In the News

• Deseret News Thursday, Sep. 28, 2023

  What has Utah's new Alzheimer's research center learned about the disease?

  Alzheimer’s disease is Utah’s No. 4 killer and the numbers just keep growing — from 34,000 adults 65 or older who had the disease in 2020 to 42,000 in 2025, a nearly 23.5% increase.

  The issue is of prime concern because debilitating neurocognitive decline impacts individuals, families, communities, the economy, the health care system and nearly all aspects of life for those touched in some way. That’s why the Utah Legislature approved $850,000 in continuing funds to establish an Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center at Utah State University in 2022.

  The center’s focus is to accelerate studies on preventing, managing and treating Alzheimer’s and other dementias and to bolster the training needed to prepare students to be researchers, health care providers and dementia-competent workers. And while it doesn’t provide direct services to those with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones, the center’s proving to be good at connecting people to experts who can help them.

• Salt Lake Tribune Sunday, Sep. 24, 2023

  OSIRIS-REx: Bennu asteroid sample lands in Utah

  A NASA capsule returning more than 200 million miles from the surface of asteroid Bennu, which scientists hope contains clues to the origins of our universe, landed among the sand and scrub of Utah’s West Desert on Sunday morning.

  Seven years after the NASA spacecraft OSIRIS-REx first launched from American soil in 2016, the Sample Return Capsule — or SRC — made a relatively gentle landing inside the Utah Test and Training Range, under the canopy of an orange and white parachute.

  The capsule, roughly the size of a large truck tire, entered Earth’s atmosphere at about 8:40 a.m., traveling faster than 27,000 miles per hour, NASA officials said. Its main parachute, the second of two used to slow the capsule’s approach, deployed about seven minutes later at around 20,000 feet above the UTTR — much higher than the 5,000 feet NASA officials expected.

• The Herald Journal Saturday, Sep. 23, 2023

  Conserving native pollinators: USU named a Bee Campus USA

  The hard work of Utah State University’s Facilities Department in conserving native pollinators through collaboration has officially been recognized. On Sept. 11, USU’s Logan campus was officially certified as a “Bee Campus USA” affiliate.

  Bee Campus USA is an organization that provides college and university communities with the framework to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, nesting sites and reducing the use of pesticides.

  “The facilities department are really superstars,” said Caitlin McLennan, Utah State’s sustainability program manager. “We really applaud our landscape, operations and maintenance team for making campus a beautiful place.”

• Cache Valley Daily Wednesday, Sep. 20, 2023

  SDL's Atmospheric Waves Experiment ready for launch to ISS

  News this week from Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Lab is that NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE,  earned its flight safety certificate, which clears the way for its planned Nov. 1 launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

  The flight safety certificate is important because it verifies that the AWE payload complies with strict safety standards.

  AWE’s goal is to determine how small-scale atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) from the earth’s weather affect the edge of space.

• ABC4 News Wednesday, Sep. 13, 2023

  USU center offers hope for those suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia

  Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in Utah. Because of this, Utah State University recently became home to a state-funded Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center aimed at increasing research across the state to find ways to better understand the diseases and better support people living with these diseases. Funds currently coming into the center are distributed out to fund multiple research studies. The benefit of a research center like this here in our state is that it will promote new ideas, move studies forward more quickly, and support caregivers with the latest new information.

• Salt Lake Tribune Thursday, Sep. 07, 2023

  Next 'daring scientific discoveries' in space might come thanks to USU

  Jed J. Hancock was never supposed to be an electrical engineer — or so he was told.

  After returning from a mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Venezuela, Hancock attended Utah State University to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. But a university adviser didn’t think it was in the stars — warning him, he said, that electrical engineers are born, not made, and the young man from northern Utah probably wouldn’t make it.

  “That was all I needed to ignite a fire in me to be the hardest worker that I could be at this,” Hancock said, years later, of his undergraduate studies.

• The Los Angeles Times Tuesday, Sep. 05, 2023

  As Colorado River shrinks, California farmers urge 'one-dam solution'

  For years, environmentalists have argued that the Colorado River should be allowed to flow freely across the Utah-Arizona border, saying that letting water pass around Glen Canyon Dam – and draining the giant Lake Powell reservoir – would improve the shrinking river’s health.

  Now, as climate change increases the strains on the river, this controversial proposal is receiving support from some surprising new allies: influential farmers in California’s Imperial Valley.

• ABC4 News Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023

  USU organizes Overdose Awareness Day event

  Utah State University organized a light to remember event to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day.

• The Herald Journal Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023

  USU President Cantwell: Listening to the community in a fast-changing world

  Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell has officially embarked on her position as Utah State University’s 17th president. She is new to USU after most recently working at the University of Arizona as the senior vice president of research and innovation.

  Monday was the first day of classes of the fall semester at USU.

  President Cantwell has four degrees — attending university in Chicago, New York, California and Pennsylvania — and years of experience in leadership and administration at the land-grant university, University of Arizona.

