Presentations on UW Science Initiative Jan. 22 and 25 in Casper

Two University of Wyoming faculty members and a graduate student are scheduled to speak about UW’s Science Initiative at Rotary Club meetings in Casper Jan. 22 and Jan. 25.

Chip Kobulnicky, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and botany graduate student Kali Nicholas Moon will discuss the initiative that aims to revolutionize scientific education and discovery in Wyoming.

They will be at the Casper Rotary Club’s regular meeting Monday, Jan. 22, at noon at the Ramkota Hotel. They will be joined by botany Professor Greg Brown, associate dean of the UW College of Arts and Sciences.

Kobulnicky and Moon will speak to the Casper Five Trails Rotary Club Thursday, Jan. 25, at noon at the Ramada Plaza Hotel.

The Science Initiative, initiated by Gov. Matt Mead and the Legislature in 2014, is an effort to enable world-class research and education related to pillars of Wyoming’s present and future economy. Through life and data sciences research that impacts areas including mineral extraction, agriculture, tourism, resource management and high technology, the initiative will impact Wyoming’s economy and give UW students a leading-edge skill set.

The Wyoming Research Scholars Program, one of the components of the Science Initiative, provides scholarships for undergraduates to study and conduct research with top UW researchers.

Central to the Science Initiative is construction of a $100 million facility at the northwest end of the UW campus, featuring flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary science research; the Center for Advanced Scientific Imaging; state-of-the-art greenhouses for plant research; a 200-seat active-learning classroom; and student collaboration areas to foster science innovation.

Mead, who describes the facility as “a unique research and teaching environment that will transform interdisciplinary research and education,” has recommended that the 2018 Legislature release $100 million previously appropriated for the project.