Chemical engineering student McKenna Buck works with one of the U’s newest faculty, Dolly Chitta, developing a super-efficient catalytic process designed to “reduce the carbon footprint,” Buck said. Describing the potential impact of the catalyst, she added, “It’s renewable, not like oil, which we will run out of one day.” The catalyst is a chemical, […]
Topic: Student Innovation @ The U 2016
Next Standard in TB Detection
A new “TB Breathalyzer” sensor created by a Ph.D. student at the U aims to provide a point-of-care solution for millions at risk of getting tuberculosis, a fatal lung disease. “Ten million people are affected by tuberculosis every year,” said its creator, Dhiman Bhattacharyya, whose work involves functionalized titanium dioxide nanotubes to detect disease biomarkers […]
Depression Treatment for Couples
Before attending the U as a graduate student in occupational therapy (OT), Jackie Einerson worked on farms through AmeriCorps and volunteering, focusing on justice. She views the relationship between OT and farming as “the simplicity of improving people’s lives.” Working with professor Alexandra Terrill, Einerson assists with research focusing on post-stroke depression, specifically in couples […]
Get Connected to the Environment
Do you ever stare at our phone aimlessly, even when there’s nothing to look at? Recent U communication graduate Keilian Meyer has created an app to help. It eliminates wasted time — and wasted resources. Social Organic Innovative Learning (SOIL) will connect users to environmental events and information for their local community. “That’s the most […]
Live Create Launch @ Lassonde Studios
The Lassonde Studios is the new home for student entrepreneurs and innovators at the University of Utah. Opening in fall 2016, the building will provide space for living, creating and launching new companies and initiatives. All students are welcome to use the “garage” on the first floor and apply to live here. Residents join the […]
A Six-Pack on Your Back
Cold beverages at a sporting event or on a camping trip are generally a luxury. Luckily, U students Kelton Ekblad (political science) and Daxton Wilson (geophysics) have invented a product that will quench thirst, no matter where you are. Prohibition Technology, their newly founded company, has designed a drink-dispensing backpack — like a vending machine […]
Empowering Women with Every Sale
SmartyPants Wear couldn’t have a better name. Selling harem-style pants, the student startup uses proceeds from each pair sold to support one month of primary school for a girl in a developing country. Co-founders MacKenzie Martin, a strategic communications student, and Brittany Becker, a business administration student, launched the company after traveling to 12 countries […]
Mixing Dance and Creative Writing
Who says artists only have one medium? U senior Robert Goodman studies modern dance and creative writing. He is devoted to making a difference through various styles of art. “In our generation, we’re connected to one another through technology,” Goodman said. “We aren’t quite as connected to our environment or each other, and our communication […]
UROP Student Leaders on Research
No matter what discipline students belong to, research is for them. It can really help and inspire undergraduate experience, or just being a student. UROP [the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program] funds research in just about every discipline you can possibly think of. – Nadini Deo Being at the U facilitates research you wouldn’t find elsewhere. […]
The Future to Scale
Engineering undergrads at the U, Jeff Thomas and Bryan Tran have created a new way to teach high school and college students about nanotechnology. They call the method “MEMS Class on a Chip.” MEMS stands for micro-electromechanical systems. Many universities teach microfabrication, but not about designing on the microscale (1 to 1,000 nanometers). “Things behave […]