UW in the News

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:

Sheridan Media, Hits 106 and Buckrail were among media outlets publishing UW’s release announcing fall semester plans, which include more in-person experiences. A return to a more traditional semester is contingent on more faculty, staff and students receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, along with continued downward trends in infection numbers.

Wyoming residents’ attitudes toward receiving the COVID-19 vaccine have remained relatively unchanged since November, according to the latest Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC) survey. About 40 percent of residents say they will not get the vaccine, according to the UW survey published by Oil City News and Wyo4News. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published a similar article.

The CS-T noted that Laramie-based CellDrop Biosciences, Metrohm Raman and UW’s Oakey biomedical engineering laboratory researchers are working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers to develop a fast, accurate COVID-19 test. Wyoming Public Radio interviewed CellDrop founder Ben Noren, a UW graduate, for a similar report.

A UW academic program review committee is recommending to preserve the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing and the American Studies Program, according to an article published in Oil City News. The committee also recommended further review of the bachelor’s degree programs in Spanish, French and German education, saying eliminating them would produce minimal savings.

WyoFile spoke with UW economist Rob Godby about the ramifications of Arch Resources closing its Coal Creek mine next year. Godby discussed the future of the Powder River Basin’s coal mining industry. PolitiFact quoted energy experts, including Godby, on how President Joe Biden’s order to halt the Keystone oil pipeline project will affect prices.

UW law Professor Michael Duff was quoted in a Bloomberg article focusing on workers who may be more likely to get COVID-19 vaccines if they knew any harmful side-effects would be covered by workers’ compensation. Companies must be careful how they talk about the legal status of such illnesses, according to employment lawyers, including Duff, a labor relations expert.

ABC News published an Associated Press article featuring former UW Police Department Sgt. Aaron Appelhans, who is the new Albany County sheriff. Appelhans is the first Black sheriff in Wyoming.

UW’s WYSAC prepared a report for Gov. Mark Gordon’s Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force. The findings will be presented this week, according to SweetwaterNOW and Wyoming News Now.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle noted that the Wyoming State Library and UW Libraries have collaborated to bring the Wyoming Digital Newspaper Collection online.

UW communication and journalism Associate Professor Kristen Landreville questioned a report’s validity that labeled Wyoming as the “most toxic” state using Twitter, according to Cowboy State Daily. Landreville said she needed to see Writer.com’s codebook or its machine’s coding of toxic words to understand the criteria used.

Wyoming News Now was among media outlets publishing UW’s release noting that senior football student-athlete Jahmari Moore received the Willena Stanford Commitment to Diversity Award during the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue (MLK DOD). The CS-T published a related article.

More than 225 people logged on to MLK DOD keynote speaker Yusef Salaam’s virtual discussion last week, reported The Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

Sheridan Media and KGAB Radio published UW’s release noting the Wyoming Oil and Gas Fair will continue under the leadership of the university’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute.

UW Professor Tracey Owens Patton’s book on the history of Black cowboys was used extensively in a JSTOR Daily article, titled “Black Cowboys and the History of the Rodeo.”

Oil City News published UW’s release noting that UW researchers and others have concluded that political polarization is having far-reaching impacts on American life, and it is making it harder for elected officials to effectively govern.

UW’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present a virtual production of Qui Nguyen’s popular comedy-adventure “She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms” later this month. Hits 106 and 101.9 King FM in Cheyenne printed UW’s release.

The Rawlins Times noted that its local hospital is hosting UW BRAND (Bachelors Reach for Accelerated Nursing Degree) accelerated nursing program students. BRAND, in UW’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing, is for students with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees wishing to become registered nurses.

UW Extension researchers are surveying Wyoming cattle and sheep producers about pests tormenting their livestock, according to The Rocket Miner.