Richard Dixon, a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of North Texas’ College of Science, and an international team of scientists have found that Ginkgo biloba trees aren’t programmed to die.

“Ginkgo biloba trees can live for thousands of years,” Dixon said. “And, when they die, it is generally the result of external stressors such as fire, flooding, poor nutrition, disease, parasites, etc. But, if those stressors are removed and perfect conditions existed, Ginkgo biloba could go on forever...

Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of North Texas, is using the latest energy-harvesting technology to develop a wireless, wearable fitness tracker that will never need to be charged.

“Reverse electro-wetting takes advantage of motion, any motion. For my fitness tracker, that motion will come from a person moving their arms and legs. But, if you think about it, there is motion all around us,” Mahbub said. “I envision...

Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at the University of North Texas, is developing a wireless recording, stimulation and power system that will allow medical researchers to study and possibly treat brain diseases such as chronic neuropathic pain and post-stroke paralysis.

“My goal is to develop a microscopic, wirelessly powered, wireless system that will record neural signals from electrodes inside the brain and provide stimulation in the form of visible light...

Reid Ferring, a professor in the University of North Texas Department of Geography and the Environment, is part of an international team of scientists who have developed a breakthrough method of identifying the sex and species of animal in fossils more than a million years old.

“This is very exciting because our current method for determining sex and species, examination of extracted DNA, was limited to approximately 200,000 years. Through palaeoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins, we can now...

Amie Lund, a cardiovascular toxicology researcher with the University of North Texas, has found that exposure to certain air pollutants may cause weight gain, especially when coupled with a high-fat diet.

Lund is investigating how pollution from automobile exhaust affects the growth and signaling of fat cells called adipocytes. She determined car exhaust can trigger responses in the body that can lead to increased adipocyte growth and inflammation, which are associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease. 

“When people think...

Yan Huang, senior associate dean and director of graduate studies at the University of North Texas College of Engineering, was recently named a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery for her scientific contributions to the field of computing.  

“My work focuses on organizing, making best use of and finding interesting patterns in large amounts of data. For example, a navigation system used to mean only a driver’s GPS...

The University of North Texas is working with 20 universities nationwide to develop faculty recruitment, hiring and retention practices specifically for underrepresented populations in STEM fields. 

Aspire: National Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty is a three-year program aimed at ensuring all STEM faculty use inclusive teaching practices and that institutions increase the diversity of their STEM instructors. The ...

What: UNT’s Fall 2019 SMART Talk featuring UNT’s Marco Buongiorno Nardelli

When: 4 – 5 p.m. Oct. 24 (Thursday) 

Where: University Union Lyceum at the University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton

Registration: No registration is required. This event is free and open to the public.

Background

The Fall 2019 SMART Talk will feature UNT Distinguished...

University of North Texas Associate Professor Haifeng Zhang, together with researchers in the Pacific Northwest National Lab, earned a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy to work on a solution for what he believes is a critical sensor problem in nuclear power plants. 

“The inside of a nuclear reactor is a very harsh environment. It is very hot, very humid and very radioactive. It must be monitored constantly,” said Zhang. “The sensors in use...

University of North Texas College of Engineering professor Wonbong Choi and associate professor Gayatri Mehta are developing a sensor system for use in rebuilding and balancing the human knee.

Total knee arthroplasty is a surgical procedure that replaces the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve pain and correct disability. In order for the knee to work properly, orthopedic surgeons must ensure that everything in the joint is in balance. According to a study in ...