Innovation & Technology

High atop Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona sits the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the most powerful galaxy-mapping instrument ever built. Scientists hope that by charting the cosmos in unprecedented detail, DESI will finally unveil the secrets behind dark energy — a mysterious force permeating all spacetime that is causing our universe to expand at an ever-accelerated rate. The experiment promises to answer some of the biggest questions of all: What are the fundamental forces of nature? Are they constant through time or do they evolve? And can we ever truly know the ultimate fate of the universe?

Europa Clipper is a NASA mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa, an ocean world that might harbor alien life beneath its icy crust. The University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Lab has direct involvement with two of the spacecraft’s key instruments, which collectively will be able to map above and below the moon’s iceberg-like exterior to examine whether life could survive in the fathoms below.

Snow4Flow is a new University of Arizona-led NASA mission to study arctic glaciers using advanced radar mounted on low-flying aircraft. Captained by Jack Holt, a professor at the University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Lab, the mission’s goal is to improve climate modeling and to better understand glacial loss and its impact on sea level rise.

The Guinness World Record for developing the world’s fastest electron microscope now belongs to the University of Arizona, thanks to breakthroughs made by Associate Professor of Physics and Optical Sciences, Mohammed Hassan. The microscope is so fast that it can match the speed of electrons in motion, meaning that it can resolve clear images of these subatomic particles in real time and space. Soon researchers might be able to use the microscope to better understand the mysterious realm of quantum mechanics.

Professor Jeffrey Pyun and his team in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Arizona have developed an advanced plastic made out of sulfur – a remarkable invention that makes use of a notoriously useless byproduct from the fossil fuel industry. Deemed the “Devil’s rock,” due to its association as brimstone, sulfur makes up 70 million tons of waste annually. Together with Robert Norwood, Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, these new plastics have been developed into a variety of uses that include state-of-the-art infrared and night vision glasses, longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles, and tires – among many more applications (including vinyl records!). In many cases, these sulfur-based plastics now rival traditional plastics in their application and use.

Mark Witten is a retired Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona with a long research career looking at lung health and respiratory science, but his most important work might be yet to come. His research has led to the discovery of a type of biofilm derived from lung tissue that reacts to all kinds of tiny substances in the air and water. He's currently developing this biofilm into two key innovations: a biosensor that can detect pathogens in the air, and a revolutionary low-cost desalination method that could transform seawater from the ocean into freshwater that we can drink.

On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission reached a thrilling conclusion with the return of a sample from the asteroid Bennu back to Earth. It represents NASA’s first ever asteroid sample return, and it promises to reveal clues about the origin of our solar system, the origin of our planet, and potentially the origin of life itself. The mission has been characterized by remarkable successes at every stage over its 7 year journey in space, which is a testament to the team behind it – led by Principal Investigator and University of Arizona Regents Professor at the Lunar and Planetary Lab, Dante Lauretta. But there’s one last stage of the mission upon which all others depend: the safe delivery of the sample capsule through Earth’s atmosphere, and the gentle deployment of a parachute to ease its landing in the Utah desert.

In 2016 the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launched on a mission to return samples from an ancient asteroid the size of the Empire State Building back to Earth. The target, Bennu, can be traced back 4.5 billion years making it our solar system’s oldest relic. In the years that followed, a team of scientists led by Dante Lauretta, Principal Investigator and University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Regents Professor have been tracking Bennu’s every move, leading to a successful surface touchdown in May 2021 and culminating in an exciting return to Earth in September 2023. The conclusion of the OSIRIS-REx mission is just the beginning as the research that follows will shed light on the origins of the universe and life on Earth. OSIRIS-REx: TO BENNU AND BACK highlights the mission’s milestones including the spacecraft design, launch, flight, sample collection and return to Earth through exclusive footage and interviews.

SEMA Lab at the University of Arizona’s Center for Consciousness Studies (SEMA stands for “Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness”) is a unique institution attempting to better understand mindfulness meditation. Co-founded by neuroscience researcher Jay Sanguinetti and meditation teacher Shinzen Young, the lab seeks to develop tools that can make mindfulness more accessible to beginners, and ultimately enhance any individual’s quest for personal happiness.

