Science

A new program funded by the UA’s Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry is transforming the popular walking spot into a creative hub for artists and scientists.

What organizers call the first 4-H Fab Lab in the country, and the first fabrication laboratory in an Arizona public school, is engaging students in STEM and fulfilling the mission of UA Cooperative Extension.

It's still a long way to get from data to wisdom, said Nirav Merchant, director of the UA's Data Science Institute, in his lecture on "Working Alongside Thinking Machines."

The UA president's focus on the convergence of the physical, digital and biological worlds will be addressed by "Humans, Data and Machines," which launched Monday night with a lecture on algorithms and artificial intelligence by UA professor Stephen Kobourov.

The annual lecture series, which kicks off on Jan. 22, will examine the scientific, technological, legal and personal impact of revolutionary change in the way we live and work.

The endowment from Edward P. Bass will enable Biosphere 2 to address some of the century’s most critical questions in food, water and energy security as the world's population nears 8 billion. "The University of Arizona is ideally suited to make the most of Biosphere 2's resources," Bass says.

The fall series, conducted across four Tucson-area locations, brings the community together with UA faculty and graduate students.

Many Tumamoc Hill visitors are unaware of the Tucson site's ecological and archaeological value. The UA College of Science hopes to change that with a new mobile app.

The Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory tests shrimp samples, identifies diseases and certifies disease-free stock to help the nearly $40 billion farmed shrimp industry provide a safe food supply. And, yes, there's a reason for the lab's desert location. With UANews video.

UA scientists Thomas Galarneau and Xubin Zeng say this year's hurricane activity isn't too unusual. However, two Category 4 storms hitting the U.S. does qualify as exceptional.