Current News

News: Mineral Museum Continues to be Open to the Public

The UA Mineral Museum will continue to be open to the public due to the generous financial assistance of the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and an anonymous donor.

News: Graduate Students Develop Skills, Share Science Expertise with K-12 Teachers

The weeklong BioME Summer Institute marked the beginning of a year-long partnership between Tucson teachers and UA graduate students.

News: New Club for Women in Biosciences Focuses on Public Speaking Skills

Researchers and scientists at The University of Arizona are often charged with communicating their findings to their peers, but when it comes to explaining them to the general public it can sometimes be challenging to boil complex work down so that it is accessible to the average listener.

News: More Summer Programs to be Held at UA SkyCenter

The University of Arizona SkyCenter, located atop Mount Lemmon, is hosting a series of summertime programs, including its "SummerNights" stargazing events. Stargazing can sometimes be difficult in the Southwest because of afternoon to early evening thunderstorms, typical in July and August. But the SkyCenter, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, will be taking advantage of the summer's clear nights during its SummerNights program.

News: Cool Off With a UA Day Trip

If you're looking for ways to escape the heat with your family this summer, you might want to think about a day trip to one of The University of Arizona's "cool" off-campus attractions. Lower temperatures and fun family activities are just a short drive away at the following spots, perfect for a weekend retreat. You may even be able to snag a UA employee discount.

News: New Report Outlines Current, Future Impacts of Climate Change

A new report issued today by the U.S. Global Change Research Program outlines the extent of climate change around the U.S. and its effects not only at present but for the future as well.

News: Flandrau’s Observatory Remains Open to The Public

Thanks to a number of dedicated astronomy volunteers, Flandrau: The University of Arizona Science Center's 16-inch telescope remains open for public viewing. The volunteers have enabled the observatory to continue operating despite the center's closure following state budget cuts.

News: Energy Frontier Research Center Introduced at UA

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and UA President Robert N. Shelton were among those who attended a dedication of the new Energy Frontier Research Center at the UA. The center, funded by a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, will focus on developing clean solar energy and "Generation III" photovoltaic cells.

News: SkyCenter to Offer Weekend Educational Programs

Summer visitors to The University of Arizona's Mount Lemmon SkyCenter will learn about more than just the heavens. Through the SkyCenter's "DiscoveryDays" program, beginning on Saturday, June 13, guests will gain an understanding of the science taking place on Mount Lemmon and at the UA, along with how science integrates with art and culture.

News: UA Scientist Warns Congressional Committee on Threats to Colorado River Basin

A "perfect storm" of population growth, drought and climate change threatens residents of the Colorado Basin, according to a University of Arizona researcher.

News: UA's goal for Biosphere 2: self-sufficient science hub

ORACLE — They've ripped out the soil that once grew food for eight Biospherians sealed inside a glass replica of the Earth for two years, starting in 1991. A partition now segregates Biosphere 2's rain forest "biome" from what was designed to be one big, breathing organism under glass in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains.

News: Where Science, and Music, Lives

Classical pianist Simone Gorete Machado became Biosphere 2's first musician-in-residence in January. She joined forces with UA scientists on a public presentation about climate change in the Amazon rainforest.

News: The Dirt is Flying at Biosphere 2 near Oracle

News: New Engineering School to Address Region's Sustainability Issues

Minerals that degrade the quality of ground water and water from the Central Arizona Project might find a profitable market elsewhere – if they can be commercially extracted. The sunshine that pours down on Arizona nearly every day is still an elusive source of cost-effective electricity, and the state's strong but aging semiconductor industry faces environmental sustainability issues that threaten its existence. A newly formed engineering school at The University of Arizona will work on addressing these and other issues in the Southwest.

News: Biosphere 2 Initiating New Project

A section at Biosphere 2 is undergoing a transformation to prepare for a new experiment at the facility. Construction crews are making space inside the dome for the hillslope experiment, one that will help scientists answer key questions about ways vegetation, climate, water and other factors affect soil.

News: Work Underway on Major Biosphere 2 Experiment Site

The ability to accelerate the evolution of landscapes to evaluate ways that vegetation, climate, water runoff and numerous other variables affect the soil and predict reactions in ecosystems would be a tremendous boon to science. And that is what researchers at The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 are attempting. The largest experiment to be conducted at Biosphere 2 since the UA took over management of the site has moved out of its 2-year planning stage and into its construction phase.

News: U.S. Interior Department Honors UA Researchers

Three units at The University of Arizona were honored by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of the Interior's "Partners in Conservation Award" was presented to the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics and the Arizona Water Institute on May 7.

