The Exley contributors

Students featured in The Exley, the UT Dallas undergraduate research journal, recently attended a luncheon to celebrate the release of the third edition. The event was held during the 2014 Exhibition of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

Students at The University of Texas at Dallas have tackled big questions and displayed their creative talents in the newest edition of The Exley, UT Dallas’ undergraduate research journal.

Students featured in the journal recently attended a luncheon to celebrate the release of the third edition, which was part of the 2014 Exhibition of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

The Exley provides undergraduate students from every discipline an opportunity to publish substantive work that illustrates their creative ability or research skills,” said Dr. Andrew Blanchard, who is dean of Undergraduate Education and holds the Mary McDermott Cook Distinguished Chair for Undergraduate Education and Research. “The work published recognizes the dedication of both the authors and their faculty mentors. I hope these contributions inspire other students to engage in research and share their creative work.”

Undergraduate Research Poster Contest

Read 'The Exley'

Download the third volume of the UT Dallas undergraduate research journal and previous volumes.

Thao Duong, a marketing and business administration junior, is among the students whose research was published in The Exley. Duong’s piece, “Understanding and Improving the Eating Habits of Low-Income Households,” aims to help low-income families develop healthier eating habits.

“The widespread adoption of healthy food choices will not only benefit public health through decreases in obesity and obesity-related diseases but also reduce cost of government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare,” Duong wrote in her article.

Duong designed a 36-question survey and administered the questionnaire to individuals at fast-food chains and big-box retailers in low-income neighborhoods in the Dallas area. The survey explored why people preferred fast food to home-prepared meals and what factors could influence households to choose healthier foods.

A painting titled “Change” by Clarissa Pollack, an arts and performance senior, also was published in the new edition. The artwork consists of a single, moving line that oscillates between blue, yellow and red.

“I created it with curiosity, the leftover acrylic paint in my brush and a scrap of textured cardstock. With a single swift swish of the brush, I watched in awe as the pigments changed. Paint sometimes does amazing things that are far more beautiful than the artist could plan,” Pollack said.

Other creative projects published in the journal include poetry, game design, comics and an animated film.

The Exley is named after UT Dallas supporter and former staff member Elizabeth Exley Hodge. She began work in the University’s administrative offices in 1967, when the institution was called the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies.

When the center became UT Dallas in 1969, Hodge transferred to the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, where she assisted faculty members in preparing research grant applications.

After a number of years in grants management in the school, and later in the Office of Sponsored Projects, she retired in 1986. She currently resides in Dallas.

The Office of Undergraduate Education manages the journal and publishes each issue in collaboration with the Office of Research and the Office of Communications