Dr. Russell A. Hulse of Princeton University, the discoverer of the first binary pulsar and co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics, will affiliate with The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as a visiting professor of physics and of science and math education, beginning in January.

Hulse will be involved with developing innovative science and mathematics education programs for primary and secondary schools, including those in several Texas school districts, as well as with developing activities in more informal settings, such as libraries. Hulse also will continue to pursue his diverse research interests, including computer modeling and sensor systems for micro air vehicles. Several of these research areas will have close ties to the education programs Hulse plans to help develop in the Dallas area.

Hulse will become the second Nobel laureate on the UTD faculty and the third in the university's 34-year history. Dr. Alan MacDiarmid, who shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry, currently holds the James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair in Science and Technology and heads the Center for Scientific and Technical Innovations. UTD's first Nobel laureate was the late Dr. Polykarp Kusch, who shared the Nobel Prize in physics in 1955 and who served as a professor of physics from 1972 to 1992.

During his appointment at UTD, Hulse will retain his affiliation with Princeton University, where he is a principal research physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
"It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to work with UTD to help bring innovative science education programs to Dallas area communities," Hulse said. "I have a long-standing interest in promoting science education through various programs both within and outside of the classroom. UTD has shown a strong commitment to contributing to its local communities through such science outreach programs, which is what attracted me to join UTD to help them make such programs a reality."

"The addition of Russell Hulse as a visiting professor is a source of both pride and excitement at UTD," said university President Dr. Franklyn Jenifer. "Dr. Hulse's standing as one of the top scholars in his field will help advance our growing reputation as a premier institution of research and education, particularly in technology and the sciences. More importantly, we believe that his interaction with our faculty, students and the larger Dallas-Fort Worth community will result in innumerable - even unforeseen - benefits for years to come."

Hulse won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the first binary pulsar - a twin star system that provides a rare natural laboratory in which to test Albert Einstein's prediction that moving objects emit gravitational waves, as well as other aspects of his general theory of relativity. The discovery was made in 1974 by Hulse, a 23-year-old graduate student at the time, and his thesis advisor, Dr. Joseph Taylor Jr., then a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, utilizing the 1,000-foot radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The pair shared the physics prize in 1993.

The groundbreaking discovery of the binary pulsar - ranked by many as among the top scientific discoveries of the 20th Century - has had a significant impact on astrophysics and gravitational physics research.

In 1977, Hulse changed fields from astrophysics to plasma physics and joined the Plasma Physics Laboratory at Princeton, where he has worked since.

In recent years, Hulse has become deeply interested in the state of science and mathematics education in the nation's primary and secondary schools. At UTD, Hulse will work with the university's Science/Mathematics Education Department, in concert with local school districts - including the Dallas Independent School District - in an attempt to determine the best methods for teaching science and math to children.

A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Hulse earned a B.S. degree in physics in 1970 from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan. He received a Ph.D. degree in physics in 1975 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After earning his Ph.D. degree, he was awarded a postdoctoral appointment at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Va.

James D. Spaniolo, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University, one of the nation's major research institutions, was named president of the University of Texas at Arlington on Wednesday, November 19 by the U.T. System Board of Regents.

Spaniolo, a professor of journalism who has held his present administrative position since 1996, was unanimously selected from among three finalists to succeed Interim President Charles A. Sorber. Dr. Bob Smith and Dr. Peter Hoff, previously named finalists, withdrew from consideration prior to the final vote of the Board of Regents. Sorber, a former U.T. System administrator, succeeded President Robert E. Witt, who left UTA in March to become president of the University of Alabama.

The appointment was made after the regents interviewed the finalists on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Spaniolo is chief academic officer of a college that has five departments (advertising, audiology and speech sciences, communication, journalism, and telecommunication) and enrolls 3,500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. As dean, he has fostered interdisciplinary programs, forged a partnership with a newspaper corporation in Mexico, and strengthened alumni outreach and fundraising.

Previously, Spaniolo served as vice president and chief program officer of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, vice president of human resources and assistant to the publisher at the Detroit Free Press, general executive and general counsel of the Miami Herald, and associate general counsel of the American Newspaper Publishers Association.

Spaniolo holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University, where he was editor in chief of the student newspaper; a master's of public administration from the University of Michigan, and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the 5th and 11th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

He serves on the advisory board of the Knight Foundation and on the accrediting committee of the Accrediting Council on Education and Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Philip Turner, who has served simultaneously as dean of the University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences and associate vice president for academic affairs for distance education since 1996, is stepping down from the deanship to assume an increased role in directing online academic programs.

