May | 2025 | College of Science

Applied Science Project Ribbon Cutting

May 29, 2025

Thank you for your interest in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building and renovated William Stewart Building, marking the completion of the Crocker Science Complex at the University of Utah. These facilities will serve as the new home for the Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences, as well as the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy.

The formal program will feature speakers from the University of Utah, the State of Utah, supporters of the project and other distinguished guests. Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to tour the new facilities and enjoy light refreshments.

College of Science Faculty Recognized

May 28, 2025

M. Denise Dearing

The selection for this significant honor follows a rigorous process involving peer nominations, evaluation by a panel of qualified judges and Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox’s final approval.

“Your outstanding contributions as an ecologist have established a remarkable international reputation for your innovative research and discoveries, and your leadership at both the university and national levels,” Cox states in his official letter to Dearing. “Your pioneering research, program development that benefits the state of Utah, and numerous awards recognizing your international stature embody the excellence in academia/research this medal celebrates.” He also acknowledges Dearing’s “dedication as an effective mentor and teacher, providing exceptional guidance to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.”

The Governor’s Medal is the state’s highest civilian award, celebrating distinguished service and significant contributions to science and technology. Since 1987, this medal has recognized individuals like Dearing, for their impact and achievements.

Dearing will receive the medal at a ceremony on May 21, 2025.

“Being a world-class scientist today requires an extraordinary breadth of skills,” said Fred Adler, Director of the School of Biological Sciences, “and Dr. Dearing has the entire set, ranging from her breadth, creativity and influence as a scientist, her dedicated and innovative teaching, caring and successful mentoring and leadership both at the University of Utah and nationally.”

Woodrats, Toxins and Rattlesnakes

Since 2022 Dearing, a Distinguished Professor in the School of Biological Sciences as well as its former director, has served as the Director of the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems at the National Science Foundation. She and her team study ecological factors and physiological constraints that influence foraging behavior and the evolution of diet breadth in mammalian herbivores.

Currently, her laboratory is investigating the evolution of dietary specialization in herbivores by exploring the detoxification abilities of woodrats (Neotoma species). Woodrats are one of the only animals that can tolerate large quantities of creosote, a shrub with leaves coated in a chemical cocktail of poisonous resin, according to a recent article on Dearing’s research published in @TheU: “The critter’s constitution has astounded biologists and represents a decades-long debate — over evolutionary time, how do animals adapt to a deadly diet? Do detoxification enzymes become more specialized or more abundant?”

In January, Dearing’s team published a landmark paper in the journal Science pinpointing the specific genes and enzymes that allow the woodrats to eat the near-lethal food without obvious harm. They found that creosote feeding woodrats had “doubled down” on detox, having several more key detoxification genes than their counterparts that do not eat creosote.

Dearing’s research has fueled the findings of others, including those presented in a paper published in Biology Letters just three weeks ago. A research team out of the University of Michigan in collaboration with Dearing investigated the immunity of creosote-eating woodrats to rattlesnake venom, a substance that contains hemotoxins that break down blood cells and neurotoxins that cause respiratory paralysis.

Medications like anticoagulants and even Ozempic have resulted from the pharmacologically active molecules discovered in the study of venoms and the animals that resist them. Related to that, coevolutionary relationships between snakes and their prey in one location to another can lead to the discovery of powerful molecules that may have other important applications.

“We are proud to celebrate Denise Dearing’s well-deserved recognition with the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology,” said Pearl Sandick, interim dean of College of Science. “This award recognizes Dearing’s exceptional contributions to science and technology in the state, and we are thrilled to see her join the distinguished group of individuals who have received this honor. Her work has had a profound impact on our academic community and beyond. Her collaborative spirit and dedication have made her an invaluable scientist and colleague.” ~by David Pace

Henry White

A former dean of the College of Science and chairman of the Department of Chemistry, White has demonstrated a deep commitment to student success and is credited with transforming general chemistry education at the U, all the while shepherding the college’s physical expansion and producing world-class basic research that has led to innovations in drug delivery, biosensing and nanotechnology.

“Professor White has demonstrated a deep commitment to student success and is credited with transforming general chemistry education at the U, all the while shepherding the college’s physical expansion and producing basic research that has led to innovations in drug delivery, biosensing and nanotechnology,” said Taylor Randall, University of Utah president. “His leadership as dean and chair have been transformative for the College of Science and Department Chemistry, advancing their world-class research reputations, expanding their educational mission and reimagining philanthropic giving.”

