Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Wollongong: 280,000-year-old Fossils Rewrite Rock Wallaby History, Epic Journeys Shaped Survival
WOLLONGONG, Australia, Jan. 12 (TNSjou) -- The University of Wollongong issued the following news release:
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280,000-year-old fossils rewrite rock wallaby history, epic journeys shaped survival
New research challenges the view that rock wallabies rarely leave their rocky homes, with implications for modern conservation efforts
By Benjamin Long
Rock wallabies are widely regarded as shy cliff-dwellers, rarely venturing far from the safety of their rocky shelters. But new fossil evidence suggests this reputation may only tell part of the story.
A study published in Quaternary Science Reviews
... Show Full Article
WOLLONGONG, Australia, Jan. 12 (TNSjou) -- The University of Wollongong issued the following news release:
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280,000-year-old fossils rewrite rock wallaby history, epic journeys shaped survival
New research challenges the view that rock wallabies rarely leave their rocky homes, with implications for modern conservation efforts
By Benjamin Long
Rock wallabies are widely regarded as shy cliff-dwellers, rarely venturing far from the safety of their rocky shelters. But new fossil evidence suggests this reputation may only tell part of the story.
A study published in Quaternary Science Reviewsfound that while most rock wallabies living in central Queensland around 280,000 years ago occupied small home ranges, a few individuals were unexpectedly mobile. At least one travelled more than 60 kilometres across the landscape, including crossing the crocodile-infested Fitzroy River.
Some studies of modern rock wallabies have suggested gene flow between colonies. But this is the first direct evidence of long-distance dispersal occurring in individual rock wallabies. While uncommon, these long-distance movements are significant. They can help maintain connections between otherwise isolated populations, supporting genetic diversity and facilitating long-term resilience. The findings have implications for contemporary conservation efforts.
The research was led by University of Wollongong (UOW) PhD candidate Chris Laurikainen Gaete in collaboration with the Queensland Museum, CQUniversity, Purdue University, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and Capricorn Caves.
"Based on modern observation, we expected rock wallabies to be extremely local," Mr Laurikainen Gaete said. "While this proved true for the majority, a small number travelled far beyond expected ranges. One travelled more than 60 kilometres - an extraordinary distance for a species considered sedentary."
Professor Anthony Dosseto from the Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory said the team analysed fossil remains recovered from the Mount Etna Caves near Rockhampton.
"We used the chemical signatures preserved in fossil teeth to reconstruct how individual kangaroos - from the little pademelon to the giant Protemnodon - moved through the landscape," he said. "Most were homebodies, relying on local resources - with a few notable and important exceptions."
Dr Scott Hocknull, Principal Research Fellow in Applied Palaeontology at CQUniversity, said the study demonstrated the power of new isotopic techniques to reconstruct ancient animal behaviour at the level of individual lives.
"By tracking individual wallabies we can detect rare but important behaviours that would otherwise remain invisible," he said.
"Long-term species survival depends on individuals being able to move between habitats. These movements happen irregularly and over very long timescales, meaning they're rarely captured by traditional field studies. Fossils allow us to see that hidden flexibility."
Today, small populations of rock wallabies are still found in central Queensland, in the same areas they lived in the past. We don't know whether movement between these groups still occurs today. But with major roads and development now dividing the landscape, humans might inadvertently be creating barriers for these rare but crucial dispersal events.
"Future management shouldn't view rock wallabies as isolated colonies," Mr Laurikainen Gaete said. "Long-distance dispersal has always been part of their natural history and by protecting landscape connectivity, we ensure this deep-time behaviour remains part of their future survival."
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About the research
'Niche partitioning and limited mobility characterise Middle Pleistocene kangaroos from eastern Australia' by Christopher Laurikainen Gaete, Scott Hocknull, Clement Bataille, Andrew Lorrey, Katarina Mikac, Rochelle Lawrence and Anthony Dosseto was published in Quaternary Science Reviews.
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Original text here: https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2026/280000-year-old-fossils-rewrite-rock-wallaby-history-epic-journeys-shaped-survival.php
University of Tasmania: With Women, for Women - Jennifer's Mission to Transform Maternal Health
HOBART, Australia, Jan. 12 -- The University of Tasmania issued the following news:
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With women, for women: Jennifer's mission to transform maternal health.