At the beginning of Turner's tenure as dean, SLIS enrollment was 327 graduate students, making it one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. UNT's distance learning program, which is defined as courses offered through technology to students off campus - such as web-based instruction and videoconferencing, consisted of a single video conference room.

Today, after nearly eight years of Turner's leadership, SLIS enrollment is 1,020 graduate students and the distance learning program has become the largest in the state serving more than 6,000 students.

Using his expertise to benefit SLIS and distance learning, Turner also created a program using distance education technology to provide access to the master's in library and information sciences program to students across Texas and around the nation. Currently, UNT has over 100 students in Houston, El Paso, and San Antonio and also in all four time zones nationally.

During Turner's time as dean, the school began gaining research funding. Today, external research has grown to $2 million.

The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge, created under Dean Turner's leadership, has served as a focus for funded interdisciplinary research.

Before coming to UNT, Turner served as dean of the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies. Also during that time he was the assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Alabama System.

During his career, Turner received numerous awards and recognitions including: the Alabama Library Association Distinguished Services Award, the University of Alabama Award of Teaching Excellence, Librarian of the Year by Beta Phi Mu, the International Library Science Honor Society as well as Teacher of the Year at Edgewood Junior High School in Florida. In 1994, he was only the second academic to receive the Award for Managing Information Technology given by Carnegie Mellon University and the American Management Association.

A national search for a new dean will begin with the goal of filling the position by Sept. 1, 2004.

The University of Texas at San Antonio has named Mehdi Shadaram chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and a Briscoe Distinguished Professor in the UTSA College of Engineering.

The endowed professorship is supported by funding from former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and his wife, Janey Briscoe.

Shadaram is charged with leading the department to the next level of distinction and assisting the college in promoting excellence in research and teaching. With expertise in optical communications, he was instrumental in bringing to UTSA a $400,000 grant sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.

Before coming to UTSA, Shadaram worked 20 years in academia and industry including serving as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he helped establish industrial partnerships resulting in more than $1.6 million in support from the Texas Instruments Foundation and Lucent Technologies.

At UTEP, Shadaram established a fiber-optic research laboratory that generated more than $4 million in research funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Defense.

Shadaram has published more than 70 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings and served as director of the UTEP Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, a task force within the Model Institution for Excellence program supported by a $12-million NSF grant.

A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Shadaram served as IEEE chairman and treasurer of the El Paso section as well as faculty adviser of the UTEP's IEEE student chapter.

In 1993, Shadaram received the C.R. Nichols Award for teaching excellence at UTEP, the Associated Western Universities Faculty Fellowship Award in 1990 and 1991 and the American Society for Engineering Education-Navy Summer Faculty Fellowship Award in 1994. He was cited in the "Marquis Who's Who in the World" and "Who's Who in America."

Shadaram received doctoral and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Oklahoma, Norman and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Science and Technology, Tehran.

J. Frank Miller III and L.F. "Rick" Francis, both graduates of Texas Tech University, were appointed November 18 by Gov. Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents.

Miller will replace John Jones of Brady, whose term has expired. Miller will serve until Jan. 31, 2009. Francis replaces J. Robert Brown of El Paso, who has resigned from the board. Francis' term expires Jan. 31, 2007.

Miller is chairman of the board and CEO of JPI, a national apartment development company. He serves on the boards of the Urban Land Institute, National Multi Housing Council and the Real Estate Round Table. He also is involved on numerous community boards in Dallas, including the Dallas Citizens Council, Central Dallas Association and St. Paul University Hospital. Miller earned a bachelor's of business administration degree in 1974.

Francis is chairman and CEO of Francis Properties, Francis Holdings and Prime Funding, firms primarily engaged in family investments. He serves as vice chair of the Bank of the West-El Paso, chairman-elect of the Sierra Medical Center and Providence Memorial Hospital. He also serves on the Western Regional Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America. He earned a bachelor's of business administration degree in 1978.

Twenty-two Sam Houston State University (SHSU) juniors and seniors who may have once felt that upper level college study was beyond their dreams will be selected soon for a new program named in honor of former astronaut Ronald McNair.

The students will be the first recipients in the new grant program for which Sam Houston State University recently received $880,000 to be used over a four-year period.

