UA News

"WaveLengths" is a series of segments exploring a number of UA research projects that are working to improve the lives of people in southern Arizona and across the world.

A new series on Arizona Public Media premiering next week will explore some of the major research-based contributions The University of Arizona is making locally and around the world.

Called “WaveLengths,” the half-hour television series will premiere July 29 following a new episode of "NOVA." The show will continue as a quarterly science magazine series on KUAT Channel 6.

The series features interviews of the people who are behind a number of major scientific endeavors in southern Arizona.

Pamela K. White, a veteran science reporter, produced the series with Arizona Public Media’s "Arizona Illustrated."

“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” said White, who has worked for the nonprofit media organization for more than 15 years.

“I think the consensus is that we need to be more science literate, especially with the major decisions we are facing today,” she said, offering up as example topics related to medical research and the warming of the planet.

Vicki Chandler, director of the UA's BIO5 Institute, is the narrator for the series. The first edition of "WaveLengths" features:

• “Super Green Rice.” Rice is the single most important source of food for more than half the world’s population and some countries are already experiencing rice shortages. Plant scientist Rod Wing, a BIO5 Institute member, is working with Chinese experts to develop a “super” rice, ensuring that generating food for people is compatible with the environment.
• “Hubble’s Successor.” Space exploration is essential for discovering the origins of our universe and how Earth fits into the big picture. Astronomer Marcia Reike is developing an infrared camera that will be the eyes for the James Webb Space Telescope the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, looking further back in time than ever before.
• “Mosquito Control.” Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise and already kill thousands of people each year. One of the more unique approaches in controlling mosquitoes may be to interfere with their blood feeding cycle. Molecular biophysicist Roger Miesfeld, a BIO5 Institute member, and his team are researching this important health concern.
• “Skin Cancer Prevention.” Tucson ranks just behind Melbourne, Australia, with the world’s second highest rate of skin cancer. The efforts of Elaine and Myron Jacobson, a husband and wife research team at the UA, are developing a drug that will prevent skin cancer. Elaine Jacobson is a pharmacology and toxicology professor. Myron Jacobson is a professor of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. Both are members of the BIO5 Institute.
• “Valley Fever Cure.” When the desert is churned by bulldozers or the wind, spores in the soil can release an airborne fungus which may cause lung infections in humans and pets. The disease is called Valley Fever and John Galgiani, Valley Fever Center for Excellence director and a BIO5 Institute member, has devoted his entire career to researching this potentially fatal disease and believes a cure could be close at hand.
• “The Genographic Project.” Do you know where your ancestors came from? A major scientific study called The Genographic Project hopes to find out as researchers look at the migratory history of humans by analyzing DNA samples of hundreds of thousands of people. The Genographic Project is a collaborative effort between the National Geographic Society and IBM, of which the UA’s Human Origins Genotyping Laboratory provides all public testing services and all are invited can participate.

As Earth’s population faces the major challenges of global food supply, disease prevention and environmental protection, scientists are also continuing their quests into space.

WaveLengths is attempting to show the influence and relevance of those efforts while also explaining the real world applications for highly involved and complex research projects.

“We wanted to highlight and showcase the work that goes on here,” White said, noting that Arizona Public Media general manager Jack Gibson has placed a special emphasis on locally-focused reporting.

“There are so many things that are being discovered and revealed all the time,” she added, “so we want to be current.”