The Rosenblatt Prize is the University of Utah’s highest faculty accolade and is presented annually to a faculty member who transcends ordinary teaching, research and administrative contributions. A group of distinguished faculty members on the Rosenblatt Prize Committee recommends esteemed colleagues for consideration and the university’s president makes the final selection.

vibrant research program

A leading figure in electrochemistry, White is best known for exploring how electrical processes behave at incredibly small (nanoscale) dimensions, according to distinguished professor of chemistry Cynthia Burrows. His work has shed light on how electric fields at surfaces affect the behavior of molecules attached to those surfaces, discoveries that are important for many devices from sensors to batteries.

“Henry excels in every category of our profession, as an educator and a scholar, and as a leader and colleague,” wrote Burrows, herself the 2019 Rosenblatt laureate, in her letter of nomination. “In his 32 years at the U, he has grown a vibrant research program in experimental and theoretical electrochemistry that has impacted diverse areas in biological, physical, and materials chemistry.”

White helped develop a fundamental theory of how molecules move and interact with electric fields near tiny electrodes, known as ultramicroelectrodes. These insights have practical uses in chemical detection and nanotechnology. One of the most exciting innovations from his lab is a patented method to analyze single DNA molecules using protein-based channels placed in glass nanopore membranes, essentially building a microscopic tool for studying genetic material at the molecular level.

“His group has made major contributions to many other areas of electrochemistry that include the application of magnetic fields in electrochemistry, unraveling the mechanism of electro-osmotic transport of drugs through human skin, breakdown of nanometer thick oxide films in corrosive environments, and the characterization of gas ‘nanobubbles,’” Burrows wrote.

White completed his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Texas and worked for nearly a decade at the University of Minnesota as a professor of chemical engineering and materials science. He joined the U’s chemistry faculty in 1993, serving as department chair from 2007 to 2013 and as dean of the College of Science from 2014 to 2019.

“The five years of Henry’s leadership as dean were a transformative period for the College,” wrote Peter Trapa, vice provost and senior dean of the Colleges and Schools of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in a letter of support for White’s nomination. “During this time, the College advanced its world-class research reputation; significantly expanded its educational mission; completely reimagined its fundraising efforts; and positioned itself to grow and sustain these advances for many years to come.”

White is credited with launching the college’s Science Research Initiative, which provides research opportunities to undergraduates and has since grown to 500 students. As department chair, White implemented major changes in the general chemistry program, requiring that only the top educators teach first-year undergraduate courses.

White himself taught general chemistry many times over the course of his U tenure. More than 40 graduate students have been mentored by White, who also supervised more than 60 research projects by undergraduates in chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering.

His research, which touches every corner of electrochemistry, has been funded by both industry and a wide range of federal agencies, including Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Electrochemists study the chemical transformations that occur when electrons are added to molecules in solution, producing results that are advancing energy production and storage. During White’s tenure, the field has gone from relative obscurity to prominence, especially for emerging energy technologies, according to George Whitesides, a university research professor of chemistry at Harvard.

“Even though there is enormous interest in the subject now, very few people really understand it, or the elementary processes it involves. Henry is one of the few who does. He has the true expert’s intuition about the processes that can occur, and the ones that don’t,” Whitesides wrote. “His skill in the science is enormously useful in guiding others who are primarily developing technology or extending applications, and he has assumed the role of arbiter of the “final word” in electrochemical arguments.”

Every major prize available to electrochemists has landed on White, most recently the 2015 Allen J. Bard Award of the Electrochemical Society, for which he was the inaugural recipient. In 2019, the U named him the John A. Widstoe Presidential Endowed Chair of Chemistry, but he later declined to renew the appointment so that it could be offered to a young rising star in the Department of Chemistry.

White helped raise millions in private donations to fund new endowed chairs and construct the Thatcher Building for Biological and Biophysical Chemistry and the Crocker Science Center, both completed under his watch. His initiatives helped diversify the chemistry faculty.

