Research News at UT Dallas

Research

News for and about the people whose discoveries, inventions, designs and scholarly achievements bring UT Dallas toward its goal of becoming one of the nation’s best public research universities.

Researcher Working on Wearable Computers to Monitor Health

Dr. Roozbeh Jafari, assistant professor of electrical engineering at UT Dallas, is developing wireless computers that are about the size of a button. At that size, the system can be easily worn on the body, opening possibilities to improved health monitoring for the elderly and assistance in determining changes in people’s medication dosage needs.

Research Seeks to Refine Data Transmission for Medical Diagnoses

Dr. Xiaohu Guo's research will be boosted by a $448,000 national research grant. The highly competitive grant program funds research of junior faculty who are considered likely to become leaders in their fields.

Callier Conference to Explore Complex Theory of Mind Issues

Speech-language pathologists, psychologists and educators from throughout the area will gather at UT Dallas this week to explore the complex topic of theory of mind and its potential effects on patient care. UT Dallas’ Callier Center for Communication Disorders will host an all-day Bruton Conference at its Dallas location on Dec. 15.

Speech-Language Researcher Awarded Top Honors

Dr. Christine Dollaghan, a professor in UT Dallas’ School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS), received the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) top award during this fall’s national convention. Dollaghan was selected for Honors of the Association, which recognizes members who have made distinguished contributions to the field of communication sciences and disorders. Recipients have earned the respect of colleagues around the world for long careers of innovative and insightful research, impressive clinical practice, outstanding teaching or for other significant accomplishments.

NSF Grant Funds Prof's Study of Academic Brain Drain in U.S.

Competitive salaries and research opportunities are strong incentives for foreign-born academics to work in the United States. But are they enough to keep them here? Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, assistant professor in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, recently landed a National Science Foundation grant to study these patterns of migration. “Academic scientists and engineers from other countries tend to be very productive when they come to the U.S., but we are slowly seeing that they are returning to their native countries rather than staying here,” she said. “We want to examine this trend of reverse brain drain.”

Program Funds Undergrad Research in Range of Disciplines

Seventy students, representing all seven UT Dallas schools, are recipients of Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards for 2012-13. The awards are sponsored by the Office of Research and will fund 62 wide-ranging projects. Research topics include dark matter, infectious diseases and security issues in Smartphone applications, as well as property rights in China and food choices in low-income households.

BrainHealth Team Studies Overeating as a Type of Addiction

A similar, insidious craving plagues all addicts, no matter the substance of choice. A new study published in NeuroImage from Center for BrainHealth scientists Dr. Francesca Filbey, assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and doctoral student Samuel DeWitt has found that for binge-eaters, as with all addiction sufferers, the compulsion to overeat is rooted in the brain’s reward center.

Wax-Filled Nanotech Yarn Behaves Like Powerful, Super-Strong Muscle

New artificial muscles made from nanotech yarns and infused with paraffin wax can lift more than 100,000 times their own weight and generate 85 times more mechanical power than the same size natural muscle, according to scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas and their international team from Australia, China, South Korea, Canada and Brazil. The artificial muscles are yarns constructed from carbon nanotubes, which are seamless, hollow cylinders made from the same type of graphite layers found in the core of ordinary pencils. Individual nanotubes can be 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, yet pound-for-pound, can be 100 times stronger than steel.

Conference to Explore Cognitive Health and Disease

Leading cognitive neuroscientists from around the world will gather Jan. 26-28 to present their latest discoveries about how the brain and cognition change with age at the 2013 Dallas Aging and Cognition Conference (Dallas ACC), hosted biannually by the University’s Center for Vital Longevity. The theme of the 2013 conference is “Predicting Successful and Unsuccessful Aging: Early Neural Markers of Decline and Disease.”

Researcher Calls for New Science and Math Education Approach

Recent research on how people learn to become experts can help to dramatically improve the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, according to an article in the fall 2012 Issues in Science and Technology. Nobel laureate Carl Wieman argues that despite the widespread recognition of the importance of STEM education and countless efforts aimed at improving it, there continues to be little discernible change in either student achievement or student interest in STEM.

Event to Explore the Fast-Evolving World of Medical Devices

The University of Texas at Dallas hosts the first annual Texas Medical Device Symposium this Friday, Nov. 2. The symposium provides an opportunity for the public to hear the latest findings in the field from leading academic researchers, clinicians and representatives of companies making the devices. The symposium also includes an opportunity for researchers to learn more about the federal process for getting a medical device approved for use.

Texas Biomedical Device Center to Support Tinnitus Study

The Texas Biomedical Device Center at UT Dallas has agreed to partner with neuroscience-based medical device company MicroTransponder to conduct one of the first U.S. clinical tests of a novel tinnitus therapy developed by the university’s researchers. The therapeutic approach developed at UT Dallas pairs audible tones with brief pulses of electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve. Preclinical tests demonstrated that this approach “rewires” damaged brain circuitry associated with tinnitus, potentially yielding long-term reversal of symptoms. No device-related adverse events were seen in the initial human safety study conducted in Belgium, and the initial results were encouraging.

Tech Commercialization Efforts Set Records

UT Dallas had a record number of invention disclosures, patent applications and licensing agreements in the past year, a result of the university’s growing efforts to transfer commercially viable research results from the lab to the marketplace. The numbers tell the story. According to UT Dallas’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), in fiscal year 2012 the University had:

Pioneering Patient Returns to Callier to Encourage Others

The first person to receive a cochlear implant through the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders returned this fall to share his experiences with the parents of younger patients.Michael Noble was 15 months old when he was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. His acute use of other senses masked his hearing loss until that time. For example, he often turned toward his parents when they entered a room because he felt the vibration of their footsteps.

Cell Mechanism Findings Could One Day be Used to Engineer Organs

Biologists have teamed up with mechanical engineers from The University of Texas at Dallas to conduct cell research that provides information that may one day be used to engineer organs. The research, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on the mechanics of cell, tissue and organ formation. The research revealed basic mechanisms about how a group of bacterial cells can form large three-dimensional structures.

Professor Evaluates Importance, Strategy of Twitter in Elections.

Running for president in the digital age has brought a new requirement to the job: knowing how to work the Twittersphere. That is the analysis of Dr. Janet Johnson, who teaches in the Emerging Media and Communications (EMAC) program at UT Dallas. Johnson has recently published an article in the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric about the role of social media in presidential campaigns. read more

Friends of BrainHealth Support Researchers in Early Stages

The Friends of BrainHealth, a circle of donors who have made significant financial contributions to support brain research, have presented the “Friends of BrainHealth Distinguished New Scientist Awards” for the third year. The awards are intended to support the work of exceptional brain scientists early in their careers. “Scientific discovery at the Center for BrainHealth is ground-breaking and changing lives today – not a generation from now,” said Center for BrainHealth’s founder and chief director Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman.

Researchers Seek Way to Make Solar Cells Ultra-Thin, Flexible

Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are developing nanotechnology that could lead to a new platform for solar cells, one that could drive the development of lighter, flexible and more versatile solar-powered technology than is currently available. The National Science Foundation recently awarded a $390,000 grant to Dr. Anton Malko and Dr. Yuri Gartstein, both in the Department of Physics, and Dr. Yves Chabal in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering to further explore their research on the feasibility of ultrathin-film photovoltaic devices, which convert light from the sun into electric power.

To Pay or Not to Pay? Study Gauges Attitudes on College Athletics

UT Dallas social scientists recently completed a study aimed at gauging public opinions about financial compensation for collegiate athletes, or “pay-to-play.” The team, which included UT Dallas researchers Drs. Alex Piquero and Nicole Leeper Piquero, published their findings in a recent issue of the journal Sport in Society.

Children and Families Forum to Take a Look at School Readiness

UT Dallas’ Center for Children and Families (CCF) will welcome parents and educators to campus this week for a forum focused on helping young children succeed in school. The theme of the third annual event is “Learning How to Learn: Promoting School Readiness and Academic Achievement.” Dr. Cybele Raver, professor of applied psychology at New York University, will deliver the event’s evening lecture on Oct. 3 and keynote address of the daytime events on Oct. 4.

