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Why University of Texas at Austin Researchers Made Compostable Sequins and Recruited Designers

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Why University of Texas at Austin Researchers Made Compostable Sequins and Recruited Designers


Instead of having material researchers just holed up in labs tinkering with new theories and concepts, the University of Texas at Austin enlisted some of them to join forces with other faculty, students and alumni in the school’s division of textiles and apparel.

Together they combined research expertise and fashion design knowledge to demonstrate how newly developed sustainable sequins can be used in a variety of ways. Now visitors to the Texas Science & Natural History Museum on UT Austin’s campus can see their creations in “Particles of Color: Where Science Meets Fashion,” which runs through the summer of 2025.

“Particles of Color: Where Science Meets Fashion,” explores the use of compostable, plant-based and biodegradable materials in clothing, accessories, jewelry and art. The 50 glittering objects on display were made with polylactic acid, a compostable material, that has been combined with natural and nontoxic dyes to create colorful, stylish clothes, jewelry and art. Made from agricultural waste, polylactic acid is easy to work with since it does not dissolve in water, but it will break down if composted, said Jessica Ciarla, a faculty member in the Division of Textiles and Apparel who is behind the exhibition.

“Polylactic acid is a bioplastic that has been tested and developed for other fields and is part of a growing global market, so it is a real contender in the space,” Ciarla said. “It can also be melted down and reused so it makes it an ideal choice for zero-waste production.”

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For added eco-friendliness, the team used non-toxic colorants such as algae, natural dyes, spices and food waste to create an organic color spectrum. “Approaching this research from an interdisciplinary perspective by synthesizing science, design and engineering has allowed us to see what the future of the fashion industry can entail from a collaborative perspective,” she said.

Museum goers are more accustomed to checking out the prehistoric dinosaur fossils in the galleries, but this new direction is meant to lead them to a vision of a cleaner, brighter future for the fashion industry. Science and fashion is an enticing combination, as more companies, consumers and organizations are increasingly considering how their actions and purchases play into environmental waste and impact the planet.

The impetus for this is to show the public what is developed in the lab in order to engage with the community and the fashion industry about the synthesis of science and fashion, according to Ciarla.

“Sustainability is no longer about what we need to do in the future, it is about what we can do now. We need to move the industry from using petroleum-based plastics to better options,” she said. “There are valuable resources typically viewed as trash such as agriculture waste that can be used to create plant-based plastics that provide cleaner options.”

How each of the designers featured the sustainable sequins in their work that is on display in “Particles of Color” reflects its multiple potential applications.

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The sustainable sequins can be used in different elements of fashion design.

Image Courtesy University of Texas at Austin

Ciarla is also previewing a prototype of a non-woven textile she created using denim and paperboard made from cereal boxes to develop a fabric that could be used for handbags. Visitors can check out the first experimental prototype of this textile in a digitally printed fabric that Ciarla made into mini handbags with floral sequins attached. She explained, “Showing how other materials derived from waste can work together is a look towards our future research and how we intend to expand our material development to other segments of the textile and material supply industry.”

“Particles of Color” also provides a commentary for the fashion industry’s contribution to plastics pollution. Of the 100 billion items of clothing that are produced each year, 70 percent of them are made of plastic, according to the Plastic Pollution Coalition. Creating all those synthetic materials for polyester, nylon and acrylics annually involves using what amounts to the equivalent of 300 million bathtubs filled with petroleum. Ciarla said, “We wanted to show that there is a way to create something better with the materials we have right now.”

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Developing a commercial prototype is in the works, and the exhibit’s industry partners have highlighted a few of the diverse applications. Designers like Diana Broussard of New York City and Nikolaj Storm of Copenhagen incorporated the sustainable material into their respective garments and accessories that are on display. As is often the case, when it comes to materializing concepts into production, the next step is to generate funding so that Ciarla and her team can expand product offerings and work with manufacturing facilities, who can “help us scale up while integrating our core beliefs of building a sustainable business model,” she said.

The museum’s director Carolyn Connerat said that visitors “can explore how research happening right here on the UT Austin campus can make an impact on the natural world by creating compostable materials used in clothing we all can wear.”

Paricles of Color

The University of Texas at Austin is highlighting the work of researchers in fashion design.

Photo by Nolan Zunk/Courtesy the University of Texas at Austin

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UT’s research into sustainable sequins started five years ago, when a President’s Award for Global Learning was presented to Ciarla; Nathaniel Lynd, an associate professor in the McKetta department of chemical engineering, and Luisa Gil Fandino, an associate professor of textiles and apparel.

The show highlights how UT researchers adapted the material for use in fashion, and there are fashion examples created by designers from Austin and New York.

