A few days before the forecast of Utah’s severe and widespread windstorm on Sept. 8, 2020, Eric McNamee, atmospheric science student and director of Utah Weather Center, had the idea to launch a weather instrument called a radiosonde to study the downsloping wind event. A radiosonde is an atmospheric instrument, carried by a balloon to […]
Category: Student Innovation @ the U
“Student Innovation @ the U” is an annual publication celebrating student innovators and entrepreneurs from across campus. Read to see what students are inventing, and get inspired!
Efficient Ammonia Production
U chemistry students Fangyuan “Daisy” Dong and Helena Haddadin are part of a team working to genetically modify cyanobacteria for more efficient ammonia production, which is an important ingredient in fertilizers. The rest of the team consists of other biology and chemistry students, ranging from undergrad to post-docs. Their primary interest in the project is […]
Simplifying Organic Chemistry
For Nico Terreros, a scientific breakthrough began with a conversation. Working together with organic chemistry professor Andrew Roberts, Terreros created an instrument that is based on a common practice in organic chemistry known as thin layer chromatography. Thin layer chromatography is used to separate various components of compounds of a chemical mixture. This provides qualitative […]
Learning From Ancient Glaciers
While working toward his Ph.D. at the University of Utah, Brendon Quirk used evidence of ancient glaciers along the Wasatch Front to aid in understanding future change in the region. “Our research is a continuation of a century’s work in geology,” he said. After researching evidence of ancient glaciers discovered by Western settlers in the […]
Inflatable Beds for Infants
After a month spent volunteering at the Moria Refugee Camp in Greece in 2019, Haley Zimmerman, a founder in the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, knew what she wanted her undergraduate senior thesis to be. “I wanted to focus on refugees and be able […]
Helping Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Taehyun Yoo grew up watching his parents run their own restaurant before entering the Multi-Disciplinary Design program at the University of Utah. Wanting to find ways to help other immigrant entrepreneurs succeed, Yoo felt driven to simplify the complicated documentation process for immigrant entrepreneurs. Through research, he discovered inconsistencies within federal and state levels of […]
Better Cargo Management
Sawtooth started after DJ Potter went on a camping trip to the Sawtooth Mountains. During a rain storm, all of his gear got soaked and muddy because he didn’t have a cover on his truck bed. When he returned home, he searched for a solution, couldn’t find one, and eventually arrived at a novel idea: […]
Culture-Inspired Skincare Products
What does resin from a tree native to Southeast Asia and luxury skincare have in common? Answer: Yasmin Khan and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Khan has been developing her company, Khalm Skincare, and bringing her Pakistani culture to the United States through the Master of Business Creation program at the […]
Perfect Fit for Local Designers
Computer science graduates Prince Mugisha, Ashton Bower, and Ryan Furukawa have a good eye for market trends — and fashion. In search of a capstone project they could put their hearts into, Mugisha and Furukawa thought of their friends in the clothing design industry. While they could conjure beautiful pieces and innovative style, the local […]
A Vintage Motorsport Lifestyle
Stephanie Burnham, co-founder of B3 Supply Co, is curating a vintage motorsport lifestyle through clothing and apparel. B3 Supply Co does this through its clothing brand on its online store. “We want to deliver a lifestyle that shows racing and a vintage aspect so that people can live how I like to live,” she said. […]