In the News

• ABC4 News Monday, Mar. 21, 2022

  Utah's hand in the future of electric vehicles

  Imagine charging your car while you drive. That may soon be a reality in the United States and the effort is being spearheaded here in Utah.  

  Dr. Regan Zane posed a question: “Could we actually get to a position where you no longer think about how, where, and when you charge your vehicle?” Your vehicle is just always ready to go?”   

  Dr. Zane is the director of ASPIRE Engineering Research Center at Utah State University. He told ABC4 that the answer to the question he posed may be answered sooner than one may think.  

• KSL Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022

  USU using St. Patrick's Day to teach about consent

  Utah State University took St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to educate its students on consent and healthy relationships.

  Rather than a traditional St. Paddy's Day shindig with kissing booths adorning "Kiss me, I'm Irish" signs and buttons, there was an on-campus display that had mannequins wearing various types of clothing, sending the message that "My clothes don't mean you'll get lucky."

  The event was put on by the university's Sexual Assault and Anti Violence Information Office, and led by outreach prevention coordinator Felicia Gallegos. Gallegos said that setting up the display on campus on St. Patrick's Day was done with the hope of starting conversations about things that are hard for many college students to talk about.

• Phys.org Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2022

  Research shows big trees boost water in forests by protecting snowpack

  Big trees play an outsized role in old-growth forests—from offering fire resistance to producing strong genetic offspring, big trees give forests multiple ecological advantages. New research gives managers yet another reason to honor the behemoths—big trees protect melting snowpacks in water-stressed environments. The research from Michaela Teich, Kendall Becker and Jim Lutz from the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University and colleague Mark Raleigh from Oregon State University, details the ecological puzzle for how big trees interact with forest snow. 

  A good supply of water allows trees to endure hot summer temperatures, survive wildfire and fight off attacks from invasions of bark beetles. But during the hot summers in the West, precipitation tends to be scant. A good, thick snowpack is water-in-the-bank as far as forests are concerned; the longer the winter snowpack endures into spring and summer months, the longer water is released into the soil and available to thirsty trees. That melting snow is also part of the runoff that fills the West's reservoirs and benefits communities. The goal of the research was to find ways for managers to help this essential source of water linger for longer into spring and summer months.

• Science Daily Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2022

  Snowbound: Big trees boost water in forests by protecting snowpack

  Big trees play an outsized role in old-growth forests -- from offering fire resistance to producing strong genetic offspring, big trees give forests multiple ecological advantages. New research gives managers yet another reason to honor the behemoths -- big trees protect melting snowpacks in water-stressed environments. The research from Michaela Teich, Kendall Becker and Jim Lutz from the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University and colleague Mark Raleigh from Oregon State University, details the ecological puzzle for how big trees interact with forest snow.

• Utah Business Monday, Mar. 14, 2022

  In-road, wireless electric vehicle charging could be a reality soon

  Imagine: It’s the future, and you’re tootling off from Salt Lake City to California to see Mickey and friends. You’ve charged up your electric vehicle at home before heading out. 

  In the olden days, you would have had to stop at a charging station to re-up your battery after about 250 miles. Near Cedar City, you’d tell the kids you’ve got to stop for a while. Then somewhere around Primm, Nevada, you’d have to recharge again.

  But it’s the future, and you don’t have to stop. You can keep driving because your car has a receiving pad on the battery that effectively makes an invisible “handshake” with charging pads under the asphalt and concrete. Once in Anaheim, your car continues to charge as you drive over local roads. You’ll probably want to plug in at the hotel before heading home, but otherwise, your car’s charging needs are all handled while you drive.

• Cache Valley Daily Monday, Mar. 14, 2022

  Miller family gifts Huntsman School $2.5M for new experiential learning

  LOGAN – Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business has made experiential learning, or learning by doing, its focus for the next decade.

  USU will soon have a home for that burgeoning program with the announcement Monday by the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation of a gift of $2.5 million to support a new building for the program.

  Previously, the Miller Family Foundation gifted the Huntsman School $4 million to support programs aimed at preparing students with the skills and attributes needed in today’s fluid business environment.

• Field & Stream Thursday, Mar. 10, 2022

  Utah Pelicans Are Helping Anglers Catch More Cutthroat Trout

  It’s an age-old battle: pelican versus trout angler. Those gangly intruders are scooping up all the fish, right? Not so fast, says a team at Utah State University’s Quinney College of Natural Resources researching predator-prey relationships between pelicans and cutthroat trout. Turns out the winged pescatarians might be helping us catch more fish. 

• Deseret News Wednesday, Mar. 09, 2022

  1st-Of-Its-Kind Veterinary Program Coming To USU

  Students looking to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine now have the option to stay in Utah.

  The Utah Legislature this year funded the new College of Veterinary Medicine at Utah State University, making it the first program of its kind in the state.

  "We are grateful to Gov. Spencer Cox and the state Legislature for supporting the new USU College of Veterinary Medicine," USU President Noelle E. Cockett said in a statement. "We also appreciate Washington State University's partnership over the last 10 years with the joint doctorate of veterinary medicine degree. It is now time for USU to address the growing shortage of veterinarians in our state, particularly in rural areas."