“The accomplishments described above are lasting contributions that will impact the College for generations and are testament to Henry’s exceptional ability as an administrator,” Trapa wrote. “In fact, it is fair to say that he probably did more to advance the dual missions of research and education than anyone who came before him in the history of the College.” ~Brian Maffly

Fredrick Kyalo Manthi

U adjunct professor Fredrick Kyalo Manthi has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Manthi, who serves in the Department of Geology & Geophysics and as Director of Antiquities, Sites and Monuments at the National Museums of Kenya, was formally inducted during a ceremony at NAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. on April 25.

Fredrick Kyalo Manthi

His election recognizes his significant contributions to the fields of vertebrate paleontology and human evolution research.

The National Academy of Sciences recognizes scientists who have made outstanding and ongoing contributions to original research. As one of science’s most prestigious distinctions, NAS membership represents an exceptional achievement in the scientific community. Current NAS membership totals approximately 2,700 members and over 500 international members, of which approximately 200 have received Nobel prizes. Manthi is the 16th faculty member from the College of Science to be elected to the NAS. He is also the only African scientist elected for 2024 and just the second Kenyan ever to receive this recognition.

“Fredrick Manthi’s election to the National Academy of Sciences is incredibly well-deserved and represents decades of meticulous field research and scientific dedication,” said Thure Cerling, Distinguished Professor of Geology & Geophysics and Biological Sciences at the University of Utah and fellow NAS member. “His pioneering work has advanced our understanding of early human evolution, and his connection to Utah has enriched our research community immensely.”

‘Decades of meticulous field research’

With a research career spanning nearly four decades, Manthi has established himself as a leading expert in East African paleontology. Since joining the National Museums of Kenya in 1986, he has conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the Lake Turkana Basin and other fossil sites across Kenya. Since 2003, Manthi directed numerous excavations at Plio-Pleistocene sites including Kanapoi, Lomekwi, Nariokotome, and several others in northern Kenya, collectively yielding over 12,000 fossil specimens, including rare hominid remains. His research on fossil and modern micro-vertebrate bone assemblages has provided valuable evidence for early hominin paleoecology. Manthi has also facilitated research opportunities for emerging Kenyan scientists and developed scientific infrastructure and training programs focused on the collections at the National Museums of Kenya, which serve as crucial resources for understanding human evolution.

“This recognition highlights the importance of international scientific collaboration, and I plan to use my NAS membership to strengthen research partnerships with the University of Utah and the National Museums of Kenya,” says Manthi. “To the young Africans and those from other parts of the world, I want to tell you that you can achieve high levels of success in your career paths through focus, resilience and hard work.”

The College of Science celebrates this prestigious recognition of one of its faculty members. “Fredrick Manthi’s groundbreaking research in paleontology and his commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists are exemplary,” said Interim Dean Pearl Sandick. “His election to the National Academy of Sciences is a tremendous honor, reflecting the extraordinary quality and global impact of his research.” ~Bianca Lyon

Migratory songbirds’ fall feather molt

May 27, 2025

Kyle Kittelberger holding a rare Connecticut warbler. This was only the third time this species was caught in Utah and first ever at Bonderman.

Birds regularly shed and regrow their body and wing feathers in a process, called molting, that is critical for flight, migration, insulation, breeding and survival.

A new study by University of Utah biologists examined molt phenology, or the timing of feather replacement, in response to climate change and made some startling discoveries.

Using 13 years of bird-banding data collected at the university’s field station in southeastern Utah, the research team led by graduate student Kyle Kittelberger documented how molt has shifted for birds, particularly in relation to climate factors such as El Niño. Their findings suggest that molt may be becoming more flexible and climate-sensitive in the fall, with implications for avian survival, migration and reproduction.

“In the fall, we found that birds are shifting both their body and their flight feather molt earlier over time across the 13 years at a rate of about one day earlier per year,” said Kittelberger, who is wrapping up his doctorate in biology professor Çağan Şekercioğlu’s lab. The shift is likely a response to climate-driven changes in the birds’ migration and breeding.

“Molt is a really fundamental component of a bird’s lifecycle. It’s one of the main elements that a bird does, one of the main activities in addition to breeding and migrating,” Kittelberger said. “It allows for the replacement of old, worn and damaged feathers. If you have poor feather quality that could impact, for example, your migration. You might not be able to fly as well. It could also in the spring impact your ability to attract a mate.”

Yet changes in molt phenology have not previously been closely studied in North America. Kittelberger’s study, to be published in next month’s edition of The American Naturalist and available now online, is based on data recorded from 22,072 birds, representing 134 species, captured from 2011 to 2024 at the U’s Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa outside Moab.

