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 Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published an article last week focusing on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would affect energy prices worldwide. UW economist Rob Godby said U.S. oil and gas prices are already rising, but the question is how producers -- who have been more cautious since COVID-19 lockdowns caused demand to crater -- will respond.

UW economist Charles Mason was interviewed about the conflict in Ukraine for a related Oil City News article, and Godby also commented in another CS-T article about rising gasoline prices.

Business Fast published UW’s release announcing that Gabrielle Allen, a UW professor of mathematics and statistics and adjunct professor of physics and astronomy, has been named the inaugural director of UW’s new School of Computing. She begins her new duties this week.

A reroute of a portion of I-80 could impact commerce from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion a year, UW economist Anne Alexander said in an interview with The Laramie Boomerang. The Wyoming Department of Transportation has made an informal proposal to the federal government to consider a reroute of the interstate to cut down on winter closures.

The Longmont Leader quoted Gov. Mark Gordon, who said UW and the state are leading in the development of hydrogen policy and technology both locally and nationally. Wyoming is among four regional states collaborating to compete for a portion of the $8 billion allocated in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act toward four or more regional hydrogen hubs.

The National Labor Relations Board’s Trump-era worker classification test has resulted in a higher rate of employee wins than set during the Obama administration, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. UW law Professor Michael Duff was quoted in the article as the board considers eliminating the more recent precedent.

The CS-T spoke with UW College of Law Professor Sam Kalen about the ramifications for Wyoming after the Biden administration’s latest pause on all oil and gas leasing. The article noted that the federal government would not hold a lease sale for the fifth consecutive quarter.

UW is part of a five-college consortium that will use a nearly $6 million EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop sensors for supporting quality control in biomanufacturing and biotechnology. According to a University of New England media release, the project will consist of four collaborative projects focusing on sensor components.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed UW Extension educator Jeremiah Vardiman about how inflation and supply issues are making things financially tighter for state residents, including farmers who are facing those same issues this growing season.

Wyoming legislators are set to discuss Wyoming’s budget, which includes possible raises for state government employees. Wyoming Public Radio noted that UW employees are included on that list.

Euromoney interviewed UW alumna Caitlin Long for an article titled “Can the Cowboy State Sell Crypto to the Fed?” Long has championed cryptocurrency the last few years and has helped the Wyoming Legislature draft laws to make the state crypto friendly.

The Laramie Boomerang reported that a survey by UW economists indicates that the Pilot Hill Project has the potential to generate more than $5 million a year in economic activity and support 150 jobs. UW owns 1,233 acres of the nearly 7,000 acres that make up the Pilot Hill parcel.

A new study from UW’s School of Energy Resources (SER) revealed Wyoming residents’ views on achieving a net-zero carbon energy economy. The survey also examined the opportunities and technologies that stakeholders feel will be more effective in meeting that goal in Wyoming. KGAB Radio published UW’s release on the study.

Laramie Live published UW’s release noting that the UW Art Museum would feature the 47th annual Juried UW Student Exhibition during a reception last week. The event celebrated the exhibitions for the spring semester.

A total of 100 Wyoming high school seniors have been selected to receive the 2022 Trustees’ Scholars Award, UW’s top academic scholarship. SweetwaterNOW and Sheridan Media published lists of area students who received scholarships.

WalletHub interviewed Mackenzie Festa, a UW accounting and finance assistant professor, about how people can avoid missing a credit card payment.

The Wyoming Center on Aging at UW is offering up to six $5,000 mini-grants to organizations that will incorporate Healthy U chronic disease education programs into their existing structures. The Cody Enterprise and Wyoming News Now published UW’s announcement.

The Sheridan Press published a list of local UW College of Education students who are completing the student teaching portion of their coursework in various Wyoming school districts.

UW’s SER, Baker Hughes and the Wyoming Energy Authority are collaborating to offer UW students an opportunity to introduce novel solutions in the decarbonization space through a $5,000 ideation innovation contest. Sheridan Media published UW’s release.

Engineering professionals visited third grade classrooms in Pinedale and Big Piney last week as part of National Engineers Week, according to The Pinedale Roundup. The UW College of Engineering and Applied Science collaborated with others on the statewide classroom visits.