Head of preservation travels 7,000 miles to save 80,000 rare books

March 20, 2017

Randy Silverman, head of the preservation department at the J. Willard Marriott Library, recently returned from the country of Georgia, where he visited the Tbilisi State University Library to salvage more than 80,000 rare books. The books belonged to Germany prior to WWII and were confiscated by the Soviet Army at the end of the […]


What changes in health care may mean for women’s reproductive rights

March 20, 2017

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights have been a persistent flashpoint of controversy in the United States. The controversy has been characterized by more heat than light, however. It features little attention to why pregnancies occur, how unwanted pregnancies might successfully be prevented and what supports women’s need for […]


Cedar Breaks designated International Dark Sky Park

March 6, 2017

Last week, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) officially designated Cedar Breaks National Monument as an International Dark Sky Park, an award that recognizes the monument as a destination for stargazers to enjoy the natural darkness. The park earned the designation by installing night-friendly lighting, expanding astronomy educational programs and increasing outreach that raises awareness of […]


Effect of lead ammo ban reversal on scavengers, human cities

March 6, 2017

On March 2, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke overturned a ban on lead ammunition and fishing tackle in federal wildlife refuges, which was enacted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Jan. 19 — one day before the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The Obama-era ban was designed to protect wildlife from lead […]


Transgender students and public restrooms

March 6, 2017

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court sent a case involving transgender youths’ use of public school bathrooms back to a lower court. University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Professor Terry Kogan filed an amicus curie brief in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. (transgender student/bathroom case) in the case on March 2. The brief places interpretation of Title […]


Privatizing education

February 20, 2017

Yongmei Ni, associate professor in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah, has spent years researching the effectiveness of school choice policies. Part of Ni’s research has focused on Michigan to measure the impact of charter schools on traditional public school efficiency and resource allocation. In previous studies, Ni found that Michigan charter […]


Russian intrigue continues

February 20, 2017

Questions continue to swirl around contact Donald J. Trump’s aides may have had with Russian officials during his 2016 presidential campaign. Last week, Michael Flynn, President Trump’s national security adviser, resigned from his post after the Justice Department reported Flynn misled the administration about his communications with the Russian ambassador. Now, calls are mounting for […]


U biochemist testified in CRISPR gene editing patent dispute

February 20, 2017

On Feb. 15, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled on a patent dispute concerning CRISPR, a technology that can edit genomes. CRISPR, based on a component of bacterial immune systems that protects against foreign DNA, holds the potential to treat genetic disorders by replacing or removing the disease-causing gene. The patent dispute was […]


U law professor advocates a new licensing model for DNA editing technology

February 20, 2017

New research published by University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Associate Professor Jorge Contreras in the journal Science proposes that universities currently holding CRISPR patents open their licenses to broader segments of the biopharma industry — a change that could potentially lead to important discoveries for human health and medicine. The call for […]


Utes get fired up for bladesmithing competition

February 20, 2017

Next week, students from the Department of Metallurgical Engineering will head to San Diego to compete in the 2017 Bladesmithing Competition at the annual meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Conference. With a roaring furnace and metal-on-metal hammering, the team forged a Moro-Filipino short sword using millennia-old blacksmithing techniques on the U […]