Şekercioğlu’s Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab oversees a seasonal mist net program that captures mostly migratory songbirds in the spring (early April to early June) and fall (August through early November) as the birds travel between their wintering grounds in the south and summer breeding areas to the north. The station’s 16 nets are up for six hours a day most days, depending on weather, starting 30 minutes before sunrise.

During capture seasons, the nets are checked every 30 minutes. Species, sex, age, molt stage, feather and body conditions and other data are collected from each bird pulled from the nets before it’s released to continue its biannual journey. Bonderman posts weekly and annual banding reports.

“We didn’t see any shift at the community level for spring body molt,” Kittelberger said. “Some of the reasons for that might be birds tend to migrate much faster in the spring because it’s more of a direct shot getting back to their breeding grounds so that they can start preparing for the breeding season, whereas in the fall, it’s a slower and more meandering process.”

Read the full article by Brian Maffly in @ The U.

Not just a major. It’s a mission

May 22, 2025

Michael Gough

Eliza Watson

“We may be a small department, but that’s part of what makes it so special. We know each other. We support each other. And because of that, we thrive — both as students and as future professionals.”

The opinion piece penned by Trey Robison, Michael Gough, Eliza Watson and Travis Bach was in response to a recent U and Utah System of Higher Education discussion about cutting smaller academic programs. “Unfortunately,” wrote the students, “our department — mining engineering — was mentioned by name as an example of a discipline that could be subject to review under proposed enrollment thresholds.”

The concerned students took the news as an opportunity “to tell our story and to highlight what it really means to be a mining engineering student,” intoning that more than a major, the degree program was a “mission.”

Mining engineering majors at the U are immediately thrust into inter-disciplinary study that includes geology, engineering design, environmental stewardship, safety systems and more. Unlike perhaps other majors in the College of Science/College of Mining and Earth Sciences, mining majors experience hands-on training at mine locations that they are likely to land full-time positions at before graduation.

From the Wasatch Front to Australia

Some of these sites include aggregate pits like Kennecott Utah Copper along the Wasatch Front, coalfields in central Utah, goldfields in Nevada, trona mines in western Wyoming and “even remote mining camps in Australia.”

Trey Robison

Travis Bach

Mining majors at the U, which have quadrupled in annual enrollment since 2022, are the only thing you might consider “small.” Everything about mining is out-sized — not just the gigantic, complex operations in open-air pits and underground, but in the vaulting demand for materials to build a sustainable and secure future in the U.S. and beyond.

The students reminded us that mining is also an essential aspect of a green economy: without lithium and other critical and rare earth minerals, our lives and lifestyle would come to a screeching halt. To keep up with green economy demands, Denee Hayes BSME’02 has explained elsewhere that the world “will need to mine the same amount of copper between now and 2030/40 as we have in all of humanity.” And that is an example of just one metal. More than half of the periodic table goes into producing and running a cell phone. Furthermore, she reminds us, “anything in the periodic table needs to be mined.”

Post-graduation

Salaries for a newly graduated mining engineer at the U are impressive as well. According to a 2020 ranking from GradReports, the Mining Engineering program earned an impressive salary score of 93 based on a median alumni salary of $78,970 in the year after graduating. This salary score compares the median alumni salary for Mining Engineering alumni at the U to the median alumni salary for the same program at other schools. The same ranking showed that 95% of mining engineering students were employed after graduation.

On more of a personal note, the students who authored the Tribune piece were keen to paint a picture of how being at the U in a small cohort of undergraduates quickens their group cohesion, a cohesion that immediately has global implications. “Recently, we launched a student mine rescue team — a multidisciplinary effort that brings students from across campus together to learn about emergency response in industrial settings.”

“Think of where the materials came from to construct the device on which you may be reading this,” concluded the mission-driven students. “[T]he foundation of the building in which you sit, the fertilizer that was used to grow the food you eat, your favored mode of transportation … the list goes on and on.”

By David Pace

You can read the Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece (paywalled) here.

Unleashing Innovation in the Beehive State

May 22, 2025

Yekaterina Epshteyn

The conference highlighted the latest advances in the field of computational mathematics (CompMath), articulated and illustrated by approximately 250 attendees from across the nation.

