University of Arizona in the News

Astronomers around the world are concerned about a handful of commercial companies proposing to flood low-Earth orbit with tens of thousands of satellites, with the potential to far exceed that. "The experience we've had in interacting with industry is that they've been exceedingly cooperative in trying to deal with their individual objects and how much light they scatter," said Richard L. Green, an astronomer at the University of Arizona who is part of the executive committee working group on the protection of the skies.

The University of Arizona's adaptive athletics program unveiled a new gym and locker room at the Campus Recreation Center ahead of a wheelchair basketball tournament that showcased the Wildcats' nationally renowned programs.

To get sleep rhythms back in sync, people need to sleep-train their brains, according to clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael Grandner, director of the sleep and heath research program at the University of Arizona, and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.

Dedicated instructors have worked for years to teach large classes in a way that is active, engaging and inclusive. Efforts are underway to improve foundational courses at universities and in disciplines. As a STEM-education researcher, University of Arizona astronomer Ed Prather has demonstrated that his course helps shape students' perspectives on science and society, among other outcomes. Science education matters, as the pandemic has made plain, and Prather knows what he is doing is effective. So, to him, reaching a dozen students at a time is not enough.

Continuing coverage: Craig Nazareth, an assistant professor of practice of intelligence and information operations at the University of Arizona, writes that as the U.S. and other NATO member governments monitor Russia's activities and determine appropriate policy responses, social media, big data, smartphones and low-cost satellites have taken center stage. Nazareth's column was included in The Conversation's collection of essential reads about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It is two decades since the publication of "Unequal Treatment," the first major report to point to longstanding systemic racism as the primary reason for the nation’s deeply entrenched health disparities and the social progress the authors hoped to spark remains spotty. "The data we selected (for the report) reminded me about what was missing," said Jennie Joe, a medical anthropologist and professor emerita of family and community medicine and interim director of the Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native American Health at the University of Arizona.

A study published in the journal Neurology shows people who do vigorous physical activities, such as jogging or playing competitive sports, in areas with higher air pollution may show less benefit from that exercise when it comes to certain markers of brain disease. Masking might help. Both surgical and N95 masks filter some unhealthy particulates, such as soot and other matter, said Melissa Furlong, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Arizona and co-author of the two studies.

For decades, experts say, it was difficult to find consistent representation of Black families on broadcast television. As Netflix has developed its library of original series and films, along with acquiring properties from other networks, they have become a wonderful stop to find a variety of stories that appeal to any viewer.

Confusion surrounding the origins of a discarded rocket booster set to slam into the far side of the Moon March 4 illustrates just how hard it is to track space junk around Earth's only natural satellite. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory last week awarded a team led by University of Arizona assistant professor Vishnu Reddy of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory $7.5 million to come up with better ways to track lunar space junk.

Sam Chambers, a researcher in University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, argues against U.S. Customs and Border Protection's experiment using robotic dogs to patrol the international border with Mexico.