Michelle Werdann

Science & Technology

Creating quantum sensors - chemistry meets physics

Chemistry professor and colleagues awarded NSF grant to build quantum device

An illustration of a cube with two levels, each level containing blue spheres and separated by a wall of black, brown and pink spheres. Three sides of the cube have illustrations: the top has an image of the earth spinning on an axis, one side has a graphic of a black hole being placed on a scale, and another has a three-dimensional representation of space.
4/25/2024
Science & Technology

Catalyzing carbon and plastic recycling

Energy Solutions Forum speaker Karen Goldberg spoke about the methods her lab is pursuing to recycle carbon and plastic

An audience looks toward Karen Goldberg, who is presenting in front of a screen.
4/25/2024
Research & Innovation

Mountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why

The spatial memory of mountain chickadees is influenced by genetics and may need to evolve with a changing climate

A mountain chickadee perches on a twig.
4/22/2024
Education & Public Service

Reno/Sparks selected to be part of Urban Heat Mapping Campaign

The summer 2024 effort will involve community volunteers and is supported by the National Institutes of Health, NOAA, Climate.gov and Heat Watch

A boy works with a woman to affix a device to a passenger car window. The device looks like a mallet with a long handle.
4/18/2024
Research & Innovation

Ask the Professor: Which bees will my garden attract?

A recently published article outlines the relationship between bee nutrition and flower visits

A bee on top of a starburst-looking plant with the desert Nevada landscape blurred in the background.
4/17/2024
Science & Technology

Making their MARC: Yajahira Dircio

Dircio is one of four students in the second MARC cohort

A portrait of Yajahira Dircio smiling in front of a brick wall.
4/11/2024
Impact & Student Success

Researchers and students gain new insights and make new connections in Panama

Student participants join researchers to support international conservation efforts

Somebody wearing a bandana looks into the dense foliage of a rainforest.
4/10/2024
Research & Innovation

University geothermal research center holds Geothermal Town Hall

The free, public event will share information about geothermal energy production in Nevada

A boxy device with piping running in separate directions away from it sits in a marshy area in a basin.
4/9/2024
Impact & Student Success

STEM Sisters in Panamá

Two high school graduates had the research experience of a lifetime

A hand holds a plastic bag with a frog in it up against the light of the sky. There is green foliage in the background.
4/8/2024
Campus Life & Athletics

Mackay Muckers take gold in International Collegiate Mining Competition

Ten students traveled to Montana to show off their traditional mining skills

A group of people holding plaques and trophies smiles for a photo.
4/2/2024
Media & Society

Discover Science Podcast: Jevin West on misinformation in and about science

Graduate student Maddie Lohman and math professor Paul Hurtado are joined by Jevin West

A composition of a portrait of Jevin West (top left), a photo of Maddie Lohman holding a bird (bottom left), a portrait of Paul Hurtado (bottom right), and the Discover Science Podcast Series identifier which looks like a cross between a microphone and a microscope (top right).
3/25/2024
Research & Innovation

Using bacteria to make useful products out of carbon

Executive Vice President of Technology and Manufacturing at LanzaTech speaks at Energy Solutions Forum

A woman stands in front of an audience with a presentation being projected onto a screen behind her.
3/5/2024
Research & Innovation

Seeking fundamental truths in mathematics

Associate Professor Chris Rogers receives grant to study symmetry and support historically underrepresented research students

A blank puzzle with a piece missing. There is a pink shape where the piece is missing.
2/26/2024
Impact & Student Success

Making their MARC: Nandini Naidu

Naidu is part of the second cohort in the MARC program

Nandini Naidu smiles in front of a brick wall.
2/23/2024
Media & Society

What can be done to stop misinformation in and about science?

Discover Science lecturer on Feb. 22 will discuss the institution of science

Portrait of Jevin West.
2/15/2024
Impact & Student Success

Student Emergency Fund donations doubled until Giving Day

Donations to the College of Science’s student emergency fund will be matched up to $50,000 thanks to generous alumni

A group of students sitting at graduation. One student's graduation cap is decorated and reads, "I wanted to give up but then I remembered who was watching."
2/8/2024
Research & Innovation

The chickadee in the snowbank

A ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate change in the Sierra Nevada mountains

A mountain chickadee perched on an evergreen tree branch.
1/30/2024
Impact & Student Success

Mackay shines at AEMA 2023

Mackay School faculty and students made an impact at annual conference

Three women work at a booth surrounded by maps, documents and booklets. They are tabling for the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
1/29/2024
Education & Public Service

Discover Science Podcast: Colby Pellegrino on the water challenges of the Colorado River

Political science professor Elizabeth Koebele is joined by Colby Pellegrino

A composite image. In the top left corner, a portrait of Colby Pellegrino. In the bottom left corner, an image of a boat on the Colorado River. In the bottom right corner, a portrait of Elizabeth Koebele. In the top right corner, the Discover Science podcast identifier.
1/29/2024
Education & Public Service

