Over the holiday break, faculty and staff are invited to connect with students on the Bear Down Network, an online community of more than 8,300 users. "Students need encouragement more than ever during these challenging times, and mentoring through the Bear Down Network can help," says Marc Acuña, senior director of student and alumni engagement with the University Alumni and Development program.

Identifying the values and meaning behind the holidays you celebrate can help you pinpoint what's most important and then adapt them so they still feel special. Two members of the Life & Work Connections team explain how.

Exoplanets, wastewater testing and COVID-19 among nursing home aides were among the topics of articles published on The Conversation in November.

During this strange and stressful year, many of our favorite stories offered tips, levity and photos of fur babies. We also celebrated employee milestones, FM's essential workers and campus artists.

In this guest column, employee assistance counselor Bob Cunningham suggests heading outdoors for mindful reflection to start 2021 with calmness and hope.

ReDATA is a free research data repository service, where researchers can easily store, find and reuse their data. "We wanted to increase the University's capacity to steward and preserve research data for the long term, as well as make nontraditional scholarship publicly available," says Fernando Rios, research data management specialist. "Unlike many third-party repositories, we provide the quality control that improves the discoverability and reusability of your data, while helping you be in compliance with University data sharing and retention policies."

Kenner – a senior majoring in neuroscience and cognitive science and an employee at THINK TANK – talks about her experience working as a tutor and how the pandemic has changed her job.

Swaim, a revered teacher and mentor, has died at the age of 86. "Donna Swaim is one of the most beloved teachers in the entire history of the University of Arizona," says Alain-Philippe Durand, dean of the College of Humanities. "For 50 years, she opened her students' minds to a bigger world through her humanities and religious studies classes, her service as a faculty fellow and by leading life-changing study abroad trips. The best teachers leave a lasting impact on the lives of their students, and Dr. Swaim changed the lives of thousands."

Congratulations to these recent honorees: Pavani Chalasani, Matthew Mars, Gregg Garfin, Susan L. Beck, Karletta Chief, Amelia Gallitano, Ronald Weinstein, Jeffery Hanna and Brian Erstad.

Despite long-standing technology access challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic, the University's American Indian Language Development Institute is moving forward with its mission to promote and preserve tribal languages. "Preserving language is not about capturing it and putting it away," says Regents Professor Ofelia Zepeda, AILDI director. "It's to capture it so you can use it actively."