Day: October 30, 2017
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Musical wows with topical narrative
Urinetown was a well-produced, topical musical with serious commentary on the current state of the political world that remained light-hearted with well-placed comedic relief. The musical is about a post-apocalyptic world suffering from a massive drought that causes worldwide water shortages. As a result, a corrupt company forces people to pay to urinate. This, of…
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New club aims to rekindle school spirit
Music vibrated through the night as a crowd gathered on the wooden steps of the Plinth. Speakers cornered either side of the stage while performers weaved in and out of the platform. Belly dancers, poets, singers and others performed throughout the night to a huge crowd of students, all because of a new student group.…
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Startup helps retirees find joy
Older generations can benefit from virtual reality technology — a fact that Dallas-based startup MyndVR is using to its advantage. CEO Chris Brickler and co-founder Shawn Wiora teamed up with assistant professor of computer science Ryan McMahan and his students to adapt VR to the elderly. Brickler said this population is sometimes ignored with modern…
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SG Report: 10/30/17
Comet Clash Debate On Nov. 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Pub, the Legislative Affairs Committee is hosting a debate over health care. The debate will be held Oxford-Style, a debate format characteristically defined by a round of questions taken from the audience. UTD students Christian Briggs and God’swill Osa are moderators for…
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Cheating on the rise — is technology to blame?
In an era of technology that puts the world at one’s fingertips, cheating has not remained within the realm of simply looking at a friend’s paper. A report from last year revealed a higher number of UTD students referred for Academic Dishonesty than before. The last four years averaged between 300 and 400 referrals, but…
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Bringing art to the people
Walking down the corridors, one can notice that this is not a regular hallway in the Administrative Building. Adorning the walls are art works by nine high-profile UTD Master of Fine Arts program alumni. The level-three corridor of the Administrative Building is home to the Derive Art exhibition, with digital, canvas, wood and fabric art…
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Former VP of Costa Rica ‘didn’t think twice’ when considering teaching at UTD
This fall semester, the former second vice president of Costa Rica is teaching a graduate-level course at UTD that focuses on maintaining citizen security and tackling crime in Latin America. In addition to serving as second vice president, Kevin Casas-Zamora also served as minister of national planning and economic policy in Costa Rica and continued…
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Diving into the depths for global warming
The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean. At 6,500 meters below sea level, the pressure, darkness and cold are immense, especially when traveling in a small, Japanese submarine. Ignacio Pujana, an associate professor of geology, said none of those details bothered him once he saw the jellyfish. The bioluminescent creatures are some…
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Training the brain
Editor’s Note: This article has been udpated since its original publication. A new building at UTD uses cognition to offer brain improvement programs for college students, business professionals and former service members, among others. According to a 2013 article in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs, mental disorders cost the United States an estimated $201 billion,…
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Biting the dust
Recent construction near the center of campus has closed walkways and moved the Comet Cab pickup location. Renovation for Drive C began on Oct. 13 and led to closure of public walkways between the Student Services Building Addition, South Engineering and Computer Science building and the Activity Center. These blocked-off areas force students to rethink…