Quarterly Climate Report and Outlook – January through March

Interim Nevada State Climatologist Tom Albright reviews the past three months and what it means for the state

A black and white photo of Manzanita Lake covered in snow, with buildings surrounding the Quad in the background.
1/25/2024
Research & Innovation

NBMG geoscientist wins Young Scientist Award from GSA

The Donath Medal is awarded to a young scientist for outstanding research

Andrew Zuza smiles, wearing a medal and standing next to another man who is smiling on a stage.
1/22/2024
Science & Technology

Exploring nuclear as an energy solution

Marc Nichol from the Nuclear Energy Institute shares nuclear technology developments

Marc Nichol stands at the front of an audience, presenting a PowerPoint.
1/19/2024
Media & Society

Discover Science Podcast: Joe Schwarcz on the magic of chemistry

Chemistry student Jesus Diaz Sanchez and chemistry professor Brian Frost are joined by Joe Schwarcz

A composite image of portraits of Joe Schwarcz in the upper left corner, Jesus Diaz Sanchez in the bottom left corner, Brian Frost in the bottom right corner, and the Discover Science Podcast Series logo in the upper right corner.
1/8/2024
Impact & Student Success

State of the College of Science

Prep day tradition continues under leadership of Dean Hope-Weeks

Louisa Hope-Weeks stands at a podium with a large screen behind her.
12/27/2023
Research & Innovation

Two years on, quantum research project gets renewed funding

The goals of the interdisciplinary project are both scientific and educational

A group of 18 people stands in front of the physics building.
12/22/2023
Impact & Student Success

College of Science alumni celebrated

Alumni from the College of Science and Mackay School were honored at an event in October

Louisa Hope-Weeks addresses an audience at a podium with her hands clasped. There are glass awards on a table behind her.
12/21/2023
Impact & Student Success

Westfall Scholars graduate with top grades in the College of Science

Westfall Scholars honored with a luncheon with faculty mentors, friends and family

A group of people sit on or stand behind couches and smile for a photo.
12/19/2023
Research & Innovation

Key labs for lithium and other critical minerals extraction get upgrade

Historical University commitment to mining continues

A compilation of images from the Mineral Processing Lab.
12/7/2023
Impact & Student Success

SACNAS provides opportunities for (old) new ideas in science

A new community for Chicano/Hispanic and Native American STEM students officially arrives on campus

Four women stand at a University of Nevada, Reno booth at a conference.
11/27/2023
Research & Innovation

Perfectly precarious positions

Rocks that naturally lay in precarious positions remained upright during an earthquake, surprising seismologists

A two panel image shows a rock from two different angles. The rock looks very precarious on the edge of a cliff.
11/21/2023
Impact & Student Success

Faces of the Pack: Angelica Perez

Breaking barriers

Six people, five of them men, stand in front of the Mackay statue. All are wearing blue Mackay polos.
11/13/2023
Education & Public Service

Colorado River expert gives talk Nov. 2

Colby Pellegrino to discuss status of the Colorado River for Discover Science Lecture Series

An aerial photo of Lake Mead with a boat on it.
10/30/2023
Education & Public Service

Quarterly Climate Report and Outlook – October through December

Interim Nevada State Climatologist Tom Albright reflects on the wet summer in Nevada and what the next few months might bring

The path between the Block N and the MIKC with people walking past. The sky has some clouds, and the leaves on the trees are bright orange.
10/23/2023
Education & Public Service

Great Nevada ShakeOut drill 10/19 at 10:19 a.m.

University takes part in annual earthquake preparedness drill

Two people in hard hats sit in front of a computer with seismology data on it.
10/18/2023
Media & Society

Giant freshwater stingray tracked by University project makes it into Guinness Book of World Records

Researchers from the Wonders of the Mekong project tagged the fish when it was caught over a year ago

An aerial view of the massive stingray sitting in water atop a green tarp held by people all around the stingray.
10/17/2023
Research & Innovation

Using lithium mining waste to store carbon

Researcher partners with Lithium Americas to find sustainable carbon solutions

Six people stand in a lab around a piece of equipment with a gauge and control panel on it. They are all smiling.
10/11/2023
Education & Public Service

Chemist, author and radio host Joe Schwarcz to visit campus

Schwarcz will be kicking off the 13th season of the Discover Science Lecture Series

Joe Schwarcz, wearing a suit and tie, holds a large apple and smiles as he pretends to bite into it.
10/9/2023
Impact & Student Success

Anatomy course provides unique opportunities to work with human cadavers

The Advanced Human Dissection Team is made up of undergraduate students

A large group of people sits on the steps outside of the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center. Some of the students are holding biological models.
9/28/2023
Campus Life & Athletics

Louisa Hope-Weeks named Dean of the College of Science

Hope-Weeks brings her experience as an associate dean and chemistry professor

A woman, illuminated in golden hour light, stands in front of Morrill Hall, with two students in the foreground facing her and speaking with her.
9/27/2023
Education & Public Service

