• Students sitting at computers participating in e-sports
  • Archaeology students working at Valley of Fire
  • Student working in a research lab

Highlights

From creating community partnerships and advancing student achievement, to promoting research, scholarship, and creative activity, we work hard to achieve our goal of becoming a top 100 American research university. Check out our highlights to learn our impact.

Diagnostic health care equipment.

UNLV has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study the effects of radiation exposure on breast cancer risk in occupational and medical settings. Breast cancer, which accounts for 30% of new cancer diagnoses each year, is the second-most common cancer among women. The study, a collaboration between the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences and Computer Science, will continue to advance health care solutions and cancer research.

A health care provider pointing to an x-ray of a hand.

As the Las Vegas Valley continues to grow, UNLV and Desert Radiology are working together to keep up with the demand radiologic technologists. Thanks to the renewed partnership, every student in UNLV’s radiography program is able to complete clinical rotations at Desert Radiology's multiple locations. The program graduates about 24 students each year.

Da Kine Lab

Engineering professor H. Jeremy Cho co-founded and leads the research team behind WAVR Technologies, Inc., a UNLV startup that makes devices capable of capturing water vapor from the air around us for commercial and individual uses. For years, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Las Vegas Valley Water District have been working hard to slow the depletion of Nevada's natural water reservoirs, but the new UNLV startup may be a key in the search for water sustainability solutions to the Southwest climate crisis.

A portrait of Benjy Sedano-Herrera in a lab.

Life Sciences master’s student Benjy Sedano-Herrera earned the Forrest Shreve Research Award from the Ecological Society of America for his work investigating cyanobacteria in the soils of the Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts. The research will help stabilize fragile desert crusts, improve water retention, and ensure that desert plants and other organisms can survive and thrive.

Researchers in a lab.

UNLV received a $3.2 million grant from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation to develop a biomarker observatory that will capture and categorize emerging information on blood tests, brain scans, and digital devices to help diagnose and monitor Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This first-of-its-kind database will provide greater access to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatments to researchers around the world.

Men in hard hats checking on equipment.

UNLV is collaborating with the Desert Research Institute, and the University of Nevada, Reno, University of Utah, and Arizona State University to build a stronger workforce in scientific technology. Thanks to a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, this multi-state effort will train new professionals to install and maintain sensor networks that scientists use to gather crucial information on wildfires, water, climate, and ecology in the Western U.S.

two students looking at a binder outdoors with green trees

UNLV launched its comprehensive Climate Action Plan in September. The plan – which will encompasses academic courses, research, and campus operations – will have a lasting impact on our community for years to come. The stakes have never been higher and we all need to do our part. Being sustainability-minded is not new to UNLV, as we have worked hard for years to reduce our carbon footprint and create a more sustainable campus. The CAP moves us to the next level by giving us a clear, strategic roadmap for the future. 

Danielle Finn, Makai Suniga, and Tammi Tiger standing together

Funded by a grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, this initiative is providing Native American students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need to excel in management roles within tribal gaming and hospitality. Housed within the top-ranked Harrah College of Hospitality, the initiative offers summer camps for secondary school students; degree programs, internships and mentoring in college; and executive education for professionals already working in the field.