Latest news with #UniversityOfUtah
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
President Eyring, Gov. Cox among dignitaries celebrating completion of University of Utah's Applied Science Project
While still a young man, President Henry B. Eyring was challenged by his father — the renowned chemist Henry Eyring — to explore the hard sciences in college. 'He said that we would need that foundation to be effective in the rapidly changing world,' recalled President Eyring at Wednesday's ceremony at the University of Utah celebrating the completion of the school's Applied Science Project. Just weeks after claiming a physics degree from Utah's flagship university, the younger Eyring was serving as a newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. To his surprise, he was assigned to a military special weapons project. 'The only information that the (Air Force) had about me was that I had graduated from the University of Utah two weeks earlier,' said President Eyring, the second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 'In the two years I served in that assignment, I saw my father's promise fulfilled as I found myself able to resolve problems and make judgments which had the potential to affect the lives of people and nations across the world.' Folks across the University of Utah campus — and throughout the state — are certain that all who study, teach and conduct scientific research at the school are being prepared to make similar contributions in the global science community. Utah's Crocker Science Complex: A scientific discovery hub Wednesday's ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official completion of the $97 million Applied Science Project — which combines the newly built L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building with the renovated historic William Stewart Building and the Crocker Science Center. Together, the three facilities form the Crocker Science Complex — a 275,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art locale for scientific study and research. The project was funded by a $67.5 million state appropriation — combined with a $10 million gift from ALSAM Foundation (Skaggs Family) and $8.5 million from Gary and Ann Crocker ($19.7 million total for the Crocker Science Complex). The new Applied Science Building 'provides a 56% increase in the capacity of undergraduate physics labs,' Peter Trapa, Vice Provost/Senior Dean of the University's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, told the Deseret News. Almost every STEM student at the University of Utah will learn, collaborate and even conduct research at the building at some point during their time on campus, he added. Meanwhile, the Crocker Science Complex will serve 37 different STEM degree programs — meaning every future nurse, chemist, engineer, statistician and software developer at the university will take classes in its buildings. 'It is truly a momentous day for science at the University of Utah,' Trapa said Wednesday. Gov. Cox: Investing in science = Investing in people In his remarks at Wednesday's ceremony, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox saluted the individuals and organizations that donated to the university's science complex project. 'It's an honor to stand in this atrium today and talk about the brick and mortar spaces that lead to boundless opportunities and possibilities of discovery, innovation and education,' he said. 'This building represents Utah's bold investment in the future — a future driven by research technology and the next generation of thinkers and doers. The classrooms and labs that are here will ignite curiosity, a characteristic that is sadly missing far too much in our public discourse these days." The facility, Cox added, was built with 'a strong partnership between state leadership, the university and the community. 'The same values that we use to teach science correlate perfectly to how we do things here in Utah: Collaboration and creativity with a commitment to putting the greater good in the forefront, and always seeking truth. 'When we invest in science, we invest in people.' Cox added that at a time when the federal government is cutting back on funding for scientific initiatives, Utah is doing the opposite. 'We can be fiscally responsible and we can invest,' he said. 'In fact, it is fiscal responsibility that requires us to invest in the future. Otherwise, all of those things that we enjoy today will be gone. 'We have to invest in the next generation.' A place where 'dreams will happen' In his remarks, President Eyring spoke of how science has helped define his educational, professional and ecclesiastical experiences. He spoke of his appreciation for teachers and professors who 'help us to see the vastness of the physical world and the beauty of understanding it and the power that it gives us. 'I am grateful for teachers who strengthen my confidence that there is order in the physical world — which has and will be continuously better understood." President Eyring then saluted the generosity of donors and university leaders who have made the Crocker Science Complex a reality. 'My hope is that those who study here may follow your example to use whatever powers and resources they gain to lift and to bless others in future generations.' In his remarks, University of Utah President Taylor Randall noted the essential role faith-driven educators such as W.W. Phelps, Orson Pratt and Henry Eyring played in establishing the school's science bona-fides and global reputation. 