UA Sci-Tech

Fifty years ago this week, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. UA alumnus Bill Hartmann, a planetary scientist, remembers Feb. 20, 1962 fondly: "We were just freshly arrived graduate students, and we were all very excited about each new launch that would come along."

The UA will host its ninth-annual Innovation Day at the UA on March 6. The event will celebrate the UA's success in technology development and innovation by highlighting the research achievements of students and faculty and staff members.

Two films that address the social, health and environmental effects of energy production on the Navajo and Hopi lands will be shown at the UA on Feb. 23, followed by panel discussions with Navajo and Hopi environmental leaders and Arizona energy experts.

The NemaSym Research Coordination Network is an opportunity for scientists to collaborate on nematode research. Understanding the relationship between roundworms and their internal bacteria offers insights on an array of problems, including pest management in agriculture.

UA researchers collaborating with those at Washington State University have found that Google’s PageRank algorithm not only has important applications for webpages, but also water molecules. The team's investigation, recently published in the Journal of Computational Chemistry, found important implications for toxic chemicals.

Two main mirrors of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope are being built at the UA's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. Once operational in Chile, the telescope will survey every part of the night sky and detect light from stars becoming supernovas.

UA faculty members have joined an expansive nationwide movement to train and retain 100,000 science, technology, engineering and math teachers over the next 10 years. 

The Michael A. Cusanovich Commemorative Weekend will be held March 2-3 in honor of the late UA researcher.

Juan M. Restrepo, a UA professor in the departments of mathematics, physics and atmospheric sciences, argues that determining how a population of voters behaves cannot be understood only by studying how individuals vote. He and his colleagues have derived a mathematical model for analyzing the behavior of populations of voters.

Astronomers are watching the astronomical equivalent of streaming live video of a spectacular outburst from the unstable, behemoth double-star system Eta Carinae, which initially was seen on Earth nearly 170 years ago.

An investigation found that refrigerator filters work the best, and some pitcher-style filters work to some degree to remove contaminants. Results of the study are scheduled for publication in the March issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

A Rube Goldberg competition, a food drive, a talent show, a career fair, plus numerous community outreach events characterize the flavor of this year's E-Week at the UA, Feb. 16-25.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus that is transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes. The UA's Michael Riehle is studying the lifespans of mosquitoes, trying to determine why cases of dengue occur in some geographic areas and not in others.

Involving artists, engineers, foreign language instructors, filmmakers, environmental scholars and new media studies specialists, the Arizona Centennial Project team is developing a new way to see the UA in the history of Arizona’s statehood.

Trying to carve out salt because of the adverse health effects from having too much? Studies by the University of Arizona College of Medicine found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, helps prevent joint inflammation.

UA engineering alumnus Jim Todsen donated a kidney to his wife, Ae, for their 20th wedding anniversary. The two bounced back from the surgery back to ride with their children in El Tour de Tucson.

A UA astronomy research team was awarded a $600,000 grant for technology development in the NASA’s Explorer mission program. The EXCEDE mission involves a new space telescope for studying the dusty regions near stars to learn how planets form and evolve.

Cell growth factors and a promising chemical called rapamycin were highlights of a campus lecture on longevity by Janko Nikolich-Zugich, co-director of the UA Arizona Center on Aging. Local teachers attending as part of a writing workshop, supported by Research Corporation for Science Advancement, offer their responses.

Dozens of undergraduate researchers will present their original work during the Honors Research Expo, which is now in its 25th year.

Scientists are preparing to launch a 10-year project to study water resources, gas exchange and carbon cycling in three man-made landscapes built in a half-acre laboratory at the UA's Biosphere 2.