University of Utah

At 10:15 this morning tens of thousands of people participated in what is known as the great Utah ShakeOut: a statewide earthquake drill. Here on the University of Utah campus the drill started with a text message from the University Campus Alert system directing us to drop, cover, and hold on. Not long after that another text message alert arrived directing us to evacuate the building and head to our designated assembly point in a nearby parking lot.

UTA debuts its new TRAX line to the airport, Chevron begins cleanup in Willard Bay, and a U of U researcher is getting an up close and never before seen view snowflakes.

A University of Utah researcher is taking pictures of snowflakes in a way that’s never been done before and the results could help forecasters better predict the weather.

If you’ve ever seen a picture of a snowflake it probably looked a lot like the paper cut-outs made every winter by thousands of first and second graders across the country: unique, but perfectly symmetrical and flat. But according to Tim Garrett, an atmospheric science professor at the U who helped develop a new way to photograph snowflakes, that image is a lie.

The U.S. Interior Department announces a plan to develop Utah tar sands, a sweetheart deal could end up saving Salt Lake County millions of dollars, and the University of Utah begins an investigation into their swim team.

Prominent Utah pollster Dan Jones retires, members of the Clearfield Community Church try and move on after a devastating fire, and the University of Utah plans to bring science to prisons.

The University of Utah is starting a new center to study air pollution and its impacts on health and society.  The U hosted a retreat Monday, bringing academics together to talk about what they have to contribute and how they can collaborate. 

Entrepreneur Jim Sorenson has given the University of Utah $13 million to create a one-of-a-kind global impact investing center.  The Center will be part of the U’s David Eccles School of Business and will provide students with training and experience in social entrepreneurship. 

For Jim Sorenson, impact investing means doing good while doing well.  

Former Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson was in Salt Lake City today.  The Baptist minister and civil rights activist delivered the keynote address for the University of Utah’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations.   Before his address, Jackson argued that the U would benefit from a more multicultural student body. 

The University of Utah iSTAR program is helping give children who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder a better quality life through the use of technology.

The iSTAR program uses a free 3D design application called SketchUp to help kids with a high functioning form of the Autism Spectrum Disorder develop better social and career skills. iSTAR project director Cheryl Wright says the results they’ve seen so far are encouraging.

Kara Arnold, or as she is better known, Miss Utah, will head to Las Vegas next week to compete for a chance to become Miss America. But before she hits the bright lights of the Vegas Strip she spent the past year traveling across Utah to promote the importance of science education.

The University of Utah announces changes to their admission policy, the Utah Division of Air Quality cracks down on wood burning stoves, and the state officially certifies all election results.

The University of Utah inaugurated David W. Pershing as its 15th president, Thursday. During his inaugural address Pershing said that enhancing the student experience will be his first priority. He outlined a number of ways he plans on accomplishing this including moving towards a more holistic approach to admissions.

“We’re going to go beyond grades and test scores to incorporate the factors that we know impact college success: Such as integrity, motivation, maturity, resilience, and a respect for cultural and intellectual diversity,” he said.

A University of Utah study shows that changes in the earth’s upper atmosphere have an impact on deep ocean circulation patterns in the North Atlantic. 

You don’t have to be at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab to get live, edge of your seat, coverage of a rover landing on Mars.  The rover Curiosity is set to land on the red planet Sunday night, and the public is invited to attend a Mars Rover Landing Party on the University of Utah campus. 

A video clip from NASA’s website describes the entry, descent, and landing process – or EDL – as 7 minutes of terror. 

The Utah State Board of Regents has just approved a new Center for Mining Safety and Health Excellence at the University of Utah. The formation of the center goes back to 2008 after the fatal Crandall Canyon accident in eastern Utah. Six miners and three rescue workers were killed in the 2007 disaster. Within a year, the Utah Mine Safety Commission under former Governor John Huntsman Jr. recommended creating an endowed chair in mine safety. Associate professor Tom Hethmon is the director of the new center at the U and is the founding chair.

‎If you bought a pair of those special glasses to view the solar eclipse last month, you might want to pull them out again. On Tuesday, June 5th, the planet Venus will transit in front of the sun, an event that won’t happen again for 105 years. On Monday, June 4th, University of Utah Professor of Physics and Astronomy Ben Bromley will discuss the historical importance of the Transit of Venus. He’s also going to talk about how astronomers will use this event to learn about planets outside of our solar system.

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