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Improving Software for Asteroid Detection

Under a newly funded grant, UA computer scientists Alon Efrat and Jonathan Myers will work to improve tracking methods and computer algorithms meant to detect asteroids bound for Earth. The UA researchers are collaborating with the Minor Planet Center, located at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts.

First Rain on World’s Largest Artificial Watershed

The Landscape Evolution Observatory inside the UA’s Biosphere 2 provides researchers with the first opportunity to study how water, microbes, soil and plants interact in a setting realistic enough to improve global climate models for years to come. The world's largest artificial watershed experienced its first - artificial - rain on Nov. 29 during LEO's formal commissioning.

Four UA Professors Elected as AAAS Fellows

Four UA professors in the departments of entomology, chemistry and biochemistry, and ecology and evolutionary biology have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The honor is bestowed on society members by their peers to recognize efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.

UA Prepares High School Students for Research

Since 2007, the UA KEYS program has involved 140 high school students in biomedical research at the University. Many students then choose to study at the UA, where they continue their involvement in the program. The goal is for participants to actively contribute to scientific knowledge.

UA Receives Grand Challenges Exploration Grants

Two researchers in the UA School of Plant Sciences and members of the BIO5 Institute have been awarded grants by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research addressing global health challenges. Zhongguo Xiong and Monica Schmidt are among more than 80 Grand Challenges Explorations grant recipients. Xiong is working to develop a disease-resistant strain of the food crop cassavas, while Schmidt is hoping to produce a groundnut free of the potent carcinogenic compound aflatoxin.

Biofuels From Algae Hold Potential, but Not Ready for Prime Time

Scaling up the production of biofuels made from algae to meet at least 5 percent of U.S. transportation fuel needs would place unsustainable demands on energy, water and nutrients, says a new report from the National Research Council, the operating arm of the U.S. National Academies. Co-author and UA biofuel expert Joel Cuello explains how future innovations could help realize algal biofuels' full potential.

UA BioPark, Solar Zone Recognized by International Economic Development Council

The UA has received national recognition from the International Economic Development Council for two economic development projects. The Bridges/UA BioPark has been recognized as one of the top economic development projects in the United States in 2012, and the The Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park has been recognized as the best project for sustainable and green development for communities with populations greater than 500,000.

Exploring Water Issues Through the Arts, Humanities

Edited by UA faculty members, the soon-to-be published "Ground|Water: The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River" explores local water issues in a global context through the lens of the arts and humanities. Contributors include students and faculty members who submitted essays, poems, photographs, drawings and other works of art.

The Ecology of Voter Signs

Students in Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman's UA ecology class have canvassed Tucson streets collecting data on everything from plant cover and bird diversity to political signs. The data will go into a five-year study investigating Tucson's urban ecology trends, including how residents' political views could shape how they interact with the environment around them.

Dry Leaves Make for Juicy Science

The simple observation that leaves shrink when they dry out has far-reaching consequences for scientists studying how ecosystems work, a UA graduate student has discovered. Enlisting a team of 40 middle school students, he set out to study a phenomenon that has been largely overlooked by the scientific community but is likely to bias ecology and climate studies.

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