UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 44)

Research is Teaching continued from page 23 The Next Generation At the graduate level, UT Dallas attracts students from around the world on the strength of faculty and, as in undergraduate programs, access to laboratories and mentorships. Although many plan for careers in industry and with private companies, others will ultimately pursue careers in academia and will bring new students into the research endeavor. One of these doctoral students, Prakash Sista, came 8,800 miles from his home in Mumbai, India, to work in the field of polymer chemistry. During his three years at UT Dallas, he has learned how to make organic polymers and investigate how electric charges move inside them. In 2011, Sista was asked to present a poster detailing his research at the Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium organized by the division of Polymer Chemistry at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society. Only a handful of students are invited to present posters in this symposium. Among the perks of attending the conference, Sista said, was the opportunity to meet with his peers at dozens of other academic institutions. “I shared the work we are doing right here at UT Dallas,” Sista said. “Meeting so many other scientists and sharing ideas and research was a wonderful opportunity. Who knows? Maybe someday we will get to work together. I definitely plan to teach and research in an academic center.” Beyond peer collaborations, UT Dallas students also follow the lead of their mentors and share their love for the sciences with pre-collegiate students. Angeline Burrell, a doctoral candidate in the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences, makes time each year to inspire younger students through her portrayal of a comic book character developed to explain UTD’s research in space sciences. It’s a lighter complement to her high-level studies in atmospheric modeling and ionosphere physics, and it serves to increase awareness of research efforts at the University. Working in conjunction with NASA, Dr. Mary Urquhart, director of the Department of Science/Mathematics Education, and Dr. Marc Hairston, a research scientist at the University, designed two graphic novels featuring the character “CINDI.” Burrell’s role is to dress up as CINDI and appear at public events to talk to young students about the University’s research in a way they can understand. “I think it’s important to encourage young people, especially girls who tend to be underrepresented in the field, to pursue science,” Burrell said. “We try to find many ways to reach out to the community and hopefully garner lots of interest in our research.” Another way faculty assist pre-collegiate students is through the UTeach Dallas program housed in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The UTeach program aims to educate the next generation of highly qualified science and math teachers in an effort to provide excellent teachers to primary and secondary schools. UTeach students major in the discipline they intend to teach, and learn pedagogy experientially, through early exposure A comic book series featuring the character CINDI (which stands for Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamics Investigation) helps illustrate the University’s research in space sciences to high school students. to professional teachers and work in classrooms with young students. “Through professional development, we are fostering relationships among students in the UTeach program,” Urquhart said. “They will go on to establish best practices in their own classrooms and districts and share the information with others. It’s a unique way to disseminate best practices among teachers—who will then go on to inspire younger students to embrace research.” Discovery and Impact Research efforts are alive in every corner of the University from brain sciences and engineering to the humanities, business, and emerging media. Increasing enrollment and successful recruitment of research-active faculty (30 in the last year) also point to the growth and wisdom of prioritizing excellence in research. “The lifeblood of a great research university is the innovative work done by faculty members, researchers and graduate students from many disciplines across the campus,” Gnade said. “We are all working toward enhancing and expanding the research environment beyond the UT Dallas campus.” UT Dallas faculty routinely collaborate with major organizations worldwide, such as the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, and establish research partnerships with NASA and major global companies. This outreach and contribution to research communities worldwide builds relationships that enrich and strengthen the experiences offered to students and faculty at UT Dallas. Undergraduates moving on to other institutions often find they are received 44 utdallas.edu http://www.utdallas.edu

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

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