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:

ABC News interviewed UW economist Linda Thunstrom and Christine McKibbin, director of the Wyoming Center on Aging at UW, for a feature, titled “How Wyoming became the most vaccine-hesitant state.” The article noted that the percentage of reluctant residents in Wyoming is double the national average. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published a similar article citing Thunstrom’s research.

Rob Godby, acting associate dean of the UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, was among speakers -- including Vice President Kamala Harris -- for an Earth Day climate special, titled “Action Planet: Meeting the Climate Challenge” that was on several television stations last week, according to the Discovery Channel.

Boise State Public Radio interviewed Godby, an energy economist, on President Joe Biden’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Godby says the proposal could significantly reduce demand for fossil fuels across the Rocky Mountain states, but it also could create new opportunities for renewable energy in states with ample sun and wind, of which the West has a lot.

Jane Zelikova, a UW ecologist and soil carbon scientist, discussed with National Geographic Biden’s plans on how to cut U.S. climate pollution in half.

Bloomberg Law quoted Sam Kalen, UW law associate dean, for an article on the U.S. Department of Interior rolling back how the department will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act when considering infrastructure proposals such as wind farms and pipelines.

UW economist Jason Shogren discussed how climate change could quickly affect the global economy. A report by Swiss Re says climate change could eliminate as much as 14 percent of the global economic output in the space of 30 years. “Marketplace Morning Report,” a business news program, carried Shogren’s comments.

MSN mentioned UW as being part of the Emerging Energy Markets Analysis initiative, a collaboration among Idaho National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Alaska and University of Michigan. The initiative is connecting cross-disciplinary capability to address complex energy market assessments.

A new interdisciplinary study, led by UW researchers, brings together approaches from ecology, economics and law to explore emerging big-game migration corridor conservation strategies meant to protect the phenomenon of migration across vast and complex landscapes. The Rocket Miner published UW’s release. Buckrail, The CS-T and The Pinedale Roundup published similar articles.

TheDenverChannel.com reported that UW Assistant Professor Di Yang and a Colorado State University colleague produced a new study that suggests a mass death of birds last summer across the western U.S. was likely due to toxic gases produced from wildfires.

Elizabeth Minton, a UW associate professor of marketing, had her research published on how product marketers should be clear in their messaging to avoid customer skepticism that makes them feel duped. Phys.org noted that Minton conducted the research as a University of Oregon doctoral student.

The Rocket Miner noted that Gregory Marchal, a Michigan State University student from Green River, is a research assistant on UW agricultural economist Mariah Ehmke’s team that is studying vaccine hesitancy.

UW’s Student Media is hosting a First Amendment Awareness Day virtual event this week with a variety of topics, such as freedom of religion, press freedom and the Black 14 football players’ history, according to The Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

Teddi Freedman, a major gift officer for the UW Foundation, and Karagh Brummond, a UW assistant instructional professor, were among those interviewed by Wyoming Public Media for a piece on women becoming new mothers during the pandemic.

Wyoming Public Radio also interviewed Julio Brionez, University Counseling Center assistant director, about how the pandemic has affected students’ mental health.

Kyliah Ferris, a recent graduate of UW’s Division of Communication Disorders, recently had part of her master’s thesis accepted for peer-reviewed publication in the journal Topics in Language Disorders. WyoToday.com published UW’s release.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle included quotes from UW Associate Professor Anna Chalfoun about the decline in bird numbers in North America that is causing concern for ecosystem health.

UW has received a National Science Foundation grant to provide computer science curricular models that have been tailored specifically for schools in rural communities. County 10 published UW’s release noting the three-year, $600,000 grant.

The Rocket Miner reported that nine student-led teams presented their business plans during the John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by UW’s College of Business last week.

Casper businesses competed for $50,000 in seed money last week during Pitch Night for UW’s Casper Start-Up Challenge, Oil City News reported. A panel of judges announced the winners.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide noted that UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources has launched a six-week online program that is geared toward nondegree students whose profession has them guiding clients outdoors.

Laura De Lozier was interviewed by the Society for Classical Studies about the university’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages’ collaboration with Relative Theatrics and Out of Chaos on a recent production of a virtual performance of Book 24 of Homer’s “Odyssey.”

Wyoming News Now reported on UW’s release announcing Wyoming’s Schools and Libraries Integrating Computer Science in Education (WySLICE) program that is helping teachers integrate computer science lessons into the classroom.

UW’s Native American and Indigenous Studies spring graduation ceremony has been canceled, while the Native American Summer Institute will be offered virtually to high school students. WyoToday.com published UW’s announcement.

Cowboy State Daily interviewed Max Gilbraith, UW’s Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium coordinator, about how best to view last week’s Lyrid meteor shower.

Uinta County will be the next stop for UW’s “The World Needs More Cowboys” campaign, bringing UW personnel to meet with the county’s residents. The Rocket Miner published UW’s announcement.

Wyoming Public Radio reported that a study by UW researchers and a food justice nonprofit organization shows some evidence that farmers market coupon programs for low-income people can improve fruit and vegetable consumption.

Nature World News and SciTechDaily published UW’s release noting that a group of UW researchers and students has identified an unusual belt of igneous rocks that stretches for more than 2,000 miles from British Columbia, Canada, to Sonora, Mexico. The group is probing a mysterious melting of Earth’s crust in western North America.

MarketWatch interviewed UW alumna Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Avanti Bank & Trust, on how Wyoming is a national leader for bitcoin investors. Chris Rothfuss, a UW visiting assistant professor and a state legislator, also was interviewed for the article.

The Women in STEM Conference returns as a virtual event next month, according to a UW media release published by KGAB Radio.

The CS-T noted that Casper College has hired a consultant from UW’s American Heritage Center to review Casper College’s Western History Center’s collection, and the policies and procedures by which it is managed.

Six UW student-led teams recently pitched their business concepts to a panel of judges with the hope of receiving startup funding for their ventures as part of the Fisher Innovation Launchpad Pitch Day, according to Wyoming Business Report.