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:

Bloomberg interviewed several law professors, including UW’s Michael Duff, about the possible flood of workers’ compensation claims potentially overwhelming some state systems due to employee COVID-19 infections at businesses that reopen despite the ongoing pandemic.

UW football Coach Craig Bohl is the keynote speaker for the university’s virtual graduation May 16.  KGAB Radio, Wyoming News Now, Wyo4News and Oil City News were among media outlets printing UW’s release.

The Harvard Crimson interviewed UW economist Jason Shogren for an article on Harvard’s goal of achieving a carbon-neutral endowment. Gathering emissions data and evaluating available carbon sequestration technologies may pose logistical and environmental challenges for the university, according to the article.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, renewable energy projects are forging ahead in Wyoming. Jonathan Naughton, a UW professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Wind Energy Research Center, was interviewed by The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) for an article that was republished in TN Town News.

Wired cited research by a team of UW economists for an article, titled “How Much Is a Human Life Actually Worth?,” that focused on the U.S. economy reopening amid a deadly pandemic. The paper, “The Benefits and Costs of Using Social Distancing to Flatten the Curve for COVID-19,” was written by Linda Thunstrom, Stephen Newbold, David Finnoff, Jason Shogren and graduate student Madison Ashworth, from Star Valley.

The “murder hornet” may spread along the West Coast, but the Mountain West is likely too high and dry for the hornets to establish, Scott Schell, an ecosystem science and management senior research scientist, told Wyoming Public Radio.

Oil City News published UW’s release announcing that Holly Ernest, a UW professor of wildlife genomics and disease ecology, received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct wildlife research at the Canadian-United States border.

Laramie’s Hits 106 published UW’s release noting that incoming UW President Ed Seidel reviewed nominations from members of the UW community for the university’s interim provost/vice president for academic affairs and will soon make a selection. Laramie Live also published the notice.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association noted that a $15 million federal grant to advance carbon capture and storage technology research will be used for preliminary work on a storage facility at the Dry Fork Station near Gillette. UW’s School of Energy Resources is among partners in the project.

UW’s 20th annual John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition was held through a virtual program last week, noted the Wyoming Business Council and Oil City News.

Harvard Law School recently hosted a videoconference that focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and the rights of persons with disabilities. UW’s College of Law was among the sponsors.

A UW Extension bulletin noted that parts of Wyoming could see an outbreak of pestilent grasshoppers this year, based on population surveys from summer 2019, according to Oil City News.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release announcing the new Associated Students of UW president, vice president and senators for the coming academic year.

Student Sarina Ruby, of Rozet, discussed with her hometown newspaper, The Gillette News Record, about meeting via FaceTime with parents in her UW “Observing Young Children” class and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way her early childhood classes are delivered.

The Laramie Boomerang featured a UW student-led protest 50 years ago on Prexy’s Pasture. Students and faculty protested the shooting a week earlier at Kent State University by Ohio’s National Guard that left four students dead. College students nationwide protested the Vietnam War that year.

The CS-T reported that UW and the state’s community colleges could receive up to $6 million under the CARES Act -- the massive COVID-19 stimulus bill that is sending the education money to Wyoming.

The Pokes Make the Difference student emergency fund to help students during the coronavirus pandemic was featured in The Gillette News Record.

Beginning this week, UW Art Museum staff members will post on social media about that day’s theme in celebration of Museum Week, noted The Boomerang.

USSA News cited UW research on the COVID-19 economic impact for an article, titled “How does economic collapse alter the mortality rate?”

UW’s release on the Wyoming Center on Aging’s free public virtual Healthy U workshop series for people with chronic health conditions and their caregivers was published by The Gillette News Record. The newspaper also published another UW release on graduate student Michael Curran’s well pad reclamation research that has drawn international attention.