Organized by the U’s Yekaterina Epshteyn, James Adler (Tufts University), Alexander Alekseenko (CSUN) and Lars Ruthotto (Emory University), the meeting featured diverse presentations — everything from the design of robust algorithms for various solutions of mathematical models to computational mathematics advances of data science and artificial intelligence (AI).

Presenters discussed, among many other topics like quantum computing, the development of digital twins, virtual, dynamic models of physical systems that are constantly updated with real-time data. These models are used for prediction, monitoring and control of the physical system, offering significant advantages in various applications working toward the solutions of pressing scientific, engineering and societal problems.

From vascular stents to nuclear plants

Some of those algorithms are being developed to improve medical device design like vascular stents, drug delivery devices, implanted devices and medical diagnostic equipment for cancer detection.

Other areas of inquiry include optimizing tracking devices of the contaminants in hydrological systems and creating data-driven methods and tools to detect faults in structures such as bridges and nuclear plants.

“As one of the organizers of the meeting,” says Epshteyn, “I was really impressed by how diverse the topics were, and how detailed the presenters were, from the U and across the nation, in explaining their research.” Meetings like these, generously funded by American taxpayers through the NSF, speak to the broad range of complex problems that need to be addressed to maintain the pace of scientific, engineering, technological and societal discoveries.

The rich tapestry of research in the computational mathematics space, on display at the U conference, demonstrated the real potential for making our world more efficient, safer, kinder and more livable all while growing the economy. “Making the connection between high-level research with real-life, day-to-day outcomes can elude all of us at times,” Epshteyn acknowledges. Not so at the NSF’s CompMath meeting. During the conference, it became self-evident that we are on the cusp of innovations in many closely connected areas, such as engineering and the deployment of next generation materials to design, for example, robust techniques for cryo-electron microscopy. “It’s exciting to see how research in applied and computational mathematics leads to all of these advancements,” says Epshteyn.

The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.

The conference also fielded several engaging panel discussions which provided beneficial mentoring to early-career participants—the students, post-doctoral researchers and junior researchers who make up the newest crop of skilled scientists and engineers.

In all, the NSF CompMath Meeting 2025 brilliantly showcased the state-of-the art developments in research and education in the computational mathematics field. It created a supportive and engaging atmosphere for new interactions and collaborations among participants while fostering a greater sense of community for computational mathematicians.

“It was not only a wonderful and productive event for those who attended,” concludes Epshteyn of the event. “It was a gratifying accomplishment for all the work supported by the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences Computational Mathematics program, for the university and for the future of Utah.”

by David Pace

To read more about the conference and view additional photos click here.

Urgency and hope at 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit

May 22, 2025

Conor Walsh, assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, delivering his keynote address.

Anderegg’s message resonated with his audience of scientists, policymakers, business leaders and others gathered at the third annual Wilkes Climate Summit, hosted by the Wilkes Center on May 15 at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House on the U’s campus.

This year’s theme—innovation, science and solutions—was manifest in the day’s keynote addresses, panel breakout sessions, and presentations from the seven finalists vying for the $250K Wilkes Climate Launch Prize.

“When [the Wilkes Center] was set up a number of years ago, the dream was to bring immediate innovation to the problem of climate,” said U President Taylor Randall, speaking of Clay and Marie Wilkes whose $20 million donation launched the Wilkes Center in 2022. “[They] fundamentally believed in science and science’s ability to create scalable change and create scalable solutions…When I see individuals [here] dealing with this problem, I leave with nothing but hope and optimism.”

The Wilkes Center’s mission is to accelerate climate solutions through research, education and innovation, goals especially important during these tumultuous times.

“Many of the cuts to science and research that those of us around the country are worried about will hinder America’s prosperity, economic growth, competitiveness and global leadership,” Anderegg said in his opening remarks. “We need science and innovation more than ever.”

Anderegg outlined the four core questions guiding everything the center does, which capture the spirit of discussions happening throughout the summit:

How can we accelerate solutions to yield a global, downward trend in greenhouse gas emissions?
How can we get the best science into the hands of decision- and policymakers?
How can we train the next generation of leaders?
How can we foster innovation to develop, deploy and scale these climate solutions?

“The scientific understanding is really crystal clear; the 2020s are a pivotal decade for climate action,” Anderegg said. “We have a rapidly closing window to avoid the impacts of dangerous climate change and chart a sustainable and prosperous future for everyone here in Utah, around the U.S. and around the world.”

