Science News Releases
U of I Study Predicts Increase in Global List of Threatened Plant Species
Posted Mon, 03 Dec 2018 14:39:00 -0800
MOSCOW, Idaho — Dec. 3, 2018 — More than 15,000 plant species have a high probability of being considered threatened or near-threatened under a new model used to predict conservation status. The model, which shows the predicted levels of risk to plants worldwide, was published as part of a study to help governments and resource managers evaluate where conservation resources are most needed. Read more
U of I Women in Math and Science Event Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
Posted Tue, 25 Sep 2018 14:51:00 -0700
The University of Idaho and North Idaho College will welcome hundreds of young women from high schools across North Idaho for the 10th anniversary of the hands-on educational event Women in Math and Science, Oct. 2-3 in Coeur d’Alene.
Read more
U of I Researcher, Cassini Team Spot Dust Storms on Titan
Posted Mon, 24 Sep 2018 15:39:00 -0700
MOSCOW, Idaho — Sept. 24, 2018 — Data from the international Cassini spacecraft, which explored Saturn and its moons between 2004 and 2017, has revealed what appear to be giant dust storms in the equatorial regions of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. A team of scientists, including University of Idaho astrophysicist Jason Barnes, published their findings today in the journal Nature Geoscience. Read more
Climate Expert Leads Talk About Risks and Opportunities for Idaho
Posted Thu, 20 Sep 2018 08:00:00 -0700
Kate Gordon, a leader on issues related to climate change and sustainable economic growth, will talk on the risks and opportunities for Idaho in a changing climate at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, as part of the Northwest Climate Conference in Boise. The talk is free and open to the public. A question-and-answer session facilitated by Marcia Franklin of Idaho Public Television will follow Gordon’s presentation in the Grand Ballroom, Riverside Hotel, 2900 W. Chinden Blvd., Boise. A reception will follow. Read more
Geography Speaker Series Focuses on Mapping West African Trade Networks
Posted Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0700
The Geography Department's Speaker Series resumes from 3:30-4:40 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at McClure 209 with a presentation by Olivier Walther. Read more
Modeling Gut Microbial Dynamics
Posted Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0700
Sean Gibbons, a Washington Research Foundation distinguished investigator and assistant professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, is this week's IBEST/CMCI Seminar Series featured speaker. Read more
Mathematics, Statistical Science Host First Jon A. Wellner Lecture
Posted Fri, 31 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0700
The Departments of Mathematics and Statistical Science invite students, faculty and staff to attend the inaugural Jon A. Wellner Lecture at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, in TLC 031. Read more
U of I Secures Funding to Support Sustainability at Northwest Food Processing Plants
Posted Wed, 29 Aug 2018 11:13:00 -0700
The University of Idaho will work with food processors and suppliers in the Pacific Northwest to support reductions in their energy, water and waste footprints as part of a new Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) grant awarded to U of I and its partners around the state. The Idaho Department of Commerce recently released the first $700,000 installment of the $2.1 million grant earlier this month. An additional$1.4 million in funding is anticipated over the next two years. Professor Karen Humes, an expert in hydrology and geospatial science in U of I’s College of Science, will lead efforts to pilot, demonstrate and transfer technologies that will help food processors and producers reduce water and nutrient use, as well as recycle nutrients and other valuable byproducts. Read more
Research Symposium Sponsored by Center for Health in the Human Ecosystem is Oct. 11
Posted Wed, 22 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0700
Kathryn Hanley, a professor of biology at New Mexico State University, will be the keynote speaker Thursday, Oct. 11, at the first Research Symposium sponsored by the Center for Health in the Human Ecosystem. Read more
U of I Visualizing Science Exhibit on Display at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho
Posted Fri, 03 Aug 2018 09:40:00 -0700
The University of Idaho's Visualizing Science exhibit, which brings scientific research to life in art form and reveals a deep kinship inherent in seemingly disparate disciplines, is now on display at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. The exhibit is the result of a nine-month collaboration between interdisciplinary teams of faculty in science, art and design. The project was led by College of Art and Architecture professor and head of the art and design program Sally Graves Machlis and Prichard Art Gallery director Roger Rowley. Read more
Shelley McGuire Appointed Director for School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Posted Fri, 27 Jul 2018 10:43:00 -0700
Michelle (Shelley) McGuire has been appointed the new director for the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences effective Aug. 13, 2018. McGuire joins the University of Idaho and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences from the Washington State University School of Biological Sciences, where she worked as a professor in lactation physiology and nutrition.
Read more
Antibiotic Resistance, Vaccines, Malaria among Projects Funded for U of I Researchers
Posted Wed, 27 Jun 2018 08:00:00 -0700
University of Idaho researchers are trying to answer questions that could help slow the spread of antibiotic drug resistance, develop techniques to produce vaccines more quickly and help with treatment of malaria thanks to three federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The awards to Eva Top, Craig Miller and Holly Wichman in the College of Science and Shirley Luckhart in the colleges of Science and Agricultural and Life Sciences, total nearly $5 million to support multiyear studies aimed at improving disease treatment.
