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Controlling Sound and More
UNT researchers are putting a new spin on phononic crystals, and it's getting the attention of the physics world. Periodic phononic crystals have been studied for their use in manipulation of sound, but only over a narrow range of frequencies and with moderate control. Researchers Jyotsna Dhillon, Arup Neogi, Arkadii Krokhin and Ezekiel Walker (pictured from left) from UNT's Department of Physics have discovered that partially disordered crystals submerged in fluid can provide much wider control of sound signals and may be used to reflect sound almost completely within a wide range of frequencies. Their research, recently published and chosen as an editor's pick in the Journal of Applied Physics, could help remove traffic noise, enable interception-free private communication, and possibly protect buildings from earthquakes, tsunamis or ultrasonic attacks.
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 Leveraging Advanced Computing Resources for Research
To support the increasing demands of advanced computing in scientific research, the UNT System and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Advanced Computing Center have partnered to provide access for UNT researchers to some of the world's most powerful computer resources, including Frontera, the ninth-fastest supercomputer in the world. This new collaboration, which immediately provides 125% of UNT's current capacity in high-performance computing, will have extraordinary long-term impacts for research at UNT, creating exciting opportunities for innovative and impactful research outcomes.
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| Saluting Faculty Excellence |
UNT faculty members were celebrated in April for their dedication to excellence through research, service and education as part of the university's tenth annual Salute to Faculty Excellence ceremony, supported by the UNT Foundation. The four top honorees were Anthropology Professor Alicia Re Cruz, Eminent Faculty Award; University Distinguished Teaching English Professor Corey Marks, Faculty Leadership Award; Communication Studies Associate Professor and Chair Suzanne Enck, Community Engagement Award; and Communication Design Principal Lecturer Karen Dorff, Outstanding Lecturer Award. Watch a video honoring Re Cruz, and see the complete list of faculty members who were lauded for their accomplishments.
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| Spring 2021 Great Grads |
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UNT's Great Grads exemplify the creativity, innovation and integrity the university strives to instill within its students. Students like Marquita Foster (pictured) are making an impact before they even graduate. Foster, who earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, explored how Black educators utilize notions of critical caring and Blackness as a disruptive pedagogy to combat oppressive policies and structures that often crush Black students' spirits. Hands-on research experience alongside faculty mentors give undergraduates like McNair Scholar Stephanie Gonzalez a head start. Gonzalez, who earned a master's degree in kinesiology, health promotion and recreation, examined the impact of virtual reality exercise on the physical and mental health of college students during the pandemic.
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| Winning Truman Scholarship for Advocacy Work |
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UNT student Hillary Shah is a winner of the 2021 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a premier graduate scholarship for college students pursuing careers in public service. Shah, a political science and economics major who graduated this Spring, is one of 62 students in the U.S. selected this year for the scholarship. She has an extensive record of public and community service and cares deeply about advocating and empowering marginalized communities such as people of color, people living in poverty, felons and others. Shah will receive a $30,000 scholarship for her graduate study that she plans to use to attend law school.
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| Additively Manufactured 2D Perovskite Devices |
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Anupama Kaul, PACCAR Professor of Engineering from the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering, has successfully used additive manufacturing to print inks of 2D perovskites, which are highly complex molecules that absorb incoming light extremely well. Given that the perovskite family of materials are superb light absorbers, it's no surprise they are used for solar cells. The research was funded with a three-year grant by the Office of Naval Research. The research team's current findings have been published in Nature npj 2D Materials and Applications.
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| Celebrating Increased Biodiversity |
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Each new season welcomes more biodiversity to UNT's Pecan Creek Pollinative Prairie, a rich educational space for conducting important environmental research at UNT's Discovery Park Campus. To date, more than 640 species have been documented at the prairie — 170 of those during the Fall 2020 semester alone. The iNaturalist project for the Pollinative Prairie is a collaborative effort of 134 participants comprised of students, faculty and volunteers. The area also has attracted a growing diversity of bird species, including a breeding pair of American Kestrels, the focus of one ecology student's doctoral research, which receives support from the Peregrine's Fund American Kestrel Partnership.
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| Exploring Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society |
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At UNT's Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society, more than 40 UNT faculty members are addressing inequities in how people in Texas live, work, learn and interact socially. Chandra Carey, associate dean in the College of Health and Public Service and associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services, initiated the center, along with Tony Carey, associate chair and associate professor in UNT's Department of Political Science. Listen to Episode 27 of UNT Pod where the Careys discuss the center's interdisciplinary approach to exploring the issue of racial and ethnic equity in health and society — and how they see that approach expanding in the months and years ahead.
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