Author: The UTD Mercury
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Upper-division credit requirement to be lowered
The minimum upper-division credit required for graduation will be lowered from 51 credit hours to 45 starting in fall 2023. The push to lower upper-division credit requirements started two years ago. The academic senate gathered on Jan. 26 and approved administrative legislation that allows for the required credit hours for graduation to be lowered. It…
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The academic war on artificial intelligence
The rise of artificial intelligence is sparking discussion between educators about how to proceed in the classroom — work with AI or against it? ChatGPT, the newest trending AI chatbot, restarted the controversy over AI in education. Reaching 1 million users in its first five days ChatGPT is a language model designed by OpenAI and…
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Comets help fellow students plan their degrees with Nebula Labs
Following its beta release in fall 2022, Nebula Planner, an interactive degree planner that supports any combination of degree plans, hopes to launch its full release later this semester. The Nebula Planner is an initiative by Nebula Labs, a former project from the Association for Computing Machinery’s engineering division (ACM). Nebula Labs currently has six…
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Museum shows legacy of Jim Crow
The Jim Crow exhibit in Old City Park is open until Feb. 23, revealing the history behind the pre-gentrified Black community of Dallas. Old City Park houses a collection of historic houses, including the Shotgun House, where the exhibit is located. The exhibit was developed under Assistant Professor of History Whitney Stewart, as well as…
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UTD student, cofounder and CEO of tech startup helping drivers save gas
Junior computer science major Tom Vazhekatt balances a full college workload along with being the cofounder and CEO of his startup route optimization company, Routora, ambitiously taking on a route that propels his career and education. Vazhekatt launched Routora on March 30, 2022. The business’s primary goal is decreasing the amount of time spent on…
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Accessibility promises, mandated senator meetings and advisory council report
Accessibility Resolution In their most recent senate meeting, Student Government (SG) passed a resolution emphasizing the shortcomings of accessible infrastructure on campus. Examples discussed included lack of sufficient accessible parking, braille signage and poorly maintained infrastructure. The resolution aims to allocate SG efforts to advocate for the betterment of accessible facilities on campus, such as…
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Semiconductor institute projects 5,000 new jobs
UTD has opened the North Texas Semiconductor Institute (NTxSI), which will provide job support for students in preparation for the fastest growing industry in DFW. Semiconductors are one of the most valuable commodities in the modern world. These materials are fabricated into transistors and integrated circuits, producing technology required for smartphones, laptops and automobiles. During…
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UTD chess team takes home plaque from KCF cup
The UTD chess team held its ground and secured a win at the third Annual Kasparov Chess Federation University Cup. UTD competed at the online international tournament from Feb. 4 to Feb. 5 with four teams — UTD A, B, C and D. Each team was categorized based on its average rating: U2400, U2200, U2000…
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Comet Connections
THE SLOW BURN Freshman literature major Megan Tran was participating in her high school JROTC program when she first met freshman computer science major Anthony Abubakar. However, the couple didn’t have a love at first sight moment, as Abubakar was breaking up with one of Tran’s friends. “I actually got the two of them together,”…