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A University of Texas at Austin lecturer was arrested and fired this week in connection with his participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus, raising fresh concerns among faculty members and free speech advocates about academic protections in the state.

Richard Heyman, who has taught at UT for 18 years in the College of Liberal Arts, was arrested Wednesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety and charged with interfering with public duties, a Class B misdemeanor. The charge stems from Heyman’s participation in an April 29 pro-Palestinian demonstration in which authorities arrested around 80 protesters who had set up an encampment on campus.

The university fired Heyman on Thursday through an email, according to his lawyer, Gerry Morris. Heyman was scheduled to teach three classes during the upcoming fall semester.

According to Heyman’s arrest affidavit, DPS troopers accused him of yelling expletives at law enforcement during the protest, pulling away a trooper’s bike and making a motion with a water bottle “as if he were going to swing it and hit” a trooper.

Citing three video recordings of Heyman’s actions, Morris disagreed with the affidavit’s characterization of his client as physically disruptive.

Morris said the officer initiated physical contact and pushed Heyman, which caused Heyman to grab onto the bike’s handlebar for balance. Morris said he plans to ask the Travis County Attorney’s office to dismiss the case.

“This is a politically charged atmosphere that this occurred in,” Morris said. “I think in a normal atmosphere, the prosecutor would look at this, drop it pretty quickly. But I’m not sure that it’s going to move very quickly given what we’re in the middle of.”

Heyman’s firing comes amid rising concern among Texas faculty groups that state legislators have passed laws that have led to increased scrutiny and insecurity regarding their jobs. Anne Lewis, an executive board member of the Texas State Employees Union, linked Heyman’s firing to what she said are broader moves by the state to restrict academic freedom and First Amendment rights.

“I think it is an attack on higher education and its core values, and Richard is just one of many that is getting caught up in this attack,” Lewis said. “He’s the worst so far.”

Last year Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at Texas universities, and Senate Bill 18, which set out to terminate tenure at state universities but ended up only requiring schools to provide clear guidelines for how to obtain and keep tenure. Complying with SB 17 resulted in firings at universities across the state, with UT-Austin laying off dozens of employees earlier this year.

The state Legislature’s Higher Education Committee will likely monitor the implementation of both laws and consider regulating faculty senates in the next legislative session, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s agenda for lawmakers during the interim period before the next legislative session. Faculty senates represent faculty members in open meetings to make recommendations on a wide variety of topics such as undergraduate degree programs and student services.

We’ve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the day’s news.

AUSTIN, Texas – Severe weather hit parts of Central Texas with large hail falling in some areas. 

Take a look at some videos that FOX 7 Austin viewers captured.

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Neuralink is searching for a resident neurosurgeon in Austin, Texas. The neurosurgeon will join the Neurosurgical Resident Innovation Fellow at Neuralink. 

Below is the job description and responsibilities of Neuralink’s resident neurosurgeon position. 

“As a Neurosurgical Resident Innovation Fellow at Neuralink, you will train with our neurosurgical leads to function as assistant or primary surgeon for experimental brain-machine interface procedures using human cadavers or large animal subjects. In addition, you will work closely with technical teams to continuously refine and innovate surgical techniques and provide usability and safety feedback. 

“You will also participate in engineering design reviews for new developments of the surgical robot, surgical processes, or implant. Additionally, neurosurgeons work with veterinary anesthesiologists and veterinary technicians to ensure the humane and ethical use of animal subjects.”

Recently, Neuralink’s human trial patient, Noland Arbaugh, shared his progress and experiment during the company’s PRIME Study. Currently, Neuralink aims to enable people with quadriplegia to control digital devices, improving their quality of life. 

Neuralink’s human trial, called the PRIME Study, is the first significant step to achieving the company’s first goal. The PRIME Study should provide a good foundation for Neuralink’s brain-computer interface implant, which will likely have more applications in the future.

Neuralink has many vacant jobs in various departments located in Austin, Texas and Fremont, California. Currently, it has open jobs in Research Services, Robotics & Surgery, Brain Interfaces, Operations, and Core Software. It also has several internship positions. 

If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101. 

Neuralink searches for resident neurosurgeon in Texas