Science News Releases
Grad Student Develops Program to Increase Accuracy of Community Formation Processes
Posted Wed, 27 Nov 2019 13:29:00 -0800
Doctoral candidates Megan Ruffley, Katie Peterson and Bob Week recently published a paper in Ecology and Evolution titled "Identifying Models of Trait-Mediated Community Assembly Using Random Forests and Approximate Bayesian Computation." This publication is the second chapter of Ruffley's dissertation and the culmination of her lab rotation in Luke Harmon's lab. Ruffley designed a program called Community Assembly Model Inference, or CAMI. It uses a stochastic algorithm to simulate communities assembled under environmental filtering, competitive exclusion and neutral species assembly processes. The paper and the creation of the accompanying CAMI program involved students and faculty with a wide range of research areas and skill sets. Read more
Getting the Timing Right
Posted Fri, 22 Nov 2019 16:00:00 -0800
Undergraduate researcher Courtney Schreiner, from Scott Nuismer's lab, recently had her first paper published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology. Schreiner's paper highlights her research on the timing of vaccinations for wildlife populations. Read more
Jill Johnson, Biological Sciences, Receives NIH Grant
Posted Tue, 29 Oct 2019 13:28:00 -0700
Professor Jill Johnson, in the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Science, has been awarded a four-year, $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. These funds will be used to better understand the basic mechanism of how the molecular chaperone Hsp90 interacts with other proteins, called clients, in order to regulate their function. Hsp90 is a global cellular regulator that controls the function of up to 15% of all cellular proteins, including many proteins that drive cancerous cell growth. Drugs that target Hsp90 block the function of cancer-causing proteins and stop tumor growth but are too toxic for general use. This award will allow Johnson and her collaborators at the University of Alberta and the Technical University of Munich to better understand Hsp90 function, paving the way toward development of more selective inhibitors of Hsp90 function that have fewer toxic effects. Read more
Study Provides First Step Toward Developing Inexpensive Diagnostic Tests to Assess Risk for Preterm Birth
Posted Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:00:00 -0700
Department of Biological Sciences Distinguished Professor Larry Forney, in collaboration with researchers from Cornell University, the University of Sao Paulo, and other Brazilian universities, recently published a paper in the journal mBio which found that measuring levels of D-lactic acid and a protein called TIMP-1 may be a non-invasive, cost-effective way to assess the risk for preterm birth due to a short cervix. The study provides a first step toward the development of an inexpensive point-of-care diagnostic test to assess the presence of known risk factors for preterm birth in resource-poor areas. Read more
Celebration of Life for Robert Kirchmeier Research Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Oct. 12
Posted Wed, 09 Oct 2019 13:53:00 -0700
The Kirchmeier family invites former friends and colleagues of Bob Kirchmeier, research professor emeritus of chemistry, to a celebration of his life 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at Heyburn State Park. The park was one of Kirchmeier’s favorite places. The event will take place at the covered picnic shelter located just ahead of the Chatcolet boat docks and parking area, a little more than two miles from the park’s Visitor Center. In lieu of flowers, the Kirchmeier family suggests making a memorial donation to the Malcom and Carol Renfrew Chemistry Scholarship Endowment at the University of Idaho. Read more
Bacteria in the Human Vagina that Produce D-Lactic Acid Promote Resistance to Chlamydial Infections
Posted Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:20:00 -0700
Department of Biological Sciences Distinguished Professor Larry Forney, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Maryland, recently published a paper entitled "The Cervicovaginal Microbiota-Host Interaction Modulated Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection" in the journal mBio that detailed their most recent study of the vaginal microbiome. These findings may enable the development of novel microbiome-based therapeutic strategies to protect women from infections and improve vaginal and cervical health. Read more
Energy Storage Technology for Space Travel Discussed at Next IRIC Lunch and Learn
Posted Tue, 10 Sep 2019 13:59:00 -0700
Herb Hess and Christine Berven, faculty in from the Colleges of Science and Engineering, led a team of students to design and build a flywheel energy storage system that can one day be used for space travel and extraterrestrial colonization missions. The team recently built a prototype of this device, which can generate and store energy from renewable sources like the wind and sun. Learn more about the operating principles of this system at the next IRIC Lunch and Learn presentation at noon Thursday, Sept. 19, in the IRIC Atrium, Moscow. Read more
Energy Storage Technology for Space Travel Discussed at Next IRIC Lunch and Learn
Posted Tue, 10 Sep 2019 13:59:00 -0700
Herb Hess and Christine Berven, faculty in from the Colleges of Science and Engineering, led a team of students to design and build a flywheel energy storage system that can one day be used for space travel and extraterrestrial colonization missions. The team recently built a prototype of this device, which can generate and store energy from renewable sources like the wind and sun. Learn more about the operating principles of this system at the next IRIC Lunch and Learn presentation at noon Thursday, Sept. 19, in the IRIC Atrium, Moscow. Read more
Back-to-Back Low Snow Years Will Become More Common, U of I-Led Study Projects
Posted Thu, 08 Aug 2019 10:21:00 -0700
MOSCOW, Idaho — Aug. 8, 2019 — Consecutive low snow years may become six times more common across the Western United States over the latter half of this century, according to a study led by the University of Idaho, leading to ecological and economic challenges such as expanded fire seasons and poor snow conditions at ski resorts. Read more
