UWYO Magazine – Vol. 21 No. 1

Food for Thought

THEEAT & DRINKISSUE

On the Cover

Features

14 / Pokes Step Up During Pandemic

From assisting with testing to making facemasks, UW students and faculty helped with a wide range of COVID-19 needs.

18 / Alumni Chefs

You’ll find UW alumni—chefs, restaurant owners and winemakers—making their mark across the country.

26 / Great Grains

From diversifying the economy with ancient grains to producing top brewers, UW knows the value of a great grain.

30 / Growing the State

Research and extension efforts help cultivate new crops and opportunities.

34 / Flavors of Campus

From free fruit and cooking classes to meat products made by students, the Laramie campus is bursting with nutritious offerings.

68 / An Exchange of Opportunities

The Health Equity Leadership Program brings Howard University and University of Wyoming students together to learn and grow.

Alumna Sheena Ernst is the chef and owner of The Wild Table in Red Lodge, Mont., a bistro and bakery specializing in seasonal cuisine.

UWyo

Fall 2020

Volume 22 Number 1

UWYO.EDU/UWYO

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the University of Wyoming

University President: Edward Seidel

Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing: Chad Baldwin

Editor: Micaela Myers

Design: Michelle Eberle, Emily Edgar, Brittny Wroblewski

Photography: All photos by Ted Brummond and Kyle Spradley unless otherwise noted

Contributing Editors: Chad Baldwin, Tamara Linse

Contributing Writers: Nicole M. Crawford, Tamara Linse

AlumNews/WyoGrams: Annika Belser, Christine Henschler, Jeff Victor

UWyo is published three times per year as a partnership between UW Institutional Marketing and the UW Alumni Association. UWyo is supported by UW Research & Economic Development, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and the Office of the President. ©2020 by the University of Wyoming. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from this magazine may be reprinted with permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the University of Wyoming and copies of reprinted materials are provided to the editor.

UWyo

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Voice: (307) 766-2379

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Email: uwyomag@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, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, creed, ancestry, political belief or any other applicable category protected by law and University policy.

BY THE NUMBERS BY THE NUMBERS

#1 #1

UW is ranked No. 1, with 74 fall sport student-athletes named to the fall Academic All-Mountain West Conference team, marking the second-consecutive year that Wyoming teams set a new school record.

UW’s College of Education was ranked first in the nation by Study.com on its list of the “50 Best Colleges for Education Majors.”

In March, UW’s women’s Nordic ski team won the sprint race at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., and finished as overall runner-up when the competition was cut short due to COVID-19.

Wyoming Public Radio and Media (WPR/WPM) won a station record of six Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in the small market category.

#1 12 BIG

6

UW doctoral programs in education have been ranked No. 8 on a list of the 25 most a ordable universities to earn an online doctorate in education by Online U.

$1.5 MILLION

A $1.5 million gift from Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), doubled to $3 million by state matching, will support a Ranch Management and Agriculture Leadership Center in the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The center will train the next generation of ranch managers, wildland recreation professionals and agricultural leadership.

In March, Wyoming heavyweight wrestler Brian Andrews became the third Cowboy to take home a Big 12 Championship.

Botany master’s student Erin Bentley was one of 40 artists and scientists selected for The Arctic Circle program—an annual expeditionary summer residency program.

40

SOLVING THE WORLD’S

MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGES

At the University of Wyoming, our students are studying and researching in world-class facilities alongside faculty who care deeply for their success. Learn how you can get started at uwyo.edu/CEAS.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Jacy Busboom

Junior, Chemical Engineering Award-winning research that’s studying possible links between breast cancer and obesity.

ADVANCED EDUCATION

Jackson Rambough

Graduate student, Mechanical Engineering

Stephan Brinckmann

Ph.D. candidate, Mechanical Engineering

Conducting materials science research with access to one of the most robust 3D printing makerspaces in the country.

MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS

Suresh Muknahallipatna

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Recently launched IBM GRAF, a global software that can predict weather forecasts 12 times faster

UW WELCOMES

28 TH PRESIDENT

Ed Seidel outlines his goals for taking the University of Wyoming forward.

By Micaela Myers

One day soon, you may see a new face at Snowy Range Ski Area—the University of Wyoming’s 28th president, Ed Seidel. However, having taken the reins July 1, he realizes there’s a lot to accomplish before he can hit the slopes.

Seidel says many things drew him to the position, starting with the fact that it is the land-grant university in Wyoming

with so much impact across the state. Add to this its many strengths and assets already in place, such as a strong UW Foundation, state-of-the-art facilities and Division I athletics. With its wonderful location, UW seemed perfect for Seidel.

Even before starting July 1, over the spring and summer, Seidel put significant energy into getting to know the community—the university, Laramie and the state.

“I’ve been making a lot of calls to get to know people— from the mayor to the foundation board. I’ve talked to many current and former governors and Sen. Al Simpson. Everyone has been so welcoming,” he said in June.

Seidel has a number of broad goals that together will help drive UW to be a leading 21st century land-grant university. These include making the university more digital; creating an entrepreneurial mindset; fostering interdisciplinary collaboration; and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Having worked for the University of Illinois since 2014 (see sidebar), Seidel comes with a great deal of experience on how to advance land-grant universities for the 21st century.

“I want to take the university and move it to the next level of excellence,” Seidel says. “Increasingly, universities are thought of as engines of innovation, not just workforce development.” This includes laying a foundation that over time can help to modernize and diversify the economy, efforts Seidel led in Illinois. He envisions the university working closely with communities across the state to develop programs to do this.

An important aspect of advancing UW will include increased efforts in computing, data and artificial intelligence—all key to the modern workplace.