'This is actually a place where students' dreams will happen,' said Randall. 'Whether they are undergraduates or graduate students, they will happen here. And many of the individuals that enter applied areas later on, will begin in this college with physics and mathematics.' The University of Utah's College of Science, he added, leads the country with its science research initiative. 'That means that freshmen — over 700 — start in the labs on projects that actually have real world application," he said. 'And then if they stay with it to the end, they get to work with our biotech industry, performing experiments that will lead them on to those great, great things. 'This is a place where dreams will come true.' Donors express faith in science and research Gary Crocker, the president of Crocker Ventures, spoke of he and his family's decades-long relationship with the University of Utah's science education community — and his gratitude for Utah's elected leaders. 'I want to thank and acknowledge the leadership and the vision, persistence and the advocacy of Governor Cox,' said Crocker. 'It's been exceptional what he's been able to do with the State Legislature in making this complex a reality.' Crocker also saluted the Eyring family and the generosity of the religious organization in which he serves. 'The pivotal difference that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes in our community is literally impossible to measure — and its impact ripples through lives, worldwide." The new L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Crocker added, is going to 'ripple through the lives of tens of thousands of students. 'They will become our future physicians and our future nurses, our future scientists, our future pharmacists and astronomers and environmental scientists. 'They will form the core of this state's industrial and commercial complex over the next 60 or 70 years.' Mark Skaggs of the ALSAM Foundation spoke of his family's belief in and continued commitment to the power of education. 'We are big believers in this community and in this state and in this love this university.' Skaggs admitted to being fearful amid today's politically-charged debates over the future of higher education. 'I'm actually afraid of where we're headed,' he said, before referencing the slogan: 'Make America Great Again. 'Explain to me how we do that when we cut the NIH budget by half and when we close program after program after program at key universities?" Skaggs concluded saying he could not think of a better recipient of his foundation's gift than to the university's Applied Science Building. 'Thank you for believing in what we believe in and what we've always believed in — and what hopefully will be a brighter future in this country." Helping Utah's science students 'identify their passions' College of Science Interim Dean Pearl Sandick concluded Wednesday's ceremony envisioning the research and educational possibilities now afforded by the new Applied Science Building. 'Our programs in physics, astronomy and atmospheric sciences are internationally recognized in research and education, and they will now have the advantages of these modern facilities — making it possible for us to address scientific questions and societal challenges in new ways," Sandick said. Lives and industries will be improved by the research happening at the University of Utah's science complex. 'The work done here will directly affect energy, water resources, public health and natural disaster preparedness.' Universities play a vital role in society as hubs of scientific research and discovery. 'Institutions like ours are where curiosity meets capacity; where ideas are explored, tested and transformed into knowledge that shapes our world.' Utah students, Sandick added, remain the school's central priority. 'This state of the art facility is going to provide them with new opportunities that will help them identify their passions, learn new techniques in modern laboratories, work side-by-side with faculty and prepare them for careers that are both rewarding and critical for our economy and national interests.' Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Nursing student detained by ICE after cop noticed she had 'a bit of an accent' during routine traffic stop
A college student was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after a cop noticed she had 'a bit of an accent' during a routine traffic stop. Caroline Dias Goncalves, 19, was pulled over on the Colorado Interstate 70 on June 5, accused of driving too close to a semi-truck. The University of Utah nursing student complied with the officer, identified as Investigator Alexander Zwinck, by handing over all of her documentation and paperwork. In bodyworn camera footage seen by Zwinck told Goncalves he would let her off with just a warning, asking: 'Where are you from? You have a bit of an accent.' Goncalves answered: 'I'm from Utah.' Zwinck asked how long she'd been living in Utah and whether she was 'born and raised there', to which she cautiously answered: 'No. I was born in, um, gosh I always forget the town.. down in Brazil.' 