2023: A Year of Monumental Moments at UTD

From a landmark gift for the arts to federal investments for scientific innovations, from new hubs for research to unique educational opportunities, here are the News Center stories that defined The University of Texas at Dallas in 2023.

January

• Donal Skinner joined UT Dallas as dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College.
• UTD opened the Center for Harsh Environment Semiconductors and Systems, the first initiative of the University’s North Texas Semiconductor Institute.
• Satwik Dutta MS’20 and Jade Knighton BS’17 were selected for the first cohort of Quad Fellowships.
• Researchers made novel carbon nanotube yarns that convert mechanical movement into electricity more effectively than other material-based energy harvesters.

February

• UTD received more than $6.8 million in federal funding to improve the semiconductor industry workforce, to enhance wind energy research, to create a behavioral health services center and to promote small-business partnerships.
• Desiree Jones MS’20 and Emma Xu BS’15 were named to the 30 Under 30 for Science list by Forbes.
• The Teacher Development Center was recognized as a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program, making UTD the first four-year university in Texas to join the program. Later, the UTeach Dallas program became a partner in the Charles Butt Foundation’s Raising Texas Teachers.
• Researchers developed an at-home physical rehabilitation system that could give stroke patients an improved ability to recover upper-limb functions.

March

• Researchers discovered that the awarding of inflated job titles increases sharply right around the federal threshold that allows companies to avoid paying overtime.
• Bioengineers developed devices that monitor multiple soil parameters and provide accurate, real-time continuous data for the improvement of soil health and productivity. Researchers also created a prototype diagnostic sensor that shows promise for detecting urinary tract infections more quickly, and bioengineers made substantial advances in the development of a THC sensor.
• Cari Reinert BS’23 became the first UTD student to be selected as a Brooke Owens Fellow.
• The chess team capped its season by winning the Southwest Collegiate Championship.

April

• Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD’77 presented a gold-plated bronze replica of his Nobel Prize medallion to UTD.
• More than a dozen student-produced animations were featured on the facade of the Omni Dallas Hotel to celebrate Dallas Arts Month.
• The Power Dancers won a pair of titles at nationals for the first time, and the cheer team placed third at the national championships.
• Physicists developed a new technique to grow high-quality crystals that could help make advanced electronics a reality.

May

• Pain researchers found a mechanism that might help explain why nitric oxide triggers migraines.
• Graduates were celebrated at University Commencement, which featured keynote speaker Aaron Aryanpur BA’00. At the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, the University awarded its 5,000th PhD. The ceremony also included 88-year-old Joan Bernstein BA’08, MA’10, PhD’23, the oldest student to receive a PhD from UTD.
• The Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation made a $40 million gift to support the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. In the fall, friends, faculty, staff and students celebrated the dedication and naming of the school.

June

• Marketing researchers uncovered some important drivers behind how social network users decide to make online friends.
• Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki and physics doctoral students were among the scientists studying the first batch of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.
• Researchers investigated whether frequent use of the spatial navigation region of the brain might help fend off the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Another team of scientists later discovered that the impact of Alzheimer’s on brain function is more wide-ranging than previously believed.

July

• Scientists discovered a previously unknown self-renewal process in kidney cells.
• UTD initiated its transition to NCAA Division II by accepting an invitation to join the Lone Star Conference. Comet sports teams won American Southwest Conference titles in women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s golf, women’s tennis, men’s cross country and men’s soccer this year.
• Researchers used geospatial mapping techniques to identify obstacles that might impede burn injury survivors’ reentry into society.
• UTD joined a new center designed to protect the nation’s transportation system against cyberattacks.

August

• Researchers developed an artificial intelligence tool that could predict the risk of cardiac arrest in children hospitalized in cardiac intensive care units. Computer scientists also developed new AI technology that increased robots’ recognition skills.
• UTD launched a Bachelor of Arts in public health.
• Researchers investigated how strenuous physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness help the brains of older adults compensate for age-related changes.
• The Student Counseling Center expanded access to its mental health consultations and began offering on-demand virtual mental health support.

September

• UTD established a new office in India to expand recruiting and build partnerships throughout Asia.
• UTD made significant gains in the Best Colleges rankings by U.S. News & World Report. It also made the Top 100 in the Forbes list of top colleges for the first time.
• The University will lead a $30 million battery technology initiative funded by the Department of Defense.

October

• A nanotechnology method to deliver medication through the blood-brain barrier demonstrated promising results in a preclinical study for treating the most common human brain cancer.
• UTD honored its donors after a record year of giving during Celebration of Support. Gifts that have helped advance the $750 million goal of New Dimensions: The Campaign for UT Dallas this year included royalties generated from a technology developed by researchers that established eight new endowments in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; a $100,000 gift from Amazon Robotics to support new coursework in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science; a significant gift from Richard Kurjan MA’82 that named the Center for Translation Studies in honor of Dr. Rainer Schulte; and gifts from the Rees-Jones Foundation and Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation to support the Center for Children and Families.
• UTD and UT Southwestern Medical Center celebrated the dedication of the Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building.
• Oscar-winning director and artist Domee Shi was awarded the Richard Brettell Award in the Arts.

November

• Researchers are leading a new quality-of-life project in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
• The U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at UTD will expand in 2024.
• Researchers explored the causes of airplane passengers’ turbulent behavior.
• The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and the Office of Research and Innovation created a new Clinical Trials Unit.

December

• Psychology professor Dr. Candice Mills examined the shifts in beliefs about Santa Claus.