UW in the News

July 6, 2021

State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent coverage:

A climate assessment report on the greater Yellowstone ecosystem continues to be in the news. PBS NewsHour and Mother Jones published a Yale Environment 360 article on how climate change is altering the nation’s first national park’s ecosystem. Bryan Shuman, a UW Wyoming Excellence Chair in Geology and Geophysics, is among authors of the new report. The Pinedale Roundup published a similar story.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) reported that NSF-funded researchers at UW and the University of Montana analyzed a unique network of fire-history records to understand how 21st century fire activity compares to wildfires in the past. Shuman was the main co-author of a paper, titled “Rocky Mountain subalpine forests now burning more than any time in recent millennia,” which was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A guest essay in The New York Times cited a study of vaccine hesitancy in Wyoming by UW economists. UW faculty members Renee Laegreid, Christine Porter and Linda Thunstrom also commented in the opinion piece, titled “How Do You Convince Tough-Minded People to Protect One Another?”

The Arizona Republic interviewed John Koprowski, dean of UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, on the changes an ecosystem goes through after a fire that can be especially threatening to species, such as the Chiricahua fox squirrel, that can only survive in certain landscapes. Koprowski is an expert on squirrels.

UW researchers were awarded a $240,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant for the study of dark matter and the expansion of the universe. UW scientists will use the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to measure the effect of dark energy on the expansion of the universe, according to Energy.Gov and ExecutiveGov. The Rocket Miner published UW’s announcement noting that Adam Myers, an associate professor in the UW Department of Physics and Astronomy, will lead the study.

Coal Age reported that the Wyoming Innovation Center in Gillette will feature two buildings and seven demonstration sites for pilot plants, private companies and researchers to advance coal-to-product and rare earth element processes. Once projects are operational, UW will use the site to train technicians for jobs in advanced carbon processes.

Wyoming Public Media reported that five UW Grand Challenges Initiative Planning projects aimed at providing multidimensional benefits to the university and the state are moving forward with funding from a new program in UW’s Office of Research and Economic Development. Scott Henkel, a UW Wyoming Excellence Chair in the Humanities, spoke with Bob Beck, Wyoming Public Radio news director, on the podcast “Open Spaces.” He discussed the Grand Challenges Initiative and his particular project, the Democracy Laboratory. KGAB Radio published UW’s release on the five projects.

UW will launch a new master’s degree program this fall focused on environment, natural resources and society. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that the new program, based in the university’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, will allow students to enroll in one of three tracks depending on their career aspirations and research interests. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, KGAB Radio, Sheridan Media and WyoToday.com published UW’s release.

Justice Kate Fox, who received her undergraduate and law degrees from UW, has been named chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press and The Rocket Miner.

The Powell Tribune reported that UW and the state are working together to help locate areas throughout the state with no or poor internet service as part of a Wyoming Broadband Task Force project.

The Sheridan Press noted that UW’s Trustees Education Initiative was among sponsors of a technology-based program that introduced Wyoming Girls School students to drones.

Wyoming News Now reported that the Wyoming State Library recently digitized five titles of German POW camp newspapers from the Douglas and Cheyenne World War II camps. The newspaper project is a partnership between UW Libraries and the state library.

Oil City News noted that Amanda DeDiego, an assistant professor of counseling at UW-Casper, participated in a panel discussion that covered women’s safety, equality and empowerment issues last month in Casper.

“The Photos of J.K. Moore,” a traveling exhibition organized by UW’s American Heritage Center, will be on display at Fort Caspar through Sept. 12, according to Oil City News. The exhibition depicts life on the Wind River Indian Reservation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Wyoming Livestock Roundup featured some current projects and new programs that the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will use to continue its support of Wyoming agriculture and rural communities.

The Rocket Miner published UW’s release announcing that Anas Alrejjal, an engineering doctoral candidate from Amman, Jordan, received an award for his work in transportation research. He was named the Institute of Transportation Engineers Colorado/Wyoming Section student of the year.

Nominations are now being accepted for the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame Award, reported Wyoming News Now and The Sheridan Press. The program is a joint venture among UW’s College of Business, the Daniels Fund, the Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation.

Sheridan Media reported that UW Extension will present a two-day symposium on growing grapes in Wyoming. The event will take place in Sheridan next month.

The Rocket Miner and The Powell Tribune noted that former UW track and field student-athlete Mason Finley is heading to the Tokyo Summer Olympics this month after recently winning the men’s discus at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.