Launched in 2014, the University of Wyoming’s Science Initiative marks a transformative period in the core sciences at UW with unprecedented investment from the state of Wyoming. On the following pages, we invite you to learn about the exciting changes to science facilities, learning and research.
“This was an opportunity for UW to look at what the state needs. The state needs better STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—programs, and they need and want more science.”
–State Sen. Phil Nicholas
“The task force members, working with UW professors, have a strong plan for the future of science education. The proposal incorporates an innovative approach to teaching—active learning — with the potential to advance student comprehension in UW science programs. Collaboration among various science disciplines resulted in this dynamic proposal—just a glimpse at the possibilities the proposal brings to science at UW.”
–Gov. Matt Mead in November 2014
“This is one of the great things to happen to UW. I want to thank the Legislature for having the foresight to do this. I’m most excited by the possibility of improving the quality of new faculty hires. That is absolutely, in my view, the way that we improve programs.”
–Mark Stayton, chair of the Department of Molecular Biology
“I’m most excited about the change in learning style, the emphasis on people collaborating and the imaging and research centers—where equipment will be centrally located to provide greater utilization. … I’m pretty enthused about all of it, to tell you the truth.”
–Former Gov. Dave Freudenthal
“The active learning part of the Science Initiative will be transformational. It touches more than 70 percent of students on campus. I think it will increase our student retention rates and student satisfaction. In addition, the Wyoming Research Scholars Program is a real value-added feature to a student’s career.”
–Greg Brown, associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
“What excites me most is that faculty from across the sciences at UW came together to advocate and plan for their common good—to say, we’re stronger if we can work together, and our students will be better trained if we can work together. I can’t emphasize enough how unique this is. To me that is the most exciting aspect of this program, and it’s the one that ensures that it will be a great investment by the state.”
–Carol Brewer, founder of Prairie Ecotone Research Group LLC
“I was delighted and surprised by the world-class science that I saw at UW and the collaborative scientific culture. In addition, the people I met at UW had a true passion to teach. With this commitment from the Legislature, it’s going to bring all that to life so that you’ll see the ability to attract additional generations of faculty, to retain great faculty and to take active learning all the way down to the K–12 level.”
–Bob Grieve, Heska Corp. executive chair, board of directors
“I think the Science Initiative creates an opportunity for a huge success at the University of Wyoming—a novel view on cross-disciplinary research, activelearning practices and the integration of research into education.”
–Cynthia Weinig, professor in the Department of Botany and Department of Molecular Biology
