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) interviewed UW students for comment on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. Student debt is lower in Wyoming compared to national averages, likely because there are opportunities for students to get scholarships or save money by attending community college, according to the article.

UW Professor Darrell Jackson, the Winston Howard Distinguished Professor of Law, and two colleagues wrote an op-ed article titled “Affirmative Action and the Myth of Merit.” They noted that a more inclusive definition of merit provides an opportunity for higher education to reinvent itself after the Supreme Court’s decision. Inside Higher Ed published the article.

TODAY.com profiled E.G. “Gerry” Meyer, a UW professor emeritus of chemistry and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The 103-year-old runner shared his tips for living a long life.

High Country News published an article on a new study that uses trail cameras and speakers to isolate what human sounds do to animals in the wild. Joe Holbrook, an assistant professor in UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, who was not part of the study, commented on the latest research.

UW College of Law Professor George Mocsary’s paper that examined a Texas decision invalidating a law barring young adults from carrying firearms in public was recently published by the Texas Review of Law & Politics. Mocsary is a Second Amendment expert.

Mocsary also provided comments for a Cowboy State Daily article on a Louisiana federal district court judge temporarily blocking federal agencies from colluding with or coercing social media platforms to suppress protected speech. Mocsary and Jeremy Kidd, a professor at Drake University Law School, wrote a report on stakeholder capitalism that The Heritage Foundation published. The two discussed the movement’s philosophy and objectives on a recent episode of “Heritage Events,” a podcast available on Ricochet. Mocsary also provided comments for an article in Hamodia, the daily newspaper of Torah Jewry, on a judge who has refused to block a New York law that bans guns in houses of worship.

The CS-T reported that UW’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI) is collaborating with Carbon Solutions -- a carbon capture company -- and energy industry groups to develop a significant expansion of Wyoming’s carbon capture and storage infrastructure. EORI and Carbon Solutions will co-lead a $3 million U.S. Department of Energy-funded statewide carbon dioxide pipeline study.

Alliance Grain Co. interviewed UW entomologist Scott Schell for an article that focused on grasshopper infestations across areas of the Northern Plains.

GlobalSpec published an article that noted that securing adequate freshwater supplies for fossil fuel-fired power plant cooling tower systems is an increasing challenge for operators due to drought and climate change impacts. An analysis by researchers from UW and the U.S. National Energy Technology Laboratory shows that retrofitting power plants to treat brackish groundwater could nearly eliminate the use of fresh water but would increase the cost of electricity generation by up to 10 percent.

UW’s Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center was featured in a Campus Rec article titled “Finding Holistic Wellness Success in Campus Recreation.” Jennifer Knerr, assistant director of the Wellness Center, said all strategies and programs in UW’s Campus Recreation are evidence-based and connect with the school’s wellness mission.

The Gillette News Record reported that UW Extension will offer beef production workshops this week at the Weston County Fairgrounds in Newcastle and the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Buffalo.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department game wardens, with help from Laramie and UW police department officers, tranquilized and captured a young bull moose on the grounds of Slade Elementary School in Laramie. Cowboy State Daily reported that the moose was freed in the Snowies.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup noted that, during the recent Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival, UW Extension recognized award winners through its Lamb-A-Year program. This year’s program featured lambs from 23 donors across the state. Wyoming Public Radio noted that personnel from UW’s Wyoming Wool Initiative taught festival attendees about how wool is judged and sorted.