• ABC4 News Monday, Aug. 28, 2023

  Insights from a study done about LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints

  LOGAN, UTAH (GOOD THINGS UTAH) — Dr. Tyler Lefevor, associate professor in psychology at Utah State University, joined us on the show to share the findings of a decade-long study on LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints.

  The research reveals that LGBTQ+ individuals face up to four times higher risks of mental health conditions compared to cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. The study delves into the impact of faith on mental health, evolving religiosity, and LGBTQ+ engagement within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• The Atlantic Monday, Aug. 21, 2023

  The Longest Relationships of our Lives

  Growing up as one of six siblings—the third oldest, and the second of three girls—Carlita Gay loved the distinction of a big family and that everyone was exposed to so many personalities. Though she saw her family less after moving away from her hometown, going to therapy as an adult helped Gay, now 33 and an executive assistant in New York, understand “how much of a refuge my siblings can still be” because of their deep context and shared history. In particular, they were some of the few people who could understand her experience of growing up biracial in a “mainly white” part of Minnesota. “I had a perspective of ‘Maybe I’m alone’” in trying to make sense of how her racial identity developed, Gay told me, but over time she realized that her siblings could relate to both that general experience and how it played out within their family. “If anyone could understand my experience the most,” she said, “it might be them.”

• KSL Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023

  USU researchers create jet fuel from juniper trees

  LOGAN — Researchers at Utah State University believe they've come up with a clean-burning jet fuel made from juniper trees.

  They are now trying to get the biofuel into the marketplace. While it's designed as jet fuel, researchers say it can be fractioned out to work in boats and even cars.

  And, it was created at Utah State University's Innovation Campus.

  USU biological engineering professor Foster Agblevor started working on this idea 10 years ago, knowing that Utah has the invasive juniper tree.

• The Herald Journal Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023

  USU interim dean Named 2023 Veterinarian of the Year

  The Interim Dean of Utah State University’s brand-new College of Veterinary Medicine, Dirk Vanderwall, has been named the Utah Veterinary Medical Association’s 2023 Veterinarian of the Year.

  Vanderwall, who received the award in June at a ceremony part of the Mountainlands Utah Veterinary Summit, said he was surprised by the award. When his name was announced, Vanderwall said he was “taken aback.”

  “I love being a veterinarian and I love the veterinary profession,” Vanderwall said. “To be recognized by my peers with this award was just very, very rewarding. And very gratifying.”

• ESPN Monday, Aug. 07, 2023

  Utah State hires ex-Big Ten deputy commissioner Diana Sabau as AD

  Utah State has hired former Big Ten deputy commissioner Diana Sabau as the school's next athletic director, the school announced on Monday night.

  Sabau oversees all 28 sports for the Big Ten and was the former senior deputy to athletic director Gene Smith at Ohio State, where her duties included being the sport administrator for the football program from 2017 through March of 2021.

  Sabau succeeds interim athletic director Jerry Bovee, who took over in November after John Hartwell resigned.

• KSL Saturday, Aug. 05, 2023

  Peak river flow & drone, brings unique chance for study of Logan floodplain

  LOGAN — Cities typically use satellite imagery to study a floodplain, but those areas are often blocked by trees and vegetation. A drone from Utah State University is cutting through all of that.

  As the Logan River moves to more average flows, from peak flows seen during May, researcher Ian Gowing said those major events brought a rare opportunity.

  "We saw that the Logan River had reached 1,750 cubic feet per second," Gowing said — it's highest flow. The drone could launch as the river flow peaked. Two Utah cities, Logan and Nibley, were eager to have detailed high-resolution images of the floodplain.

• The Washington Post Thursday, Aug. 03, 2023

  How to water your garden wisely in the summer heat

  You’ve probably heard the expression, “Work smarter, not harder.” The same idea can apply to watering your garden in the dead of summer — when standing in the blazing heat, hose in hand, or swatting away mosquitoes while positioning your sprinkler are about the last things you want to do.

  Though watering obviously becomes more critical as temperatures rise, deploying the right tools and strategies can make your routine easier and less frequent. In fact, you may already be watering too often. “Intuitively, people think, ‘Oh, it’s hot so I’ll water every day,’” says Cory Tanner, director of the horticulture program team at Clemson University. But just watering a little every day — rather than giving your garden a thorough, but less frequent soak — “actually encourages shallow rooting.”

  Herewith, advice from gardening experts to help you water more efficiently in the heat.

• Cache Valley Daily Wednesday, Aug. 02, 2023

  Elizabeth Cantwell sworn in as 17th USU President

  LOGAN — Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell was formally sworn in as president of Utah State University Tuesday afternoon.

  Cantwell wrote in a statement that she was beyond excited to start her tenure as USU’s 17th president. She said she was honored to work with so many talented individuals.

  Cantwell was sworn into office in a private ceremony in the president’s office in Old Main. She was selected as USU president by a 19-member search committee following a nationwide search. Before joining USU, she was most recently senior vice president for research and innovation at the University of Arizona.