“UW needs to be strong in these areas,” he says, adding that these realms are not just for engineering and computer science but apply across the entire university.

Seidel also wants to see an entrepreneurial mindset developed throughout—from faculty going after more grants to the student experience and creating new businesses that enhance the state.

A third goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration, “the idea of bringing expertise from across the university together with communities to work together on difficult problems facing Wyoming, such as diversifying the economy or rural health care,” Seidel says.

“A fourth goal is to enhance inclusivity, diversity and equity at the university, all of which are critical for innovations that will benefit everyone in the state.” he says. “We need all four of these goals to excel as a leading 21st century land-grant university that impacts the entire state and region.”

Along with these goals, he wants to continue to embrace the university’s traditions and culture. “I want to make sure we stay true to the Wyoming’s roots. I love ‘The World Needs More Cowboys,’ and I hope to become accepted as a cowboy myself,” Seidel says. “We want more Cowboys to become entrepreneurs, designers, and computer scientists or to pursue other creative vocations that will drive the state’s future. Students from all majors can be prepared to contribute back to the building of this new economy so the state will thrive in the future.”

COMBATING COVID-19

When Ed Seidel interviewed for the position of president at the University of Wyoming, COVID-19 was barely on the state’s radar. “It’s amazing how rapidly this developed,” he says, praising the university’s quick response. As the university restarted on-campus operations this fall, Seidel’s focus remains on safety. “I want to make sure it’s a safe place to work and attend school, that we’re able to be nimble when infections are detected, and then we’re able to respond quickly to keep people safe,” he says. “We need not only to detect but track infections, contacts and so on.” Seidel also wants to make sure students are supported in all ways, including financially.

“Student success is the primary directive,” he says.

Visit uwyo.edu/campus-return for more on UW’s COVID-19 response.

RESUME AT-A-GLANCE

Ed Seidel brings an impressive record in higher education to his presidency at the University of Wyoming.

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. in relativistic astrophysics, Yale University, 1988. M.Phil. (1988), M.S. (1987), Yale University. M.S. in physics, University of Pennsylvania, 1983. B.S. in mathematics and physics, College of William and Mary, 1981

POSITIONS HELD, 2014–20:

University of Illinois System, vice president for economic development and innovation and leader of the Illinois Innovation Network, a consortium of 15 sites including all four-year public universities in Illinois. Founding interim director of the Discovery Partners Institute, an interdisciplinary campus of the University of Illinois System and other partners worldwide. University of Illinois, Founder Professor, Department of Physics; professor, Departments of Astronomy and Computer Science, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment. National Center for Supercomputing Applications, senior research scientist and came to Illinois in 2014 as its director.

PREVIOUS POSITIONS:

Senior vice president for research and innovation and professor, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia, 2012–14. National Science Foundation, assistant director for mathematical and physical sciences, 2009–12; director of the Office of Cyberinfrastructure, 2008–10. Founding director, Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, 2003–08. Floating Point Systems professor, Louisiana State University Departments of Physics and Computer Science, 2003–10. Chief scientist, Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, 2004–08. Professor and head of numerical relativity and eScience research groups, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Albert Einstein Institute, Germany, 1996–2005. Associate professor of physics and astronomy, University of Illinois, 1996. Senior research scientist, head of numerical relativity group, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and visiting associate professor of Physics, University of Illinois, 1991–96.

VISIT UWYO.EDU/PRESIDENT TO LEARN MORE.

WELCOME TO GABRIELLE ALLEN

Ed Seidel’s partner, Gabrielle Allen, serves at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as associate dean for research in the College of Education, professor in the departments of Astronomy and Curriculum and Instruction, and research professor in the Department of Computer Science.

“She was very excited about moving to Wyoming as well,” Seidel says, adding that Allen is the one who introduced him to hiking and camping. They look forward to enjoying a state that celebrates the outdoors, and he wants to make sure this aspect of Wyoming is promoted as the university recruits students and faculty talent.

The Big Picture

2020 Virtual Commencement

University of Wyoming students, staff and faculty pulled together this spring to create an amazing virtual graduation ceremony. In addition, a Cowboy Caps contest drew 57 stellar entries with first place winner Mike Gardner, of Vernal, Utah (pictured below with the oil pump), and second place winner Kristen Newbury, of Yuma, Colo., taking home gift cards to the University Store.

UW HONORED FOR COMMITMENT TO FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT SUCCESS

UW has been recognized by the Center for First-generation Student Success for the university’s commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of firstgeneration college students. The initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the Suder Foundation recently announced that UW is part of its 2020–21 cohort of First-gen Forward Institutions. Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building experiences and a first look at the center’s research and resources.

PROFESSORS RECEIVE PROVISIONAL PATENT FOR METHOD TO REDUCE GAS FLARING

Brian Toelle, a UW professor of practice in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, and Maohong Fan, a UW School of Energy Resources professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, recently received a provisional patent for their FlareNitro process—a method using cryogenic transport to help the oil and gas industry reduce emissions created by flaring and venting of natural gas.

TRUSTEES APPROVE LAUNCH OF GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE DEGREE PROGRAMS

In June, the UW Board of Trustees approved two new interdisciplinary degree programs and five certificate programs in geospatial information science and technology (GIST). The offerings will be coordinated by the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center. The newly established programs will help meet the needs of Wyoming and regional economies by producing graduates who can work in a variety of fields, including science, education, government and business. The new programs include two undergraduate certificates, one in geographic information science (GIS) and one in remote sensing; three online graduate certificates, in GIS, remote sensing and unmanned aerials systems (drones); and a Master of Science degree in GIST (online with no thesis required). In addition, a Bachelor of Science degree in GIST will be launched in fall 2022.

