Research – Page 36 – College of Arts & Sciences

Chemistry Professor’s Discovery Still Has Impact 20 Years Later

November 11, 2012

Dr. Anthony J. Arduengo, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, made a discovery more than 20 years ago that changed the way chemists understand highly reactive substances known as carbenes. As he continues his research, Arduengo’s breakthrough continues to influence some of the most cutting edge research being done today. Chemists once viewed carbenes as highly reactive, transient species that were important intermediates in some reactions. Prior to Arduengo’s discovery of an isolable carbine known as N-heterocyclic (NHC), scientists […]

Sobecky Honored for Contributions to Environmental Microbiology

November 9, 2012

Biology professor Dr. Patty Sobecki was recognized recently for her contributions to microbiology.Dr. Patty Sobecky, professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, was recently awarded the James C. Freeley Award from the Southeastern Branch of the American Society for Microbiology in recognition of her contributions to environmental microbiology. Environmental biology is the study of the composition and physiology of microbial communities in a specific environment, and is just one of the specialized areas of biology that is represented […]

College Faculty and Alumni Provide ‘Crimson Connection’ to Mars Research

November 6, 2012

Dr. Ryan Ewing, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, and NASA scientist James Rice, a College alumnus, have more than The University of Alabama in common. Both scientists have been involved in different ways with the discovery and exploration of Mars, known as the Red Planet. Ewing, who specializes in sediment dynamics, has collaborated with other scientists on the most recent Mars mission, Curiosity, to analyze rock outcrops on the planet. These structures are the part of […]

College Physicist Collaborates with UA Scientists to Seek New Source of Magnetism as World Supply Ebbs

November 3, 2012

Dr. Patrick LeClair, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and fellow researchers in UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT), have been researching alternative materials to produce magnets. Their research is a response to the growing concern in the scientific community that the supply of naturally magnetic materials will not keep up with demand. Magnets are used in nearly all electronic devices such as computers, cellphones, and medical appliances. And although these appliances are in […]

Fishing for Uranium

November 1, 2012

UA Professor Researches Unlikely Resource in the Uranium Extraction Process More common than silver, tin, or mercury, uranium is found nearly everywhere on Earth — yet it is often difficult to obtain. On land, uranium mining is damaging to the environment and risky for workers. And though the world’s oceans contain some 4.6 billion tons of uranium, the element is found in very low concentrations there, making it expensive to collect. But a UA chemistry professor has developed a cheap, […]

Astronomer Works to Change Public Perceptions of Science

October 12, 2012

Astronomy professor Dr. Bill Keel is a man with a mission. He’s heavily involved in the Galaxy Zoo Project, which encourages citizens around the world (with or without scientific experience) to evaluate photos taken by the Hubble Telescope. Galaxy Zoo is unique in that millions of people across the globe are encouraged to examine and even classify millions of galaxies. In 2007, Hanny’s Voorwep (an astronomical oddity roughly the size of the Milky Way) was discovered by novice astronomer Hanny […]

Alabama Student Explores Centuries-Old Silk Road Caves

October 12, 2012

Meng Tong of UA enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime when she was offered a trip this summer to visit Dunhuang, China to research the Mogao Caves. Tong, a grad student of art history, stayed for a week in June to study the artwork found in the caves. “Paintings cover every corner of the caves,” she says, “the iconic images of the Buddha, bodhisattva and popular native Chinese deities, narratives of the life of Shakyamuni and Buddhist scriptures, as well […]

Psychologists Study “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Phenomenon

October 1, 2012

Do you ever wonder why time seems to pass faster when you are doing something enjoyable? A new study, published by two researchers in the College’s Department of Psychology, suggests that the feeling that time is somehow shorter seems to be the specific result of a desire to approach or pursue something, not a more general effect of heightened attention or physiological arousal. The results of the study are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological […]

Classics Professor to Translate Rare Religious Texts from Latin to English

October 1, 2012

A volume of commentaries on the Bible written in Latin by Protestant reformers in the 16th Century will soon be translated for the first time into English by Dr. Kirk Summers, professor of Classics in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Summers has been asked to serve as Latin translator for a soon to be published volume of the texts that were written by historic authors who are not well-known to modern readers. “These volumes will make available texts […]

Biology Students Win Top Honors at Water Conservation Conference

October 1, 2012

Two doctoral students in the College’s Department of Biological Sciences recently presented at the 26th Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference and brought home top honors for their oral presentations. Suja Rajan and Nikaela Flournoy won first and second place, respectively, at the conference held in Orange Beach. The annual event is a forum about understanding and improving complex issues related to water resources. Both Rajan and Flourney have been researching the short- and long-term effects to coastal Alabama due to […]