AIR Time featuring guest artists Dr. Robert Gregg of UTD and PhD candidate, Dario Villarreal

Season 7 of AIR Time presented by AIR (Arts Incubator of Richardson) kicks off on September 14 as moderator David Fisher (Asst. Dir., Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs) interviews Dr. Robert Gregg—Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD); and PhD candidate, Dario Villarreal. Gregg’s research concerns the control mechanisms of human locomotion with applications to high-performance prosthetic and orthotic devices. When not busy in the lab, he spends time playing with his dog, a hound-terrier mix named Oskee, after a fight song from Gregg’s alma mater, the University of Illinois. Joining Dr. Gregg in the interview is Dario Villarreal, one of Gregg’s students. Dario is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at UTD and earned his undergraduate degree in mechatronics engineering from Saltillo Tech in Mexico. He brings a clear and relevant voice to the issues shared by the main characters in the book Spare Parts. This special Season 7 opener for AIR Time is in partnership with the Richardson Reads One Book program where the focus is on encouraging an entire community to read the same book then come together to discuss it, share ideas and experience a presentation by the author. This year’s selection is Spare Parts by Joshua Davis. The book centers on four Latino teenagers in Arizona who enter a national underwater robotics competition. The movie selection is the movie version of the book, SPARE PARTS, from 2015 (114 min) starring George Lopez and Jamie Lee Curtis. What is AIR Time? AIR Time is a guest artist interview series featuring North Texas artists and creative thinkers. AIR defines artist very broadly. Past artist interviews have included Kevin Carr and Jamie Fulton of Community Beer Company; Erin Hannigan, principal oboist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; the Paul Taylor Dance Company; voiceover artist and actor, Alan Ackles; and Tony award nominated sound designer, Tim O’Heir. This project funded in part by the City of Richardson through the City of Richardson Cultural Arts Commission and through the generosity of Erik Wyse of WealthStar Advisors.