AWARDS ANNOUNCED FOR VIRTUAL JOHN P. ELLBOGEN $50K ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION

Four finalists will share a total of $65,000 in prize money after being selected as winners of the UW College of Business 2020 John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition, which took place virtually May 8–9. The grand prize winner, Resono Pressure Systems, was awarded $30,000. Team members are Pourya Nikoueeyan, a doctoral student from Laramie, and Jonathan Naughton, a professor of mechanical engineering at UW. The company was founded to commercialize an innovative unsteady pressure measurement system for advanced aerospace and wind energy applications. Other winners include CellDrop, which uses a patented cell delivery process to quickly and permanently regenerate tissue by encasing mesenchymal stem cells in microscopic hydrogel droplets; Landseer, which produces next-generation lithium battery anodes with the potential to double the energy density of current lithium batteries via a novel production process with unique cost and environmental advantages; and NexRel, which aims to revolutionize how heavy industry uses current remote sensing technologies and big data.

The World N e eds More Unshake able Determination

Individual meetings with professional sta at least twice a semester for academic, personal, and social support

ACADEMIC TUTORING: weekly meeting with trained peer tutors to support students to achieve their academic goals

COURSE PLANNING AND SELECTION for each semester

FAFSA COMPLETION AND SCHOLARSHIP search assistance

CAREER AND GRADUATE SCHOOL PREPARATION: from determining the right major, to information and assistance with resumes, interviews, and the GRE, students receive guidance as they prepare for life after graduation

CULTURAL EVENTS, SERVICE, AND CELEBRATIONS: our diverse community of students comes together to learn about di erent cultures, serve our community, and celebrate with one another throughout the year

PRIORITY REGISTRATION register for classes on the first day of registration

To read more about these research projects and many others, visit uwyo.edu/news.

Name that research

Professor Receives Fulbright to Study How to Combat Dangerous Foodborne Pathogen

Researcher Receives Fulbright Award for Wildlife Research at U.S.Canadian Border

Researchers Find Wyoming Pronghorn Exhibit Little Genetic Variation Despite Landscape Obstacles

Student’s Well Pad Reclamation Research Draws International

Attention Newbold Receives RFF Grant to Study Harmful Algal Blooms in California

Details, please

Jason Gigley, an associate professor of molecular biology, received a Fulbright Scholarship to study how nutritional immunity and disease tolerance can be used to combat Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a dangerous foodborne pathogen that can kill people with immune deficiencies. It can also kill developing fetuses. For his project, Gigley will focus on discovering new therapies or vaccine approaches to meet this critical need.

Holly Ernest, a professor of wildlife genomics and disease ecology, has received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct wildlife research at the Canadian-United States border. Her project, titled “Linking Genomics, Bioinformatics and Disease Ecology for Wildlife Health at the Canada-USA Interface,” outlines an interdisciplinary project of transborder collaboration, research and advanced study based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

UW researchers led a study that showed Wyoming pronghorn exhibit little-to-no population genetic differentiation even though their range spans hundreds of kilometers, multiple mountain ranges and three major interstate highways. Program in Ecology Ph.D. student Melanie LaCava was the lead author of a paper, titled “Pronghorn Population Genomics Show Connectivity in the Core of Their Range,” that was published May 29 in the online version of the Journal of Mammalogy, an international scientific journal that promotes interest in mammals throughout the world.

Program in Ecology Ph.D. student Michael Curran—seeking the most accurate and efficient way to monitor reclamation efforts—used a specific data collection process to feed drone imagery through special software. He found that using the drone was four times faster and more accurate and the data was richer in detail than feet-on-the-ground camera use. The process could mean that those engaged in reclamation can monitor many more pads in a shorter time and save money. Plus, the images locked in time and geo-tagged are more resistant to data collection bias and can be used to verify other information, such as success of seed planting mixes, over many years.

Stephen Newbold, an assistant professor of economics, recently received a Resources for the Future grant to study the adverse consequences of harmful algal blooms on water bodies in California and, using satellite data, to estimate its value for predicting harmful algal blooms before they actually occur.

TOP GRADUATING STUDENTS

Three UW students received the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri and Tobin Memorial Award as top graduating seniors this spring. Leena Hornlein, from Gilbert, Ariz., graduated as an honors student with a degree in political science and a double minor in international studies and statistics. Christie Wildcat, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe from Riverton, Wyo., graduated as a triple major in Native American and indigenous studies, anthropology and

political science. She says that her biggest achievement is having a statewide initiative supported by Gov. Mark Gordon proclaiming May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Day. The third student, Tessa Wittman of Laramie, graduated as a double major in wildlife and fisheries biology and management and environment and natural resources with minors in honors, sustainability, and reclamation and restoration ecology.

Wyoming

Leena Hornlein COURTESY PHOTO

Christie Wildcat COURTESY PHOTO

Tessa Wittman COURTESY PHOTO

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE ASSISTS ENTREPRENEURS

People with ideas for products or companies often do not know where to turn for advice on how to bring that idea to market. In April, Peter Scott, entrepreneur-in-residence in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, began offering office hours via Zoom. Topics include product feasibility and development, value proposition development, innovation and design thinking, market research, industries and markets, markets and sales strategies, business models, team development, teamwork and founders agreements, how companies can make money, startup financials and forecasting, startup fundraising, investors and securities, investor pitches, and legal issues in broad terms including patents, copyrights and trademarks. To schedule an appointment, email Scott at pscott5@uwyo.edu.

BOOKS IN STORE

The University Store (uwyostore.com) is home to a large selection of books by Wyoming authors and about Wyoming. Titles include A Field Guide to Wyoming Grasses by Quentin D. Skinner; A History of the Wyoming Capitol by Starley Talbott and Linda Graves Fabian; The Border War: The Bronze Boot Rivalry Between Colorado State and Wyoming by Ryan Thorburn and Robert Gagliardi; and Wyoming’s Dinosaur Discoveries by The Big Horn Basin Foundation and David Lovelace.

The Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) at the University of Wyoming is o ering new interdisciplinary geospatial programs to meet workforce demand.

The Geospatial Information Science and Technology (GIST) program includes new undergraduate and graduate credentials (many online) to train students and professionals in this rapidly growing field. Applications include natural resource management, business, energy, wildlife management, anthropology, engineering, the humanities and many others.

• Undergraduate Certificate in GIS

• Undergraduate Certificate in Remote Sensing

• M.S. – GIST (no thesis)

• Graduate Certificate – GIS

• Graduate Certificate – Remote Sensing

• Graduate Certificate – UAS

From assisting with testing to making facemasks, UW students and faculty helped with a wide range of COVID-19 needs.

Pokes Step Up During

By Micaela Myers and Institutional Communications

When microbiology student Meagan Soehn of Casper began her final semester last spring, little did she know she’d spend her extended spring break helping the state with COVID-19 testing.

“It’s nice to help out. It feels important and worthwhile,” says Soehn, who went on to become an emergency hire at the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory. “It also really helps to show things I learned in my classes, especially as a microbiology student. We talk about outbreaks in infectious diseases, but to be able to see all this up close is something you can’t get in the classroom.”

Soehn learned the needed skills doing undergraduate research in UW Associate Professor and Veterinary Epidemiologist Brant Schumaker’s lab. He also helped with the testing along with several other UW students.

Wyoming Public Health Laboratory Microbiology Laboratories Manager Noah Hull is himself a UW graduate.

“The WPHL has one of the faster turnaround times in the country for COVID-19 testing, averaging seven hours from receipt to result,” he said in early April. “In fact, we have been able to test all samples that have been received each day without creating a backlog. Much of this success is because we have been able to make 15 emergency hires at our lab. The vast majority of these hires are either current UW undergraduate students, graduate students or recent graduates of UW, almost exclusively from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (veterinary sciences and molecular biology).”

The major limiting factor in testing was not staff but rather the availability of sample preparation kits. WPHL worked with UW faculty members Schumaker, Will Laegreid and Mark Gomelsky

to gather consumable supplies such as plastic tubes that were backordered and creating a bottleneck for the sampling of patients. UW donated close to 4,000 of much-needed conical tubes.

Hull says: “This is quintessential Wyoming behavior and displaying that ‘cowboy–up’ mentality. Without hesitation, the folks at UW jumped into action to allow us to serve the citizens of the state. We are very appreciative to be in such state that cares this much.”

In addition to testing supplies, UW held a supply drive for personal protective equipment in April, netting 33,390 gloves, 529 N95 masks, 282 other masks, 123 safety glasses and goggles, and 118 gowns, as well as containers of hand sanitizer, wipes, disinfectant and biohazard bags and boxes.

UW Prints 3D Surgical Masks

Tyler Kerr, UW’s makerspace coordinator in the Engineering Education and Research Building’s Student Innovation Center, and his team also stepped up, using 3D printers and laser cutters to produce protective masks and face shields.

“We have been provided a unique opportunity to lend our equipment, resources and expertise to help stem the tide, flatten the curve and prevent spread of the virus, however the medical community asks us to,” Kerr says. “How often in our lives can we say that we have $1.4 million in state-of-the-art equipment made almost exactly for rapid prototyping purposes such as these? To do nothing with these resources was never really an option. This was our call to arms.”

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center was the first hospital to request the masks and shields, but soon 20 other Wyoming medical facilities and departments also asked for help. To meet

Pharmacy Dean Kem Krueger assists with labeling, while Professor Sreejayan Nair and Research Associate Amit Thakar dispense hand sanitizer into containers.

Assistant Professor Lars Kotthoff stands near dozens of boxes of gloves that were donated at UW’s medical supply drive.

PHOTO BY RYAN ALFORD

Pandemic

the demand, eight UW departments and other schools, such as Laramie County Community College, temporarily loaned the team an additional 16 3D printers to help print at a much greater capacity.

Health Sciences Innovates

When the pandemic broke out, a hand sanitizer shortage quickly emerged. UW School of Pharmacy Professor Sreejayan Nair converted a pharmacy lab into a temporary hand sanitizer factory. Containers were distributed to Laramie fire stations, UW Student Health Service clinic, UW custodial services, Laramie Reproductive Clinic, Laramie Care Center, the Downtown Clinic, Albany Community Health Clinic and Ivinson Memorial Hospital.

Across the College of Health Sciences, students and faculty stepped up to help.

The Educational Health Center of Wyoming, which includes the Albany Community Health Clinic and two UW family medicine residency clinics in Casper and Cheyenne, began efforts to care for the increased number of patients, including facilitating telehealth appointments.

Health sciences students volunteered to help wherever needed, including providing patient screenings and other services to assist health care providers with the increased inflow of patients seeking treatment and/or testing for COVID-19. Students also filled other volunteer roles in their communities, including running errands for the elderly and helping with food distribution.

UW Associated Students of Social Work sponsored

Supportive Talk and Resources, which provides social contact for community members who feel alone or just need someone to talk to via phone, text, email or video call.

Additional Efforts

In early April, in response to student hardships caused by COVID-19, UW took extraordinary steps to provide financial security for students, including paying the university’s 2,200 student employees, many of whom no longer have access to their positions, through the end of the semester; launching a $250,000 matching program, Pokes Make the Difference, by the UW Foundation’s Board of Directors to create an emergency fund of at least $500,000 for students in need; providing dozens of computers and other technology so students could complete the semester via online instruction at home; and a distribution of $163,000 in $300 stipends by the Associated Students of UW for students in need.

