Science News

Combining the resources and expertise of seven institutions in North America and Europe, a research program will offer new insights into the molecular workings of heart muscle cells and how genetic mutations affect their function. Henk Granzier, a UA professor of physiology, is one of two principal investigators leading the prestigious and highly competitive project.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the UA's Steward Observatory and the department of astronomy. "We have the best location of any educational institution in America. The University ought to make itself famous with a telescope." With those words, part of his long and persistent effort to bring a world-class observatory to the UA campus, pioneering astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass set forth his best argument.

Mushrooms are the great decomposers of the Earth. What can these voracious fungi do with urban waste? That's what plant scientists at UA are studying. They're growing mushrooms on coffee grounds, landscape waste, even pizza boxes - and reducing that waste to compost. They're also producing delicious high-quality gourmet mushrooms that could be headed to market.

Adam Block, host and astrophotographer at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, unexpectedly discovered a supernova - a massive star ending its life in a giant explosion - in a photo obtained with the center's Schulman Telescope for a different purpose. He spotted the supernova in a photo he took of a famous galaxy that is 400 million light years away.

Chunks of frozen carbon dioxide most likely carved linear gullies into sand dunes on Mars, according to a new study combining images from the UA-operated HiRISE camera and experiments conducted on dunes here on Earth. The results add to a series of discoveries reminding us that Mars is less Earth-like than it may seem.

Students with the UA beginning teen Astronomy Camp on June 8 got to ask questions of an astronaut orbiting 250 miles above Earth. And just like a rocket launch, the contact was a quick yet thrilling experience. The UA's Don McCarthy said the camp's first time having contact with an astronaut was hotly anticipated, even before the campers arrived in Tucson.

Experts with the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have published a landmark study analyzing why pest resistance to genetically modified crops evolved quickly in some cases, but not in other cases. The global assessment could help to gauge the risk of resistance for new biotech crops before they are commercialized.

Dust clouds around stars are thought to hide undiscovered planets with conditions suitable for life, but observations have been hampered by the fact that only the brightest such clouds can be detected with current technology. UA astronomers are developing a technique to detect faint dust clouds, many of which might hide Earth-like planets.

The NSF annually awards 2,000 Graduate Research Fellowships to students across the nation. This year, 35 of those awards were granted to students who either currently attend or have attended the UA as an undergraduate or graduate student. Said Andrew Carnie, interim dean of the UA Graduate College: "We are tremendously proud of these students."

Higher education institutions play a key role and must be leaders in preparing society to adapt to the needs of a changing climate, according to a new report evaluating education, research, campus sustainability and public outreach. The UA is cited in the report for its "varied and extensive research in adaptation to climate change."

Recent UA graduate Allison Hagerman was captain of the UA women's mine rescue team. She said she was among the 100 percent of her graduating class to walk into well-paying, stable jobs. This feature is part of a series on the role of women in the mining industry.

UA alumna Ruby Barickman wants to inspire other young women to consider careers and leadership in the mining industry. "The more women who get into the industry, the better," said the UA online master's student. This feature is part of a series exploring the role of women in mining.

UA alumna Bree McMaster never thought she'd end up in mining, but she has, and now the former president of the UA chapter of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration says she can't see herself anywhere else. This feature is part of a series about the role of women in the mining industry.

UA alumna Rita Riggs is a mining operations supervisor now working in Salt Lake City. She sees ahead of her not only a life of adventure, but also many opportunities to continue educating the public about the value of mining. This story is part of a series exploring the role of women in mining.

UA alumna Vicki Seppala, today a mining manager, says mining and geological engineering opens up a world of opportunity for young women and men. This is the third story in a seven-part series by the UA College of Engineering about the role of women in mining.

Barb Filas, who graduated from the UA in 1978 then climbed from the underground coal mines of Illinois to the board room of a global mining company, is focused these days on mentoring young women new to the mining profession. "I think they are interested in some of the war stories us more seasoned girls have behind us," said Filas, a semi-retired mom of two grown engineers.

The UA was a trailblazer when, in the 1960s, faculty members established the first Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. Today, 15 such programs exist, and many of them are high-ranked nationally. GIDPs are cross-college academic units designed to develop novel answers to some of the most pressing contemporary challenges.

For years, women have been making a place for themselves in an industry where their exclusion is as old as the profession itself - but where their inclusion today is critical to meeting a shortage of skilled workers. The UA is helping to fill the mining industry pipeline, and this includes educating and guiding female engineers. This is the first story in a series about women in mining.

When Tucson judge Jim Himelic died in 2000, his family and friends established a foundation in his honor to raise funds to support ALS research at the UA and elsewhere. UA researchers studying ALS have greatly benefited from the seed money, in some cases subsequently gaining larger grants, and the foundation's major fundraiser this month intends to ensure that such opportunities continue.

Building on research that sent her biking across Tanzania a couple of summers ago to test remote water sources on the spot for bacteria, the UA's Linda Powers is moving into the diagnostic realm: developing fast, disposable blood tests for pathogens that cause diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.