Physicists test coronavirus particles against temperature, humidity
One of the biggest unknowns about the coronavirus is how changing seasons will affect its spread. Physicists from the University of Utah have received the university’s first COVID-19-related grant to tackle the question. The National Science Foundation awarded a Rapid Response Research grant to members of the U’s Department of Physics & Astronomy to study the structure of the SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus strain at the center of the pandemic. The physicists will create individual synthetic coronavirus particles without a genome, making the virus incapable of infection or replication. The researchers will test how the structure of the coronavirus withstands changes in humidity and temperature, and under what conditions the virus falls apart.
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Earliest interbreeding event between ancient human populations discovered
U anthropologist Alan Rogers published a new study that documented the earliest known interbreeding event between ancient human populations—a group known as the “super-archaics” in Eurasia interbred with a Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestor about 700,000 years ago. The event was between two populations that were more distantly related than any other recorded. He and his co-authors also proposed a revised timeline for human migration out of Africa and into Eurasia and provide a new way to look farther back into the human lineage than ever before.
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New species of Allosaurus discovered in Utah
Paleontologist Dan Chure, retired at Dinosaur National Monument, and Mark Loewen, research associate at the Natural History Museum of Utah and associate professor in the Department of Geology & Geophysics at the U, published a paper describing a new species of Allosaurus based on two nearly complete skeletons with superb skulls that provide new insight into the anatomy of this Late Jurassic meat-eater. The publication focuses on detailed anatomical description of the skull of Allosaurus jimmadseni, which is fundamental in paleontology.
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HUMANS OF THE U
“I was most concerned with the problem of accessibility for minority and marginalized communities. It wasn’t that these people were less healthy, it was that they didn’t have the same resources to take care of their health.”
JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ, senior majoring in gender and ethnic studies
“My grandpa Walt and I are the only ones in our family who went to the U. He played football for the U from 1929-1933. Before he passed away, my grandfather gave me one of his letterman sweaters. I had it in my closet for a long time, but when I became dean of students, I thought, ‘You know what, I need my Utah sweater in my office.’ It’s neat to have a piece of history connecting me to this place that I have much history with myself.”
LORI MCDONALD, Vice President for Student Affairs
“It is important for me to shape my own perspective, with access to firsthand information, so I could have a better understanding of what safety culture is for me on campus. I thought instead of talking about it we could do something and take action to get more students involved. That led me to register a student organization focused on safety, which we’ve called SAFE—Students for Action Focused Empowerment.”
AARUSHI ROHAJ, sophomore majoring in biology and founder of SAFE
physician assistant program, “Best Graduate Schools”
U.S. News & World Report, 2021
among higher education institutions for green power use
Green Power Partnership Top 30 College & University, 2020
environmental law program, “Best Graduate Schools”
U.S. News & World Report, 2021
David Eccles School of Business, MBA rankings for entrepreneurship,
U.S. News & World Report, 2021
In January, NONA RICHARDSON, executive senior associate athletics director, was named to the WeCOACH Board of Directors, the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels.
In February, the U was selected to receive the 2020 CARNEGIE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CLASSIFICATION endorsement by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
In February, U honors biology student MICHAEL XIAO was one of 15 students nationally to receive the prestigious Churchill Scholarship. He is the fifth consecutive Churchill Scholar from the U.
LEE ISAAC CHUNG, MFA alumnus of the U Department of Film & Media Arts, was awarded both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival for his film “Minari.”
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) announced in March that U College of Engineering alumnus ED CATMULL, co-founder and former president of Pixar Animation Studios, will receive the ACM A.M. Turing Award, referred to as “the Nobel Prize of computing.”
In March, a paper by chemistry professor VALERIA MOLINERO and her collaborators was honored with a Cozzarelli Prize, one of six awarded annually by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences to papers “of outstanding scientific quality and originality.”
HAPPENING ON CAMPUS
- The U became one of only four higher education institutions in the nation to offer a Veterans Studies Certificate, or similar program, in January.
- In January, the U launched the Interpersonal Violence Prevention & Education Collective to bring together students, staff and faculty to develop ideas for primary prevention of campus-based interpersonal violence.
- Starting Jan. 14, prospective students began receiving digital acceptance letters to the U in the form of text messages and emails.
- During Black History Month in February, the U’s Black Cultural Center celebrated its first anniversary.
- The College of Science’s new Science Research Initiative connects incoming students to research early in their education—even as freshmen.
- On March 3, the Women’s Resource Center celebrated the ribbon-cutting for its newly remodeled office space in the Union. Its director of 17 years, Debra Daniels, also announced she will retire in June 2020.
- The departments of linguistics and computer science partnered to create a computational linguistics certificate for those interested in a career in natural language processing—the technology behind devices such as Alexa, Siri and Google Home.
KUER General Manager MARIA O’MARA was named executive director of both PBS Utah and NPR Utah (KUER), beginning Feb. 1, after JAMES MORGESE retired as PBS Utah’s general manager.
JIMMY L. TURNER accepted an offer to serve as executive director of Red Butte Garden, replacing GREGORY LEE, who retired from the garden after 17 years of leadership.
DEBORAH KEYEK-FRANSSEN will be the U’s new associate vice president and dean of Continuing and Online Education and will begin May 15, 2020.
NANCY SONGER, Fulbright scholar, former dean of Drexel University’s School of Education, and recognized researcher in STEM education, will serve as the U’s next dean of the College of Education, beginning July 1, 2020.
After three decades of service to the U, Executive Director of Commuter Services ALMA ALLRED announced his retirement. A national search is underway.
GETTING THE WORD OUT
The U joined the national #WashTheHate campaign in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic to take a stand against increased stereotyping, harassment and bullying toward those perceived to be of Asian descent. U President Ruth V. Watkins kicked off the initiative with her own #UtahWashTheHate Instagram video.
By the Numbers
- Dozens of campus leaders participated, and others in Utah plan to join
- 23,163 video views
- 150,000+ people saw these messages and videos on Twitter