The installation is the first new exhibition at Texas Science & Natural History Museum since it reopened in September 2023 after an 18-month closure and extensive renovation. The fourth floor of the museum has been designated the Science Frontiers Gallery and is designed to house exhibits on advanced scientific research and demonstrate how scientific discovery can help address current issues and concerns.



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Austin, TX

Austin woman honored for decades of kindness and service

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3 hours ago

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October 31, 2025

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Austin woman honored for decades of kindness and service


Austin, TX — For 39 years, Gabriela Olivares has been showing up for others, in her classroom, her church, and her community.

Now, her friends are returning the favor with a Cash for Kindness surprise. Nominated by her friend Patricia González-Villaseñor, Gabriela is known as the person who always puts others first. She’s the one organizing birthday get-togethers, checking in after a loss, and driving hours to support a friend, all without expecting anything in return. In her nomination letter, Patricia wrote in part, “Gabriela is a great friend and human. There are not enough words to describe how incredibly kind and selfless she is. She is the kind of friend everyone wishes they had, always thinking of others, always showing up without expecting anything in return.”

She added, “Her generosity knows no limits, and she lead with such humility that it’s easy to overlook just how much effort and love she puts into everything she does. She makes this world brighter simply by being in it, and everyone who knows her is lucky to call her a friend. She is a beautiful soul and a great individual.”

Her kindness extends beyond her circle of friends. Gabriela recently planned a recognition dinner for nearly 100 church volunteers, coordinating, decorating, and even funding the event herself.

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After decades of giving, her friends decided it was her turn to be celebrated. During a birthday celebration at El Mercado Restaurant on Burnet Road, CBS Austin’s Allison Miller surprised Gabriela with $500 from Air & Plumbing Today, to thank her for the countless ways she’s made life brighter for others.

“I just love helping people, that’s what makes me happy,” Gabriela said.

Through Cash for Kindness, CBS Austin honors Central Texans who go above and beyond to make a difference.

If you know someone trying to make our world a little brighter in our Central Texas community, you can nominate them for our Cash For Kindness spotlight. Each winner will receive a $500 Amex Gift Card provided by Air & Plumbing Today and will be featured in an upcoming ‘Cash For Kindness’ segment. Click HERE for the form.

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Austin, TX

Texas’ Fastest-Growing City Is An Austin Suburb With Shops, Classic Barbecue, And Ample Outdoor Adventure – Islands

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22 hours ago

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October 30, 2025

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Texas’ Fastest-Growing City Is An Austin Suburb With Shops, Classic Barbecue, And Ample Outdoor Adventure – Islands








Trong Nguyen/Shutterstock

If it seems to Austinites like their city keeps growing year by year, they’re not wrong. Barring a minor dip from 2019 to 2020, the Texas capital not only continues to keep it weird, but also attracts more people day by day — especially from California. New residents join the nearly 2.5 million Texans within the Austin metro area (as of 2023) in enjoying Austin staple Torchy’s Tacos, pronouncing the neighborhood of Manchaca as MAN-shack, and taking a dip in Barton Springs in Zilker Park. And while the Austin metro area now spans past Round Rock in the north and the food-and-booze-infused San Marcos to the south, another Austin suburb is growing even faster than its parent city: Leander, along Route 183 about half an hour from downtown Austin.

A mere 7,600 people called little Leander home in 2000. In 2025, that number has exploded to nearly 93,000. Much of this completely bananas population growth can be attributed to the obvious, namely, Leander’s proximity to Austin. Owning a home in Austin is more expensive, making Leander an attractive alternative.

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But Leander’s got a lot going for it, aside from cheaper prices. Though definitely a spread-out, decentralized suburb, Leander still has some of the same top-notch Texas barbecue places that folks can expect from Austin or anywhere else in the Lone Star State, some of which live along the gloriously-named Hero Way. Leander’s also got its fair share of independent boutiques that have absorbed some of Austin’s nearby quirk, like Wildfire Artisans, which operates out of an old train car. Then there’s Leander’s natural spaces, which are possibly its standout attraction. From the sprawling Garey Park to the picnic-perfect Devine Lake Park, Leander’s got no shortage of outdoor activities at the ready.

Dig into Leander’s extensive barbecue and shopping options


Assortment of Texas barbecue
RFondren Photography/Shutterstock

Any Texan or would-be Texan worth their salt — or sauce — will die on the hill of Texas barbecue being the greatest of barbecues. Super slow-cooked and juicy brisket stands at the forefront of Texas barbecue offerings, and a Leander barbecue joint like Stubblefield’s is no exception. Located right off Route 183, which runs all the way down the length of Leander, Stubblefield’s has a near-5.0 rating on Google. In a place like Texas, this is quite the high bar. And because we’re living near food truck heaven in Austin — a city with over 2,000 food trucks (although Hawaii takes the food truck crown) — Stubblefield’s is, naturally, a truck.

