UW in the News

September 20, 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:

UW law Professor Michael Duff, who focuses on labor law, torts, evidence and workers’ compensation law, told Cowboy State Daily that it was difficult to assess whether or not President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate created under an emergency temporary standard is constitutional until the precise language is known.

Reuters also quoted Duff on Biden’s plan requiring more than 100 million Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Insurance Journal also published the article.

The National Labor Relations Board general counsel’s effort to revive defunct doctrines that would ease union recognition in some contested campaigns and raise the stakes in refusal-to-bargain cases could change the game for unions. Law360 interviewed Duff for the article.

The UW Board of Trustees has directed the university’s administrators to budget for compliance with Biden’s federal mandate for large employers to either vaccinate or regularly test all workers for COVID-19. UW plans to order $200,000 worth of testing supplies for the spring semester, according to a WyoFile article.

UW’s Board of Trustees has extended the university’s mask requirement for the fall semester. The news was reported by outlets including Cowboy State Daily, Oil City News, Sheridan Media and SweetwaterNOW.

The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) covered UW President Ed Seidel’s “State of the University” address in which he noted initiative successes during his first year at the university. He also discussed budget cuts that will affect faculty and staff and programs. Cowboy State Daily also reported on Seidel’s address.

Laramie Live and SweetwaterNOW published UW’s release noting that input from internal and external stakeholders has resulted in some likely adjustments to the university’s proposal for academic restructuring and reductions.

Wyoming News Now reported on UW’s fourth annual Wyoming Blockchain Stampede and WyoHackathon that will take place this week. U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis was featured in the article. She said blockchain technology is the future, and Wyoming is setting itself up to be a leader of this technology in the future. Lummis will be a keynote speaker at the WyoHackathon.

UW economics Associate Professor Linda Thunstrom was among experts who discussed a number of topics focused on COVID-19, detailing comments on the importance of vaccinations, the vaccination rollout, how the media factored in its messaging and vaccine hesitancy among the population. WalletHub published the interviews.

Toxic cyanobacteria blooms are invading some Wyoming lakes and streams, and researchers are studying clues on how prolific the blooms are, according to a WyoFile article published by Oil City News. UW Assistant Professor Sarah Collins is among scientists gathering data on the blooms that are deadly to animals.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed Tiffany Hunt, an associate lecturer in UW’s School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design, on how she includes Amazon’s Alexa flash briefings in her courses.

Sheridan Media covered UW’s “The World Needs More Cowboys” community event in Buffalo last week. Seidel spoke with Sheridan Media about funding issues facing the university and working with the state’s community colleges in another interview. The Sheridan Press also mentioned UW collaborating with the state’s community colleges through the Wyoming Innovation Partnership.

Sheridan Media interviewed Fallon Lewis, an assistant coach of the UW women’s basketball team, last week in Sheridan during UW’s “The World Needs More Cowboys” community event. Lewis talked about her high school career at Tongue River High School, her collegiate playing days and being a member of the Cowgirls coaching staff.

David Kruger, UW agricultural research librarian, was mentioned in both the JCPenney Co. blog and The Kemmerer Gazette on his historical expertise and involvement in the J.C. Penney statue dedication ceremony in Kemmerer.

Wyoming Public Media reported that the National Science Foundation awarded a $1.77 million grant to a team of UW researchers to study how to make more of the Earth’s water potable by improving purification and desalinization processes.

The U.S. Forest Service is collaborating with multiple groups, including UW, to hold local volunteer events on National and Wyoming Public Lands Day Saturday, Sept. 25, according to Wyoming News Now.

The Sheridan Press noted that UW political science and international studies Professor Jean Garrison was among panelists for a Constitution Day celebration in Sheridan last Tuesday. Constitution Day, which occurs Sept. 17 each year, marks the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

UW Libraries has received a second round of funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support ongoing newspaper digitization work. The Cody Enterprise published UW’s announcement.

Wyoming News Now interviewed Trisha Martinez, a UW visiting assistant professor, about the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month in the Equality State.

Thomas Hauser, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s (NCAR) Computational and Information Systems Laboratory Technology Development Division, was on campus last week, according to a UW release. InsideHPC published UW’s announcement noting that Hauser would discuss the capabilities and uses of a new supercomputer that will be installed in the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center near Cheyenne.

Wyoming Public Radio reported that the Wyoming State Board of Education is attempting to revive an effort to require suicide prevention education in Wyoming’s public schools. UW College of Education Dean Scott Thomas represents the university on the board.

The eight UW cross country team members who were killed by a drunk driver were remembered 20 years later in a CS-T feature article last week. A related article from The Gillette News Record was published by The Laramie Boomerang.

An article from Mountain West Wire, titled “Wyoming Athletics in the Post-Energy Boom Future,” focused on how UW will fund its athletics program during a downfall of energy prices.