In the News

• The Salt Lake Tribune Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025

  Alan L. Smith will be USU's interim president

  A renowned researcher and dean at Utah State University will serve as interim president while the search starts to find a replacement for Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, who announced her sudden departure last week.

  Alan L. Smith will take the helm of the Logan school in the coming weeks, with Cantwell slated to leave quickly — starting a new position as president of Washington State University on April 1.

  Smith has been at USU since 2021 and currently oversees the College of Education and Human Services. In a statement Wednesday, he said he wants to “ensure stability and continued momentum as the search for the next president moves forward.”

• Cache Valley Daily Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025

  Report highlights USU's role in fueling N. Utah's innovation and economy

  LOGAN — Utah State University (USU) is playing a crucial role in shaping Northern Utah’s economic landscape, serving as a catalyst for innovation and industry growth. A recent study on Utah’s innovation ecosystem highlights the university’s contributions in human capital development, research and development (R&D), and commercialization of new technologies.

  According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, USU is a leader in aerospace and defense research, energy innovation, and life sciences, making significant contributions to the state’s economy. As an R1 research institution, USU has consistently attracted federal funding, with its Space Dynamics Laboratory securing major contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense.

• Cache Valley Daily Thursday, Feb. 06, 2025

  Harvard scientist to speak at USU Commencement

  LOGAN - Plans are complete for the 138th Utah State University commencement in Logan. Activities will unfold over three days in late April and early May.

  The academic procession and commencement ceremony will begin Wednesday, April 30, at 6:30 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. College convocations and hooding ceremonies will follow May 1-2. Graduation ceremonies at USU’s statewide campuses are schedule from April 17-26 at USU Uintah Basin, Tooele, Brigham City, Blanding, Eastern, Moab and Southwest.

  Receiving an honorary doctorate degree and serving as USU’s Logan commencement speaker will be M. William Lensch, a USU alum who is the associate provost for research at Harvard University. “Willy” Lensch is a 1991 USU graduate in biology who went on to earn a doctorate degree in molecular and medical genetics from Oregon Health Sciences University.

• KSL Thursday, Feb. 06, 2025

  How drones could be the future in boosting Utah's precipitation

  SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has experimented with cloud seeding for decades, using ground devices and airplanes to disperse silver iodide and liquid propane to pad moisture statistics in one of the nation's driest states.

  These efforts have helped boost precipitation by about 6% to 12% over the past 30 years, Jonathan Jennings, meteorologist and cloud seeding coordinator for the Utah Division of Water Resources, explained to lawmakers and others gathered outside the state Capitol Thursday.

  "(It) might not seem like a lot, but when you cover the entire state of Utah and then expand it over a decade, that's an additional half-year to a year of precipitation," he said, adding that it's produced as much as 200,000 acre-feet of additional water flowing in Utah's streams.

• Hoodline Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025

  USU Alumna Sandra McDougall Honoring Memories with Gifts to USU

  Utah State University alumna, Sandra McDougall has made a mark not only as an educator in Brigham City, Utah but also as a significant benefactor to USU's future. McDougall, whose career spanned over three decades in elementary education, is ensuring her and her late husband's legacy continues through planned gifts to the university, according to USU Today.

• Cache Valley Daily Monday, Jan. 27, 2025

  USU engineering professor named 2025 IEEE Fellow

  LOGAN - Each year the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (or IEEE) confers the grade of Fellow to one-tenth of one percent of the organization’s 460,000 members.

  The grade of Fellow is conferred on IEEE members with extraordinary records of accomplishments in the technical fields.

  A Utah State University professor since 2012, Regan Zane, is among the newly-elected IEEE Fellows. It is the highest grade of IEEE membership and an important career achievement. He is a member of the IEEE Power Electronics Society and is one of seven members of that group elevated to Fellow.

• The Herald Journal Friday, Jan. 24, 2025

  USU's experts provide update on moisture, weather

  Thanks to serviceable amounts of mountain snowfall around Cache Valley, the low total on the valley floor is not immediately concerning to local experts, though the forecast of a relatively dry winter could change that, if it holds.

  Casey Olson, a climate data analyst for Utah State University, provided updates on mountain snowpack and the outlook for the rest of the winter, as of now.

  “We are below normal right now,” Olson said. “We can’t write off the rest of the winter yet. Although, there is some concern… looking ahead into the seasonal outlook because it’s continuing to favor a dryer-than-average spring and late-winter.”

• Cache Valley Daily Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025

  Aggies Walk the Walk honors Martin Luther King, Jr.