• ABC4 News Friday, Mar. 04, 2022

  Political scientist breaks down Ukraine, Russian War complexities

  LOGAN, Utah (ABC4) – As peace talks continue in Ukraine, many wonder what will happen next. To get a better idea of what the future could have in store, ABC4’s Northern Utah Correspondent Kade Garner sat down with a political scientist from Utah State University who investigates “bargaining obstacles to peace processes.” Not only is Dr. Anna Pechenkina a political expert, but she is an ethnic Russian and Ukranian as well.  

• Cache Valley Daily Thursday, Mar. 03, 2022

  USU Extension offering free classes especially for step-families

  LOGAN — An event that is geared for step-families is being offered by the Healthy Relationships office through Utah State University Extension.

  It’s called Smart Steps for Stepfamilies a FREE 7-week course, and on KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday, program coordinator Shauntell Kanigan said all families face some challenges.

  “But on the stepfamilies, they might have extra in-laws and they have other significant others in this combination that do add a little bit more complications that we help and give tools for. Just to help people out to be more successful.”

• Fox 13 News Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022

  USU students create tribute to Ukrainian student-athlete at basketball game

  LOGAN, Utah — The student section at a Utah State basketball game paid tribute to one of their own players whose home country of Ukraine is under attack.

  Scott Garrard, a play-by-play radio broadcaster for USU Athletics, posted a photo on Twitter showing hundreds of students holding up blue and yellow colored paper to replicate the Ukrainian flag design as Max Shulga checked in to the game.

• Cache Valley Daily Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022

  USU names new Executive Director for Office of Equity

  Utah State University has named Matthew Pinner as the next executive director of the Office of Equity. Pinner will oversee USU’s systemwide compliance with nondiscrimination law and policy, Title IX regulations, and USU’s policy on sexual misconduct. He begins at USU’s Logan campus on Feb. 23, 2022.

  USU Provost Frank Galey said, “Matthew brings important skills and experience in nondiscrimination, Title IX compliance, as well as in human resources. The office has made huge strides over the last few years in revising policies and procedures and in training the entire campus community. Pinner’s leadership will help the school continue this progress and further improve the university’s prevention and response efforts.”

• The Herald Journal Friday, Feb. 04, 2022

  USU Announces Restructuring of Campus Public Safety

  In an effort to “strengthen leadership and oversight,” Utah State University announced Thursday a new executive director position and changes to the reporting structure within the school’s public safety department.

• Science Daily Thursday, Feb. 03, 2022

  Using untapped tree ring data to calculate carbon sequestration

  Having a solid estimate of the amount of carbon that forests can pull from the atmosphere is essential for global accounting of climate change -- leaders are counting on forests to pull a good chunk of human-produced carbon back to earth. But in reality, forests' ability to sequester carbon isn't as straightforward as it might appear on paper. In a new research synthesis, Justin DeRose from Department of Wildland Resources and colleagues from across North America offered an alternative strategy to counter the uncertainty of calculating the carbon that forests can sequester, using tree ring data from forest inventory plots.

• ABC4 News Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022

  USU goes green with goal of net carbon neutrality by 2050

  Utah State University has swapped out more than 142,000 light bulbs, replacing old, high-energy bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs across USU campuses statewide.

  The effort comes as a part of a goal of net carbon neutrality by 2050.

  The project reached 95% completion in 2021, according to the recently released greenhouse gas inventory, helping to realize a savings of nearly 6 million kilowatt hours and a carbon emission reduction of 3,500 metric tons annually.

• ABC4 News Friday, Jan. 28, 2022

  USU launches tech bootcamps to help close skills gap in Utah

  With everything that’s happening in the nation right now from labor shortages to “The Great Resignation,” the demand for tech talent in Utah is at an all-time high. 

  According to CompTIA’s Cyberstates 2021 report, Utah is projected to experience a 27 percent increase in tech occupation by 2030, suggesting that many Utahns are interested in making the career switch.

  And there’s no better time to take up tech support than now, as Utah State University and Fullstack Academy have launched accelerated live-online tech training boot camps in coding, DevOps, cybersecurity, and data analytics. 

  These programs are designed to generate opportunities for participants to qualify for the many well-paying and in-demand tech careers in Utah by supporting them through creating a portfolio and providing them with the necessary qualifications and tech skills. 

• ABC4 News Friday, Jan. 28, 2022

  USU professor's COVID-19 work is published in two scientific journals

  As previously announced in an article by Utah State University, recent research studies which resulted from collaborations with the college’s very own Professor Zhongde Wang have been nationally recognized and published in two separate scientific journals. 

  The first research study supports the understanding of the COVID-19 disease course, or the process of the virus from the point of inception to the point of resolution. The second research study investigates how mutations of the coronavirus, specifically the omicron variant, allow the virus to enter and affect human cells. 

  A key factor of success in both collaborations was the use of a hamster model. 

  The first study, published in Nature, identified the hamster as the first animal model that has proven to be highly susceptible to the Omicron variant, showing signs of symptoms like weight loss, and in severe cases, death. 

