U announces new associate vice president for faculty

University of Utah Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dan Reed announced that Professor Sarah Projansky has accepted an offer to serve as associate vice president for faculty. Projansky will assume the position on Aug. 1, 2019. In her new role, Projansky will assist Reed on a variety of issues, including faculty appointments, tenure considerations, […]

Tiny Change Has Big Effects, Reverses Prediabetes in Mice

A small chemical change — shifting the position of two hydrogen atoms — makes the difference between mice that are healthy and mice with insulin resistance and fatty liver, major risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. Making the change prevented the onset of these symptoms in mice fed a high-fat diet and reversed prediabetes […]

100-year-old physics model replicates modern Arctic ice melt

The Arctic is melting faster than we thought it would. In fact, Arctic ice extent is at a record low. When that happens—when a natural system behaves differently than scientists expect—it’s time to take another look at how we understand the system. University of Utah mathematician Ken Golden and atmospheric scientist Court Strong study the […]

Sex, lice and videotape

Access more multimedia files here. A few years ago, Scott Villa of Emory University had a problem. Then a graduate student at the University of Utah, he was stumped with an issue never addressed in school: How does one film lice having sex? Villa and University of Utah biologists had demonstrated real-time adaptation in their […]

U names new senior associate vice president for enrollment management

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Daniel Reed is pleased to announce that Steve Robinson has been selected as senior associate vice president for enrollment management. Robinson is currently assistant vice president and chief of staff for student services and enrollment management at the University of Oregon. He will assume his position on July 15, […]

Lori K. McDonald named vice president for student affairs

University of Utah President Ruth Watkins announced that Lori K. McDonald has been named vice president for student affairs. “Lori has earned the trust and respect of the U community through creative, skillful leadership and through her capacity to build vibrant partnerships with virtually every major office and academic unit on our campus,” Watkins said. […]

University of Utah appoints first vice president for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

University of Utah President Ruth Watkins announced that Mary Ann Villarreal will join the university as the inaugural vice president for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Villarreal is currently associate vice president of strategic initiatives at California State University, Fullerton. She will assume her new role on July 1, 2019. “Mary Ann has extensive experience in […]

We now know how insects and bacteria control ice

Contrary to what you may have been taught, water doesn’t always freeze to ice at 32 degrees F (zero degrees C). Knowing, or controlling, at what temperature water will freeze (starting with a process called nucleation) is critically important to answering questions such as whether or not there will be enough snow on the ski […]

Lice Parasites

When naturalist Charles Darwin stepped onto the Galapagos Islands in 1835, he encountered a bird that sparked a revolutionary theory on how new species originate. From island to island, finches had wildly varied beak designs that reflected their varied diets. The so-called Darwin’s finches are an emblem of adaptive radiation, which describes when organisms from […]

Heidi Woodbury announced as U’s new vice president for institutional advancement

University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins has appointed Heidi Woodbury as the university’s new vice president for institutional advancement. Woodbury will assume the position on Feb. 1, 2019. Woodbury currently is the assistant dean for external relations at the David Eccles School of Business. An alumna of the U, Woodbury was selected after a […]