University of Arizona in the News

Backyard astronomers can look through their telescopes Tuesday night to catch a glimpse of a near-Earth asteroid zipping past our planet at 43,754 miles per hour. "While asteroid 7482 is passing by the Earth at about 5 times the Earth-Moon distance, its orbit is extremely well-determined, and it does not pose any impact risk to the Earth over the next century," said Amy Mainzer, a professor of asteroid surveys at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab.

 Avoiding rejections protects our ego, but it also means we cheat ourselves out of growth. This story cites studies by University of Arizona psychology professor Robert C. Wilson that found there is "a 'just right' amount of failure" – about 15% of the attempts – that keeps people motivated.

Stephanie Troutman Robbins, department head of the University of Arizona's Gender & Women's Studies Program, contributes an essay explaining how she was influenced, personally and professionally, by the works of author bell hooks, who passed away Dec. 15.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins discusses the strengths of the university’s role in space exploration and technology and Tucson's emergence as the "Space City of the Southwest."

University of Arizona aerospace and mechanical engineering researchers have received $3.5 million in funding from the state of Arizona's investment in the New Economy Initiative and $6.5 million in federal support through the Department of Defense's Test Resource Management Center to upgrade hypersonic facilities and related research infrastructure.

Adia Barnes, the head coach of the University of Arizona women's basketball team, reflects on her approach to balancing her family with her career, and how a moment during the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship became a viral sensation about modern motherhood.

University of Arizona oceanography professor Joellen Russell and other women scientists discuss trying to overcome climate "doomerism" – the idea that nothing can be done to stop global warming.

When University of Arizona students return from holiday break, they will be able to meet some of their health and wellness needs at the newly renovated Bear Down Gymnasium. The renovation, which is set for completion in January, is the final piece of an $81 million buildout called the Student Success District.

A sweeping new study dissects how pathogens get passed on from bird poop to farms to food. Building on previous research, the study published recently in Ecological Applications also illustrates the scale of risk and proposes how some farms can deter harmful wildlife interactions – and welcome beneficial ones. Sadhana Ravishankar, professor of food safety at the University of Arizona, stresses that while understanding who the predominant carriers of disease are, being able to deter them is another story. "Farmers can probably take precautionary measures, but nature is so vast.

Many call Tucson the astronomy capital of the world, and for good reason. The University of Arizona spent $121,908,000 on astronomy and astrophysics research in fiscal year 2020, more than any other school, according to a survey from the National Science Foundation. Most of that goes toward the university’s contributions to developing NASA planetary missions and the research behind them. Professor Mark Marley graduated from UArizona before working at NASA for 20 years.