Pronghorns Making a Comeback in West Texas

byTravis Putnam Hill

Private landowners are working with the state to rebuild the herd in the face of drought, disease and habitat loss.

Armed with Apps, Citizen Scientists Track Animal Populations

bySwathi Narayanan

At the Wild Basin Preserve, members of the public track birds with mobile apps, helping collect information for wildlife biologists.

Textbook Warrior Fights ‘Satanic Thought’

byJohn Savage

Neal Frey campaigns to make sure Texas textbooks include the conservative Christian perspective on issues such as evolution, American exceptionialism and sexual mores.

History Professor Kickstarts Soccer Club at San Antonio Community College

byAaron Schnautz

For David Galindo, winning wasn’t his main priority this year. The 27-year-old history professor at Northwest Vista College was happy just to see his school put a team on the field.

UT-Austin Remains Short of Black Faculty Members

byDestinee Harrison

Only 3.6 percent of UT-Austin professors are black, while 77.3 percent are white – a figure that is high even by Texas standards.

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.

In Texas’ Troubled Foster Care System, Treatment Centers Are a Bright Spot

bySamantha Ketterer

The centers provide therapy and special care for children traumatized by abuse and neglect.

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.

Software Engineer from Boston Bats for Austin Baseball

byAaron Schnautz

In 2009, Alan Feldstein started Alan’s Austin MLB, a group of baseball fans who get together and watch games at sports bars around the city. Membership has grown to 162.

As Whitaker Fields Are Renovated, UT Club Teams Scramble

byRenee Moreno

Until the renovation is completed, 10 club teams have to share a single field at Clark Field, rent other fields or not play at all.

Full Lakes Spell Busy Summer for Sheriff’s Divers

byWes Scarborough

This summer, the team faces two big challenges: a short-staffed dive team and more lake-goers. On top of that, its divers are typically working in cold conditions with little or no visibility.

Six Years Later, Deepwater Restoration Money Starts Flowing

byAnna Casey

A Texas coalition reviewing applications for projects to repair will award grants worth millions of dollars from a trust fund fed by fines paid by British Petroleum and the other companies responsible for the disaster.

Tactical Urbanism Is Taking Root in Austin

bySwathi Narayanan

Small-scale projects, from bus-stop benches to spruced-up alleys, are showing a new way to improve urban life.

The Different Worlds of Youth Baseball

byAustin Hamby

Since 1950, young Austinites have played on generations of teams like the Scrappers and the Strikerz. Yet in recent years South Austin organizers, like others around the country, have faced declining enrollment numbers.

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.

East Austin Walking Tours Tell the Area’s History Through its Landmarks

bySwathi Narayanan

The initiative, which started last year, comes amid rapid change. As rising property prices and taxes spur long-time residents to move to the suburbs, architecture important to East Austin’s history is being erased.

Experts Warn of Hydrogen Sulfide Dangers

byBrianna Walker

Hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, is a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, but there the similarity ends. At lower levels, the gas causes nausea, headaches and dizziness. Larger doses can result in loss of smell and ultimately death. The poisonous gas made headlines on April 13 after Austin firefighters responded to a cardiac arrest […]

Healing on the Back of a Horse

byQiling Wang

Designed to complement traditional forms of therapy, Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapy has, its adherents say, become an increasingly popular adjunct for a variety of diagnoses, among them depression, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and Down Syndrome.

IGNITE Aims to Fire Up Political Ambition in Young Women

byEmily Gibson

Cindy Ramirez has been interested in politics since she was a ninth-grader. That year, she joined the Dallas chapter of IGNITE, an organization that works to inspire more young women to become involved in politics. Once at the University of Texas at Austin, Ramirez sought out the program again, and is now marketing director of […]

New Fleet of UT Shuttles to Help Maintain Air Quality in a Growing City

bySwathi Narayanan

The new buses are getting good reviews for updated amenities, and they also play a part in a regional effort to control smog pollution despite rapid population growth.