2024: A Look Back at a Year of Shining Moments at UTD

From new buildings transforming the campus landscape to federal investments for cutting-edge research, from the spectacular total solar eclipse to expanded educational opportunities, here are the News Center stories that helped define The University of Texas at Dallas in 2024.

January

• Biologists dived deeper into how lipids help disguise strep bacterium from immune cells and make infants susceptible to sepsis and meningitis.
• Construction began on a new Student Success Center/Student Union and an esports and gaming center. In the spring, the Sciences Building and phase three of the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project were officially dedicated. In the fall, the Naveen Jindal School of Management broke ground on its third building.
• Breanna Shen BS’23 won a Marcus L. Urann Fellowship, marking the 12th year in a row that a UTD Phi Kappa Phi chapter’s nominee received one of the honor society’s awards.
• Ana Hernandez-Reynoso PhD’21, who is using vagus nerve stimulation therapy to improve bladder function for spinal cord injury patients, received a career transition award from the National Institutes of Health.

February

• Bioengineering researchers developed a handheld electrochemical sensor that can detect fentanyl with 98% accuracy within seconds.
• The Wind Energy Center expanded with a new headquarters and more equipment for research and education. Engineers are working to develop remote-monitoring technology for offshore wind farms as part of a federal initiative. An engineer whose offshore turbine sensor design is inspired by seal whiskers was named an Early-Career Fellow of the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
• The MBA and online business programs made gains in the U.S. News & World Report and Financial Times rankings. In the spring, graduate programs, including the Doctor of Audiology program, received high marks from U.S. News. In the fall, UTD moved up to No. 52 among all public schools in the nation in U.S. News’ Best Colleges rankings.
• Dr. Mandy Maguire became the director of the Center for Children and Families.
• Researchers are developing a quick-drying polymeric desiccant that could dehumidify buildings using at least 30% less energy than conventional air-conditioning systems.
• The Department of Geosciences became the Department of Sustainable Earth Systems Sciences.

March

• Researchers found that the influence of peer pressure continues into early adulthood.
• Computer engineers developed a way to counteract the impact of attacks designed to disrupt artificial intelligence’s ability to make decisions or solve tasks in quantum computers.
• Mechanical engineering student Abeni Belay received a Patti Grace Smith Fellowship.

April

• The chess team finished fourth at the national championship finals, which it hosted. In the fall, the program fielded a full women’s team for the first time in a decade.
• Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, who was named a 2024 Piper Professor, and his colleagues presented analyses of the first year of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument collaboration. Later in the year, the team presented data that shed light on gravity’s pull in the universe.
• Students, faculty, staff and visitors reveled in a total solar eclipse on campus. Space scientists used sensors they developed to learn more about the effects of eclipses on the ionosphere during the celestial event.
• Dr. Dohyeong Kim and his colleagues developed an algorithm that might provide early medical alerts about the onset of asthma attacks or other respiratory problems.

May

• Graduates were celebrated at University Commencement, which featured keynote speaker U.S. Space Force Capt. Jessica Thompson MBA’21, MS’21.
• A study from researchers drove home a theory on the connection between ZIP codes and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Researchers developed a vaccine delivery system that may end the need for booster shots.

June

• Engineers made advances to miniaturize an imager chip inspired by Superman’s X-ray vision for handheld mobile devices.
• Researchers developed an artificial intelligence model that may help prevent power outages.
• Geoscientists suggested that the lack of oceans and continents, as well as long-term plate tectonics, on exoplanets could be why evidence of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations has not been found.

July

• Kate Kreidler MS’21 received a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award.
• The NCAA approved the University’s move to Division II. Comet sports teams won American Southwest Conference titles in men’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s tennis earlier in the year.
• Scientists showed how vagus nerve stimulation may help treat drug addiction.
• UTD leaders and supporters celebrated the opening of a new office in Africa.

August

• Cole Newman BA’22 created the world’s largest pendulum drip painting.
• UTD was selected to host the inaugural Sixty Strikes Tournament, which featured some of the top cricket players and coaches in the world in October.
• The Callier Center for Communication Disorders celebrated the opening of its clinical innovation lab and the center’s use of 3D-printing technology for creating custom earmolds for pediatric hearing aids.
• Dr. Adam J. Woods joined the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences as dean.
• Annette Addo-Yobo BS’20 was crowned Miss Texas.
• Dr. Richard C. Benson announced that he will pass the leadership of UTD to a new president once his successor has been chosen.

September

• Researchers discovered a safe and novel way to make living skin transparent.
• Scientists’ new findings may lead to improvements in nanomedicines used for early detection and treatment of kidney damage or disease.
• A new hub for crystallography research opened.

October

• University leaders, supporters and friends celebrated the opening of the first phase of the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum. The Brettell Reading Room at the O’Donnell Athenaeum also opened. The first exhibit presented in partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art honors UTD’s pioneers.
• A new fellowship program aims to help undergrads build their civic service and leadership skills.
• Researchers found that long-term cannabis use is associated with sleep difficulties, which may affect the severity of memory problems associated with use of the substance.
• Mechanical engineers designed a 3D-printed femur that could help doctors prepare for surgeries to repair bones and treat bone tumors.
• The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology began offering three new stand-alone degree programs for aspiring animators and game developers. The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics launched a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences.
• UTD honored its donors during Celebration of Support. Gifts that have helped advance the $750 million goal of New Dimensions: The Campaign for UT Dallas this year included a $100,000 gift from Hillel Feinberg that increased support for the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies and the endowment for the distinguished chair currently held by Dr. David Patterson.

November

• The University launched a new marketing campaign.
• Dr. Katherine Damme demonstrated that childhood adversity is linked to reduced development of a crucial region of the brain and increases the risk for psychotic-like experiences during the transition from childhood to adolescence.

December

• Researchers are designing and testing indium-based materials that may enable the creation of more efficient computer chips.
• A new resource center opened in the fall, providing students with nonacademic necessities, including free clothing and personal hygiene items.
• Students created animations on the 23-story LED facade of the Omni Dallas Hotel for the holiday season.