Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 1d

UH researchers uncovered how a rare bacterium, Tersicoccus phoenicis, “plays dead” to survive NASA’s sterile clean rooms.

Their work reveals new challenges for planetary protection & sterilization in extreme environments.

READ: http://bit.ly/4o8u5f4

#Microbiology #UHNSM #CantStopDiscovery

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 4d

UHNSM researchers Michael S. Yantosca & Albert M. K. Cheng presented Phonotomizer at ACL 2025—an unsupervised, multilingual system for real-time phonetic segmentation that trains directly from sound data.

Read the paper: https://bit.ly/3IXiBw2

#UHNSM #AI #SpeechTechnology #CantStopDiscovery

New publication titled 'Phonotomizer: A Compact, Supervised, Online Training Approach to Real-Time, Multilingual Association for Computational Linguistics' from the University of Houston. Features headshots of researchers Michael Yantosca and Albert Cheng from the Departments of Computer Science and Computational Science, respectively.

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 14d

Jiaxuan Li, assistant professor of geophysics, has been awarded the 2025 AGU Seismology Keiiti Aki Early Career Award. His innovative fiber-optic sensing research is shaping the future of seismology and deepening our understanding of earthquakes and volcanoes.

http://bit.ly/4mx3KWZ

#UH #UHNSM

Jiaxuan Li from the University of Houston's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, celebrating the achievement of earning the 2025 AGU Keiiti Aki Early Career Award.

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 15d

Thrilled to share Dr. Ny Riavo Voarintsoa’s new article in Applied Geochemistry:
A 3.5-year rainfall isotope record from NW Madagascar featuring 17O-excess—advancing tools for tropical paleoclimate reconstructions and monsoon studies.
🔗 http://bit.ly/3VyUJSh #Madagascar #UHNSM #CantStopDiscovery

Promotional poster for a new publication by the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston, featuring Ny Riavo Voarintsoa, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences. The publication focuses on a 35-year Madagascar record and its implications for paleoclimate research, titled 'Applied Geochemistry'.

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 25d

🚀 STEM careers are waiting for you!
📅 Sept. 16 | 1–5 PM | Student Center South
🤝 Meet employers
📄 Resume reviews
🎯 Find internships & jobs

Details ➡️ http://bit.ly/3IlvLTk
#CantStopDiscovery #UH #UHNSM #NSM #GoCoogs #CareerFair

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 28d

Celebrating Natalie Sumrow, executive director of NSM Advising, for earning the C. F. McElhinney Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor for UH staff!

With more than 25 years of service, Natalie built a student-first advising model now recognized across higher ed. 👏

#GoCoogs #UHNSM

Natalie Sumrow smiles while holding her award with UH President Khator.

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · 28d

Honoring Chris Watts, Dir of Web & Digital Communications, recipient of the President’s Excellence Award in the Technical, Service, and Craft category!

Chris has dedicated 15+ years to building innovative digital strategies that enhance student success and community at UH.

#GoCoogs #UHNSM #UHProud

Chris Watts receives the President's Excellence Award in the Technical, Service, and Craft Category for 2025.

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jul 14

Congrats to Kiera Salice, Research Assistant, and Rubem Mondaini, Assistant Professor, from the Department of Physics, for their manuscript on quantum information science, accepted in Science Advances!

🔗 Read the Manuscript: bit.ly/40SBGVX

#UHNSM #QuantumDarwinism #ScienceAdvances #Physics

University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics - New Publication

Observation of Quantum Darwinism and the Origin of Classicality with Superconducting Circuits (Science Advances)

Kiera Salice, Research Assistant, Department of Physics

Rubem Mondaini, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jul 3

Leon Thomsen’s 1986 paper, Weak Seismic Anisotropy, now holds the all-time citation record in geophysics.

📚 “It’s like F=ma for physicists,” said UH’s Yingcai Zheng.

Read more: bit.ly/4nshhkx
#Geophysics #UniversityOfHouston #EarthScience #AcademicImpact

Leon Thomsen | Most-Cited Work in the Field of Geophysics | More than 6,400 Citation to Date | Published in Geophysics, "Weak Seismic Anisotrophy" transformed how scientists understand subsurface structures and remains central to research in shale gas and exploration geophysics. | UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jun 25

Student researcher Bryan Hlavinka (Biochemistry) received a UH SURF fellowship to study how energy and electricity move through sol-gel coatings. His project has the potential to pave the way for spray-on solar panels and smarter buildings. 🔬🏙️

#UndergraduateResearch #UHNSM #STEM #Nanomaterials

2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Recipient - Bryan Hlavinka - UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jun 20

Research Spotlight | Melissa Zastrow, Ph.D., & Uyen Huynh co-authored a Scientific Reports study showing that calcium boosts Lactobacillus acidophilus growth and biofilm formation—key for successful probiotic colonization in the gut.