News: DOE to Establish Energy Frontier Research Center at UA

The University of Arizona in Tucson will become the home of a $15 million Energy Frontier Research Center, or EFRC, one of 46 new centers of its kind announced this week. At the UA, research could one day lead to "Generation III" photovoltaic materials thin enough, flexible enough and inexpensive enough to go not only on rooftops but in windows, outdoor awnings and even clothing.

News: Fire Influences Global Warming More than Previously Thought

Fire's potent and pervasive effects on ecosystems and on many Earth processes, including climate change, have been underestimated. This is according to a new report from a team that includes Thomas W. Swetnam of The University of Arizona in Tucson.

News: UA Skyline to See Dramatic New Additions of Solar Panels

The University of Arizona and APS Energy Services announced today their partnership to bring solar energy to the University campus on an unprecedented scale, utilizing solar collectors to cover the roofs of some of the most prominent structures on campus. Beginning in May 2009, the rooftops of McClelland Hall, McClelland Park, the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, the Student Recreation Center, and most dramatic of all, the 2nd Street Garage, will gleam with photovoltaic electricity panels, solar water heating units or a combination of both, officials announced at a Wednesday morning news conference near the garage.

News: Life Names Biosphere 2 "Man-Made Wonder"

The UA's Biosphere 2 has been recognized as one of the world's "50 Must-See Natural and Man-made Marvels." A special publication released by Life Books lists the Biosphere 2 alongside the likes of the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Burj Dubai, the Hubble Telescope and the International Space Station.

News: UA Team a Winner in National Sustainability Competition

A University of Arizona student-led team of researchers has been named among the winners in the annual People, Prosperity and the Planet competition held in Washington, D.C. The UA project, Development of Sustainable Integrated Aquaculture Systems with Assessment of Environmental, Social, and Economic Implications" was competing with about 40 other teams during the competition, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hosted.

News: Science Foundation Arizona Launches Solar Initiatives Totaling $4 Million

Science Foundation Arizona announced that is investing $4 million in five new solar technology initiatives and opening the Solar Technology Institute. The Solar Technology Institute, or STI, is a collaborative effort to deploy Arizona's significant solar resources with industry and the research strengths of The University of Arizona and Arizona State University to enhance the state's global leadership in renewable energy.

News: Biosphere 2 Celebrates Earth Day with Festival

The Biosphere 2 drew record numbers of patrons on Saturday during its first Earth Day Festival. The UA research and education center organized presentations by UA scientists, demonstrations and musical performances in celebration of the Earth and its natural resources.

News: Trees May Dry Up With Global Warming

Warming global temperatures could cause massive tree die-offs. That's the gloomy conclusion of a new study by scientists at the University of Arizona. The study addressed a fairly basic question: Do warmer temperatures make trees more susceptible to drought?

News: Biosphere 2 Experiment Shows How Fast Heat Could Kill Drought-Stressed Pine

Widespread die-off of piñon pine across the southwestern United States during future droughts will occur at least five times faster if climate warms by 4 degrees Celsius, even if future droughts are no worse than droughts of the past century, scientists have discovered in experiments conducted at The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2.

News: UA Solar Panel Research to Benefit Future Users

Alexander Cronin, a UA associate professor of physics and optical sciences, is working with a team of students working with panels at the Tucson Electric Power solar test yard. The UA team has been studying various types of solar panels as part of an effort to ultimately determine how long they will last and which is most cost efficient.

News: Biosphere 2 Will Celebrate Earth Day With Music, Art and Science

The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 will combine music and art with science, technology and business at its first Earth Day Festival to be held on the Biosphere 2 campus near Oracle, Ariz., on Saturday, April 11. The Biosphere 2 celebration "is all about breaking down barriers between science and art, and bridging the gap between the science and the public," said Biosphere 2 director Travis Huxman.

News: Biosphere 2 From All Angles

Judy Natal, who is spending hours taking photographic images of the UA's Biosphere 2, is exploring ways in which humans attempt to control and mimic nature. Natal, a Columbia College Chicago photography professor, is the first B2 Institute artist-in-residence.

News: SkyCenter and Catalina Sky Survey Offer Asteroid Workshop on Mount Lemmon

University of Arizona astronomers who lead the world in finding potentially hazardous asteroids will help teach a workshop on observing asteroids and near-Earth objects at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson early next month. Astronomers from Steward Observatory's Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory's Catalina Sky Survey will give participants hands-on experience in observing, image processing and data analysis. Participants will use the SkyCenter's state-of-the-art 24-inch RC Optical Systems telescope for observing and its new Learning Center classroom and lodging facility.

