A Message From the Interim Dean

Elevations Volume 7: Spring 2021

1000 E. University Ave, Dept. 3254 Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-4106 asdean@uwyo.edu

Interim Dean Daniel Dale Incoming Dean Camellia Okpodu Associate Dean Greg Brown Associate Dean Teena Gabrielson

Editor Halle Hill All articles written by Halle Hill unless indicated. Graphic Design Michelle Eberle, Emily Edgar and Brittny Wroblewski Photography All photos by Ted Brummond and Kyle Spradley unless otherwise noted.

Elevations Magazine is published once a year for College of Arts and Sciences alumni, friends, and constituents.

Mailing addresses are provided by the University of Wyoming Foundation. To change your mailing address and/or contact information, please send email to foundation@uwyo.edu.

The University is committed to equal opportunity for all persons in all facets of the University’s operations. All qualified applicants for employment and educational programs, benefits, and services will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law and University policy. Dear Friends of the College of Arts and Sciences:

As we near the end of the 2021 spring semester, I am amazed at our collective resiliency. This year handed us more than we could have prepared for, and yet here we are, facing into the storm, ever committed in our pursuit of excellence and complete living. Academic year 2019-2020 offered challenges, most notably that of COVID-19, but we met those challenges with classic Wyoming grit. Faculty successfully adjusted to virtual and hybrid teaching, and many of our community events adapted to online gatherings.

Community safety, academic excellence, and inclusivity continue to be a major focus for all UW entities this academic year, and, for the College of Arts and Sciences, this means looking critically at the way we’ve historically done things. We celebrate the first all-female identifying president/vice president ticket in the recorded history of the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) headed by two A&S students.

In October, we launched the Black Studies Center with the inaugural “Let Freedom Ring” webinar, spearheaded by Dr. Fredrick Douglass Dixon. We approached innovation and community engagement through our work with the nascent Grand Challenges and AMK Ranch initiatives, and continued our commitment to visual and performance artistry with a fine selection of live-streamed performances and exhibitions.

We are excited to provide a new approach to our College of Arts and Sciences magazine, Elevations. Ingenuity, adaptability, and resiliency are the themes of this year’s issue. Our feature articles demonstrate the depth and breadth of research and creative activity embodied in A&S, as exemplified through students, faculty and staff. We also offer a modest sampling of faculty accolades and research updates, as well as acknowledgments of the exemplary service and dedication to the university and greater global community from our constituents.

As part of the A&S family, I encourage you to share what you learn in Elevations. Our spirit is unbroken, and we are looking forward to our future with relentless optimism. We are pleased to offer this compilation of our best and brightest. We keep pressing forward, with great hope for A&S and its continued excellence.

Best regards,

Daniel Dale, Interim Dean