U of I Study: Thyroid Hormone Can Alter Color Vision in Zebrafish, Potentially in Humans
Posted Mon, 05 Aug 2019 13:43:00 -0700
MOSCOW, Idaho — Aug. 5, 2019 — Exposure to thyroid hormone can alter eye function in zebrafish, a result with implications for curing color blindness and retinal degeneration in humans. The University of Idaho study found the dosage of thyroid hormone in zebrafish could switch the type of opsin — proteins that support color vision — produced in individual eye cells called cones, likely influencing the animals’ color vision. Zebrafish and humans have similar genetics when it comes to color vision. Read more
Faculty Receive ORED Funding for Early-stage Collaborative Proposal Development
Posted Fri, 21 Jun 2019 15:38:00 -0700
The Office of Research and Economic Development congratulates the first awardees of ORED's Advancing Collaborative Efforts (ACE) program, which supports the acquisition of data, discussions about collaborative proposal ideas, and other activities that will result in the development of large, collaborative grant proposals. Nearly $98,000 in ACE funding was distributed. Read more
Mellisa Clemons Receives NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship
Posted Fri, 14 Jun 2019 15:26:00 -0700
Congratulations to Mellisa Clemons of the Fuerst lab in the Department of Biological Sciences, who received a $25,000 NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship for “Genetic Characterizations of Retinal Cell Signaling Proteins.” Read more
Shaping Saturn’s Rings Subject of Study
Posted Fri, 14 Jun 2019 15:24:00 -0700
Matthew Hedman from the Department of Physics and colleagues published in Science. His study presents remote-sensing observations of the main rings of Saturn taken during the final year of the Cassini spacecraft mission. These observations revealed a wide range of structures in the rings created by massive objects like moons and interactions among the ring particles themselves. They also found variations in the ring's colors that likely reflect differences in the surfaces of the ring particles. Read more
Which Bacteria are Spreading Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater?
Posted Fri, 07 Jun 2019 15:45:00 -0700
Eva Top and Thibault Stalder from the Department of Biological Sciences and the Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies published in The ISME Journal, the Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. The study identified bacteria that can carry antibiotic resistance genes through a wastewater treatment plant. These findings may help scientists determine how resistance emerges and disseminates, limit the spread of antibiotic resistance and predict which antibiotic resistance genes will show up in future infectious disease outbreaks. Read more
Jeff A. Johnson Award for Excellence Awarded to U of I Director
Posted Fri, 07 Jun 2019 15:45:00 -0700
Congratulations to Ken Baker, interim director of the University of Idaho Integrated Design Lab at the College of Art and Architecture in Boise, who received the 2019 Jeff A. Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes from the U.S Department of Energy. The award recognizes Baker's outstanding accomplishments surrounding building energy codes and his impact, innovation, collaboration and passion. Read more
U of I Analyzes Climate Change Impacts on Economics, Law, Humanities
Posted Thu, 30 May 2019 14:36:00 -0700
MOSCOW, Idaho — May 30, 2019 — The University of Idaho’s James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research is leading a two-year Idaho Climate-Economy Impacts Assessment to evaluate the economic impact of climate change on Idaho. Read more
New $17 Million Grant to Boost Idaho’s Biomedical Research, Workforce
Posted Tue, 14 May 2019 10:10:00 -0700
MOSCOW, Idaho — May 14, 2019 — A statewide network of Idaho’s educational institutions, led by the University of Idaho, received a five-year, $17 million award to build Idaho’s growing biomedical workforce and strengthen research infrastructure. The funds, received through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, will continue research on advances in areas including new antibiotics, brain trauma, safety issues with e-cigarettes, cancer therapeutics and improvements for wound healing. Read more
CEHHS's Julie Amador Featured in NSF's STEM Video Showcase
Posted Mon, 13 May 2019 16:02:00 -0700
Julie Amador, associate professor of mathematics education at U of I, will be featured in the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation. The event is being held online May 13-20. The presentation, "SyncOn," looks at a synchronous online model to support middle grade mathematics teachers. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation. Read more
CEHHS's Julie Amador Featured in NSF's STEM Video Showcase
Posted Mon, 13 May 2019 16:02:00 -0700
Julie Amador, associate professor of mathematics education at U of I, will be featured in the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation. The event is being held online May 13-20. The presentation, "SyncOn," looks at a synchronous online model to support middle grade mathematics teachers. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation. Read more
University of Idaho Research Hits Science Magazine
Posted Thu, 09 May 2019 15:41:00 -0700
The cover of Science Magazine currently features an important discovery made by an international research team: deep-sea fish can see more than just one color. When a Switzerland- and Australia-based research team recently needed to validate their findings regarding what colors of light a deep-sea fish species could see at up to 1500 meters below the surface, they turned to scientists at the University of Idaho. Biological Sciences Research Assistant Professor and CMCI Modeling Fellow Jagdish Patel and Biological Sciences Professors Deborah Stenkamp and Celeste Brown used Patel's newly developed computational molecular simulation based approach to generate a mathematical model to predict color sensitivity. Read more