Community Impact: North Texas universities participate in Urban Resilience Fellowship Program
By Connor Pittman | 1:06 PM Mar 21, 2024 CDT
A new program is seeking to put the minds of students at two North Texas universities to use in addressing critical challenges facing the region, according to a news release.
Nonprofit organization North Texas Innovation Alliance announced that students from The University of Texas at Arlington and The University of Texas at Dallas will participate in the pilot phase of the Urban Resilience Fellowship Program, which is aimed at addressing numerous issues from cybersecurity to climate change. Per the news release, the pilot program began this semester with students from both universities.
The overview
Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students will be placed into multidisciplinary groups, which will work with community partners, including the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Southern Dallas County Inland Port Transportation Management Association, according to the news release. Students will also be paired with a faculty mentor that will help identify the problem of the community partner and advise on any challenges and solution implementation plans.
“Bringing this new program into our teaching and curriculum opens up an exciting avenue for ... students to apply their skills and knowledge to tackle real-world challenges through experiential learning, ultimately contributing to the betterment of our communities,” said Meghna Tare, chief sustainability officer at UT Arlington, in the release.
Students in the Urban Resilience Fellowship Program will develop projects throughout the semester that address areas such as mobility and transportation, cybersecurity, environmental and social governance, and more.
"By creating a collaborative and innovative environment, we are giving future generations the tools to tackle pressing community concerns while enhancing overall regional resilience," said Yumna Bham, director of strategic partnerships at the North Texas Innovation Alliance, in the news release. "These future-looking solutions will allow our communities to address complex regional challenges that will continue to improve the overall resiliency of North Texas."
What else?
In addition to its participation in the Urban Resilience Fellowship Program, UT Dallas has been involved in other initiatives aimed at bettering North Texas.
Researchers from the university announced a quality-of-life survey in November that will gauge public opinion of Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Results from the survey are expected in June or July of this year.
Also, UT Dallas received $24,999 from the Environmental Protection Agency in August to help develop low-cost air quality sensors for Black and brown communities in Dallas in conjunction with other partners.
What’s next?
Students are expected to give final presentations summarizing their project and progress to date at the end of the semester. Summaries may include project budget information, research, policy recommendations, marketing campaigns, and optimization and sustainability strategies.
“These future-looking solutions will allow our communities to address complex regional challenges that will continue to improve the overall resiliency of North Texas,” Bham said.