News

Today is the 103^rd anniversary of the birth of Lorene Rogers, a notable alumna and scientist who also was the first woman ever to lead a major U.S. university (which just happened to be The University of Texas at Austin)! In honor of her and our year-long campaign celebrating women in science, we are telling the stories of six incredible women scientists and mathematicians with a history right here on the Forty Acres. 

Andrew Potter, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin, has received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation. The award will support theoretical research and education towards understanding and controlling the dynamics of complex quantum systems

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is awarding 30 prestigious Graduate Research Fellowships to University of Texas at Austin students, including eight College of Natural Sciences (CNS) graduate students and five current undergraduates, as well as eight CNS alumni.

Women in Natural Sciences, a small learning community within the College, has been raising retention rates in science and the academic success rates of its students for years. Now it's looking to the community to help raise support and capacity in the program.

Because the College of Natural Sciences is where the groundbreaking Freshman Research Initiative began, we speak to students about their experiences in the program from time to time.

The College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin is among a dozen recipients of new "mini-grants" focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from The Association of American Universities (AAU). The announcement comes days after the AAU published a book of case studies about improving STEM education for undergraduates, which includes a chapter about the College's Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science (TIDES).

Each year, on the first Saturday in March, the University hosts Explore UT, when our campus opens up for a free, day-long festival full of activities for Texans.

The College of Natural Sciences' Freshman Research Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin received the Gold Award for STEM education and the Silver Award winner for "Presence Learning" in a worldwide competition billed as "the Oscars of Higher Education."

We in the sciences love our milestones. We see occasions for celebration in the 50^th anniversary of Moore's Law, the 100^th anniversary of the Theory of General Relativity, and the centennial commemoration of the first Longhorn getting a science Ph.D. at UT Austin. In that spirit, we find a whole host of reasons in 2017 to recognize and honor a growing segment of the world's scientific leaders—women.

Earlier this year, the nation launched what's been called the Cancer Moonshot initiative—a monumental new effort to boost cancer research in pursuit of a cure. In the months leading up to this new initiative—and in the months since—faculty scientists, alumni and students brought many causes for hope to the fight against cancer.

Undergraduate Manuel Díaz advocates for neurodiversity – widening acceptance of neurological differences, ranging from autism to dyslexia to Tourette's syndrome.

The College of Natural Sciences' magazine, The Texas Scientist, was chosen to receive the 2016 University of Texas System Chancellor's Excellence Award for Outstanding Publications. The award "recognizes outstanding work in the production of both print and online publications…that advance the university's mission with excellence in writing, design and creativity."

An evolutionary biologist is one of two faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin who will receive Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas (TAMEST) at its annual conference on Jan. 11.

Students graduating this December will hear from an accomplished and world-changing software architect who walked across a similar UT stage—twice. 

Five University of Texas at Austin faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society, including four from the College of Natural Sciences.