UT Dallas' Undergraduate Research Journal
The inaugural issue of The Exley, UT Dallas' undergraduate research journal contains cutting-edge research and innovative creative works. Emily Butler describes the creation of a MATLAB-based toolbox which is unique in its ability to provide comparative data on volcanoes on both Earth and Mars. Syed Rasheed demonstrates that natural substances such as garlic and eucalyptus oil may be more effective than common antibiotics at fighting infections, without the side effects associated with antibiotics. Larissa Weidenbruch explores the linguistic and cultural implications of the LOLcat phenomenon. Matthew McCann describes innovations in motor design which will allow water purification systems to use solar power exclusively. Carrie Crossley discusses advances in computer programming in the context of the creation of video games for the purpose of interactive job training. Truc Do discusses the ongoing efforts at the Joint Genome Institute at Los Alamos National Laboratory to map the Influenza B virus in order to produce more effective vaccines. Jessie Gonzales chronicles the development of metamaterials which can absorb acoustic waves at different frequencies as a function of temperature. Tanushree Jhunjhunwala reports the results of experiments exploring the variations in preferences regarding redistribution of income. Triet Nguyen describes the use of computer simulations in the design of single-walled carbon nanotubes which can effectively deliver high doses of cancer-fighting drugs to tumors without damaging healthy tissue. Linda Wilson employs black and white photography of everyday objects to invoke a bygone era. Micheal Ansley creates, through a close-up photograph of a tree stump, a representation of limbo. Brittany Sharkey Andrews uses the inspiration of music and melody to create a poetic of the home awaiting a traveler. Rebecca Aguilar employs the contrast between light and shadow (and the technique of foreshortening) in a charcoal sketch of an octopus cornering a person. These articles and creative works demonstrate the quality and diversity of the academic experience at the UT Dallas.
The Exley
Many UT Dallas undergraduate students are engaged in research activities with the University's nationally recognized faculty and talented graduate and post-doctoral students. Other undergraduates enroll in courses or participate in programs that provide them a unique experience or opportunity to demonstrate their creative talents. The importance of providing a medium for UT Dallas students to publish analytical articles related to research activities and creative works led to the creation of UT Dallas' undergraduate research journal, The Exley.
The Exley provides undergraduate students from every discipline an opportunity to publish analytical or creative work that illustrates their creative ability or research skills. The works published in The Exley demonstrate the valuable and enriching experience UT Dallas provides students and the impact undergraduate researchers have on their projects. The journal is managed by the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) and is printed in collaboration with staff from the Office of Research and Development and the Office of Communications, administrators from each school, faculty, and students. The journal is named after Elizabeth Exley Hodge who has generously chosen to support this opportunity for undergraduates. To read more about our donor and the origin of the name Exley, click here.
The Exley Family
Elizabeth Exley Hodge
Elizabeth (Libby) Exley Hodge was born in a small farming community in Worcester County, Maryland, in 1920, one of eleven children of Lola Marie Watson and John O. Exley, who had distinguished himself with gold medals in rowing at the 1900 and 1904 Olympic Games. After high school, Libby lived nine years in Philadelphia, working for an insurance company. When World War II was declared, she volunteered in a program with the U.S. Air Corps, where she met her husband-to-be, Noble H. Hodge, from Fannin County, Texas. They were married in 1942. Following his service in England to war's end, they moved in 1945 to Dallas, TX, where she still resides.
In 1967 Libby joined the administrative offices of the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies. When the Center became UTD in 1969, she transferred to the Biology Department in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics where she assisted faculty members preparing research grant applications. After a number of years in grants management in Natural Sciences and Mathematics and later in the Office of Sponsored Projects, she retired in 1986.
Libby has been an avid gardener for many years, claims to have her personal arboretum and even has an orchid hybrid which bears her name. She enjoys cooking and sharing, has volunteered weekly for the last 23 years at Baylor Medical Center in Garland, and continues to assist friends as needed. She is a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church near her home.
The Exley Heritage
Libby's brother, John, searched records in Manchester and Halifax, England in 1971, which revealed the surname Exley was believed first to be Ecclesley, dating as early as 1245, meaning "Church Fields." The area where her great, great grandfather was born now exists as Exley Hall and nearby villages, Yorkshire, England. Several members of the current Exley family have visited there.
How to Publish
If you are interested in submitting your creative or research work to The Exley, review the guidelines for submission.
Contact Us
Michael Gunnin
The Exley, Managing Editor
972.883.6799
mgunnin@utdallas.edu
FO 2.704
Courtney Brecheen
Assistant Dean, Office of Undergraduate Education
972.883.6788
courtneyb@utdallas.edu
FO 2.710