When Jennifer Ayton first stepped into the world of healthcare in the early 1980s, she was a young nurse training at one of Victoria's pioneering hospitals dedicated solely to women.
Its mandate, "with women, for women", was more than a philosophy; it was the moral centre of the hospital and the work done within its walls. The hospital had been formed through a public health collaboration led by feminist doctors and social activists
... Show Full Article
HOBART, Australia, Jan. 12 -- The University of Tasmania issued the following news:
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With women, for women: Jennifer's mission to transform maternal health.
When Jennifer Ayton first stepped into the world of healthcare in the early 1980s, she was a young nurse training at one of Victoria's pioneering hospitals dedicated solely to women.
Its mandate, "with women, for women", was more than a philosophy; it was the moral centre of the hospital and the work done within its walls. The hospital had been formed through a public health collaboration led by feminist doctors and social activistsdetermined to reduce preventable deaths and disability among women and their babies.
Immersed in this environment, Jennifer found herself not just learning a profession, but she was taking in a way of thinking that would shape her path for decades to come.
She later moved to the UK to pursue midwifery, learning from some of the world leaders in midwifery at the time, those who developed the principles of women-centred care that so many aspire to today. Yet her deepest motivation emerged from her lived experience in remote Australian First Nations communities and in Ethiopia, where she saw the consequences of social injustice and deep inequality firsthand.
"My passion has evolved from, and remains rooted in, the feminist principles of reproductive justice, which I learned through being mentored by women," she said.
Those lessons have stayed with her and continue to guide her work.
For Jennifer, the greatest challenges facing midwives today are not rooted in women's needs; those have remained remarkably consistent across generations. What has changed, she believes, is the way complex health systems, shaped by shifting social and political landscapes, either recognise or overlook those needs.
Public health, she emphasised, is fundamentally grounded in collaboration across sectors, communities, individuals, and systems. "It plays an integral and vital role in addressing, and finding innovative solutions to, the wicked problems of inequity and inequality faced by women and those who care for them."
Looking toward the next decade, Jennifer hopes to see a maternal health system characterised by genuine diversity and empowerment, particularly for First Nations midwives. She envisions midwives working to their full international scope, leading as clinicians, researchers, and policy makers, supported by systems that make space for their roles to flourish.
Meeting the needs of women and communities, she believes, requires inclusive, interprofessional collaboration, where midwives work alongside a broad range of health professionals, families, and communities to deliver truly women-centred care.
She has witnessed meaningful progress in Australia - the integration of consumer voices, the advancement of Birthing on Country initiatives, and the rollout of the Bachelor of Midwifery have all helped solidify midwifery as a profession in its own right.
But there is still much to be done. According to Jennifer, only a small proportion of registered midwives are actively working as researchers, and she is passionate about changing that.
"Midwives need to lead their own research agenda and build the evidence base for the profession. Creating pathways for all midwives to produce new evidence is urgently needed to inform practice and strengthen midwifery in diverse contexts."
Although Jennifer now works primarily as a researcher, her connection to women's experiences remains deeply personal. Recently, her team collected more than 200 stories from women across Tasmania and Australia about their perinatal care, and these stories reinforce her resolve to ensure that maternal care is safe, respectful, and equitable for all.
"The generosity of the women, and their trust in sharing such deeply moving personal stories, is a privilege," she said. "It is also a call to action, demanding us to improve health and wellbeing and address the injustice women encounter and endure."
Jennifer sees the role of midwives evolving significantly in the coming decade. She believes they will increasingly become cornerstones of collaborative, interdisciplinary healthcare, and leading voices for gender equality and reproductive justice.
In rural and remote areas, where generalist skills and adaptability are essential, midwives' expertise will be especially vital. Their leadership, as clinicians, researchers, and policy makers, will shape evidence-based models of care and advocate for the needs of women, families, and communities.
Building research capacity among midwives in Tasmania has become one of Jennifer's greatest commitments. She wants to ensure the next generation has the tools, confidence, and opportunities to produce knowledge that will shape the profession's future. For those considering midwifery but feeling unsure, her advice is characteristically direct and warm.
"Don't watch Call the Midwife. Instead, find a mentor, talk to midwives in clinical practice, research, and policy, in and outside Tasmania, and know that these are not mutually exclusive areas of practice.
"A midwifery qualification is a passport to a diverse career where you can make a difference, promote and protect women's rights to safe, quality, respectful care for herself, her babies, and her family."
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Original text here: https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2026/with-women,-for-women-jennifers-mission-to-transform-maternal-health.
U.S. News: UTEP's Computer Science, Nursing Programs Among the Best in the Nation
EL PASO, Texas, Jan. 12 -- The University of Texas El Paso campus issued the following news release:
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U.S. News: UTEP's Computer Science, Nursing Programs Among the Best in the Nation
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EL PASO, Texas (January 8, 2026) - U.S. News and World Report identified The University of Texas at El Paso undergraduate computer science and nursing programs among the best in the nation in its December Best College guide.
U.S. News and World Report has ranked UTEP among the top universities in the nation for its undergraduate computer science and nursing programs, as well as one of the Top 100 universities
... Show Full Article
EL PASO, Texas, Jan. 12 -- The University of Texas El Paso campus issued the following news release:
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U.S. News: UTEP's Computer Science, Nursing Programs Among the Best in the Nation
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EL PASO, Texas (January 8, 2026) - U.S. News and World Report identified The University of Texas at El Paso undergraduate computer science and nursing programs among the best in the nation in its December Best College guide.
U.S. News and World Report has ranked UTEP among the top universities in the nation for its undergraduate computer science and nursing programs, as well as one of the Top 100 universitiesfor social mobility.
In that issue, the magazine also listed UTEP as a Top 100 college for social mobility among national universities.
"We are incredibly proud that U.S. News & World Report has recognized UTEP's our computer science program as among the best in the nation," said Kenith Meissner, Ph.D., dean of the UTEP College of Engineering. "This recognition reflects the exceptional dedication of our faculty and staff, creativity and drive of our students, and the strong partnerships that support our mission. At UTEP, we deliver a rigorous, hands-on education that gives our students the skills to lead, innovate and thrive in today's dynamic workplace."
UTEP's Department of Computer Science offers a Bachelor's and Minor in Computer Science with concentrations in secure cyber systems, software engineering and data analytics; it is one of the most popular majors at UTEP. The department also offers a newly launched Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence.
UTEP computer science students excel nationally, obtaining internships and jobs at Google, Microsoft and more. A team of undergraduates in the program recently placed eighth at a national cybersecurity competition, outranking more than 50 schools including The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M.
Like computer science, nursing is one of the most popular degree programs at UTEP, with enrollment recently surging by more than 12%.
"This ranking is a testament to our excellent nursing program. At UTEP, we prepare compassionate, culturally competent nurses who are ready to meet the complex health care needs of our communities," said Leslie Robbins, Ph.D., dean of the College of Nursing. "Our faculty and staff have an unwavering commitment to nursing education and we have strong support from our clinical partners."
UTEP's NCLEX-RN examination pass rate is historically well above the national average of 86.6%; graduates take the exam to become licensed nurses after earning their degrees. Nursing students at UTEP also obtain hands-on training to practice real-world patient care with both actors and advanced, artificial intelligence-enhanced simulation manikins.
The U.S. News rankings of the programs are based on a national reputational survey of academics and peers in the programs. U.S. News measured social mobility as a university's ability to successfully serve Pell Grant recipients students from families with exceptional financial need; low-income students are less likely to graduate from college than their peers. The social mobility score is based on Pell Grant recipient graduation rates and comparative performance with other schools.
"We typically don't look at the main U.S. News rankings because they are heavily weighted based how exclusive a university is. We would rather be judged on who we include, not who we exclude," said Lucas Roebuck, UTEP's vice president for marketing and communications. "That being said, these specific program rankings do not penalize UTEP for providing access to excellence, so we appreciate the shout out from U.S. News for our excellent nursing and computer science programs."
Last Updated on January 08, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published January 08, 2026
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
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Original text here: https://www.utep.edu/newsfeed/2026/January/u.s-news-uteps-computer-science-nursing-programs-among-the-best-in-the-nation.html
Collaboration Thrives as Business Meets the Humanities
GREENCASTLE, Indiana, Jan. 12 -- DePauw University posted the following news:
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Collaboration Thrives as Business Meets the Humanities
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Each January, DePauw students embark on a broad selection of learning adventures both in Greencastle and around the world as part of the university's winter term. This unique feature of the academic calendar celebrates curiosity and exploration, with current offerings including everything from an immersive study of France's history and culture to an on-campus analysis of the science and practice of fermentology.
Jeff Dunn, associate professor of philosophy
... Show Full Article
GREENCASTLE, Indiana, Jan. 12 -- DePauw University posted the following news:
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Collaboration Thrives as Business Meets the Humanities
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Each January, DePauw students embark on a broad selection of learning adventures both in Greencastle and around the world as part of the university's winter term. This unique feature of the academic calendar celebrates curiosity and exploration, with current offerings including everything from an immersive study of France's history and culture to an on-campus analysis of the science and practice of fermentology.
Jeff Dunn, associate professor of philosophyand director of the Prindle Institute for Ethics, understands the impact of DePauw's winter term. Aided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dunn spent last winter term pioneering new connections between business education and the humanities as he led a planning project to explore how these frequently overlooked connections can be embedded into DePauw's curricular future.
"It started out with a bunch of faculty and staff reading groups in the summer of 2024," Dunn explains. "Then we had a workshop in August where we had about 20 DePauw faculty and an outside speaker who came in to talk about why you might want to bridge business with the humanities and how you might go about doing it."
Although these initiatives helped to build momentum and create space for faculty members from various disciplines to begin sharing ideas, the focal point of the project was a winter term course in January of 2025. That course brought together 15 students and a half dozen faculty members to explore new methods for interdisciplinary collaboration.
"It wasn't a normal class," says Dunn. "It was more like a curriculum design lab. The different faculty members each had projects they were interested in that bridged business and humanities. Some of them were in history, some were in philosophy, some were in business analytics."
Throughout the course, students and faculty worked together in various arrangements and combinations, creating a fertile environment for ideas to cross-pollinate. This structure prioritized creative collaboration while also empowering students to take a more active role in the curriculum development process.
"Over the three and a half weeks, we shuffled around and developed ideas for new modules, new courses or new pods we might make. We even had a draft of a new minor we were thinking about. It was a really cool three-and-a-half week intensive process. I think the students enjoyed being treated like collaborators rather than just pupils."
The work is still ongoing, as Dunn and his collaborators steadily transform some of these ideas into reality. Dunn hopes that this will open the door for opportunities such as team teaching, a new minor and other tangible additions to DePauw's curricular offerings. In the meantime, he recognizes the tremendous value that the process has already generated for all those involved - especially the students,
"One thing that stood out about the winter term course is that it was a really uncomfortable way of teaching for a lot of us - in a good way. Most of us were used to having a lot of control over the syllabus and knowing where we were going to go. But part of the nature of this project is that we only had a rough idea, and then we just let the students, together with the faculty members, start reading and digging in and researching."
Dunn refers to this pedagogical approach as "teaching on the edge." Although it can be disorienting for the faculty members who find themselves relinquishing a certain measure of control, this intentional openness has a powerful effect.
"It's exciting to learn new things," says Dunn. "It's easy as a faculty member to get in a rut and get used to teaching what you teach. But we're curious people. It's part of the human drive to learn new things. Pushing that boundary shows the excitement of learning. It reminds us why this is interesting in a genuine way."
Posted on: January 12, 2026
Academics Faculty
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Original text here: https://www.depauw.edu/stories/details/collaboration-thrives-as-business-meets-the-humanities
Sixteen HKU projects receive funding under NSFC/RGC Joint and Collaborative Research Schemes
HONG KONG, Jan. 11 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
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Sixteen HKU projects receive funding under NSFC/RGC Joint and Collaborative Research Schemes
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Sixteen research projects by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have secured funding under the National Natural Science Foundation for China and the Research Grants Council (NSFC/RGC) 2025/26 Exercise. Specifically, thirteen projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS), and three projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS), totalling over HK$26.5 million. HKU ranks
... Show Full Article
HONG KONG, Jan. 11 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
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Sixteen HKU projects receive funding under NSFC/RGC Joint and Collaborative Research Schemes
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Sixteen research projects by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have secured funding under the National Natural Science Foundation for China and the Research Grants Council (NSFC/RGC) 2025/26 Exercise. Specifically, thirteen projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS), and three projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS), totalling over HK$26.5 million. HKU ranksfirst among all UGC-funded universities in both the number of funded projects and total funding received.
Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim), HKU, said "I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Research Grants Council for their generous funding and unwavering support of HKU's research initiatives. This significant backing not only enhances our research capabilities but also serves as a profound source of motivation for our dedicated research teams. It fosters increased cross-disciplinary and cross-regional collaboration and innovation between researchers in Mainland China and Hong Kong; and HKU remains committed to advancing the translation and practical application of impactful research outcomes, driven by this valuable support."
HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme:
Life Science
Host Ecology and Genetic Factors of Tick-borne Virus Emergence
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Tommy Lam Tsan-yuk, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
A novel composite material combining polycationic/amorphous calcium phosphate and amorphous zirconia to treat dentin hypersensitivity by blocking tubular signal conduction and promoting biomimetic dentin remineralization
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Chun-Hung Chu, Kingboard Professor in Advanced Dentistry and Chair Professor of Family Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry
New Materials Science
Portable Organic-based Short-Wavelength Infra-Red Detector Arrays for Deep Tissue Biomedical Imaging
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Wallace Chik Ho Choy, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme:
Information Technology
Algorithm-Hardware Co-design for Efficient Autoregressive Visual Generation
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Xihui Liu, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Heterogeneous photonic integrated circuits for high-precision optical ranging and sensing
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Chao Xiang, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Life Science
The influence of different mycorrhizal types on forest ecosystem structure and function: A multi-scale study from molecules to ecosystems
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jin Wu, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Defining the origin and regulatory mechanisms of hematoendothelial and cardiac specification from mesoderm
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Rio Ryohichi Sugimura, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
Compare and evaluate anti-tumor responses of IL-10 producing fourth generation CD19 chimeric antigen receptors T cells (CAR-T) with the commercially available products
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Kwong Yok-lam, Chair Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Management Science
Multivariate assessment, AI-supported prediction, and systematic reduction of lifecycle carbon emissions of the building stock of high-density cities
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Wei Pan, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Marine and Environmental Science
Utilizing phylogeographic approach for tailored development of therapeutic phages against antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Yu Deng, Assistant Professor, Applied Oral Sciences & Community Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry
New Materials Science
Research and development of key materials and systems for aqueous zinc-organic flow batteries
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Chunyi Zhi, Chair Professor of Energy Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Broadband Impedance Matching Inspired by Dolphin Biosonar
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, Chair of Photonics Innovation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Foundation Atomic Models for Structural Alloy Development
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor David Srolovitz, Dean of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Chair of Materials Theory, Faculty of Engineering
High Endurance and High Tunnelling Electroresistance Tunneling Junction Memory Based on van der Waals Sliding Ferroelectricity
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Han Wang, Associate Head, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Developing Copper Catalytic Materials for Asymmetric Radical Couplings
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jian He, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Others
Precision mass measurements of neutron-rich heavy nuclei on r-process nucleosynthesis path at HIAF facility
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jenny Hiu Ching Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science
The JRS is designed to foster collaboration between researchers and research teams in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, leveraging the unique strengths of both regions. In contrast, the CRS focuses on promoting larger-scale, interdisciplinary collaborative research involving universities across Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, with the goal of enhancing research output and impact for both areas.
Please visit the UGC website for the full list of funded projects for 2025/26 under the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme, and the Collaborative Research Scheme.
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Original text here: https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/28872.html
HKU Geography Research Reveals the "Warming Paradox" of Urban Greenery
HONG KONG, Jan. 11 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
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HKU Geography Research Reveals the "Warming Paradox" of Urban Greenery
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A research team led by Professor Yuyu Zhou from the Department of Geography at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has unveiled a critical "warming paradox" in global urban greening strategies, challenging the universal assumption that vegetation always cools cities and providing a new roadmap for "smart greening" to combat urban heat islands effectively. By analysing high-resolution satellite and climate data from over 700 megacities,
... Show Full Article
HONG KONG, Jan. 11 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
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HKU Geography Research Reveals the "Warming Paradox" of Urban Greenery
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A research team led by Professor Yuyu Zhou from the Department of Geography at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has unveiled a critical "warming paradox" in global urban greening strategies, challenging the universal assumption that vegetation always cools cities and providing a new roadmap for "smart greening" to combat urban heat islands effectively. By analysing high-resolution satellite and climate data from over 700 megacities,the study also demonstrates that in arid regions, urban greenery can actually increase surface temperatures.
Urban vegetation is widely regarded as a key nature-based solution for mitigating heat stress as global warming intensifies. The United Nations and city planners worldwide advocate for expanding green cover to cool urban environments through shade and evapotranspiration (the process by which plants release water vapour).
However, Professor Zhou's team has conducted the first global, city-specific assessment of vegetation's temperature regulation capability across 761 megacities in 105 countries. The study reveals that the cooling effect of vegetation is not universal. In approximately 22% of the cities analysed - predominantly in arid regions with annual rainfall below 1,000 millimetres - urban grasslands and croplands exhibit higher surface temperatures than nearby built-up areas.
This counterintuitive warming effect occurs because water acts as the "fuel" for cooling. In water-scarce cities, the cooling power of plants weakens significantly. In these environments, the dark colour of the vegetation absorbs more solar heat (low albedo) than the plants can release through evaporation, leading to a net warming effect.
The research further highlights a crucial distinction between types of greenery during extreme heat events. The study identifies trees as "Heatwave Heroes." Due to their deeper root systems, trees can access soil moisture that shallow-rooted grasses cannot reach. Consequently, trees continue to provide cooling benefits in 75% of cities during heatwaves. In contrast, grasslands and croplands often dry out, failing to cool - and potentially exacerbating heat - in over 70% of cities during extreme conditions.
Key implications of the research:
* The "Warming Paradox": Challenges the "one-size-fits-all" approach to urban greening, showing that in dry regions, unstrategic planting can inadvertently increase urban temperatures.
* Resilience of Trees: Provides evidence that trees are far more effective than grass at mitigating extreme heat, particularly in water-limited environments, due to superior canopy conductance and root depth.
* Smart Greening: Suggests that planners in water-scarce regions should prioritise drought-tolerant trees and combine them with other strategies, such as high-albedo "cool" roofs and pavements, rather than relying solely on expanding grassland or cropland.
The study, titled "Global urban vegetation exhibits divergent thermal effects: From cooling to warming as aridity increases", has been published in the prestigious journal Science Advances.
Link to the paper:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aea9165
Media enquiries:
Professor Yuyu Zhou, Department of Geography, HKU (tel: 852-3917 7109; email: yuyuzhou@hku.hk )
HKU Faculty of Social Sciences Communications Team (tel: 852-3917 1230/3917 1249; email: jessnys@hku.hk/ lilychui@hku.hk ).
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Original text here: https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/28867.html
Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 11 -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology posted the following news:
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Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion
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Going to the moon was one thing; going to Mars will be quite another. The distance alone is intimidating. While the moon is 238,855 miles away, the distance to Mars is between 33 million and 249 million miles. The propulsion systems that got us to the moon just won't work.
Taylor Hampson, a master's student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is well aware of the problem. It's one of the many reasons he's excited
... Show Full Article
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Jan. 11 -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology posted the following news:
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Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion
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Going to the moon was one thing; going to Mars will be quite another. The distance alone is intimidating. While the moon is 238,855 miles away, the distance to Mars is between 33 million and 249 million miles. The propulsion systems that got us to the moon just won't work.
Taylor Hampson, a master's student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is well aware of the problem. It's one of the many reasons he's excitedabout his NASA-sponsored research into nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP).
The technique uses nuclear energy to heat a propellant, like hydrogen, to an extremely high temperature and expel it through a nozzle. The resultant thrust can significantly reduce travel times to Mars, compared to chemical rockets. "You can get double the efficiency, or more, from a nuclear propulsion engine with the same thrust. Besides, being in microgravity is not ideal for astronauts, so you want to get them there faster, which is a strong motivation for using nuclear propulsion over the chemical equivalents," Hampson says.
Understanding nuclear thermal propulsion
It's worth taking a quick survey of rocket propulsion techniques to understand where Hampson's work fits.
There are three broad types of rocket propulsion: chemical, where thrust is achieved by the combustion of rocket propellants; electrical, where electric fields accelerate charged particles to high velocities to achieve thrust; and nuclear, where nuclear energy delivers needed propulsion.
Nuclear propulsion, which is only used in space, not to get to space, further falls into one of two categories: nuclear electric propulsion uses nuclear energy to generate electricity and accelerate the propellant. Nuclear thermal propulsion, which is what Hampson is researching, heats a propellant using nuclear power. A significant advantage of NTP is that it can deliver double the efficiency (or more) of the chemical equivalent for the same thrust. A disadvantage: cost and regulatory hurdles. "Sure, you can get double the efficiency or more from a nuclear propulsion engine, but there hasn't been a mission case that has needed it enough to justify the higher cost," Hampson says.
Until now.
With a human mission to Mars becoming a very real possibility -NASA plans on sending astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s -NTP might soon come under the spotlight.
"It's almost futuristic"
Growing up on Florida's Space Coast and watching space shuttle launches stoked Hampson's early interest in science. Loving many other subjects, including history and math, it wasn't until his senior year that Hampson cast his lot into the engineering category. While space exploration got him hooked on aerospace engineering, Hampson was also intrigued by the possibility of nuclear engineering as a way to a greener future.
Wracked by indecision, he applied to schools in both fields and completed his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech. It was here that a series of internships in space technology companies like Blue Origin and Stoke Space, and participation in Georgia Tech's rocket team, cemented Hampson's love for rocket propulsion.
Looking to pursue graduate studies, MIT seemed like the next logical step. "I think MIT has the best combination of nuclear and aerospace education, and is really strong in the field of testing nuclear fuels," Hampson says. Facilities in the MIT Reactor enable testing of nuclear fuel under conditions they would see in a nuclear propulsion engine. It helped that Koroush Shirvan, associate professor of NSE and Atlantic Richfield Career Development Professor in Energy Studies, was working on nuclear thermal propulsion efforts with NASA while focusing most of his efforts on the testing of nuclear fuels.
At MIT, Hampson works under the advisement of Shirvan. Hampson has had the chance to pursue further research in a project he started with an internship at NASA: studies of a nuclear thermal propulsion engine. "Nuclear propulsion is itself advanced, and I'm working on what comes after that. It's almost futuristic," he says.
Modeling the effects of nuclear thermal propulsion
While the premise of NTP sounds promising, its execution will likely not be straightforward. For one thing, with NTP, the rocket engine won't start up and shut down like simple combustion engines. The startup is complex because rapid increase in temperatures can cause material failures. And the engines can take longer to shut down because of heat from nuclear decay. As a result, the components have to continue to be cooled until enough fission products decay away so there isn't a lot of heat left, Hampson says.
Hampson is modeling the entirety of the rocket engine system -the tank, the pump, and more -to understand how these and many other parameters work together. Evaluating the entire engine is important because different configurations of parts (and even the fuel) can affect performance. To simplify calculations and to have simulations run faster, he's working with a relatively simple one-dimensional model. Using it, Hampson can follow the effects of variables on parameters like temperature and pressure on each of the components throughout the engine operation.
"The challenge is in coupling the thermodynamic effects with the neutronic effects," he says.
Ready for more challenges ahead
After years of indecision, delaying practically every academics-related decision to the last minute, Hampson seems to have zeroed in on what he expects to be his life's work -inspired by the space shuttle launches many years ago -and hopes to pursue doctoral studies after graduation.
Hampson always welcomes a challenge, and it's what motivates him to run. Training for the Boston Marathon, he fractured his leg, an injury that surfaced when he was running for yet another race, the Beantown Marathon. He's not bowed by the incident. "I learned that you're a lot more capable than you think," Hampson says, "although you have to ask yourself about the cost," he laughs. (He was in crutches for weeks after).
A thirst for a challenge is also one of the many reasons he chose to research thermal nuclear propulsion. It helps that the research indulges his love for the field. "Relatively speaking, it's a field in need of much more advancement; there are many more unsolved problems," he says.
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Original text here: https://news.mit.edu/2026/taylor-hampson-fueling-research-nuclear-thermal-propulsion-0111
