According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 64 percent of inmates showed symptoms of a mental health disorder in 2006. Upon release, many of these men and women were left without medication, food, housing and support. University of Utah master of social work graduates Rebecca Brown and Lynn Unger are using their experience in […]
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!
Hydrogen-Powered Car Wins National Prize
Who says toy cars are for kids? Add strict guidelines, alternative fuels and global competition, and you have a perfect opportunity for university students to test their skills. A team of U students proved the point when they won first place and $2,000 at the national Chem-E-Car competition hosted by the American Institute of Chemical […]
Adaptive by Design
People without disabilities take a lot for granted — especially when it comes to enjoying the great outdoors. Pedaling a bike, using a sleeping bag and even planting flowers can be difficult for people with physical limitations. The challenges came as a shock to students in the U’s new Multi-Disciplinary Design program when they started […]
Testing Materials in Extreme Conditions
When Anne Schaeffer, a Ph.D. candidate in physics, wanted to study the properties of materials, specifically superconductors, under extreme conditions, she realized that she wouldn’t know the true effects unless they were tested concurrently. Her solution: create a method herself. With grant support, she created a pressure chamber that tested two different samples of a […]
Using Sunlight to Build Community
Students can now recharge themselves and their tablets with a little barbecue, bonfire and solar energy thanks to the new Student Solar Plaza at the U’s Shoreline Ridge apartments. The plaza features eight canopies lined with 32 panels that provide students with shade and an environmentally friendly energy source that helps decrease campus electric costs. […]
Weaving History into Building Design
When a class project asked students to design a library in Arizona, Caitlin Thissen, a recent architecture graduate, wanted to not only design a usable library but one that embraced the community’s traditions. Thissen used the traditions of the Hohokam tribe, who settled in northern Arizona, as a precedent for developing a building system and […]
Parasite Killer
What began as a basic science research project for Aude Peden evolved to a much more complex study to help people. Peden, a post-doctoral fellow with the department of biology, came to the U to identify new genes that regulate the nervous system using genetic screens and small roundworms as a modal system. Peden’s project […]
Making the Invisible Visible
Not many people know that seven creeks run in vein-like tunnels beneath Salt Lake Valley’s pavement. But students from the Seven Canyons Trust know about these subterranean waters. They know the beautiful, daylight course these streams traveled in the past, and they are envisioning the face of the valley in the future — and their […]
Distraction-Free Driving
Are certain tasks more distracting than others while driving? For three years, James Coleman, a graduate student in psychology, has been working with professor David Strayer to identify types of distracted driving. Measuring physiological and subjective levels, Coleman created a rating scale. He is currently using his results to meet with advocacy groups who have […]
Start Swimming, and Never Stop
Biology major Ethan Beseris is proving all you need to compete in university athletics is the will to make it happen. Beseris founded the U’s Swim Club, which, despite its infancy, grew quickly to 24 members who competed in monthly meets in the U.S. Masters Swim League. “I believe that with a little outreach, the […]
