In the Spotlight       

UNL leads $25 million project targeting E. coli threat to food safety The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead a $25 million project to reduce throughout the beef production chain the occurrence of E. coli strains that pose a major threat to public health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced the grant at UNL Monday (Jan. 23).  MORE ... Video

Grew named to lifetime post in National Academies Priscilla Grew, professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and director of the State Museum, has been designated a lifetime National Associate of the National Research Council of the National Academies. MORE ...

UNL wins grant for highway, rail safety Nebraska's Sen. Ben Nelson today applauded UNL for winning a competitive grant promoting highway and railway safety. The $3.5 million grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will enable UNL to continue hosting a four-state regional center that has researched such matters as safer highway guardrails, de-icing chemicals and the life span of Nebraska bridges. MORE ...

Schubert named Fellow in physics organization Mathias Schubert, UNL associate professor of electrical engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. Schubert was cited by the APS council at its November meeting for the "development of generalized ellipsometry and the invention of the Optical Hall Effect, and their transformative potential for industrial characterization of materials properties."

Study: Nebraska corn production is highly efficient Contrary to conventional wisdom, irrigated corn in Nebraska is highly efficient in the use of energy, water and fertilizer, say University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists whose research found that increased yields more than offset the energy cost of these inputs.  MORE ... PNAS paper

Industrial Arts building to stay at NIC Planners at Nebraska Innovation Campus have unveiled a new look and usage plan for the Industrial Arts Building, a historic structure at the former Nebraska State Fair Park.  MORE ...

Mellon grant to expand digital humanities research New software under development by UNL researchers Brian Pytlik Zillig and Stephen Ramsay will vastly improve the ability of humanities researchers to use the growing number of digital archives and other digital projects. MORE ...

Robots aid crop research New technology is making aerial crop research easier, faster and more affordable for UNL researchers. Aerial crop scouting – which was once costly and inefficient – is now fast, easy and accessible thanks to a robotic helicopter, about the size of a large pizza. MORE ...

MwRSF honored by National Academies board The National Academies' Transportation Research Board will honor UNL's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility with its 2011 Practice-Ready Paper Award, recognizing MwRSF's work on safety barriers to benefit highway drivers. MORE ...

Award honors Heineman's NIC leadership On Dec. 1, the Association of University Research Parks named Gov. Dave Heineman as an honoree for its Leadership Award for his work on UNL's Nebraska Innovation Campus. MORE ...

Nastasi to lead energy research center Materials scientist Mike Nastasi will become director of UNL’s Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research on Jan. 3. He comes to UNL from Los Alamos National Laboratory where he was a longtime researcher and, since 2009, directed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center on Materials at Irradiation of Mechanical Extremes. MORE ...

UNL to study drone journalism News organizations may soon be able begin to inject drones -- small, unmanned aircraft -- into areas reporters can't easily go to capture news footage. UNL's new Drone Journalism Lab, led by journalism professor Matthew Waite, will study the practical, legal and ethical issues involving drones and news reporting. MORE ...

Hibbing named AAAS fellow UNL political scientist John Hibbing joins an elite group of scientists with his designation this month as a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science – and the distinction of being one of just 15-20 political scientists among the ranks. MORE ...

Maps track Texas drought The record-breaking drought in Texas that has fueled wildfires, decimated crops and forced cattle sales has also reduced levels of groundwater in much of the state to the lowest levels seen in more than sixty years, according to new national maps produced by NASA and distributed by the National Drought Mitigation Center at UNL. MORE ...

Study examines credit card management A firm grasp of finances is important to efficiently managing your credit cards. But equally important to good credit card practices is what you think you know about finance, a national study shows.  MORE ...

$3 million grant to help improve surveys A UNL team is partnering with industry on research to improve surveys. A nearly $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation in cooperation with the U.S. Census Bureau funds this work. Faculty and staff are invited to a celebration of the grant at 2 p.m. today in Omaha at The Gallup Organization's Riverfront Campus, 1001 Gallup Drive. MORE ...

Edwards is director of Great Plains Studies Richard Edwards has been named director of the Center for Great Plains Studies, a universitywide interdisciplinary research center. The announcement was made Nov. 18 by David Manderscheid, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. MORE ...