The goal of the Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement grants sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education is to increase the attainment of Ph. D.s by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The role model for the program created in 1987 is former NASA astronaut Ronald E. McNair. He completed his bachelor's degree in physics at North Carolina A&T State University, graduating magna cum laude in 1971.

McNair received his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. He was selected for the NASA astronaut corps in 1978 and died aboard the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986.

SHSU faculty member Kandi Tayebi, principal investigator in the effort to obtain the funding, said that participants will receive preparation for graduate work, with the goal of eventual doctoral study.

She said the students will have opportunities to engage in research, develop relationships with faculty mentors, create a network of scholars in their field, and learn how to apply and prepare for graduate school.

Participants will also receive a grant to help them with their research, mentoring, tutoring, computer workshops, and a laptop computer to be used while they are at SHSU.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor recently received an additional $500,000 gift from the estate of Dr. Johnie B. Punchard, a 1934 graduate of the university.

In July, the university received $500,000 as part of the initial distribution of the estate following Dr. Punchard's death on July 26, 2002 , in Baytown , Texas . The total gift of $1 million will establish two Tomorrow's Leaders Endowed Scholarships at the university, one in Dr. Punchard's name and one in memory of her sister, Frances Punchard McCulloch class of 1932.

Born in Rogers , Dr. Punchard graduated from Temple High School in 1931. She received a B.A. from Mary Hardin-Baylor College graduating with honors, a master's degree from Baylor University , and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in 1958. She taught in numerous Texas public schools, including Brenham and Franklin, and she retired from the Goose Creek school district in Baytown in 1984.

Texas A&M University and Internet2 signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday Nov. 19 to create the first Internet2 Voice over IP Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC).

Internet2 is a consortium led by more than 200 universities, working with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced Internet applications and technologies.

Voice over IP (VoIP) opens up a wide spectrum of opportunities to improve voice services, with the potential to advance voice far beyond plain-old telephone service, noted a consortium spokesperson, and also creates a whole new set of security challenges.

The Texas A&M ITEC will focus on VoIP security, assurance, and interoperability, guiding the Internet2 community as it seeks to realize the potential of VoIP and address its challenges.

The center will perform testing, research and development of voice over IP technologies as well as share those results with other Internet2 partners.

The center will report to the Office of the Vice President for Research and will be one of three centers bringing together researchers, faculty and students with interest in computer security, voice over IP and network engineering. The other two centers are the Integrative Center for Homeland Security and the Texas A&M University Network Engineering Lab. The Center for Information Assurance and Security, under the Integrative Center for Homeland Security, was recently designated as a National Security Agency Center of Excellence for Information Security Education.

The agreement was signed as a part of Texas A&M's Internet2 Day.

Dr. Larry D. Terry, an international authority in the field of public administration and the editor of the scholarly journal Public Administration Review (PAR), has been appointed to the newly created position of executive vice provost at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).

Terry has served as associate provost since joining UTD in 2001 as professor in the university's School of Social Sciences. In his new position, Terry will assume primary academic responsibility for faculty affairs, endowment compliance and staff appointments, and for UTD's Center for U.S./Mexico Studies, the newly created Office of International Education, the university's Web-based communication operations, UTD's role in the Universities Center at Dallas and for the publication, in partnership with the National Academies of Science and the National Academy of Engineering, of the quarterly journal Issues in Science and Technology .

Terry will continue to serve as editor of PAR and as a professor of public administration in the university's School of Social Sciences. PAR is the oldest scholarly journal of public administration and is widely recognized as the top periodical in its field.

Terry, who in 1999 was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, currently is writing a book, titled Administrative Interpretation of Law: How Public Administrators Create Meaning (under contract with Georgetown University Press). He is the author of The Leadership of Public Bureaucracies: The Administrator as Conservator as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals. He received his master of science degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Carlos R. Hamilton, Jr., MD, FACP, executive vice president for external affairs of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, has been named Laureate of the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP).

The Laureate Award, the chapter's highest honor, was be presented at the Texas ACP annual scientific meeting, Nov. 14 in San Antonio. Hamilton, a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology, will be honored for outstanding contributions to the medical community.

Laureate Awards honor local Fellows of the ACP who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research, and in service to their community and the ACP. ACP Fellows are physicians whose activities in internal medicine practice, teaching, or research have been recognized by the society. They often use the letters "FACP" (Fellow of the ACP) after their names and degrees.

