U of U's research funding hits a record $768 million
Research funding for the University of Utah reached a record $768 million in the 2023 fiscal year. This marks a decade of year-over-year increases. This includes a climb of more than $100 million since 2020, when it hit the $600 million mark.
The university’s Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine had $312 million in funding. The internal medicine and pediatrics departments contributed more than $113 million, followed by the biochemistry and neurology departments which contributed over $42 million.
This record was reached due to growth in research funding to several colleges and institutes, including the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the David Eccles School of Business and the College of Social Work.
NASA finds unexpected material in the Bennu asteroid sample
Scientists took their first look at a sample collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and they found more than they expected. When the canister containing the sample was first opened on Sept. 26, the researchers discovered dark, fine-grained material inside of the container’s lid and base. This material surrounded the mechanism used to collect the extraterrestrial rocks and soil.
The debris could reveal key insights about the asteroid before the primary sample is analyzed. The sample’s landing in the Utah desert on Sept. 24 was a culmination of NASA’s 7-year OSIRIS-Rex mission which traveled to Bennu, touched down on the asteroid and flew back to Earth for the sample drop. The total distance of the mission was about 3.86 billion miles.
