Research

Turning algae into fuel

Biofuel experts have long sought a more economically viable way to turn algae into biocrude oil to power vehicles, ships and even jets. University of Utah researchers believe they have found an answer. They have developed an unusually rapid method to deliver cost-effective algal biocrude in large quantities using a specially-designed jet mixer. Packed inside […]


New phenomenon discovered that fixes a common problem in lasers: Wavelength splitting

A team led by University of Utah physicists has discovered how to fix a major problem that occurs in lasers made from a new type of material called quantum dots. The never-before-seen phenomenon will be important for an emerging field of photonics research, including one day making micro-chips that code information using light instead of […]


Protecting the Field of Dreams

Plants have important things to say, and University of Utah electrical and computer engineering associate professor Hanseup Kim wants to listen to them. He leads a team of U engineers who have received a $2.2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to design and build small chemical sensors that can “sniff” out when a […]


Afterschool programs provide “incredible benefits”—but many Utah youth are missing out on them

As many as 99,000 youth may be left unsupervised when the school day ends and more than twice that many don’t have access to high-quality afterschool programs—a missed opportunity to improve the lives of Utah’s youth, a new report says. The State of Afterschool Report  is the first to assess the landscape of afterschool programming in […]


Researchers Conduct First Population-based Study of Suicide Risk in People with Autism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 59 children in the United States is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). After decades of research, much about this condition remains unclear. Researchers at the University of Utah Health conducted the first population-based study of suicidality in individuals with ASD in […]


Newly published paper examines river ecology on a global scale

[This is adapted from an original release from Oakland University.] A study that brought together data from around the world has led to new findings on the effect of climatic factors on river ecosystems. The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Science Advances, found that climatic factors such as temperature and moisture […]


JAN MILLER PRESENTED AWARD BY PRESIDENT XI JINPING

Distinguished Professor Jan D. Miller, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, College of Mines and Earth Sciences at the University of Utah, received the prestigious International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on January 8, 2019. The award, presented by President Xi Jinping at a special ceremony in the Great […]


States with fewer melanoma diagnoses have higher death rates

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. While the number of cases diagnosed is on the rise, the overall survival rate has improved, but survival is uneven across the country. Researchers at University of Utah Health conducted a state-by-state analysis to understand the geographic disparities for patients diagnosed with melanoma. The results […]


U honors student awarded prestigious Churchill Scholarship

Cameron Owen of Boise, Idaho, a senior honors student majoring in chemistry and physics and minoring in mathematics, has received the prestigious Churchill Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He is one of only 15 students nationally to receive the award this year and is the fourth consecutive Churchill […]


Spintronics “miracle material” put to the test

When German mineralogist Gustav Rose stood on the slopes of Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1839 and picked up a piece of a previously undiscovered mineral, he had never heard of transistors or diodes or had any concept of how conventional electronics would become an integral part of our daily lives. He couldn’t have anticipated that […]