Austin, TX
Electrochemistry Pioneer and Texas Science Legend Allen Bard Dies
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin community is mourning the loss of Allen J. Bard, known around the world as the father of modern electrochemistry. He was 90.
During nearly 65 years as a faculty member at UT, Bard received many of science’s most prestigious awards, among them a 2013 National Medal of Science and the 2019 King Faisal International Prize in Science, in recognition of his thought leadership and development of technology used by generations of electrochemists. As a result, according to President Emeritus Larry Faulkner, who was also a former student of Bard’s, he was “the most important scientist to have developed at UT through an entire career.”
“The phrase ‘What starts here changes the world’ is underpinned by innumerable life-changing discoveries made by UT Austin researchers, and perhaps none more impactful than the discoveries of Allen Bard,” said President Jay Hartzell. “It is well documented that Allen’s work transformed his field. Yet equally important was his devotion to his students and preparing them to impact our world for the better. Today, we mourn Allen’s passing but also celebrate his contributions to modern-day science and his lifelong commitment to The University of Texas.”
Bard was born in New York City in 1933 and launched his academic career at UT shortly after completing a Ph.D. at Harvard University. His development of the scanning electrochemical microscope brought the world an analytical tool that has been used to discover new materials for technologies such as solar cells and batteries, to probe the inner workings of biological cells, and to show dynamic chemical activity at very high resolution. Scientists can use the scanning electrochemical microscope to rapidly analyze numerous samples, detect cancer cells and make contributions to energy research. Bard published more than 1,000 academic papers, wrote and co-wrote three books and received more than 30 patents. A range of advances in biological testing, chemistry research, physics and engineering can be traced back to Bard’s contributions.
The winner of such top awards as the Enrico Fermi Award, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Olin-Palladium Award, the Priestley Medal and the Welch Award in Chemistry, as well as being a fellow of both the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Bard nonetheless liked to say that among his proudest achievements was mentoring more than 75 doctoral students and 150 postdoctoral fellows. He was humble about his work and place in science history.
“We all work on this [science] because we like it and because we understand that we’re building a structure,” Bard said in 2014 speaking on NPR’s “Science Friday.” “And we each put in a little brick here and there. If everybody puts in the right bricks and everybody works hard at it, you build a big structure of science, and it’s not so important who put the bricks in.”
“All of us who got to work with Allen Bard also got to have an inspiring glimpse of someone who is not only a preeminent researcher and among the best scientists of a generation but also one of the most dedicated mentors you could ask for,” said David Vanden Bout, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and a professor of chemistry. “He could speak as deeply about his philosophy of training future researchers for leading ethical, excellent and high-impact scientific careers as he could about electrochemistry.”
Electrochemistry involves the relationship between light, electricity and chemicals, and Bard’s contributions to the field were globe-spanning. Additionally, he developed electrogenerated chemiluminescence, a chemical reaction that produces light, which led to analytical tools for clinical diagnostics, biomedical research, DNA sensors, biodefense sensors, drug screening, food and water safety and environmental monitoring.
Photos of Allen Bard are available here: utexas.box.com/s/68w8cgz379zeu2so3v97clivssxdwsap.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
FILE – LinkedIn logos are displayed on an iPhone and computer screen. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the professional networking platform misleads consumers with advertising and profiting from misleading or fake job listings, otherwise known as “ghost jobs.”
LinkedIn investigation
In this photo illustration a Linkedin logo seen displayed on a mobile phone. (Photo Illustration by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
What we know:
Texas announced on Tuesday it has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job listing verification practices and its Premium subscription services.
The investigation centers on whether LinkedIn violated Texas’ consumer protection laws by promoting paid subscription services while allegedly failing to disclose that some job listings on the platform may not actually be representative of hiring opportunities.
What is a ‘ghost job’?
An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of a LinkedIn logo displayed on a computer screen. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 1 billion registered users worldwide.
A “ghost job” generally refers to a position advertised online that either is no longer available or that an employer has no immediate intention of filling. The attorney general’s office cited independent studies estimating that ghost jobs account for between one-fifth and one-third of online job postings.
Texas AG targets Premium Subscription Fees
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What they’re saying:
According to the office of the attorney general, LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job listings on its platform. Ken Paxton’s office alleges that the company’s marketing for its Premium subscription services does not disclose that a significant number of postings could be inactive, unfilled or not reflect genuine employment opportunity.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in a statement. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings.”
Texas officials said LinkedIn’s Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99 per month, respectively, and are marketed to jobseekers looking to improve their employment prospects.
What’s next:
The investigation does not include any formal allegations of wrongdoing, and no lawsuit has been filed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
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