Read more
U of I Experts Available to Discuss Climate Change, Upcoming Fire Season
Posted Thu, 21 Jun 2018 12:02:00 -0700
In Idaho, earlier drying and snow melt over the past half-century have extended the state’s fire season. University of Idaho experts believe the length of time vegetation is dry enough to sustain a burn has lengthened by roughly a month since the 1980s. These changes, as well as shifts in drought conditions, snowpack and myriad other effects of climate change, have prompted frequent questions to university scientists and researchers in recent years. U of I researchers have a diversity of expertise in the varied global, regional and local effects of climate change and the way society can adapt to this evolving climate. U of I experts in climate change, fire science, water resources and other fields are available to speak to media about their ongoing research, trends across the Northwest and the world, as well as answer specialized questions relating to their work. Read more
U of I Undergrads Study Stem Cells, Brain Disorders with Unique Research Award
Posted Fri, 08 Jun 2018 14:00:00 -0700
A University of Idaho sophomore is working to create tendon from stem cells while a senior studies neurological disorders – all with the help of a 15-month undergraduate research award. LeeAnn Hold, a sophomore from El Dorado Hills, California, and Alexandra Flores, a senior from Caldwell, are among undergraduate students from 12 colleges and universities in the United States accepted into the most recent class of the Beckman Scholars Program for undergraduate research. Read more
U of I, Colorado, Columbia Study Pinpoints 2017 Wildfire Triggers Ahead of Fire Season
Posted Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:00:00 -0700
Western wildfire seasons are worse when it’s dry and fuel-rich and the chances of ignition are high. All three factors were pushed to their limits last year, triggering one of the largest and costliest U.S. wildfire seasons in recent decades, according to a new paper by a University of Idaho researcher and counterparts at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Columbia University. “Policy steps are being made to alleviate the costs of firefighting and allow for more proactive fire risk mitigation,” said John Abatzoglou, associate professor in U of I’s Department of Geography. “However, fire is a natural hazard that we will live with and efforts should be made to reflect fire risks based on future conditions rather than the past.” Read more
Yellowstone Study Develops New Way of Estimating Magma in Park Supervolcano
Posted Mon, 04 Jun 2018 10:30:00 -0700
New research from the University of Idaho and Washington State University suggests previous studies have significantly underestimated the amount of heat escaping from the hot springs inside Yellowstone National Park. “By learning about these processes, we will build on our understanding of the Yellowstone supervolcano’s eruption cycle,” said Peter Larson, a professor in the School of Environment at Washington State University. A team of scientists — led by Larson and U of I’s Jerry Fairley, a professor in the College of Science’s Department of Geological Sciences — measured the volume of hot water flowing through several hot springs and estimated the heat loss from the springs. Their study is titled “Direct Measurement of Advective Heat Flux from Several Yellowstone Hot Springs, Wyoming, USA” and was published this week in the journal Geosphere. Read more
U of I Faculty Awarded Seed Grant Funding for 19 Projects
Posted Tue, 15 May 2018 11:00:00 -0700
Nineteen faculty members at the University of Idaho were awarded funding for FY2019 through the university’s Seed Grant program. Sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development, the Seed Grant program helps early career faculty establish a scholarly program. The program aims to promote research, outreach and creative activities that will improve individual faculty competitiveness for external funding and/or will result in publications, patents, recognition, awards or exhibitions/performances. Seed Grant awards ranged from $8,200 to $12,000. Read more
IWRRI Announces First Jordan Scholar Recipient
Posted Fri, 11 May 2018 13:06:00 -0700
The Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is proud to announce Kyle Duckett as the inaugural recipient of the Joseph Jordan Water Resource Scholarship. Duckett is a master's student in the Department of Geology. He will receive $5,000 in tuition support and a 10-week summer internship with Idaho Power Company to gain experience in the field of water resources. Read more
Center for Modeling Complex Interactions (CMCI) Request for White Papers
Posted Thu, 10 May 2018 11:22:00 -0700
The Center for Modeling Complex Interactions (CMCI) requests white papers outlining ideas for research projects related to our mission. CMCI fosters interdisciplinary biomedical research by bringing together modelers and empirical scientists to address problems across all levels of biological organization, from biophysical to ecological. See www.cmciuidaho.org for more information. First consideration of white papers will begin on May 25, 2018 and white papers will be accepted until June 4, 2018. Learn more about the paper requirements here. Read more
Two U of I Faculty Members Earn National Recognition for Research
Posted Thu, 10 May 2018 09:38:00 -0700
Two University of Idaho faculty members have received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for early career scholars. Christine Parent, an assistant professor of biological sciences and member of the Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), and Eric Mittelstaedt, an assistant professor of geology and geophysics, both in the U of I College of Science, earned Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards, along with a combined $1.7 million in research funding. Read more