University of North Texas 
To the Skies and Beyond
2023 Research Magazine
Mar. 6, 2023
From biochemistry and nutrition to history and anthropology, UNT food scholars are
carving out new paths of discovery.
Mar. 8, 2023
Using innovative technology and creative thinking, UNT researchers are working to
outsmart cyber criminals and help build a growing workforce of professionals.
Mar. 6, 2023
As a classified Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution, UNT researchers
are finding innovative and interdisciplinary ways to advance equity in all areas of
society, from health care and education to industry.
Mar. 8, 2023
Alumni and students are using their UNT education to make their mark in their respective
fields at NASA.
Mar. 8, 2023
UNT researchers from across disciplines work together to deploy intelligent mobility
systems, including autonomous vehicle and aerial drone technology, in rural and urban
settings.
Mar. 7, 2023
UNT is fostering rich food studies conversations and individual student research across
disciplines.
Mar. 6, 2023
An educational psychology researcher is exploring what factors limit inclusive engagement
in physical activity for individuals with disabilities.
Mar. 9, 2023
The TEDxUNT event hosted in October featured nine speakers — including faculty members
and UNT alumni — tackling issues centering on the theme “This Way Forward.”
Jun. 30, 2022
From a new media music composition inspired by time and sound and an exhibition on
African American fiber art traditions to original research on the childbirth experiences
of queer people in America, four UNT professors will be pursuing creative projects
in the next year as the 2022-23 Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Faculty
Fellows.
Mar. 8, 2023
Through UNT’s shared research facilities, researchers on campus and industry partners
can access the latest high-tech equipment and spaces to carry out the most sophisticated
projects and analysis.
Mar. 8, 2023
College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism Dean Jana Hawley — a sustainable
textile scholar — understands the value of collaborative research.
Oct. 26, 2022
UNT's Sharon Miller was part of a team of researchers whose work led to the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services updating their cochlear implant candidacy criteria.
Sep. 2, 2022
The new terrestrial bird species was identified in the Diego Ramírez Archipelago —
the southernmost location in Chile and the Americas.
Nov. 2, 2022
Calvin Henard’s work is backed by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation
and the Agile BioFoundry.
Jun. 30, 2022
Hao Yan, assistant professor of chemistry, and his research team have researched a
novel way to grow nanodiamonds that are extremely small and uniformly sized without
using explosives.
Nov. 11, 2022
The ARL Membership Committee noted UNT’s designation as a Tier One research university
and Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as its commitment to multiple initiatives
supporting system-wide expansion of diversity, equity, inclusion and access.
Aug. 16, 2022
This first-of-its-kind study will establish a new concept for producing valuable fungal
products and may ultimately lead to medicines that can be delivered in plant seeds,
eliminating downstream processing.
Oct. 12, 2022
This is the first time UNT has earned this designation, which is given to HSI universities
who have demonstrated noteworthy engagement with Fulbright exchange participants.
Mar. 20, 2023
Richard Dixon, a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences
and founding director of UNT’s BioDiscovery Institute, was among an interdisciplinary
committee of researchers hoping to spur governments to rethink regulations on genetically
engineered crops.
Mar. 22, 2023
Lauren Ames Fischer, associate professor in public administration, is part of a team
that received a National Science Foundation CIVIC 2022 Stage 1 Planning Grant to address
urban water sustainability challenges.
Mar. 20, 2023
Iva Jestratijevic, assistant professor in merchandising and digital retailing, is
looking at ways the fashion industry can reduce waste produced from packaging throughout
its supply chain.
Mar. 9, 2023
The UNT College of Engineering and Texas A&M SecureAmerica Institute are collaborating
to offer the America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) Machine Tool Workforce Development Program
for the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Mar. 22, 2023
Sarah Evans, an assistant professor in the College of Information’s Department of
Information Science, is studying whether graphic novels can be used as a medium to
improve health literacy among a variety of populations.
Mar. 22, 2023
College of Music faculty members Panayiotis Kokoras and Sungji Hong earned the coveted
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship.
Nov. 21, 2022
The partnership will create the Texas Beacons of Excellence to help employers enhance
their skills in recruiting, retaining, and accommodating employees with disabilities.
Dec. 2, 2022
A University of North Texas mechanical engineering professor is helping to advance
technologies for recycling used nuclear fuel (UNF).
Mar. 24, 2023
Marketing professor's research shows how a sweat treat can boost creativity.
Mar. 9, 2023
Tessa Boucher (’20), a master’s student in environmental science, is tracking how
the North Texas Municipal Water District’s restoration of the 15,000-acre Riverby
Ranch is changing the bird population there.
Mar. 9, 2023
Kenzie Duwe, an undergraduate integrative studies major with concentrations in rehabilitation studies,
sociology and education, has been researching the UNT ELEVAR Transition Pathways program
alongside Melissa Savage, an assistant professor of educational psychology.
Mar. 9, 2023
Percyval Seddoh, a teaching assistant and master’s student in biomedical engineering,
is studying cardiovascular tissue engineering, with an emphasis on creating microscopic
representations of the heart to model issues such as diseases and aging.
Mar. 9, 2023
Meng Ren, a doctoral ethnomusicology student, is documenting the evolution of Chinese
hip-hop in her dissertation titled “Forbidden Sound: The Art, Culture and Politics
of Chinese Hip- Hop,” the first full-length work on this topic.
March 9, 2023
Maria Ortega (’22), a first-generation education major with EC-6 bilingual certification,
had her first research publication, “Juntxs with the comunidad: A collaboration across
two universities and one school district,” in the Texas Journal of Literacy Education.
Mar. 9, 2023
Joyradyn James-Rollins is conducting research in the lab of Zacchaeus Compson who
specializes in food web ecology, aquatic ecology and DNA metabarcoding.
Mar. 9, 2023
Sahar Behpour (’22 Ph.D), a recent doctoral graduate in information science, realized
her strong interest in developing data-driven universal artificial intelligence after
taking a machine learning course with Mark Albert, assistant professor of biomedical
engineering.
Mar. 9, 2023
Jennifer Stanley, a design graduate student with a concentration in fashion design
and creative technology, is discovering ways to transform fashion design education.
Mar. 9, 2023
Andrew Huebner (’19 M.A.), a doctoral student in history, became the first UNT graduate
student to be named a Boren Fellow.
Mar. 9, 2023
Johnna Sargent (’16), an engineering specialist for the mission systems group at Bell
Flight, received the Modern Day Technology Leader Award from the Black Engineer of
the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference.
Mar. 9, 2023
Rebecca Bernard’s (’21 Ph.D.) teaching work at a men’s prison in Kentucky provided
a new way of looking at incarcerated people – and inspiration for her writing.
Mar. 9, 2023
Kelly Pierce (’20) studies punitive attitudes in the criminal justice system.
Mar. 9, 2023
Xiaohu Xia (’03 Ph.D.) is a principal scientist for Mars Wrigley Global Research and
Development.
Mar. 7, 2023
Through a variety of projects, including work being done as part of UNT’s Center for
Information and Cyber Security (CICS), an interdisciplinary group of researchers is
working to ensure tomorrow’s workforce is made up of knowledgeable people to address
future threats.