Vandal Science

When you hear the name Idaho, chances are the first image that comes to mind is a tasty, golden potato. And with good reason. The Idaho Potato Commission has worked hard to create this image.

But Idaho extends over 83,500 square miles of land and is as diverse a state as you would expect from its size. The northern “chimney” is filled with mountains, lakes and rivers; a far cry from the desert plains and valleys of the southern half of the state.

It is here that you will find the city of Moscow and the University of Idaho, situated on an area of land known as the Palouse. Rolling hills and fertile soils created by the draining of the enormous Lake Missoula during the last ice age produce a steady diet of wheat, barley and lentils with few potatoes to be found.

What you will find, however, is a culture rich in the arts and sciences, an internationally renowned jazz festival, an art community thriving on the natural splendor of the region, and scientists producing tomorrow’s technologies.

While the University of Idaho does have an agricultural school - one of the best in the nation - its research programs extend far beyond the Palouse. In fact, Idaho’s chief export is technology.

For example, the Center for Advanced Microelectronics and Biomolecular Research - or CAMBR - creates advanced microchips for NASA missions and is working on nano-sized biosensors that can detect superbugs like MRSA in a fraction of the time it takes current methods. The College of Engineering boasts research into new lead-acid batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, next generation nuclear reactors and one of the country’s handful of teams designing a ladder to space. The department of biological sciences has faculty using genetics to fight an ancient chytrid fungus killing frogs around the globe, personally exploring how energy transfer mechanisms in the Arctic Circle affect climate change, and combining microbiology, computer science and statistics to create new medical practices.

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, don’t worry, that is why this blog exists.

Join the scientists at the University of Idaho as they bring their scientific expertise and curiosity to your computer screen. Find out what it is like to tirelessly work on a single question in a laboratory for months. Explore the feeling of setting-up environmental field instruments in extreme environments. Ask the questions about science you’ve always wondered but never known who would know the answer.

And just to keep things interesting, Vandal Science will provide insights and breaking news from research being conducted across the entire campus; even the world.

Science is an ongoing, collaborative effort between researchers across the globe. So when peers discover new and amazing things, we’ll be sure to point you towards those stories and links as well.

So once again welcome to Vandal Science. We hope you’ll visit often and provide questions and guidance as we try to give you a better view of Moscow laboratories and science in general. We look forward to the collaboration.

Vandal Science is focused on science, and that posts and comments are encouraged to remain topical. This is an English-language blog; we are not staffed for translation. Comments and information that appears here does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the University of Idaho.