Psychology researchers target vascular disease to prevent the coming flood of Alzheimer’s patients It’s called the “Silver Tsunami” – the swelling number of baby boomers surpassing age 65. As medical advancements extend their lives, they’re expected to live well into their 80s and 90s – outlasting any generation in American history. But among Americans over […]
Features
Words with Friends
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
Pioneering Heart
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
From History to Haiku
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
On the Record
Pro Bene Meritis 2012 The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. It is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, who have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participated in service […]
Whatever Happened to the American Dream?
International historian Jeremi Suri looks back at America’s greatest visionaries to show how our nation can achieve greatness again Some of America’s greatest triumphs were built on dreams. Without dreamers, Neil Armstrong wouldn’t have walked on the moon, proving the sky isn’t the limit. Steve Jobs wouldn’t have transformed the way we work, play and communicate through […]
The Word on Texas
Project gets Texans in the game with free online textbooks, political polling and more It launched with a modest mission: Providing students at The University of Texas at Austin a free online textbook for a state-required government class. It didn’t take long for the Texas Politics project to make its mark far beyond the university. […]
It’s Not the End of the World…
Doomsday scenarios make better fiction than science, says researcher Karl Butzer For more than 50 years Karl Butzer, a renowned environmental archaeologist at The University of Texas at Austin, has trekked across continents, sifted through countless excavations and pored over collections in some of the world’s greatest libraries and museums in a quest to better […]
Balancing Act
Presidential scholar discusses war power and accountability Many Americans believe that the growth of presidential war power relative to Congress is irreversible. Bruce Buchanan, government professor at The University of Texas at Austin and one of the nation’s leading presidential scholars, contests that view. In his latest book, “Presidential Power and Accountability: Toward a Presidential […]
Humanities and the Military
Sgt. Jeremy Couch and two fellow Texas Army National Guard soldiers enter the home of an Afghan family looking for information about escaped prisoners. In one corner, they see a Quran and a prayer rug. In another, a pair of rifles. Almost as soon as the soldiers sit down, they are besieged by demands for […]
The Skinny on Memory Loss
Psychology researcher Andreana Haley examines the link between dementia and obesity and aims to improve your brain’s health through diet and exercise Step off the scale and let’s have a talk. You’re 30 pounds overweight and at risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, certain types of cancer and coronary heart disease. More than 30 […]
History Cracked Open
Unearthed Time Capsule Fills Gaps in ROTC History After World War II A glimpse of life at The University of Texas at Austin’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) during the 1940s and ’50s was sealed within the building blocks of the former ROTC building for more than half a century. Last fall, a crew of […]
A Place to Remember
New Officer’s Room Honors A Hero When the new Liberal Arts building opens in January 2013, thousands of students, faculty and staff will flood its pristine new hallways, and marvel at the architecture and amenities. But a building of this undertaking is much more than bricks and mortar. For the family and friends of Captain John […]
Friend and Champion of Education
Bernard Rapoport, Economics Alumnus, Dies at 94 Bernard Rapoport, a Waco businessman who was active in higher education, politics, human rights and philanthropy, died Thursday, April 5. “The University of Texas and our state have lost a great friend who was relentless in his support of education, democracy, the arts and creating opportunity for the […]
How Long Will You Live? Chances Are…
How long will you live? And how does that compare to your fellow longhorns based on your race and gender? Graduate researchers are striving to eliminate health barriers and extend life expectancy for one and all. Life expectancy in the United States is on the rise – but not for everyone. Although many older Americans […]
Early Earners
Economist looks at the long-term effects of school starting age and family background “Redshirting” is a popular term among parents of the pre-K set, and it has a lot of parents asking a familiar question: Is my child ready to start kindergarten, or would she or he benefit from delaying this debut into the world […]
Q&A: Whether Spoken or Signed, Our Word Choices Matter
As Both a Student and Teacher, Miss Deaf America Works to Dispel Stereotypes Rachel Mazique, 2010-2012 Miss Deaf America Ambassador, is passionate about disrupting stereotypical beliefs about what Deaf people can achieve. The UT alumna and doctoral student travels the country to promote the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and its youth programs. She […]
A Formidable Team
Carolyn and Peyton Townsend raise their horns to a world-class education Carolyn Townsend will always remember her tearful parting from The University of Texas at Austin after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English in 1966. “I was the last one out of the Pi Phi sorority house,” Carolyn says. “I put […]
Dig This
Undergrads who conduct research in the field are more likely to thrive in the classroom For three College of Liberal Arts undergraduates, conducting research with professors provided the skills they needed to succeed and helped them discover just what they wanted to do next. “Undergraduate research gives you an experience that you’d almost never get […]
Close to the Land
Working in Botswana’s villages and countryside, geographer Kelley Crews explores how ongoing changes affect its people and ecosystems The people of the Okavango River Delta region of Botswana live close to the land. The delta’s watery fingers provide water for crops and livestock. They draw wildlife that sustain the tourism industry and they grow grasses […]
Timing Is Everything
Putting a new spin on ADHD research, psychologist finds the effects of the disorder may be caused by a glitch in internal timing At 33, Susan can’t sit still. She never could. Pegged by her teachers as the resident “problem child,” she spent most of her afternoons in detention for disrupting class and forgetting her […]
Separating Fact From Fiction
Legend has it Benjamin Franklin ventured out on a stormy day to fly a kite with a lightning rod and a key dangling on the end of the string. When the lightning struck the kite, the powerful bolt charged the metal key. Franklin then touched the key and got zapped, thus proving the electrical nature […]
Q&A: State of Minds
Don Graham’s essays explore Texas’ storied history in film and literature A vast land filled with sleepy small towns, sprawling pastures and gleaming urban skylines, Texas has an identity and mystique all its own. Just the word Texas conjures images of rootin,’ tootin’ cowboys, cattle drives, oil wells and big hair. But for those who […]
Continuing Tradition
Alumnus gives back to his university It really was a natural for Martin Dies III to earn a degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin. You might say it was in his DNA. His father served in the Texas Senate, and his grandfather and great-grandfather served in Congress. Government intrigued him at […]
Minoring in Miller
Religious studies professor’s devotion to teaching recognized Professor G. Howard Miller began teaching at The University of Texas at Austin in 1971 in Burdine 106, an auditorium seating hundreds of students. “I felt like a rock star,” says Miller, a University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies, who retired earlier this year. […]