'My parents moved here,' she added. Zwinck appeared unfazed by her answer, moving on to ask her questions about her boyfriend, her weekend plans and her dreams of becoming a nurse. After explaining to her once again that he was giving her a warning which would not require any following up, he sent her on her way, wishing her safe travels and urging her to give semi trucks on the road a little more space. But minutes after the friendly interaction, Goncalves was pulled over again by ICE agents as she exited the freeway, and taken into custody. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has since revealed that Zwinck was part of a group chat with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners which was used to improve multi-agency cooperation to stem the drug trafficking trade. 'We were unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts, including immigration,' the statement read. 'We have since removed all Mesa County Sheriff's Office members from the communication group.' The Sheriff's Office has since learned that federal agents within the group chat have been using the information gathered and shared there for the purposes of ICE enforcement. 'This use of information is contradictory to Colorado law and was initially intended for the purpose of reducing illegal drug trafficking in Colorado,' the statement read. 'Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves.' Goncalves is now being held in Denver Detention Facility. She is one of 2.5 million Dreamers in the United States, referring to undocumented migrants who were brought to the US as young children. It is understood her family arrived in the US on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Her father then applied for asylum, and that case is pending. Goncalves earned a coveted national scholarship, which allows undocumented youth to help finance college. While her asylum claim was pending, she had been granted temporary rights to work. A GoFundMe set up by a friend to help Goncalves' family cover legal costs associated with her detention has already raised $25,000. 'Caroline has always followed the law, passionately pursued her education, and dreamed of a future full of opportunity,' the fundraising page reads. 'Yet she now finds herself unlawfully detained, frightened, and far from the safety and support she deserves.' Goncalves' detention is the latest stunning case as President Trump puts pressure on ICE agents to conduct sweeping arrests and deportations. This week, he directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities. He added that to reach the goal officials 'must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.' Trump's declaration comes after weeks of increased enforcement, and after Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump's immigration policies, said ICE officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term. At the same time, the Trump administration has reportedly directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels amid concern about the impact aggressive enforcement is having on those industries.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Real Reason Why Mental Health Improves After Weight-Loss Surgery
A new study published in the journal Health Psychology has determined the precise reason one's mental health improves following weight-loss surgery. Lead researcher Larissa McGarrity, a clinical psychologist at University of Utah Health who studies mental health after weight-loss surgery, found that getting rid of the stigma surrounding excess weight, rather than the weight loss itself, is the reason many people feel an improvement in their mental health and a decrease in disordered eating following surgery. Conversely, those who underwent weight loss surgery but still continued to face weight-related stigma were at a higher risk for depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Of the 148 patients surveyed, all underwent bariatric surgery. Data was collected before the surgery, as well as 18–36 months afterward. Over 90 percent of the patients reported experiencing weight-related stigma prior to the procedure, while about 60 percent experienced less stigma after the surgery. Those who experienced less stigma saw an improvement in their mental health and physical wellbeing. However, the 40 percent who continued to experience stigma were found to be at higher risk for depression, disordered eating, and weight increases."There's considerable evidence that societal weight stigma is prevalent and has harmful health consequences for people with obesity," Rebecca Puhl, deputy director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut, told Live Science. "This new study begins to address this research gap.' (Puhl was not involved in this study.) McGarrity emphasized that the study cannot directly establish cause and effect because the patient's experiences were self-reported. However, the results of this study suggest that "bariatric surgery patients are not immune to the effects of weight stigma, even years after surgery, even after significant amounts of weight loss.' Both Puhl and McGarrity agree that more research is needed in order to understand how weight-related stigma can affect overall patient health and treatment. The Real Reason Why Mental Health Improves After Weight-Loss Surgery first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 15, 2025
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
So what's University of Utah President Taylor Randall doing at the BYU Creamery?
