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:

CNN included comments from UW Professor Tracey Owens Patton for a story on how Black rodeo culture has been overlooked in American history. Owens Patton, co-author of the book “Gender, Whiteness and Power in Rodeo,” said that Black cowboys have always been a part of the American West.

New UW research indicates that introduced tardigrade proteins can slow metabolism in human cells. This makes the tardigrade proteins potential candidates in technologies centered on slowing the aging process and in long-term storage of human cells. UW’s release has received worldwide attention from such media outlets as MSN Australia, Interesting Engineering, the United Kingdom’s Yahoo! News, WorldHealth.Net, Sci.News, ARCHYDE, Labroots, Live Science, ScienceDaily and Sheridan Media.

UW wildlife migration experts Matt Kauffman, unit leader of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Tayler LaSharr, a postdoctoral research associate in UW’s Monteith Shop, were mentioned in a High Country News article titled “For these mammals, migration is a means of survival.” The article focused on how the West’s migrating ungulate herds must navigate a treacherous human landscape.

Cowboy State Daily reported that an energy research association and a filtration business have received U.S. Department of Energy funds to continue developing a project in Gillette that could make the Dry Fork Station the largest carbon capture power plant in the world. UW’s School of Energy Resources is a partner in various ongoing Dry Fork Station projects.

A WyoFile piece on how Wyoming’s aging population presents housing challenges cited a recent report from UW’s Center for Business and Economic Analysis.

Sheridan Media interviewed Chad Baldwin, UW’s associate vice president for marketing  and communications, on the university receiving nearly 6,000 first-year student applications for the coming fall semester and admitting 5,500 of those applicants, the largest numbers in five years.

Big Horn County School District 1 recently partnered with UW and Northwest College to access the High Altitude Pathways to College and Career Readiness Grant. The Lovell Chronicle reported that the grant encourages students from rural areas to embrace a college/career education.

The Powell Tribune reported that the 2024 Wyoming State Drone Championships and Bighorn Basin Drone Challenge Cup will be held April 20 at Northwest College. UW’s Excellence in Higher Education Science Endowment and the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium are among sponsors of the event.

Wyoming Public Radio reported that Wyoming APEX Accelerator will host the Government Contracting Summit next week at Central Wyoming College (CWC). Wyoming APEX Accelerator, part of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network housed at UW, is the state’s expert in government contracting assistance.

The UW Board of Trustees removed the “interim” titles for two deans at its recent meeting. Jenna Shim is now the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean of the College of Education, and Cass Kvenild is UW Libraries dean. Title changes from acting dean to interim dean also were approved for Kelly Crane, of the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, and Michelle Hilaire, of the College of Health Sciences. The Laramie Boomerang published UW’s release on the announcement.

KODI Radio, in Cody, published UW’s release noting that the College of Business’ economics program has been recognized by TFE Times as among the Top 25 Best Master’s of Economics Programs for 2024, coming in at No. 24. TFE Times focuses on business, culture and technology news.

A Hunting and Fishing Symposium, coordinated by UW’s Biodiversity Institute, will take place April 6 at CWC. WyoToday Media published UW’s release on the event.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has requested that people delay gardening and yardwork for a few more weeks in respect of hibernating bees. Buckrail reported that, according to UW, in winter, worker bees will pack together in a cluster to conserve body heat, and the outermost bees act as insulation.