Chemical engineering major Karl Westendorff is the University of Virginia’s latest Astronaut Scholar.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships for third- and fourth-year students at 38 different universities across the country who are studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics with the intent to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. This year, it awarded 52 scholarships to students who show initiative, creativity and excellence in their chosen field.

Given the uncertain prospect of universally accessible, reliable and equitable SAT/ACT testing in the next admission year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Virginia will not require that applicants submit standardized testing to be considered for admission for at least the next application cycle.

UVA Health has partnered with the Virginia Department of Health and other hospitals around the state to determine how many Virginians have been infected with COVID-19 – and how many remain at risk.

The Virginia Coronavirus Serology Project will test the blood of 5,000 patients for COVID-19 antibodies to determine if they have or have had the virus. That will help the Virginia Department of Health estimate how many people have had the virus without showing symptoms, or went untested, and better predict how COVID-19 may affect the state in the future.

People have taken to the streets in cities around the country and the world over the past week – with some demonstrations peaceful and some becoming chaotic and violent – to protest recent killings of black Americans and racial injustice.

If Grant Frazier zones out in the classroom, it’s probably not the professor’s fault. Chances are he’s writing his next great hit.

Frazier, who graduated from the University of Virginia last month with a degree in Spanish and a minor in biology, wrote an ode to his home state, “Welcome Home, Virginia,” during a neurobiology lecture.

What we eat can affect the outcome of chemotherapy – and likely many other medical treatments – because of ripple effects that begin in our gut, new research from the University of Virginia suggests.

Scientists found that diet can cause microbes in the gut to trigger changes in the host’s response to a chemotherapy drug. Common components of our daily diets (for example, amino acids) could either increase or decrease both the effectiveness and toxicity of the drugs used for cancer treatment, the researchers found. 

An idea that arrived while doing taxes is now helping college instructors create more successful courses – and to become the teachers they dream of being.

Michael Palmer, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence, who developed “c³Design” with other faculty members in the center, wrote in email, “It’s been a labor of love for over five years” to create an online program for creating courses “grounded in learning-focused, evidenced-based principles.”

In a time of crisis, the University of Virginia’s radio stations have rekindled their mission.

Radio has not suffered the same blow as many other artistic industries in this time of COVID-19 closures. According to Nathan Moore, general manager of WTJU 91.1 FM and staff adviser to WXTJ 100.1 FM, the opposite has actually occurred in his line of work.

“In this era of social distancing, radio is kind of like Netflix: it’s still there,” said Moore. “Radio listenership is even up a bit.”

Biomedical scientists working with COVID-19 have a new tool to help them better understand the virus and feel confident about the structural models they are using in their research.