College of Natural Sciences, UT Austin

10/01/2026

We want YOUR scientific & mathematical imagery!

We are currently accepting submissions for our 2027 Visualizing Science competition and welcome your visualizations, photographs, microscope images, fractals, patterns, mathematical equations and more that are related to research conducted at UT Austin. Open to all current Texas Science students, staff and faculty, Visualizing Science celebrates the beauty of science and the scientific process.

🔗 Learn more at txsci.net/VizSci and submit your entries by November 4 for a chance to win accolades and a cash prize of up to $1,000!

This video features a few of the finalists from past years. The science behind these and other winning images from more than a decade of past contests can be found at txsci.net/VisSciShowcase2026.

09/23/2026

Welcome to the newest members of our Hall of Honor!

Every year, the College of Natural Sciences celebrates a select few outstanding alumni and friends of the community at its annual Hall of Honor ceremony. This year’s honorees were Celine Halioua, the Founder and CEO of Loyal; Morgan Micheletti, a pioneer in ophthalmology; Dheeraj Pandey, the Chairman and CEO of DevRev, Inc.; and the Winn Family, which runs the philanthropic Winn Family Foundation, Inc.

Learn more about them and meet past inductees at txsci.net/HallOfHonor.

Photos by Callie Richmond.

09/22/2026

UT physicist Dr. Katherine Freese discussed the possible detection of dark matter on StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigati...

09/21/2026

Some great UT Turtle Pond research by undergraduates:

09/15/2026

Now you see it … now you don’t.

Researchers were surprised when a piece of extremely durable plastic they were trying to make even harder instead dissolved. They stumbled onto a greener way to recycle objects made of pDCPD, used in everything from vehicle bumpers to construction equipment to chemical storage tanks.

Read more at txsci.net/recycled.



Video alt text: A 3D-printed pufferfish made of pDCPD undergoes deconstruction in a clear solution containing an eco-friendly solvent and ruthenium-based catalyst.

09/10/2026

Meet Iris Schmeder, undergraduate frog researcher 🐸

The senior biology major researches the biodiversity and ecology of frogs in the lab of professor Kelly Zamudio at The University of Texas at Austin. She’s a Dean’s Scholar and a former Stengl-Wyer Biodiversity Scholar who participated in the Biodiversity Discovery research stream of the Freshman Research Initiative. Schmeder also spent time abroad helping others through the President’s Award for Global Learning program and doing research through the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s International Research Experience for Students program. She even interned for the PBS science show ‘Be Smart’ with UT alum Joe Hanson.

Learn about Schmeder’s adventures and plans for the future in our Q&A with her at txsci.net/Iris.

09/08/2026

Last week in Oslo, Allan MacDonald received the The Kavli Prize for Nanoscience.

A physicist at The University of Texas at Austin, he was honored for helping establish the field of twistronics, using atomically-thin materials stacked atop each other and twisted to transform their physical properties.

Read more: https://cns.utexas.edu/news/accolades/allan-macdonald-wins-kavli-prize-nanoscience

09/07/2026

Researchers have developed a compound that delivers a one-two punch to cancer cells, exploiting their appetite for sugar while cutting off their backup fuel supply

09/03/2026

New studies find COVID pandemic impacts on children were not as severe as originally feared. Most children’s health, learning, social development and well-being recovered substantially over time. Full story: https://news.utexas.edu/2026/09/02/most-children-rebounded-after-covid-19-disruptions-study-finds/

09/02/2026

Ruth Buskirk, a legendary teacher and scientist, is retiring after teaching biology at The University of Texas at Austin for 42 years.

In a new profile, she shares insights gleaned from her time in the College of Natural Sciences and reveals how she is revisiting research into insect populations in a South American cloud forest that she began 50 years ago.

Read her profile at txsci.net/Buskirk.