University of Utah geoscientists successfully nominated the Henry Mountains, Coyote Buttes and Great Salt Lake to international union’s list of the top geoheritage sites, “the world’s best demonstrations of geologic features and processes.”
Tag: University Of Utah
The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars Welcomes Two More Members
Heloisa Soares, MD, PhD, and Skyler Johnson, MD, were selected as members of The Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars for their contributions to advancing cancer research and patient care.
Producing water out of thin air
Earth’s atmosphere holds an ocean of fresh water. Extracting some of that moisture is seen as a potential way to provide clean drinking water to billions of people globally who face chronic shortages. A prototype device developed by University of Utah engineers for the U.S. Army harvests drinking water from atmosphere, even in arid places.
Can coal mines be tapped for rare earth elements?
A team of geologists led by the University of Utah analyzed 3,500 samples taken in and around coal mines in Utah and Colorado. Their findings open the possibility that these mines could see a secondary resource stream in the form of rare earth metals used in renewable energy and numerous other high-tech applications.
Regular Exercise Prevents DNA Damage with Aging
Regular aerobic exercise later in life prevents genomic instability characterized by DNA damage and telomere dysfunction
U’s Red Butte Press releases unique fine arts book
Oracle Bones is a fine press artists’ book published by the Red Butte Press, part of the Book Arts Program at the Marriott Library. The book contains text by Terry Tempest Williams and prints from woodblocks by Gaylord Schanilec, both produced for this edition and not previously published elsewhere.
Eboo Patel named U’s 2024 Commencement speaker
Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, will give the keynote address for the University of Utah’s 2024 general campus-wide commencement.
Economic data confirm higher education confers substantial individual and societal benefits
Utahns who secure higher education degrees earn more income, secure greater employment opportunities, achieve greater upward mobility, participate less in public assistance programs, and garner a variety of other positive benefits.
Students reimagine U.S. housing in 24 hours
Ivory Innovations announces three winners of Hack-A-House, a 24-hour “hackathon” created to engage students in proposing innovative solutions to address the housing affordability crisis.
U seismologists probe Earth’s inner core
How Earth’s inner core formed, grew and evolved over time remains a mystery, one that a team of University of Utah-led researchers is seeking to plumb with the help of seismic waves from naturally occurring earthquakes.
U law expert available to comment on Supreme Court decision on affirmative action
In a widely anticipated decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a decision finding that race-conscious admissions policies were unconstitutional. Students for Fair Admissions filed the original case against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The decision, however, has…
Ten innovations to address America’s housing affordability crisis
Ivory Innovations announced the Top 10 finalists for the 2023 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. The prize awards organizations that demonstrate ambitious, feasible and scalable solutions to the housing affordability crisis. The 2023 Ivory Prize winners will be announced on May 24, 2023, at Pacific Coast Builders Conference in Anaheim, California. There will be $300,000 in prize money distributed between at least three winners selected across the three award categories: Construction and Design, Public Policy and Regulatory Reform, and Finance.
Sorenson Impact Center releases first-ever dashboard to forecast future enrollment trends in higher education
The first-of-its-kind STEP Dashboard visualizes historical enrollment and population trends, forecasts future trends and provides insights into student migration flow and online-only education.
Shock to the system
University of Utah electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Benjamin Sanchez Terrones and U associate professor of medicine Benjamin Steinberg have published a new study that shows wearable devices such as the Samsung Galaxy watch 4, Fitbit smart scales, or Moodmetric smart rings, among others, have sensing technology that could interfere with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices.
U launches educational partnership with U.S. Air Force
The University of Utah College of Engineering and the United States Air Force are proud to announce a new education partnership that will create valuable learning opportunities for students and research projects that can advance technologies from wireless communications and cybersecurity to robotics and composite materials.
New Academic Global Surgery Fellowship will support surgical systems and skills in Hawassa, Ethiopia
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has partnered with three academic health systems to develop a new Academic Global Surgery Fellowship to address surgical disparities in underserved populations.
Out With a Bang: Explosive Neutron Star Merger Captured for the First Time in Millimeter Light
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have for the first time recorded millimeter-wavelength light from a fiery explosion caused by the merger of a neutron star with another star.
Wash-and-wear sensors
University of Utah chemical engineering assistant professor Huanan Zhang has developed a process that turns clothing fabric into biosensors which measure a muscle’s electrical activity as it is worn. This could become a much better solution in measuring muscle activity for physical rehabilitation or for other medical applications.
