University of Arizona Research, Expertise Made Impact in 2016
From unprecedented space-exploration initiatives to a deeper understanding of how viruses spread to the socioeconomic influence of ramen noodles, the University of Arizona made news on a national and global scale throughout 2016.
Here are 10 UA-related stories that generated headlines in the past year:
Bound for Bennu! OSIRIS-REx Launch Was ‘Perfect,’ Sept. 9
OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to bring samples from an asteroid back to Earth and the largest sample returned from space since the Apollo era. The UA leads the mission science team and observation planning and built the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite instrument.
Newly Discovered Planet Has Three Suns, July 6
UA graduate student Kevin Wagner identified the first planet ever found in a wide orbit inside a triple-star system. The planet, known as HD 131399Ab, is “one of the few exoplanets that have been directly imaged, and it’s the first one in such an interesting dynamical configuration,” said study author and UA researcher Daniel Apai.
UA’s Mall Memorial Makes ‘Quiet Statement,’ Dec. 5
The USS Arizona Mall Memorial on campus, with its overt and subtle elements, speaks to UA tradition, design and the continuing effort to preserve the memory of 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona during the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Noodles Supplant Cigarettes as Prison Currency of Choice, Aug. 24
Ramen noodles are supplanting the once-popular cigarettes as a form of currency among state prisoners, but not in response to bans on tobacco products within prison systems. Instead, study author Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate in the UA School of Sociology, found that inmates are trying to figure out ways to better feed themselves as certain prison services are being defunded.
Findings Show How AIDS Spread Across North America, Oct. 26
A new technique that allowed researchers to analyze genetic material from serum samples of HIV patients taken before AIDS was known provides a glimpse of unprecedented detail into the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic in North America. Michael Worobey, head of the UA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, led the research.
Birth Year Can Predict Odds in a Flu Pandemic, Nov. 10
We are not blank slates with regard to how susceptible we are to emerging strains of flu virus, researchers from the UA and UCLA have discovered. The findings could provide information that could be relevant for the development of a universal flu vaccine. Michael Worobey, head of the ecology and evolutionary biology department at the UA, served as a co-author of the study.
UA Law School Opens Admissions to GRE Test Takers, Feb. 10
At the UA’s James E. Rogers College of Law, students now have an alternative to the LSAT. Applicants to the college can submit results from the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE, instead of the LSAT, making the UA the first law school in the country to offer this option.
Cracked, Frozen and Tipped Over: New Clues From Pluto’s Past, Nov. 16
Research by two UA planetary scientists reveals fascinating clues about Pluto, suggesting the small world at the fringes of our solar system is much more active than anyone ever imagined.
Runners’ Brains May Have More Connectivity, UA Research Shows, Dec. 14
Researchers at the UA found that running is intellectually demanding and could affect thinking patterns in people who run, even when they are not running.
The Wasp That Delivers ‘Instantaneous, Debilitating Pain,’ June 27
“Ouch!” has never sounded so authoritative. Out of the mouth of UA entomologist Justin Schmidt, it takes on a whole new meaning. In his recent book, “The Sting of the Wild,” Schmidt ranks different insect stings in order to determine the toxicity and pain of each bite.
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Contact:
Nick Prevenas
UA Communications
520-621-2194
nprevenas@email.arizona.edu
Established in 1885, the University of Arizona, the state’s super land-grant university with two medical schools, produces graduates who are real-world ready through its 100% Engagement initiative. Recognized as a global leader and ranked 16th for the employability of its graduates, the UA is also a leader in research, bringing more than $606 million in research investment each year, and ranking 21st among all public universities. The UA is advancing the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships, and is a member of the Association of American Universities, the 62 leading public and private research universities. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $8.3 billion annually.
