(May 14, 2019) -- The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) welcomes UTSA as a new member institution of AURA, a consortium of US institutions and international affiliates that operates world-class astronomical observatories on behalf of NASA and NSF. The UTSA application to join AURA was approved by AURA’s Member Representatives at its recent annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona.
UTSA is a multicultural discovery enterprise institution and is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. Founded by the Texas Legislature in 1969, UTSA now offers access and opportunity to more than 32,000 students including 4,200 graduate students.
The UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy provides science and engineering undergraduates with the tools for student success with a solid background in physics, problem-solving skills, and equip scholars with invaluable research experience. It is also home to the Joint Graduate Program in Physics with San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute, which regularly leads high-profile missions, such as New Horizons and Juno.
“We warmly welcome The University of Texas at San Antonio to AURA,” said Matt Mountain, president of AURA. “AURA is looking forward to UTSA playing a full and active role in AURA decision making and increasing AURA engagement and awareness with UTSA students and faculty.”
AURA was founded in 1957 by a group of U.S. universities to create astronomical observing facilities available for use by all qualified researchers from U.S. institutions and universities on the basis of scientific merit. AURA’s role, that it carries out through its five centers, is to establish, nurture, and promote public observatories and facilities that advance innovative astronomical research. AURA’s Space Telescope Science Institute is responsible for the science mission for the Hubble Space Telescope, the science and operations for the James Webb Space Telescope, and the MAST data archive. AURA’s nighttime ground-based facilities include the Gemini Observatories, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) under construction in Chile, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is AURA’s solar center and is managing the construction of the DKIST Solar Telescope in Hawai’i.
“Joining AURA will greatly help advance research at UTSA for the good of our students and faculty alike. The confluence of ‘big data’ in astronomy with UTSA’s planned School of Data Science, existing artificial intelligence strengths, and the departmental abilities in materials and nano-particle research ensures that UTSA will be able to significantly contribute to AURA’s mission. We are thrilled to be part of the AURA astronomical community," said Chris Packham, professor in the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy.
The partnership with AURA supports UTSA’s 10-year vision as San Antonio’s world-class public research university, which includes growing access to experiential learning to 75 percent of the student body so as to create a more enriching campus experience. UTSA is also positioned to earn national and international recognition as it aims for National Research University Fund (NRUF) eligibility, monies designated by the Texas State Legislatures to help the state’s universities achieve prominence on the national stage.
Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Covidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
