House District Candidate Profiles: Francine Ly and Gulrez Khan | February 12, 2024
Texan Republicans and Democrats will race for their party nomination on March 5 for a seat in their respective House district. With calls to political action preceding the primaries, Texan political candidates now have to appeal to a group whose voter turnout has risen by 14% over the past 10 years: college students. Texas is […]
The Slants share history fighting for free expression | February 12, 2024
Simon Tam and Joe Jiang shared an evening of music and passion with Comets on Feb. 2. They were invited on campus by Dean of EPPS Quentin Tarantino and Simon Tam — one iconic filmmaker and one visionary musician with seemingly no relation — ignited a controversial band name and a case for trademark rights […]
Comets deserve more support during campus construction | February 12, 2024
Spring semester welcomed students back to campus with construction barriers closing off frequently trafficked areas of campus. During this heavy construction period, students are burdened by increased car and foot traffic with few alternatives. The student body at UTD is rapidly growing; with over 30,000 students now enrolled on campus, crowds and parking problems are […]
Taylor Swift AI deepfakes show need for stricter laws | February 12, 2024
Sexually explicit AI generated images of Taylor Swift at football games circulated on social media platforms such as X, Reddit, and Facebook on Jan. 24; social media companies are partly culpable. Swift’s celebrity prominence has brought the issue of AI-generated photos to the forefront of the news, as this scandal underscores just how vulnerable even […]
Hating furries proves you’re uneducated | February 12, 2024
Everyone knows furries are embarrassing, creepy perverts – but how much of that belief stems from miseducation? Whether uploading illustrations of their humanoid animal personas — better known as fursonas — online or dressing up as their characters for community meetups, the furry community’s rapid growth has received an explosive backlash for being inherently sexual, […]
UTD Chess Team plays in KCF Cup | February 12, 2024
Four UTD chess teams made it to the top 10 in their respective categories in the fourth annual Kasparov Chess Federation University Cup, although none qualified for top prizes. UTD competed at the online chess tournament on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 against international competitors like Indonesia and Ukraine. The KCF Cup is a nine-round […]
Softball seniors exemplify elite performance | February 12, 2024
Alexia Mullen and Olivia Reed discuss how they balance a rigorous academic and athletic schedules Seniors Alexia Mullen (CITS) and Olivia Reed (biochemistry) are entering their fourth season of softball at UTD. Despite the players being loyal members of the team, both are dedicated to their academics: Mullen is an aspiring data analyst with a […]
Baseball season opens with a crack of a bat | February 12, 2024
Coach Shewmake remarks on stellar team chemistry as ASC polls predict that UTD will secure second place in upcoming season Coming off a 25-19 season that ended with a third-place finish in the division tournament, UTD baseball is hoping to claim their fourth ASC title in their last season in Division III. ASC’s preseason poll […]
Basketball star one year after graduation | February 12, 2024
After leaving the court Kyle Poerschke began his own golf apparel brand while growing a social media presence Alumnus Kyle Poerschke has been making a name for himself after leaving collegiate sports through social media, podcasts, and his business Beaver Tail Gang, which has over 26 thousand followers on TikTok. Poerschke graduated from UTD in […]
Comets basketball bounce back with a series of wins | February 12, 2024
The men’s and women’s basketball teams respectively stand in second and third place within their ASC conference group The UTD men’s basketball team defeated the Ozarks twice as well as McMurry and Hardin-Simmons, before a loss on Feb. 8, bringing them to second place in the American Southwestern Conference. A victory on Feb. 10 against […]
Raven Busby Flies Through The Court | February 12, 2024
Sophomore guard Raven Busby is taking advantage of her time on the court and scored a career-high 18 points on Jan. 20 and 16 points on Jan. 27, proving herself to be a defensive titan for the team. Busby, a healthcare studies sophomore, joined the team in her freshman year as a “3-and-D” guard, meaning […]
Contexts and Communities: photographs of togetherness | February 12, 2024
The Contexts & Communities art exhibition, open at SP/N from Jan. 26 to March 2, includes a large archive of photographs that create a nostalgic feeling in viewers by centering themes of community and familial bonds. The exhibition features photographs from the Comer Collection, which was created by retired engineer Jerry Comer. Curator and PhD […]
龙眼 DRAGON EYE | February 12, 2024
“Dragon Eye” is an immersive video installation capturing the religious traditions and daily labor of the Miao ethnic group in China, open in SP/N through the end of the month. This installation was built from the travels and ethnography research of UTD professor Thomas Riccio capturing the traditions and ways of life of the Miao […]
All out for Lunar New Year | February 12, 2024
Lion dancers spewing fire, sparkling firecrackers and countless other festivities welcomed Comets to Asia Times Square in Grand Prairie for one of Texas’ largest celebrations of East Asian culture, welcoming a new year and the approach of spring. And on the night of Feb. 9, students brought their own slice of culture to campus with […]
Alumnus Mark Sampelo makes mark on Filipino community | February 12, 2024
