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Features

A Love Letter to Black Austin

May 4, 2022 by Kacie Vanecek

Interview with Lisa B. Thompson and Richard Reddick on Their New Black Austin Matters Podcast Black Austin Matters, a new podcast from KUT and KUTX Studios, aims to give voice to the daily experiences of Black Austinites, while deepening mutual understanding throughout the broader Austin community. We spoke to its hosts and co-producers, College of […]

UT in Ukraine

A Community of Scholars and Students Responds to the War in Ukraine

April 4, 2022 by Mary Neuburger

As Director of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) and a historian of Eastern Europe, I am writing to share with you how the faculty and students of our center are responding to this horrific moment.

Q&A on the War in Ukraine with Professor Joan Neuberger, Department of History

March 31, 2022 by Leora Visotzky

Joan Neuberger, a professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin, studies modern Russian culture in social and political context, with a focus on the politics of the arts. Her most recent book, This Thing of Darkness: Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible in Stalin’s Russia (Cornell: 2019), won the American Historical Association’s George L. Mosse Book […]

The Linguistics Research Center Celebrates 60 years of Innovation and Scholarship

March 29, 2022 by Alex Reshanov

Imagine a website that allows people from a variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds to learn ancient languages and research their histories. Now imagine it existing in 1999, way back in the early years of the internet. That’s the year the Linguistics Research Center (LRC) launched its free, online lesson series. The internet was a […]

Misha with statue

Q&A with Mykhaylo (Misha) Simanovskyy, Graduate Student and Donetsk Native

March 29, 2022 by Leora Visotzky

Misha Simanovskyy is a native of Donetsk, Ukraine and a first-year graduate student pursuing a dual master’s degree in Global Policy Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

Seegel tweets

Assembling the February 24 Archive

March 28, 2022 by Daniel Oppenheimer

Since the war began, Professor Steven Seegel has tweeted about 12,000 times. He plans to keep going, with the help of international colleagues in the digital humanities, for as long as necessary, in order to build what he’s calling “The February 24th Archive.”

The Value of Community Engaged Scholarship

January 27, 2022 by Emily Nielsen

An educational anthropologist by training, Kevin Foster’s career path has taken him many places outside of the halls of the academy.

Ja'nell Ajani in white, wearing large geometric earrings and a white dress.

Reaching Into the Mind of Jordan Peele

January 27, 2022 by Emily Nielsen

Ja’nell Ajani, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of American Studies, teaches an innovative course that focuses on popular filmmaker and actor Jordan Peele.

Eric Tang is sitting in a chair and dressed in a blue suit with an open collar. Behind him is a stone staircase on the UT campus.

A People’s History of New York City

January 26, 2022 by Emily Nielsen

Eric Tang’s new course, The Global City, will be offered exclusively during the fall 2022 session of the UTNY program, where UT students spend a semester living in New York City while continuing their studies and gaining work experience with a local internship.

Balancing Art and Academia

November 24, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Lisa B. Thompson is doing great. Not “all right” or “pretty good under the circumstances” or any other common COVID-era reply to the question of “how are you?” Just great. And it’s not surprising. Her life of late is series of awards, achievements and new projects so plentiful that it’s honestly a bit hard to keep track of them all.

A wild lemur in Madagascar hold onto the branch of a tree and looks directly at the photographer. She is wearing a red tracking collar and the tiny head of her baby is peeking out near her stomach.

How Social Dynamics Influence the Gut Microbes of Wild Lemurs

November 5, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

New research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that Verreaux’s sifaka, a species of wild lemur native to Madagascar, have gut microbes that are affected by those they socialize with.

Co-author of the study Timothy Beach stands in next to old stone ruins on site at a dig.

Maya and Angkor Adapted for Climate Change

September 30, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Societies in Mesoamerica and Southeast Asia whose collapse was thought to have been caused by dramatic changes in climate displayed more resilience and adaptability than previously believed.

Monica Muñoz Martinez stands on campus in front of two wooden doors. She is smiling widely and wearing a blue velvet blazer.

Borderlands Historian Awarded ‘Genius Grant’

September 28, 2021 by Rachel White

Monica Muñoz Martinez has been awarded a MacArthur fellowship, often referred to as the “genius grant.” The award recognizes her work to recover untold histories of racial violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hannah Hayes stands at a railing as the sun sets over the New York City skyline.

A Semester in New York

September 27, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

The UTNY program enables students to live, work and learn in New York City. Read a Q&A with UTNY participant and government senior Hannah Hayes.

The Misinformation Age

September 17, 2021 by Alex Reshanov

Depending on whom you ask, conspiracy theories are either having a heyday or it’s just business as usual. But whether or not there is a long-term increase happening, certain factors likely influence the ebb and flow of conspiratorial beliefs.

Ashanté Reese sits in front of a full book shelf. She is smiling widely and wearing a red blazer and light orange blouse.

None of Us Make it Without Community

August 30, 2021 by Dominique Garrett-Scott

Ashanté Reese discusses her research on food and food access, as well as how she helped mobilize resources for people in need during the winter storm in February.

A portrait of Akash Thakkar standing outside and smiling widely with greenery in the background.

Giving a Sip

May 20, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

Akash Thakkar is an economics and Plan II honors senior from Austin, Texas. In this Q&A, read more about how his passion for economics research came to be and how he’s implementing it in the real world through a charitable giving app.

Donatus Nnani with a huge smile, looking off to the left of the camera.

Engaging with Opportunities

May 20, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

Donatus Nnani is a religious studies and psychology senior from Detroit, Michigan. In this Q&A, read more about his time in the military and his undergraduate research experience.

A portrait of Estefania Rodriguez smiling while standing outside in front of a black metal fence. Green leaves are visible behind her.

Helping Others Learn

May 20, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

Estefania Rodriguez is a Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative Fellow from Houston, Texas, who is triple-majoring in journalism, Latin American studies, and international relations and global studies. In this Q&A, read more about her research into environmental justice and prison abolition, as well as her deep passion for teaching.

A portrait of Celeste Oon outside on campus with her arms crossed.

Speaking to the World

May 20, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

Celeste Oon is an Asian studies and linguistics senior from San Antonio, Texas. In this Q&A, read more about her thesis on Asian transnational fandoms, her advice to other first-generation students and what it was like co-founding her nonprofit organization.

personal protective equipment, hanging out to dry

2021 Carnegie Fellow to Study Long-Term Consequences of Epidemics

May 12, 2021 by Rachel White

Kevin Thomas is one of 26 new fellows in the nation to receive $200,000 to fund significant research and writing in the social sciences and humanities.

Anna Cash wears a striped red shirt and looks into the camera with a serious expression on her face.

Kind, Curious and Fearless

April 13, 2021 by Emily Nielsen

A Q&A with Anna Cash, a psychology senior from Austin who is passionate about law and justice.

Jason Lamin leans against the back of a chair in a 3-piece suit and smiles at the camera.

Investing in the Future

December 16, 2020 by Tori Miller

Jason Lamin, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, shares what he values in this moment and where he finds inspiration.

Kaleidoscope pattern with symbols representing gender, health and relationships.

Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievement

December 16, 2020 by Caroline Barta

The American Sociological Association honors Jennifer Glass, Debra Umberson and Gloria González-López for their contributions to the field.

Stuart Stedman stands with one hand in his pocket and the other raised in a Hook Em sign. He is wearing a suit and tie.

Stepping into the Wild

December 10, 2020 by Tori Miller

Stuart Stedman, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, uses his liberal arts education to gain perspective.

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