Happy Friday, North Texas!

Happy Friday, North Texas! Welcome to the official podcast

Helpful links:

Follow our Podcast

Transcripts

Join the Conversation

Recently, UNT launched a campaign called VolUNTary Consent, meant to address trends surrounding consent that UNT’s Title IX staff often noted in the reports they received. The first step was to define exactly what voluntary consent is — words or actions that show an active, knowing, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. Housed under UNT’s Division of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, the VolUNTary Consent campaign educates the public about common lingo related to consent, along with local and national resources for sexual assault survivors and tips for what to do if you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault.

In this episode, we discuss:

● What consent it

● Common misconceptions about consent

● How the campaign will define its success

● How rhetoric surrounding consent has changed over the years

● Resources for sexual assault survivors

Featured in this episode are:

● Eve Shatteen Bell, Assistant Vice President and Director of Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Equal Opportunity & Title IX

● Kayleigh Garcia, Survivor Advocate in UNT’s Division of Student Affairs

Helpful links:

● Learn more about VolUNTary Consent

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter and TikTok @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

Even if new year’s resolutions aren’t your thing, there’s something about closing the book on the previous 365 days that brings new aspirations into focus. For many, those aspirations center on improved fitness, and while it sounds simple enough, the reality can be a little more confusing: After all, fitness can mean different things to different people, and deciding where and how to start can be a challenge. That’s where experts like Dr. Elizabeth Hubbard come in. An exercise psychophysiologist in UNT’s Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, she teaches exercise testing and prescription, as well as behavioral change strategies and health promotion. The co-director of the Behavioral Neuroscience Research Lab, her research expertise is in developing physiologically potent interventions to improve fitness, neurological function and brain health in clinical and aging populations. In this episode of UNT Pod, Dr. Hubbard discusses how to start – or restart – a fitness routine, how to best set yourself up for success, and how to reap the mental and physical benefits of whatever activity you find most appealing.

In this episode, we discuss:

● How to start, or restart, a fitness routine

● How to set SMART goals

● How to think about fitness in a more inclusive way

● The importance of recovery

● Breaking through mental barriers in exercise

● Fitness interventions for those with neurological disorders like MS and for older adults

● The mental/emotional benefits of exercise

Featured in this episode is:

● Dr. Elizabeth Hubbard, an exercise psychophysiologist in UNT’s Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation and co-director of the Behavioral Neuroscience Research Lab

Helpful links:

● Learn more about Dr. Hubbard

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter and TikTok @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

Dentonpalooza, set for Dec. 3, is a festival meant to celebrate the people, places and things that make Denton … well … far from normal. The idea started as a random conversation between local musicians and UNT alums Joey Liechty and Eric Michener before evolving into a meme and then a full-fledged event. The lineup features local characters like Tiger Head Keyboard Dude, Denton Spider-Man, Frenchy and Shaun from Midway Mart, musicians like Paul Slavens and Brave Combo, and events like a flat earth pinata party and a Rose Costumes contest. “It just popped into my head, just these Denton fringe characters,” says Liechty. “What if they were all together for no other reason than we all love Denton?”

In this episode, we discuss:

● Dentonpalooza’s origins

● The festival lineup

● Denton’s quirkiest people, places and things

Featured in this episode are:

● Joey Liechty, UNT alum, local DJ, computer programmer and creator of Dentonpalooza

● Eric Michener, UNT alum and staff member, local musician and performer at Dentonpalooza

● Carl Finch, UNT alum and member of the “nuclear polka” band Brave Combo, which will perform at Dentonpalooza

● Paul Slavens, UNT alum and coordinator of dance musicians, host of the Paul Slavens Show on KXT 91.7, and musician who will perform at Dentonpalooza

Helpful links:

· See the original flyerthat started it all.

· See the festival lineup and buy tickets.