This fall, students who have suffered financial impacts from the pandemic can apply for up to $3,250 in grants through the federal CARES act funding approved by Gov. Mark Gordon (uwyo.edu/alerts/cares).

The American Heritage Center and the Wyoming State Museum also launched an effort to collect information via online surveys about the experiences and thoughts of Wyoming citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are just a small sampling of the many ways UW students, staff and faculty stepped up to help during the pandemic. Log on to uwyo.edu/uw/news to learn more.

ACRES Student Farm Sins i deT

ACRES stands for Agricultural Community Resources for Everyday Sustainability. The 1.8-acre student farm, established in 2006, is located on Harney Street near 30th in Laramie. Volunteers and student interns run the farm, and produce is grown using sustainable methods. In addition, the farm provides educational and research opportunities for the Laramie and University of Wyoming communities. To learn more, visit uwyo.edu/uwacres

Student Experience

ACRES teaches students many things. They gain an understanding of where their food comes from, of local food systems, of how to cultivate food, of how to manage a farm, of how to market and sell produce, of sustainability, of how to work with other organizations including Laramie Local Foods and Feeding Laramie Valley, and so much more. In addition to the club and internships, many classes use the farm for hands-on learning.

Cheers!

ACRES provides pumpkins for Altitude Chophouse and Brewery’s seasonal ACRES Pumpkin Ale, and The Great Untamed contracts the farm for red beets for beet mead.

ACRES Alumni

Faculty adviser and Associate Professor of Agroecology Urszula Norton says many ACRES student graduates go on to become key members of their Wyoming communities: “The legacy of the ACRES farm and college of ag in general goes a long way locally—a former plant science graduate student and founder of ACRES serves as the chief science officer at Plenty, and ACRES students are currently employed or have been in the past by Plenty, Sheila Bird Farms and Big Hollow Food Co-Op. ACRES graduates have also managed Laramie downtown farmers market and Shoshone River Farm.”

Intern Power

Three to six interns shoulder much of the late spring and summer farm work each year and take on roles from farm manager to farm hand.

PHOTO COURTESY OF URSZULA NORTON

ACRES RSO

Students interesting in helping ACRES can join the RSO (recognized student organization) associated with the farm. Club members meet weekly during the school year, start seedlings in the greenhouses in spring and help with a variety of other farm activities.

Farm Research

CSAs and Farmers Markets

The produce grown at ACRES is sold via CSA shares and at the Laramie farmers market. CSA stands for community supported agriculture, and those who sign up get a box of produce each week throughout the season. Funds raised go back to supporting the internships and farm.

Community Outreach

The farm doesn’t just serve students and faculty. A community composting program reduces waste. Community members, including K–12 students, often tour the farm or come to volunteer. And a select number of raised beds are often set aside for community members in need of access to quality produce.

In addition to the produce grown for sale, there are several research projects underway at the farm, many funded through Wyoming Specialty Crop Grants, studying things such as the best thermal properties for area hoophouses, edible mushrooms, indoor strawberries and permaculture.

Alu m ni Chef s

By Micaela Myers

You’ll find UW alumni—chefs, restaurant owners and winemakers—making their mark across the country.

Think of the nation’s top chefs, and you may assume they went straight to an esteemed culinary institute. Surprise! Many started or finished their education at the University of Wyoming, studying anything from engineering to English and psychology. From winemakers to executive chefs and entrepreneurs, meet some stars of the food and drink industry—all UW alumni.

Sheena Ernst,

chef and owner of The Wild Table in Red Lodge, Mont.

Favorite thing to cook and eat: lamb or sourdough bread. “Also anything sweet. We do a lot of baked goods at the restaurant, and it is hard not to always be tasting those!”

Sheena Ernst grew up in Powell, Wyo., helping her mom cook in their family kitchen. At UW, she majored in psychology with minors in history and honors (’07). During college, Ernst worked for a catering company. Her senior year, she had an epiphany: Psychology wasn’t her calling, but cooking was. She moved to London and attended Tante Marie Cooking School, earning a Le Cordon Bleu certificate, afterward working at the attached deli, Flavours.

“I worked all over the city on my days off—all the Michelin Star restaurants—just to get the experience,” Ernst says. When she returned stateside, she worked in Vail, Colo., then an exclusive guest ranch in northern Wyoming, before a headhunter found her on LinkedIn and recruited her for the head chef job at a historic hotel in Red Lodge, Mont.

“Eight months later, I was buying my own business in Red Lodge, and now I have owned and operated The Wild Table going on five years,” she says. “It is a small bistro and bakery that specializes in breakfast, lunch, cooking classes, private events and a lot of catering. I also teach culinary at the University of Montana.”

Her business motto is “Love people, cook them good food,” and the restaurant’s open kitchen allows Ernst to interact with her customers. The menu changes daily.

“I feel like an artist who gets to create when I am in the kitchen,” she says.

“My time at UW was so great! I had such a great group of friends and got involved in a lot on campus,” Ernst says. “I had incredible professors and real opportunities in the psychology labs to feel like I was a part of something. Even though I didn’t pursue psychology, I feel like I use it every day in the kitchen, from staffing problems, to how food should be presented to be found appealing and sellable, how to handle difficult customers, and how to get someone to try something new!”

Greg

Morthole, winemaker at Rodney Strong Vineyards/ Davis Bynum Winery in Healdsburg, Calif.

Favorite wine: Davis Bynum Lindley’s Block Russian River Valley pinot noir. “Pinot noir is a notorious grape for being difficult to work with, but it can make a majestic wine as often as it makes you cry. The Lindley’s Block comes from a small part of our Jane’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley and is separated from the rest to ferment in small concrete fermenters, oak barrels and square macrobins. The grapes are punched down by hand twice a day until draining. Then the new wine ages in French oak barrels for about 14 months before going to bottle.”

