Finding a method for large scale, inexpensive transformation of methane into methanol is like turning lead into gold, according to Tom Cundari, a Regents Professor of chemistry at the University of North Texas. 

Methane is a primary component of natural gas and, like natural gas, must be cooled and pressurized into liquid form to be shipped via pipeline or conveyance. This process is expensive and can be hazardous. But, methane’s molecular structure can be changed into a liquid “cousin”...

From tracking the amount of rain in their backyards to monitoring the water quality in local streams, citizen scientists have collected data for as long as there has been curiosity. And, it turns out, their data can be just as valid as that collected by professionals.

Kelly Albus, a research scientist at the University of North Texas, spent four years as both a Ph.D. student and a professor sifting through decades of data collected by citizen science groups and comparing it to that collected by professional agencies. The goal of her project...

Doctors soon will have a new way to determine if a cell is cancerous by measuring its thermal properties, thanks to Tae-Youl Choi, a professor in the University of North Texas’ College of Engineering.

Choi has developed a micropipette sensor technology that will allow for a quicker and more reliable diagnosis of cancerous or precancerous cells. Doctors also should be able to determine the boundary between cancerous and healthy tissue in real time during surgery rather than having to remove tissue...

Richard Dixon, a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of North Texas’ College of Science, and an international team of scientists have found that Ginkgo biloba trees aren’t programmed to die.

“Ginkgo biloba trees can live for thousands of years,” Dixon said. “And, when they die, it is generally the result of external stressors such as fire, flooding, poor nutrition, disease, parasites, etc. But, if those stressors are removed and perfect conditions existed, Ginkgo biloba could go on forever...

Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of North Texas, is using the latest energy-harvesting technology to develop a wireless, wearable fitness tracker that will never need to be charged.

“Reverse electro-wetting takes advantage of motion, any motion. For my fitness tracker, that motion will come from a person moving their arms and legs. But, if you think about it, there is motion all around us,” Mahbub said. “I envision...

Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at the University of North Texas, is developing a wireless recording, stimulation and power system that will allow medical researchers to study and possibly treat brain diseases such as chronic neuropathic pain and post-stroke paralysis.

“My goal is to develop a microscopic, wirelessly powered, wireless system that will record neural signals from electrodes inside the brain and provide stimulation in the form of visible light...

Reid Ferring, a professor in the University of North Texas Department of Geography and the Environment, is part of an international team of scientists who have developed a breakthrough method of identifying the sex and species of animal in fossils more than a million years old.

“This is very exciting because our current method for determining sex and species, examination of extracted DNA, was limited to approximately 200,000 years. Through palaeoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins, we can now...

Amie Lund, a cardiovascular toxicology researcher with the University of North Texas, has found that exposure to certain air pollutants may cause weight gain, especially when coupled with a high-fat diet.

Lund is investigating how pollution from automobile exhaust affects the growth and signaling of fat cells called adipocytes. She determined car exhaust can trigger responses in the body that can lead to increased adipocyte growth and inflammation, which are associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease. 

“When people think...

Yan Huang, senior associate dean and director of graduate studies at the University of North Texas College of Engineering, was recently named a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery for her scientific contributions to the field of computing.  

“My work focuses on organizing, making best use of and finding interesting patterns in large amounts of data. For example, a navigation system used to mean only a driver’s GPS...

The University of North Texas is working with 20 universities nationwide to develop faculty recruitment, hiring and retention practices specifically for underrepresented populations in STEM fields. 

Aspire: National Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty is a three-year program aimed at ensuring all STEM faculty use inclusive teaching practices and that institutions increase the diversity of their STEM instructors. The ...