The University of Texas at Austin

News Releases

April 2012

Biomedical Engineer Elected to Spain's Prestigious Royal Academy

Nicholas A. Peppas, chair of The University of Texas at Austin's Biomedical Engineering Department, has been elected a Corresponding Member of the Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia (Royal Academy of Pharmacy) of Spain.

1 Semester Startup to Host "Demo Day" with Guest Dr. James Truchard, President and CEO of National Instruments

Event: 1 Semester Startup's "Demo Day" featuring President and CEO of National Instruments Dr. James Truchard

When: Thursday, April 26, 5-9 p.m., open to the public

Where: LBJ Auditorium at the LBJ Museum and Library, 2313 Red River St., University of Texas at Austin

Background: The second-ever "Demo Day" will bring together Austin's entrepreneurial community on Thursday, April 26, for a showcasing of 10 undergraduate student startups from The University of Texas at Austin. Each startup will present a six-minute investor pitch. The startups are part of the spring 2012 1 Semester Startup (1SS) class, an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship practicum for undergraduates.

UT Engineering Ranks 2nd in U.S. in Number of NSF Fellowship Recipients for 2012

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its Graduate Research Fellowship recipients for 2012 and The University of Texas Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering tied for second place for the highest number of fellows among top 10 engineering programs in the country.

The University Of California Berkeley College of Engineering received 45 of the fellowships, and the Cockrell School tied Georgia Institute of Technology's engineering college with 30 of the fellowships, an amount that's nearly double the number awarded at the Cockrell School in 2011.

Two Engineering Students Among Only 15 in the Nation to Receive $250,000 Hertz Fellowships

Two engineering students at The University of Texas at Austin are among only 15 students in the nation selected this year to receive a five-year, $250,000 Hertz Foundation Fellowship to pursue graduate research at the university of their choice.

Kelly Moynihan, a senior in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Anjali Datta, a student in the school's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, were selected out of 600 applicants to receive the fellowships, each of which is valued at $250,000.

National Technology Medalist, Ethernet Inventor Bob Metcalfe to Deliver Keynote at Spring Commencement

Bob Metcalfe will deliver the keynote address at the Cockrell School's Spring 2012 Commencement Ceremony Friday, May 18, at 7 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center.

Metcalfe, a national technology medalist and inventor of Ethernet, joined the Cockrell School in January 2011 as professor of innovation, Murchison Fellow of Free Enterprise and professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Transportation Symposium to Discuss Emerging Vehicle Technology

The Center for Transportation Research (CTR), a transportation research center of The University of Texas at Austin, will host a symposium April 4 about emerging vehicle technology that is open to the public.

Keynote speakers for the Emerging Vehicle Technology symposium are Craig Eppling, regional communications manager of General Motors, and Ken Allen, senior vice president of H-E-B.

March 2012

UT Austin to Host International Conference for Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chairs

The largest gathering of electrical and computer engineering department heads from the U.S. and Canada will occur in Austin during a March 23-27 conference hosted by The University of Texas at Austin and organized by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA).

The 2012 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECExpo represents the first time the association has partnered with a university to host the annual event, a model that the association hopes to continue.

The University of Texas at Austin Initiative to Help Bring Best Practices to Shale Development

The University of Texas at Austin will join the Colorado School of Mines and Penn State University to launch a new educational training initiative that supports the rapidly growing shale natural gas and oil development sector.

The training programs created under the initiative will be led by faculty members at each of the universities and are designed to ensure that regulators and policymakers have access to the latest technology and operational expertise to assist in their oversight of shale development.

Cockrell School's Graduate Program Ranked Eighth in U.S. News and World Report

Four colleges and schools at The University of Texas at Austin were ranked in the Top 10 in their areas by U.S. News & World Report, according to the 2013 graduate rankings released March 13.

The Cockrell School of Engineering retained its No. 8 ranking, with Top 10 rated programs in aerospace, chemical, civil and environmental engineering. The College of Pharmacy ranked No. 4 and the School of Social Work ranked No. 7. The College of Education also again ranked No. 1 among public institutions and No. 3 nationally.

