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:

Last week, TerraPower selected Kemmerer as the site for an advanced nuclear power plant. WyoFile reported that TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power, a project partner, along with UW, the governor’s office, community colleges and Kemmerer officials, are planning to meet workforce needs, as well as preparations to help the community handle the influx of workers and activity. The Sublette Examiner carried a similar story.

Cowboy State Daily interviewed UW economist Anne Alexander, who discussed Wyoming’s soaring cost of living. Alexander said prices for food and other consumer items probably will remain higher than average for at least a year.

Gov. Mark Gordon released his proposed 2023-24 budget, according to Wyoming Public Radio. Gordon said the budget will attempt to raise wages across the board, including those at UW and community colleges. He proposes restoring $7 million to UW that previously was cut. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published a related article.

The UW Board of Trustees approved a major reorganization of UW’s academic programs during its meeting last week. The CS-T reported that the reorganization will occur in two waves, with the first happening next July and the second occurring on or before July 1, 2023, pending further revisions. Chad Baldwin, UW’s associate vice president for communications and marketing, was quoted in the article. Oil City News published a similar article.

The Billings Gazette published a CS-T article on how UW will continue to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees without mandating them. Three federal vaccine mandates could impact the university.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed UW Professor Christine Porter, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Community and Public Health, for a segment on COVID-19 booster shots.

The CS-T interviewed Holly Krutka, Charles Nye and Scott Quillinan, all from the UW School of Energy Resources, for an article titled “Carbon capture may not be coal’s savior. But it could spawn an industry all its own.” Lon Whitman, acting director of UW’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute, also was quoted.

The Gillette News Record published UW’s release noting that the university and the Black 14 are planning further collaborations following a formal apology in 2019. UW is working with the Black 14 to host the inaugural Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute in July 2022.

The Seminary Co-op Bookstore and the University of Chicago’s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality recently featured Arielle Zibrak, a UW associate professor and director of English Honors. Zibrak was among “four feminist critics in conversation about how they love, hate and compromise with the culture around us.” To view the panel discussion, click here.

Kate Hartmann, a UW assistant professor of religious studies, wrote two videos -- “What is Buddhism?” and “Who was the Buddha?” -- for the popular YouTube channel “Religion for Breakfast.”

BYU Radio’s “Top of Mind” featured Jeff Lockwood, a UW professor of natural sciences and humanities. He discussed spiders moving indoors this winter and why people should think twice before killing them.

Jacob Hochard, a UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources assistant professor, recently had his research paper titled “Investing wisely in land restoration” published in Nature Sustainability, an online-only monthly journal.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed Bryan Shuman, a UW professor who researches climate change, for an article about recent wildfires in the Mountain West that resulted in two deaths.

Wyoming News Now published UW’s release noting the research of Mark Guiberson, a professor in the UW Division of Communication Disorders. He led a study that identifies early literacy support for young dual language learners.

UW’s School of Pharmacy is collaborating with Washington state-based CaaMTech, a company that engineers psychedelic drugs. Psilocybin Alpha and Digital Journal noted that UW researchers will evaluate CaaMTech’s proprietary compounds in addiction models as well as aim to demonstrate their anti-addictive properties.

Wyoming News Now published UW’s release announcing that the U.S. Department of Education awarded two, five-year TRIO grants to the university’s Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) program. The funding will help support those served by EOC to successfully seek higher education degrees.