Clean energy transition and the global rise of solar power

The summit kicked off with a morning keynote by Conor Walsh, assistant professor at the Columbia Business School studying the economics of the energy transition. You can read the four highlights from his talks, reports on the seven Wilkes Prize finalist presentations as well as other expansive coverage in the remainder of this article by Lisa Potter in @ The U.

Unravelling Nature’s Marine Cloud Brightening

May 22, 2025

Gerald "Jay" Mace

Recent research conducted by Dr Gerald Mace from the University of Utah and colleagues reveals how air masses passing over the Antarctic continent naturally boost cloud brightness through a complex chain of chemical and physical processes. This natural phenomenon may hold important clues for improving climate models and predicting future climate change.

Nature’s Cloud Factory

The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote and pristine regions on Earth, making it an ideal natural laboratory for studying how clouds formed before human industrial activity began altering Earth’s atmosphere. This vast expanse of water encircling Antarctica experiences some of the planet’s strongest winds and stormiest conditions, yet it’s the region’s clouds that have captured scientists’ attention.

These clouds play a crucial role in Earth’s climate by reflecting sunlight back to space, but climate models have struggled to accurately simulate their properties. Understanding the mismatch between models and observations has become increasingly urgent as scientists work to improve predictions of future climate change.

Dr Gerald Mace and an international team of researchers have been investigating an intriguing pattern: clouds near Antarctica’s coast tend to be brighter and more reflective than those further north over the open ocean. This brightness comes from having more numerous but smaller water droplets packed into the clouds – a property that makes them more effective at reflecting sunlight.

Following the Air’s Journey

To understand what creates these especially bright clouds, Dr Mace and his colleagues tracked air masses as they moved across the Antarctic continent and over the Southern Ocean. They combined multiple types of observations, including data from satellites, research ships, and atmospheric measurements, to build a comprehensive picture of how the clouds evolve.

The team’s analysis revealed that air masses which had recently spent time over the Antarctic ice sheets produced clouds with particularly high numbers of droplets. This effect was especially pronounced when the air had travelled over Antarctica’s high-altitude ice domes, where temperatures are extremely cold and the sun’s rays are intense during the summer months.

These conditions, the researchers surmised, create an ideal environment for forming new particles that can later serve as seeds for cloud droplets. When this particle-rich air descends from the Antarctic plateau and moves out over the ocean, it produces clouds with markedly different properties from those formed in air masses that haven’t passed over the continent.

The Chemistry Behind the Clouds

The process begins in the biologically productive waters near Antarctica’s coast, where tiny marine organisms flourish during the summer months. These organisms release a chemical called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) into the air – a process that has been occurring in Earth’s oceans for millions of years. When this DMS-rich air rises and passes over Antarctica’s ice sheets, it undergoes a remarkable transformation.

Research at Australia’s CSIRO research organisation has examined the complex chemistry involved in this process. This work shows that over the ice sheets, where there are very few existing particles in the air and intense sunlight during summer, chemical reactions convert the DMS into sulfuric acid vapour. This vapour can then form completely new particles through a process called nucleation, which eventually become the seeds for cloud droplets.

This natural particle formation process proves particularly efficient because the air over Antarctica’s ice sheets is exceptionally clean – any existing particles have usually been removed by precipitation before the air reaches the continent. The newly formed particles, therefore, have little competition as they grow large enough to serve as cloud condensation nuclei, the essential seeds around which cloud droplets form.

Read the entire story in Scientia here.

Utah’s Energy Future

May 21, 2025

The panel represented a diverse cross-section of Utah's energy landscape, featuring leaders from a national laboratory, academic research, non-profit advocacy and private industry. What emerged was a picture of a state uniquely positioned to lead in the clean energy transition, with abundant natural resources and a collaborative approach to energy development.

What also became evident during the discussion, moderated by Wilkes Center Director William Anderegg, is that the U continues to be a key player in moving publicly funded research directly and often quickly to market, scaling new technologies for the benefit of all Utahns. “One Utah” and “The University for Utah” are not just aspirational mantras but actual products and services currently materializing in communities across the state. Large-scale energy production and grid expansion and resilience are no exception.

