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From the College of Natural Sciences

Christine is director of communications for the College of Natural Sciences. She received a master's of public affairs and bachelor's degrees in journalism and English, all from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to her work at the University, Christine was a newspaper reporter, a communications consultant, and a communications director for statewide nonprofit organizations in California and Texas.

International Project to Provide Detailed View of New Complexities Linked to Synapses

International Project to Provide Detailed View of New Complexities Linked to Synapses

Synapses are the tiny structures that form trillions of intersections between nerve cells in the brain, allowing us to think, sense, learn, act and remember. Because new research has found these nanostructures to be far more varied and nuanced than neuroscientists believed even five years ago, a new project will examine what is known as synaptic weight or strength, which has significant implications for understanding human brain health.

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin will lead an ambitious new project with 10 other U.S. institutions and global partners that has significant implications for understanding human brain health.

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COVID-19 Drug Development Could Benefit from Approach Used Against Flu

COVID-19 Drug Development Could Benefit from Approach Used Against Flu

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found that some antivirals are useful for more than helping sick people get better — they also can prevent thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of virus cases if used in the early stages of infection.

Nobel Laureate, Web Stars, Drumming Dean Cheer on 2020 Graduates

Nobel Laureate, Web Stars, Drumming Dean Cheer on 2020 Graduates

​At the end of each May, the College of Natural Sciences celebrates another year's graduates, their impact at UT and the positive change they'll bring the world. This year's graduates were extraordinary, making countless contributions on the Forty Acres and in their communities. For them, the College of Natural Sciences missed having a live event this spring but instead held our first virtual commencement celebration. High-profile scientists, friends and faculty, as well as students themselves, joined in a day especially for recognizing and honoring our newest graduates.

Pandemic Model Shows Importance of Social Distancing in 22 Texas Cities

Pandemic Model Shows Importance of Social Distancing in 22 Texas Cities

Researchers have examined how COVID-19 would impact 22 metro areas in Texas under scenarios where levels of social distancing differ.

A new pandemic model of COVID-19 shows the positive role social distancing can play in preventing the spread of the illness in areas across the state. The report by researchers in The University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences projects significantly higher numbers of cases of infection, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths in 22 Texas communities under scenarios in which social distancing measures are moderate.

7 Ideas from the School of Human Ecology for Responding to COVID-19

7 Ideas from the School of Human Ecology for Responding to COVID-19

Although this is a time of increased physical distancing between people, there remains real potential for human connection and greater awareness of the things that still tie us together, says Stephen Russell, director of the College of Natural Sciences' School of Human Ecology

A New Texas COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit Shows the Importance of Social Distancing

A New Texas COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit Shows the Importance of Social Distancing

UPDATE: Revised model projections were released on April 6. Read the full report.

Since 2012 a pandemic-planning tool developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has helped public health officials plan for the consequences of a deadly and virulent virus. Now the pandemic modeler who developed the toolkit is studying COVID-19 and has built a new model to project the spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. She has teamed up with Dell Medical School to assess the potential impact of the pandemic in the Austin-Round Rock area.

Public Outreach Programs Suspended in Response to COVID-19

Public Outreach Programs Suspended in Response to COVID-19

​The University of Texas at Austin's public-facing programs on campus and at museums, schools and science centers are currently suspended to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, the agent causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas Master’s in Nutritional Sciences Online Embarks on a New Partnership

Texas Master’s in Nutritional Sciences Online Embarks on a New Partnership

As The University of Texas at Austin's Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences Online prepares to accept applications for the next academic year, it does so with a new partnership under its belt. The Department of Nutritional Sciences has announced it will link up with online learning provider edX to make UT's nutritional sciences master's degree offerings available on the edX platform.

Allan MacDonald Wins Wolf Prize in Physics

Allan MacDonald Wins Wolf Prize in Physics

Allan MacDonald, a professor of physics at The University of Texas at Austin, has received the 2020 Wolf Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking work in a field known as twistronics, which holds extraordinary promise to "lead to an energy revolution," according to the Wolf Foundation announcement today.

12 Ways Texas Science Innovators Made the Most of this Year

12 Ways Texas Science Innovators Made the Most of this Year

Out of the lab and into the marketplace. That could be the catch phrase for a growing number of UT Austin science students and faculty. They are pouring creativity and hard work into new efforts to bring UT science into new realms.