Research Shows Graphene Nanopores Can Be Controlled

Engineers at the University of Texas at Dallas have used advanced techniques to make the material graphene small enough to read DNA. Shrinking the size of a graphene pore to less than one nanometer – small enough to thread a DNA strand – opens the possibility of graphene as a low-cost tool to sequence DNA. read more

UT Dallas Spinoff Receives $250,000 From State Tech Fund

Cirasys Inc., a spinoff company based on technology developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas, recently received $250,000 from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. If certain milestones are met, the company could receive up to an additional $750,000, said Paul Nichols, vice president of marketing at Cirasys and a UT Dallas alumnus. read more

UT Dallas Student Catches Jupiter Fireball on Video

On Sept. 10, UT Dallas student and amateur astronomer George Hall awoke at 5 a.m. to set up his telescope in his back yard. With clear skies and his telescope fitted with a video camera, he had hoped to spend the time before sunrise capturing a series of videos of the planet Jupiter. By the end of the day, a snippet of his video would be internationally famous.

Project Gives Computers a More Powerful Way to Detect Threats

UT Dallas computer scientists have developed a technique to automatically allow one computer in a virtual network to monitor another for intrusions, viruses or anything else that could cause a computer to malfunction.The technique has been dubbed “space travel” because it sends computer data to a world outside its home, and bridges the gap between computer hardware and software systems.

Study Ranks Professor Among Top Women in Criminology

The Journal of Criminal Justice Education named Dr. Nicole Leeper Piquero, professor of criminology at UT Dallas, as one of the top performing female academics in the field. The study's authors, UT Dallas doctoral students Erin Orrick and Henriika Weir, ranked the top criminologists by examining a 10-year period between 2000 and 2010. They compiled top journals and a created a database of all female scholars who had published in those journals during that time period.Dr. Nicole Leeper Piquero, professor of criminology. Lead author Weir explained that her team decided to tackle this topic because they had previously noted an underpresentation of female scholars in similar ranking studies.

Study Shows Brain Function Differences in Women with Anorexia

A new study published by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas and UT Southwestern found brain-based differences in how women with and without anorexia perceive themselves. The findings shed light on how brain pathways function in currently ill and fully recovered individuals who have had anorexia nervosa. The study was done by Dr. Dan Krawczyk, associate professor at the Center for BrainHealth and Dr. Carrie McAdams, assistant psychiatry professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. read more

Center for Vital Longevity Announces Fall Lectures

The Center for Vital Longevity has announced the schedule for its fall semester Science Luncheon Series, a program of weekly talks that brings together UT researchers and outside experts to discuss recent developments in cognitive neuroscience and aging research. This semester’s schedule includes talks on topics ranging from preventing Alzheimer’s disease to the neural processes that support spatial memory.

Awards to Help Undergrads Pursue Research Ideas

The Office of Research at UT Dallas is accepting applications for the 2012 Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards, a program that gives students a chance to conduct scientific inquiries on topics of their choosing. The program, now in its sixth year, funded 69 research projects by undergraduates last fall. “These awards give our undergraduates experience they can use in both their academic and professional careers,” said Dr. Bruce Gnade, vice president for research and holder of the Distinguished Chair in Microelectronics. read more

Study Links Math Abilities to Left-Right Brain Communication

A new study by researchers at UT Dallas’ Center for Vital Longevity, Duke University, and the University of Michigan has found that the strength of communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain predicts performance on basic arithmetic problems. The findings shed light on the neural basis of human math abilities and suggest a possible route to aiding those who suffer from dyscalculia— an inability to understand and manipulate numbers.

