news notes
Vol. 11 No. 24, Sept. 19, 1983
Grants announced during convocation
Two grants, $90,000 from the
San Antonio Foundation for
Engineering Education and $75,000
from the U.S. Department of Energy,
were announced during the College
of Sciences and Mathematics Opening Convocation Sept. 14.
In accepting the check for
$90,000 for the engineering division from Lila Cockrell, the
secretary-treasurer of the Foundation and executive director of United
San Antonio, President Wagener
commented: "We can't say too
much about United San Antonio and
the Foundation. . . .Without them we
wouldn't have an engineering program."
President Wagener also said that
without the organizations' continued
support, the UTSA program would
not have attained its current status
in the short year the program has
been in operation.
Assistant secretary of the U.S.
Department of Energy Dr. Howard
Coleman announced a grant of
$75,000 to The University to study
wind systems. The grant proposal
was submitted by Dr. Mario Gonzalez, director of the engineering
division, and Dr. Daniel Hogenauer,
associate dean of the College of
Sciences and Mathematics.
Mayor Henry Cisneros continually
emphasized the importance of
education in his speech to the
gathering of students, faculty, staff
and guests. He detailed the bright
prospects of San Antonio's future
and the importance of UTSA in the
realization of the city's potential.
"UTSA plays an absolutely critical
role in this process (of growth),"
Mayor Cisneros said. "The progress
over the last 10 years has been
nothing short of phenomenal," he
said, adding that the next 10 years
will be vital to both the school and
the city.
"Our relationship is completely
tied up," Mayor Cisneros continued,
"inextricably bound," referring
again to The University and San Antonio. He concluded his speech by
remarking: "The institution is important to this city."
The convocation also provided Dr.
Charles Hathaway, dean of the college, with the opportunity to review
the college's progress and its future
plans. He recognized outstanding
scholars; students receiving scholarships and the groups contributing
them; special programs; faculty and
their papers published and grants
awarded; and the contributions of
The University's staff.
Considering the relative youth and
size of the college, Dean Hathaway
noted that its accomplishments have
been impressive, and he predicted
further gains in the coming years.
Fraternity receives
prestigious award
The UTSA chapter of Lambda Chi
Alpha Phi Upsilon fraternity recently
received the coveted Phoenix
Award. Each year the award is
presented to three chapters which
have excelled in campus leadership,
community events and outstanding
fraternal guidance. This year UTSA
was chosen from among the 218
chapters internationally. The Phi Upsilon Chapter received its charter in
April 1983.
NIH grant boosts
biomedical research
The National Institutes of Health
has awarded approximately $1.6
million for "Minority Biomedical
Research Support" at UTSA. Funding began Sept. 1 and continues for
a four-year period.
Dr. Paul Rodriguez, program director, principal investigator and UTSA
associate professor of genetics, said
the grant is "a tremendous boost for
biomedical research and for minority
education at UTSA."
The monies will fund 1 6 research
projects carried out by professors at
UTSA and The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio with the assistance of 1 1
graduate students and 23
undergraduates.
Nineteen professors from the two
institutions will cooperate in the
ongoing research. In addition to actual student training, the goal of the
project is to discover new techniques and to increase knowledge in
the biomedical science field, Dr.
Rodriguez said.
Dr. Rodriguez explained that this
grant differs from more typical NIH
grants in that it focuses on the institutional and student educational
aspects of research. The program is
intended to meet three objectives:
improve the biomedical research
capabilities of the faculty and university; provide research opportunities
for students at graduate and
undergraduate levels; and to expose
minority science students to a variety of scientists and their research.
"The institutional facilities at
UTSA are good," Dr. Rodriguez said,
"so the emphasis of the program will
be placed more on faculty and student development."
Concert combines
musical talents
Three UTSA music groups will
combine their talents to present a
Pops Concert on Sept. 22 at noon
and again at 7:30 p.m. in the Central
Plaza under the Sombrilla.
The UTSA Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir and Jazz Ensemble will
perform programs reminiscent of
Sunday concerts held in public parks
or town squares at the turn of the
century. Their repertoire will emphasize the lighter, more popular
forms of band and choral music.
The UTSA Wind Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Robert Rustowicz,
associate professor of music, will
present "Light Cavalry Overture" by
Franz von Suppe, "Beguine for
Band" by Glenn Osser, a "Flute
Cocktail" by Harry Simeone and
highlights from John Williams'
popular score, "Superman."
Excerpts from "A Child of Our
Time" by Michael Tippett, including
his arrangements of five Negro
spirituals, will comprise the program
presented by the UTSA Concert
Choir. The choir is conducted by Dr.
John Silantien, assistant professor
of music.
Directed by Gary Rosenblatt,
teaching associate, the UTSA Jazz
Ensemble will offer renditions of
Mark Taylor's "Los Hermanos de
Bop," "It's Oh So Nice" by Sammy
Nestico, "Meridian Blue" by
Dominic Spera and "I Remember
Stan" by Lennie Niehaus.