Nevada Drought Update for September 2023

This report brings to a close a three-and-a-half year stretch of having at least one Nevada county under drought watch

A south-facing shot of the University Quad, with students lying against trees, walking along the Quad, and throwing a football.
9/18/2023
Education & Public Service

Amidst the rubble, Turkey’s earthquake scars reveal important information

Earthquake geologists on the GEER research team gain greater understanding of the impacts of the February earthquake

The foreground shows where a block of earth collapsed on a ridge. The background shows a community on a hillside, and in the background are snow-capped mountains.
9/6/2023
Research & Innovation

University faculty part of XPRIZE team that advances to finalist round in global competition

Team Waponi is one of six teams from around the world to advance to the finals

Two men crouch around a device that looks like a projector screen with a frame around it.
8/28/2023
Education & Public Service

Nevada Drought Update for August 2023

Drought still remains in southern Nevada, but has disappeared in most of the state

A rainstorm passes between a mountain range and a marshy area, with sagebrush and a road in the foreground.
8/9/2023
Education & Public Service

Quarterly Climate Report and Outlook – July through September

Nevada State Climatologist Steph McAfee shares a report on Nevada’s climate over the past few months, and what to expect in the next quarter

Overlooking Lake Tahoe on a fairly sunny day with several clouds in the sky.
7/25/2023
Impact & Student Success

Mackay student team takes second place in national competition

The competition is focused on carbon management

Four photos of students: at the top left, Alexia Carver, at the top right, Kamal Mousavi, at the bottom left, Trisha McLaughlin and at the bottom right, Ash Thompson.
7/17/2023
Education & Public Service

Nevada Drought Update for July 2023

Nevada reservoirs are in good condition across the state; Lake Mead's levels have been rising

A photo from a high vantage point of Lake Mead. The water levels are low as indicated by the bathtub rings around the lake.
7/14/2023
Science & Technology

What makes water an important molecule for life?

Water is widely thought to be critical to life. But why is that the case?

Canadian geese, mallard ducks and a swan swim in Manzanita Lake.
7/7/2023
Media & Society

American Geophysical Union’s Hydrology Section Fellows discuss the future of science

The session took a deep dive into the responsibilities of scientists to diversify the field

A screengrab from a video recording of a Zoom meeting. There are 7 participants in the Zoom meeting on 6 screens. Two men share a screen in the middle.
6/28/2023
Education & Public Service

How can people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community boost their resilience?

Those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community can use several techniques to boost their resilience in the face of discrimination

Students hold a banner that reads, "Nevada has Pack PRIDE!" at the annual Pride parade in downtown Reno. Many people are dressed in rainbow UNR t-shirts.
6/20/2023
Education & Public Service

Nevada Drought Update for June 2023

The wet spring across much of Nevada alleviated drought and may provide a buffer against a rapid return to drought

The back of the Mackay statue facing toward the Quad. The grass is green and the trees lining the Quad are fully leafed out. The sky is blue with some scattered clouds.
6/15/2023
Research & Innovation

Speaker discusses how to use renewable energy efficiently at Energy Solutions Forum

Renewable energy’s intermittent nature poses challenges to energy storage

Yet-Ming Chiang stands at a podium laughing. There is a window looking toward the Joe Crowley Student Union behind him, and a projected slide presentation next to him.
5/30/2023
Impact & Student Success

Faces of the Pack: Jim Hammond

Jim Hammond is an alumnus who graduated with a degree in physics

A man and woman set up a camera toward a cliff face.
5/30/2023
Research & Innovation

Psychology professor’s illusion in top ten for Best Illusion Contest

Vote for the illusion Gideon Caplovitz created with his two daughters by May 27

Several Poggendorff triangles in blue and purple on a gray background. The Poggendorff triangles are two triangles that appear to share an edge.
5/25/2023
Science & Technology

World’s largest freshwater fish tracking provides Wonders of the Mekong researchers with more information about the mysterious species

The giant freshwater stingray faces numerous threats, data gives insight into conservation needs

A giant freshwater stingray sits on a green tarp held by a group of people. The fish is over 13 feet long including its tail.
5/25/2023
Impact & Student Success

Westfall Scholars graduate at the top of their class

The spring 2023 graduates include future urban planners, doctors, physicists and more

A large group of people sit and stand for a photo outside of the Joe Crowley Student Union Ballrooms.
5/24/2023
Education & Public Service

Freshman recognizes his grandfather’s contributions to the University

Tristan Morrice uses the Edward Morrice Mineral Processing Laboratory

Tristan Morrice leans against a wall next to a plaque that reads, "The Edward Morrice Mineral Processing Laboratory."
5/22/2023
Impact & Student Success

Mackay Banquet celebrates excellence in Mackay community

The annual banquet was held on April 28

A table tent listing sponsors of the Mackay School. There is a fork and plate in the foreground.
5/16/2023