News: UA's Biosphere 2 Will Go Solar, Thanks to SOLON Corp. Gift

SOLON Corp., a solar panel manufacturing firm that opened its U.S. branch in Tucson last year, has joined forces with The University of Arizona in a major new project that could well trigger greater solar energy use around the state. SOLON Corp. has donated 470 photovoltaic modules valued at more than $229,000 to provide more than 40 kilowatts of energy to UA's Biosphere 2.

News: BIO5 Presents 3rd Annual Arizona K-12 Science Teacher Symposium

From processing forensic evidence to exploring climate change through tree rings, teachers will participate in a wide variety of hands-on workshops at the third annual Arizona K-12 Science Teacher Symposium being held next month.

News: New Regents’ Professors Appointed

The Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday approved the designation of three new Regents' Professors at The University of Arizona, the highest honor awarded by the University to its faculty members. Professors Fernando Martinez, Susan Karant-Nunn and William Shuttleworth have received the prestigious title because their academic achievements have garnered them national and international recognition.

News: Ecologist David D. Breshears Awarded Leopold Leadership Fellowship

David D. Breshears, a University of Arizona professor of natural resources, has been awarded a 2009 Leopold Leadership Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to outstanding environmental scientists with leadership abilities and a strong interest in communicating science to policy makers, media and the public.

News: Biosphere 2 Short Course is First Class, Arizona Science, Math Teachers Say

Arizona science and math teachers had high praise for a weekend short course held at Biosphere 2 called "Discovering Darwin Days: Teaching Evolution in the K-12 Classroom." A big part of why the short course was so effective is that teachers themselves organized and ran it, Biosphere 2 educators say.

News: Survival of the Sphere? Rainforest Notes

Biosphere 2 will host a special two-part event exploring the science and cultural aspects of tropical rainforests under climate change. Deborah Clark, world-renowned tropical ecologist, will kick off the event at 3:30 p.m. with a seminar entitled: What is the Future of Tropical Forests under Climate Change? Following will be an evocative performance by Brazilian classical pianist Simone Gorete Machado and University of Arizona ecologist Scott Saleska. This event will take place on March 5, 2009 on the main campus of The University of Arizona located in Tucson.

News: Sustainable bubble: UA studies energy conservation at Biosphere 2

Off Highway 77, a futuristic glass mansion rises from the desert floor. Beneath it, a tiny house collects rainwater on its roof that will flush its toilet and sustain its plants. The glass mansion is Biosphere 2, and the water-harvesting project is just one sign of the University of Arizona’s aim to use the facility to study and promote sustainability. When eight red-suited researchers stepped ceremoniously into Biosphere 2 in 1991 to try living in a sealed-off ecosystem financed by Texas billionaire Edward Bass, they hoped to acquire know-how that would help the world.

News: UA Already Recycled 483,000 Pounds in National Competition

Five weeks into the nationwide RecycleMania competition, The University of Arizona campus community has recycled 483,444 pounds of material. With five weeks left in the competition, the UA has already surpassed Residence Life's recycling total from last year, which amounted to less than 70,000 pounds.

News: Biosphere 2 Will Hold Two-Part 'Survival of the Sphere' Event on UA Campus

The Amazon rainforest acts as an important reservoir for atmospheric carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas that drives global warming, and it's also an irreplaceable font of species biodiversity. So Amazon rainforest survival concerns the world, not just Brazil. Scientists, musicians and artists at The University of Arizona may live in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, but they lead world-class projects changing what we know about and how we view the Amazon rainforest.

News: Biosphere 2 Hosts International Year of Astronomy Program

The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 and Mount Lemmon SkyCenter will unveil a new museum exhibit celebrating the International Year of Astronomy 2009 inside Biosphere 2's unique glass-enclosed, 3-acre dome on Saturday, Feb. 21. The program starts at 2 p.m. The exhibit will be uncovered at 3 p.m.

News: Spring 2009 Biosphere 2 'Let's Talk Science' Public Lectures

The B2 Institute at Biosphere 2 organized a public lecture series to offer Saturday visitors a chance to hear scientists speak about some of the best physical science research under way at The University of Arizona. Beginning Feb. 14, this spring's B2 Institute "Let's Talk Science" lectures will be held at 11 a.m. in the Biosphere 2 Theater.

News: Biosphere 2 Offers New Public Tour Attractions

The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 has expanded its daily public tours just as the facility begins its busy touring season. "Biosphere 2 visitors take 'under the glass' tours where they can see and smell the only rain forest in the desert," Biosphere 2 Director Travis Huxman said. Tours also pass through Biosphere 2's desert and savanna, and near a marsh and a million-gallon saltwater ocean. And those aren't even the new attractions. "Visitors can now explore more of this one-of-a-kind facility, and learn more about the science that goes on here," Huxman said, "and that's exciting."

