Texas A&M Entomologist Provides Insight on Global Locust Devastation

byTyler Lewis

Hojun Song, a professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M, has been researching grasshoppers and crickets, with a focus on the evolution of swarming locusts. Reporting Texas spoke with Song on the video conferencing app Zoom about his research.

 

Austin-based Roommates Develop Low-cost Ventilator Unit Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

byNataleah Small

Two Austin-based roommates have developed a low-cost ventilator unit made from parts widely available around the world in response to global shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In vitro testing on pig lungs for their prototype could begin soon at Dell Medical School. 

UT Scientist’s Research Should Shorten Path to Novel Coronavirus Vaccine

byAimée Knight

Jason McLellan works with the spike proteins that give the virus its shape and allow it to attach to receptors on human cells and begin to replicate.

Boiz Being Boiz: Group Members Find Identity, Community Through Drag

byHope Lenamon

Boiz of Austin aims to tear down barriers and redefine what it means to be a king in the queen-dominated world of drag.

An Undergrad Astronomy Major Helps Revolutionize Her Field

bySahar Chmais

Anne Dattilo, 22-year-old physics and astronomy undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin, discovered two exoplanets, or planets outside Earth’s solar system.

Texas Faces Another Unpredictable Mosquito Season

byKayla Meyertons

With the start of the 2019 mosquito season upon us, state public health officials plan to proceed as usual — expecting the worst.

Playing with Fire, UT Professor Sparks Interest in Chemistry (and Sometimes Things Explode)

byAlexia Puente

A a girl in Michigan, Kate Biberdorf discovered joy and beauty in science. She brings that sense of wonder — and plenty of pyrotechnics — to her students at the University of Texas.

Huge Current of Tropical Air Connects Weather Extremes

byCHRISTOPHER DE LOS SANTOS

Summer snow in Canada while Texas bakes: It’s all about the teleconnection.

UT System’s Los Alamos Lab Bid Promises Prestige But Also Challenges

byScott Squires

Managing the national laboratory could bring millions in research dollars to UT campuses. But the UT System also would have to address a string of serious problems there.

Cadavers Remain Vital Partners in Training Doctors at Dell Medical

byDanielle Smith

As some substitute software for real bodies, the UT-Austin school uses both in its study of anatomy.

Science, and Chance, Propelled African-American Engineer to NASA

byLouise Rodriguez

She has broken barriers as an African-American woman in engineering. Now she leads a top project at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Nonprofit Provides Channels Into Technology for High School Girls

byKatherine Heighway

Portland-based ChickTech’s programs are generating interest in science, technology, engineering and math in Central Texas.

In Austin, Avoiding the Rush or Carpooling Can Pay Off

byKatherine Heighway

Metropia, a smartphone app, offers gift cards and charitable donations to drivers who share rides or travel during off-hours.

Bumblebees Are Better Pollinators, But Also Are Disappearing

byMegan Hix

In February, the Trump administration sidelined a plan to put one bumblebee species on the endangered list.

From Chemistry Lab to Firefighting, UT Lecturer Wears Many Hats

byYi Li

Sara Sutcliffe once was terrified of fire engines. Now the chemistry professor is a volunteer firefighter and teaches fire science.

Austin Warms to an App That Feeds Parking Meters

byKatherine Heighway

Thirteen percent of the city’s transactions are now online, as more people rely on a smartphone app that lets them replenish their parking time.

Texas A&M Researchers Working to Avert a Global Coffee Crisis

byAnna Casey

Climate change threatens one of the world’s most popular beverages and a crucial crop in some developing countries. The Texas researchers hope to create a coffee plant that can stand up to hotter temperatures.

As Research Funds Dry Up, Science Doctorates Make a Beeline for Data Jobs

byCate Malek

In 2012, the Harvard Business Review called data science “the sexiest job of the 21st century.” This is especially impressive considering that the title “data scientist” did not exist until 2008.

UT is ‘Ground Zero’ for Research on Little-Known Oil Recovery Techniques

byAustin Hamby

The University of Texas at Austin’s graduate petroleum engineering program, renowned for its enhanced recovery techniques for oil reservoirs, was ranked as the best in the country this year.

As Pay and Prestige Grow, More Men Pursue Nursing

byEstefania Espinosa

Men were 9.6 percent of registered nurses in 2011, up 2 percentage points from 2000, according to the Census Bureau. “You feel like you’re doing something for somebody else,” Casey Luong, a nursing student, said.