Utah's ‘Energy Royal Flush’

Teresa Foxley

"Utah was dealt the energy royal flush," said Teresa Foxley, Chief of Staff for rPlus Energies, referencing an op-ed her company published recently about Utah's diverse energy resources. Beyond traditional fossil fuels, Utah boasts exceptional renewable resources including solar, wind and geothermal, positioning the state for leadership in the energy transition.

Foxley's company, a Salt Lake City-based renewable energy developer, exemplifies this potential. rPlus Energies is currently constructing the Green River Energy Center in Emery County, a massive 400-megawatt solar project paired with 400 megawatts of battery storage. When completed in 2026, it will be "the second largest project of its type in the country," she said and represents a $1.1 billion investment in rural Utah.

The company is also developing pump storage hydro projects, a technology that pairs well with both renewable and nuclear energy by storing energy when abundant and releasing it during peak demand periods.

World-Leading Geothermal Research

Joe Moore

Joe Moore, a research professor at the U, highlighted the state's leadership in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). He directs the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), a Department of Energy-funded project in Milford, Utah.

"FORGE is the only facility of its kind in the world, and so people around the world are certainly looking at us," Moore stated. "We are leading the world in enhanced geothermal development already."

Unlike traditional geothermal systems that rely on naturally occurring hot springs, EGS creates geothermal reservoirs by fracturing hot rock deep underground. The FORGE project has made significant advances in reducing drilling costs and developing new stimulation techniques that have attracted interest from major energy companies.

Moore emphasized geothermal's enormous potential: "Tapping even 2% of the energy between two and six miles would give us more than 2000 times the yearly US energy needs. Keep in mind, this is clean. This is benign, very low environmental impact, very low induced seismic risks."

Nuclear's Role in a Clean Energy Future

Laura Nelson

Laura Nelson, Idaho National Laboratory's (INL) regional engagement lead in Utah, discussed how nuclear energy can contribute to a reliable, clean energy future. Often considered "the nation's nuclear energy lab," INL, located in Idaho Falls, has been at the forefront of nuclear energy research for 75 years.

"We have a vision to change the world's energy future," Nelson said, describing INL's mission to create "a resilient and sustainable energy future for everyone... that's affordable, reliable, resilient and accessible."

Nelson highlighted the growing interest in advanced nuclear reactors in Utah and throughout the West. Unlike the large nuclear plants built in the 1970s, she explained, these newer designs include small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro-reactors that offer flexibility for various applications, from providing consistent power for AI data centers to supporting military operations in remote locations.

"We need power that's available when other resources may not be available, that we can call on 24/7, that can be there to meet our energy needs when maybe other resources aren't available, or if we have failures on the system," Nelson explained, emphasizing the importance of "firm power" in an increasingly renewable-heavy grid.

Clean Energy Economics and Climate Action

Logan Mitchell

Logan Mitchell, a climate scientist and energy analyst with Utah Clean Energy, brought the climate perspective to the discussion. As a nonprofit organization that has worked for 25 years to accelerate climate solutions in Utah, Utah Clean Energy focuses on decarbonizing buildings, transportation and the electricity sector.

Mitchell highlighted how economics is now driving the clean energy transition: "Clean energy is the most cost-effective form of energy production. It's just more efficient . . . right now. This is the economics, and the efficiency of it is really overtaking other motivations."

He also emphasized how renewable energy is bringing economic benefits to rural communities through tax revenue: "This pays for the local community center, the pharmacies and the pharmacists and the hospitals in those communities and is giving a lifeline to those communities."

Collaboration as Utah's Strength

A common theme throughout the discussion in front of an appreciative late-afternoon crowd was Utah's collaborative approach to energy development. The panelists agreed that Utah's pragmatism and willingness to work across different energy resources has positioned the state as a leader in energy innovation.

As Mitchell noted, "We all need to get there together. We can't leave behind the communities that powered us in the past. We all need to get there together."

When asked about Utah's electricity mix in 2035, the panelists offered varied predictions but generally agreed that the state would see more renewable energy, storage solutions and potentially nuclear power in its future. Mitchell suggested the grid could ultimately reach about 70% wind and solar with 30% “dispatchable” resources like geothermal, nuclear and hydropower

For Utah to overcome barriers to scaling these technologies, the panelists identified several challenges: misconceptions about renewable energy reliability, regulatory hurdles and permitting timelines, technological limitations and costs. Even so, they remained optimistic about Utah's potential to lead in clean energy development through continued innovation and collaboration.

