LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Like most people, Caroline Lavoie had to look up Azerbaijan on a map when she first heard there was a Fulbright opening there. Azerbaijan shares borders with Russia to the north, Iran to the south, and Armenia and Georgia to the west. "I knew little about the country before going there the summer of 2023," Lavoie said. "I was listed as a Fulbright specialist in urban planning, and it was just serendipitous that the positio  more

ITHACA, New York, Dec. 5 -- Cornell University issued the following news: Five people who had life-altering, seemingly irreversible cognitive deficits following moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries showed substantial improvements in their cognition and quality of life after receiving an experimental form of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a phase 1 clinical trial. The trial, reported Dec. 4 in Nature Medicine, was led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, Stanford University, the   more

DEARBORN, Michigan, Dec. 7 -- Ford Motor issued the following news release: Ford F-150 is an important part of Ford F-Series, America's best-selling truck for 46 years. Here's a look at some notable states in the United States of F-150. F-150 is part of F-Series, America's best-selling truck for 46 years. Utah loves that PowerBoost. Nevada loves Raptor. Idaho makes the ground shake with Tremor. Alaska goes for the max trailer tow packages. Florida buys the most 4x2s, while Vermont likes the 4x  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 5 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Utah State University engineering student Regan Tracy fell in love with space exploration and STEM at 10 years old and decided right then and there she wanted to grow up to be an engineer. That was the passion behind her platform while running as Miss USU: creating a new inclusive environment for underrepresented groups in STEM. "Stepping out of your comfort zone is difficult, but it's even more difficult when you're in a   more

JACKSON, Mississippi, Dec. 9 -- The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following news release: Mississippi is one of seven states to receive an A grade in the 2023 National Report Card on State Efforts to Improve Financial Literacy in High Schools released this month. Other states receiving A grades are Alabama, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. The report was produced by the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College in Vermont. The center issued A grades to s  more

