UA among nation's best in new magazine ranking

The UA finished at number 48 in the latest U.S. News and World Report survey of the best colleges and universities in the nation in the category "The Top 50 Public National Universities ÷ Doctoral."

The UA also finished at number 99 among all top 100 national doctoral universities, including private schools.

The Eller College of Business and Public Administration ranked at 21 among U.S. News' "Best Business Programs." The Eller management information systems department also remained among the top five nationally, fifth behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Minnesota.

The UA College of Engineering and Mines finished at 38 for "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" among schools offering doctoral degrees in engineering.

Aerial robotics club moves closer to $40,000 prize

UA's Aerial Robotics Club moved into first place in the points standing and second place in missions completed at this year's International Aerial Robotics Competition.

This was the third year of the four-year-long competition.

The UA team also took home more awards than any other team and moved a giant step closer to winning a $40,000 prize. The cash prize will go to the team that has earned the most points during four years of what is billed as the "Ultimate Collegiate Challenge."

$3 million in grants from Feds will help Latin America, Middle Eastern Studies

Federal Title VI funds will target the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, two of the top centers in the country.

They will each receive $500,000 a year for three years from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the "Title VI" award.

The grant will support teaching and research about these regions, intensive language studies, public lectures and other community activities.

Archaeological school, White Mountain Apache Tribe forge new partnership

The University of Arizona anthropology department's archaeological field school has taken a new direction in field research and training. Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites Program will allow 16 students to participate in a six-week program in heritage preservation with the White Mountain Apache Tribe.