News: Announcements

Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

McDonald Observatory

Pioneering Instrument Returns to McDonald Observatory

The Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph (IGRINS) splits infrared light into more individual wavelengths than a traditional spectrograph.

Illustration of the IGRINS instrument

Announcements

Frontier Fellows Tackle Humanity’s Biggest Question: Where Do We Come From?

The inaugural class of Cosmic Frontier Center postdoctoral fellows will study black holes in early galaxies and the formation of the first stars.

A spiral galaxy

Announcements

Remembering Turing Award Winner E. Allen Emerson

Emerson was a pioneer of a computer science technique called Model Checking that has become a standard approach in hardware and software development.

Portrait of a bearded man in a sports coat

Announcements

Giant Magellan Telescope Begins Primary Mirror Support System Testing

The milestone marks the start of a six-month optical testing phase at the University of Arizona.

A large telescope mirror hovers over a support system prototype for lab tests

Announcements

Gift From Love, Tito’s Helps Build Instrument To Track Ultrafast Electrons in Nanomaterials

The new instrument could lead to better materials for quantum computers and solar cells.

Two people with large scissors cut the cords on a pair of black drapes, revealing a new sign over the entrance to a lab. The sign reads: "Love, Tito’s Quantum Materials Characterization Laboratory."

Announcements

Texas Science & Natural History Museum Celebrates Record Attendance in its First Year Since Reopening

The on-campus museum also has opened its newest temporary exhibit, featuring a scale model of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the largest optical telescope in North America.

A dark room has museum-quality installations on its wall that read, "Big Eye on Dark Skies: Hobby-Eberly Telescope" near a 3D spherical telescope replica.

Announcements

New Program to Enhance Accessibility in Astronomy Education

Universo Expansivo, a program of the Giant Magellan Telescope, will increase accessibility for students with vision loss through tactile astronomy kits and lesson plans.

Several small models of planets sit on a desk next to a window

Announcements

New AI Institute Led by UT Researchers Will Accelerate Cosmic Discovery

Stella Offner and Arya Farahi are among the leads of a new multi-institution institute focused on AI and astronomy.

Four quadrants of scientific-images come together, with webs showing bright spots for star formation, galaxy clustering, identifications of galaxies that are labeled and a futuristic network.

Announcements

Natural Sciences Welcomes New Faculty Across the College

Familiar faces and newcomers alike are among the 13 newest tenured and tenure-track faculty members joining the college.

New faculty members 2024-2025

UT News

UT Launches Nation’s First Robotics Program for Freshman Applicants

Robotics honors students will pursue degrees in computer science or various types of engineering, while also earning a minor in robotics.

Three students look at a handheld computer tablet with a yellow robot in the foreground