Favorite thing to pair it with: “Pinot noir pairs with a wide range of dishes, even gamey dishes, so try it with duck or venison for something interesting.”

Greg Morthole’s dad is from Cheyenne, and his mom is from Lovell. They met at UW on a blind date. After graduation, his father joined the Air Force, eventually settling in California.

Above: Sheena Ernst. Left: Spanakopita from The Wild Table.

“The biggest thing that I love about my job is that it’s the perfect combination of agriculture, science and art.” Greg Morthole

Morthole knew he wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps and graduated from UW a degree in natural sciences (’96).

“That degree left the door open for me to enter into any science field and would serve me well later, when I got into the wine industry,” he says. Morthole and his wife settled in Santa Rosa, Calif. Sonoma County is known for its wine, and serendipity led him into his lifelong career.

He started at the wine lab Vinquiry. From there, Morthole moved to Chalk Hill Estate and on to quality control lab manager at Rodney Strong Vineyards. His boss, veteran winemaker Rick Sayre, invited Morthole to start making wine under his guidance. That same year, Rodney Strong bought the Davis Bynum brand, which specialized in Russian River Valley pinot noir. In 2010, he moved to making the Davis Bynum wines plus the Rodney Strong reserve wines. Today, Morthole continues to make the Davis Bynum wines as well as all the Rodney chardonnays

and pinot noirs—the wines that he enjoys the most.

“The biggest thing that I love about my job is that it’s the perfect combination of agriculture, science and art,” he says. “We own vineyards and either grow the grapes ourselves or purchase from local growers. I get to blend the wines, which is one of my favorite parts and which is very artistic. I have full control over picking when to harvest and calling the shots during processing and fermentation, aging, what barrels to use and how we’ll finish the wine, all the way to the bottle, up to 14 months later. I also get to meet a lot of people and do some traveling to promote our winery.”

Morthole’s UW roommates went on to open Gruner Brothers Brewing in Casper (see page 28).

“UW helped me on my career path, as I had a lot of great teachers in all areas,” he says, fondly remembering an astronomy class, where he drew the phases of the moon from Prexy’s Pasture.

Greg Morthole PHOTO BY ADAM DECKER

Craig Richards,

chef and owner of Lyla Lila in Atlanta, Ga. Favorite thing to cook and eat: fresh pasta.

Craig Richards, originally of Omaha, Neb., worked as a dishwasher and prep cook during college at The Overland as he studied English at UW (’96). In the kitchen, he loved the camaraderie and creativity. After graduation, Richards combined his degree and his side passion in Lawrence, Kan., working at a fine-dining restaurant with a day job as an editor for a publishing company.

After a few years, he decided to commit to cooking full time, working first for chef Lidia Bastianich at her restaurant in Kansas City, then opening Lidia’s Pittsburgh in 2001, where he became executive chef. Richards went on to train in New York City and Italy for several years before moving to Atlanta in 2005. There, he headed three kitchens before becoming vice president of culinary for Rocket Farm Restaurants.

In December 2019, Richards opened his own restaurant, Lyla Lila, where he’s executive chef and managing partner.

“I love the opportunity to make people happy, make them feel at ease and taken care of, and I enjoy the creative side of my work,” he says.

“I think my degree from UW prepared me to be a forwardthinking chef, to not always take the easiest answer to a solution but to analyze and think further about how to solve a problem or create something. I fondly remember some of the professors I had at UW and the influence they still have on me today.”

Richards makes it a priority to return to Laramie yearly to catch a football game and see friends.

Angela Peterson, soon to open a gourmet donut shop in the Denver area called the Shield Maiden

Favorite thing to make: entremets. “They are a Frenchstyle layered dessert that is glazed and decorated. The main component is usually a mousse that has layers of some kind of cream, a cake and a crunchy bottom. I love that they are contained in a neat little package but have so much complexity when you cut into them.”

Favorite thing to eat: kouign-amann (Breton cake). “I will eat them any time, any place! That is actually what I am making today at home.”

Angela Peterson graduated from Star Valley High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in management with a minor in Chinese from UW (’12). While her husband earned his Ph.D. in Boulder, Colo., she worked as a 911 dispatcher. When calls died down, the dispatchers liked to watch cooking shows.

“I started baking as a way to manage the stress,” Peterson says. She decided to study baking and pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, where she earned an associate degree, then transferred to the Rhode Island campus for her bachelor’s.

“I have always been a creative person,” she says. “I am a chef, but I think I am more so an artist who chooses to express myself through food. You have so much control over the texture and mouthfeel, the color, the flavor and the aroma. Food has such a magical way of sparking people’s memories and associations. You can really connect with people through these shared experiences and memories.”

After culinary school, Peterson worked for a number of celebrated chefs in the Boston area, including James BeardAward-winning chef Jody Adams at Trade and two-time Food Network finalist Joshua Livsey at Harvest. She then became a pastry chef at Catalyst Restaurant and then at Fox & the Knife under James Beard-Award-winning chef Karen Akunowicz.

Craig Richards PHOTO BY HEIDI GELDHAUSER

“I found that my passion is ice cream and frozen desserts,” Peterson says. “I decided in January that I wanted to move back to the Rocky Mountains and open my own place where I could focus on frozen desserts and bring some pastry love with me.” The business will offer donuts first and then add ice cream and frozen desserts later. Keep your eye out for her new addition in the Denver area soon, and follow her at bakingwithintention.weebly.com.