🔗 bit.ly/3ZHMF45
#UHNSM #Research #GutHealth #Probiotics #Calcium

Faculty-Student Research Spotlight | The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics congratulates Melissa L. Zastrow, Ph.D., associate professor, and Uyen Huynh, research associate, in the Department of Chemistry, for their co-authorship on a new study published in Scientific Reports.

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jun 9

🚨 Leadership Update: Gregory Dudley, Ph.D. has been named dean of the University of Houston's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics!

🔬 NSF Program Director
📚 MIT Ph.D.
🧠 100+ publications

He joins UH Aug. 1. Read more: bit.ly/43MWvCV
#UHNSM #GoCoogs

UH NSM Names Gregory B. Dudley as Next Dean | Accomplished Academic Leader Joins UH August 1 | University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

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Reposted by UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

University of Houston Earth and Atmospheric Sciences @uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social · Mar 24

Please join us with Friday with our Spring Seminar series with Dr. Deepak Chamlagain, who will give a talk about a “Dynamic Characterization and Basement Topography of the Kathmandu Valley Affected by the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake: A Passive Seismological Approach” Details are in the poster.

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Mar 10

UH NSM alumnus Dr. Jose Daniel Velazco-Garcia was awarded a $1.2 million NASA grant. UH received $325,00 of the grant. Read more about his mentors, team, and technology:

NASA Grant Awarded to UH NSM Alumnus

$1.2 million award supports astronaut exploration and safety.

uh.edu

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Ecology and Evolution at the University of Houston @uh-ecoevo.bsky.social · Mar 6

Really wonderful and inspiring talk by @colinaverill.bsky.social from Funga at Austin. Wow!

Thanks so much Colin for the visit!

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Feb 5

@uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social scientists are doing groundbreaking climate research in Greenland and Antarctica! ⛰🌎 See more extraordinary images and read the full immersive article here:
bit.ly/4gsVZ1s

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Reposted by UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

University of Houston Earth and Atmospheric Sciences @uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social · Feb 3

Check out what Ph.D. student Johanna Villagomez has been doing in her field work to establish baseline seismicity along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

uh.edu/nsm/earth-at...

Establishing Gulf of Mexico Baseline Seismicity 2024

uh.edu

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Jan 29

@uhsacnas.bsky.social continues to shine at the national conference. The UH student group won the 2024 Outstanding Chapter: Leadership in Science award! 👏👏👏
#GoCoogs 🐾

SACNAS Wins Outstanding Chapter for Leadership in Science Award at National Conference

Student chapter shows continued excellence with third award in a row.

bit.ly

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University of Houston Earth and Atmospheric Sciences @uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social · Jan 23

Abram Riggs, a junior geology major in the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, received a Houston Geological Society Undergraduate Scholarship of $4,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year. uh.edu/nsm/earth-at...

Abram Riggs Receives Houston Geological Society Scholarship

Award of $4,000 to support career goals.

uh.edu

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Reposted by UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

University of Houston Earth and Atmospheric Sciences @uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social · Jan 11

EAS student profiled by the provost: www.uh.edu/nsm/earth-at...

Geology Major Iliana Solheim Featured in Provost Profiles

Video profile part of a monthly series.

www.uh.edu

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Reposted by UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

University of Houston Earth and Atmospheric Sciences @uh-earth-atm-sci.bsky.social · Jan 17

Prof. Will Sager & team spent winter break on the R/V Sikuliaq. The science party included scientists and technicians from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They surveyed in the Marshall Islands, between Anewetak and Pikinni atolls.

Sager w/ students Edgar Moreno, Jameson Hampton, Bhupender Kumar, Leo Collier, Basil Nwafor, and Jillian Raab, standing on the deck of the ship at sea, on a sunny day.

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Dec 20

A groundbreaking achievement by UH Physics and Earth & Atmospheric Sciences scientists is changing our understanding of climate and weather on Mars and providing critical insights into Earth’s atmospheric processes as well.

University of Houston Scientists Solving Meteorological Mysteries on Mars

Groundbreaking new paper answers key climate questions.

uh.edu

UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Dec 18

The increased detail disclosed in this dissertation creates a deeper understanding of subduction in plate tectonics that will aid in future geological research.

Geology Ph.D. Graduate Yu-Huan Hsieh Receives Dan E. Wells Outstanding Dissertation Award

Award recognizes significance and impact of research.

uh.edu

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Dec 18

Using high-resolution, drone-based lidar data, UH Geologists captured the coastline’s rapid transformation from pre- to post-storm. In addition to documenting the coastal erosion, the team’s research aims to inform future mitigation strategies.

UH Geologists Find Significant Texas Coastal Impacts from Hurricane Beryl

Using high-resolution, drone-based lidar data, the team captured coastline’s rapid transformation from pre- to post-storm.

uh.edu

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UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics @uhnsm.bsky.social · Dec 17

Three NSM doctoral students received the Lydia Mendoza Fellowship. The program highlights students who show how they help others in the Latino community through service, training, advising, research, and teaching.

Three NSM Doctoral Students Receive the Lydia Mendoza Fellowship

Awardees bring representation to labs while mentoring students.

uh.edu