The University of Arizona’s College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) is the primary department centered at the UA extension campus in Sierra Vista, AZ. The college focuses on training the future workforce to be adaptable to the “4th Industrial Revolution,” or the convergence of human and machine teaming - which involves robotics, VR, and AR human integration. It also runs one of the nation’s top - if not the top - cyber intelligence operations programs through the Cyber Convergence Center, which partners with the local military community at Fort Huachuca to train the next generation of cyber professionals. The college also partners with the Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce and is an economic driver within the community and keeps Sierra Vista growing.

If you already think of your Fitbit or smartphone as an extension of your body, wait until these new devices hit the market. Philipp Gutruf, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona, is on the forefront of designing the next generation of biomedical devices for monitoring users’ health. His lab has developed 3-D printed, wearable devices that are powered wirelessly and which can seamlessly integrate with the shape of an individual’s body.

Ever notice that many of your garden plants grow better in the shade than in the direct sun? It’s true, they often do – especially in hot places like the desert of Arizona. Researchers at the University of Arizona have noticed it too, and they’re busy developing the technology to harness it. It’s called “agrivoltaics” (derived from the words ‘agriculture’ and ‘photovoltaics’), and involves growing food in the shade of solar panels. Not only does this simple concept increase crop yield while using less water, but it also improves solar panel efficiency. It sounds like magic, but it’s ecology! Agrivoltaics is now being tested throughout the region, including at Biosphere 2 and at Manzo Elementary School in Tucson, where it’s also being used as an educational tool for kids.

Traditionally, it’s been difficult for visually-impaired students to learn about aerospace engineering because understanding the mechanics of machine parts often requires being able to see how they move. But Dr. Kavan Hazeli, Associate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona, hopes to change that. He is using cutting-edge robotics, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality technologies to develop advanced educational tools that rely more on touch and sound. Together with roboticist and former pupil Sahand Sabet, Hazeli is testing prototypes of these educational tools with students from the Arizona State School of the Deaf and the Blind.

The Event Horizon Telescope is a worldwide collaboration of radio telescopes that wowed the world in 2019 by taking the first images ever captured of a black hole. The monumental undertaking was spearheaded at the University of Arizona, which operates 3 of the telescopes in the array… one on Mt. Graham, one on Kitt Peak, and even one at the South Pole. After that first image was released, the project set its sights on a much more personal target: the supermassive black hole suspected to reside at the center of our own galaxy, the Milky Way – called Sagittarius A star. And in May of 2022, the team officially released that much-anticipated image in an internationally-broadcasted press conference. The two images together provide the most precise tests yet for our theories of physics, and give tangible proof for black holes, the mysterious space anomalies once thought to be invisible.

Architect Damon Leverett shares what makes the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Innovation Building such an architectural wonder. This is part of a series called "Favorite Places" that feature architects explaining about buildings they love.

University of Arizona Professor Sadhana Ravishankar has spent her career keeping agricultural products in Arizona safe and was recently awarded Inventor of the Year by Tech Launch Arizona after her lab developed natural antimicrobial washes for produce. Her work has become especially important in an agricultural state like Arizona, where so many of our winter salad vegetables are grown.

Dr. Ski Chilton has dedicated his life to helping people around the world overcome health challenges to live more fulfilled and joyful lives, but he heralds his latest discovery as the most important thing he’s ever done. Chilton and his team at the University of Arizona believe they have discovered an enzyme that is at the very heart of COVID-19 mortality. His lab is now leading an international effort to develop an inhibitor to this enzyme that might drastically reduce the risk of severe disease. He hopes it could serve as a miracle medicine in places with low vaccination rates, like Africa.

The OSIRIS-REx NASA mission, which is spearheaded by scientists at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), made history in 2020 when it successfully touched down on an asteroid named Bennu and collected a sample of rock to bring back to Earth for study. Now the heralded OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is being prepared for a second mission: to the near-Earth asteroid named Apophis, which will come so close to impacting our planet in 2029 that it will be visible to the naked eye. The extended mission has a new name, OSIRIS-APEX, and a new Principal Investigator, Dani DellaGiustina, who started out on the OSIRIS missions as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona.