In engineering, the rankings are based on entrance exam scores, student acceptance rates, faculty/student ratios, research expenditures, reputation among engineers in industry and academia, the number of Ph.D.s produced, and the percentage of faculty elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

$2.5 Million Research Grant Awarded to Develop Better Heart Valve Treatment

A University of Texas at Austin professor and his research collaborators have been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct research that will significantly increase our knowledge about artificial heart valves and lead to the development of valves that are more durable and dependable than those currently used in heart treatment.

Dr. Michael Sacks

Dr. Michael Sacks

The four-year grant was awarded to Dr. Michael Sacks, who has joint appointments in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Biomedical Engineering Department and the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), and his collaborators Dr. Joseph Gorman, a professor of cardiovascular surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Naren Vyavahare, a professor of bioengineering at Clemson University.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts the OGC, an International Standards Organization

The University of Texas at Austin will host the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Technical Committee Meeting on March 19-23. The OGC is an international consortium of more than 435 companies, government agencies, research organizations and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available standards that make it easier for systems to communicate geographic information.

"There is a great need for research in our area, and there is a significant and expanding role for OGC standards in research, education and communities of practice," said Mark Reichardt, the consortium's president and CEO. "The OGC and The University of Texas at Austin both have much to gain from a continuing dialog."

Longhorn Startup Camp Showcases 27 New Companies During Startup Crawl March 8

The University of Texas at Austin's newest space for startups – Longhorn Startup Camp – will be a stop on the SXSW Startup Crawl, which takes place Thursday, March 8, from 4 to 10 p.m. as part of UT Entrepreneurship Week. As a stop on the crawl, Longhorn Startup Camp will showcase its residents – 27 new startups, all originated at the university. The crawl is open to the public, and interested attendees may RSVP online.

February 2012

Engineering Faculty Receive Almost $1.4 Million in NSF CAREER Awards

Four faculty members from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have been selected to receive Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards totaling nearly $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation.

The awards are the most prestigious offered by the foundation’s CAREER Program, and provide up to five years of funding to junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. 

Engineering, Geoscience Faculty Help Lead $3 Million NSF Delta Research Collaboration

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded The University of Texas at Austin and six other universities $3 million to establish the Delta Dynamics Collaboratory (DDC), a network of researchers working to build a comprehensive set of computer models that can reliably predict the physical and ecological evolution of river deltas.

Eighth Annual Edison Lecture Series Engages Youth Feb. 22-23

Event: Cockrell School of Engineering's Edison Lecture Series

When: 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 22 - Thursday, Feb 23.

Where: B. Iden Payne Theater, Winship Drama Building, 300 E. 23rd St., Austin, Texas, 78712

Background: The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin is hosting its eighth annual Edison Lecture Series, this year focusing on robotics. The series will use robots as a platform to engage and excite youth from around central Texas about computing and engineering. During the past seven years, the series has reached nearly 22,000 students.

Attend a Live Taping of Longhorn Network's Game Changers With Bob Metcalfe

Event: The Cockrell School of Engineering and the Technology Entrepreneurship Society invite members of the university and community to attend a live taping of the Longhorn Network's Game Changers series featuring Bob Metcalfe, who will discuss "Startups: Innovating with the Machinery of Free Enterprise."

Shell Oil Co. Invests Nearly $4 Million to Engineering, Geosciences

Shell Oil Co. executives visited The University of Texas at Austin Friday, Feb. 10, to present a check in the amount of $3,963,250, representing the company's investment in the university for the year.

Debate Featuring Tad Patzek Questions World Oil Potential

Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Chair Dr. Tad Patzek will be part of a critical debate Feb. 14 in Madison, Wisc., about energy policy. The debate, titled "World Oil Supply: Looming Crisis or New Abundance?" will examine the role and future of oil, especially with regard to transportation.

Provost Appoints Janet Ellzey to Oversee Gender Equity Issues

Janet Ellzey, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and vice provost for international programs at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named to oversee gender equity issues at the university. Ellzey will also retain her duties as vice provost for international programs.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Joseph Beaman Appointed to Army Science Board

ASB logo

Dr. Joseph J. Beaman, professor in the Cockrell School's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed to a three-year term as a member of the Army Science Board (ASB) by U.S. Secretary of the Army The Honorable John McHugh. Beaman will serve as an independent technical and scientific adviser to the United States Army on strategic issues that are important to large segments of the Army.