Stubblefield is also just five minutes away from two more barbecue places, Smoky Mo’s BBQ and Blue Corn Harvest Bar and Grill, on the aforementioned Hero Way. This is all on the north side of Leander, by the way. The south side has a similar barbecue strip along Whitestone Boulevard with four more barbecue places right in a row. One of them is even another Smoky Mo’s.

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After swelling up with so much meat, why not poke around some of Leander’s quirky, cool, rustic, and sometimes twee shops? Leander Marketplace sits at the top of the list, an antiques-meets-oddball-goods flea market only open on the first Saturday of the month. It makes a perfect pair with the Hill Country Community Ministries Thrift Store, a short six-minute drive away. The women-focused boutique Turquoise Peacock Boutique, meanwhile, offers some beautiful, curated goods for customers, while The Hobby Shop is basically a brain-melting dream for any fan of high-quality model cars.

Explore Leander’s copious natural spaces


Balcones Wildlife Refuge pavilion and trail
Steve Heap/Shutterstock

Leander is so festooned with natural spaces of all sizes and types that it’s almost more accurate to think of the city as Texan countryside with human habitation sprinkling within it. This is where we see the additional benefit of choosing to live in Leander rather than Austin, one enjoyed by its massive influx of residents. For potential residents who don’t mind the daily trade-off of city culture for nature (but keeping the barbecue and some of the shops, mind you), Leander is for you. And for travelers wanting a break from cities, but wanting to stay close enough to the city not to get lost in the wilderness, Leander is also for you.

Balcones Canyonland National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most prominent outdoor offerings around Leander, about 30 minutes west of the city. Around 1,000 acres of the 27,000-acre preserve are open to the public, acres that illustrate that Texas’ natural environment is way more complex than mere sand in the desert. Hiking and wildlife watching are the most obvious draws for visitors, as the park is home to 245 bird species (and brought the black-capped vireo back from being endangered). Ranger-led activities are also an option, as is limited hunting with a permit and via lottery.

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Folks sticking directly within and around Leander will have no problem finding natural spaces, either. A small spot like Quest Village Park is basically a neighborhood park with a playground suitable for family ventures, dog walking, and so forth. Brushy Creek Lake Park, on the other hand, is a 90-acre, trail-focused, waterside park with a boat launch, exercise area, pavilions with grills, and more. Such options make it clear why Leander continues to grow so rapidly.





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Austin, TX

Federal investigators call for stricter enforcement of seatbelt regulations

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2 days ago

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October 29, 2025

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Federal investigators call for stricter enforcement of seatbelt regulations


AUSTIN, Texas — Federal investigators are urging Leander school officials to ensure the proper use of seat belts on school buses following a review of an Aug. 13 school bus crash.

In an “urgent report” issued Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board found few students were wearing seatbelts despite the bus being equipped with passenger lap and shoulder belts. Investigators concluded the Leander school district “did not take sufficient action to ensure passengers were properly belted.”

The rollover crash occurred when a Leander school district bus veered off the road along Nameless Road near Palomino Drive. 46 elementary and middle school students and one adult were aboard the bus. Following the accident, seventeen people were taken to the hospital, but all were released the next day.

Texas code requires passengers on school buses equipped with seat belts to wear them; however, video footage showed that of 42 visible students, only six were wearing their seat belts, according to investigators.

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The section of Nameless Road where the bus crashed is curved, and weather conditions at the time were rainy; however, investigators said the bus left the road “for an unknown reason,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Students who were unbelted or wore only the lap portion of a seat belt were more susceptible to injuries than those who wore a seat belt across their lap, the report said.

Investigators urged Leander schools to implement enforceable policies and procedures to ensure proper seat belt usage by every student and driver on a school bus equipped with seat belts. The report recommended mandatory driver instructions and routine audits to ensure passengers are properly wearing seat belts.

In a statement to families, Tracie Franco, the district’s senior director of transportation services said Leander “appreciate(s) the NTSB’s thorough review, which offers important lessons for school districts nationwide about ensuring consistent seat belt use on school buses,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The recommendations follow statewide initiatives to improve student transportation safety.

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All Texas buses must carry seat belts, but currently many older buses don’t.

A new law enacted this year, Senate Bill 546, eliminated an exception for buses built before 2018 and required districts to report by the end of the year how many buses they operate or contract lack seat belts, have only two-point seat belts or have three-point seat belts. Districts must also report the cost of transitioning their bus fleets to three-point safety belts, seat belts that cover a rider’s lap and chest.

By Jan. 1, 2027, the Texas Education Agency must outline a report for the cost to equip all state school buses with seat belts.

This conversation follows a deadly bus crash in Bastrop County on March 22, 2024, that left a prekindergarten student and a 33-year-old man dead. The school bus did not have any safety belts.



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