News: Biosphere 2's next chapter

Biosphere 2, like Earth (Biosphere 1), is a complex, evolving organism that’s not easily classified, labeled or pigeonholed. The University of Arizona’s glass-enclosed living laboratory sprawls across three acres of high desert near Oracle. It’s part laboratory, part tourist attraction, part sustainability demo site, part conference center, part public-education facility.

News: UA to Open STEM Teacher Education Resource Center at Biosphere 2

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) has awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant to The University of Arizona's B2 Institute, located at Biosphere 2, to establish a teacher resource and training center that will expand the quality and retention of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers in Arizona. The Philecology Foundation is partnering and providing a matching grant to fully fund the Center.

News: Biosphere 2 to Become Teacher-Training Center

Biosphere 2, a research complex leased by the University of Arizona, will become a training center for teachers specializing in science and technology, The Arizona Republic reports. Constructed near Tucson in the 1980s and formerly managed by Columbia University, Biosphere 2 comprises a set of artificial ecosystems that housed two crews of researchers in the 1990s. The failure of those experiments led many observers to dismiss the project as a pseudoscientific effort, and some Arizona officials now see the switch to a training center as an opportunity to revamp its reputation.

News: Science and Society Fellows To Talk on Climate, Declining Species, Pollution

Five University of Arizona graduate students whose research tackles major concerns in ecology and environmental science will give public, non-technical talks about their work during a lecture series that begins Nov. 15 at UA's Biosphere 2. The five are the first Biosphere 2 "Science and Society Fellows," a select group chosen both for the quality of their science and for their eagerness to communicate science beyond academia. "We're tremendously excited about how these Fellows can advance the outreach mission of Biosphere 2," said Matt Adamson, Biosphere 2's program coordinator for education and outreach.

News: Biosphere 2 Polishes Off Huge Window-Washing Job

It's a window-washing job unlike any other. Window washers will complete the Herculean task of cleaning all 6,500 windows that enclose the Biosphere 2's 3.14-acre living laboratory the week of Oct. 27. A crew of six window washers from the 5 Star Window Care company of Phoenix have been working from sun up to sun down for more than a week to clean the windows, which haven't been washed in seven years, said John Adams, assistant director of planning and facilities at The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2.

News: Landscape Architecture Students to Present Visionary Site Plans for Biosphere 2

University of Arizona landscape architecture graduate students will present four competing master site plans for Biosphere 2 at the campus near Oracle, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 24. Students were asked to develop plans that reflect the UA's interest in building on Biosphere 2's history of innovation. Goals include developing the site to create a world-class experience for visitors that showcases cutting edge research and state-of-the-art sustainable technologies that can be used to responsibly manage the facility in the future, said Hassan Hijazi, Biosphere 2 director of external affairs and development.

News: Biosphere 2 Science Saturdays: Science Up Close

You don't have to be enrolled in or work for The University of Arizona to help its students and scientists get a handle on environmental and conservation issues that affect us all. And you can learn a lot, and have fun, too, whatever your age, by taking part in Science Saturdays at Biosphere 2.

News: B2 Earthscience to Host Science Seminar on October 2nd

Title: "Water and nitrogen in arid environments: interactions and new techniques". Seminar is presented by Dr. Lixin Wang Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Princeton University

News: Biosphere 2 Hosts Fall Lecture Series

This fall, Biosphere 2 will offer a lineup of eight noted University of Arizona researchers to speak on a variety of timely issues. Visitors to The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 this fall will be able to get a science lecture with their tour of the giant controlled-environment research facility in Oracle.

News: Biosphere 2 Adds Space, Synergy to Campus Sustainability Effort

The UA has become nationally recognized for initiatives that are transforming the campus into a green campus, and Biosphere 2 is adding momentum to the synergistic campus sustainability effort.

News: From the Big Bang to Dark Matter: Turning on the Large Hadron Collider

On September 10 , the Large th Hadron Collider will begin operation by sending a beam of sub-atomic particles around a 17-mile underground tunnel beneath the boundary of France and Switzerland. Ultimately the experiment will provide fundamental discoveries about our universe. Come hear University of Arizona physicists discuss their participation in the historic experiment and explain how the world’s largest scientific instrument will reveal secrets about our world.