  Cantwell is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School (MBA, 2003); the University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, 1992); and the University of Chicago (BA, Human Behavior 1976).

• NBC News Wednesday, Aug. 02, 2023

  Toxic bacteria detected in several of Zion National Park's waterways

  Toxic bacteria have been detected in several bodies of water in Utah’s Zion National Park, the National Park Service announced this week.

  Three bodies of water in the park have cyanotoxins in them, according to the Park Service: the North Fork of the Virgin River, North Creek and La Verkin Creek. These toxins are produced by a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. 

  The algae is common in ponds and lakes and not always dangerous, but it can grow into large blooms that produce cyanotoxins. In people, symptoms of cyanotoxin exposure include irritation in the eyes, ears, nose, throat or skin, as well as headache, seizures, vomiting and diarrhea. In animals and pets, symptoms include drooling, low energy, lack of appetite, paralysis and vomiting.

• Deseret News Saturday, Jul. 22, 2023

  NASA dropping 'time capsule' from beginning of solar system into Utah desert

  The most dangerous asteroid in the solar system is coming to Earth this fall — a piece of it, at least — as part of NASA's first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid will make its landing in the Utah desert.

  OSIRIS-REx will land Sept. 24 at the Utah Test and Training Range in Dugway.

  Analyzing the sample from the asteroid Bennu, estimated to be around 4.5 billion years old, will help scientists understand the origin of life in the universe.

• The New York Times Friday, Jul. 21, 2023

  From an Ancient Soil Sample, Clues to an Ice Sheet's Future

  In 1966, scientists at Camp Century, a now abandoned U.S. military base in the Arctic, drilled deep into the Greenland ice sheet, extracting a cylinder of ice nearly a mile long along with 12 feet of the frozen sediment that sat beneath it.

  “That was a pretty miraculous engineering feat that has been really hard to repeat,” said Andrew Christ, a geoscientist who recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Vermont.

  The sample was the first deep ice core that scientists had ever collected, and over the decades that followed, the ice became the subject of intense scientific study, providing critical clues about the planet’s climate history. The same could not be said for the sediment, which was largely overlooked before vanishing completely.

  In 2017, the sediment was rediscovered in a freezer in Denmark. Now, a study of the frozen samples is shedding new light on Greenland’s past and, perhaps, providing an ominous warning for the future. The findings, which were published in Science on Thursday, suggest that roughly 400,000 years ago the Camp Century site in northwestern Greenland was temporarily ice-free. They add to accumulating evidence that Greenland’s ice sheet has not been stable for the last 2.5 million years, as scientists once assumed.

  “The big take-home message from this is Greenland is vulnerable,” said Paul Bierman, a geoscientist at the University of Vermont and an author of the new study. “The ice sheet has melted in the past, and therefore it can melt again.”

• KSL Wednesday, Jul. 19, 2023

  UDOT and USU pilot project protecting Utah's bumblebees

  PERRY, Box Elder County — A new pilot project from the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah State University is protecting bumblebees.

  At the northbound I-15 rest stop in Perry, in Box Elder County, you will find a pollinator garden that spans about 1 acre.

  The idea is to give pollinators more habitat while teaching us how we can do our part to help bees at home.

  "Pollinators are in decline. It's been well-established in literature, in the studies," Becky Yeager said.

  She is part of a team of biologists who spent the last two years creating the garden.

• Cache Valley Daily Friday, Jul. 14, 2023

  USU aviation faculty honored with statewide recognition

  LOGAN – A pair of faculty at the Utah State University Department of Aviation Technology have been honored for their contributions to the state’s aviation industry.

  Annually the Utah Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division honors five individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the state’s aviation industry.

  Shalyn Drake, an avid drone enthusiast, was named Rookie of the Year and Andreas “Baron” Wesemann, associate department head, earned the Colonel Gail Halvorsen Lifetime Achievement Award.

  “Shalyn earned this award at the beginning of her time at USU and Andreas is in the prime of his,” said Bruce Miller, the head of USU’s Aviation Technology Department.

• KSL Thursday, Jul. 06, 2023

  Study seeks causes for air pollution in Great Salt Lake area

  SALT LAKE CITY — A new study is taking a close look at air pollution around the Wasatch Front, and chemicals found in the Great Salt Lake.

  Researchers want to find out if those chemicals are getting into the air naturally or coming from the US Magnesium plant to the west.

  The University of Utah, Utah State University and Brigham Young University have teamed with Utah's Department of Environmental Quality to take readings all over the Great Salt Lake.

• KSL Monday, Jul. 03, 2023

  USU study shows clinicians lack knowledge of transgender health care

  LOGAN — A new study that includes Utah State University researchers highlights a lack of health care providers who are well versed in transgender care.

  The sociology study found that 1 in 4 transgender and nonbinary individuals report having to teach medical providers about their health care needs, which is in turn associated with self-rated poorer health and psychological distress.

  The study relied on data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. With over 27,700 respondents, the survey was the largest ever devoted to transgender individuals. A 2022 survey has yet to be released.