College faculty discussion events are designed to stimulate interactions among faculty across departments and even colleges, while highlighting the distinctive research capabilities and educational strengths at UT Austin.

Events typically consist of adult beverages, food and a program where intellectual conversation is the centerpiece. The fall Teaching Discovery Dinner event also includes a full dinner.  

Cross-Cutting Conversations

To explore intersections, both within the college and with other units on campus, faculty, their graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, research scientists and key staff and supporters are invited to this series of interdisciplinary discussions, exploring frontiers in research and education, as they meet colleagues from other units.

Recent discussions include a discussion about Science Communications' Future with experts from the Moody College of Communication and journalists who cover science Kenneth Chang from the New York Times, Joe Hanson of PBS Digital Studios, and Loren Grush of The Verge; and two conversations in collaboration with the Dell Medical School: Frontiers in Brain Research and a conversation about Computational Health.

Most recently, a webinar event was held entitled, Cross-Cutting Conversation: The Power of Faculty Beliefs and Practices to Shape Student Engagement During and After the COVID-19 Era  

Speakers included Stanford University’s Carol Dweck, Indiana University’s Mary Murphy (a UT Alum) and UT Austin’s David Yeager.

Please watch a recording of the Webinar by clicking the image below.

TEACHING DISCOVERY DINNER 

Each fall, this event brings faculty together in a relaxed environment for intellectual discourse about improving excellence in the classroom. This event is held in conjunction with the Teaching Discovery Day each year.  

picture a scientist film viewing and panel discussion

Watch the a recording of the webinar here. 

In partnership with the College of Pharmacy, Dell Medical School, Cockrell School of Engineering and Jackson School of Geosciences, College of Natural Sciences faculty and staff were offered a viewing of Picture a Scientist. The film chronicles the researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists and leads viewers on a journey deep into the very personal experiences of female researchers who have confronted a range of challenges, from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Following the viewing, Dr. Shelley Payne, CNS Advisor to the Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, moderated a discussion about the film and the evolving experience of women scientists with a panel, including MIT’s Professor Emerita Nancy Hopkins whose story is chronicled in the film; Christine Julien, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Cockrell School of Engineering; Caitlin Casey, Assistant Professor in Astronomy; and Monica Hall-Porter, Faculty Development Coordinator with the Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science (TIDES). 

CNS 'BIG READ' DISCUSSION

During the fall 2019 semester, Dean Paul Goldbart hosted a "Big Read" event with award-winning faculty Uri Treisman of the Department of Mathematics and the Charles A. Dana Center and David Laude of the Department of Chemistry, along with best-selling writer Paul Tough, author of The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us.