News

Students Learn Design Thinking in Unique Research Project

It was the beginning of fall semester 2020, and Sydney Phan was logging into a new course at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. The goal of the course was to find ways of using artificial intelligence to improve patient-provider interactions. Once students received that directive, the rest was up to them.

Scientist Spotlight: Laura Condon

Dr. Laura Condon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS) at the University of Arizona. Dr. Condon's renowned research focuses on large-scale water sustainability and the dynamic behavior of managed hydrologic systems in the context of past development and future climate change. Her work combines physically based numerical modeling with statistical techniques to evaluate large systems using rigorous quantitative methods.

UA’s rainforest in the Pinal desert is a testing ground for understanding methane

University of Arizona assistant professor of environmental sciences Joost van Haren co-leads a project in the Biosphere 2 rainforest designed to determine how much methane seasonally flooded areas of the Amazon emit and the phenomenon known as "methane flux" – the difference between emissions from all methane sources and how much of the gas the Earth's biosphere absorbs in a given period of time.

AgriSolar tour makes first stop at Biosphere 2

The AgriSolar Clearinghouse embarked on its national tour of agrivoltaics at Arizona’s Biosphere 2. Agrivolatics is the practice of co-locating food production and solar photovoltaics.

Sensor Lab and Holodeck Grand Opening

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Sensor Lab and Holodeck are new resources that provide access to sensor technology and digital mixed-reality expertise to encourage creativity and innovation in research and education within and beyond UArizona.

A Project on the DNA of Bees Opened Up Research Career for Pima Alum

Briana Pomales started her research on the DNA and migratory patterns of bees at Pima. Today, she is a research assistant and peer mentor at the University of Arizona.

Health Sciences Recipients of the Fall 2021 Provost's Investment Fund Award

Proposals from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, College of Medicine – Tucson and the College of Pharmacy are among the recipients of the Fall 2021 Provost's Investment Fund (PIF).

Biosphere 2: The Once Infamous Live-In Terrarium Is Transforming Climate Research

Here in Biosphere 2, the world’s largest controlled environment dedicated to climate research, scientists can tinker with scaled-down ecosystems by switching off sprinklers and cranking up the thermostat to learn about the effects of global warming out in the real world.

Vertically Integrated Projects in Environment & Resilience

This summer, the Arizona Institutes for Resilience launched its support for Vertically Integrated Projects, or VIPs, focused on inquiry and research into pressing environmental and resilience challenges. VIPs provide a compelling and authentic avenue for student engagement and collaboration as undergraduate and graduate students work alongside postdoctoral scholars and faculty members in long-term research with tangible outcomes.

Dr. Martha Bhattacharya receives the 2021 Distinguished Early Career Teaching Award

Martha Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience, is the recipient of the Distinguished Early-Career Teaching Award. This award is given in recognition of outstanding classroom teaching, for less than 10 years, at the undergraduate or graduate levels. “Dr. Bhattacharya designed two new courses for the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NSCS) undergraduate program, entitled ‘How to Build a Brain’ (NSCS 440) and ‘Brain Communication VIP/CURE’ (NSCS 392).

VIP Consortium Announces 2021 Annual Innovation Competition

In response to the disruptions from COVID-19 at many VIP campuses, the VIP Consortium has announced that the 2021 Innovation Competition will proceed without the regional competitions that were previously required. Instead, the top team from each participating VIP site will be able to advance to the final, international competition to be held next year.

Member campuses may determine the format for their local competitions (in person, live online, or by video) according to their campus's current safety protocols and instructional resources. The final level of competition will be entirely virtual. Teams advancing to the finals will be asked to record their presentations and provide access to their videos via Web links.

New Health Sciences VIP Course Is a Meeting of Minds

What if a nursing student interested in improving quality of life for senior citizens could be put on a team with an engineering student and a computer science student? What if a nursing student interested in improving quality of life for senior citizens could be put on a team with an engineering student and a computer science student? That’s the kind of experience Winslow Burleson, PhD, is offering all University of Arizona students with his new course, “Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) in Health Sciences Design,” which is launching in the fall.