Mark Deniel Sampelo, a 2016 UTD marketing alumnus, inspires hope by preserving an underrepresented identity in DFW through founding a Filipino Community Center and the first ever Filipinotown in North Texas. Sampelo said he was inspired by God to create a sustainable community home and legacy for Filipinos in North Texas. In 2022, he shared […]
A whole new world of flavors with a side of service woes at Aladdin Café | February 12, 2024
Aladdin Cafe’s warm and inviting atmosphere begins at its front door, with staff welcoming you as you enter, and is only enhanced by the abundance of Disney’s “Aladdin”-themed decor and silverware, but the service and food offerings leave much to be desired. Located 13 minutes from campus and recently opened in December 2023, the cafe […]
Bad Romance: tales of heartbreak | February 12, 2024
One unread text: “It’s not you, it’s me.” It’s the text that no person in a relationship wants to receive. And while breakups are almost always painful at first — no matter which side you’re on — time can soften the messiest drama into a funny story. And when you date a UTD student, the […]
What’s that orange pod in the Student Union? | February 12, 2024
The Office for Campus Resources and Support introduced a LilyPad lactation pod to the Student Union’s first floor in the beginning of the spring 2024 semester, providing a convenient space for pumping and breastfeeding. The first of its kind at UTD, the pod is designed for lactating mothers to nurse children or express breastmilk in […]
FIRE gives UTD a red light, demands Spirit Rocks return | February 12, 2024
FIRE’s rating follows their Dec. 1 letter to UTD demanding the Spirit Rocks be reinstated and their Jan. 16 blog post urging for the Spirit Rocks’ restoration, after Student Affairs’ Nov. 20 decision to uproot the Spirit Rocks due to “extended political discourse.” FIRE, an organization focused on protecting First Amendment rights on college campuses, […]
Former UTD chess coach and International Master passes away | February 12, 2024
International Chess Master Rade Milovanovic, a former long-time chess coach at UTD, passed away from natural causes at the age of 69 on Feb. 3 in Richardson, TX. His funeral was held at the Restland Wildwood Chapel in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 10. During his 20 years at UTD, Milovanovic shaped UTD’s success in chess, […]
Who’s who this election season? | February 12, 2024
Ly, a former child refugee from Cambodia and now a certified court manager, has lived in Dallas since the age of nine. As a mother herself, Ly is determined to create infrastructure in District 24 to support future generations of children. She hopes to do this by promoting inclusivity, cracking down on gun violence without […]
Alumni tech startup accelerates to success | February 12, 2024
Editor’s note: This story previously misrepresented the combined value of the startups. This has been corrected to $600 billion, and we apologize for the error. Bugs and glitches in mobile applications can impact business revenue, dramatically decrease customer satisfaction and waste software developers’ precious time. To combat these issues, alumni Illiana Reed, Isabella Reed and […]
Law and letters: Literature degree to debut pre-law concentration | February 12, 2024
After two years of program development, the legal field is coming to Literature students through a new pre-law concentration debuting in fall 2024. Joining four other concentrations already available to Literature majors, the pre-law concentration will include five classes centering on legal history, and research and writing, with the aim of preparing Comets for law […]
UTD receives $1.6million to boost wind research, renovate wind tunnel, labs | February 12, 2024
Texas is leading the nation in renewable energy expansion – specifically in wind energy— with which UTD is playing a critical role. Now with $1.6 million entering the campus thanks to Congress’ Consolidated Appropriations Act, UTD will enhance student research opportunities by constructing a new wind energy research headquarters, water wave tunnel and Intelligent Energy […]
AI is changing real estate — and it’s not what you think | February 12, 2024
Will AI steal your job? Representatives from Weitzman, a large Texas real estate firm, think otherwise, saying AI will instead automate the tedious parts of work and allow us to focus more on the parts that require human insight and expertise. Articles from sources such as The New York Times and Forbes have labeled AI […]
Dallas No. 50 in US for STDs — how to stay safe | February 12, 2024
A recent study from Innerbody Research found that Dallas ranks No. 50 in the top 100 U.S. cities with the highest rates of STDs. To stay safe from high rates of STD transmission, Comets can take advantage of the resources provided by UTD’s Health Center and Student Wellness Center, like condoms and HIV testing. Innerbody […]
Alumnus invention lets you game with your feet | February 12, 2024
The former Comet’s innovative new controller, known as Glydr, has gathered almost $65,000 in funding A UTD Alumnus recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for a product named Glydr, which introduces a controller that allows you to play video games with your feet, offering a new immersive way to game. At the time of publication, the […]
Fanfiction contest winner captures UTD meme culture | February 12, 2024
Thirty seconds before the EROL II writing competition’s initial deadline, biochemistry sophomore Maria Shaikh submitted her fanfiction magnum opus, “Benson takes the rocks in the divorce,” which secured her first place in the contest. Despite being the last to submit, “The Divorce” secured infamy in the world of Temoc storytelling. EROL II is the second […]