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:

A new analysis led by UW researcher Haibo Zhai shows that brackish groundwater has the potential to replace fresh water to cool coal- and natural gas-fired power plants and strengthen resilience in the energy infrastructure, although there’s a cost associated with doing so. Smart Water Magazine, ScienceDaily, Environmental News Network, ECO Magazine, Power Engineering and EurekAlert! published UW’s release.

Researchers at the University of California-Santa Cruz simulated the conditions of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event to study how ferns survived when almost everything around them was destroyed when a space rock slammed into Earth 66 million years ago. The Los Angeles Times reported that UW paleobotanist Ellen Currano and a paleobotanist at the La Brea Tar Pits collected samples of early Paleogene rock in five locations in Colorado and New Mexico and combed the sites for leaf fossils to discover what kind of ferns existed at the time of impact.

The Napa Valley Register interviewed Renee Laegreid, a UW history professor, for an article on Napa Valley photographer Gabrielle Saveri, who has been capturing the life of the butteri cowboys of Italy’s Maremma region. Laegreid said butteri culture has been disappearing since Benito Mussolini’s reign during World War II. Saveri’s photographs are on display at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.

Tara Righetti, co-director of the UW School of Energy Resources’ (SER) Nuclear Energy Research Center, was quoted in an Idaho National Laboratory release titled “National Lab Helps Wyoming Explore Nuclear Energy Frontier.”

Scott Thomas, outgoing John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean of the UW College of Education, provided comments for an article titled “Higher education fled this American small town. It left behind ‘a ghost town,’” which USA Today published. 

Digital Wealth News reported that UW alumna Caitlin Long, founder of Custodia Bank, is helping to provide guidance for the UW Blockchain Education Initiative. The initiative consists of a 12-course blockchain education curriculum that is being developed for high school juniors and seniors as well as community college students.

County 17 reported that UW’s SER will manage the Integrated Test Center, a carbon capture and utilization test center located at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette.

Arizona, California and Nevada recently struck a deal to cut down their use of water from the Colorado River by 3 million acre feet by 2026. Cowboy State Daily interviewed UW law Professor Jason Robison, an expert on the 1922 Colorado River Compact, for an article on the deal.

A recent survey shows that the percentage of UW students who reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual assault at UW has declined by 11 percent since the last survey in 2018. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle interviewed Matt Gray, a UW psychology professor and expert in sexual violence prevention and intimate partner violence who led both campus climate surveys, for an article on the recent survey. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published a similar article.

UW will be a presenting partner at the Wyoming Federal Funding Summit that will take place June 12-15 in Sheridan, according to a release published by Wyoming News Now.

Cap City News reported that the UW College of Education, Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, the Wyoming Department of Education and the State Board of Education have created the “Wyoming’s Future of Learning” collaborative initiative. The four entities are accepting applications from school districts for an instruction and assessment pilot program. The CS-T, The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Wyoming News Now and The Cheyenne Post published similar articles.

The CS-T reported that Jenna Shim, associate dean for academic affairs and graduate studies in the UW College of Education, has been appointed as the college’s John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Interim Dean.

Jeff Beck, a professor in the UW Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, provided comments about sage grouse populations in the state for a CS-T article that focused on the Endangered Species Act.

UW entomologist Scott Schell provided comments for a Cowboy State Daily article on how millions of Mormon crickets have converged on Edgerton, located in Natrona County. He said the swarm is part outbreak and part migration.

The Gillette News Record featured Saber Smith, a 2020 graduate of Thunder Basin High School, who recently was elected as president of the Associated Students of UW, the university’s student government.

Three startup companies recently were selected as recipients of seed funding during IMPACT 307’s Southeast Wyoming Innovation Launchpad Pitch Night, according to Cap City News.

The Powell Tribune spotlighted Heart to Heart - WY, a nonprofit business that works with youth and young adults living with mental illnesses. The business, composed of Northwest College students, recently won the community college team award at the UW College of Business’ John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition.

The Cody Enterprise featured two Cody Middle School students who placed second in the documentary category for their division at the Wyoming History Day competition that took place at UW’s American Heritage Center. The two students also won a special award for their entry.

The Sheridan Press reported that self-monitored blood pressure kits are available for checkout throughout the Sheridan County Public Library System. The kits are available through a collaboration among UW’s Wyoming Center on Aging, the Wyoming Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program and the Sheridan County Public Library System.

Marty Henry, UW Extension 4-H/youth educator in Sweetwater County, was a guest on “Wyo4News Insights,” a weekly program that highlights community issues and events in southwest Wyoming. She discussed the impact that the 4-H program has on young people in Sweetwater County.

WyoToday Media published UW’s release announcing that Manufacturing Works has received a two-year, $400,000 federal grant to identify problems and provide solutions for the critical manufacturing infrastructure supply chain within Wyoming.

The Cheyenne Post published UW’s release announcing that the university recently received a National Science Foundation grant for more than $900,000 to update and expand the Rocky Mountain Herbarium. UW also received a gift from the family of Aven Nelson, the herbarium’s founder, that will support a graduate student in the Department of Botany.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release announcing that UW’s Wyoming Center on Aging has launched “Dementia on the Road,” a new statewide program. The first event recently took place in Cheyenne.

WyoToday Media published UW’s release noting that Jackson Ellison, a UW dance performance major from Riverton, and Aaron Wood, a UW assistant professor of dance, would present at the recent American College Dance Association’s National College Dance Festival.

The Cheyenne Post and The Western Farmer-Stockman published UW Extension’s release announcing that UW and Central Wyoming College recently received a $1.3 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant as part of a five-year regional initiative to strengthen local food systems.

WyoToday Media published UW Extension’s release announcing that Kali McCrackin Goodenough, manager of UW Extension’s Cent$ible Nutrition Program, has been elected to serve on the leadership team of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators.

Sheridan Media, County 17 and The Cheyenne Post published UW Extension’s release noting that its communications team earned national recognition from the Association for Communication Excellence for work produced in 2022.