In celebration of Independence Day, the Arlington 4th of July Association is hosting its 60th annual Arlington Independence Day Parade and its third annual Firecracker 5K. This year’s parade theme is “Shining Bright Since ’65, Arlington Independence Day Parade, Diamond Jubilee.” The parade's 60th anniversary inspired the theme. Kevin Donovan, president of the Arlington 4th of July Association, said “Diamond Jubilee” and “Shining Bright” felt like a natural fit. “It’s the longest-running community event here in Arlington,” Donovan said. The parade is from 9 to 11:30 a.m. July 4, winding through UTA and downtown Arlington. It will feature bands from Arlington ISD high schools, floats, antique cars, scouts, cheerleaders, dance teams, walking units and up to 40,000 expected spectators. “Every kind of community organization you can think of will have an entry in the parade,” Donovan said. The 1st Cavalry Division Band from Fort Hood, formerly known as Fort Cavazos, will be the first band in the parade this year, he said. Chris Cassidy, president and CEO of the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, retired Navy SEAL and former chief astronaut for NASA, will preside as the grand marshal of the parade. The Firecracker 5K will begin at 7 a.m. July 4 at Levitt Pavilion and follow the parade route for two laps before finishing back at Levitt Pavilion. All participants will receive a finisher’s medal, with prizes awarded to the top three in eight age divisions. The course must be cleared by 8:15 a.m. Registration is open here. This year's parade also supports Toys for Tots, with collection stations manned by Marines in uniform along the parade route. Donovan said the parade is a great opportunity for Arlington to show off its patriotism and to recall our freedoms here in the United States. You also see the community reflected in the parade, he said. “This is such a great community event, and it’s one of the events where anybody can go,” Donovan said. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

A UTA professor is developing lifesaving technology that could transform how communities respond to natural disasters. Mahmoud Bayat, assistant professor of architecture, is leading the creation of an AI-powered disaster response system that uses real-time digital modeling to improve evacuation planning. It will factor in infrastructure risks, social vulnerability and access to transportation. “Integrating infrastructure damage modeling with transportation systems means we’re not just routing people, we’re routing them through paths that are actually usable, safe, and accessible in real time,” Bayat said in an email. The project is currently in the pilot stage, with the team gathering data on bridge conditions and local communities to model scenarios in disaster-prone areas such as Galveston, Texas. Bayat said the next step is to simulate disasters using live traffic, structural and weather data. One of the project's goals is to ensure vulnerable populations such as the elderly, people with disabilities or those without cars are not left behind. “You have to consider social vulnerability of flooding and hurricanes — and also the equity of the community to access the transportation network,” he said. The team is working with extensive data on bridge safety and traffic loads. Bayat said many bridges in Texas were built decades ago and may no longer meet regulations. “Most of them, we don’t have any structural plan for,” he said. The team plans to assess each bridge's condition, which will help the system reroute traffic to safer parts of the transportation network without overloading bridges. Bayat said the goal of a bridge is to create an integrated system that connects infrastructure to vehicles and vehicles to the people who depend on them. “Equity in evacuation planning ensures that no one is left behind,” he said in an email. “Our system intentionally accounts for these vulnerabilities, modeling evacuation options that consider physical limitations, transportation needs, and social constraints.” @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu