Category: Editor’s Picks
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Volleyball, soccer gain winning streaks
The men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams have earned player honors and American Southwest Championship victories as they move into the final stretch of matches before the championships. The men’s soccer team is currently leading with a five-game winning streak. Women’s volleyball ended September with a three-game winning streak and continued with a series of…
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Homeless serve hope to community
A Dallas cafe is providing the community with food, drinks and job opportunities for the homeless. CitySquare Cafe opened April 23 as an extension of the nonprofit organization CitySquare, which works to combat poverty. The organization was formed in 1988 as a small food pantry in east Dallas and has grown into 17 different social…
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Tabletop signage to open up more seats
Dining areas of the Student Union will adopt a table-sharing system by the end of the semester in an effort to alleviate overcrowding during busy hours. Student Government, in partnership with the SU staff, is currently working on a project to create placards to place on dining tables of the SU. The placards, which will…
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Wagashi: Japanese sweets
The Japanese truly know how to make incredible desserts. I had the opportunity to try traditional Japanese desserts known as wagashi. Wagashi were originially made with simple fruits and nuts, known as “kashi,” in Japan between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D. during the Yayoi period. Because sugar was rare and expensive, it wasn’t until Portuguese…
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Female video gamers join male-dominated industry
Lindsay Caudill, a marketing sophomore, has been an avid gamer since the age of six. Now, she serves as an analyst for both the A and B “Overwatch” esports teams. “I’ve always been doing games, but I was really excited about Overwatch when it came out,” Caudill said. As the esports team gains momentum, the…
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Professor develops AI essay grading program
For professors struggling to cope with stacks of papers to grade, new software — developed by a UTD researcher and powered by artificial intelligence — may offer a long-term solution. Vincent Ng, a computer science professor who works with UTD’s Human Language Technology Research Institute, is developing an automated grading system for longform essays. Ng…
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West Nile virus cases reported in local area
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the city of Richardson uses agent orange in mosquito adulticide sprays. The Mercury regrets this error. After a Richardson resident contracted an aggressive form of West Nile virus last month, the city’s health department officials ordered mosquito adulticide spraying in nearby neighborhoods. However, there…
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Startup suspended from internship fairs
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include the date of a Facebook post and to correct the name and title of a Tech EdVentures employee. Her name is Brittany Nicole Jones, not Brittney Nicole, and she is listed as a curriculum development associate. The Mercury regrets this error. A startup that once employed…
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Students trapped in study room for 3 hours
Three students in Residence Hall Northwest were trapped in a study room for nearly three hours after the doorknob malfunctioned, forcing maintenance staff to break through a wall in order to safely extract them. Computer engineering freshman Colton Mikeska and two of his friends were studying during the evening of Sept. 18. The doorknob to…
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Nuclear spicy noodles: We tried it so you don’t have to
When my news editor, Emaan Bangash, first approached me about joining her recently-established Chew Crew, I was enthusiastic. When she excitedly told me that the first food I’d be trying would be the spiciest ramen currently on the market, my enthusiasm promptly turned into a cross between curiosity and dread. For the seasoned veteran of…