News: America’s Campuses In 2008: Leading The Way To A Greener Future

America’s institutions of higher education, through their management and operations, are progressing toward a greener future. The nation’s largest survey created to gauge campus sustainability—with more than 1,060 participating schools—demonstrates how our learning hubs integrate green programs into day-to-day operations such as transportation, landscaping, energy conservation, and waste reduction. But schools fall behind when it comes to providing students with the academic preparation needed to face environmental challenges and seize the opportunities of the future.

News: Praise Goes to UA for Sustainability

One of the nation’s most green, environmentally literate and sustainability-conscious higher education institutions resides in Tucson. When it comes to sustainability, The University of Arizona is one of the nation’s high achieving institutions, according to a report by the National Wildlife Federation and the Princeton Survey Research Associates International – “Campus Environment 2008: A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education.”

News: ASUA Hires Sustainability Director

Lesley Ash, a veterinary science senior, has been named ASUA’s sustainability director. Ash will be responsible for developing projects and initiatives that work to reduce waste at the University. At the moment, her main objective is to develop a sustainability committee within ASUA that will involve student clubs and organizations in projects and also to figure out how to develop a composting system at the UA’s student unions and markets.

News: Shelton Addresses Water Issues at Forum in Houston

Water is one of the most prized commodities on Earth – and water quality and availability are two of the most complicated issues in the American Southwest and in northern Mexico. On Friday, University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton addressed fellow university presidents, and education and corporate leaders from throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico at a panel discussion titled "New Water and Old: Water in the 21st Century." The panel was part of the "Encuentros 2008: A Forum for University Presidents on Mexico-U.S. Relations and Research Initiatives" conference, which was held at Rice University in Houston.

News: UA Receives More Than $4M in Fellowships From Science Foundation Arizona

Science Foundation Arizona is awarding 50 incoming graduate and doctoral students at The University of Arizona with fellowships totaling $4.4 million. The awards, part of Science Foundation Arizona’s Graduate Research Fellowship program, have enabled the UA to recruit top graduate researchers in science and technology from across the country. The innovative fellowship program is the largest of its kind in the United States.

News: USA Today selects Biosphere 2 as one of 51 "fresh" summer destinations across the USA

As the summer road-trip season kicks off, high gas prices may be prompting travelers to stay closer to home. With that in mind, USA TODAY's travel staff uncovered one new event or attraction in each state to enliven vacationers' warm-weather travels no matter where they live. The air may be as dry as toast in the desert north of Tucson, but inside Biosphere 2's rain forest, the weather is positively lush. New tours of the tropical 3-acre garden, with its 150 species of plants, mark the first time visitors have been allowed into the habitat within the glass-enclosed Biosphere 2, where University of Arizona researchers study a variety of biomes. $20 adults; $13 children. 520-838-6200; b2science.org Jayne Clark

News: UA sees new era for Biosphere 2

UA officials at Biosphere 2 are working to mold the site of the controversial experiment into a premier scientific hub that gives the public unprecedented access to climate and ecological research.

News: Under New Management

On May 28, 2006, the New York Times reported the possibility of the iconic Biosphere 2 facility in Oracle, Ariz. being razed. Today, about a year after The University of Arizona took over management of the building and surrounding campus, Biosphere 2 is a thriving research and public outreach enterprise, introducing new ways to answer the big questions in science.

News: Studying the Secret Lives of Plants

Scientists and engineers will work together on a project in the UA's Biosphere 2 to study the ways plants change their environment or adapt to it. Salim Hariri, director of the NSF Center for Autonomic Computing at the UA, is also developing a robot for the project.

News: Biosphere 2 Offers Events for Saturday Visitors

Those who tour Biosphere 2 on Saturdays this spring get something special for the price of admission: special Saturday events that include talks by former Biospherians, environmental researchers, and eye-popping stage shows by the Physics Factory.

News: Biosphere 2 Opens Rainforest Experiment to the Public

The University of Arizona Biosphere 2 will open the Brazilian rainforest inside its 3.14-acre glass-enclosed living laboratory to the public for the first time on Friday, Feb. 8.

News: iPlant Collaborative (iPC) Grand Challenge Workshops

Biosphere 2 looks forward to hosting iPlant Collaborative (iPC) Grand Challenge Workshops.

News: UA wins grant to study rain forest

The University of Arizona has landed a $2.5 million federal grant to study the Brazilian rain forest under a National Science Foundation program. The grant will include funding for fieldwork in the Brazilian rain forest and at Biosphere 2.

News: Fox 10 in Phoenix, AZ profiles Biosphere 2

Phoenix, Fox 10's Keith Yaskin takes a look at the latest effort to restore the reputation of Biosphere.