‘Frankenstein’ Programmers Build a Cybersecurity Monster

To catch a thief, you have to think like one. UT Dallas computer scientists are trying to stay one step ahead of cyberattackers by creating their own monster. Their monster can cloak itself as it steals and reconfigures information in a computer program. read more

Researchers Find Material for Cleaner-Running Diesel Vehicles

Engineers at a company co-founded by a University of Texas at Dallas professor have identified a material that can reduce the pollution produced by vehicles that run on diesel fuel. The material, from a family of minerals called oxides, could replace platinum, a rare and expensive metal that is currently used in diesel engines to try to control the amount of pollution released into the air. In a study published in the August 17 issue of Science, researchers found that when a manmade version of the oxide mullite replaces platinum, pollution is up to 45 percent lower than with platinum catalysts. read more

Scientists Use Light To Tag and Track Genetic Processes

In a new study, UT Dallas researchers outline how they used fluorescent molecules to “tag” DNA and monitor a process called DNA looping, a natural biological mechanism involved in rearranging genetic material in some types of cells. The UT Dallas “tag and track” method not only sheds light on how DNA loops form, but also might be adapted to screen drugs for effectiveness against certain viruses that shuffle genetic material, such as HIV. read more

Researchers Call for New Tactics in Drug Abuse Fight

Current U.S. drug policy is proving insufficient in shrinking the damage caused by drug abuse, but promising alternative approaches could lead to improved results, according to an article in the summer 2012 edition of Issues in Science and Technology. Although the current U.S. approach is comprehensive, involving policies ranging from arresting and imprisoning drug dealers to suspending the licenses of drunk drivers, it has failed to reduce the overall size of the problem, according to the article by Mark A.R. Kleiman of the University of California at Los Angeles and colleagues. read more

Research Program in Honor of Buhrmesters Encourages Students

Five undergraduates in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences are getting a chance to spend their summer as researchers, working alongside their faculty mentors, thanks to a fund established to honor the late Dr. Duane Buhrmester.The BBS Summer Scholars received the Duane and Linda Buhrmester Research Award, which was created to encourage students’ professional development. They were honored at a luncheon in June. The awards will be presented annually in the future. read more

Profs Mentor Undergrad Researchers from Mexico

Ten undergraduates this summer designed medical devices, studied new magnetic phenomena and more under a UT Dallas program that invites students from Mexico to explore careers in science and engineering research. The UT Dallas Summer Research Program is designed to equip students from participating Mexican universities with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue a career in these areas. read more

Research Shows Nerve Stimulation Can Reorganize Brain

UT Dallas researchers recently demonstrated how nerve stimulation paired with specific experiences, such as movements or sounds, can reorganize the brain. This technology could lead to new treatments for stroke, tinnitus, autism and other disorders.

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Veteran, UT Dallas Senior Finds Tools to Battle PTSD

UT Dallas senior and military veteran Mike Rials has participated in research at the Center for BrainHealth and also works there to raise awareness about research programs available to veterans. At BrainHealth, scientists are studying a cutting-edge treatment for PTSD, supported by a $3 million grant from the Department of Defense. read more

UT Dallas Physicists Play Role in Higgs Quest

University of Texas at Dallas researchers played a role in groundbreaking experiments that led to the discovery of a new elementary particle of matter, one that is “consistent” with the long-sought-after Higgs boson. When the much-buzzed-about July 4 announcement of the new particle was made by officials at the CERN research facility in Geneva, UT Dallas faculty members, postdoctoral scientists and students involved in the research were positioned around the globe – in China, Australia and Europe. read more

Undergrads Wrap Up Semester of Research at UT Southwestern

Kaleb Lambeth, a UT Dallas student majoring in biology, spent his spring semester working on a process that might one day be developed into a treatment to help form new heart muscle after a heart attack. He is one of 19 UT Dallas undergraduates who, as Green Fellows, spent a semester performing full-time research with faculty members at UT Southwestern Medical Center. read more

Report Salutes 2 Profs as Influential Management Scholars

Dr. Gregory Dess, who holds the Andrew R. Cecil Endowed Chair in Applied Ethics in the Jindal School, and Dr. Mike Peng, the Jindal Chair of Global Strategy, are among the most highly cited management scholars of the past three decades, according to the paper forthcoming in the journal Academy of Management Perspectives. The two were both named Distinguished Scholars by the Southwest Academy of Management two years ago. read more