PROVO, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Brigham Young University issued the following news: Brigham Young University Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Tracy Flinders named Michelle Bennett as assistant vice president of information technology. In this role, Bennett will assist in directing the work of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and coordinating strategy and efforts with all Church Educational System (CES) institutions. Bennett began her tenure in this role o  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 5 -- Utah State University issued the following news: When Cristina Chirvasa found herself roving the halls of the U.S. Capitol this fall, striking up conversations with congressional staffers with research portfolio in hand, she didn't consider the experience intimidating -- just good practice. After all, Chirvasa has been pursuing research opportunities since high school, so conversation on this particular topic -- even to high-level government representatives -- felt like h  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: VERNAL, Utah -- After nearly 30 years as a wildlife science professor, cutting-edge researcher, and later as a university administrator and leader, Rich Etchberger has announced his retirement at the end of December. After serving for 21 years as a professor at Utah State University Uintah Basin and seven years as vice provost, including the final 18 months as interim vice president for Statewide Campuses, Etchberger leaves  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 6 -- NetDocuments, a provider of cloud-based content services and productivity platform, issued the following news release on Dec. 5, 2023: NetDocuments, the world's #1trusted cloud platform where legal professionals do their best work, today announced that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the world's preeminent law firms, has selected NetDocuments to support its 1,700 lawyers in 21 offices across 50-plus disciplines, as part of the global firm's commi  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 6 -- Utah State University issued the following news: According to research done by The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, approximately 36% of caregivers expressed emotional stress due to being a caregiver. Twenty-three percent of caregivers also reported that caring for their own physical and mental health was more difficult due to being a caregiver. To combat caregiver emotional stress, Dallas Spencer, LCSW, and his intern, Nicole Steineke, are hosting a free, in-p  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: LOGAN -- The Youth Conservatory at Utah State University is partnered with Athletics United, a local nonprofit organization that builds community through sport. "The Youth Conservatory is a program where students from all over Cache Valley can sign up to take piano lessons and group music classes from the USU piano majors and graduate students," YC Director Emily Ezola said. "It's a teaching lab for the students here who a  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 4 -- Utah State University issued the following news: For plants, it's a try-not-to-get-eaten world, where photosynthetic organisms have evolved many different physical and chemical defenses to avoid attack from hungry plant-eating animals and insects. But herbivore damage on plants can be highly variable -- even among plants in the same population. "Herbivory on plants is one of the most important processes in nature," says Utah State University ecologist Moria Robinson. "Ye  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 6 (TNSres) -- The University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute issued the following news release: More than 30,000 teachers educate Utah's K-12 students. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored existing concerns related to teacher shortages, retention, and salaries. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that despite the pandemic's impact on the education system, Utah teacher vacancies remain low, teacher retention remains high, and Utah's average  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 7 (TNSres) -- The University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute issued the following news release: July 1, 2023, estimates produced by the Utah Population Committee indicate a total Utah population of 3,456,482, adding 55,989 residents to the state since July 1, 2022. The midyear reference date of these estimates reflects a post-COVID-19 era, with rising inflation, increasing interest rates, and a moderation of high growth from the last few years. "Statewide pop  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 6 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Teams of Utah State University aviation students recently showed off their flying and aircraft maintenance skills by excelling at two regional aviation competitions. Two teams of aviation maintenance students competed at the Intermountain West A&P School Competition, participating in 12 different events such as rigging a helicopter rotor head and installing ignition systems on an engine. Matt Tweedy, Austin Joy and Carson  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 8 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Utah State University faculty member Ryan Jackson has been selected as the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry's R. Gaurth Hansen Professor. Department Head Lance Seefeldt announced the appointment Dec. 1. "We are thrilled that our colleague, Dr. Ryan Jackson, will be the R. Gaurth Hansen Associate Professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department," Seefeldt says. "Ryan's work with gene editing systems is expand  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Utah State University Extension Vice President Ken White recently announced the promotion of Morgan County's Amanda Christensen to Extension full professor. Heidi LeBlanc, USU Extension Home and Community Department director, said Christensen is a dynamic Extension professor and county director who found her true calling in the field of community education. "Her commitment to finance education and empowerment has had a pr  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 4 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Utah State University Extension recently hosted a wellness summit to share ideas, strategies and best practices for addressing the opioid overdose and stimulant epidemic in rural communities. The Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, & Teaching (HEART) Initiative, Tribal & Rural Opioid Initiative (TROI), and collaborators conducted the 6th Annual Rural Opioid and Stimulant Wellness Summit in Price with over 200 attendees.   more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 4 -- Utah State University issued the following news: A project from the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice at Utah State University aims to ease a shortage of certified Braille transcribers in three states, including Utah. The K-12 Braille Transcriber Project was developed by the Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education, an initiative of the Institute for Disability. Braille readers enjoy the benefits of literacy that are experie  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 (TNSres) -- Utah State University issued the following news: By Taylor Emerson Much like the human microbiome that benefits our bodies, plants also host microorganisms that can aid their growth and development in many ways. They can help in nutrient absorption, growth, and disease prevention, as well as in drought and salinity tolerance. The latter two are particularly interesting to USU Assistant Professor Amita Kaundal and her graduate and undergraduate student researche  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 5 -- Utah State University issued the following news: TOOELE, Utah -- Access to higher education is key to Utah State University's land-grant mission. USU Tooele, part of the USU Statewide Campuses system, is furthering this mission by partnering with Tooele Technical College to host TTech students during building renovations while also holding its normal classes. "With construction comes challenges, especially for students and faculty," said USU Tooele Associate Vice Preside  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: LOGAN, Utah -- The Utah Board of Higher Education voted unanimously on December 1 to eliminate application fees for all in-state undergraduate applicants to public colleges and universities in the state beginning in January 2024. Utah State University will no longer require in-state undergraduate applicants to pay a fee to send their application, effective immediately. "We are so pleased with this announcement from the Uta  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 8 -- Utah State University Eastern campus issued the following news: The Utah Board of Higher Education voted unanimously on December 1 to eliminate application fees for all in-state undergraduate applicants to public colleges and universities in the state beginning in January 2024. Utah State University will no longer require in-state undergraduate applicants to pay a fee to send their application, effective immediately. "We are so pleased with this announcement from the Uta  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 5 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined an amicus brief, led by the States of Iowa and West Virginia, in USA v Trump. The brief, which was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, supports the former president's constitutional right to protected political speech. Earlier this fall, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order that restricted forme  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a public comment letter, led by the State of Kansas and co-signed by a coalition of attorneys general, to the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration and Wage and Hour Division. The States wrote in opposition to the Department's recently proposed rule, "Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the Un  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 8 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined the State of Alaska and a coalition of attorneys general in sending a comment letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to oppose a recently proposed rule from his Department. If finalized, the rule, "Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities" would supersede congressional intent in the Reh  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 8 (TNSres) -- The Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity issued the following news: * * * Business Elevated Podcast (Season 5 Episode 38) This podcast series features business and government leaders discussing what it's like to live and work in the great state of Utah. The Business Elevated podcast is available on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-elevated/id1453052684), Google Podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 8 -- Utah State University issued the following news: Utah State's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) stands at 90 percent for its student-athletes, it was announced by the NCAA national office Wednesday, a mark that ties for the third-best in the Mountain West. Utah State had the best or tied for the best GSR in the Mountain West in six sports with golf (100), soccer (100), men's tennis (100), women's tennis (100), volleyball (100) and women's cross country/track & field (95). US  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: In 2016, the Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah State University published research on labor force participation among Utah women. This week, the UWLP published a 2023 research update focusing on demographics, state and national trends, and recommendations for increasing Utah women's employment success. The update also includes information on the unique impact of COVID-19 on female employment, both nationally and in U  more

EL PASO, Texas, Dec. 8 (TNSres) -- The University of Texas's El Paso campus issued the following news release: The University of Texas at El Paso has been awarded a $4.9 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to unlock Earth's subsurface for two potential climate change solutions: the storage of carbon dioxide and the generation of energy. The UTEP-led partnership, which includes Florida State University, the University of Utah, Sandia National Laboratories and Alma Energy LLC, wil  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7 -- Utah State University issued the following news: When Patches the guinea pig became lethargic and lost his appetite, the children who looked forward to seeing him every day at Utah State University's Dolores Dore Eccles Center for Early Care & Education were worried. Fortunately, Dr. Kerry Rood and members of USU's Zoo, Exotic and Wildlife Club were there to save the day. In a presentation to the preschoolers, Rood and ZEW Club members Julia Bartoli, Erin Levine, Paula N  more

HELENA, Montana, Dec. 7 -- Western Governors University-Utah issued the following news release on Dec. 6, 2023: Western Governors University announced today a commitment of up to $400,000 in scholarship money for Montana residents to gain new skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of today's workforce. Called the WGU Montana Workforce Scholarship, the fund exists in recognition of the tremendous opportunity for workers and employers statewide and reflects Governor Gianforte's prioritie  more