Education and Outreach News
March 14, 2016
Call for Abstracts- 2016 USU Spring Runoff Conference
Utah State University’s Spring Runoff Conference is just weeks away. The annual spring runoff conference brings together researchers, scientists, and top experts in Utah and Intermountain West to discuss water issues. This year’s conference will take place April 5-6, 2016 at the Eccles Conference Center on USU’s Logan campus.
Students, undergraduates and graduate students, faculty, and professionals are invited to submit abstracts. The Spring Runoff Conference provides a forum for interdisciplinary sharing of ideas on water-related issues, and is a great venue for introducing research as a poster or oral presentation. The deadline for abstract submissions is Wednesday, March 16.
February 16, 2016
SUU Museums Partner for STEAM Festival
iUTAH researcher Jackie Grant shared news on the 2016 STEAM Festival and Children's Jubilee, which was held February 11-13, 2016 on the Southern Utah University (SUU) campus in Cedar City.
The event featured hands-on exhibitions with a STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math theme. Students also learned about film music composition, and were treated to a music and dance performances by both the Southern Utah University Polynesian Club and the Orchestra of Southern Utah.
Grant estimated that 2,000 people attended the three-day event, participating in a wide variety of activities. Elementary school students led by SUU students learned about water conservation and integrating art & circuitry with the MaKey MaKey invention kit. Teachers and university educators were given three hours on their own on Saturday morning to visit and learn at STEAM booths. Among the many activities at the STEAM festival, participants explored structural engineering concepts, created catapults, welded, and learned about molecules.
Dr. Grant, an assistant professor of biology, is also the museum curator of the Garth and Jerri Frehner Museum of Natural History. She was the recipient of an iUTAH Research Catalyst Grant in 2014, which involved museum visitors in green roof infrastructures.
Photo credit : David Paystrup / The Spectrum & Daily News
December 28, 2015
WaterGirls: Science, Nature, and Inspiration!
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality invited Salt Lake Community College and iUTAH researcher Maura Hahnenberger to be a guest blogger on their website, and thoughts on issues that impact our environment.
“WaterGirls came about from a desire to provide similar experiences to girls at that same critical time in their development. While doing science experiments in a classroom is a great learning experience, it does not give you the emotional experience of participating in science out in the field, where you personally interact with your environment and understand how it works.”
WaterGirls field experience program in action
December 4, 2015
Public Radio Puts Spotlight On Tireless Water Pros
Jennifer Pemberton, and iUTAH partner Utah Public Radio featured in Water Online.
Water and wastewater professionals don’t always get much credit for the pivotal role they play in keeping society running. Just ask Jennifer Pemberton, a reporter who’s helping raise awareness about the water sector through her radio show “The Source.”
The article features the recent episode “Giving Thanks on Brown Friday” from “The Source.”
Image credit: "Seattle Municipal Archives," Worker at Boundary Dam, circa 1970 © 1970, used under an Attribution 2.0 Generic license
November 12, 2015
iUTAH-focused podcasts for UEN SciFi Friday
Mark Brunson, iUTAH Education Outreach & Diversity Director, was featured on the Utah Education Network (UEN) SciFi Friday program during the month of November. During the program Mark talked with Program Coordinator Jenn Gibbs about the conflict over natural resources and the iUTAH project, as it relates to the Western films "Abilene Town," "The Sundowners," "The Big Trees" and "Angel and the Badman." Listen to the podcast.
The UEN SciFi Friday is a multi-platform program, using broadcasts, podcasts, and events to introduce fun, classic films, with commentary by Utah experts in science, technology, engineering, math and related fields.
Other past iUTAH contributors to the program include:
- Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah, explored carnivorous plants and the film "The Day of the Triffids."
- Maura Hahnenberger, now at Salt Lake Community College, and Carolyn Stwertka talked about the featured movie “Man Beast,” and how it relates to Atmospheric Sciences.
- Louisa Stark, University of Utah, enlightened discussion on inherited traits, and the film “Samson vs. The Vampire Women.”
- Sarah Null, Utah State University, talked about the effects of dams combined with the 1925 silent film version of “The Phantom of the Opera.”
- Steve Corbato, formerly of the University of Utah, discussed "The Cosmic Man" and 21st century technology.
- Carolyn Stwertka and Kimi Smith, both from the University of Utah, conversed on computer coding, collaboration in science, and the partnership between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson featured in the film "The Woman in Green."
Stay tuned for more information on iUTAH expert contributions around the state.