Higher Education’s Impact Happening Now

As Utah’s flagship RI university, the U is a critical player in the future of energy production in the Beehive State. Beyond hosting the 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit which annually convenes leading policymakers, and nationally-recognized scientists, foundations, and innovators to discuss the most promising and cutting-edge solutions for climate change, the U demonstrates repeatedly how academics and research translate directly and often quickly to public benefits.

As Nelson summarized: "Utah is a special place, and I appreciate that we often come together collaboratively when we disagree upon solutions, and our energy system is a critical part of that, because it's so important to our quality of life, to our economies."

By David Pace

The power of curiosity and collaboration

May 20, 2025

Over the course of an academic career spanning five decades, the University of Utah geoscientist has developed numerous forensic tools, such as isotope analysis, for understanding geological processes that affected the course of life on Earth, according to presentations given Saturday at a symposium to reflect on the contributions of Cerling, who is retiring this year.

His discoveries have reconstructed the diets of ancient animals, characterized the ecology of early human sites in East Africa, pinpointed when floods incised Grand Canyon, identified a global transition in vegetation types 3 to 10 million years ago, and even helped law enforcement crack cold cases and solve wildlife crimes. He is perhaps best known for exploiting the relative abundance of certain elemental isotopes as a way to date objects or determine where a person or animal lived or what they ate, earning him the moniker The IsoPope.

Cerling “is a profoundly curious and interested individual. He seeks out and he finds systems that are interesting around him and he finds interesting questions and finds ways to bring these fundamentals into new areas,” said symposium moderator Gabe Bowen, a U geology professor and former student of Cerling’s. “He’s not afraid to go out and sample things and just get materials and might not know exactly what they’re going to be good for right at that time, but Thure’s a collector and this pays off.”

The event was held at the Utah Museum on Natural History, where dozens of scientists from around the country gathered to celebrate Cerling’s contributions to science and his impact on them personally.

Read the full story by Brian Maffly in @TheU

Spring runoff is older than you think

May 12, 2025

Growing communities and extensive agriculture throughout the Western United States rely on meltwater that spills out of snow-capped mountains every spring. The models for predicting the amount of this streamflow available each year have long assumed that a small fraction of snowmelt each year enters shallow soil, with the remainder rapidly exiting in rivers and creeks.

New research from University of Utah hydrologists, however, suggests that streamflow generation is much more complicated. Most spring runoff heading to reservoirs is actually several years old, indicating that most mountain snowfall has a years-long invisible journey as groundwater before it leaves the mountains.

The findings also indicate there is an order of magnitude more water stored underground than most Western water managers account for, said research leader Paul Brooks, a professor of geology and geophysics.

“On average, it takes over five years for a snowflake that falls in the mountains to exit as streamflow,” Brooks said. “Most of our models, whether for predicting streamflow or predicting how much water trees will have in dry years, are based on the idea that there’s very little water stored in the mountains. Now we know that that’s not the case. Most of the water goes into the ground and it sits there for somewhere between three and 15 years before it’s either used by plants or it goes into the streams.”

The team collected runoff samples at 42 sites and used tritium isotope analysis to determine the age of the water, that is how much time elapsed since it fell from the sky as snow.

Published this week in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, the findings were co-authored by U geology professors Sara Warix and Kip Solomon in collaboration with research scientists around the West.

Read the full story by Brian Maffly in @TheU

Wednesday, July 16 | 2:00 p.m. L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building 275 South University Street

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M. Denise Dearing

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Henry S. White

A world-renowned leader in the field of electrochemistry and distinguished professor chemistry, White has been named the 2025 recipient of the University of Utah’s Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence.

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The power of curiosity and collaboration

Whether it’s roadkill livestock or his own beard hairs, Thure Cerling’s keen eye for objects to analyze has led to scientific discoveries, both unexpected and groundbreaking.

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Spring RUnoff is Older than You think

Research by U hydrologists finds water flowing out of Western ranges is, on average, more than 5 years old, demonstrating that runoff has a prolonged underground journey.

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Wednesday, July 16 | 2:00 p.m.
L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building
275 South University Street

The National Science Foundation (NSF) marked its 75^th anniversary May 10 2025 and to celebrate, computational mathematicians gathered at the University of Utah May 8-9 for their annual meeting.