Friday's lunchtime crowd at Brigham Young University's iconic Creamery did a few double-takes when they spotted an unlikely guest sporting a Ute crimson red polo and enjoying a cone. University of Utah President Taylor Randall took a quick break from a busy, three-day Southern Utah tour to indulge in his favorite BYU Creamery flavor: In-Shanely Chocolate — named, aptly, for his friend/rival/counterpart, BYU President C. Shane Reese. But there was nothing cloak-and-dagger about Randall's lunch-hour reconnaissance deep inside Utah County. Call it 'Ice Cream Diplomacy.' The University of Utah leader and several members of his team were on campus Friday at the invitation of BYU leadership to enjoy burgers and sample the sugary Creamery goods. But it also offered leaders from the two Utah schools — one private, one public — a few moments to fortify friendships and academic cooperation at a volatile moment for higher education. 'We have a lot of collaborations that go on between our two institutions — both formal and informal,' Randall told the Deseret News. The two schools' respective claims, he added, are actually quite similar. 'There's probably more research collaborations going on between these two schools than you would even imagine, right at the professorial level.' It's essential that those collaborations are accessible and maintained. Both the University of Utah and BYU, Randall added, are entrusted with educating students in Utah. 'We share common concerns about how to increase individuals coming into the overall higher education system. So it's good to talk through what each other is seeing.' Additionally, the two higher education institutions are working to solve basic societal problems. 'With BYU opening up a new medical school, and us expanding our medical school, one of our shared objectives is to solve access to healthcare issues in the Intermountain West — but also in the state of Utah, which ranks very, very low.' Much of the University of Utah leadership's three-day Southern Utah tour focused on meeting with fellow educators and health care professionals to seek ways of improving medical care in rural communities. BYU Administration Vice President and CFO Steve Hafen said he and his blue-clad associates were eager to host Randall and his team at a popular campus hang-out. 'It's an opportunity to sit down in a casual environment and get to know them a little bit better,' said Hafen. 'There's so much that they experience that we can relate that to — and so that collaboration and discussion is great.' Hafen added his school continues to seek opportunities to strengthen relationships with Utah's flagship public university. 'The University of Utah is an outstanding educational institution with good leadership, and we want to learn from them. And I think they want to learn from us.' 'They're public. We're private. But there are a lot of synergies and a lot of things that we can collaborate on.' Randall will return to the BYU campus on Oct. 18 to watch the Utes play the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium. And Hafen assured that the University of Utah leader will have his choice of Creamery flavors on that fast-approaching football Saturday. 'We'll leave the ice cream open all day long.' Randall and his team Friday also toured the U.S. Army Reserves headquarters building project that's well underway at Camp Williams in Bluffdale. Last August, the University of Utah and the U.S. Army Reserve announced a historic land transfer and relocation agreement. Using more than $100 million appropriated by the Utah Legislature, the University of Utah is building a headquarters for the Army Reserve at Camp Williams, clearing the way for the military to vacate the remaining 50.9 acres it occupies just east of the university campus. Following the relocation of the Army Reserve, the historic Fort Douglas property will be transferred to the University of Utah for future campus development. The Utah Legislature appropriated a total of $117 million for a land purchase and to relocate the Utah Army National Guard 76th Operational Response Command's personnel and operations to Camp Williams. Officials said Utah is the only state to fund such a military relocation. The state of Utah will reportedly own the building and will lease it to the Army Reserve. Construction of the facility started in April of last year Fort Douglas and the University of Utah have a shared history spanning more than 150 years. According to a university press release, at one point, the fort stretched over 10,500 acres, from 900 South to 6th Avenue, and from 1300 East to the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Presently, the university surrounds the remaining 50 acres of fort property. The new two-story, 215,000-square-foot Army Readiness Building at Camp Williams — which includes administrative offices, storage and a separate vehicle maintenance shop — is slated to open and begin operating in 2026. The 50-acre Douglas Armed Forces Reserve Center at Fort Douglas has been constrained by outdated infrastructure, according to a university release. The new site, contiguous to Camp Williams, will offer a modern, secure location with room for future expansion. It will support all current and future Army Reserve operations, providing a more efficient and accessible training environment. The university had reportedly been working on the exchange for 14 years, annually submitting the proposal to the respective university presidents over that time as an institutional goal. Following Friday's tour, Randall said the building projects' design and progress exceeds his 'wildest expectations.' 'It's exciting that two organizations could find and plot an exciting, joint future together,' he said. 'I give particular credit to state leaders for their vision in crafting a really unique interchange of property and buildings so that both of these great institutions could move forward.' Even while touring the Camp Williams building project, Randall was considering the future of the Fort Douglas property on the university campus. 'We will start early-scenario planning over the next year of how we'll use that property,' he said. 'We already know the broad uses. Some of it will be for healthcare. The other piece will be for actually expanding our 'College Town Magic' to create a remarkable place for students to thrive.'
