Research, Scholarship and Creative Achievement at UTSA
Paving the Way
Texas has the largest network of rural roads in the nation, and much of that network rests on clay soil which is vulnerable to weather shifts. Samer Dessouky is working to find the most cost-effective solutions to fix pockmarked and fractured roads.
What it Means to be Human
The brain is a complex biological system that presents one of the greatest remaining mysteries to science. Since 2008, UTSA’s Neurosciences Institute has worked to unlock some of those mysteries.
Saving Soldiers
Researchers want to find a quick and accurate way to assess how much blood a soldier wounded on the battlefield has lost. But first, there’s got to be a safe way to simulate hemorrhage. That’s where William Cooke, a professor of kinesiology at UTSA, comes in.
Forget Me Not
Aging changes how the mind works. UTSA's Cognitive Aging Lab is working to understand what happens to the mind as people age and what can be done to help older individuals perform cognitive tasks that contribute to their quality of life.
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
P. Johnelle Sparks, an assistant professor in the Department of Demography and Organization Studies, has dedicated her career to studying maternal and child health inequalities among racial and ethnic groups.
Engineering a Cure
He’s a mathematician and mechanical engineer by profession, but Yusheng Feng is using his skills in the medical world—searching for better cancer treatments.
News
Joining Forces-Collaborations strengthen research, tackle complex projects
Abstracts
Biology researchers demystify war zone bacterium
Plant biologists win $690K from National Science Foundation
Doctoral student publishes findings in Nature magazine
New Venture Incubator to nurture technology start-ups
South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases awards scholarships
UTSA wins $5 million in stimulus funds for new interdisciplinary center
Biologists win $940,000 in stimulus funds to advance research
UTSA receives NSF funding to build visualization wall for research, education
Marketing professor researches time perception
Commercialization corner
First edition
Letters
Greetings and welcome to the third edition of UTSA Discovery magazine. There is much exciting research taking place as UTSA moves toward its goal of becoming a Tier One research university. International leaders have been recruited in cyber security, nanotechnology, neurosciences, energy and sustainability. The world’s most powerful electron microscope is now operational at UTSA. The university has also added the new Applied Engineering and Technology Building, a state-of-the-art research facility. Last year research expenditures grew 34 percent, and they continue to expand at double-digit rates. UTSA recently received a research grant for energy research for $50 million.
Research continues across a wide spectrum, from basic to applied and commercialized programs. The Abstracts give you a flavor of the variety of ongoing studies. Our cover story, “What it Means to be Human,” highlights the multidisciplinary research projects of the Neurosciences Institute. Over 20 scientists are working to understand the basics of how the brain works and what goes wrong in neurological diseases. The research described in the feature story titled “Forget Me Not” deals with memory and how it changes as we age. “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies” describes studies to determine whether biological, socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics explain racial/ethnic disparities in preterm births. In the area of applied research and development, “Saving Soldiers” explains the development of remote sensors to quickly evaluate blood loss in trauma while “Engineering a Cure” uses computational modeling to optimize pinpoint targeting and killing of cancer cells without harming neighboring healthy cells. Applied research is also profiled in “Paving the Way,” which explores ways to improve energy efficiency, durability and costs of our roads. The Commercialization Corner describes the success of the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases in developing a vaccine for chlamydia infections.
“Joining Forces” emphasizes one of the major research assets at UTSA—its partnerships in innovation and discovery. The San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) has become the model for collaborative research between a university and a health science center. Health research also involves our partnerships with the military, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and many health care providers and biomedical industries in the region. Partnerships in energy and cyber security are strongly linked with Southwest Research Institute, CPS Energy, as well as industry, military and governmental agencies.
We believe this edition of UTSA Discovery demonstrates how this research helps to improve our health, security, energy independence and quality of life and how these innovative partnerships have major economic impacts, increase our global competitiveness and strengthen America’s research.
Robert Gracy,
Vice President for Research
Ricardo Romo,
President
Meet
Dr. Alan
Dutton
Not just scratching the surface
Dr. Dutton is a rare researcher. He uses advanced software and new modeling techniques to track the flow of groundwater, saltwater and oil in the subsurface. At UTSA he teaches students to analyze these complex interactions, ensuring that a generation of geologists will enter the workforce with the tools necessary to sustainably manage groundwater resources.
Your support equips laboratories like Dr. Dutton’s with the most up-to-date tools and software to enhance the education of students at all levels to competitively enter the workforce. By supporting today’s students, you’re helping to solve tomorrow’s global energy challenges.
Learn more at utsa.edu/give