University of Arizona in the News

Given no national system to distribute COVID-19 vaccines exists, with the federal government divvying it up among states and states divvying it up among medical centers, people have become frustrated with varying levels of vaccine availability and a lack of reliable information. This story reports on a continuing debate over vaccine prioritization for immuno-compromised individuals. "Where people can get into trouble is by trying to determine exactly how much is needed for protection.

When a loved one dies, our brain tries to solve a problem. It turns out, that is a common phenomenon when people try to process a loved one's death. Grief expert and neuroscientist Mary-Frances O'Connor likened it to the same panicked "pop-up in the brain" a parent would get if they were to lose track of their child in a mall.

University of Arizona associate professor of law Shefali Milczarek-Desai, director of the Workers’ Rights Clinic and co-chair of the Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program at the College of Law, reacts to the Supreme Court decision this month that killed the federal vaccine-or-test rule for large businesses.

The Student Success District at the University of Arizona provides students and the campus community with many resources. The $81 million project, which took seven years of preparation and construction, connects the Main Library, the Weaver Science-Engineering Library, the new Bartlett Academic Success Center and a renovated Bear Down Gym.

Before Title IX, there were pioneering women who fought for inclusion and equality in sports. One of those is Ina Gittings. Gittings was the first director of physical education for women at the University of Arizona. This podcast episode examines her life and career. Kathleen "Rocky" LaRose, the University of Arizona's former director of athletics, is interviewed.

The documentary "Missing in Brooks County" – produced by University of Arizona associate professor of film and television Jacob Bricca and adjunct professors Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss – looks at Falfurrias, one of the busiest immigration checkpoints in the U.S., and the growing number of deaths plaguing the nation's border region. This story previews the film ahead of its Jan. 31 premiere on PBS and reports on the dangers faced by undocumented migrants as they cross into the U.S. and the treatment they receive.

The American Gemstones project wants to raise appreciation for American gemstones, and those who mine and cut them. Playing a big part in the project now is the University of Arizona's new Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, connected through Somewhere in the Rainbow's Shelly Sergent, who serves on the museum's board and has placed several hundreds of pieces on display there. The gem and mineral museum has a case specifically for the American Gemstones project, which the latter has dubbed the Legacy Collection. It currently focuses largely on American sunstone.

Around 30 oil and gas facilities across the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico spewed large amounts of methane for three years, emitting the equivalent climate pollution from half a million cars. "The magnitude of emissions coming from a handful of methane sources in one of the top oil and gas producing regions illustrates the opportunity to make significant near-term progress toward the stated methane reduction goals of the U.S., other countries and companies around the world," said Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper and a researcher at University of Arizona.

This story reporting on a Washington state indigenous tribe's plan to evict disenrolled members from federally assisted tribal housing quotes Robert A. Williams Jr., a faculty co-chair of the University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program. "There's no such thing as a constitutional right to tribal self-determination," said Williams, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

Scientists have spotted thousands of tracks on Mars created by tumbling boulders in the Tharsis volcanic region, which is predisposed to seismic activity. "These giant masses of dense rock loaded up on the surface creates stresses throughout the surrounding crust of Mars," said University of Arizona planetary geologist and the principal investigator of HiRISE Alfred McEwen, who was not involved in the research.