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Psychic correctly predicted a missing student's body lay in hills just six miles from his dorm for 50 YEARS before a chance discovery
The mystery of a student who disappeared from his university dorm without a trace has been solved more than 51 years later. Douglas Brick, 23, walked out of his dorm at the University of Utah on October 12, 1973, and was mysteriously never seen again. Police searched the vast expanse near the university, but with little information about where he went, he was never found and the case went cold. In the absence of evidence, speculation spawned wild theories over the next five decades, the most basic being he disappeared in the foothills behind the campus. Others claimed Brick dropped out of school and hitched a ride to Ogden to start a new life, or that he had fled the country. He was depressed, and possibly suicidal at the time. The whole time, his body was lying in the hills just six miles from the dorm building, overlooking the campus. Brick graduated from Pocatello High School as a top student in 1968 and was studying physics when he went missing. He was a National Merit Letter commendation winner and a member of the Boys Council, Key Club and German Club. With the case cold, life moved on for Brick's family and friends. His father, a pharmacist and naval World War II veteran, died in 1964 from congenital kidney disease, and his mother, Donna, never remarried. The last time his Donna saw her son was in September 1971, when he packed up his car and headed off to start his fourth year at Utah University. She described him as sweet and kind in her journal, but her writings also revealed one of the several bizarre coincidences in the case. In 1990, when his family held a memorial for him, she wrote of a chance encounter with a store clear at a department store in Salt Lake City. The clerk claimed to be a psychic, and Donna asked her, 'Maybe you can tell me what happened to my son.' They described details eerily similar to where Brick's body was eventually found, near the summit of Black Mountain above the university. Brick, the clerk claimed, went into the foothills to take his own life, but instead slipped in the dark and fell to his death. 'He really wants you to find him, they said. University of Utah Police detective Jon Dial said the details 'stuck out' to him. 'The terrain I was traversing as part of the search, it is extremely steep and loose on both sides, and I was having a hard time in the daylight keeping my footing under me and figuring out where I was going,' he said. Donna died in May 2010, and her son wasn't mention in her obituary - they didn't know whether to say he was alive or dead. Another coincidence occurred when the case was reopened in 2022, after the university's crime data analyst, Nikol Mitchell, uncovered the forgotten case. Major Heather Sturzenegger agreed to reopen it, but discovered the files had been lost over the years and they had very little to go on. All they knew was he lived in Austin Hall, which by then had been demolished, but not who he knew, who his roommate was, who reported him missing, or where police searched at the time. Sturzenegger and Dial located Brick's sister and took DNA, which produced no database matches, and an old girlfriend, but were still nowhere. Then in December 2022, Sturzenegger was making small talk with her daughter's new doctor, Steven Warren, about what she was working on. 'That's strange, when I was a student at Utah University in 1973, my roommate went missing,' Warren said. Warren, it turned out, was the one who reported Brick missing, called his family, found his abandoned car - and knew where police searched for him. 'I can still picture him in his glasses, going to class with his hard-cased briefcase,' Warren said after his long-lost roommate's body was found. 'I can still see all of his belongings in the back seat of his car - I never forgot one thing about it.' Then, last October, hunters stumbled upon two weathered and worn fragments of a human skull in the hills, which made the local news. Sturzenegger wondered, could this be Brick? Five months after the bones were sent for testing, their DNA matched Brick' sister. 'When I got the report, I lost my breath. My heart was pounding. I was shaking. I was thinking, am I reading this right? Is this him?' she said. She and Dial flew to California, where Brick's remaining family lived, to break the news. 'We never stopped hoping for answers about Doug's disappearance,' the family said in a statement. 'Many years ago, we pushed for the cold case to be reopened with the addition of DNA evidence. We are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle. 'We thank the hunter who found him six months ago and reported it immediately, Detective Jon Dial and Major Heather Sturzenegger, search and rescue volunteers, and all the individuals and agencies that were involved in this case.' Though his body has finally been found, many of the details of his last moments may never be known, but the university plans to keep searching the hills for clues. 'I felt a very personal connection to Douglas throughout this investigation,' Dial said. 'In a way, it's hard to explain. There was a push and a connection that I felt was from Douglas to this case specifically, in moving it along and being persistent. 'I have felt very strongly that I will always have Douglas in the back of my mind, and his family.'