  LOGAN - Wednesday on the Utah State University campus USU Athletics, partnering with several campus organizations, invites the community to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by joining the second annual Aggies Walk the Walk at 6 p.m.

  The community walk begins from the east entrance of Old Main to the Wayne Estes Center to hear speeches by USU leaders and students related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

• Cache Valley Daily Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

  USU declares 2025 the year of undergraduate research

  LOGAN - The Utah State University Undergraduate Research Program was created in 1975.

  Since this is the 50th year of the program at USU — and because it is the second oldest such program in the nation after MIT — USU has declared 2025 the Year of Undergraduate Research.

  The program strives to help students find, fund, and present research that the students feel passionately about. Undergraduate research enhances student learning through mentoring relationships with faculty and develops understanding of research methodology.

• Cache Valley Daily Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

  USU student recognized with award by the Board of Trustees

  LOGAN — The Utah State University Board of Trustees recently recognized a student for his exceptional involvement in the USU community, academics and personal growth.

  Andrew Hunting, a senior at Utah State University studying economics, data analytics, and mathematics was recognized at a USU Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Jan. 10 with a prestigious award known as a Resolution of Commendation.

  "Andrew exemplifies the very best of our Aggie spirit, rooted deeply in the legacy of USU," said USUSA President Matthew Richey, who presented the award. "A proud fourth-generation Aggie, Andrew has continued a family tradition of excellence at Utah State, enriching the university through his leadership, scholarship, and service."

• The Salt Lake Tribune Tuesday, Jan. 07, 2025

  Farmers could be the 'heroes' who save the Great Salt Lake, new study says

  It’s up to Utah farmers to save the Great Salt Lake, according to a new study published Tuesday.

  New research quantifies just how much water must be saved to restore the lake, proposes how to achieve that goal and calculates how much it would cost.

  Brian Richter, the lead author of the paper published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Challenges, believes the agricultural water reductions needed to save the Great Salt Lake present a “financial opportunity” for farmers and ranchers across the basin.

• St. George News Thursday, Jan. 02, 2025

  USU Extension staff recognized for reducing youth vaping in rural Utah

  Utah State University Extension recently received the Rural Education Partner of the Year Award from the Rural Health Association of Utah.

  The award recognizes the educational opportunities USU Extension provides in rural areas of Utah and its work to combat the rising trend of youth e-cigarette use, according to a university announcement.

• Cache Valley Daily Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024

  USU launches new Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Center

  LOGAN - A new Data Science and AI Center will open in January at Utah State University serving as USU’s hub for students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders interested in data science, machine learning and AI.

  The center is hosting an opening kickoff at 3 p.m. January 24 in the Perry Pavilion at the Huntsman Business School.

  Kevin Moon, director of the new center, said its goal is to build a stronger data science and AI community at USU.

• Cache Valley Daily Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024

  USU researchers identify world's oldest Colorado Blue Spruce

  LOGAN - Utah State University researchers Jim Lutz, Joseph Birch and Justin DeRose made a unique discovery recently inside the boundaries of Cedar Breaks National Monument.

  During their work to decipher how individual tree species survive changes they face, the research team can predict future big-picture changes in forests.

  They found a certain Colorado blue spruce they named “Old Blue,” for good reason. In identifying Old Blue they pulled a core sample that showed the tree-rings and then carefully counted backward through the tree’s remarkable lifetime, estimating it germinated about the time Shakespeare was born: that’s 457 years of growth.

• Cache Valley Daily Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024

  USU scientists developing models to predict solar activity

  LOGAN - When the sun flares up, its energy interacts with the ionosphere and the atmosphere in powerful ways. When solar flares or corona mass ejections occur it is because of instability in the sun’s magnetic field, and that is when energy is released as a result.

  Such events can cause problems on earth like interruptions in immediate communications or radio communications, with the added possibility that millions of our devices can be affected.

  While there are currently methods of predicting when these events occur, Utah State University researchers are using AI to help make the process more efficient.

• NPR Friday, Dec. 06, 2024

  Why the Southwest peach could make a comeback

  Centuries ago, Southwest tribal nations tended vast orchards of peach trees. Thousands of peaches grew along the part of the Rio Grande river system, stretching into Hopi Tribe territory and Grand Canyon communities.

  The peaches are special. They are nutritious and have historically figured heavily into ceremonial practices.

  "The Hopi nation begins their spring dances when the peaches start blooming. Even for Navajo, there's sacred prayers given to the peaches during certain times of the year," says Reagan Wytsalucy, a member of the Navajo Nation and assistant professor of agriculture at Utah State University.