“I don’t think I have the words to express how much UW prepared me for this journey,” she says, adding that her management degree helps her in the kitchen with everything from inventory to cost sheets and sales, plus managing a staff and production. “I am so grateful that I studied at UW and had incredible professors. I hope that they read this and are able to come into my shop when it opens and taste the fruits of their dedication to teaching and inspiring their students.”

Benjamin Huber,

freelance chef in Denver, Colo. Favorite thing to cook and eat: lamb. “It’s what I grew up with, tied to so many significant memories and celebrations.”

Ben Huber grew up raising sheep and cattle on the family feedlot in Worland, Wyo.

“My earliest memories of food service come from cooking together as a family to promote lamb and beef with the stock and wool growers communities,” he says. “My passion for food and people grew as I started to get recognition at 4-H baking competitions and work in local restaurants.”

Huber first attended Johnson & Wales University in Denver before transferring to UW to earn his degree in family and consumer sciences with a focus in human nutrition and food (’10). Throughout his culinary career, he has worked in country clubs and resorts, restaurants, catering companies, a cruise ship and most recently as the executive chef for the Broncos stadium at Mile High.

“I love the people,” Huber says. “There are so many stories, and there is a passion that I don’t know that I have seen in any other industry. The ability to create and share something that inspires you is a great feeling.”

He says: “My time at UW helped prepare me for my career by challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone in the kitchen and put focus on the whole industry, from the nutrition aspect to the business aspect.”

Benjamin Huber

PHOTO BY KENZIE HASSEY

Angela Peterson PHOTO BY ALYSSA BLUMSTEIN

Adam Sutter,

chef at RK Group in Austin, Texas

Favorite thing to make: baked ziti. “I’m a sucker for gluten and dairy.”

Favorite thing to eat: Japanese cuisine. “An authentic ramen or raw fish puts me in my happy place.”

It’s not often a professional chef holds a mechanical engineering degree (’11), but such is the case for Adam Sutter. Growing up in Irvine, Calif., he became enamored with the idea of school in Wyoming. Sutter first declared geology as a major but later switched to engineering. After an injury ended his career as a walk-on kicker for Cowboy football, he picked up a side job in UW catering, also working at area restaurants each summer.

After college, he gave up engineering to follow his passion for cooking.

“In Denver, I worked for Earls Kitchen and Bar, where I started as a cook, and six months later I was promoted to a sous chef and ambassador. With an ambassador title, I traveled to cities such as Vancouver and Miami to train and open new restaurants.”

“Starting at a small catering kitchen in Wyoming helped eventually get me into cooking for thousands of people a day in a large metropolitan city.” Adam Sutter

After several years, he joined his family in Austin as lead line cook at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. Over four years, Sutter worked his way up to executive chef and then joined True Food Kitchen as its executive chef, helping run several locations within Austin until recently.

“I have happily found myself at a full circle, returning to the catering industry as a chef for the international company RK Group,” Sutter says. “Here, I have run daily food services for multiple corporate buildings and catered major events throughout the Austin area, such as Formula 1, the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby, to name a few.” He’s also travels throughout the United States, and the job provides a better work-life balance.

“The part I love most about this industry is the familial connection you quickly establish with your kitchen team,” Sutter says.

The food industry is known for being tough, and Sutter says those minus-forty-degree walks across the UW campus after a long day of school and work gave him that grit.

“Being in this industry is far from easy—from horrible initial pay and working awful schedules to being passed up on promotions and never having time to be with your own family,” he says. “But knowing all that I know now, I would never give it up! If you want to succeed, never accept the position you are in. Always be the hardest worker in the room, and eventually someone will notice that you were meant for more. Starting at a small catering kitchen in Wyoming helped eventually get me into cooking for thousands of people a day in a large metropolitan city. And at 32, I still have more to cook.”

Mark Warren,

majority owner of The Creek Patio Grill (Cave Creek) and minority owner of Kasai Asian Grill (Scottsdale), both in Arizona Favorite thing to make: anything grilled.

Adam Sutter COURTESY PHOTO

Favorite thing to eat: “That’s a tough one, because I love to eat, but nothing beats a great cooked ribeye with freshcut french fries, sautéed broccolini and a glass of one of my favorite whiskeys or bourbons.”

For his day job, Mark Warren uses his business degree (’90) in dental sales, but he’s also an owner of two local restaurants. Growing up in Rock Springs, Wyo., Warren worked in restaurants and always wanted to have his own place.

“Several years ago, my partners and I took over a struggling bar and restaurant,” he says. In 2016, they remodeled and reopened as The Creek Patio Grill, a bar and grill with great food and a comfortable place to hang out.

“Several of the Alumni Association guys have been my

guests at both places when they’ve been in town,” says Warren, who is active in the association. “I love when I go to one of my restaurants and visit with friends and customers. I love to see them enjoying the food and atmosphere, and I like to get their feedback on what we’re doing right and areas where we could do better.”

Warren feels fortunate to be a UW alumnus. “There is nothing like Laramie and the campus and the opportunities there. I was lucky to get to really know my instructors and build lifelong relationships with classmates. Many of my instructors were still professionals in business outside of the college, so they gave me real-world and timely experience. It wasn’t just something we read in a book and talked about. When I graduated, I had a great background to prepare me for my career in business and sales. I was also blessed to meet my wife of 30 years there, and we both still refer to Laramie as home.”

