Every great space epic features Rebels, right? At UNLV, work that seems straight from a sci-fi movie is actually happening in real life, with researchers uncovering the mysteries of deep space and unlocking clues to how stars, planets, and entire galaxies form (and fall apart). They’re also helping to chart the course of NASA’s Mars rover and studying risks and stressors associated with space travel – and perhaps engineering a sustainable food source for those brave souls who will one day make the trek among the stars. 

As Las Vegas ups the ante as dynamic professional sport destination, UNLV is right there, bringing insights on the industry to policymakers, studying social media’s influence on gender equality in sports, finding new ways to diagnose brain disorders due to contact sports, and aligning academic programs to feed the growing workforce.

Through the service-learning course Books for the Unhoused, students first took a dive deep into studying housing insecurity issues. Then they spent six weeks working in the community to organize book drives and reading fairs at shelters like The Shade Tree for women and children in crisis. Professor Maria Jerinic got the idea for the class when she realized her own book donations were popular with the people local shelters serve.

Students in the UNLV Gaming Innovation course are taking their ideas from the drawing room to the casino floor. The course pulls together students from hospitality, engineering, art, law, and more to develop novel concepts into marketable games. UNLV students can now lay claim to more than two dozen patents, as well as licensing agreements and job offers, as a direct result of their classwork.

Food waste and flies may sound like garbage, but for a team of UNLV students, that combo turned into a $25,000 startup treasure. A team of students took first place in the second annual UNLV President’s Innovation Challenge with a proposal to use black soldier fly larvae to better produce compost. The competition is aimed at spurring entrepreneurial activity among students.

From organizing events for the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee to covering the action as Rebel Report journalists on the sidelines, experiences lined up by UNLV are making sure Rebels are part of our city’s pro sports evolution. The programs give students access to the business behind the sports and builds their resumes for jobs after college.

The Military and Veteran Services Center and the College of Education joined ranks to create a novel new class specifically for veterans transitioning back to civilian life. It helps them address common academic issues, recognize their strengths, and make connections with peers. It’s yet another reason that UNLV has long been named one of the nation’s Best Schools for Vets.

In June, UNLV was named to the First Scholars Network which recognizes universities for their demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for students who are first in their families to attend college.