Hurricanes Katrina & Rita

GIS – After the Disaster

UT Arlington GIS librarian Josh Been has been working to collect sources of data for those interested in learning more about what happened during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Visit here for links to GIS information about the disaster.

For those interested in on-the-ground reports from the local media, these links are to large newspapers in the affected areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Top

The Times-Picayune

The Clarion-Ledger

The Mobile Register

New Library Service: The Paper’s Due Drop Inn

The Paper’s Due Drop Inn, found in room B20 in the basement of Central Library, is a drop in research service available to all UT Arlington students. It is open Monday – Thursday from 4pm – 6pm. Students can receive assistance with choosing research topics, narrowing research topics, find research resources, evaluating sources and citation. No appointments are necessary. For more information contact Gretchen Trkay, Instruction & Information Literacy Librarian, at 817-272-7434 or gtrkay@uta.edu. Top

Focus On Faculty: Diane Cook on Automation Intelligence

Is your dream home one in which the appliances and environmental controls respond to voice command? Is your ideal workspace one in which your machines talk to each other and learn your preferences in various circumstances? This Jetson’s world isn’t just a thing of Saturday morning cartoons or innovative science fiction dramas. Come to the Nov. 2 Focus on Faculty and listen to Dr. Diane Cook, UT Arlington Professor of Computer Science & Engineering, speak on Automation Intelligence for a Smart Environment. The talk begins at 12:10pm in the Central Library sixth floor parlor.

Dr. Diane Cook Diane Cook is a Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Arlington. She received her B.S. from Wheaton College and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1987 and 1990, respectively. Dr. Cook received UT Arlington’s Outstanding Research Achievement Award in 2001 and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Scholars in 2004.

Dr. Cook is one of the directors of the UT Arlington Learning, Planning and Robotics Laboratory that researches artificial intelligence and focuses on machine learning, data mining, and parallel AI algorithm design. She is also involved with the MavHome project, which represents a smart home as an intelligent agent, that perceives the state of the environment by using sensors and acts upon the environment using device controllers. The MavHome automatically learns a model of inhabitant behaviors and uses this information to learn a strategy for automating the environment in a way that is customized to the inhabitant. These technologies can improve quality of life in diverse settings including homes, offices, hospitals, and communities.

This program is free and open to all. A light reception will follow the talk. More information about Cook’s work can be found in a UT Arlington Magazine article published in the fall of 2002. For more information about this program, visit here or contact Tommie Wingfield at 817-272-2658 or wingfield@uta.edu . Top

GIS Workshop - Nov. 3:

Magic Compass Spells: U.S. Branch of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry -- Where Should it Be?

Imagine if Hogwarts came to America. At this workshop you decide where to build it! See how Geographic Information Systems (GIS), using a customized ArcObjects user form and ModelBuilder, can help you make decisions about where to locate a business or service.

Geographic Information Systems are computer systems that aid in the management and analysis of geographically referenced data. GIS allows the user to link location or spatial data with tabular data in order to see relationships and patterns. If you have a map, tabular data, a computer, a GIS software program and a question, you can utilize GIS to answer your question.

Join GIS librarian Joshua Been for two hours of hands-on practice in room B-20 in the basement of Central Library. This event is open to UT Arlington faculty, students, and staff. Top

Library Laptops

More of the libraries laptops are now available for 24-hour checkout. Both 4-hour and 24-hour checkout laptops can be taken out of the library. Laptops are available on a first-come first-serve basis. http://library.uta.edu/policies/circulation/laptopPolicy.jsp Top

Ask-A-Librarian

Did you know you can chat live online with a reference librarian to get help with your research or get answers to quick questions you may have about Library resources? For more information, visit http://library.uta.edu/referenceServices/askALibrarian.jsp Top

Library locations and hours:

Visit http://library.uta.edu/about/locations.jsp for directions and all hours for the 2005-2006 academic year. Top

News You Can Use is issued periodically with news of new databases, services, and presentations. This newsletter is distributed to students, faculty, and staff. Reach editor Maggie Dwyer at 817-272-5366 or dwyer@uta.edu. To subscribe to the Library-News email list, visit http://listserv.uta.edu/archives/library-news.html .