WILDCAT COUNTRY

WONDERMAKES US SEE THE UNSEEN

UNCOVERING CHASING BENNU’S SECRETS EINSTEIN’S Pg. 14 SHADOW Pg. 6 TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMAN CONDITION Pg. 17 FIGHTING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS Pg. 31

Photo credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration tudent success is integrated throughout of pride, as our students put on world-class artistic every pillar of our new strategic plan, performances, compete on the world stage in our Mission San Xavier del Bac and the University of Arizona has been athletics programs, and work side-by-side with the doubling down on how best to support world’s leading experts on innovative breakthroughs our students on their Wildcat Journey. like the Event Horizon Telescope project that SThis support ranges from advancing our scholarship captured the first image of a black hole. and financial aid options to redesigning the physical In the pages that follow, you will find just a few spaces where they learn stories about the incredible work that our students and the curriculum our are doing and why everyone here at the University Welcome faculty use to engage of Arizona is so proud of what our students accom- them. Preparing our plish. I hope you take these stories as an invitation to Wildcat students for success is to learn more and to join us as we create a bold Country! the most important part future for our state. of our mission to serve Thank you, and Bear Down. our state. Admire the view in a place where history and culture intertwine Robert C. Robbins Learn more at VisitTucson.org We are developing problem-solvers capable of tackling our greatest challenges, and many of our President students already have a huge impact in our region University of Arizona and around the world. They are a tremendous source

Table of Contents 4 Engineering Wildcat Back 16 Student Speaks Up 29 Street Medicine Phoenix Contributors on His Feet with Mentor’s Help for Veterans, Disabled Helps Homeless Stay Healthy Joel Badzinski, Jo Marie Barkley, 5 People with ALS May Benefit 17 Transforming the Humanities Softball: No. 5 (tie) at Alexis Blue, Rosemary Brandt, Alejandra from More Glucose through Technology Women’s College World Series Carnedas Cuestas, Anna Christensen, 6 Chasing Einstein’s Shadow: 19 Startup Seeks to Control 31 Medical Student Incorporates Gina Compitello, Emily Dieckman, First Photo of a Black Hole Dust in a Dry World Resiliency Training for EMTs Marian Frank, Jason Gelt, Danielle Hargett, George Humphrey, Teresa 7 Behind the Scenes: Building Community 32 Lab Provides Hands-On Wildcat Mentor Builds across the Border Experience for High School Jospeh, Gerri Kelly, Emily Litvack, Katie Ties to TV Career Students to Post-Docs Maas, Mikayla Mace, Kimberley Mathie, 22 Using Science Policy Erin Morton, Caroline Mosley, Andy 9 Student Researcher Studies to Advocate for Clean Water Making the Navajo Language How Common Antibiotics More Accessible through Ober, Stacy Pigott, Nick Prevenas, Jean 23 After the Fire: Firefighters Weaken Tendons Technology Spinelli, Jordyn Stinnett, Daniel Stolte, Battle more than Just Flames 10 Do Bigger Brains Equal 33 Keeping Preschool Gardens, Eric Swedlund, Ana Terrazas, Paul 25 Students in Arizona Law’s Smarter Dogs? Playgrounds Safe for Children Tumarkin and Tim Vanderpool IP Clinic Secure First Three 11 Combating Diabetes Patents for Clients 35 Parkinson’s Drug May through Food Security Treat Macular Degeneration Women’s Basketball: Enhancing Diabetes Education 2018 Women’s National 36 Student Street Designs for Native Populations Invitation Tournament Become Real-World Solutions Champions 13 Inaugural Microcampus Bike Ajo Program Is Model Class Graduates in China 26 Taking ‘Do No Harm’ to Heart for Rural Communities Women’s Golf: One-Day Job Shadow Leads 37 Inventions Help Legally 2018 National Champions to Full-Time Job Offer Blind to See 14 From a Glint of Light to 27 Tackling 21st Century Kennerly Archive a Miniature World, Bennu Sustainability Challenges Finds Home at Center Begins Revealing its Secrets on the Navajo Nation for Creative Photography Agrivoltaics Proves Mutually Inventions Help Legally 38 Seeking A Genetic Approach Beneficial for Food, Water, Energy Blind to See to Treating Glioblastoma Wildcat Country | 3 an Jackson was riding his motorcy- often facing amputation and traveled After a year of community college, Jackson “I feel like this is the best thing that ever happened to me,” cle from the University of Arizona from all over the country to see Latt. decided the biomedical engineering program he said. “The crash was an opportunity to really understand campus to his apartment a few “It made me realize he was doing at the University of Arizona was a good fit. what’s important in my life and the man I want to be.” blocks away when a car ran a stop Engineering something different,” Jackson said. He entered the Honors College with a Phi Steps Toward a Better Future sign and plowed into him, drag- “I just didn’t realize how important Theta Kappa transfer tuition scholarship. ging him 40 feet down the road. it would be for my life. I told him, He excelled Jackson has decided to hold off on going to medical school, His left leg was trapped under the Wildcat ‘I really believe you can fix it.’ Because After a severe vehicle accident left Ian as a Wildcat though he hasn’t eliminated it as an option. His experience vehicle for several minutes before he fixed impossible situations.” Jackson with several broken bones in his and medical gave him lots of ideas about how to make hospitals more foot, doctors were considering amputa- Ia group of nearby students lifted the car Dr. Lloyd Champagne, a plastic school was on comfortable for patients. He plans to build a specialized Back on His tion. His mentor, orthopaedic surgeon and design laboratory where he can bring his inventions to life. off him. It was Oct. 19, 2018, just four surgeon from the Arizona Center for biomedical engineering professor Dr. Daniel the horizon. “The feeling of hopelessness when you’re in the hospital days after his 22nd birthday. Hand to Shoulder Surgery in Phoenix, Latt, reconstructed Jackson’s foot over the But since the every day is honestly awful,” Jackson said. “If I could just Paramedics rushed Jackson, then Feet with used skin grafts to repair the outside course of two eight-hour surgeries. agony of the a biomedical engineering senior, to the of Jackson’s foot first. Then, Latt accident, the produce devices that make a person’s experience one degree Banner – University Medical Center used plates and screws to carefully humbling recovery process and a realization better, that’s worth it. If I wasn’t a biomedical engineering Tucson trauma program. There, doctors Mentor’s Help reconstruct the inside over the course of how difficult it is to understand others’ pain, major, I don’t think I would have even considered that uncovered one injury after another: of two eight-hour surgeries. he’s learned there is more to life. I might be able to change the industry to be patient-focused.” a broken femur, tibia and fibula; unstable Thanks to the efforts of these and fractures of several vertebrae; and a other doctors from Banner Health, mangled left foot with multiple broken Jackson is fully on his feet today. He’s bones and missing skin. Jackson was walking normally and relearning how rushed to the operating room, where to run and squat. The metal in his he underwent a spinal fusion, had rods foot has been removed, and Jackson ncreased glucose, transformed into energy, could give people with amyotrophic lateral placed in his thigh and his leg, and had reinstalled it on the foot model Latt sclerosis, or ALS, improved mobility and pins put in place to hold his foot together. brought on that first hospital visit. a longer life, according to new findings by His surgery lasted 10 hours. “Our goal was to get him a foot a University of Arizona-led research team. “When a doctor came out and started that was square to the ground that he Physicians have long known that people telling me all the things that were could walk on,” Latt said. “I expected Iwith ALS experience changes in their metabolism wrong, I was really shocked,” said Jack- it to be very stiff and likely somewhat that often lead to rapid weight loss in a process called hypermetabolism. According to the study’s son’s father, Kerry. “He painful. So this is pretty amazing.” lead author Ernesto Manzo, a doctoral student in University Arizona biomed- said if just one of these the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, ical engineering alumnus To Excel and Empathize injuries had occurred, hypermetabolism can be a relentless cycle. Ian Jackson walking down Jackson was back in class, in a wheel- it would be very serious. People with ALS use more energy while resting the front steps of the “Old chair, three weeks after the accident. than those without the disease, while simultane- And Ian has five of them, Engineering” building on his He finished his senior-year course- ously they often struggle to effectively make use so it’s very, very serious.” reconstructed left foot. of glucose, the precise ingredient a body needs Three days later, Dr. work over the summer, earning all People with ALS to make more energy. Experts have not known The researchers observed brain Daniel Latt, an associate professor A’s except for one B, which drives him crazy. exactly what happens in a patient’s cells to lobes of ALS-affected fruit flies May Benefit From Zarnescu Lab of orthopaedic surgery and biomedical cause this dysfunction or how to alleviate it. under a microscope. Pictured is But he wasn’t so dedicated to engineering at the UA and foot and “This project was a way to parse out those a nerve cord, populated with ankle orthopedic surgeon at Banner – academics growing up in Chandler, details,” said Manzo, who described the results, More Glucose green-stained motor neurons, University Medicine, was wondering Arizona. In fact, his GPA out of high published online in eLife, as “truly shocking.” expressing human glucose trans- The study revealed that when ALS-affected ALS is almost always a progressive disease, Previous studies on porters. Areas of neurotransmitter Their findings were where his pupil was. Jackson planned to school was too low for admission neurons are given more glucose, they turn that eventually taking away patients’ ability to walk, metabolism in ALS patients release are shown in red, while consistent with a pilot attend medical school after graduation, to the University of Arizona. His Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications father agreed to support him through power source into energy. With that energy, speak and even breathe. The average life expec- have focused primarily muscles are shown in blue. clinical trial, which found and he’d been shadowing Latt in his clinic they’re able to survive longer and function better. tancy of an ALS patient from the time of diagnosis on what happens at the a high-carbohydrate diet need to be amputated. When he went to visit Jackson, college if he majored in engineering, so Jackson started for about two years. This time, Jackson didn’t show up. Increasing glucose delivery to the cells, then, is two to five years. whole-body level, not the cellular level, Zarnescu was one possible intervention for ALS patients Latt brought along a model of a foot he could use to taking engineering courses at Chandler-Gilbert Communi- may be one way to meet the abnormally high “ALS is a devastating disease,” said Daniela explained. with gross metabolic dysfunction. Finding His Footing explain the damage. ty College. He was surprised how much he liked it. energy demands of ALS patients. Zarnescu, professor of molecular and cellular “The fact that we uncovered a compensatory “Our data essentially provide an explanation It didn’t take long for Latt to realize Jackson was, in fact, One of Latt’s specialties is operating on patients with “I started to see the world differently,” he said. “That’s “These neurons were finding some relief by biology and senior author on the study. “It renders mechanism surprised me,” Zarnescu said. “These for why that approach might work,” Zarnescu at the hospital—but as a patient. As a foot and ankle Charcot arthropathy, a complication of diabetes that can what was really exciting for me.” breaking down glucose and getting more cellular people from functioning one day to rapidly and desperate, degenerating neurons showed incred- said. “My goal is to convince clinicians to perform surgery specialist, Latt reviewed Jackson’s X-rays, especially weaken the bones in the foot, causing recurrent fractures energy,” said Manzo, who graduated with his visibly deteriorating.” ible resilience. It is an example of how amazing a larger clinical trial to test this idea.” Ph.D. in August. cells are at dealing with stress.” of his foot, which several colleagues had mentioned may and severe deformity. Jackson had spent the last year “observing Latt’s work with Charcot patients, who were 4 | Wildcat Country Wildcat Country | 5 n April 10, members Stars on the Menu and shape of the shadow theory match time-dependent simulations of the black on the West Coast—to serve the EHT of the Event Horizon As surrounding gas and dust plunge into observations remarkably well, Psaltis said, hole’s shadow as predicted by general members’ computation needs across the globe.” Telescope collab- the abyss of space and time, and entire stars increasing science’s confidence in Einstein’s relativity are hosted in the NSF-funded In addition to integrating the South oration, including Chasing Einstein’s Shadow: are shredded into wispy swirls, matter piles century-old Theory General Relativity. CyVerse, headquartered at the University Pole Telescope into the EHT array, the University of Arizona up around the black hole, forming a so-called University of Arizona team members of Arizona. University of Arizona team was responsible faculty, post-doctoral accretion disk of plasma—charged particles used a total of $7.2 million in National “New technologies such as cloud com- for bringing the Submillimeter Telescope researchers, students and telescope support First Photo of heated to billions of degrees and accelerated Science Foundation funding to provide puting are essential to support international on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona staff, unveiled the first direct visual evi- to almost the speed of light. Due to the cutting-edge technologies to support the collaborations like this,” says Chi-kwan into the network. dence of a supermassive black hole. The black hole’s massive gravity, light gets bent EHT collaboration. In addition to building Chan, leader of the EHT Computations In early September, the internationally discovery was announced in a series of a Black Hole around it, creating a tell-tale photon ring, and maintaining the EHT cloud infra- and Software Working Group and an assis- distributed group of researchers that make six scientific papers published in a special the appearance of which is predicted by structure, the team generated high-fidelity tant astronomer at the UA. “When we were up the Event Horizon Telescope, including issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. On April 10, EHT researchers revealed Einstein’s equations. If Einstein’s equations models of EHT observations by harnessing working on the six papers, we had over 21 University of Arizona faculty, post- The globe-spanning Event Horizon are correct, a dark region should appear in the power of a supercomputer consisting 20 powerful virtual machines running doctoral researchers, students and telescope Telescope collaboration, or EHT, offers the first direct visual evidence of the the center, caused by the absence of light of 140 Nvidia graphics-processing units, in two Google data support staff, were scientists a new way to study the most captured by the black hole. or GPUs, commonly used for graphics- centers—one on the When he was a kid growing up in awarded the 2020 Iran, Arash Roshanineshat spent extreme objects in the universe predicted supermassive black hole in the An image of the black hole’s shadow is heavy video-gaming applications. The East Coast and one Breakthrough Prize in a lot of time looking up at the sky by Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Fundamental Physics. center of Messier 87 and its shadow. the closest thing to an image of the black while his uncle and cousin pointed Relativity. hole itself. In the case of M87, the shadow out constellations. Now he does his Known as the “Oscars Black holes have been the realm of appears around 2.5 times larger than the stargazing with the high-powered of Science,” the award science fiction and textbook diagrams true size of the black hole’s boundary— telescope of the Steward Observatory is considered the world’s for more than a century. By the event horizon from which the EHT and as part of the global EHT team. most generous science its very definition, a black takes its name—due to light bending. prize; $3 million will hole cannot be seen. It’s a For M87, the horizon should be just under be split equally among all of the EHT mysterious object whose mere 25 billion miles across, the size of Pluto’s co-authors. presence rips apart everything orbit three times over. Yet, this is just beginning. The EHT we think we know about the Einstein nailed it; Multiple independent collaboration will continue capturing laws of physics, and so extreme EHT observations and imaging methods images supermassive black holes in the it twists space and time into a center of other nearby galaxies.

EHT Collaboration have revealed a ring-like structure with swirling maelstrom of darkness. a dark central region. The predicted size Roshanineshat Arash Welcome to Messier 87, or of astronomy. Marrone traveled processing and recording it, before passing M87, a massive galaxy in the to Antarctica with graduate the data on to astronomers.

Virgo galaxy cluster 55 million student Junhan Kim several “I know both electrical engineering and a mentor to fall out of the sky and tell me. I ended up being a little light-years from Earth. At its times to integrate the South astronomy, so I’m trying to connect the Behind the Scenes: bit lost.” center sits a supermassive black Pole Telescope two,” Roshanineshat said. “I’ve always Helping Kindschi avoid the same pitfalls, she says, is “cathartic.” The South Pole Telescope hole, with a mass 6.5 billion into the array. been interested in looking at the sky, but Wildcat Mentor “I told myself, if anyone wants to come and talk to me, there has is one of two University times that of our sun. Junhan Kim After two I didn’t know I could work on this subject to be something in my past that is going to help them,” she says. of Arizona telescopes that Builds Ties “It has made me OK with all the mistakes I’ve made.” M87 is about the size of our solar system, the EHT. To see the unseen, eight weeks of ob- while I was doing my studies in electrical contributed to the global Her advice to students starts with the basics, from the way they telescopes came together into one yet it is so far away that resolving its EHT project. serving with the engineering.” to TV Career present themselves and communicate to yourself, to being very features across 55 million light-years is like virtual telescope as big as Earth, global telescope, He continues to run simulations to find Studios. The two were recently connected through streamlined and detail-oriented. And when it came to determination, Kam Kindschi and “taking a picture of a doughnut placed on offering unprecedented sensitivity the researchers collected about 5,000 trillion the best level of recording precision for the University of Arizona Alumni Association’s Wildcat she had lit-tle doubt about Kindschi’s resolve. He was hustling tem- Suzanne Rauscher the surface of the moon,” said Dimitrios and resolution. bytes of data on 1,000 disks—enough processing the data tsunami rushing in from Mentor Society, and the rewards are already obvious: porary production assistant jobs while attending community college, connect via a video chat Kindschi is re-ceiving expert advice and critical Psaltis, a professor of astronomy and physics and kept chasing gigs during his years at the University of Arizona. to keep a playlist of high-quality mp3 files space. Too much precision can be a waste Richards Chris through the Wildcat Carefully Choreographed contacts, while Rauscher loves giving the kind of “I wanted to work in the industry while I was still in school. I didn’t and former EHT project scientist. playing for 4,700 years. The data were because it doesn’t add any useful informa- Mentor Society. Telescopes tarting down any career path can be guidance she never received. want to sit around and wait,” said Kindschi, who will soon be on his But thanks to its enormous mass and flown to supercomputers around the world tion. Not enough means you lose some The EHT uses a technique called very- tough, and that goes double for the Rauscher graduated from the University of Arizona way to L.A. “I think Suzanne is going to be a big help, working with relative proximity, M87’s black hole was where experts distilled the raw data to of the data needed to produce an image. television business, where the competition is fierce, the in 1993 with a B.A. in media arts. Fresh out of college, worked temp long-baseline interferometry, or VLBI, me on my interview skills and building a network out there. When predicted to be one of the largest viewable a more usable volume. Following data calibration, the EHT hours grueling and the learning curve steep. Guidance jobs and sold stadium tickets before finally making her way to a career it comes time for me to narrow down where I want to apply, she which synchronizes telescope facilities from Earth, making it a perfect target for Arash Roshanineshat, a doctoral student collaborators reconstructed the black hole from a seasoned pro can be priceless, and so is the in Los Angeles. To-day, she oversees reality shows ranging from “The is really going to help guide me to the right places.” around the world and exploits the rotation Ssatisfaction of helping a determined student learn the ropes—just Little Couple” and “Seeking Sister Wife” to “Sweet Home Sextuplets.” And that’s a sweet spot for both. in electrical and computer engineering and images in separate groups using different of our planet to form one huge telescope, ask Kam Kindschi and Suzanne Rauscher. “When I graduated, I didn’t have a lot of direction and hadn’t done “It has been really rewarding,” Rauscher says. “We all get to minoring in astronomy, created signal- methods. They all arrived at the same result. said Daniel Marrone, associate professor Kindschi is a senior majoring in film and television at the University any research,” she says. “I kept telling people I was going to be a TV a certain age and have life experiences that can help others.” processing algorithms for taking the data, of Arizona; Rauscher works as an ex-ecutive producer for Discovery producer. But I really didn’t know what that meant. I kind of expected

6 | Wildcat Country Wildcat Country | 7 Student Researcher Studies How Common Antibiotics Weaken Tendonst rowing up, Mikayla Campagne was an avid soccer player. for the injuries is higher for those who Physiology major Mikayla Multiple orthopaedic injuries forced her to retire from the live an active lifestyle. We are starting Campagne’s entire life is spent in sport but fostered a love of physical therapy and sports with the Achilles tendon, but hope to pursuit of her desire to be a physical medicine, which led her to the Szivek Orthopaedic Research look at other tendons, such as patellar G therapist, whether it is in the class- GET YOUR Lab at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. There, (kneecap) and tricep tendons, to see room, in the laboratory, or on the job as an undergraduate research assistant, she helps researchers study if similar issues arise.” as an athletic training technician with how a common antibiotic alters the Achilles tendon, the site of injury Campagne also works for the the women’s gymnastics team. for countless active and athletic people. women’s gymnastics team as an ath- A class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones is among the most The study will measure the biome- letic training technician, working with “ ” frequently prescribed antibiotics in the U.S., however, safety concerns medical professionals to deepen her A PLATE chanical properties of Achilles tendons about these drugs—particularly about the risk of tendinitis and Achil- at different time points following understanding of sports-related risks, les tendon ruptures—have gained increased attention in recent years. a course of ciprofloxacin using ultra- injuries and treatments. She attends These concerns led David Margolis, M.D., assistant professor of sound elastography, an imaging tech- team practices and home meets, and orthopaedic surgery, biomedical engineering and physiology, and nology sensitive to tissue stiffness. assists with physicals, rehabilitation orthopaedic surgery resident David Falgout, M.D., to study the link If successful, ultrasound imaging may regimens, tapings and emergencies. between fluoroquinolone and tendinitis and tendon rupture. Specifi- provide a cost-effective, non-invasive After graduation, Campagne plans cally, they are trying to determine how long it takes the tendon to way of screening patients who have to pursue a doctorate in physical ther- heal after stopping ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic. taken fluoroquinolones. apy, specializing in pediatric or sports “Previous studies examined the associated tissue abnormalities Campagne said the goal is to pro- physical therapy. that occur with administration of a fluoroquinolone. However, to the vide clinicians the ability to perform “I had to attend physical therapy

best of our knowledge, no one has examined how long it takes for the an ultrasound on a patient and identify Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications after each of my injuries, and I love tendons to return to normal after discontinuation of fluoroquinolones,” the abnormalities and associated weak points to assess risks. how you build a special bond with the therapists. They always seem said Campagne, a senior physiology major who is working on her “If the abnormality can is seen before the tendon tears, patients so happy and so passionate about their job,” she said. “I also love the honors thesis under Margolis’ mentorship. can be advised to abstain from particular activities for a certain drive and dedication that researchers have about the work they do, amount of time until the risk is gone,” Campagne said. “The risk and hope to integrate research into my career path.”

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Wildcat Country | 9 “Previous studies have been composed mostly Do Bigger or entirely of primates, so we weren’t sure whether the result was an artifact of unique aspects of Combating Diabetes primate brain evolution,” Horschler said. “We Brains Equal think dogs are a really great test case for this because there’s huge variation in brain size, to through Food Security Smarter a degree you don’t see in pretty much any other terrestrial mammals. You have chihuahuas versus Nutritional sciences and public health students Great Danes and everything in between.” Eliza Short and Jayati Sharma interviewed more Dogs? Horschler’s study is based on data from more igger dogs, with larger brains, perform than 7,000 purebred domestic dogs from 74 than 200 Community Food Bank of Southern better on certain measures of intelligence different breeds. Brain size was estimated based Bthan their smaller canine counterparts, on breed standards. The data came from the Arizona clients to evaluate overall diet quality according to a study led by a University of Arizona graduate t least 10% of Arizona households Nutritional Sciences are willing to invest in student. experience food insecurity, and community-based work,” said Sharma, an under- Rosemary Brandt Rosemary Larger-brained dogs outper- diabetes is the seventh-leading graduate pursuing a dual form smaller dogs on measures cause of death in the state. degree in public health and Nutritional sciences and public of executive functions—a set Taking the classroom to the molecular and cellular biology. health students Eliza Short and of cognitive processes that are community, Eliza Short and “It’s great to see how scalable Jayati Sharma pack food boxes necessary for controlling and Jayati Sharma, students in the University of Arizona it is and the long-term impact at the Community Food Bank food boxes. Supplied by Short and Sharma interviewed more than 200 coordinating other cognitive College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, are part- of our work.” of Southern Arizona. the U.S. Department of food bank clients to evaluate overall diet quality abilities and behaviors. In par- nering with the Community Food Bank of Southern The Community Food Bank Agriculture, the Emergency and gather feedback on how clients currently use ticular, bigger dogs have better Arizona to establish a nutrition-based diabetes of Southern Arizona serves five counties and Food Assistance Program provides a three-to- the Emergency Food Assistance Program foods. short-term memory and self- Researchers studied canine intelligence treatment program to help those most at risk. more than 190,000 households, not including their four-day supply of food for those in need, including With support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ari- control than more petite pups. using data from the citizen science Communities living with food insecurity, senior programs or snack programs for the Boys staples such as canned vegetables, canned fruit, zona, the project is now developing a therapeutic

“The jury is out on why, nec- AugustowskaAnna website Dognition.com. The website on average, face two to three times the preva- and Girls Club of Southern Arizona. pasta, spaghetti sauce, legumes and cereal. food box to be test-piloted this fall. essarily, brain size might relate to cognition,” offers instructions for dog owners lence of food-related diseases, including high “Throughout this whole project, we’ve been “It’s good staple food, but it is pretty heavy “If we were going to put a price tag on it, we said lead study author Daniel Horschler, an anthro- to test their pups’ cognitive abilities blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. really focused on sustainability,” said Short, in carbohydrates. Not that that’s a problem, but couldn’t afford it,” said Rhonda Gonzalez, Director pology doctoral student and member of the Arizona through simple game-based activities, Food and Resources Expanded to Support Health, a nutritional sciences doctoral student. “We’re people who have diabetes, for instance, struggle of Health Initiatives at the Community Food Bank Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona. much like those carried out at the or FRESH-2, is a collaborative project designed really trying to keep that central in our minds with getting the right kinds of carbohydrates,” of Southern Arizona. “It’s a tremendous asset. “We think of it as probably a proxy for something Arizona Canine Cognition Center. to produce a therapeutic food box to support throughout the entire process and stages of explained Melanie Hingle, associate professor in We could not do this without the work of these MAKING A else going on, whether it’s the number of neurons food bank clients managing diabetes. development.” the Department of Nutritional Sciences. “This is students.” that matters or differences in neuron connectivity. citizen science website Dognition.com, which “As an undergraduate student, it’s incredible The FRESH-2 Project specifically aims to a fine starting point, but we’re trying to figure Nobody’s really sure yet, offers instructions for dog owners to test their to see that my college and the Department of enhance the food bank’s existing emergency out how can we tweak it to make it better.” but we’re interested in canines’ cognitive abilities through a variety of BETTER WORLD figuring out what those game-based activities. The users then submit deeper things are.” their data to the site, where it can be accessed A member of the Her passion to help her community extends to her Canine brain size does by researchers. Turtle Mountain Band Zeroing in academic work as an online student in the College of STARTS HERE. not seem to be associated Short-term memory was tested by dog owners Nursing’s doctoral program. DeCoteau, who was awarded with all types of intelli- hiding a treat, in view of their dog, under one of of Chippewa Indians on Diabetes University of gence, however. Horschler two overturned plastic cups. Owners then waited tribe in North Dakota, the Western Institute of Nursing’s American Indian/Alaska Arizona doctoral found that brain size didn’t 60, 90, 120 or 150 seconds before releasing their Prevention Native/First Nation conference award, plans to center At Tech Launch Arizona, we move inventions student Daniel University of Arizona predict a dog’s perfor- dog to get the treat. Smaller dogs had more diffi- her dissertation on diabetes among the Native American stemming from UA research and technological Horschler found College of Nursing in Native mance on tests of social culty remembering where the treat was hidden. that larger dogs population. innovation into the marketplace where they can intelligence, which was To test self-control, owners placed a treat in student Rhea DeCoteau have better short- Populations “My main focus right now is diabetes self-management create lasting social and economic impact. measured by testing each front of their seated dog and then forbade the dog chose a career in term memory and skills amongst Native American adults ages 18-40,” dog’s ability to follow from taking it. Owners then either watched the nursing to follow in her they develop into serious self-control than she said, explaining that the Turtle Mountain Band Interested in joining our mission to make a better world? human pointing dog, covered their own eyes or turned away from problems. Currently, DeCoteau smaller breeds. mother’s footsteps. of Chippewa Indians faces multiple challenges, including Learn more at techlaunch.arizona.edu gestures. the dog. Larger-breed dogs typically waited is a diabetes specialist for the It also wasn’t associated with longer to snag the forbidden treat. punishing winters that discourage exercise and steep costs “She would tell me stories Turtle Mountain Band of Chip- a dog’s inferential and physical Horschler and his colleagues con- for fresh fruits and vegetables. “So many different things about her work, how she saved pewa Indian Health Services. reasoning ability. trolled for whether or not the dogs need to be studied, from children all the way up to older The study’s findings mirror what had been trained. They found that lives and the pride she got from “I’m a diabetes nurse, and adults. Within diabetes, there are issues such as the way scientists have previously found to larger-brained breeds had better that,” DeCoteau says. “That’s I’m the only one here, not only we react to medication, the way we understand education, be true in primates—that brain size is short-term memory and self-con- really where it started: I wanted to do what she did.” in our Indian Health Service but in our area as a whole,” and the way we have disparities that really impacts associated with executive functioning, trol than smaller dogs, regardless DeCoteau’s passion is preventative education, as it she says. “Everybody knows me as the person to go to for but not other types of intelligence. of the extent of training the dogs a person’s ability to take care of their diabetes.” offers a chance to curtail budding health issues before diabetes education.” #MAKEITHAPPEN @TechLaunchAZ had received. Wildcat Country | 11 eventy-seven students received their “This program created so many opportu- undergraduate diplomas from the nities,” Qiu said. “My classmates and I can University of Arizona this summer, choose to pursue a license, another position or not in Tucson, but halfway around to further our education in the U.S. or China. the world in Qingdao, China. We have more choices, so why not choose this SEach graduate earned two degrees: a Bach- program? It was a transformative experience elor of Arts in Law from the University of for me.” Arizona and a Bachelor of Laws from Ocean Entirely unique to the University of Arizona University of China, also known as OUC. and its partners, microcampuses operate at The commencement marked the first four-year universities worldwide, where students earn cohort of microcampus students to graduate. degrees from both institutions, typically Jordyn StinnettJordyn Several graduates of the inaugural cohort in the time it takes to earn one. received early acceptance to top law schools Inaugural Microcampus Class In addition to Qingdao, the University of lution. attract. r in China, the U.K., the U.S., and Australia to Arizona currently operates microcampuses al revo etrain. ustri laun ind ch. pursue graduate degrees. Xueda Qiu will begin in Ajman, United Arab Emirates; Amman, rth sch ou ol Graduates in China . f ars ity hi a Master of Laws program, or LLM, at North- Jordan; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Phnom Penh, ur ps ec . i s nt d er western University in the U.S. this fall. Cambodia. More microcampuses will open in oo n . f sh n i The first four-year microcampus cohort to graduate from o p “During the application process to North- the coming year, including locations in China, ti s. n S e A t L re T western, they showed a lot of interest in the the University of Arizona and a partner university celebrated Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, . C h e lt n a t dual degree program between the UA and delivering education in business, communication, e e r commencement in late June at Ocean University of China. h . l m a t e OUC,” Qiu said. “It was an adjustment at first cyber operations, engineering and the arts— n n e t a m l to learn about legal thinking and writing from a different perspective, but the University all collaboratively with a network of partner universities.

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c 2019 NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed, defeating No. 3-seed USC 3-2 before bowing out in the semifinals to the eventual national champions from Duke. Head coach Laura Ianello was named the Pac-12 Conference Co-Coach of the Year, with sophomore Yu-Sang Hou (pictured with Assistant Coach Justin Bubser) and senior Bianca Pagdanganan earn- ing spots on the Pac-12 All-Conference team. Hou finished in the top 10 six times this past season, and Pagdanganan was named Pac-12 Golfer of the Month in March. Senior and - All-Conference honorable mention honoree Haley Moore finished tied for eighth at the Pac-12 Championships and

Michael Christy/Arizona Athletics scored a top-10 finish at Augusta National this spring.

Wildcat Country | 13 - his time last year, the asteroid craft eventually dipped closer than one ments, providing mission scientists with in diameter. Instead of having the equiv- OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Bennu resembled an indiscriminate mile from the asteroid’s center, allowing data on the asteroid’s exact shape, chem- alent of half a football field in which to Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identi- T pebble in the sky. for the first direct measurement of Ben- ical composition and physical properties navigate, the spacecraft will have to oper- fication, Security-Regolith Explorer. The Since then, the University of Arizona-led From a Glint nu’s mass and detailed surface observa- influencing how it is affected by the sun ate within the confines of sampling sites economic impact of the OSIRIS-REx OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, decked out with tions. OSIRIS-REx then switched from and the surrounding space. In fact, heat smaller than half a basketball court. mission to the state of Arizona is $230.5 a suite of instruments created to tease out stellar navigation to navigating by the radiating from the sun and the asteroid “Despite these newly found challenges, million. Since its launch on Sept. 8, 2016, of Light to a features of the rocky body. overpowers the its gravitational pull on our team is confident that we will meet it has traveled over 1.7 billion miles, and the rock’s mysteries dating back to the solar system’s earliest days, has caught up The maneuvers broke records, making the spacecraft. the science objectives,” said Dante Lauretta, since Bennu became visible in October to its target, detected the presence of ancient Miniature World, Bennu the smallest body in the solar The science team was also surprised OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and 2018, the spacecraft has delivered 16,485 water, commenced a record-breaking system ever orbited, and, at less than to learn that Bennu is rockier and dotted professor of planetary science at the TAGCAMS navigation images of the orbital dance and imaged every inch of its 0.4 miles, the most closely orbited body with more boulders than anyone imag- Laboratory. “The OSIRIS-REx team de- asteroid. surface to determine four potential sample as well. The European Space Agency’s ined. Its surface brightness also varies signed the mission with flexibility and ca- Bennu Begins Stellar Students collection sites. Rosetta spacecraft was the previous widely, presenting a challenge for the pabilities to deal with the unknown, and Keara Burke began interning with the The mission’s objective is to collect about record holder when it circled about four lasers of the spacecraft’s lidar system, we are prepared to answer the challenges OSIRIS-REx team during her sophomore two ounces of dust, dirt and rock particles miles from the center of the comet 67P/ which was designed to guide the sample Bennu has given us.” Revealing year. She was tasked with identifying from the near-Earth asteroid and return Churyumov-Gerasimenko in May 2016. acquisition approach. Starting in October, OSIRIS-REx will the safest sample sites for the spacecrafts it to Earth. OSIRIS-REx will be the first begin a series of flyovers to obtain high Once Upon a Wet World Site Selection Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition NASA mission to do so, and the science that resolution maps of each of the four sites. Its Secrets Soon after arrival, the mission’s science In August, NASA announced the mission’s Mechanism that will collect rocks older emerges could shed light on the history of the The primary and backup sample collection team—headquartered at the University of final four candidate sampling sites. They than the Earth smaller than an inch in solar system and the formation of Earth. sites will be announced in December. Arizona—discovered traces of past water. were chosen based on spacecraft safety, diameter. While the TAGSAM’s task is Upon arrival on Dec. 3, 2018, OSIRIS- Sample collection is scheduled for the Bennu is now too small a body to host the amount of collectable material available, limited to a few seconds, a rocky, hazard- REx began zipping around Bennu’s north latter half of 2020 when OSIRIS-REx will water, but the spacecraft’s two spectrom- maneuverability in and out of the site and ous area could compromise the mission. pole, equator and south pole. The space- touch the surface for five seconds to gather eters—the OSIRIS-REx Visible and In- scientific interest. a sample of the asteroid before heading “It’s incredible to be able go to work This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is com- frared Spectrometer, or OVIRS, and the When the OSIRIS-REx team developed home and ejecting the Sample Return every day and know that what I’m con- posed of 12 PolyCam images collected on OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emissions Spec- its sampling strategy based on what was Capsule for landing in the Utah desert on tributing to the conversation matters,” Dec. 2, 2018, by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft trometer, or OTES—detected molecules known about Bennu at the time, they Burke said as OSIRIS-REx arrived at the from a range of 15 miles (24 km). (inset) Uni- Sept. 24, 2023.

Bob Demers locked within the rock indicating that expected large swaths of relatively smooth asteroid. “Being able to be part of this type versity of Arizona alumna Keara Burke spent “The true nail-biting moment will be her first summer as a college student studying liquid water was once present on Bennu’s surface. In reality, the spacecraft identified the sample collection.” Lauretta said. “The of mission—I don’t think I would have abroad with the Honors College, visiting eight parent body, a much larger asteroid. only a few hazard-free regions. As a result, best times are ahead of us, so stay tuned. gotten this opportunity anywhere else.” countries in two months. As a systems and the final four sample sites are each only The exploration of Bennu has just begun, She is one of more than 150 students, both data analyst engineer on the OSIRIS-REx The Odd Ball about 10 meters and we have a lifetime of adventure ahead at undergraduate and graduate level, who NASA mission, Burke has expanded her OSIRIS-REx has been exploring the have been working on the mission so far. exploration of humanity well beyond Europe’s asteroid from above with various instru- of us.” borders – indeed beyond Earth’s atmosphere. NASA/Goddard/University Arizona of

uilding resilience in renewable energy but have an herbs in the shade They found that the agrivoltaics system sig- Jalapenos produced a similar amount temperature—as they “Those overheating solar panels are actually and food production is a fundamental overabundance Agrivoltaics of solar panels ever nificantly impacted three factors that affect plant of fruit in both the agrivoltaics system and warm, their efficiency cooled down by the fact that the crops underneath challenge in today’s changing world, of sun energy. since.” growth and reproduction—air temperatures, direct the traditional plot, but did so with 65% drops. By cultivating are emitting water through their natural process especially in regions susceptible to “Many of us want Proves Mutually Using solar photo- sunlight and atmospheric demand for water. The less transpirational water loss. crops underneath the of transpiration—just like misters on the patio heat and drought. Agrivoltaics, the more renewable voltaic, or PV, panels shade provided by the PV panels resulted in cooler “We found that each irrigation event can PV panels, researchers of your favorite restaurant,” Barron-Gafford said. Bco-locating of agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy, but where do Beneficial for and regional vegeta- daytime temperatures and warmer nighttime tem- support crop growth for days, not just hours, were able to reduce “All told, that is a win-win-win in terms of bettering panels, offers a possible solution, with new Uni- you put all of those panels? bles, the team created peratures than the traditional, open-sky planting as in current agriculture practices. This find- the temperature of the our how we grow our food, utilize our precious versity of Arizona-led research reporting positive As solar installations Food, Water, the first agrivoltaics system. There was also more moisture in the air ing suggests we could reduce our water use panels. water resources, and produce renewable energy.” impacts on food production, water savings and grow, they tend to be out on research site at Biosphere 2. in the agrivoltaics system. but still maintain levels of food production,” (far left) A traditional open-sky garden is situated next to an agrivoltaics the efficiency of electricity production. the edges of cities, and this is Professors and students, both “We found that many of our food crops do Barron-Gafford added, noting that soil moisture Energy system, in which plants are grown under solar photovoltaic panels. Agrivoltaics, also known as solar sharing, is an historically where we have already undergraduate and graduate, better in the shade of solar panels because they remained approximately 15% higher in the The study was conducted at the Biosphere 2, which can be seen in idea that has been gaining traction; however, few been growing our food,” said Greg Barron-Gafford, measured everything from when plants germinated are spared from the direct sun,” Baron-Gafford agrivoltaics system than the control plot when the background. (right) From left: University of Arizona students Alyssa studies have monitored all aspects of the associated a professor in School of Geography and Develop- to the amount of carbon plants were sucking out of said. “In fact, total chiltepin fruit production was irrigating every other day. Salazar, Leandro Phelps-Garcia and Isaiah Barnett-Moreno food, energy and water systems, and none have ment. “We started to ask, ‘Why not do produce the atmosphere and the water they were releasing, three times greater under the PV panels in an The researchers also found that the agrivoltaics conducted the agrivoltaics research at the Biosphere 2 under the focused on dryland areas—regions that experience both in the same place?’ And we have been growing to their total food production throughout the grow- agrivoltaic system, and tomato production was system increased the efficiency of energy pro-

guidance of associate professor Greg Barron-Gafford. food production challenges and water shortages, crops like tomatoes, peppers, chard, kale, and ing season. twice as great!” duction. Solar panels are inherently sensitive to Murphy Patrick

14 | Wildcat Country Greg Barron-Gafford Wildcat Country | 15 ick Knapton, a graduate student in the they are going to be able to eat or have water today,” he “We have adaptive athletic teams that are winning University of Arizona College of Nursing, said. “In spite of these worries, you see children laughing, national and world championships, and bringing home needs a wheelchair, but not as a result of people smiling, still enjoying life. I knew I can handle this. gold medals from the Paralympics Games. We should being shot and wounded while serving Other people handle far worse on a daily basis.” be proud and spread the word.” in the Army. He was paralyzed much Knapton connected with the Disability Resource Center After finishing his undergraduate degree in May, Knapton later by Lyme disease. to help him adjust to taking classes in a wheelchair. He started the Master of Science for Entry to the Profession of NKnapton’s experiences fuel his passion to help people. said he always assumed the Americans with Disabilities Nursing program at the College of Nursing. The 15-month He advocates for veterans’ services on campus and works Act made everything accessible to people with disabilities, program is designed for students holding degrees in other with the University of Arizona Disability Resource Center but he quickly learned that is not the case. In response, fields to become registered nurses. A recent physiology to improve access for those whose mobility is challenged. he got involved with the Disability Resource Center “I never want to leave the University of Arizona,” graduate, Knapton One of his most important tools is his story, which he tells to increase accessibility on campus. (center) now studies Knapton said. “The university is great in to inspire compassion for others in similar situations. Knapton also helped develop the Disability Cultural bodied population,” Knapton said. “We nursing at the helping you find your passion, fostering it and After high school, Knapton joined the Army, perform- Center, one of very few in the nation to provide a space need to celebrate our differences and talk University of Arizona. developing it. I want to get my master’s degree ing intelligence and counterintelligence work. He served for students, faculty and staff to explore and celebrate about them so people can learn about them.” here, my doctorate in nursing practice here, multiple deployments, including in Afghanistan, where he disability identity, culture and community. Knapton also became involved in Arizona Adaptive practice nursing at Banner and teach at the university. was shot (his bullet-resistant vest absorbed the rounds) and “Being disabled is really a culture. We experience things Athletics, participating in and supporting the wheelchair My long-term goal is to become a nurse educator. If you took shrapnel in his back and legs. Those wounds healed, from a different point of view than the rest of the able- racing and tennis teams. want to change something, you teach.” but the hardest blow to recover from was inflicted in Kandahar City, where he witnessed the killing Nick Knapton talks of one of his best friends. magine being able to walk around how traditional dances have evolved over a Russian major. “For people here in the with Victor Braitberg of “I held myself responsible for his death for a Buddhist temple in China without space and time,” Zenenga said. “Three- United States, the border with Mexico is a the UA Honors College. leaving your desk or observing with the dimensional motion capture can show huge topic, but when I talked to some of a long time,” said Knapton, who suffered from Knapton’s service dog is click of a button how African dances students how these subtle variations evolved. the students there, they didn’t feel like they post-traumatic stress disorder. “It was his Herbert Walter Esquire. evolved. Those are just some of the It’s easier for students to be taken back lived next to a border. It definitely helped family who said, ‘This wasn’t your fault. He ways digital technology is creating in time and to simulate a real experience understand the similarities and differences saved other people. If that rocket-propelled grenade hadn’t Inew opportunities to study who we are, through 3-D motion capture technology.” between the two cultures.” struck him, it might have struck you or some children where we came from and ultimately what Another award from the Center for Digital In addition to 3-D scanning and motion nearby.’ They helped me recognize that instead of feeling it means to be human. Humanities allowed University of Arizona capture, the Center for Digital Humanities Student Speaks The University of Arizona’s Center for students studying French and Russian to incorporates textual and data analysis, guilty, I can feel thankful and appreciate the sacrifice

Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications Hanning/UAHS Kris Digital Humanities combines advanced connect with peers in borderland regions application creation, data visualization, GIS he made.” computational technology with the world’s so they could explore the topic of borderlands mapping, augmented reality, virtual reality, Using motion capture Not long after, Knapton’s father lost his battle with cancer. most enduring questions about the immersive technology, digital storytelling, technology, the movements “I remembered the last thing my father said to me was Up for Veterans, human condition. That synthesis of social networks and cultural informatics of a professional dancer are different modes of thought and explo- Transforming into its projects. to do what makes me happy and take care of myself,” transformed into a virtual ration can spark exciting new oppor- Taking the digital humanities projects Knapton recalled. “I realized he wasn’t doing either representation of African dances tunities, says Bryan Carter, director from idea to reality involves a collabo- of those things.” for use in online courses. (below) the Humanities of the Center for Digital Humanities, ration between faculty researchers and Disabled Center for Digital Humanities The back-to-back losses of his best friend and his father which funds research projects in the student developers in Tech Core. Housed Director Bryan Carter and Through motivated Knapton to make a change. He left the mili- College of Humanities. in the Eller College of Management, Tech Core Director Ash Black tary and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, where Nick Knapton always assumed the Americans with Disabilities Act Praise Zenenga, director of the Tech Core is both a 100% Engagement observe student coders who are Africana Studies Program, received Technology experience for students and an affordable he became involved in the veteran services organization, using advanced technologies made everything accessible to people with disabilities, but he quickly a digital humanities development technological resource for partners on eventually serving as president. such as virtual reality to create award to pursue a project that allows together while working on language skills. campus, says director Ash Black. After transferring to the University of Arizona to learned that is not the case. In response, he got involved with the unique learning experiences. him to teach his course on African The students were guided through a study “It’s a perfect example of letting the complete his undergraduate degree in physiology, Knapton Disability Resource Center to increase accessibility on campus. dance to online students. of three borderlands regions, Québec-New world’s needs drive your learning, and what’s continued to advocate for veterans. One of Knapton’s Zenenga uses motion capture to record England, Mexico-Southern Arizona, and great with the College of Humanities is the professors, who knew Knapton was a veteran, asked him Knapton’s journey took another turn two years ago. ate away at the nerves in his spine, paralyzing him from the movements of a professional dancer, Russia-Northern Kazakhstan, by faculty students are working in constant contact to talk to a class about post-traumatic stress disorder. While still a physiology undergraduate, he was diagnosed the waist down. creating a virtual representation of dances members Liudmila Klimanova and Emily with the faculty members,” Black says. “It’s The students were learning about the physiology of PTSD. with Lyme disease. “In three months, I went from very healthy, to waking that evolved from Africa, through the Carib- Hellmich and their colleagues at the Cégep a very innovative partnership. Given the monu- bean and to the U.S. Students can examine de Sept-Îles in Québec and Kostanay State mental transformation in the way technology “If you talk about it, people who don’t know what you’ve “I started to get migraine headaches and could not get up paralyzed.” the dances online from any angle and at University in Kazakhstan. is reshaping our world, the input of human- been through can begin to understand,” Knapton said. out of bed. Then, I couldn’t control my blood pressure. Knapton credits his time in Afghanistan with helping any speed. “Being close to the border here in Tucson ities faculty has never been more needed. “It was eye opening. I hear veterans say, ‘People don’t It would just plummet, and I would faint for no reason. him adapt to being in a wheelchair. “Teaching from the humanistic perspective is a lot different than the experience the There’s no more important question now than understand what I went through.’ My philosophy has I couldn’t understand what was going on,” he said. “I was able to experience a culture that is more concerned —not the fine arts perspective—my primary students in Kazakhstan have in being next what it means to be a human being. We have

always been, well, explain it to them.” His doctor tested Knapton for Lyme disease—the result about whether they or their family is safe, and whether Tech Core interest in the classroom is showing students to the border with Russia,” says Evan Rowe, to inform the purpose of the technology.” was positive. Before he could be fully treated, the disease 16 | Wildcat Country Wildcat Country | 17 eople living in dry climates worldwide to know that my work is benefitting all of society, experience the problems wrought by not just academia.” Startup dry air and blowing dust, which affects The project was an epiphany for Kim, as his P everything from respiratory health to research career to this point has been focused cars and other machinery. To control dust in areas on biomaterials, not air pollution. Seeks to like mines and construction sites, the general practice “I learned that there were a lot of mining companies You, the professional is to spray the ground with water. While this method with air pollution issues,” he says. “I saw this problem Control does keep dust levels down, sites require constant of water drying too quickly and thought about using the collaborator reapplication, especially in arid climates like Arizona. these materials to keep dust wetter longer.” To address the problem, According to Kim, many companies have been Dust in a Materials science and researchers at the University using water along with commercial dust suppres- engineering doctoral student of Arizona College of Engineering sants mostly based on salts or acrylic or vinyl Dry World Taehee Lee uses a blower have developed an environmentally polymers developed before the 2000s. Today, exten- to create a 25-mph wind to safe biocompatible polymer blend sive research motivated by the desire to address measure generated dust con- that, when added to water used environmental issues, not just air pollution control, centrations from the surface for dust control, keeps the ground has resulted in more options for materials to apply where dust suppressants damp for more than two months, to the problem—especially materials that are safe were applied two weeks prior. even when exposed to the open to put into groundwater. the innovator The tests were done at the desert air. “I was surprised that these well-known materials closed tailings storage facility Through Tech Launch Arizona, in other research fields were not adapted for dust the leader at the Asarco Mission Mine. which commercializes inventions suppression technology yet,” Kim says. “That’s stemming from research, the when I knew I had something special.” university provided funding to advance the invention, Because the material is biocompatible and safe protected the intellectual property, and licensed for human consumption, it is not only perfectly it to startup Clean Earth Tech to bring it to the suited for use in mining facilities, but could also marketplace. be ideal for use by cities, counties, and farming “Most of my work has been about finding new communities—any environment where dust control things and contributing to science,” says inventor is needed. and assistant professor Minkyu Kim, who is also

Minkyu Kim a member of the BIO5 Institute. “I’m very excited the impact-maker binational tennis and art chapters in the United States Tennis and an hour of academic festival located on the border Association’s National Junior Tennis mentorship. between Nogales, Arizona, and Learning network, BYTE is the “The students said and Nogales, Sonora, only program to operate internationally they were not only left Mexico, provided a unique and in the border region. with a greater under- volunteer opportunity for students in “Our students shared that it was one standing of the challenges the University of Arizona College of of the most impactful experiences in faced in the border region, Education. their undergraduate careers,” Ostermeyer but also with a new sense The festival, hosted by the Border said. "They got to experience firsthand, of purpose in helping Youth Tennis Exchange, featured music, and help promote, the intended impact others, including their art installations, and pop-up tennis on of BYTE, which provides You, who’s ready to make an impact. You, the future accountant or Wall Street both sides of the border. UA College a contrast to the negative Building analyst or marketing director or entrepreneur. You, who’s ready to transform. of Education Assistant Professors of and stereotypical discourse Practice Matt Ostermeyer and Brandon surrounding the border with Community Harris, and students Jaden Mickens, the complex and beautiful, Across the Rosie Harris-Makinen, Shannon universal human realities in MacNeil, and Alex Davood provided a place like Nogales.” Border Your Career Starts Here. books and led arts and crafts projects. BYTE operates five sites in Ambos fellow students,” Harris The Border Youth Tennis Exchange, Nogales, offering programming to youth added. “They understood or BYTE, uses tennis and education through four organizations. Students the importance of BYTE’s to keep children off the street and build receive two sessions weekly, consisting efforts in promoting unity and Welcome to Eller. teamwork and self-esteem. One of 350 of an hour of on-court tennis instruction resilience between communities.” Eller.arizona.edu Wildcat Country | 19 FLANDRAU What makes Tucson special? SCIENCE Take a guided tour and see the From before the time Tucson CENTER & ancient agave fields or hike up became a U.S. territory, to PLANITARIUM the hill. the establishment of Arizona’s As you make the trek to the first university, the recipe of top alongside cardio-loving the Old Pueblo holds many Tucsonans, download the ingredients that have made HAVE YOU Tumamoc Tour App and listen Tucson the unique dish that to stories from locals and find it is today. A natural oasis set out more about what once lived in the nationally recognized on the hill 2,500 years ago. cultural landscape of the DISCOVERED EXPLORE A Santa Cruz Valley National CITY OF SCIENCE Heritage Area; Tucson provides Home to the University of a window into a past with THESE Arizona, Tucson stands out as traditions and customs that a city of science with access live into the present. From to real research in fields of the continued cultivation astronomy, ecology and of indigenous foods, to the UA CAMPUS geology. Telescopes top preservation of art, historic EL CHARRO Tucson mountains, taking areas and landmarks, Tucson advantage of the city’s clean exists as a cultural hub that region’s 13,000-year human history. might find yourself STEAK air and clear, dark skies to inspires the free spirit in all of us. TREASURES? make it the “astronomy cap- View the world’s largest and not only looking Whether you’re a new visitor or ital of the world.” Indulge the most comprehensive collection at Ansel Adams’ a mixture of exhibitions and events of Gastronomy in the United States a native Arizonan looking to see eyes and take in Tucson’s beautiful of American Indian basketry and luminous “Moonrise, Hernandez, throughout the year, including and home to the Best 23 Miles of more of your backyard, Tucson night skies—from the mountaintop or embark on the Pottery Project New Mexico,” but reading his lectures, book signings, and print Mexican Food, Tucson offers an provides an exceptional experi- observatory at Mt. Lemmon Sky- tour and discover Southwest handwritten diary to learn how viewings centered around cele- exciting modern food scene with ence of the Southwest. Center, to viewings at the Flandrau Indian pottery of the Hohokam, he happened to make this famous brating the cultural significance of local influences and ingredients UNCOVER THE PAST Science Center & Planetarium. Mogollon, and ancestral Pueblo image one afternoon in 1941. photography and helping to build reflecting the innovative agricul- AT THE ARIZONA Your watch will tell you it’s time cultures. The Center opened in 1975 and a bigger appreciation for the visual tural techniques practiced in the STATE MUSEUM for sleep, but you may not want WITNESS PHOTOGRAPHY’S features the archives of five artform. region—from Sonoran Dogs to Discover the indigenous cultures ENDURING CULTURAL to close your eyes. American photographers: Ansel INDULGE YOUR prickly pear jam. of Arizona, the greater South- INFLUENCE Adams, Harry Callahan, Wynn CULINARY CURIOSITIES Whether you’re here for a day or for west, and northern Mexico at Nestled within the University of Continue your journey of Tucson’s Bullock, Aaron Siskind, and Fred- Tucson tastes like nowhere else a week, there’s plenty of opportuni- the Arizona State Museum, the Arizona is the Center for Cre- agricultural history while fitting rick Sommer. Today, the Center in North America, with a rich ties to take in the rich culture of the largest and oldest anthropology ative Photography (CCP), one of in your workout at Tumamoc Hill. includes 270 archival collections culinary heritage spanning 4,000 Old Pueblo. Free yourself and start research museum in the South- the world’s finest academic art Serving as an ecological reserve, from prominent 20th century years and a border that encom- your journey at VisitTucson.org. west located on the University museums and study centers for the Pima County and University of North American photographers ARIZONA passes distinct Mexican and Native of Arizona campus. Glimpse into the history of photography. Step Arizona College of Science’s Desert and over eight million archival traditions in food and drink. Desig- what life was like throughout the into this treasure house and you STATE Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, com- objects. The CCP also holds MUSEUM nated by UNESCO as the first City bines a living lab with community. of the U.S., and he decided to pursue a graduate degree to is basing this study on participant surveys from Project Research, or UCAR, Next Generation Fellowship program, get the expertise he deemed necessary to work in environ- Harvest and using common plants grown in Arizona, which supports graduate students from underrepresented Using Science mental policy. like romaine lettuce and cilantro. communities in their professional careers as Earth system Moving away from the East Coast, he was excited to talk scientists. Moses will receive financial support for two to people about water rights and issues in the Southwest, years of graduate school and participate in two summer Policy to Advocate a region where water is more precious than land. internships with UCAR and the National Center for Looking at initial data from the first year of Project Atmospheric Research. Based in Washington, D.C., he Harvest, Moses saw the presence of E. coli in harvested will brush shoulders with policymakers and learn from the for Clean Water rainwater and soil. This is not necessarily alarming; most inside about the bureaucracy of water and earth system Water. It’s critical to human strains of E. coli are harmless to humans and live naturally sciences in the United States. in our intestinal tract. However, E.coli is used as an indicator “Through this fellowship, I will be able to form research existence. And yet, many organism, meaning that its presence generally suggests questions that can not only help American communities fecal contamination and the potential for pathogenic but also improve our scientific capacity as a Americans cannot drink microbes. Identifying the source of contamination is key. For his doctoral thesis, country by answering the scientific questions Caroline MosleyCaroline To get answers, Moses wants to replicate how people Moses is researching the of interest to our government,” Moses said. the water coming out origin of microbes and care for their gardens. Many people use sources other than But during this time, he won’t forget the contaminants in various of their tap. tap water to water their gardens, such as excess household Even as Moses dives deep into the intricate types of water used in communities he’s worked with. water, or greywater, reclaimed water or rainwater. And there details of water contamination, he knows personal and community “I want to make sure people have access is very little research on harvested rainwater. that he wants to work on science policy on gardens. to clean water so they can sustain themselves,” His doctoral research involves a greenhouse study that a global scale. Moses said. “If you can’t grow vegetables in could reveal the origin of microbes and contaminants and He was recently named the 2019 Science Policy Fellow your own yard, what kind of world are we living in?” help him create best practices for local communities. Moses under the University of Corporation for Atmospheric

ancer is a leading cause of death Firefighters are exposed to carcinogens when Since cancer has a long latency period between Alesia Jung, a doctoral student in the epidemi- among firefighters, who are exposed they breathe in smoke, diesel exhaust and other exposure and the onset of disease, researchers ology program at the Zuckerman College of Public to cancer-causing chemicals on the chemical gases, as well as when their skin is need a way to link the early toxicological effects Health, is project coordinator for the Fire Fighter job through inhalation and skin absor- contaminated. The amount of chemicals the body of carcinogen exposure to eventual cancer devel- Multicenter Cancer Cohort Study and works directly ption. Measuring these exposures and absorbs internally is affected by many factors, opment, which could help them develop effective with firefighters in Tucson, Boston, California and determining how they cause cancer such as the type of fire, the specific job task and strategies for preventing disease. Florida. Care essential steps in learning how to reduce how they clean their gear. “We still don’t understand which exposures cancer risk in firefighters. cause the increased risk for cancer or how they do “The university is committed to improving the After the Fire: so,” Jung said. “This information is necessary to A.J. Moses is minoring in lives of first responders,” said Jeff Burgess, M.D., determine the best ways to help prevent cancer in law with an eye on advocacy associate dean for research at the University of Firefighters firefighters. I hope our work will be able to prevent Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public future firefighters from developing occupational Moses’ path to the University of Arizona in the future. “I believe that His perception on his own life shifted “It’s easy to say people need water,” even if you do great research, Health. “Not only are we gaining insights into the cancers and to affect laws and policies related and why he cares so deeply about water, as he learned how people struggled for development of cancer in firefighters, the research Battle More to workers’ compensation so firefighters who do says Arthur “A.J.” Moses, a doctoral student in the Depart- it doesn’t mean much if you be it in his hometown of Washington, basic amenities, especially water. should lead to earlier detection and treatment and develop occupational cancer receive the medical ment of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona, can’t translate it into actionable Than Just D.C., or Tucson, Arizona, came from policy,” he says. Clean water wasn’t just an issue abroad. prevention strategies. Our goal is to create a model care they deserve.” “but it’s never that simple.” a personal revelation: even in 2019 and During his training, a sign posted above for fire departments across the country.” Flames “The research not only will help the fire service Moses wants to be an expert in water issues, from federal in one of the richest nations in the world, people don’t the only water source stated that elevated lead levels were The work began with a pilot study in 2015 when better understand how we are being exposed to the university received a $1.5 million grant from the carcinogens, it also will lead to safer practices on and state laws to the microbial make-up of the water in our know what’s in their water and get sick because of it. present in the water lines. When he informed his family, rain barrels. And with that knowledge, he wants to go into Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, fire incidents and improved protective equipment His first exposure to water crises was growing up in the he learned his father, also a Marine Corps veteran, had to help improve fire department safety in Tucson. that ultimately will lead to fewer firefighter fatalities,” environmental policy to speak for those who cannot speak nation’s capital in the early 2000s, when a lead contamination received a letter about exposure to water contamination The research was so successful that it led to an said Chief Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the for themselves. crisis left thousands of children as risk and resulted in a from the base water supply nearly 40 years earlier. additional $1.5 million FEMA grant to expand the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. To reach this goal, Moses works with assistant professor regulatory crackdown. But it was a friendship that opened effort to fire departments across the country. Burgess said the goal is to continue the research A Focus on Environmental Policy for 30 or more years, which is the time it takes for Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta and Project Harvest, a citizen his eyes to how acute water crises can be. (above) Jenna Norban, a public health major with a minor in

Inspired by people and their stories, Moses returned to his BioCommunications Hanning/UAHS Kris many cancers to develop. science project with a mission to engage rural and urban After a troubled freshmen year at college, Moses decided Spanish, is part of the Firefighter Multicenter Cancer Cohort Study Arizona communities about the health of their harvested to put his life into perspective and joined the U.S Marine studies when his military service ended, graduating from research team. She spent the summer interning at the Orange County rainwater they use for soil and plants. Moses works on the Corps. Long training hours led to the exchanging of life the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in geo- Fire Authority in California, one of the Zuckerman College of Public Health’s fire service partners. (right) Doctoral studentAlesia Jung project testing harvested rainwater and soil for microbial stories, and he met many immigrants with vivid tales graphical sciences. On his own time, he began to research with Deputy Chief Darin Wallentine of the Tucson Fire Department. contamination. of walking miles just for clean water. water quality issues and law in different regions 22 | Wildcat Country Wildcat Country | 23 Students in Arizona Law’s IP Clinic Secure First Your Children WIll Three Patents for Clients he Intellectual Property Clinic at the University Working on a patent case is a long-term Invent the Future of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law has assignment for IP Clinic students. For the secured its first three client patents from the Delivery Safe, students began their review of United States Patent and Trademark Office. the client’s invention in February 2017, filed Under the guidance of clinic director Allan the patent application in January 2018 and Sternstein and supervising attorneys, law finally saw the patent issued a year later. Advanced medical care for everyone Tstudents counsel individuals and businesses on securing, “The IP Clinic has been by far the most maintaining, protecting and enforcing their intellectual rewarding experience I have had while in Faster, smaller, greener computing property, or IP, rights, including rights in patents, trade law school,” says Alexandra DeArman, who secrets, trademarks and copyrights. Services are provided worked on the Modular Home and Garden Clean water for all humankind at no charge. patent. “Prior to joining the clinic, my knowl- edge of intellectual property was limited. The first patents But through working one-on-one with clients, All-encompassing smart cites issued to clinic clients fellow students and our incredible advising attorneys, I have been able to grow my skill • Patent No. 9,993,074, for a do-it-yourself modular kit for Sunlight powering the world set in ways not possible through lecture storage, garden and entertainment structures, produced alone.” by the company Modular Home & Garden. Blake Osecki, founder Law students in the IP Clinic Homeland cybersecurity • Patent No. 10,180,016, for a product called the Delivery and president of Modular counsel individuals and busi- Safe, a safety bag that attaches to the user’s front door, Home & Garden LLC, nesses on securing, maintaining, in which delivered packages can be placed and locked, says the professionalism protecting and enforcing their This made a big difference to me, bringing 3D printed preventing the packages from theft, loss and inclement and insight from the IP intellectual property. parts to physically show the invention to students and weather. Clinic students made his staff and highlighting what I wanted to protect and why.” • Patent No. 10,238,729, for a groundbreaking vaccine utility patent and two trademark applications run as smoothly In addition to its own client work, the IP Clinic is also and medical procedure for treating certain forms of skin as he could have imagined. the designated US Patent and Trademark Office Pro Bono cancer. The vaccine and process are in clinical trials, and “It was a pleasure working with the clinic and especially Program hub for the State of Arizona. Through its Arizona additional patent applications are pending for expanded the students,” Osecki says. “I enjoyed coming to campus Public Patent Program, the clinic connects under-resourced use of the treatment. I’m not entirely sure to meet everyone who was working on my project in person. inventors and businesses with pro bono patent attorneys. “ what my future holds, n a season full of to complete the largest accolades after breaking ups and downs, the turnaround in school the school’s single season but with the help of the We Make Sure Wildcats caught fire history, as well as the largest scoring record. McDonald College of Engineering, at the right time, turnaround of any school was an Associated Press and They Have All the riding a six-game in the 2018-2019 season. WBCA Honorable Mention I’ll be able to contribute Tools to Succeed winning streak into a The six postseason wins All-American while also Iprogram-defining Women’s were played in front of a being selected to the All- to society in any National Invitational title. total crowd of 45,602 fans Pac-12 and Defensive Arizona finished the season at McKale Center. Arizona All-Pac-12 teams. Cari way I choose.” NEW! Craig M. Berge Engineering Design with 24 wins, the most broke program and Pac-12 Reese was a 2018-19 Pac-12 since the 2003-04 season, attendance records with a All-Freshmen Team selec- MONIQUE MARTINEZ, biomedical engineering Program extends real-world experience sellout crowd of 14,644 for tion after earning Freshman across all four years. the championship game of the Week honors on victory over Northwestern. three separate occasions Sophomore Aari McDonald during the season. Highly Competitive Merit Aid and Need-Based Financial Aid Federally Recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution earned a number of national Visit engineering.arizona.edu or call 520.621.6032 Women’s Basketball Wildcat Country | 25 Michael Christy/Arizona Athletics Christy/Arizona Michael o doctor wants to treat a one of the first regenerative therapies patient with a medication in cardiology. welve University of Arizona graduate students have teamed up with undergraduates on the that’s worse than the dis- Chinyere’s research revealed that this Tackling 21st Navajo Nation to design a solar-powered water ease. That thought is what patch can be reformulated to treat more filtration system that can provide 50 gallons of drives Ike Royal Chinyere, than just heart failure—it also can be used safe, clean water to 30 Navajo families per day. Century Sustainability Na dual M.D./Ph.D. candidate at the as a screening platform. It functions simi- The students are part of the first cohort of University of Arizona College of Medicine larly to a real human heart and may predict trainees to participate in a five-year, $3 million Challenges on – Tucson, in his quest to develop a system drug effects better than current models. National Science Foundation grant that enables an unprecedented collaboration between the University of Arizona that may help doctors select the most “My vision is to incorporate components Tand Diné College. The goal of the program is to teach the next the Navajo Nation effective and minimally toxic drugs for of precision medicine into the drug-screen- generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics Nikki Tulley grew up on the Navajo Nation. heart failure patients. ing world, to continue to avoid patient professionals how to confront food, energy and water challenges Born and raised in Kingman, Arizona, harm, but also ensure that among Indigenous communities while letting traditional values Now, as a doctoral student in environmental to Anselm and Stella, a pharmacist and Ike Royal Chinere’s fascina- revolutionary drugs make guide their work. science at the University of Arizona, she tion with the cardiovascular Indige-FEWSS, which stands for Indigenous Food, Energy and a nurse who emigrated from Nigeria, Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications it through the development is enrolled in the Indige-FEWSS program. system in healthy states Water Security and Sovereignty, combines research internships, Chinyere moved to Tucson for his Since then, he has worked pipeline,” Chinyere said. and disease states fuels his teaching and cultural immersion. undergraduate studies in physiology. to develop a platform to drive for medical innovation. “As our skill in creating “We want to enable these trainees to unregulated sources, like livestock The solar-powered water filtration system can purify up to “I developed a deep respect for the heart Taking evaluate drug effective- therapies improves, our tackle critical, real-world food, energy wells and springs that can exceed 1,500 gallons of water per day, removing nearly 100% of dissolved and its intricacies,” Chinyere said. “It truly ness and toxicity for different conditions, ability to screen these complex therapies and water problems with an understanding drinking water standards for contami- contaminants such as arsenic and uranium—well below the con- is amazing how electrical activity precisely such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation. must quickly follow suit, in order to of culture and sovereignty of Indigenous nanats like arsenic and uranium, centrations to meet drinking water standards—without the need ‘Do No people,” said Karletta Chief, who is leading an impact of earlier mining activities. to be connected to centralized water or power. Using the system, controls the mechanical activity and they Now in his third year of the M.D./ protect the public. the project and is an associate professor The use of unregulated water sourc- Navajo Nation residents can continue to haul water from wells work together incessantly for decades.” Ph.D. program, Chinyere’s studies focus “It is said that if you love what you do, of environmental science at the University es is the greatest public health risk while also ensuring its safety and cleanliness. As an undergraduate in the Honors Harm’ to on cardiac electrophysiology. Chinyere’s you’ll never work a day in your life. I love of Arizona. associated with drinking water for “Trainees in the Indige-FEWSS program are not doing research At a community event held at Diné College, College, Chinyere began his research in long-time mentor, Professor of Medicine where I am, and I love what I do.” The Navajo Nation is the largest reser- the Navajo Nation. to be put on the shelf, but we’re doing research to have real impact participants in the Indige-FEWSS program the UA Sarver Heart Center under the Steven Goldman, M.D., has been develop- vation in the U.S. Up to 35% of its residents Influenced by traditional Navajo and solve real problems that our community has,” said Chief, who demonstrate how the water filtration system mentorship of several physician-scientists. ing a patch that has the potential to be don’t have running water due to rugged culture and ecological knowledge, grew up on the Navajo Nation. Heart works and provide clean drinking water to terrain and low population density. While the Indige-FEWSS students tackled the “Through Indige-FEWSS, I’m able to fulfill a promise I made to Navajo Nation community members. Navajo Nation EPA policy prohibits human problem by designing a $25,000 system my family, saying that I’ll never forget where I come from,” said consumption of water from unregulated sources, Navajos without that reflects lifestyles and culture on the reservation. It sits on Nikki Tulley, a doctoral student in environmental science. “My place amantha Grim is starting her senior year Samantha Grim (far right) and fellow access to piped water routinely drive long distances to haul water a flatbed trailer that can be towed to a water source, and the system in the universe will always be bringing resources and services at the University of Arizona with a job Charles Schwab summer interns on for drinking, cooking and bathing. Often this water comes from comprises materials that are largely available at a hardware store. to the Navajo Nation.” offer in hand as a financial consultant the last day of their internships. Strainee for Charles Schwab. She couldn’t have known it at the time, but a Hua is highly recognized for her research in inno- one-day job shadow over the winter break helped Inventions vative 3D display technologies, complex visualization Grim set a course for a future she barely imagined, but secretly hoped for. systems and novel image acquisition systems. Working “In the back of my mind, I always wanted to go Help Legally with graduate student Jason Kuhn, Hua developed the into financial services,” says Grim, who started technology and worked with Tech Launch Arizona, the her freshman year majoring in pre-nursing before Blind to See commercialization arm of the university, to patent the switching to political science with a minor in technologies and license them to eSight Corporation.

economics. “I never thought it would be possible Grim Samantha Specifically, Hua and Kuhn developed a wedge- because of my major. I never wanted to take the shaped prism eyepiece design with free-form surfaces risk in fear I would be wasting their time, as my One-Day Job Shadow discipline isn’t common in financial services.” that provides both high resolution and a large exit pupil When she learned about the University of Arizona —a combination and level of image quality that has Job Shadow Program, a one-day opportunity to Leads to Full-Time Job Offer not been previously achieved. The University of Arizona Job Shadow Program helped Samantha Grim gain the confidence and shadow the professionals such as those at Charles eSight has integrated the inventions into electronic Schwab, her career curiosity quickly overruled Arizona Launch Tumarkin/Tech Paul connections she needed to apply for a summer internship, which led to a job offer with Charles Schwab. glasses that work by capturing images with a small any fears. Grim only spent eight hours at a Charles ow vision has an immense impact on mobility, independence and quality (top left) Kennedy Nyairo, Tech Launch be able to help individuals, every day would be She spent her summer in Scottsdale getting up essentials exam, a mandatory test for prospective camera, enhancing them, and then projecting them Schwab branch, but it was long enough to provide of life for people who “When I originally met with the eSight team, Arizona licensing manager for the College different, and it’s a happy work environment— at 5:30 a.m. for an hour-long commute, but loving securities industry professionals. onto screens in front of each eye in real-time, provid- her with valuable insights into the business. I was intrigued by the broad social impact of the project,” said Hong Hua, of Optical Sciences, gets a demo of the “I was able to see what a day-in-the-life would the people who work there, want to work there. her workday. She and the other interns—primarily In the end, all of her hard work paid off: L eSight system from inventor Hong Hua. ing more visual data to the brain and triggering an I realized I could see myself doing this.” finance and accounting majors—worked in Investor she accepted a job offer in Schwab’s Financial professor of optical sciences at the University of Arizona James C. Wyant be working in financial services,” Grim said. “And (above) The eSight system centers around increased reaction from the eye. Grim then applied for and was accepted into Services, learning on the job as they answered Consultant Academy in Dallas. College of Optical Sciences. “They said they were developing a system to help it met many items on my career checklist: I would electronic glasses that deliver the ultimate Charles Schwab’s summer internship program. phones and studied for the security industry low-vision people, and the more I listened to them, the more I thought they combination of image quality, field of view, 26 | Wildcat Country were doing something really useful and helpful, and I wanted to be a part of it.” size, weight and affordability. Wildcat Country | 27 wo University of Arizona students have Phoenix has completed vision screenings for 24 people started a program to help Phoenix’s home- and given 14 vouchers for free eye exams and 17 new pairs less population by providing individualized of prescription glasses. health care and connecting them with free Zeien and Hanna are working with other street medicine health-care services and resources. initiatives across the U.S. to develop a a curriculum to equip TJustin Zeien, a third-year medical student at the students to care for people experiencing homelessness using I AM. I CAN. I WILL. College of Medicine – Phoenix, and Jeffery Hanna, a holistic, person-centered approach. a graduate student in the Clinical Translational Science Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, M.D., is the primary faculty program at the college, created Street Medicine Phoenix adviser and medical director for Street Medicine Phoenix, in May 2017 after learning about similar programs which is one of the programs under the Student Health OUR PURPOSE: in other metro areas. Outreach for Wellness Community Initiative umbrella at With the help of a grant provided by the BHHS the University of Arizona. Other faculty advisers include The Commitment to an Athlete’s Total Success (C.A.T.S) Legacy Foundation, the pair conducted a needs-assess- Cecilia Rosales, M.D., and LeeAnne Denny, M.D. ment survey to determine how they might be able to “This is a team-based experience that students are not by working together to provide opportunities for student-athletes eliminate racial disparities in the homeless population going to get anywhere to become academic, athletic and life champions. and reduce Phoenix homelessness in general. else,” Hartmark-Hill “Street medicine is a way to provide compassionate, Medical Students said. “It’s an opportunity humanistic care to underserved, vulnerable, and often to help patients who’ve

forgotten homeless people,” Hanna said. Jeffrey Hanna Start Street fallen through the cracks Zeien and Hanna reached outside of the health-care system. of their college to staff Street Medicine Medicine Phoenix Interprofessional students Phoenix, involving students faculty from and clinicians are able to the colleges of nursing, pharmacy and To Help Homeless provide care to patients in public health, as well as the Northern the context of their current Arizona University physician assistant, (above) Jeffery Hanna, a graduate student at the UA College of environment and condition, occupational therapy and physical Medicine — Phoenix, provides free health care services to the home- before they present to the therapy programs. less population through Street Medicine Phoenix. (left) Third-year emergency department. Since November 2018, the group has medical student Justin Zeien provides free health care resources as We want to get patients

Justin Zeien part of Street Medicine Phoenix, a program he helped start in 2017. conducted 23 outreach events—called connected to services “street runs”—in downtown Phoenix, where they have completed 390 health screenings that address social determinants of health, like housing, access to food and employment.” and provided 81 referrals to community resources. Through a partnership with Mid- Zeien and Hanna hope to expand their outreach by offering Hepatitis A vaccinations western University’s optometry program and New Eyes for the Needy, Street Medicine and veterinary services for homeless individuals who own pets. Softball ed by one of the nation’s most softball history. Arizona’s 23 tournament powerful offenses and best appearances are second nationally to only pitching staffs, the 2019 Wildcats UCLA’s 29. No other school has more than finished the season 48-14 and 14. Arizona had five All-Americans, includ- Lmade the program’s return to the Women’s ing three first-teamers, both the second College World Series for the 23rd time in most in the country and the most at Arizona school history and first since 2010. Arizona since 2001. Pitcher Taylor McQuillin, catch- finished tied for fifth at the Women’s er Dejah Mulipola and outfielder Alyssa College World Series and was ranked No. Palomino-Cardoza were named first-team 5 in the final poll, its highest final ranking All-Americans while second baseman Rey- ARIZONA ATHLETICS STRATEGIC PLAN since 2010. The Wildcats’ trip to the NCAA na Carranco and shortstop Jessie Harper Tournament was their 33rd consecutive were named to the second team. TO LEARN MORE: ARIZONAWILDCATS.COM/STRATEGICPLAN appearance – the longest streak in NCAA Michael Christy/Arizona Athletics

Wildcat Country | 29 The results surprised Vigil and his scholarly project New tours provide four great ways to experience Biosphere 2 — mentor Bentley Bobrow, M.D., formerly of the University the world’s largest living research center where science is addressing the of Arizona and now chair of the Department of Emergency global challenges of food, water, energy and health. Explore the future Medicine at McGovern Medical School at the University of our planet at the University of Arizona Biosphere 2. of Texas. Under the Glass Tour | History Tour | Family Tour | Ocean & Beach Tour “We started by asking the basic question, ‘What is the suicide rate of EMTs in Arizona?’” Bobrow said. “It was Tours daily! not an easy question to answer because no sole-source EMT Visit Biosphere2.org suicide database exists. So, we attempted to answer the question using a combination of Arizona death record data.” Their data covered a five-year period ending in December 2015. “We were surprised at how many actual EMT suicides we found every year in Arizona—on average nine per year,” Bobrow said. They hypothesized that the causes of the high suicide Watch us on Facebook Live! rates are multi-factorial and likely related to work stress, shift work, a culture of not wanting to ask for help, repeat exposure to seeing suicide and other tragedies. NEW OCEAN & Vigil wanted to act quickly to find effective solutions, BEACH TOUR! so he and Bobrow teamed up with the Arizona Depart- Learn more about the importance of ment of Health Services to develop an EMS website that our oceans on this first-of-its-kind tour. presents educational materials and resources to help build

College of Medicine – Phoenix resiliency and reduce EMS suicide. eil Vigil already had served 13 years in the U.S. U.S. Army veteran Neil Vigil started medical school Army as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, infantry Medical at the College of Medicine – platoon medic and air mission commander Phoenix in 2017 and has when he entered medical school at the University focused his research on N suicide rates among emer- of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in 2017. Student gency responders. Vigil spent His time as an Army medic was his first experience 13 years in the U.S. Army in the medical field and the foundation for his desire as, among other things, Incorporates a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. to become a physician. As a first responder, he saw the emotional toll the work had on firefighters and emergency medical service professionals. Resiliency “On the worst days of our life, we know that firefighters and EMS professionals stand ready to respond at a moment’s notice, even at the risk of their own personal safety,” said Training for Vigil, 34. “They are community heroes who sacrifice an incredible amount to be there for us in our time of need. I feel that it’s our community’s duty to help identify and EMTs VigilNeil minimize the risks associated with their service.” survey conducted by the National Registry of Emergency His initial study has generated additional projects: Each UA College of Medicine – Phoenix student must Medical Technicians, suggested EMTs have a 10-fold Vigil is conducting a 10-year analysis, looking at EMS undertake a scholarly project, which includes publishing higher incidence of suicidal thoughts and attempts. suicide compared to the general public across 26 states. their work. Now a third-year student, Vigil knew he wanted “Although we were bracing ourselves to find an increase And, he is measuring the effectiveness of an eight-week to investigate suicide rates among emergency responders. in suicides among our EMTs, I was really shocked that it mindfulness-based training program with Golder Ranch His project resulted in the first peer-reviewed publication was that large,” said Vigil, who was a Tillman Scholar in Fire District firefighters. He also is working with state that specifically studied Arizona EMTs. 2018. “These findings helped move the discussion of EMT officials to see if resiliency and suicide prevention training His research found that Arizona emergency medical suicide beyond the anecdotal and personal experiences can be incorporated into the EMT certification process. technicians’ risk for suicide is 39% higher than the general and added hard data showing there is a problem that public. Previous studies, notably a 2014 North American needs to be addressed.” Wildcat Country | 31 i-Jen Yang is entering her junior year setting with college students and post-docs The concept is that these students will be- sealants; and cardiovascular prosthetic Lucas Hawley, a sophomore majoring in she said. “But the ones who decide to at Oro Valley BASIS High School, Lab Provides Hands-On definitely was an intimidating transition,” come next-generation problem-solvers—as devices, including the total artificial heart. biomedical engineering at the University stick it out and put the work into it get Ybut she held her own this past sum- Yang said. “I was so nervous I would make physicians, biomedical engineers or other The lab also collaborated on the develop- of Arizona, first became interested in re- their names on papers.” mer working side-by-side with undergradu- Experience for High School mistakes or that I wouldn’t meet my lab health professionals—and, more broadly, ment of a device used in the emergency search in high school when he attended an Yang was placed in the Slepian Lab ate, graduate and post-doctoral students, mentor’s expectations. But all of my doubts as biomedical innovators.” room, operating room and blood banks engineering academy at the university and through the University of Arizona KEYS as well as faculty members, in a major Students to Post-Docs washed away on the first day of lab. The lab Innovation long has been a hallmark of that delivers life-saving platelet spent time in Slepian’s lab. Research Internship Program, a seven- laboratory at the University of Arizona. members’ kindness, patience and consider- the Slepian Lab “I’ve always been interested in research week-long selective summer internship The 16-year-old spent the summer ation blew me away.” and the ACABI. so this has been a huge opportunity for program managed by the BIO5 Institute. working in a laboratory headed by in- She also found Slepian to be extremely sup- Over the years, me,” said Hawley, who now works at the “I am contributing to the research and ternationally noted physician-scientist portive. “It was so nice to hear someone so Slepian’s laborato- lab and wants to attend medical school development of a new point-of-care device Marvin J. Slepian, M.D., Regents Professor strongly support my passion for medicine ry has focused on and focus on wilderness medicine. known as the MICELI chip,” Yang said. and professor of medicine, professor and and science.” the development Kaitlyn Ammann, a post-doctoral research “To better understand a patient’s capability associate department head of biomedical “Providing a lab experience early on for and use of novel associate in the lab who studies vascular and to stop bleeding on their own, this device engineering and a McGuire Scholar in students allows them to see firsthand that biomaterials for wearable devices, mentors younger students. tests whether their blood has functioning the Eller College of Management. As a they, too, can get involved, become scien- tissue engineer- “I think the lab is pretty unique in that platelets that can properly coagulate.” member of the lab team, tists, engineers and innovators, and make ing, drug delivery we actually want the younger students to The laboratory experience further has in- (from left) Graduate students Yang conducted research, a difference,” said Slepian, who is also also and medical de- work on research projects that will con- spired Yang to pursue a career in medicine. Alice Sweedo, Samuel Miller- Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications presented findings and Gutierrez and Daniel Palomares a member of the Sarver Heart Center and vice development. tribute to the field they’re interested in,” “My main goals are to attend the University helped make real-world with Dr. Marvin Slepian. Accelerated Biomedical functioning as an “inventor’s workshop” the BIO5 Institute. “It converts what seems The lab has developed many novel diag- High school student Yi-Jen Yang works on Ammann said. of Arizona and major in bioinformatics and biomedical research Innovation, or ACABI, for faculty, students and domestic and too far-reaching and complicated to some- nostics and therapeutics now in clinical a device that tests whether blood has func- Some of the high school students have business, along with a pre-med track. After tioning platelets that can properly aggregate advancements. a translational research-and-development global communities. thing real, fun and tangible. Our entire lab use, including: drug-eluting stent technologies; had their names included on academic my undergraduate years, I hope to attend and coagulate. Funded primarily by grants from the center supported by the UA Health Scienc- “Being a high school sophomore, with always emphasizes to students the value of stent coatings; “polymer paving,” surgical journal articles. medical school at the UA. I love children National Institutes of Health, the Slepian es and Tech Launch Arizona. The ACABI only basic chemistry and biology lab science, engineering, research investigation anti-adhesive barriers; stretchable and function data to the health-care provider “I think the students are always surprised and research so it would be an absolute honor Lab is based at the Arizona Center for serves as a university-wide creativity center, skills, going into a professional university and creativity for our collective future. biodegradable electronics; synthetic tissue in six minutes at the point of care. how much work goes into such articles,” to work in the future children’s hospital.”

hen Garrison igging in the dirt and romping on playgrounds should After earning her Funded by the National Science Founda- Tsinajinie was Making the be a part of anyone’s childhood. But for children who undergraduate and tion, Gardenroots focuses on engaging offered a scholar- grow up near old mines, those everyday occurrences graduate degrees from community members, especially those in ship from the are risky due to potential exposure to contaminants, the University of Ari- underserved populations, about the health National Leader- Navajo Language like arsenic, cadmium and lead. zona, Iliana Manjón of their soil, water and plants. ship Consortium in Playgrounds and preschool gardens, specifically, was accepted to the “We found elevated levels of lead Sensory Disabilities to Dcan expose children to contaminants not only through the soil, but also College of Medicine – in a couple of gardens and playgrounds return to the University More Accessible through the vegetables that are produced. The extent of that exposure Tucson, where she is and are working with the county to of Arizona for a special education doctoral and risk was the subject of Iliana Manjón’s research for her master’s pursuing her dream of remediate the soil,” Manjón said. “We program, years after completing his master’s degree in environmental science at the becoming a physician. also determined that preschool garden- degree, he was thrilled to accept. Through University of Arizona. Keeping Preschool grown vegetables were major contributors After graduating from the College of Education Manjón’s project, which expanded on to the children’s overall arsenic and cadmium exposures.” with a master’s in special education, Tsinajinie work by the Cancer Prevention Institute Gardens, Playgrounds Manjón, who has a bachelor’s in physiology from the University worked for five years as an itinerant teacher Technology of California and Sierra Streams Institute, of Arizona, integrated environmental monitoring of the gardens with for visually impaired students in Window Rock, focused on communities in Nevada County, Safe for a novel dietary assessment specific to the community. She also Arizona, near his hometown of Kinlichee. He California, that are impacted by legacy gold conducted training on the proper collection of water, vegetables, worked with children and adults, ages 3-21, on mining. When compared to the rest of the Children Caroline Mosley soil and dust from the gardens. the Navajo Reservation and used a wide range state, this county has one of the highest Arsenic Simultaneously, Manjón engaged with the people impacted, colla- of technology, including a braille writer and rates of breast cancer. A Cadmium borating with a local community organization and Community Advisory B C Lead braille notetaker, to match the needs of each Describing her research project as nontraditional, Manjón dug deep Board consisting of breast cancer survivors and community advocates.

student. Mendenhall Emma Garrison Tsinajinie’s doctoral into environmental analysis, community engagement and human health. “My work provided the necessary framework to improve future Now, as a doctoral candidate, he focuses on how students can “The unique symbols on top of the research centers around creating development, people with visual impair- “Not only did I work in the lab to analyze for contaminants in water, exposure and risk assessments.” said Manjón. “This kind of research access the Navajo language using assisted technology. Being of letters indicate whether tones are high or assisted technology solutions specific ments had no way of reading the Navajo soil and plants, but I also worked alongside the community through- is essential to protect vulnerable populations living near active and the Black Streak Wood People (Tsi’naajinii) born into the Big Water if they are nasal tones. So I’m researching to the Navajo language. language. out the process to best address their concerns about environmental legacy mining sites.” Clan (Tótsohnii) from the Navajo Nation, he is committed to finding how you can integrate these details of the “Engaging in research that will ultimately quality in their area,” Manjón said. Now, the schools have the information they need to help the parents ways to support indigenous community members who have visual Navajo language into assisted technology,” Tsinajinie says. benefit my community and the students back home is the driving Manjón worked with assistant and teachers make informed decisions about reducing the children’s impairments. In the last two years, the development of the Navajo braille code force of my work,” he said. professor Mónica Ramírez-Andreot- Iliana Manjón’s research looked at the future exposure to contaminants. And Manjón, a medical student at the has been a significant contribution to his field of work. Prior to its ta in the Department of Environ- exposure and risk of contaminants, like arsenic, College of Medicine – Tucson, is determined to use her knowledge mental Science as part of the citi- cadmium and lead in preschool playgrounds of environmental health in her future work as physician.

32 | Wildcat Country zen science project, Gardenroots. and gardens near legacy mining sites. Iliana Manjón Wildcat Country | 33 better treatment for age-related mac- further deterioration of their already severely graduating with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience studies. In addition to research, Figueroa is collab- ular degeneration is in sight, thanks impaired vision. The painful, and expensive, injections and cognitive science and minors in physiology and orating on three clinical trials to test the effect of to the work of University of Arizona must be repeated every four to six weeks. anthropology, is continuing as a research technician carbidopa-levodopa, an FDA-approved combination YAO SHI researcher Brian S. McKay and his In contrast, the potential treatment for AMD is while applying to medical schools. drug for Parkinson’s, on AMD. University of Arizona graduate student, mentee, 2018 graduate Anna G. an inexpensive drug that can be taken by mouth In the lab, Figueroa and McKay are investigating The studies are aimed at determining if the drug Master of Real Estate Figueroa. and is used to treat Parkinson’s disease: L-dopa. pigmentation from tissues involved in AMD. stops the progression of AMD, reduces or prevents That’s exciting news for the more than 10 million McKay, associate professor of ophthalmology “I put together a review article on pigmenta- the need for eye injections in newly diagnosed wet people in the United States who have age-related and vision science, discovered that L-dopa can pre- tion, the GPR143 protein and AMD, which will be AMD, and stops or reduces the progression of geo- macular degeneration, or AMD, the most common vent and delay AMD. L-dopa is a naturally occurring published in a research journal in a few months. graphic atrophy observed in late-stage dry AMD, when cause of blindness in those over age 55. AMD is molecule made in all pigmented tissues including Brian and I are authors,” Figueroa says. retinal cells die in a pattern that resembles a map. particularly prevalent in Arizona, where more than the retina, where it has a role in maintaining “Anna will go to medical school having published Working with Tucson ophthalmologist Robert W. 1.2 million people are age 65 or older. a healthy macula, the part of the eye that provides the first prospective data treating AMD in people,” Snyder, M.D., the studies’ principal investigator, and People with the degenerative disease of the the most detailed color vision. McKay noted. internist Timothy Fagan, M.D., Figueroa measures eye’s retina eventually are unable to see what Figueroa began working in the McKay Lab as The McKay Lab is unique in that it bridges the the focusing ability of study participants’ eyes, is directly in front of them. an undergraduate in the summer of 2016 and, after gap between basic laboratory sciences and clinical monitors their visual acuity, captures images of “Faces are the first thing that individuals with the central retinal thickness and analyzes the data macular degeneration will start to miss because over time. they no longer have central vision,” Figueroa said. Parkinson’s Drug “Being part of the clinical trial has allowed me With limited treatment options, many patients to see the impact that our research has on people,” whose AMD has progressed from “dry” to “wet” Figueroa says. “It’s been an incredible experience. —where abnormal blood vessels grow under the May Treat Macular One of my patients sent me a digital book of her retina—opt for shots in the eye, hoping to prevent painting work, and at the end of her email, she said, ‘This disease is not going to stop me, and thanks Degeneration to you and Dr. Snyder, I have hope.’” AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

STATS & FACTS

The most common 55+ cause of blindness in those over age .¹

Aects more than  MILLION I AM people in the U.S.¹ RISK FACTORS³

Smoking Prevalent in Arizona, where more than 1.2 million people Family are age 65 or older. History UNIVERSITYEducation is important to me — I am currently working on my second PREVALENCE⁴ MEDICARE master’s degree to expand my knowledge and become a top professional in the 8 White SPENDING In 2017, ranibizumab (Lucentis) Black real estate development and architectural design fields.
 and a›ibercept (Eylea), drugs injected into the eye
 Hispanic to treat AMD, cost $ . BILLION (Hispanics will see the greatest rate in total Part B spendingž To learn more about how Tech Parks Arizona can bring you to new heights, visit TechParks.Arizona.edu/25 of increase in AMD cases by 2050)⁴ Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications

¹ Foundation Fighting Blindness, blindness.org/macular-degeneration (top) Anna Figueroa conducts a visual acuity ² In 2018, U.S. Census Bureau, census.gov/quickfacts/AZ ³ National Eye Institute, nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts ⁴ National Eye Institute, nei.nih.gov/eyedata/amd test on a study patient. (above) Looking at a ⁵ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, https://bit.ly/2kokyGE Western Blot image, Anna Figueroa and Brian McKay evaluate the presence of a protein found on the surface of the cells studied in the lab. (right) An image of the same macular region showing retinal fluid outlined in red and (far right) afterwo months taking l-dopa,

illustrating the retinal fluid completely resolved. Brian McKay Wildcat Country | 35 Antonio Chavez-Hernandez helping her team seek a cure for post-chemo- is majoring in microbiology radiation dry mouth in head-and-neck cancer and plans to attend medical Student Designs patients. school to pursue his dream of becoming an emergency “I didn’t realize the work that goes into Become Real-World room doctor. Working as research,” Chavez-Hernandez said. “I think an emergency medical it took us three months to get the smallest technician on the University bit of data, and there’s probably 100 more Solutions of Arizona campus gives of those small pieces you need to accumulate him the opportunity to help for the project. It humbles you.” people while he gains

often design buildings and infrastructure for Yazzie Thomas and Anoohi Amal Architecture students valuable career experience. Limesand, who has been involved with the communities, schools and parks as academic exercises, but occasionally, the plans become reality. Keys Internship Program for a decade, said Last year, the Pima County Regional Flood Control District asked a studio class taught by Courtney ntonioChavez-Hernandez spent the she hopes students can find out if they enjoy Crosson, assistant professor in the University of Arizona College summer before his senior year of Microbiology Major “The students identified that what research while also having fun. of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, to help high school shadowing his aunt, with flooding problems in different pockets of Tucson. was really needed in this super-wide “Antonio came in very excited about doing a doctor in an emergency room The task for then-undergraduates Amal Anoohi and Thomas road was more pedestrian safety, the work, and through the seven weeks, he at a Texas hospital. When a bell sounded for Passionate About Yazzie was to mitigate flooding while providing additional benefits more bicycle safety, shaded areas and became more patient,” Limesand said. “He areas for residents to be able to stop a “code blue” one day, Chavez-Hernandez to the Miramonte neighborhood on Tucson’s northeast side. The technical drawings were approved by Tucson Department of Transportation Director learned it’s OK to slow down and take it all in.” “The city and county officials already had a basic understanding and have a conversation,” assistant Diana Alarcon, and the city and county will now move onto the design phase of the project. watched as more than 30 doctors and nurses Helping People Chavez-Hernandez now attends the Univer- of the existing flooding issues and were happy to see whatever professor Courtney Crosson said. “The city uses partnerships with the University of Arizona frequently, because the worked to save the patient’s life. sity of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life we had to offer,” Yazzie said. “The tougher crowd was the public students and professors have technical expertise we often don’t have,” said TDOT Deputy “It was crazy and overwhelming, but eye- University of Arizona sophomore and the community.” Director Robin Raine. Sciences, where he is majoring in microbiolo- opening,” Chavez-Hernandez said. “It’s some- “Having several lenses into the project gave us a better understanding of how to make the design “This is one project in a larger, ongoing initiative with Pima County Regional Flood Control District, Antonio Chavez-Hernandez discovered gy. His goal is to become an emergency room thing that will always stick with me, because efficient and specific to the liking of the Miramonte neighborhood user,” Anoohi added. the city and UA,” Crosson said. “This semester, students are designing six new projects throughout the doctor; in the meantime, he’s working for the I wanted to be able to help but couldn’t. It made his professional calling while rushing into Their design involved a roundabout at the intersection of Second Street and Camino Miramonte city that face similar flooding challenges and have broader potential for improving community livability.” University of Arizona Emergency Medical Ser- that allows storm water to flow into the curb, median and roundabout basins. It also designated car, The real-world experience benefited Anoohi and Yazzie, who both graduated in May. Yazzie is now me realize what I want to do.” a situation most people try to avoid. vices, where students who are Arizona certified bike and pedestrian lanes to help control traffic flow. employed by WSM Architects in Tucson, while Anoohi is working for Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in Seattle. The experience led Chavez-Hernandez to emergency medical technicians provide care pursue an internship in the cardiovascular intensive care Chavez-Hernandez was also selected to participate in until local first responders arrive on campus. unit at Banner University Medical Center during his a University of Arizona BIO5 Institute KEYS Research “It’s the most immediate way to help people there is,” partnership meant to increase of Transportation and a University senior year of high school. Internship in the summer of 2018. He worked in Kristen Chavez-Hernandez said. physical activity and prevent of Arizona master’s student with Limesand’s lab in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, chronic disease has led to Bike Ajo Program a concentration in public health the creation of a commu- policy and management. She joined nity cycling center in Ajo, Is Model for Rural forces with Monroy to apply for the Arizona. Arizona Planning Association’s Plan- Located in western 4Health grant, and as a result, the he University of Arizona has said Cammy Steven- acquired the archive of Pulitzer son, a senior majoring Pima County, Ajo is a former mining town with Communities Bike Ajo Coalition was formed. Kennerly Prize-winning photojournalist in finance and art a total population of 3,525. Like many rural Today, Ajo has two bike hubs David Hume Kennerly. history. “Because his communities, Ajo has its challenges, with 71% open to children and their fami- T Archive Finds Kennerly has been a photographer on work is so far reaching of families living below the federal poverty line lies. Bike Ajo has 40 bicycles and the front line of history for more than five it is relevant to many of and a 15% unemployment rate. provides helmets, education on decades years. He won the Pulitzer at age Home at Center the classes I take, and Nearly half of Ajo residents identify as bicycle safety for recre- 25 with a portfolio that included work I can connect my work from the front lines of Vietnam, Cambodia to the work of an iconic Hispanic or Latino, a group that continues ation and transportation, for Creative and East Pakistan, as well as the Ali/ photographer through to experience significant chronic health issues, and resources for bicycle Bike Ajo Bike Frazier “Fight of the Century” in New York Photography research at the Center such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (top) Bike Ajo and the Desert Senita Community Health Center repair and maintenance. City. He has spent his career being in the for Creative Photography.” Data from the Ajo Unified School District hosted Bike & Hike in observance of National Diabetes Month in The program also trains room for some of the most important moments in students and faculty, offering unprecedented A collection like this shows that each grade has an obesity rate of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. (right) A child rides local community members history, including inaugurations and resignations, access to some of the most important news David Hume is even more important in along a course at the Ajo Unified School District Bike Hub. campaigns, summits and, most recently, the Robert photographs in history and the background Kennerly's photograph of today’s world where the truth

at least 32%, with sixth grade reaching an on bicycle repair, certifies David Hume Kennerly/© Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents Mueller testimony before Congress. material that supports them. John Kerry and John McCain. is often challenged. alarming 57%. Martha Monroy, program manager and lecturer community members as The archive, which will be housed at the Center Having a collection connected to a living photo- collection as well as giving public presentations “Journalists, photographers, are the people that “The residents of Ajo have significant disparities, including at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid League-Certified Cycling for Creative Photography, comprises more than grapher also allows the opportunity to hear from in his role as a university Presidential Scholar. keep us informed. We’re the truth tellers,” Kennerly a lack of opportunities for physical activity and other Zuckerman College of Public Health. Instructors, and holds an annual community bike and hike 1,500 fine print photographs and 380 linear feet the maker and gain more insight into his work, “I love that I’m studying at a university that puts said. “My job is to tell people what they don’t want resources necessary to prevent chronic disease,” said Donna Lewandowski is the bicycle and pedestrian at Organ Pipe National Monument. of archival material. It is now a resource for motivations and career. Kennerly will be working such an emphasis on the arts and interdisciplinary to see, and it’s how they find out what’s real.” program coordinator for the Arizona Department with faculty across campus to expand on the studies and acquires archives like Kennerly’s,” 36 | Wildcat Country Wildcat Country | 37 A Genetic Approach to Kris Hanning/UAHS BioCommunications Hanning/UAHS Kris The power of the Wildcat community Treating is now at your fingertips.

Third-year UA College of Medicine Glioblastoma medical student Nicholas Gravbrot (left) has teamed up with physician-scientist Join the Bear Down Network, a new online community exclusive to Wildcats! Baldassarre “Dino” Stea, M.D. (right) to unravel the genetic mysteries of lioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer that has grabbed offer a glimpse into how cellular behavior “I think we have reached the apex of • Expand your Wildcat network through an alumni directory and groups. glioblastoma, which is treated with DNA- headlines for claiming the lives of Sens. Edward differs among non-malignant brain tissue, what the surgeon can do and have achieved damaging radiation during which the Kennedy and John McCain, someday might be less aggressive glioblastoma tissue and the most we can with radiation,” he added. patient wears a mask to hold the head in • Amplify your UA experience with university news and events. “tricked” into sparing more of its victims. more aggressive glioblastoma tissue.” “The cure will not come from more radiation place and ensure the radiation hits its target. A team of University of Arizona researchers After sifting through 800 genes in 23 or more surgery—glioblastoma is a genetic • Share your journey on the network and group feeds. searched for genetic differences between glioblas- glioblastoma samples, the team made problem that we have to solve genetically.” toma cells from long- and short-term survivors. a crucial connection: Long-term survivors appeared to pump out an One potential benefit of enlisting human genetics in the fight against Individuals who survived longer, they found, produced a protective abundant supply of a protein called WIF-1, which suppresses the Wnt glioblastoma is to enhance the effects of radiation, which kills cancer • Elevate your career with mentorship opportunities and an alumni job board. Gprotein that someday might be harnessed to extend survival— signaling pathway, a collection of genes that is normally involved with cells by damaging their DNA. Glioblastomas have a special ability to although they say they are many years and millions of dollars away tissue maintenance but can fuel tumor growth if it becomes overactive. repair this DNA damage, diminishing radiation’s effectiveness. By taking • Give back to your Wildcat community by mentoring and sharing job opportunities. from potential translation into treatments for patients. “The Wnt pathway is ‘deranged,’ and WIF-1 is the police. Cancer cues from WIF-1, scientists might be able to weaken glioblastoma’s “Glioblastoma is notoriously aggressive, but some glioblastomas grows when there aren’t enough police to keep the deranged person ability to repair radiation-damaged DNA. behave more aggressively than others,” said Nicholas Gravbrot, in check,” said Baldassarre “Dino” Stea, M.D., head of the UA College Gravbrot says he’s been fascinated by the brain for years, and before a third-year medical student at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. of Medicine – Tucson Department of Radiation Oncology. “Some people coming to Tucson he had the opportunity to explore that interest in “Some patients survive only a few months, others survive a couple are endowed with more WIF-1 and survive longer.” depth at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. That experience of years and a select few survive more than five years.” Although testing for the WIF-1 gene someday may help predict drove him to learn more in medical school. beardownnetwork.com As a key member of the research team, Gravbrot probed electronic which patients will survive longer, a greater hope is this work will lead “The brain is remarkably complex, and the fact that we know so little medical records to gather essential information. Using brain-tissue to a drug that targets glioblastoma tumors with more precision than about how many aspects of it work piqued my curiosity,” Gravbrot samples, the team matched each sample’s genetic profile with what standard treatment, “tricking” cells into tamping down Wnt signaling. said. “I was fortunate to continue research in this field in medical they knew about the patient’s survival. “In the past 15 years, only one drug—temozolomide—has been school. Dr. Stea’s interests are directly in line with my own, so it was “We compared the different sample groups, which resulted in a list invented, whereas the rest of the cancer field is zooming forward. a great fit.” ALUMNI of genes that were significantly altered,” Gravbrot said. “The findings We hope to create a drug to suppress the Wnt pathway so that every- body survives longer,” Stea said. “It would be the pot of gold at the ASSOCIATION Register today! end of the rainbow. 38 | Wildcat Country WONDER MAKES US

You won’t find it in the pages of a textbook. Probably because it isn’t about learning the answers so much as it is about getting lost in the questions. Lost in all the what-ifs and why-nots. But that’s what makes wonder so essential. It’s the fuel that makes the extraordinary go. It’s the one resource that’s compelling, captivating, and fascinating enough to make us think past places we didn’t even know were places. And some places have more of it than others. At the University of Arizona, everywhere you look is filled with wonder, from diverse landscapes to groundbreaking research. And once we’re here, we come to realize the more wonder makes us do, the more it makes us who we are.

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