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:

Denver’s 9News interviewed UW staff members Nicholas Jesse and Kora Wolfgang for a piece remembering Matthew Shepard, the UW student from Casper who was murdered 25 years ago. National media, such as The Daily Beast, have noted the 25th anniversary of Shepard’s death this week.

UW anthropology Professor Todd Surovell commented in a Newsweek article on a study of human footprints in New Mexico that researchers found to be between 23,000 and 21,000 years old. The results from the study were published in the journal Science. Surovell, who was not involved in the study, said, “If these footprints were made by humans between 23,000 and 21,000 years ago, it would be one of the most significant finds in the history of American archaeology.”

UW’s survey of more than 1,000 Colorado farmers and ranchers was cited for a Denver Post article focusing on a newly created tool -- the Auto Tarp -- that could help farmers care for their crops. The Auto Tarp allows farmers to remotely open irrigation gates and monitor weather and soil conditions via their phones.

Utah State Today reported that Jeff Beck, a professor in the UW Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, is one of three editors of “Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.” The open access publication explores the foundations of rangeland and wildlife management.

WyoFile included comments from UW psychology Professor Carolyn Pepper in an article titled “Wyoming’s jails are among the deadliest in the nation for suicide.” The suicide rate for the state’s county jails is the fourth highest in the country.

UW scientists are among biotechnology researchers who have made progress toward quality control in advanced cell and tissue biomanufacturing that could lead to the production and application of a biosensor. According to a University of New England news release, a biosensor is a more effective and efficient tool that has the potential to save lives, time and money.

Benjamin Koger, an assistant professor in UW’s School of Computing and Department of Zoology and Physiology, was among writers of an article titled “World’s biggest bat colony gathers in Zambia every year: we used artificial intelligence to count them.” The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts, published the article.

Wyoming Public Radio reported on UW President Ed Seidel’s recent email to the UW community on free expression at UW. He said UW will support free expression by acting on the recommendations in the 18-page report from UW’s Freedom of Expression, Intellectual Freedom and Constructive Dialogue Working Group.

WyoFile reported that the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality recently provided funding for UW researchers to evaluate 40 years of satellite imagery, including 200 lakes in Wyoming, as part of the department’s ongoing study of toxic blue-green algae blooms in the state’s backcountry.

Saratoga’s Bigfoot 99 Radio interviewed UW sociology student Debbie Cobb about her work gathering ghost stories from guests and employees of five Wyoming hotels. Cobb, who is an avid collector of ghost stories, said she is interested in how people perceive their experiences and change their worldviews.

Hydrogen Central, H2 View and County 17 published UW’s release noting that the Wyoming Innovation Partnership has selected UW to receive $693,514 to support a blue hydrogen project. UW faculty and researchers will study issues related to nuclear-powered hydrogen produced from both conventional and renewable gas resources in the state.

The Sheridan Press published UW’s release announcing that IMPACT 307 has chosen five finalists for the Sheridan Start-Up Challenge entrepreneur competition.

UW Extension is offering its second annual High Altitude Bull Test and Sale for producers interested in evaluating how their bulls perform at high elevation. The program provides data on individual bull performance and offers a venue for producers to market and sell bulls that have undergone pulmonary arterial pressure testing. Sheridan Media published the university’s announcement.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hua Hsu is the keynote speaker for the sixth annual Bruce Richardson Lecture in the Humanities at UW and Casper College this week. Casper College published UW’s release.

Oil City News published UW’s release announcing that Donna Hoffman, a UW Extension educator based in Casper, was named state coordinator for Wyoming’s Master Gardener program.

The Wyoming Rural Health Institute has launched a Community Health Worker Training Program in the UW College of Health Sciences. The initiative is designed to create new career pathways in health care and to expand Wyoming’s workforce focused on improving access to and utilization of care. Wyoming News Now published UW’s release.

The UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources honored notable alumni and supporters last week as part of Agriculture Appreciation Weekend. The Cheyenne Post published UW’s release on the honorees. The news outlet also published UW’s release noting that UW College of Law student Amari Bertagnolli, of Laramie, received the Brimmer Scholarship, the college’s top scholarship.