Bill Nye, a mechanical engineer known as the Science Guy, will give a lecture and question-and-answer session on campus at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Faculty and staff can watch a live stream of the lecture in the Student Services Building Addition auditorium. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance.

The event is sponsored by the Eugene McDermott Library; the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in honor of its 30th anniversary; the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; the Naveen Jindal School of Management; and the Student Union & Activities Advisory Board.

For more information, email [email protected].

All UT Dallas departments are invited to participate in the fifth annual Raising Cans, a food drive and art competition that benefits the Comet Cupboard.

The competition will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, in the Visitor Center Atrium. Groups create unique sculptures with nonperishable food items they collected before the event. Participating teams will receive Comet Cupboard prizes and a free lunch. The deadline to register is today.

For more information, email [email protected] or call Amber Brown at 972-883-2950.

The Office of Information Technology will host the second annual Innovation and Technology Summit on Tuesday, May 16, in Hoblitzelle Hall.

The focus of the summit is research, teaching, learning and tech support at UT Dallas. It will include notable speakers from academia and industry, a panel of technology experts and a selection of breakout sessions. The growing list of speakers includes industry executives, professors and experts. Vendors will display products and services and host giveaways. Summit sponsors include Dell EMC, EST Group, Summus Industries and Adobe.

Space is limited, so register today. For more information, call 972-883-6678 or email [email protected].

Do you know someone who has helped advance and promote diversity at UT Dallas? The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement is accepting nominations for its annual Diversity Awards in these categories: student, student organization, community, corporate, staff and faculty. Submit your nomination here, or download a form here and email it to [email protected]. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 30.

Recipients will be honored at the 8th Annual Diversity Awards Ceremony and Soirée on April 20.

UT Dallas Dining Services is seeking feedback from faculty, staff and students. Share your experience by completing a brief survey online or by texting SUUT to 99299.

On Tuesday, April 4, UT Dallas alumni, faculty, staff and friends will come together for one big day of giving to raise funds for students and initiatives across the University.

Throughout the 18-hour event, there will be opportunities to participate in campus and online activities and to support UT Dallas programs important to you. Additionally, matching and challenge funds will further the impact of gifts made on Giving Day.

Answer the call by volunteering for day-of events, serving as a social ambassador or making a gift on April 4. Learn more at utdallas.edu/cometsgive. Questions? Contact Jill Arredondo at [email protected] or ext. 5380.

The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement has created a process for faculty and staff members to form employee resource groups (ERGs) at UT Dallas. ERGs give faculty and staff members the opportunity to network with other employees with similar interests and needs, and help promote a welcoming campus climate.

Two groups already have formed:

The Military and Veteran ERG supports employees who have served and their family members. The ERG also seeks to enhance recruitment of candidates with military experience. For more information, contact Lisa Adams, director of the Military and Veteran Center, at 972-883-4914 or [email protected]

QuTD serves faculty and staff who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allies. For more information, contact Mohammed Rahman at 972-883-2943 or [email protected].

Other groups are being formed and are open to all employees. For more information about ERGs, contact Rosie Peterson at 972-883-4560 or [email protected].

The Center for Vital Longevity invites faculty and staff members to attend “Seeking Better Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease: The Way Forward,” a lecture with Dr. Marilyn Albert at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Communities Foundation of Texas, 5500 Caruth Haven Lane in Dallas.

Albert, a behavioral neurologist with Johns Hopkins University, focuses on the cognitive and brain changes associated with aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Her work has delineated the cognitive changes associated with aging and early Alzheimer’s, along with potential methods of early identification of the disease. She has also identified lifestyle factors that promote maintenance of mental abilities with advancing age.

Her presentation is part of the Jean and Bill Booziotis Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture is free, but registration is required.

Friday, April 14, is the deadline for submitting requests to Human Resources for a staff reclassification, promotion, market/equity adjustments or one-time merit raise for a Sept. 1 effective date. To submit a request, please complete a Position Review and Request form and include justification for action. If requesting a promotion, fill out and attach the Staff Promotion Assessment form and all applicable documents. Please send your request(s) to [email protected]. For additional information, consult the Compensation Standards & Practices page.

The Eugene McDermott Library offers workshops to staff members. They are held at the library in MC 2.524. Register online. Upcoming offerings include:

• Learn to Cite with RefWorks: Introduction and Beyond the Basics, 3 p.m. Thursday, March 23.
• Unlocking Grant Money: Finding Research Funding Today, 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 29.
• Getting Started: Databases, 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 29.
• Using Interlibrary Loan to Access Millions of Library Resources, 3 p.m. Friday, March 31.

More workshops are available on the library events page.

Tobacco Cessation Events to Help Employees Kick Habits
As UT Dallas prepares to transition to a tobacco-free campus effective June 1, the Office of Administration and Wellness Committee will host two tobacco-cessation events for the campus community.

Breathe Easy will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602). The event will feature booths with cessation and health information, as well as a lunch-and-learn presentation from the American Lung Association. To reserve a free lunch, email [email protected] by March 22.

A Tobacco Cessation Pilot Class will be offered from April 18 to May 30. The class follows the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking cessation program, covering eight sessions in a seven-week timeframe to help participants end their smoking habits. Registration is free. Those interested in participating may sign up in-person at Breathe Easy or online through LEO in the Galaxy Portal.

Spring into a Fitter You at SPN Wellness Center Open House
The SPN Wellness Center (SPN 1.700) will hold a Spring into Fitness Open House from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6. Try healthy snacks, enter drawings for giveaways, meet the SPN fitness instructors and get a free body composition analysis. Airrosti will offer a complimentary injury assessment with reservation. For more information, visit the Wellness website.

Catch a Comet Cab Ride to Synergy Park North
Parking and Transportation is offering a midday SPN Comet Cab route Monday through Thursday to help faculty and staff travel from the main campus to the SPN Wellness Center more quickly. Please review the full route information online to plan your midday workout schedule, and look for the SPN Comet Cabs designated with a yellow flag. Contact the Employee Wellness Team at [email protected] with any questions.

Give the Gift of Reading This Month
The Office of Student Volunteerism is collecting new and gently used books this month to benefit the Friends of the Richardson Library (FOL) and Reading Partners, local nonprofits that promote reading, literacy and education. Books for all ages will be accepted, as well as textbooks, comic books, graphic novels, audio books and foreign language material. Bins are in the OSV office, the McDermott Library lobby, the Student Union first-floor lobby, and the Administration Building second-floor lobby near the elevators.

Golf Tournament to Benefit Scholarship Funds
The 24th Annual UT Dallas Scholarship Tournament is set for Friday, April 28, at Firewheel Golf Park in Garland. Visit the tournament website or call the UT Dallas Office of Administration at 972-883-2213 to get more information, register or make a donation. In preparation for the event, The Practice Tee invites students, faculty and staff to UT Dallas Day from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 7.

Annual Performance Appraisals Are Due April 7
The annual performance appraisal process has begun. Appraisals for faculty and staff who worked for UT Dallas in 2016 are due Friday, April 7. Appraisals for new faculty and staff who began or will begin employment with UT Dallas in 2017 (Jan. 1 to April 15) are due Friday, June 30.Contact your department’s designated employee relations representative with any questions. Training opportunities are also available to assist supervisors and employees with this process.

• IRB Protocol Assistance Workshop, 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 23 (ATC 3.225)
• Hands-On Budget Workshop, 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, March 23 (FO 1.206C)
• Responsible Authorship Publication and Peer Review, noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 28 (SU 2.602C)
• IRB Protocol Assistance Workshop, 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, April 3 (ECSS 3.503)