In the closing days of 2010, UVA Today will look back at some of the University's top stories of the past 12 months.

December 28, 2010 — Research and scholarship, whether in the social and hard sciences, humanities, arts, education, law, health and business, are fundamental to the life of a great university. The University of Virginia's research culture supports innovation that ultimately leads to discoveries that will transform society.

Faculty research projects also provide rich learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and research funding supports local and regional economic development.

In a given year, U.Va. secures about $300 million to $325 million in federal research funding and additional support from other funding sources for research and scholarship by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.

Some of the top research and scholarship stories of 2010:

Curry's Fabulous New Fabricator Brings Concepts from Digital Blueprint to 3-D Reality (March 25)

Invasive Kudzu is Major Factor in Surface Ozone Pollution, Study Shows (May 17))

U.Va. Start-Up ContraVac Receives FDA OK for At-Home Male Fertility Test (June 14)

Faulkner Speaks: U.Va. Launches Audio Archive of Author's Time at University (July 22)

Across Races, Couples That Pray Together Are Happier, Study Finds (Aug. 11)

U.Va. Secures $6.4 Million from U.S. Department of Education to Improve K-12 Teaching and Learning (Aug. 30)

U.Va.'s Bay Game/Analytics Announced as One of IBM's World Community Grid Research Projects (Sept. 7)

U.Va. Health System Study Finds Hand Disinfectants Do Little to Prevent Spread (Sept. 13)

Changing Demographics Play a Key Role in Housing Crisis, According to New U.Va. Report (Sept. 24)

U.Va. Nursing School Receives a $693,000 Grant to Study Digital Storytelling (Oct. 1)

U.Va. Is Part of $40 Million Effort to Improve Teaching and Learning in Head Start (Nov. 10)

U.Va. Computer Scientists Join $13 Million Project to Secure Software of Unknown Origins (Nov. 23)

U.Va. Biotech Spin-Offs Awarded $2.7M Under New Federal Program (Dec. 3)

What's the Matter? That's What U.Va. Physicists Are Seeking to Detect (Dec. 3)

New Report Finds Marriage Trouble in Middle America (Dec. 6)