Waste of space
University of Utah mechanical engineering professor Jake Abbott has discovered a method to manipulate orbiting space debris by using spinning magnets. This allows agencies to either help clear out such debris or repair damaged satellites by moving or grasping the objects without physically touching them.
Tracking Muscle Activity with Clothes on Your Back
In APL Materials, researchers have developed a bioelectrical sensor that is convenient and low-cost. The sensor measures electromyography signals that are generated in muscles when they contract and are useful for studying muscle fatigue and recovery, and they have the potential to inform diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular diseases. The biosensor, made of silver paste with a layer of gold nanoparticles on top, is directly integrated onto a piece of clothing. The result was a detector that was both conductive and nonirritating to the skin.
Master of Business Creation startup founders for 2021-22
The Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business welcomed the third class of founders in the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program this fall semester for the 2021-22 academic year. The program is offered with support from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The group consists of 23 founders who have launched 18 companies with products and services ranging from choke-prevention devices and delivery logistics to party planning and luxury pajamas. All have already made progress in starting their companies and are looking to grow sales and attract investors, among other goals.
Voices of Reason? Study Links Acoustic Correlations, Gender to Vocal Appeal
What makes a voice attractive? The question is the subject of broad interest, with far-reaching implications in our personal lives, the workplace, and society. In The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, scientists describe research that explores the interactions between gender and articulatory precision to gauge vocal attractiveness. They were surprised to find a sizable gender difference in speech intelligibility.
Hallie Jay Pope joins College of Law to develop the Creative Advocacy Lab
Creative Advocacy Lab is coming to University of Utah, as Innovation for Justice, a legal innovation lab focused on social justice, expands its operations to the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business.
Up in smoke
University of Utah researchers have developed a method to better predict if and when wildfire smoke might affect the ground-level air quality of nearby residents.
3-D printed replicas reveal swimming capabilities of ancient cephalopods
Researchers took 3-D printed reconstructions of fossil cephalopods to actual water tanks (including a swimming pool) to see how their shell structure may have been tied to their movement and lifestyle.
Metabolism expert Dr. Sara Nowinski joins Van Andel Institute
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (July 8, 2021) — VAI’s newest scientific recruit wants to rewrite the story of mitochondria, the cellular machinery that produces and manages the body’s energy supply.
Modeling dire wildfire circumstances can help save lives
The increasing size and number of wildfires can lead to situations in which emergency managers must simply minimize human casualties–simulating these dire situations can help them adjust plans when there is less time to evacuate.
Building a mobile, virtual reality classroom
The J. Willard Marriott Library, in partnership with Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) and the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah, have designed and built the U’s first off-site virtual reality (VR) biology laboratory for student use.
Personalizing Cancer Care with Improved Tumor Models
While decades of research have resulted in substantial improvements in surviving cancer, a key challenge remains in identifying new drugs that improve outcomes for patients. In APL Bioengineering, researchers suggest a major hurdle is the paucity of models for cancer research that accurately represent patient tumors. They provide a perspective on strategies using models from individual patients and where the field needs to go in terms of research in animal systems and in culture systems.
Taking greenhouse gas analysis on the road, er, rails
Since 2014, the University of Utah has maintained research-grade suites of air quality instruments installed on light rail trains. These mobile sensors cover the same area as 30 stationary sensors, providing the Salt Lake Valley with a highly cost-effective way to monitor its greenhouse emissions and fill in gaps in emissions estimates.
Is this your brain on Mozart? Music, seizures, and epilepsy
A recent one-year study found a 35% decrease in seizure frequency in people with epilepsy who listened to an excerpt of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos. Research in animal models also suggests that music has multiple effects on the brain.
Ice-Binding Molecules Stop Ice Growth, Act as Natural Antifreeze
Certain molecules bind tightly to the surface of ice, creating a curved interface that can halt further ice growth. Some insects, plants, and sea-dwelling creatures contain protein molecules of this type that act as natural antifreeze agents, allowing the organisms to withstand freezing temperatures. In The Journal of Chemical Physics, scientists report a computational method to model ice binding using a biasing technique to drive the formation of ice in the simulation.
Informatics Approach Helps Reveal Risk Factors for Pressure Injuries
Researchers used informatics to examine 5,000+ patient records and five years of data related to nursing skin assessments and hospital-acquired pressure injuries. The results underscore the importance of treating and monitoring irritated skin early and eliminating the cause as an important step to prevent pressure injuries.
University of Utah launches Summit Venture Studio, a novel software development accelerator and investment fund
The University of Utah’s Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center is pleased to announce the launch of Summit Venture Studio, which focuses on the commercialization of the myriad software applications developed in the university setting.