It has now been 50 years since NASA astronauts last set foot on the Moon, but a return mission might soon be in the offing. This time, though, human explorers aren’t likely to be alone. The Space and Terrestrial Robotic Exploration (SpaceTREx) Laboratory at the University of Arizona, headed by aerospace engineer Jekan Thanga, is currently developing swarms of autonomous robots capable of constructing bases and mining for resources on celestial bodies like the Moon, Mars, or asteroids. He is teaming up with mining engineer Moe Momayez to develop specialized drilling tools to mount on these space robots, which could one day make prolonged space exploration more practical.

Thanks to the University of Arizona’s Center for Innovation and Tech Launch Arizona, Tucson is rapidly becoming a hub for technology startups. One example of this thriving business environment is the burgeoning company CarbeniumTec, which was founded by UA Chemistry Professor Thomas Gianetti and his postdoc Jules Moutet. The company, which is developing a battery for long-term energy storage for solar energy, is currently in the process of moving from its academic labs into a new base of operation at the UA Tech Park.

Deepta Bhattacharya, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona’s Department of Immunobiology, is deeply involved in research related to COVID-19. His lab is a leader in researching how vaccines generate an adequate immune response to the virus including their safety, efficacy, and role in getting us past the pandemic.

AzREADI, or the Arizona Rural EMS Advanced Telemedicine Demonstration Initiative, is an innovative new program to bring immediate lifesaving telemedicine access to remote areas of rural southern Arizona, such as the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District. Spearheaded by University of Arizona’s Department of Emergency Medicine, the program makes use of a specialized wireless network dedicated to first responders that can connect doctors with paramedics even if they are hours apart and located in regions otherwise devoid of cell service.

Christopher Hamilton, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, is spearheading the RAVEN Project, a NASA-funded endeavor to develop the next generation of drones capable of exploring alien worlds like Mars. The project is currently testing prototypes over the Mars-like volcanic terrain of Iceland, and will follow in the footsteps of the Mars 2020 Mission – the first-ever demonstration of a rover-drone pairing on another planet, with the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity drone.

In December of 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope into a deep orbit with the Sun, almost a million miles from the Earth. It was NASA’s top science priority - the most ambitious telescope ever made - and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The project marks the culmination of the careers of George and Marcia Rieke, a world-renowned husband-and-wife research team from the University of Arizona. They played a part in designing two of the four main instruments on the breakthrough telescope, which together might be capable of catching a glimpse of the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang.

University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at Steward Observatory leads the world in making large, lightweight mirrors for the next generation of giant optical telescopes. Currently, they are in the process of fabricating seven massive 8.4 meter mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which promises to revolutionize our views of the cosmos with optics 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope.

For decades, Hong Hua has been a pioneer in the development of advanced 3-D display systems for virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. Today, she is leading a group of graduate students at the 3-D Visualization and Imaging Systems Lab that she founded at the University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences, working on the next generation of these wearable displays that are sure to forever alter how we see in the future.

As one of the world’s top research institutions, the University of Arizona is taking the lead on the development of widespread antibody testing for the novel coronavirus. The effort, spearheaded by Dr. Janko Nikolich-Žugich and Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya, began as part of the university’s plan to safely re-open the campus amid the pandemic, but has now expanded to the state level and has become a benchmark for testing performance across the country. The endeavor is a testament to the ingenuity of Arizona scientists, to the remarkable research capacity of the university, and to the resiliency of the healthcare professionals who work on the front lines to administer this test statewide.

On October 20th, 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft unfurled its robotic arm and briefly touched one of the oldest objects in our solar system - the asteroid Bennu - and captured a sample of material to bring back to Earth. The moment was the pinnacle of this record-making mission, an example of the scientific ingenuity and engineering acumen of the team behind it at the University of Arizona... and we were there to capture every anxious and exhilarating moment as the event unfolded.

University of Arizona’s Center for Innovation, located at the UA Tech Park, has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to be one of just six “Power Connectors”: sites ideally suited to serve as arenas for the American-Made Solar Prize, a national competition designed to energize U.S. solar manufacturing. It’s a grand opportunity for our region to attract innovators and cement itself as a worldwide economic hub for the development of solar technology - and to bring new forms of clean, renewable energy to our local electric grid.