News
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Whole Communities — Whole Health
Faculty Collaborations Awarded 'Fast Track to Impact' Support
Human Development and Family Sciences faculty are leading research in a campus-wide Bridging Barriers initiative.
![A child's sense of neighborhood cohesion could impact their cognitive health later in life.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/3-2-neighborhood-cohesion.jpg)
Department of Computer Science
Computer Scientist Honored for Teaching Excellence
Professor Calvin Lin has won the prestigious Minnie Stevens Piper Teaching Award.
![A man in a collared shirt sits and smiles in a well-lit open space on the UT campus.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/lin-calvin_2019_3679w.jpg)
NSF Awards Graduate Research Fellowships and Honors to Natural Sciences Students
Dozens of College of Natural Science students received recognition through the National Science Foundation program.
![A graduate student in a white lab coat and PPE smiles at a container he holds up to view](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/3-2-grfp.jpg)
Artificial Intelligence Trained to Draw Inspiration From Images, Not Copy Them
Researchers are using corrupted data to help generative AI models avoid the misuse of images under copyright.
![Three rows of similarly themed illustrations—earnest dogs, scientist pandas and robot graffiti—differ in each of four iterations per row.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/high_level_with_consistency_3-2.png)
Otters, Especially Females, Use Tools To Survive a Changing World
A new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools — most of whom are female — are able to eat larger prey...
![A sea otter feeds on a marine animal](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/otter_thumb.png)
To Optimize Guide-Dog Robots, First Listen to the Visually Impaired
Guide-dog users and trainers can provide insight into features that make robotic helpers useful in the real world.
![A dog-like robot ascends an outdoor staircase on a college campus.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-4-3.png)
Texas Undergraduate College
Computer Science and Mathematics Dual Major Receives Goldwater Scholarship
Luisa Mao of The University of Texas at Austin is among a select group of undergraduates to be awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.
![A young woman in a v-neck shirt smiles standing on a balcony with a city skyline behind her.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/luisa_mao.jpg)
Defense Research Advancement
Computer Science Professor Trains AI Through Game Theory
Computer scientists Ryan Farrel and Chandrajit Bajaj will test a novel reinforcement learning approach.
![A younger man and older man, each in suit jackets, stand in front of a screen with many images of houses and models behind them.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/bajaj_3-2.jpg)
Persistent Strain of Cholera Defends Itself Against Forces of Change, Scientists Find
Unique immune component has kept one strain of cholera on top for more than 60 years.
![Image of cholera bacteria stained purple](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/vibrio-cholerae-bacteria-thumbnail.jpg)
Defense Research Advancement
Physicists Earn Recognition for Innovative Research
Early career researchers from the Department of Physics were selected for highly competitive Department of Defense awards.
![A man in a collared shirt stands in front of a textured background and a woman crosses her arms as she poses before a blank background.](/sites/default/files/uploads/images/default/dod-awards.jpg)