University of Arizona in the News

As the Department of Defense continues to expand its partnerships with institutions of higher education and the private sector, Network Enterprise Technology Command and Fort Huachuca are partnering with the University of Arizona to leverage technical expertise and further accelerate the innovation of emerging technologies.

University of Arizona engineering researchers, led by biomedical engineering professor and Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow Philipp Gutruf, are creating new tools for a method called optogenetics, which shines light at specific neurons in the brain to excite or suppress activity. Optogenetics experiments are aimed at increasing understanding of how the brain works, allowing scientists to develop and test potential cures for illnesses such as neurodegenerative diseases.

A newly discovered disk of cosmic dust around a faraway exoplanet could one day become a moon. "To actually be able to see an image – not a model, not an interpretation, but an image – with high-enough resolution that you can point at this one spot … is really exciting," said astronomer Kamber Schwarz, who studies planet formation at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Some astronomers suggest setting up a "SatHub" to address the growing threat that satellite megaconstellations pose to the night sky – but funding and support are necessary to make it happen. One way of mitigating the megaconstellation issue might be for those involved in satellite constellations to anticipate impacts long before satellites launch, said Richard Green of the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, director of the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory and chair of the SATCON2 policy working group.

The water levels of two major water bodies – including a major reservoir – have reached historic lows in recent days amid extreme drought conditions in the western United States. The historic lows in Lake Mead and Lake Powell suggest "water users throughout the Colorado River Basin, particularly the Lower Basin, must prepare for lower Colorado River water deliveries over an extended period of time," said Sharon B. Megdal, director of the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center.

American diving duo Delaney Schnell and Jessica Parratto took silver in the women's synchronized 10-meter platform, becoming the first U.S. women to medal in the event since its Olympic debut in 2000. Schnell, who competes for the University of Arizona, is appearing in her first Olympics.

Walmart will begin offering free college tuition and books to its 1.5 million U.S. employees, the latest effort by the country's largest private employer to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. "We're thrilled to partner with Guild Education and Walmart in our mission to deliver Arizona's world-class higher education programs to working adult learners in a flexible, engaging and highly effective way," said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins.

University of Arizona anthropologist Maribel Alvarez and University of Arizona research social scientist David Yetman join "The Times" host Gustavo Arellano and Nevada state Assemblymember Howard Watts III to talk bout their efforts to understand the plants and animals affected by this historic drought.

Rather than setting up fragile and penetrable shields, experts say that COVID-19 vaccines reinforce the defenses we already have, so that we can encounter the virus safely and potentially build further upon that protection. When the virus attempts to force its way in, it will hit "backup layer after backup layer" of defense, said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona.

Dogs may have earned the title "man's best friend" because of how good they are at interacting with people. Those social skills may be present shortly after birth rather than learned, a new study by University of Arizona researchers suggests.