University of Arizona in the News

'What A Day' Podcast March 11, 2021
Giving vax and taking names

Sana Khan, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and a vaccination site volunteer, is interviewed about what things look like on the ground at the university's high-capacity state vaccination site and what the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic means to her.
New Atlas March 10, 2021
Lunar "Noah's Ark" concept saves backup of millions of plants and animals

University of Arizona researcher Jekan Thanga's ambitious, Noah's Ark-inspired project aims to preserve humankind – and animal-kind, plant-kind and fungi-kind – in the event of a global crisis.
The Washington Post March 10, 2021
Saving the West's most iconic cactus from climate change

Experts say a changing climate is raising concerns about how the saguaro will survive the 21st century in an environment that is getting hotter and drier. "If we're going to find any communities or ecosystems well suited to these climate stressors, the desert is going to be a pretty good one," said Benjamin T. Wilder, director of the University of Arizona's Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, where botanists began studying the saguaro 118 years ago. "I wouldn't bet against a desert species." Michael A. Crimmins, a meteorologist and University of Arizona Climate Science Extension specialist, suspects that the nonsoon resulted from multiple forces, citing La Niña and El Niño, climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that affect weather around the globe.
Entrepreneur March 9, 2021
The 8-year-old girl who studies two majors and dreams of being an astronaut

Adhara Perez, 8, has shown exceptional talents in the field of astrophysics. Those dreams could take her from Mexico City to the U.S. to study at the University of Arizona, her dream school.
U.S. News & World Report March 8, 2021
What Native American law applicants should know

Many university law programs offer Native American applicants dedicated resources, scholarships and mentorship opportunities. "Every Native American law professor is involved in recruitment," said Robert A. Williams, Jr., faculty co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. "We are happy to have applicants to reach out. Native American law professors want students for our courses and programs."
KOLD March 8, 2021
Pima County residents, experts respond to new CDC guidance for fully vaccinated people

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor and 17th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona is interviewed about new health guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for those who are fully vaccinated. Carmona urges everyone to continue to err on the side of caution, especially since those who are vaccinated may still be able to transmit the virus.
Inverse March 6, 2021
How jobs and gender influence how much alcohol you drink

The ongoing pandemic has given rise to a significant and alarming trend of increased alcohol use and abuse – especially among younger adults, males and those who have lost their jobs – according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers.
Engadget March 5, 2021
The world's largest telescope is edging closer to completion

Underneath the stands of Arizona Stadium, a spinning furnace has fired up to cast the sixth mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope. Once it becomes fully operational, the telescope's viewing power will be 10 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope.
CNN March 4, 2021
See Jupiter and Mercury align in the sky and an asteroid flyby this weekend

Mercury and Jupiter will be in conjunction and appear just above the horizon, according to NASA. A conjunction is when two objects appear close together in the sky, but they can actually be millions of miles apart, according to Thomas Beatty, an assistant astronomer at Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona.
The Washington Post March 4, 2021
Butterflies are vanishing out West. Scientists say climate change is to blame.

Hundreds of butterfly species across the American West are vanishing as the region becomes hotter, drier and more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to a study released Thursday. "Even if you just took the professors that were on this paper, all of us, we couldn't cover that geographic area," said Katy Prudic, an entomologist at the University of Arizona who helps run one of the online butterfly database. "There's just not enough of us. So this work, the comparison across the entire West, could not be done without citizen science."