Category: Campus & Community

Veerasamy, from the Department of Computer Science, started a career in industry, but he soon decided to return to the classroom thanks to one important mentor — his father. “My father was a teacher in India,” Veerasamy said. “I grew up around his work, so I always respected the profession. I still think of myself primarily as a teacher.”

Rigorous coursework is often just the first step for students who are preparing for careers as engineers and computer scientists. Undergraduates may not have leadership roles on their radar before they have completed their first internships but through the process of mentorship, many students discover that they need coaching beyond their academic courses.

The University of Texas at Dallas continues its rise among the best universities in the United States, according to Forbes America’s Top Colleges 2023 rankings.

UT Dallas made the Top 100 in the Forbes list for the first time, ranking 97th overall, up 24 spots from last year. UTD also moved up to 43rd among public U.S. universities, an improvement of eight places from last year.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has quickly become one of the most impactful innovations in recent times, with its uses ranging from self-driving vehicles and virtual helpers to predictive analytics and medical diagnoses. Over the years, HackAI, hosted by the UT Dallas AI Society (AIS), has capitalized on the popularity of artificial intelligence with HackAI, a 24-hour hackathon featuring AI-related material. The hackathon aims to provide learning and competition opportunities and connect attendees to professionals who can further guide them in their AI journey. HackAI strives to demystify this specialized niche in computer science and bring it forward to students through an AI-related hackathon.

Graduation represents the conclusion of a journey and the accomplishment of a goal. Fifty years after its inaugural commencement ceremony, The University of Texas at Dallas capped off a day full of history with a stellar celebration for its most recent graduates. UT Dallas celebrated graduation this spring with each of the University’s eight schools hosting their own ceremonies — 12 in total, plus a doctoral hooding ceremony presided over by their respective deans. More than 5,000 students participated in the ceremonies. A total of 3,638 bachelor’s, 2,479 master’s, and 116 doctoral degrees were awarded by UT Dallas. Of a total of 1644 degrees awarded in the Jonsson School in Spring 2023, 606 bachelor’s degrees, 486 master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees were awarded to Computers Science (CS) and Software Engineering (SE) majors. Sukanya Baichwal, Masters (MS) in computer science, and Cady Baltz, Bachelor (BS) in computer science, were the keynote speakers for the Jonsson School Graduation ceremonies.

Below are spring’23 CS graduation commencement speeches made by Cady Baltz, BS in CS, and Sukanya Baichwal, MS in CS.

Below is Cady Baltz speech.

Hello everyone! I am so honored to be a part of this day as we celebrate the Class of 2023. I also would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the family, friends, faculty and staff here whose support has made this journey possible for all of us.

Recently, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) student chapter at The University of Texas at Dallas (ACM UTD) was recognized as the top ACM chapter for school service in 2023 and was awarded the 2022-2023 ACM Student Chapter Excellence Award for “Outstanding School Service.” Out of approximately 700 ACM student chapters worldwide, ACM UTD was selected by a panel of ACM judges for its four semester-long programs hosted each semester at UTD: ACM Projects, ACM Research, ACM Technical Interview Prep and ACM Mentor Program. These programs engage over 300 UT Dallas students each semester and give students relevant experience in software development, research, college and career mentorship, and technical interview practice.

For the third consecutive year, The University of Texas at Dallas has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Best of the Best” colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students. UT Dallas was one of only two universities in the Southwest and 40 in the U.S. to make Campus Pride’s 2022 Best of the Best list. UTD earned five out of five stars on the Campus Pride Index, a benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices, for the fourth consecutive year.

New Scholarship Initiative To Help Ease STEM Path for Students A new University of Texas at Dallas initiative will provide financial and academic support to transfer students from low-income backgrounds who want to become engineers and computer scientists. UT Dallas received $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and […]

Going beyond goggles: Dallas senior living community explores VR with dementia patients Beyond its recreational aspects, staff at the community say virtual reality is helpful in stimulating memories in residents with dementia. Via Dallas Morning News | Written by Claire Tweedie — The expanse of space before 91-year-old Russell Craig seems endless as he gazes at the […]