University of Arizona in the News

Chris Impey, a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, writes that teams working on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found a few particularly interesting planets orbiting in the habitable zones of their parent stars. One planet is 30% larger than Earth and orbits its star in less than three days. The other is 70% larger than the Earth and might host a deep ocean. These two exoplanets are super-Earths – more massive than the Earth but smaller than ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.

Over the past year, several higher education institutions and state governments have worked to reduce the cost of college for Indigenous students. In June, the University of Arizona's flagship campus in Tucson launched the Arizona Native Scholars Grant program, which fully covers tuition and fees for full-time undergraduate students who belong to any of the state's 22 federally recognized tribes.

A new University of Arizona microcampus will serve the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Tucson, giving tribal members what leaders called a "homecourt advantage" to complete college degrees and certificates and access university technology, research and tutoring services.

Although reported COVID-19 case levels in the U.S. are still falling after a viral resurgence over the summer, there are preliminary indicators that infection rates may be back on the rise across the country. A photo of an undergraduate student processes wastewater samples from dorm sewage lines while testing for COVID-19 at the University of Arizona Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center is included in the story.

In a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigators from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Arizona and Arizona State University have pinpointed the point-sources of 40% of the worst methane emitters across the U.S.

Limited access to active learning spaces may disproportionately hurt historically excluded groups, and institutions should build more of these spaces in the name of equity, according to a new study. An American Association of Universities-related pilot program at the University of Arizona involved converting pre-existing campus spaces – such as library rooms – into collaborative, active learning environments for students in large STEM courses. Lisa K.

From providing accurate COVID-19 information to advocating for testing and vaccination with cultural sensitivity, community healthcare workers – also known as "promotoras" – have been key to serving marginalized Hispanic populations during the pandemic. Jill Guernsey de Zapien, a community-based public health expert at the University of Arizona in the mid-1980s, designed a 13-lesson plan for promotoras on topics including reproductive health and pregnancy, and where to seek prenatal care.

Willem de Kooning's "Woman Ochre" finally returned to the University of Arizona Museum of Art Wednesday under the protection of Homeland Security, University of Arizona Police, and museum staff and security.

Woman Ochre finally returned to the University of Arizona under the watchful eyes of the Department of Homeland Security, Tucson Police, and museum staff and security on Sept. 14.

A new modeling study has found that, while the two planets may have once been in sync, Saturn has since escaped Neptune's pull. A missing moon may be responsible for this planetary realignment. William Hubbard, a professor emeritus at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, is a study co-author.