Engineering student wins national research award Juan Colon Santana, an electrical engineering doctoral student, has been recognized at the national level for research excellence. The American Vacuum Society has awarded him the 2011 Falicov Prize for outstanding research performed by a graduate student in areas related to magnetic interfaces and nanostructures. MORE ...

Genetics may explain impulsivity, especially in men Research led by UNL assistant professor of psychology Scott Stoltenberg has found links between impulsivity and a rarely researched gene called NRXN3. The gene plays an important role in brain development and in how neurons function -- especially in men. MORE ...

Water for Food grants awarded Eight projects proposed by interdisciplinary teams from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha received seed funding in the inaugural Water for Food Institute competitive research grants program. Learn more in Research News.

Math conference honors Jim Lewis Top math researchers and educators from around the nation paid tribute to University of Nebraska-Lincoln mathematician Jim Lewis at a recent mathematics conference at UNL. Read more about the testimonials in Research News.

2012 Research Development Fellows Fifteen University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members have been selected for the 2012 Research Development Fellows Program, an initiative to help pre-tenure faculty successfully compete for grants. Learn who the new fellows are in Research News.

Video highlights UNL research "Homegrown Solutions," a video highlighting some of UNL's diverse research in the areas of energy, food safety and education, debuted at the fall UNL Research Fair. Watch it here.

Political leanings may be gut responses Most likely, you would be disgusted if confronted with a picture of a man eating a mouthful of writhing worms. Or a particularly bloody wound. Or a horribly emaciated but still living body. But just how much disgust you feel may lend important insight into your personal political proclivities. MORE ...

Fall Nebraska Lecture available online UNL climatologist Don Wilhite’s fall 2011 Nebraska Lecture is available for viewing online. Wilhite, director of the School of Natural Resources, discussed "Managing Drought in a Changing Climate" in his Oct. 25 presentation. The Nebraska Lectures feature distinguished UNL faculty and are part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Mentoring key to building leaders For some, the question isn’t really whether leaders are born or made, it’s finding the best way to make them. In a field experiment, researchers found that pairing a seasoned pro with a promising prospect in an informal mentorship was significantly more potent in developing strong leaders than formal group training. MORE ...

Study: U.S. men prioritize fatherhood as well as careers The classic figure of a distant, career-focused father who spends lots of time at the office and who has little time for his kids might be getting outdated, a new study shows. MORE ...

Farritor leads Innovation Seminar Series An Innovation Seminar Series at UNL will offer free sessions providing tools to foster creativity and new thinking approaches. Shane Farritor, professor in mechanical and materials engineering and founder of two Nebraska-based startup companies, leads the series. MORE ...

NUtech offers entrepreneurship discussions Thinkers & Tinkerers, NUtech Ventures’ discussion series on innovation and entrepreneurship, kicks off Oct. 24 at noon in the Nebraska Union. David Conrad, NUtech’s executive director, will discuss "How to Form an Innovative Partnership with Industry." MORE ...

Duncan named Innovation Campus director Dan Duncan, assistant dean and director of the Agricultural Research Division at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has agreed to become executive director of Nebraska Innovation Campus effective Oct. 1, UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced. MORE ...

Nanoscience facility to be named for Voelte, Keegan University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering alumnus Don Voelte and his wife, Nancy Keegan, chair of the University of Nebraska Foundation’s board of directors, have given a $5 million campaign gift to UNL. In recognition of their gift, UNL's Nanoscience Metrology Facility will be named in their honor.  MORE ...

Zeng earns Midwest Award for chemistry achievements UNL chemistry professor Xiao Cheng Zeng, Ameritas Distinguished University Professor of chemistry, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Midwest Award from the American Chemical Society's St. Louis section. MORE ...

UNL, Madonna collaboration is da Vinci award finalist With Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, mechanical engineering professor Carl Nelson's work on developing a new Intelligently Controlled Assistive Rehabilitation Elliptical system is helping rehabilitation patients regain or improve their ability to walk. The elliptical assistive device was selected as a finalist for an international da Vinci Award. On Sept. 22 finalists for the award will gather at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., for the award selection announcement. MORE ...

Research funding is $132.2 million Funding for University of Nebraska-Lincoln research totaled $132.2 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the UNL Office of Research and Economic Development. Officials said this represents a slight decrease from $139 million the previous year, and was expected in the year following a significant influx of one-time federal stimulus funding. MORE ...