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter and TikTok @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

Dr. Aleshia Hayes is an assistant professor in UNT’s Department of Learning Technologies and director of the SURGE XR Lab, which is dedicated to advancing research in virtual, augmented, mixed and extended realities. As a kid, a desire to be better at Ms. Pac-Man – and an unexpected Christmas gift from her parents – jumpstarted her love of technology. “If you get the sense that you can explore technology without any fear, then you can do all kinds of things,” she says. And that’s exactly what she does in her lab, where she investigates not just emerging technologies, but human-computer interactions. One of her biggest questions centers around user experience and design thinking: Is a particular digital tool an engaging and effective device for learning, and if not, can it be reconfigured to become one? On this episode, we delve into Hayes’ research, as well as her commitment to diversifying the STEM field through her Girls SURGE into STEM XR camp, which introduces underrepresented female students in grades 6-12 to design thinking.

In this episode, we discuss:

● The differences between AR/XR/MR/VR

● Emerging technologies as learning tools and vehicles for empathy

● Representation in avatars

● Diversifying the STEM field

Featured in this episode is:

● Dr. Aleshia Hayes, assistant professor of learning technologies

Helpful links:

● Learn more about the Girls SURGE into STEM XR Camp

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter and TikTok @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

Just because something isn’t easy to see doesn’t mean it can’t have significant impacts on our environment — and our well-being. Dr. Alexandra Ponette-González, a biophysical geographer and associate professor in UNT’s Department of Geography and the Environment, has been bringing the invisible to light for years through her research that examines human-atmosphere-biosphere interactions, including projects that have investigated the use of trees as natural urban air filters, the influence of drought-induced dust on nutrient and pollutant inputs to ecosystems in Texas, and the accumulation of black carbon on bird feathers.

In this episode, we discuss:

● The importance of biophysical geography

● Ponette-González’s research, which includes examining the effects of global environmental change on atmospheric deposition (which consists of materials that enter ecosystems from the atmosphere), as well as terrestrial ecosystems spanning tropical forests to urban areas

● How she sees science having an impact in these areas moving forward.

Featured in this episode is:

Dr. Alexandra Ponette-González, a biophysical geographer and associate professor in UNT’s Department of Geography and the Environment

Helpful links:

● Read more about Dr. Ponette-González and her work:

o Clearing the Air

o Particulates in Precipitation

o UNT Ecosystem Geographer Selected for EPA Committee

o Oak Trees as Urban Air Filters

o UNT Geographer Receives NSF Career Award

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

Great professors can serve as guiding lights — teachers whose passion, dedication and support help students see what’s possible, and set them on a path to making the world a better place. A couple of months ago, we put out a call asking students and alumni to tell us about current UNT professors who have done just that — and the response, unsurprisingly, was staggering. While there were nearly 100 professors who were nominated, on this episode of UNT Pod, we shine a spotlight on the seven finalists, who we’re calling our first-ever “North Stars” — the kind of mentors who steadfastly illuminate the way to a brighter future.

Featured in this episode are:

· Dr. Kimi King, professor, Political Science — Segment begins at 00:10

· Paho Mann, associate professor, Studio Art — Segment begins at 12:36

· Dr. Katsura Aoyama, associate professor, Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Segment begins at 16:36

· Brittany McElroy, lecturer, Broadcast Journalism— Segment begins at 21:32

· Dr. John Quintanilla, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Mathematics — Segment begins at 26:39

· Dr. Angie Cartwright, associate professor, Counseling and Higher Education — Segment begins at 31:32

· Dr. Rick Reidy, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Materials Science and Engineering — Segment begins at 37:12

Helpful links:

· Learn more about the UNT professors featured in this episode:

o Dr. Kimi King

o Paho Mann

o Dr. Katsura Aoyama

o Brittany McElroy

o Dr. John Quintanilla

o Dr. Angie Cartwright

o Dr. Rick Reidy

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT.

In flipping the pages of a book, you can be transported anywhere and introduced to people and cultures you’ve never experienced before. For kids, the content in books can be especially impactful, encouraging a sense of wonder and curiosity as well as nurturing their development and understanding of the world. On this episode of UNT Pod, we talk with UNT History Associate Professor Kathryne Beebe and Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education Dan Heiman about the origins of children’s literature, the role books can play in meaningful conversations with our kids inside and outside the classroom and the efforts to bring more diversity and inclusion to the genre. We’ll also learn about how they are applying their academic expertise to their own children’s book projects.

