CONNECTIONS to the Future 1.13.23

Dear College of Science Faculty and Staff,  Trying to keep track of science in the news is both inspiring and daunting. Every week, our COS Monday CONNECTS highlights some of the important publications and grants from members of our community. You can find science news aggregators, but I draw on what’s in several regular newspapers. As usual, news this week divides into good, bad, and interesting.

  • Earth’s ozone layer is projected to fully recover by 2040, a healthy outcome from a 1980s ban on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), components of aerosols and refrigerants.
  • More about the stressful impacts of noise on dolphin communication and on people.
  • Atmospheric rivers are fascinating: streams of water vapor in the sky that can transport huge amounts of water, but also responsible for the severe flooding in California.
  • Approval of a honeybee vaccine against foulbrood, a bacterial disease. The vaccine is added to royal jelly and fed to queen bees, whose offspring are given immunity.
  • Cautions around yet another COVID variant, even more transmissible than previous.
  • More bad news about street drugs, and effects of tranq, an animal anesthetic being mixed with the already devastating drug fentanyl.

As we move along writing our College of Science Strategic Plan: CONNECTIONS to the Future, science news helps us remember why we are working on this. Because we are expertly teaching and training the next generation of Science professionals. Because we are uncovering the unexpected and using the knowledge to solve crucial societal problems. That is our mission and why the work we do is unequivocally important. Thank you for contributing to the Plan. Please join Town Halls, Focus Groups, and use the Idea Bank to ensure your thoughts are part of CONNECTIONS to the Future!We observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday January 16.