk at 7:30 p.m. in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building lecture hall (ATC 1.102).

Staff and faculty members can reserve discount tickets by using the “ATEC2015” promo code when they order online with a desktop or laptop computer.

VP of Research Appointed to Board of Scientific Consortium

Dr. Bruce Gnade, vice president for research at UT Dallas and holder of the Distinguished Chair in Microelectronics, has been elected to the board of directors of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).

The consortium of 115 PhD-granting institutions, which includes UT Dallas, advances scientific research and education through partnerships with academia and federal research laboratories. ORAU works with federal, state and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest in science, education, security and health. The board of directors provides policy and fiduciary oversight of ORAU operations.

Gnade, a professor of materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, and chemistry, leads a large UT Dallas research group studying applications of flexible electronics. Read more

Crowdfunding Site Gives Campus a Tool to Build on Ideas

With the launch of the University’s crowdfunding platform, staff and faculty have a new way to make big ideas happen. Four teams launched the first Impact UTD crowdfunding projects this month.

Through May 1, the teams will leverage their social networks to raise funds for initiatives to alleviate student hunger, mentor at-risk high school students, provide professional business attire to students, and nurture a safe environment for students of all genders and sexual orientations.

Impact UTD is open to the entire UT Dallas community. Research projects, service trips and events and other ideas that impact campus are suitable for crowdfunding. Project applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Donors will receive updates on the direct impact of their support, and projects receive 100 percent of the funds raised. Every gift counts as a charitable donation to the University. To learn more or give, visit impact.utdallas.edu.

Expert on Child Language Disorders to Speak at Callier Conference

The Callier Center for Communication Disorders will host its biennial Callier Prize Conference on Friday, May 1. Dr. Laurence B. Leonard, a leading scholar in the study of children with specific language impairment, will offer the keynote address and receive the Callier Prize in Communication Disorders.

The Callier Prize recognizes researchers from around the world whose leadership has fostered advances in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders.

Leonard is the Rachel E. Stark Distinguished Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and director of the Child Language Laboratory at Purdue University. He was chosen for the prize because of his extensive contributions to the field of speech pathology, the impact of his research and his mentorship to other scientists in the field.

The free conference is titled “Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI): Structuring Language Input to Improve Language Learning.” The conference will be held in Room J108 at Callier Dallas from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact Linda Sensibaugh at 214-905-3003 for more information.

Researcher to Discuss Cognitive Aging Among the ‘Oldest Old’

The Center for Vital Longevity invites faculty and staff members to attend “Lessons from the Oldest Old: The 90+ Study,” a lecture by Dr. Claudia Kawas, a geriatric neurologist and researcher at the University of California, Irvine.

Kawas’ most recent work has focused on the cognitive and functional abilities of the oldest old. She is the primary investigator of The 90+ Study, which was featured in a special episode of the CBS News program 60 Minutes last year. Kawas’ presentation, which is the Jean and Bill Booziotis Distinguished Lecture, will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Communities Foundation of Texas, 5500 Caruth Haven Lane in Dallas. Registration is required.

Staff and Faculty Invited to Join Earth Day Celebration

Today is Earth Day, and UT Dallas will be hosting its annual Earth Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plinth, just outside the Student Union Building. The event is part of the University’s Earth Week celebration and will feature booths and interactive activities from student organizations, campus departments and community agencies. Faculty and staff are invited. There will be music and green giveaways.

Historically Underutilized Businesses and Vendor Fair Set

Procurement Management has organized a fair for Historically Underutilized Businesses and other UT Dallas suppliers to discuss their products and services. The event is set for noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Visitors Center and University Bookstore atrium.

Lunch and Learn: How to Be More Resilient in Your Life

“How to Be More Resilient in Your Life” will be the theme of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) lunch and learn program to be hosted Tuesday, April 28 by the UT Dallas Wellness Committee. Featured speakers Patrick Tiner, director of EAP, and Angela Prior, EAP specialist, will discuss how to develop and strengthen your resilience and resources to help create a healthy work-life balance to deal with work stress, financial problems, illness, natural disasters, divorce or the death of a loved one. The event will be in Student Union Galaxy Room C (SU 2.602C) from noon to 1 p.m. Registration is limited to 60 participants. Register online by today to reserve your seat. For more information, email Nora M. Peña.

Preparedness Event Urges Campus to be Ready for Hazards

UT Dallas is participating in America’s PrepareAthon!, a nationwide, community-based campaign to increase emergency preparedness through hazard drills, group discussions, and exercises conducted at the national level every fall and spring. Its goal is to increase the number of people who:

  • Understand the hazards that affect their community
  • Know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage
  • Take action to increase their preparedness
  • Participate in community resilience planning
In the spirit of America’s PrepareAthon!, the UT Dallas Environmental Health and Safety office encourages faculty, staff and students to do at least one thing to learn to prepare for a hazardous event. Those who take the Preparedness Pledge will be entered to win a NOAA Weather Radio. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, April 30.

Reminders

  • Nobel Prize Winner to Speak at Jaya Lecture Series
    Nobel laureate and Harvard University professor Amartya Sen will address “Global Gendercide and Women’s Empowerment for Sustainable Growth” in a visit to UT Dallas on Friday, April 24. His talk, which is set for 7 p.m. in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building lecture hall, will be the inaugural event in the Jaya Lecture Series. Read more

Office of Research Seminars

Lunch and Learn: Applied Research Initiative, noon Wednesday, April 22 (AD 3.104)

Dr. Victor Fishman, the University’s associate vice president for applied research, will outline the benefits of the Applied Research Initiative and how it can help faculty members achieve their goals. Registration is required. Read more

Other upcoming seminars include the following: