UANews

The Steward Observatory is nestled in a lush grove of old trees directly behind the Sonett Space Sciences Building.

Happy 90th Birthday, Steward Observatory This year marks the 90th anniversary of the UA's Steward Observatory and the department of astronomy. "We have the best location of any educational institution in America. The University ought to make itself famous with a telescope." With those words, part of his long and persistent effort to bring a world-class observatory to the UA campus, pioneering astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass set forth his best argument.

Supermassive black holes - or quasars - still present a mystery to astronomers. Xiaohui Fan's trail-blazing research into these mind-bending objects in the universe has been highlighted as a research priority in the National Academic Plan. (Illustration: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

UA Regents’ Professors Named in College of Science, Eller College of M... Three UA faculty members have been named Regents' Professors by the Arizona Board of Regents: Neal R. Armstrong in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, Hsinchun Chen in the Eller College of Management, and Xiaohui Fan in the department of astronomy. The title recognizes achievements of national or international distinction.

More than 5,700 undergraduate degrees will be awarded at the UA's spring commencement ceremony.

UA Commencement Returns to Arizona Stadium May 10 For the first time in more than 40 years, graduating UA students will gather at Arizona Stadium to celebrate commencement. The UA's spring undergraduate and master's commencement ceremony will take place at Arizona Stadium on May 10, at 7:30 p.m. UA supporter Robert F. Moran, chairman and CEO of PetSmart, will be the commencement speaker. Doctoral candidates will be honored at a separate ceremony at Centennial Hall on May 11 at 11 a.m.

Students from the UA's College of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning are being recognized by the EPA for a proposed project to harvest rainwater and reduce storm water pollution on campus.

UA Storm Water Proposal Earns EPA Recognition The UA has been honored in the EPA's first-ever Campus Rainworks Challenge, a new design competition that inspires the next generation of landscape architects, planners and engineers to develop innovative green infrastructure systems. The proposed UA project would convert a campus parking lot into a common area with storm water retention basins, underground water harvesting cisterns and more.

The UA Student Recreation Center was the first campus recreation center in the country to achieve Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable design.

UA Joins Green Sports Alliance For its commitment to sustainability in athletic facilities and programming, the UA has been accepted to the Green Sports Alliance, a national nonprofit organization that aims to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance environmental performance. Among the environmentally friendly athletic facilities on campus is the Student Recreation Center, the first facility of its kind in the country to achieve Platinum LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.