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 articles:

The New York Times cited the artificial intelligence (AI) work of UW computer science Associate Professor Jeff Clune, for an article on how Google researchers are learning how machines learn. The piece states that a number of AI researchers, including Clune, are developing ways to better understand neural networks. Financial Post and The Regina Post also published the article.

The research of Xiaohong Liu, UW Department of Atmospheric Science professor, who led a study indicating that fire smoke combined with low-level clouds creates a reflective process that actually helps cool climate and counteract the greenhouse effect, was cited in Newsweek. UW’s release was reprinted in Cosmos Magazine and 14U News in Lewes, Del. Tech Times and International Business Times-India Edition wrote similar articles.

The Atlantic interviewed Sarah Benson-Amram, a scientist in UW's Animal Behavior and Cognition Lab, for an article, titled “Captive Orangutans Are Curious (But Wild Ones Are Not).” The article stated that orangutans’ interaction with humans turns the naturally incurious apes into explorers and better problem-solvers.

In another article in The Atlantic, UW assistant botany Professor Catherine Wagner commented in a story about how certain spider species on the Hawaiian Islands have evolved into the same basic forms, showing how predictable evolution can be.

Smithsonian Magazine interviewed UW history Professor Renee Laegreid on a segment, titled “Women Who Shaped History.” Laegreid discussed the tragic plight of Wyoming’s “Cattle Kate.”

Some of UW’s Black 14 football players were profiled by Color Lines and how they risked their playing careers for social justice. The daily news website site is “where race matters, featuring award-winning in-depth reporting, news analysis, opinion and curation.” The Guardian also published a similar article.

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) interviewed UW economist Rob Godby, who said that a brand-new wind farm would be cheaper to run than an already-paid-for coal-fired power plant. He commented on CPR’s piece about how the state fared with an increase in coal production.

UW economist Anne Alexander told K2 Radio that Wyoming residents and businesses will see higher costs, from household appliances to heavy machinery, if President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs go into effect.

EurekAlert! published UW’s release noting that university researchers have determined that tropical trees respond to drought differently depending on their ages. The article appeared in the journal New Phytologist, one of the top journals in the field of plant controls over the water cycle. Iran Daily also published the article.

The Barcelona, Spain, website Tercera Edad interviewed UW Professor Bryan Shuman in an article noting that fluctuations in outdoor temperature could potentially lead to an increased number of heart attacks and affect global cardiac health in the future.

The CS-T and WyoFile reported that UW’s Science Initiative facility is still on hold as Wyoming legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle try to hammer out a budget compromise that affects education in the state. The CS-T also reported that legislative leaders will reconvene later this week to work on construction budget matters. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that money was added to the budget to bolster the reserves of UW’s Excellence in Higher Education Endowment.

UW researchers were among scientist who published work in The Journal of Physiology finding that an obese pregnant mother and exposure to a high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy produces a "fatty liver" in the fetus, reported Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News and The Physiological Society.

Sweetwater NOW and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department published, on their websites, UW’s release noting that hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing activities made a significant impact on the state’s economy in 2016. The study was led by Professor Tex Taylor in the UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

UW’s Native American student group, Keepers of the Fire, was among local organizations collecting donations for families displaced by a large fire at Wade’s Mobile Park Manor last week, reported The Boomerang.

The Boomerang also reported on two events on the UW campus last week: the screening of the documentary film “Apache Warrior,” with a lecture from UW graduate Ret. Col. Kevin Christensen, and the opening of a student exhibition at the UW Art Museum.

UW lecturer and National Geographic writer Mark Jenkins’ latest talk “Camels, Climbing and St. Catherine: An Expedition to Egypt,” will be at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West this week, according to The Cody Enterprise. Jenkins also will speak in Jackson, The Jackson Hole News and Guide noted.

Sheridan Media reprinted UW’s release announcing the College of Health Sciences’ Research Day next month.

Cody students participated in a UW program during Engineers Week that connected third-graders from across Wyoming with professional and college-level engineers to inspire innovative thinking and design, and bring engineering to life through hands-on activities, reported The Cody Enterprise.

The CS-T noted that UW Cowgirl senior Liv Roberts was named the Mountain West Conference player of the year, while Joe Legerski was honored as the league’s top coach.

UW Professor Jeff Lockwood was among the keynote speakers last weekend at a national pest control convention in Detroit, The Detroit Free Press reported. Lockwood discussed both his nonfiction work, which dissects the fear of insects, and his fiction books about an ex-cop turned exterminator who solves murder mysteries. The Fresno Bee published a similar article.

Korean Joongang Daily reprinted an article featuring Matt Kauffman, director of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at UW, who discussed how some animals, such as Wyoming’s pronghorn antelope, are losing the ability to roam freely.

The low cost of higher education in Wyoming, combined with low student debt and a relatively high community college graduation rate, placed the state No. 5 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best States for Higher Education” list, Sheridan Media published on its website.

KGWN TV reported that scientists in the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, housed in the UW Department of Veterinary Sciences, detected a case of rabies in a horse in Cheyenne.

Cole Ehmke, UW Extension agriculture entrepreneurship management specialist, provided tips on hiring farm labor, according to the agricultural publication Successful Farming.

The Boomerang noted that Associated Students of UW are debating whether to ask the administration to remove Robert Russin’s sculpture from Prexy’s Pasture. Students feel the sculpture is not representative of the diverse student body.

A more than 100-year-old horse barn, which was originally part UW Extension’s experimental farm, will undergo restoration, The Boomerang reported. The barn is located at Laramie’s Territorial Prison.

WyoSports reported that Dave Walsh and Kevin McKinney, the radio play-by-play and color commentary voices for UW men’s basketball, have been doing home and away games together the last 34 years -- the longest streak among all 351 Division I teams.

Former UW basketball standout Ugo Udezue gave up his NBA agent position to start the African Basketball League in his home country with six teams in the spring of 2017, according to an article in The Undefeated, an online website that explores race, sports and culture. Udezue has rebranded the league into the 10-team Continental Basketball League in six African countries.

Former UW basketball standout Larry Nance Jr.’s unlikely rise to the NBA was featured in Waiting for Next Year, a publication dedicated to Cleveland and Ohio sports. The Washington Post also featured Nance.

WyoSports reported that UW junior Justin James was named to the Mountain West Conference’s first team by the league’s coaches. Hayden Dalton was selected to the second team.