  The other study, done in collaboration with The U.S. Army and published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology revealed that the human ACE2 gene caused the hamster to become highly susceptible to previous strains of COVID-19 and led to the development of a more lethal disease. 

• ABC4 News Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022

  USU students make contact with their Earth-orbiting satellite

  LOGAN, Utah (ABC4) — Last month, a team of Utah State University students sent a small satellite up to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket. Today, that satellite successfully entered orbit and in doing so, launched the team into history.  

  A digital pinging sound could be heard playing from students’ phones and laptops on Wednesday. When listening closely, one could recognize the tune. It was USU’s fight song. The digital pinging was a recording made around 5:00 a.m. The sound was picked up at a radio station in Argentina, but it originated in space. The source? A small satellite called a CubeSat.  

  A team of undergraduate students woke up hours before the sun rose on Wednesday morning. Some told ABC4 it was hard for them to go to sleep at a decent time the night before. The lack of sleep was the result of a once-in-a-lifetime event. The students who form the USU Get Away Special Team were preparing to see their satellite be launched into space after spending a month on the ISS.  

  When it launched a packed room burst into applause. However, the big test was still to come. Would the satellite be able to communicate with its creators?

  After half an hour, a radio station in Japan picked up a signal from the satellite. The students said at that moment, they knew the satellite was working. Fifteen more minutes passed, and the satellite was now over Argentina. Finally, a series of morse code beeps were picked up loud and clear followed by the USU fight song.  

• KSL Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022

  USU Aggie Creamery celebrating 100 years of business

  There are birthdays and then there are birthdays. The difference? How about the treats? In that regard, it may be hard to top (no pun intended) Utah State University’s Aggie Creamery.

  The centennial celebration kicks off Friday with a “Birthday Bash.” The event will run from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at the creamery in Logan (750 North 1200 East). There will be $1 ice cream cones and drawings for prizes.

• KSL Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022

  USU studies how cows can help with climate change

  Researchers at Utah State University are looking at ways to improve the air quality by focusing on methane gas that cows release into the air.

  We’ve all had to pass gas and so do cows but for them, it’s on a pretty regular basis. 

  The USU researchers believe the right diet can cut pollution from cattle. 

  “Cows are responsible for about 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector,” said Dr. Juan Villalba, a researcher at USU. 

  He is heading up the project that has a seven million dollar grant from the USDA. 

• The Herald Journal Monday, Jan. 17, 2022

  NEHMA receives $1m in grants for Art Research and Education Center

  Utah State University announced the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art had received two grants totaling over $1 million on Thursday.

  The museum was awarded the maximum grant of $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of the construction of a new Art Research and Education Center on the university’s Logan campus. NEHMA also received a Cultural Capital Facilities Grant of $310,000 from the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.

  The NEH grant is the largest federal grant for the arts received to date at USU. The UAM grant is also the first time the state has offered grant funding for arts facilities, allocating a total of $2 million across Utah.

• Fox 13 News Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022

  USU receives $41 million gift from Bastian family to develop Ag Center

  Utah State University has received a gift of $41.25 million from the Bastian family, the largest donation in its history, as a way to honor the state's farming tradition, according to the Utah State TODAY.

  This gift will go toward development of the Bastian Agricultural Center in partnership with USU Extension to educate the public about the importance of modern agriculture, and encourage future developments in agricultural technology.

  A previous gift of $6 million from the Bastian family helped create the Center.

• The Herald Journal Monday, Jan. 10, 2022

  USU engineering professor earns grant to help U.S. Navy with efficiency

  USU assistant professor Matthew Harris recently received a grant for $347,000 from the Office of Naval Research to help find new techniques to control and optimize the performance of mechanical systems such as spacecraft and underwater vehicles.

  “The research is addressing fundamental research problems in optimization and control,” Harris said in a prepared statement Friday. “I am thankful for ONR’s support.”

  Harris told The Herald Journal he has been teaching mechanical and aerospace engineering since 2019 when he joined the engineering department. He has been in the industry for five years.

• KSL Sunday, Jan. 09, 2022

  Utah State University acknowledges unique history of its land ownership

  In a move to recognize its unique history, Utah State University finalized its first official land acknowledgment statements, indicating that school facilities exist on spaces originally occupied by Indigenous peoples.

  "As a land-grant institution, Utah State University campuses and centers reside and operate on the territories of the eight tribes of Utah, who have been living, working and residing on this land from time immemorial," the statement reads. The tribes include the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indians, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Northwestern Band of Shoshone, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute and the White Mesa Band of the Ute Mountain Ute.

  "We acknowledge these lands carry the stories of these nations and their struggles for survival and identity. We recognize elders past and present as peoples who have cared for, and continue to care for, the land. In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm indigenous self-governance history, experiences and resiliency of the native people who are still here today."

  The process of creating the statement, along with 28 others recognizing the various Utah State branches throughout Utah and beyond, began in Dec. 2020, Marilyn Cuch, of the Hunkpapa Lakota, director of statewide education for USU and chairwoman of the acknowledgment committee, said.