University of Utah reaches 71% renewable energy
A new solar energy contract drastically reduces the University of Utah’s carbon footprint. The new solar contract will bring the university to 71% of all electrical energy coming from renewable sources.
How to Get a Handle on Carbon Dioxide Uptake by Plants
How much carbon dioxide, a pivotal greenhouse gas behind global warming, is absorbed by plants on land? It’s a deceptively complicated question, so a Rutgers-led group of scientists recommends combining two cutting-edge tools to help answer the crucial climate change-related question.
Blowin’ in the wind
University of Utah chemical engineers have conducted an air flow study of the venue that the Utah Symphony performs in to determine the best ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the emissions of wind instrument players.
Confronting Racism in Higher Education
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the University of Utah is leading a collective call to action for truth, healing and the building of anti-racist campuses with the launch of Friday Forums on Racism in Higher Education.
U team offers daily tips for parenting, schooling and e-learning in a pandemic
The Behavior Response Support Team (BRST, pronounced “burst), a joint project of the University of Utah’s Department of Educational Psychology and the Granite School District, provides daily tips and teaches skills for managing kids’ behavior amid remote learning, in-person learning and general pandemic conditions. The animated videos, featuring avatars representing diverse children and families, are provided in seven languages and on five social media platforms.
Research Group Wins and Loses Through COVID-19
In our series, The ECS Community Adapts and Advances, Shelley Minteer reviews changes—both positive and negative—wrought by the pandemic on her research group.
Shelley holds the Dale and Susan Poulter Endowed Chair of Biological Chemistry and Associate Chair of Chemistry at the University of Utah. The Minteer Research Group works at the interface of electrochemistry, biology, synthesis, and materials chemistry, to provide solutions and address challenges in the areas of catalysis, fuel cells, sensing, and energy storage.
University of Utah to drop SAT/ACT test requirements
In a two-year pilot study, the University of Utah is electing to make the submission of standardized test scores, the SAT or ACT, optional for applicants beginning with the fall 2021 admissions cycle.
Know the risks of investing in forests
Some governments are counting on planted forests as offsets for greenhouse gas emissions—a sort of climate investment. But as with any investment, it’s important to understand the risks. If a forest goes bust, researchers say, much of that stored carbon could go up in smoke.
Forests can be best deployed in the fight against climate change with a proper understanding of the risks to that forest that climate change itself imposes.
A sound treatment
University of Utah biomedical engineering assistant professor Jan Kubanek has discovered that sound waves of high frequency (ultrasound) can be emitted into a patient’s brain to alter his or her state. It’s a non-invasive treatment that doesn’t involve medications or surgery and has a unique potential to treat mental disorders including depression and anxiety and neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
Portable, reusable test for COVID-19
University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Massood Tabib-Azar is developing a portable, reusable sensor for COVID-19 that works with a cellphone. It can detect the presence of the virus in about a minute and just requires a drop of saliva.
Graduating in game
The University of Utah’s nationally ranked video game development program, Entertainment Arts & Engineering, will hold its own graduation ceremony for 2020 seniors – in an online video game they created.
University of Utah one of the state’s largest and most important economic assets, new study shows
As the University of Utah’s Class of 2020 prepares to participate in a “virtual” General Commencement today, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute released a new study that details the immense economic and societal footprint cast by the U in the state.
University of Utah exceeds federal energy reduction commitment
The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed the University of Utah has exceeded its goal to reduce energy use by 20 percent by 2020, as part of the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge. The U achieved energy savings of 25% across 17 million square feet of building space since 2008, the base year for the commitment.
U-led human factors consortium improves medical device design
A University of Utah-led consortium to improve the design of medical devices welcomes Rice University as its newest partner. The Human Factors MEdical DevIce Consortium (hfMEDIC) serves as a consulting resource for medical device manufacturers looking to improve usability and safety of their products.
University of Utah libraries produce much-needed supplies for COVID-19 crisis
Library employees at the University of Utah are working together to produce and distribute face shields desperately needed in the health care community while facing the COVID-19 pandemic. In an agreement with University of Utah Health, the shields are 3-D printed to meet personal protective equipment (PPE) standards. Approximately 300 face shields can be produced daily.
2020 Economic Report to the Governor shows uncertainty and moderation, but still healthy growth
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today presented the 32nd Economic Report to the Governor to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert at the 2020 Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit, hosted by the Salt Lake Chamber. The report has been the preeminent source for data and commentary on Utah’s economy for over 30 years. The consensus forecast predicts increased uncertainty and moderation, but still healthy growth for the state in the coming year.