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| College of Engineering students (from left) David Woodward, Juan Ruiz and Tim Stern are gaining out-of-this-world learning opportunities! The trio engineered a way to install an augmented reality program into space helmets and participated in the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) competition this month at Johnson Space Center. |
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| Straight from Smatresk |
Dear Alum,
At UNT, we strive to give students opportunities to achieve their dreams and soar higher. When aspiring astronaut and computer engineering junior Juan Ruiz learned about the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) competition, he didn't let his lack of experience slow him down. Together with classmates David Woodward and Tim Stern, the trio self-taught themselves about augmented reality and engineered a way to install an AR program into space helmets to better help astronauts receive real-time information while on spacewalks.
This month, the UNT Augmented Reality Interface System (ARIS) team traveled to Houston's Johnson Space Center to present its design and compete against 15 other teams from universities, including Harvard, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. The team's journey was chronicled by NBC DFW, CBS DFW, The Dallas Morning News and the Denton Record-Chronicle. After presenting to computer scientists, engineers and astronauts, the technology was tested by a NASA astronaut in a mock-up of the International Space Station. What a tremendous hands-on learning and career preparation opportunity for our students!
Student success — and ensuring that all of our students have opportunities to create and experiment like Juan, David and Tim — has long been UNT's top priority. This will continue to be our focus as we look for ways to better serve and retain students as part of our yearlong strategic planning process. We are developing our strategic plan for 2020-2025, and we are asking the UNT community to provide feedback on our mission, vision, purpose and strategic priority areas. Based upon conversations Provost Jennifer Cowley, Vice President for Planning Debbie Rohwer and I had with 56 academic departments and other university leaders, we have identified four areas – creating a culture of collaboration, student empowerment and transformation, people and processes, and scholarship and innovation. We're conducting town halls this month to gain insight from students, faculty and staff. We're also seeking input from alumni.
We'd love to know what initiatives you believe should be included and funded within UNT's 2020-2025 strategic plan. I encourage you to complete the strategic planning feedback webform. All feedback will inform the final plan, which is slated for summer review by UNT leadership prior to submission to the Board of Regents in November 2019.
Your continued support of the UNT family propels us forward and we invite you to share your hopes for UNT's future.
UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
 @UNTPrez |
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| Dining hall groundbreaking |
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Delish.com named UNT's dining halls No. 2 in the nation, so I'm not biased when I say that the food prepared by UNT Dining Services really is the best! This month, we broke ground on a new dining hall near UNT's new Welcome Center, west of Avenue A between the Business Leadership Building and Highland Street Garage. Once open in fall 2020, the dining hall will seat 750, include the latest in kitchen technology and foster a greater sense of community and engagement for the UNT family. It'll be a dining experience with many fares, enabling everyone to get a taste of exactly what they like.
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Read more about
UNT Dining Services » |
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| Grad Block Party |
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Graduation is right around the corner, and we're preparing to honor more than 4,800 students who will become UNT alumni after crossing the stage May 9-11 during nine commencement ceremonies. In celebration of our graduates and our entire UNT family, we will host the third annual UNT Grad Block Party beginning at 5:30 p.m. May 10 on Highland Street, the University Union South Lawn and Library Mall. The party isn't exclusive to the Class of 2019, and we hope that the entire UNT family will join in on the fun. Don't miss food, giveaways, music, a toast to grads, singing the Alma Mater, fireworks at dark and more.
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Learn more about the
Grad Block Party » |
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| Summer camps at UNT |
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Robotics, art, short stories, college readiness, sci-fi languages and outdoor adventure are only a smidge of the topics that will be explored at UNT this summer. A large number of UNT's departments will offer camps and programs to educate and entertain children, teens and adult learners. The study of all things gross is the focus of "It's Snot Camp" at Elm Fork Education Center, and high school students will learn how data can be used to evaluate an athlete's player performance during our Sports Analytics Management Camp at UNT at Frisco.
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Register now for UNT's
summer camps and programs » |
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| Denton Arts and Jazz Festival |
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KERA's Art&Seek recently proclaimed UNT's "got the best big band jazz ensemble around, and you've got to see them for yourself." The perfect opportunity to come see UNT's award-winning One O'Clock Lab Band — and more than 30 other UNT musical groups — is when they perform at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival April 26-28 at Quakertown Park in Denton. This free, laidback event is a great way to support our students and enjoy the music that sets UNT apart.
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Review the schedule for
the UNT Showcase Stage » |
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| Honoring top research, teaching and service |
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Our dedicated faculty members go above and beyond in teaching and in creating national and international connections through their research, elevating UNT along the way. We'll recognize the best of the best, including the UNT Foundation's top four honorees, as part of our Salute to Faculty Excellence. UNT's top faculty (pictured from left) – Janice Miner Holden, professor of counseling; Karen Weiller Abels, associate professor of kinesiology, health promotion and recreation; Bradford Charles Leali, professor of jazz saxophone; and S. Michael Sexton, senior lecturer of management – will be honored for their work and contributions at the awards celebration on April 25.
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| Student achievements and awards |
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- Rebecca Boyle, a senior majoring in finance with a minor in financial planning, won the IARFC National Financial Plan Competition, which is designed for college students in financial services programs. Rebecca traveled to Nashville for the competition's final presentation, where she ultimately bested 55 plans prepared by students from 13 universities.
- Our beloved mascot, Scrappy, earned third place in the mascot competition at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship earlier this month in Daytona, Florida. North Texas Cheer and the North Texas Dancers also traveled to Daytona to compete, and I'm so proud of the Dancers for advancing to the jazz competition's final round for the first time.
- For the first time, the UNT Quiz Bowl Team competed in the 2019 NAQT Intercollegiate Championship Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois. The College of Engineering students recently faced off against FOX 4's Tim Ryan on a recent Good Day segment and certainly made UNT proud.
- Student journalists from the North Texas Daily, NT Daily TV and ntTV won major honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Broadcast Education Association.
- Black belts and UNT juniors, Jamie Raybourn and Lillian Randall, traveled to Germany to compete in the Taekwon-Do World Championships.
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