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:

The Atlantic interviewed Matt Kauffman, unit leader for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at UW, for an article, titled “An Unorthodox Strategy to Stop Cars From Hitting Deer.” Researchers from Wesleyan University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that wolves in Wisconsin have reduced the frequency of deer-vehicle collisions by a quarter. Kauffman says that the behavior of deer and wolves should be measured by using GPS collars. Smithsonian Magazine published a similar article.

Wyoming’s coal industry was dealt another blow when G7 countries, in an effort to stem the effects of climate change, agreed to stop government-sponsored funding for coal power projects that emit carbon by the end of 2021. The County 17 article mentioned that UW is studying the feasibility of carbon capture and storage through the CarbonSAFE project at the Dry Fork Station power plant in Gillette.

Coal Zoom published an article that featured “Carbon Valley,” a nine-part podcast series from Wyoming Public Media. UW economist Rob Godby was quoted in the article.

Godby also was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article, titled “Western States in Open Combat Over Coal, ‘Woke’ Renewables Push.” He said that Wyoming sees fighting for the coal industry as a Republican litmus test. In related articles, The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published a Stringr video that featured Godby, who discussed wind energy development in the state. He also was interviewed by Yale Climate Connections for a piece, titled “Can fossil-fuel-dependent Wyoming build a more diverse economy?”

Wyoming News Now, SweetwaterNOW and The Laramie Boomerang published UW’s release noting that requirements for social distancing and the wearing of masks at UW have been lifted, following action by the Wyoming Department of Health. The CS-T and The Chronicle of Higher Education carried similar articles.

UW Athletics Director Tom Burman told The CS-T that UW is planning to return to full capacity at War Memorial Stadium for the fall football season. Oil City News and Cap City News published related articles noting that UW will hold a traditional Homecoming this fall.

Wyoming News Now interviewed Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for marketing and communications, about the two new residence halls and parking facility that will be built on campus. Oil City News published UW’s release announcing that the UW Board of Trustees recently approved the interior and exterior designs for the residence halls, dining facility and parking facility.

Thomas Boothby, a UW assistant professor of molecular biology, was interviewed by ScienceAlert on the 5,000 tardigrades (water bears) that will be launched as experiments at the International Space Station this week as part of SpaceX’s 22nd cargo resupply mission. International Business Times and Sprout Wired published related articles.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide interviewed UW faculty members Kristen Landreville and Jason McConnell for an article on how government agencies deal with social media posts.

Five winners of the Wind River Startup Challenge were recently named, according to Wyoming Public Radio. The challenge promotes Native-owned businesses on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

KUNR, a public radio station in Reno, Nev., published a Wyoming Public Media segment on how the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to think critically about the quality of indoor air. Mark Bittner, director of UW’s Early Care and Education Center, was interviewed about the measures in place at the center to improve the air quality.

UW zoology and physiology Professor Merav Ben-David will discuss the effects of climate change in the Arctic on polar bears and her candidacy for the U.S. Senate last year during a virtual talk this week. Boulder Jewish News reported that the discussion is part of the First Friday on Thursday speaker series.

The UW Department of Athletics has collaborated with Firestarter, a personal branding firm, to offer courses for UW student-athletes that will focus on individual branding, marketing and public relations, The CS-T reported. CEO Frances Reimers, a Cheyenne native and UW alumna, founded Firestarter.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide interviewed UW rodeo Coach Beau Clark about the intricacies of team roping.