New & Noteworthy

Vetting supervolcanoes
A team led by geologist James Quick, SMU associate vice president for research, discovered a fossil supervolcano in the Italian Alps. This discovery reveals for the first time the plumbing of a supervolcano, from the source of the magma 25 kilometers deep within the Earth to the surface. The discovery provides a model for the geophysical and magmatic processes of the Earth’s most powerful volcanoes, an understanding that may lead to improved predictions of volcanoes.

Changing everything
The Lyle School of Engineering sponsored the first TEDx experience at SMU, a two-day program that asked the question: What will change everything? Speakers at TEDxSMU and TEDxKIDS challenged the audience to examine topics such as how engineering can eliminate the United States’ dependence on oil by 2040, how a human mind can work faster than a calculator and why the ocean may be the Earth’s most important resource.

Pursuing the law
A new program for undergraduates includes automatic admission to Dedman School of Law for students who meet grade and LSAT criteria. The inaugural class of 36 Dedman Prelaw Scholars entered SMU as first-year students this fall. The program includes invitations to conferences, symposia and a mentorship program with current law students. In addition, students receive prelaw advising and attend a class introducing them to various legal fields.

Beacons of education
Three education leaders were honored in November with the first Simmons Luminary Awards presented by the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, longtime Texas State Board of Education member Geraldine “Tincy” Miller and St. Philip’s School headmaster Terry J. Flowers were honored for their achievements and dedication to education reform.

New Cox rankings
Hispanic Business magazine listed Cox School of Business No. 20 in its ranking of top business schools for Hispanic students. In addition, Poder 360 magazine named Cox one of the top 25 MBA programs for Hispanics, commending it for scholarship support for Latino applicants. Other recent rankings include BusinessWeek’s new report on executive MBA and part-time MBA programs. Cox’s EMBA program ranked No. 9 among the top programs in the world and its PMBA program ranked No. 15 in the United States.

Read all about it
Belo Corp., owner of WFAA-TV and former parent company of The Dallas Morning News, recently donated its archives to DeGolyer Library. The archives include correspondence, business documents and photographs documenting the 167-year history of the media company and, in turn, the history of Texas.

For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at 214-768-7660.

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