Awards Recognize Work by Alzheimer's Researchers

Postdoctoral fellows Dr. Kristen Kennedy and Dr. Karen Rodrigue and graduate student Gérard Nisal Bischof, all from UT Dallas’ Center for Vital Longevity, have been awarded fellowships to attend the upcoming Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada July 14-19. They will join the world’s leading dementia scientists to share and discuss the latest research on the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Facebook Photos May Reflect Unconscious Cultural Differences

For millions of Facebook users, choosing which photo to use for an online profile is an important decision. Should it be lighthearted or professional, personal or more abstract? According to a study by researchers at the UT Dallas Center for Vital Longevity and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the photos we select may reflect individual preferences, but they also appear to reflect more deeply rooted, unconscious cultural differences. read more

Event to Explore Latest on Microelectronics Materials

Tomorrow’s breakthroughs in advanced materials for microelectronics and green energy systems will be presented starting Sunday at the 2012 Physical Electronics Conference held at UT Dallas. The conference, hosted by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, draws experts throughout North America and the world on the cutting-edge of research about the physics and chemistry of surfaces and interfaces. read more

Prof's Studies on Corruption in Asia are in Demand

Research in the UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management on the economic effects of corruption in Asia is providing the foundation for executive business studies around the world. Two articles by Dr. Seung-Hyun Lee, an associate professor in the school’s Organizations, Strategy and International Management area, examine how bribery and other corruption influence profits and business practices in various Asian countries. He also analyzes how U.S. firms fare when competing in such environments. read more

Doctoral Student's Nanotech Research Wins Award

A UT Dallas doctoral student in materials science and engineering has been awarded a silver medal by the Materials Research Society for her work with nanomaterials. Nour Nijem, a doctoral candidate graduating this week and advised by Dr. Yves Chabal, head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, competed for the honor against 105 graduate students from institutions such as Stanford University, Princeton University, the University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. read more

Researcher Awarded $1.9 Million to Study Marijuana Addiction

A UT Dallas researcher has been awarded $1.9 million to support her studies of genetic and environmental factors related to marijuana addiction. Dr. Francesca Filbey, assistant professor at the Center for BrainHealth received the funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Despite the long history of cannabis use, which dates back to more than 2,500 years, we still know very little about its effects on the brain,” Filbey said. read more

Study: Prison Inmate Intelligence Influences Misconduct

A prison inmate’s IQ, as well as the average IQ of a prison unit, can play a role in predicting violent prison misconduct, according to a recently published UT Dallas study in the latest issue of the academic journal Intelligence. read more

Nanotech on Tap at Dallas-area Research Conference

Neuroscience and novel cancer treatments might seem worlds away from high-efficiency batteries and advanced solar cells, but the U.S.-Korea Joint Symposium of Nanotechnology Workshops, hosted and co-organized by UT Dallas, will bring these diverse fields together under one roof. The event, to be held May 1-4 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, provides an opportunity for nearly 100 scientists, engineers and students from both the United States and South Korea to highlight their collaborations and to exchange information, especially in the fields of nanostructured materials, nanoelectronics and nano-biotechnology. read more

Prof Explores Universe Through Gravity Lens Studies

The National Science Foundation recently awarded Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, associate professor of physics at UT Dallas, a $222,000 research grant for his investigations of the gravitational lensing technique used to study the nature of the universe. His studies are aimed at improving the technique to more accurately measure the distribution and density of mass in the universe. His research also could contribute to a better understanding of dark matter. read more

Competition Spotlights Top Undergrad Research

After nearly two semesters of effort, 10 students from across the UT Dallas campus recently faced off in the fifth annual Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation. The students competed for cash prizes, with topics ranging from assessing the needs of the Dallas homeless and evaluating perceptions of inequality to research aimed at developing high-capacity energy storage devices. Medical research focused on genetics, cancer and autism-related studies. read more

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