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 Laramie Boomerang published UW’s release announcing that UW will not host a Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute this year because Black 14 members have chosen not to participate in a third annual institute. Three Black 14 members wrote -- in a letter to UW President Ed Seidel -- that the group is discontinuing its involvement in the institute because Wyoming government leaders have eliminated funding for UW’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Parag Chitnis, UW vice president for research and economic development, was among university research administrators who were interviewed by Inside Higher Ed for an article that focused on how National Science Foundation (NSF) budget cuts will affect research at institutions of higher learning. NSF’s budget has been reduced by 8 percent this year.

The Tulsa World featured “Stan Lee, Beyond the Book,” an exhibition at UW’s American Heritage Center (AHC) that opened last week. The exhibition features the life and career of the Marvel Comics icon, who created lasting characters, such as Spider-Man and the Hulk. The article featured three UW students who researched Lee’s papers -- stored at the AHC -- that are showcased in the exhibition.

UW’s Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center is among hundreds of buildings across the nation that will light up green for Mental Health Month this month. 50 States Today published the entire list for each state.

WyoFile interviewed UW economist Rob Godby for an article that focused on how Gov. Mark Gordon intends to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after the agency’s recent move to slash coal emissions. According to the article, most observers agree that this will harm Wyoming’s coal industry, which is among the state’s main economic drivers.

Godby also spoke with Cowboy State Daily on the news that Peabody Energy Corp., which runs the world’s most productive coal mine in the Powder River Basin, saw its profits drop by 79 percent from a year ago -- the biggest production drop in a decade.

Last week, the White House announced 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- including Wyoming’s Judy Shepard. She is co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization created in honor of her son -- a UW student who was murdered in Laramie in 1998 -- in one of the nation’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Media outlets throughout the U.S. published the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

The Delaware Court of Chancery cited UW College of Law Professor George Mocsary for his scholarship interpreting the meaning of corporate “purpose” in the Delaware General Corporation Law in the case of McRitchie v. Zuckerberg. The opinion marks an important step in the Delaware court’s setting forth the duties of corporate directors to their shareholders. More than 60 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware.

Mandy Marney has been named the new director of UW Extension, according to The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T). The CS-T used some of UW’s release on the announcement that noted Marney also was named an associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources. County 10 published UW’s release on the announcement.

The CS-T profiled Bradley Rettler, a UW Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies associate professor, and his forthcoming book, “Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin.” According to the article, Rettler wants to direct the conversation toward what he sees as the currency’s moral high ground, and he argues that it is a needed instrument in the global fight for freedom and political equality.

Bethann Garramon Merkle, a UW Department of Zoology and Physiology assistant professor of practice, is among 10 faculty members nationwide elected as Early Career Fellows by the Ecological Society of America (ESA). Bioengineer published ESA’s news release on the newest Fellows and Early Career Fellows.

ScienceDaily and Phys.org published UW’s release noting that researchers -- including Jifa Tian, an assistant professor in the UW Department of Physics and Astronomy -- have unlocked the potential of 2D magnetic devices for future computing. Tian was corresponding author of a research paper that appeared in Nature Communications.

The Laramie Boomerang published UW’s release announcing that the UW College of Business Ethics Club recently awarded $178,000 to four area nonprofit organizations.

The UW Alumni Association has announced a new mountain design for UW license plates, which are Wyoming specialty plates. Wyoming law requires the license plate design change every eight years. The new design will mark the beginning of the third cycle of the UW license plate program, following two previous successful cycles that collectively sold more than 14,800 plates and raised more than $1.4 million in scholarship support for UW students. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release. Wyo4News published a similar story.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that Kara Fornstrom, director of UW’s Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis, will be the featured speaker of a “Tax Facts: Lunch & Learn” webinar focusing on Wyoming’s renewable energy industry later this month. The grassroots initiative Wyoming Tax Facts and the Equality State Policy Center will co-host the event.

Lily Jackson, a UW School of Energy Resources research scientist, explained the supply chain of critical rare earth elements as it relates to national security in the U.S. during a “UW in Your Community” event in Wheatland. The Platte County Record-Times reported on Jackson’s talk, which was part of a discussion on a possible rare earth elements mine in the area.

The Powell Tribune reported that Nolan Reitz, a Powell High School senior, is among 100 Wyoming students who have been selected to receive the 2024 Trustees’ Scholars Award to attend UW this fall.

Wyoming News Now published UW’s release noting the spring commencement events for Saturday, May 11.

The UW Extension office in Platte County was lauded for growing the youth 4-H program in the county, according to an article in The Guernsey Gazette. The Wyoming State 4-H Office is located in the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.

UW Extension educator Melissa Cook wrote an article that appeared in The Powell Tribune noting that two free “Design Your Outdoor Space” classes are planned this month in Lovell and Greybull.