• KSL Tuesday, Dec. 03, 2024

  Pollution has increased along Wasatch Front, but USU study finds good news

  SALT LAKE CITY — Levels of fine particulate matter have decreased along the Wasatch Front in recent years even as the population has grown, according to a report from Utah State University.

  The report, compiled by researchers at USU's Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air, attributes those improvements over the last decade to better monitoring of air quality, clean air legislation and industry upgrades. Researchers presented their annual Land, Water and Air report to the governor, lieutenant governor and several lawmakers Tuesday morning in an effort to guide policy about the environment, land and water use in the state.

• MSN Tuesday, Dec. 03, 2024

  Scientists develop game-changing method to grow crops

  In a win for crucial cereal crops, researchers have developed a way to allow the plants to convert nitrogen gas from the air to fertilizer to help them grow, as reported by Interesting Engineering. 

  The method, which aims to place a series of a minimum of seven genes into the crops' mitochondria and chloroplasts, allows cereal crops, such as corn and rice, to achieve nitrogen fixation through sunlight without applying fertilizer.

• The Salt Lake Tribune Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

  Grizzly bears vanished from Utah a century ago. They could return soon.

  Utah’s last grizzly bear, lore has it, lumbered about Logan Canyon until meeting his demise at the end of a rifle a century ago. Now, experts say, it likely won’t be long until they return.

  Today, black bears are the only bears that make their dens in Utah, which is home to about 4,000 of the animals. While the Beehive State’s black bear population has rebounded in recent years, the creature’s cousins have also lurked closer.

  “We’ve had grizzlies come fairly close in Wyoming,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologist Darren DeBloois said. “There’s definitely a habitat connection between where they are in the Greater Yellowstone [Ecosystem], and they do seem to be branching out. But I don’t think it’s imminent. I think if someone did see a grizzly bear in the next decade or so in northern Utah, I probably wouldn’t be shocked.”

• UPR Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

  Researcher tracks elephant bones to solve one of their weirdest behaviors

  Elephants in South Africa repeatedly visit the carcasses of other elephants, and move the bones around. A team of researchers at Kruger National Park are working to illuminate this mysterious behavior and understand the role of mega-carcasses on the ecosystem.

  Ryan Helcoski, a Ph.D. student in Utah State University's Department of Wildland Resources, and a UPR science reporter, is currently conducting research on this behavior in the remote South African bush. We talked to Helcoski while he stopped to take a break from fixing his field truck.

• Cache Valley Daily Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

  USU engineering changing the way we think about building materials

  LOGAN - Concrete is one of the largest contributors to global CO2 emissions. The production of cement creates eight percent of human-caused CO2 emissions.

  Erika Espinosa Ortiz is a Utah State University environmental engineer whose research is transforming what we know about building materials. She has produced groundbreaking research into soil pollution and wastewater treatment.

• KUER Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

  USU VR study aims to prepare teachers for tough classroom situations

  Virtual reality could play a greater role in education in the coming decades.

  Now, research is exploring how it can be used to help train future teachers on the best ways to address challenging behaviors from students. This includes aggression, where there’s a possible danger of a student hurting themself or others.

  “Putting teachers in that environment where they're working with challenging behavior, it can be risky,” said Casey Clay, assistant professor in the Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Department at Utah State University. “And so virtual reality offers them that opportunity to practice that in a risk free environment.”

• MSN Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024

  Millions of bees killed daily on highways across US

  Millions of bees are killed daily by cars on the highway, a recent study conducted by Utah State University (USU) revealed.

  While deer or moose, both mammals that are frequently endangered by vehicles on the highway, are protected by wildlife preservationists, bees go completely unnoticed due to their small size. The USU Department of Biology, headed by ecologist and researcher Joseph Wilson, made efforts to further understand the vast amount of bee deaths through vehicle collisions.

• The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024

  USU supports Native American students as they pursue their dreams

  November marks Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor and celebrate the history and culture of Indigenous peoples and recognize their strength, resilience and profound contributions. At Utah State University’s Blanding campus, we are reminded daily of the legacy of Native American communities. Our student body reflects the diverse cultural heritage of the Four Corners area, with Native American students making up over half of our student body.

  USU Blanding was founded with the land-grant vision to provide world-class education to all who live in this unique region in Utah, from Indigenous people, including the Navajo and Ute Mountain Ute people who have called this area home for generations, to descendants of more recent pioneer settlers. The USU Blanding campus stands as a beacon of opportunity in a place rich with history, and our commitment to education is deeply rooted in the belief that every individual, regardless of where they live, deserves access to education that empowers and uplifts lives.