Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of faculty and students at The University of Texas at Dallas. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.
PhD Students Win Phi Kappa Phi Research Grants
Two UT Dallas doctoral students have been awarded research grants from Phi Kappa Phi, one of the oldest academic honor societies in the country. Satwik Dutta MS’20 and Tina Melamed MS’20 each received a $1,500 grant to assist them in their graduate studies.
Dutta will use the grant to help expand data collection efforts in his project to develop communication models to advance speech-technology solutions. A PhD candidate in electrical engineering, he said he hopes to develop a system that could help preschool teachers and parents identify students who are not experiencing sufficient verbal engagement with peers or adults.
Melamed, a PhD candidate in communication sciences and disorders, will use funds from the award to investigate the development of word-learning abilities in children and adolescents. Her research compares auditory and written-word learning for school-aged children and adolescents.
Dr. Juan González, dean of graduate education and the Francis S. Johnson Chair for Graduate Education, said only 20 students earned the 2021 Phi Kappa Phi graduate research grants.
“The fact that these two UT Dallas graduate students earned this prestigious research award says so much about the quality of their work and the rigor of their education,” he said. “I know Satwik and Tina will continue to do great work.”
Professor Tapped for Congressional Fellowship
Dr. Thomas Gray, assistant professor of political science in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas, recently was selected for the American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellowship Program.
The program aims to expand knowledge and awareness of the U.S. Congress by bringing political scientists, journalists, federal employees, health specialists and other professionals to Capitol Hill to experience Congress at work.
The nine-month program will begin in November. Fellows serve in congressional offices of their choosing in the Senate or House of Representatives. They also participate in ongoing seminars and enrichment opportunities.
“I’m very honored to be part of the 2021-22 APSA Congressional Fellowship cohort and look forward to gaining firsthand experience in how Congress works,” Gray said. “In the future, I will be able to share that experience with UT Dallas students through my courses. Having the experience of working for a member of Congress will also be a great boost to my research going forward.”
Gray studies American political institutions. He teaches courses on American government, civil liberties, and Congress and public policy.