Feature Story Archive

Can windy skies fill water taps?

:: Spring 2007 ::

From parched desert plains to bustling urban centers, water is a commodity in increasingly short supply. In many arid and populous regions – Texas, for example – the scramble for fresh water sources has commenced as demand surges and water tables drop. Texas Tech University and General Electric’s Global Research Center have teamed up to create what could provide an affordable and abundant new supply of drinking water to meet future demand. [read more]

You may wish to visit the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center website.

The Hill Country Outdoor School Brings Science to Life

:: Spring 2006 ::

Texas Tech University’s Outdoor School, on the Junction campus, takes a hands-on, learning-is-fun approach to teaching the science requirements for the 5th grade TAKS. [read more]

You may wish to visit the Texas Tech University Center at Junction website.

SAVING THE SOUTHWEST FROM SALT CEDARS: Texas Tech Researchers Remove Thirsty Shrubs from Waterways

:: Spring 2006 ::

Dr. Loren Smith, Kleberg Professor of wildlife ecology at Texas Tech and his team are waging war on armies of salt cedars. Salt cedars are a growing concern in the Southwest, where both cities and farmers have watched their groundwater supplies shrink in recent years as the plants deplete rivers and lakes. Once established, salt cedars form impenetrable thickets that clog rivers and prevent wildlife from using them. The shrubs drink twice the water consumed by their native predecessors. [read more]

You may wish to visit the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources website.

Can They Save the Ogallala? (and the Farmer?)

:: Spring 2006 ::

An 8-year project covering 4,328 acres on 26 farms on the Southern High Plains will show how much money and water is required to produce crops and livestock. [read more]

You may wish to visit the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources website.

Trawling for answers

:: Spring 2006 ::

Shrimpers trawl for hours at a time. The government requires new nets that will make it easier for fish to escape the trawls. But these also make it easier for shrimp to escape. So fishermen tinker with the design to make it harder for the shrimp to get out of the nets. This makes it harder for the fish to get out too. Which puts many fisherman back in the same situation they were in before. Sandra Diamond, assistant professor of biology at Texas Tech, says the key may lie less with new net designs and more with dispensing better information about where to trawl. [read more]

You may wish to visit the Department of Biological Sciences website.

Saving the playas

:: Spring 2006 ::

Birdwatchers in the Arctic and Mexico are probably unaware of small, shallow lakes scattered across the Great Plains. These playas play an important role for migratory birds and other wildlife. Texas Tech researchers are finding ways to help stop the damage done to these lakes by sediment that runs off plowed fields. [read more]

You may wish to visit the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources website.

Texas Tech University Researchers Respond to Katrina

:: Fall 2005 ::

Texas Tech researchers found high concentrations of the heavy metals arsenic and lead, the pesticide aldrin, and multiple species of the bacteria Aeromonas and Vibrio in post-Katrina New Orleans. Their findings were the first to be published in the peer-reviewed journal, Environmental Science and Technology [read more]

You may wish to visit the The Institute for Environmental and Human Health and the Department of Environmental Toxicology website.

Water Works

:: Spring 2005 ::

Life on Earth always has been sustained by plenty of potable water. Having enough of it – both now and in the future – is an issue that transcends time and space. Andrew Jackson, Ph.D., and his Texas Tech University research team are evaluating the suitability of biological wastewater treatment methods for NASA’s long-duration space missions. [read more]

You may wish to visit the Integrated Water Recovery and Automated Control Systems Laboratory website.