Yuma News Now

Tucson, Arizona - The year 2008 was marked by extraordinary achievements at The University of Arizona. Included are some of the UA's most talked-about accomplishments this year, which were reported by news organizations around the world.

10. Border Security Center of Excellence Established at UA

U.S. Department of Homeland Security announces it has selected the UA to house and lead its first-ever center of excellence on border security and immigration research.

9. UA Welcomes Veterans From Iraq and Afghanistan

UA expands veteran services to become a national leader in welcoming and transitioning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars into life as university students.

8. HiRISE Photographs Phoenix

The UA's powerful HiRISE camera, in low-altitude orbit over Mars, sends back stunning close-up images of the Martian terrain, including spectacular shots of the Phoenix Lander itself during and after its perilous landing on Mars.

7. Taking Mining to the 21st Century

Science Foundation Arizona and mining industry leaders choose the UA College of Engineering to become a world leader in advancing health, safety and environmental mining practices.

6. LBT First Light

The UA and its partners complete construction and begin operation of the world's most powerful telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope, atop southeastern Arizona's Mt. Graham.

5. National Children's Study

The National Institutes for Health choose the UA College of Medicine to lead the nation's largest study on environmental impacts on children's health, with a $44 million grant.

4. iPlant Collaborative

The UA wins $50 million grant to form and operate the iPlant Collaborative, which makes the UA the world headquarters for the first-ever global-scale scientific collaboration on the biggest and most urgent threats to the future of plant life on Earth.

3. Dynamic Holograms

Researchers in the UA's College of Optical Sciences  develop the world's first three-dimensional, dynamic holograms, which have the potential to revolutionize medical, industrial and military applications.

2. Compression-only CPR

The American Heart Association endorses simpler compression-only CPR pioneered at the UA's Sarver Heart Center, a method that triples survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest victims

1. Phoenix Mars Mission

The UA-led Phoenix Mars Mission makes a safe landing and astounding discoveries of water ice, intriguing soil composition and a subtly active atmosphere in a thrilling and historic five-month exploration of Martian surface.