Hamilton graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor College of Medicine with honors. He trained in internal medicine and endocrinology at Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts General Hospital. After serving as a chief medical resident and an assistant professor at Hopkins, he became director of the Endocrine Research Laboratory at Wilford Hall in San Antonio. Hamilton returned to Houston to become a partner in the Medical Clinic of Houston, LLP and he rose to the rank of clinical professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

In 2001, he joined the UT Health Science Center at Houston as the executive vice president for clinical affairs and a professor of medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston. He is the chairman of UT Physicians, the faculty practice plan.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) is the nation's largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. Its membership comprises more than 115,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. The membership of the Texas Chapter of the ACP includes more than 5,800 physicians and medical students.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have made a leap in aircraft engine technology with the development of high-temperature bearings that will allow engines to run more efficiently.

"The bearings we've created provide answers to a hurdle for both military and commercial aircraft engines," said Alan Palazzolo, Texas A&M professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Vibration Control and Electromechanics Lab. "Other universities and companies have been trying to produce a system like this one for a long time."

With collaborators at the NASA Glenn Research Center and the University of Toledo, Palazzolo and his research team were honored with a 2003 R&D 100 Award for the new bearings. Dubbed "the Oscars of invention," the awards annually showcase 100 of the best products and technologies from around the world.

In current aircraft engines, the bearings that support the rotating parts of the engine can fail because of high temperatures. Because engines perform their best at higher temperatures, there is a need for bearings that can handle such conditions.

This need has been met by Palazzolo and a team of Texas A&M students: Jason Preuss and Randy Tucker, master's students in the mechanical engineering department, and Andrew Hunt, a senior civil engineering major.

The newly developed magnetic bearings support rotating shafts via a magnetic force and a feedback control system. This allows for noncontact support of the rotating shaft, which eliminates the friction associated with conventional bearings.

The anticipated cost savings result from elimination of the lubrication system, a reduction in friction and the ability of the bearings to operate at ultra-high temperatures.
The bearings can operate at temperatures over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, far higher than the current maximum 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the six-year development of the bearings, the team has received funding from the United States Navy and the University of Texas at Austin, in addition to lab sponsorship from NASA.

The sky is not the limit for these bearings, either.

Other applications include the turbines that power land-based machinery, such as steel mills and petrochemical plants, which also operate better at higher temperatures.

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have shown that insulin family signaling is important for male sex determination, a discovery that furthers the understanding of testes formation and eventually could lead to treatments for reproductive disorders.

Their findings appear in the current issue of Nature and are available online.

UT Southwestern researchers now want to determine if the insulin-signaling pathway is active in human gonad formation. It has been found only in mice, but there is a strong likelihood it exists in humans.

In mice, the male sex-determining process begins in a region of the Y chromosome called Sry, according to. Dr. Sunita Verma-Kurvari, postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Developmental Biology and co-first author of the study. Sry triggers differentiation of the Sertoli cells, which act as organizing centers and direct formation of the testes.

Without Sry, XX or XY gonads failed to develop testes (male reproductive organs producing sperm and male sex hormones), and male to female sex reversal ensued in the mice studied. If insulin family signaling is altered, Dr. Verma-Kurvari said, Sry is changed and the downstream signaling pathway is inactive. This shows that besides playing a role in glucose metabolism and growth, insulin family signaling is critical for male sex determination, she said.

Along with the insulin family signaling pathway, Dr. Parada, who directs the Kent Waldrep Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration, and his colleagues are studying the hormone Insl3, a component of the insulin-like genes. They already have found that mutations in mice cause cryptorchidism - impaired testicular descent - a congenital abnormality affecting 2 percent to 3 percent of full-term human males at birth.

Sex determination switches are diverse and can vary based on the presence of a Y or an X chromosome, environmental factors and social factors. Also, the structure of testes is quite similar among different species and suggests the presence of common players in their formation, said Dr. Verma-Kurvari.

Other UT Southwestern contributors to the Nature study were Dr. Serge Nef, a co-first author, and Dr. Jussi Merenmies, both former research fellows who are now at the University of Geneva and University of Helsinki, respectively. Dr. Jean-Dominique Vassalli from the University of Geneva, and Dr. Argiris Efstratiadis and Dr. Domenico Accili, both from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, also contributed.

The research was supported by an Excellence in Education Endowment.