In this episode, we discuss:

● Origins of children’s literature and how the genre has evolved

● The role books can play in meaningful conversations with our kids both inside and outside the classroom

● The efforts to bring more diversity and inclusion to the genre

● Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to stop printing some of the famed children’s author’s books that contain racist and insensitive imagery

● Children’s books in the Gustine Courson Weaver Collection in UNT Special Collections

● Dr. Beebe’s children’s books including Brother Hugo and the Bear; Nile Crossing; Thunder Trucks; Good Morning, Harry, Good Night, Daddy and her forthcoming books, The Pilgrimage of Friar Felix and The Very Nosy Babies

● Behind My Mask: Detras de mi cubrebocas, a book Dr. Heiman developed with his wife and an art education graduate student Martha Samaniego Calderón to talk with kids about mask wearing, identity and the emotions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic

A few children’s book recommendations from Drs. Beebe and Heiman:

● A Different Pondby Bao Phi

● Black is a Rainbow of Color by Angela Joy

● Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

● Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

● We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

● When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

● When We Love Someone, We Sing to Them by Ernesto Javier Martínez

● Under My Hijab by Hena Khan

Featured in this episode are:

● Dr. Kathryne Beebe, associate professor in the Department of History in UNT’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

● Dr. Dan Heiman, assistant professor of bilingual education in UNT’s College of Education

Helpful links:

Learn more about the Gustine Courson Weaver Collectionin UNT Special Collections

See digitized images of early German children’s book, Struwwelpeter

Learn more about Dr. Beebe’s children’s books

Learn more about Behind My Mask: Detras de mi cubrebocas

Follow our Podcast

● @UNTPod

Join the Conversation

● Connect with us on Twitter @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT

For decades, the data on health inequity has been startling — and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made those disparities more evident. That’s where UNT’s new Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society — initiated by Dr. Chandra Carey, associate dean in UNT’s College of Health and Public Service and associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services, and Dr. Tony Carey, associate chair and associate professor in UNT’s Department of Political Science — comes in. Through their research, more than 40 UNT faculty members are addressing inequities in how people in Texas live, work, learn and interact socially — factors that the Centers for Disease Control cite as contributions to overall health considerations and outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

● The health disparities that exist

● The contributing factors to health inequity

● UNT’s interdisciplinary approach to addressing health inequity

● How COVID-19 has further highlighted inequities at the state and national levels, and the policies that could potentially ameliorate the inequities that exist

● The historical reasons behind vaccine hesitancy

● The goals of CREEHS in addressing health inequity

Featured in this episode are:

● Dr. Chandra Carey, associate dean in UNT’s College of Health and Public Service and associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services

● Dr. Tony Carey, associate chair and associate professor in UNT’s Department of Political Science

Helpful links:

● Learn more about the Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society: creehs.unt.edu

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT.

Conspiracy theories aren’t new, but they've never been more consequential than in 2021. We spoke to communication studies assistant professor Joseph McGlynn and psychology professor Rex Wright to learn more about how conspiracy theories take root, the role social media plays in their spread, and how to identify and avoid misinformation. We also discussed how to approach conversations in a constructive way with loved ones who believe in conspiracy theories to keep them from falling further down the rabbit hole.

In this episode, we discuss:

● The appeal of conspiracy theories

● How conspiracy theories have evolved due to the internet and social media

● Ways to identify misinformation

● How to approach loved ones who believe in conspiracy theories

Featured in this episode is:

● Dr. Joseph McGlynn, an assistant professor in UNT’s Department of Communication Studies

● Dr. Rex Wright, a professor in UNT’s Department of Psychology

Helpful links:

● The subreddit r/QAnonCasualties is a gathering place where friends and loved ones of conspiracy theorists share stories, support and resources: https://www.reddit.com/r/QAnonCasualties/

● @UNTPod

● Connect with us on Twitter @UNTSocial or on Instagram @UNT