Sociology Major

Discovering People and Society

Sociology is the systematic study of the development, interaction, and behavior of organized human groups. Sociological concepts, theory and methods provide powerful processes that shape our lives, the problems we face, and the possibilities we can envision in contemporary society. This degree prepares students for a broad range of career opportunities including: State and Federal Government Departments and Centers · Research Analysts · Public Health Graduate Studies and PhD Programs 307-766-2988 | sociology@uwyo.edu | uwyo.edu/sociology

Criminal Justice Major

Investigate a World of Possibilities

Criminal Justice is a social science that critically examines the causes and control of criminal behavior. Criminology, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, and many other disciplines contribute to the Criminal Justice field. This degree prepares students for a variety of professions, including: Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement · Court Administration · Law School · Victim Services Probation and Parole Corrections · the Military · Homeland Security · Private Security 307-766-2988 | crmj@uwyo.edu | uwyo.edu/cj

Left: Cuisine from The Creek Patio Grill. Right: Mark Warren. COURTESY PHOTOS

78 DEGREE PROGRAMS

18 DEPARTMENTS

2 SCHOOLS

3,524 STUDENTS (29% OF UW) OVER 153,000 CREDIT HOURS TAUGHT

147 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Great Grains

From diversifying the economy with ancient grains to producing top brewers, UW knows the value of a great grain.

By Micaela Myers

Move over, corn and wheat—ancient grains are making a comeback. Cultivated for thousands of years, these grains fell out of favor when mechanization arrived due to the extra step of de-hulling that is required. With the popularity of whole grains and the rise in gluten sensitivity, there’s a renewed interest in ancient grains, which are nutritious and in some cases more compatible with gluten sensitivities.

Recognizing this as an economic opportunity for the state, University of Wyoming researchers and extension experts launched the Wyoming First-grains Project to showcase a new avenue for economic development in the state by developing a niche industry around emmer, spelt and einkorn as alternative crops. Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) was one of the first

cereal grains domesticated and grown for food. Emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) and barley eventually replaced einkorn as the dominant cereal grains near the end of the Bronze Age. Spelt (Triticum spelta) is even more widely adapted than einkorn and emmer due to the addition of a third genome from a wild grass, giving it six sets of chromosomes. Like modern wheat, this makes spelt a hexaploid.

“We wanted to grow something that was economically viable and fit into the state—that farmers would accept and want to grow,” says Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Senior Research Scientist Thomas Foulke. Once the market is established, they hope to spin off a company, complete with farmer-suppliers and branded products. The products will sell under the Neolithic Brand trademark with the marketing slogan “One step away from wild.”

“There’s a movement for premium products that are new and different in the marketplace,” he says. “We can tap that market with these products that provide the nutritional profile that people are looking for. Health benefits are a key selling point.”

Senior Research Scientist Thomas Foulke in his experimental plot of emmer and spelt.

Wyoming Malting Co. in Pine Bluffs, Wyo., is in partnership with UW’s Neolithic Brand/ First-grains Project, taking local grains straight from the field to create high-quality malt.

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor Jill Keith, a nutritionist and team member, had some of the grain analyzed for nutritional content. Initial results show health benefits of these first grains include increased fiber content and increased calcium, zinc, magnesium and iron.

Growing First Grains

Northwest Extension Educator Caitlin Youngquist listened to barley producers lament about reduced contracts several years ago and began to look into alternatives—grains they could grow with their existing expertise and equipment. Some firstgrain seeds were donated, and she began growing them. She and Department of Plant Sciences Assistant Professor Carrie Eberle received a federal grant through the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. They joined forces with Foulke to further the first-grains project.

“We are evaluating how first grains perform in different areas of the state,” Eberle says. They are studying dryland and irrigated production, spring and winter planted grains and different levels of nitrogen fertilization.

“One agronomic benefit of these older, less domesticated varieties of wheat is that they are better adapted to harsh growing conditions,” she says, meaning they may do well in Wyoming. “The work I’m doing would be the most impactful economically if we have lower inputs required to produce a high-value crop. I’m hoping we can get really good information on growing, producing and managing so that, as these take off, our growers don’t have to struggle, and we can give them a good starting place.”

Foulke says farmers look to the university for this type of leadership and are receptive to the project. It’s a niche market that will only take up part of a farmer’s acreage. Currently, five private farmers—in Hot Springs, Big Horn, Platte, Goshen and Sheridan counties—are growing the grains along with the Lingle, Powell and Sheridan UW research and extension centers.

“In Wyoming, we don’t grow a lot of crops for food,” Youngquist says. “So it’s really nice to have a crop that can fit into our rotation, that people already know how to grow, and that can be a niche market and revenue source for producers.”

Building the Market

The UW Agricultural Experiment Station is the primary funder for the first-grains project. But when no de-hulling

Left: Farm Manager Steven Camby Reynolds inspects a field of emmer at the Powell Research and Extension Center. Above: Wyoming Seed Certification Service Manager Mike Moore.

Claire’s French Bakery in Cody, Wyo., is one of many Wyoming businesses using first grains.

Alumni Brewers

BEN AND DARON GRUNER –GRUNER BROTHERS BREWING Casper natives and brothers Ben (business management ’97) and Daron (mechanical engineering ’93) began home brewing as college students in Laramie. Daron was always the brewmaster, and after years of working in the air compressor business, the brothers opened their taproom in the historic Casper Petroleum Club building in 2018.

“We’ve had a good time and made good beers,” says Ben, who focuses on sales and delivery. “We also have beers across the state in cans. We have 14 beers we’ve made and sold. There are seven to eight we have all the time. The others are seasonal for the most part.”

One of their most popular beers is the A O.K. Marzen-style lager.

“It stands for ‘Always Oktober.’ It’s in the style of Oktoberfest, but we make it year round,” Ben says. Other popular beers include the Petro Club Pilsner, Ben Light pilsner, Double Clutch oatmeal stout, North Platte pale ale and Beulah Brown, named after Beulah, Wyo., where Ben’s wife is from. The brewery’s logo is her family’s farm truck with their dog on the roof. Gruner Brothers also offers a variety of others beers, including IPAs, a hefeweizen and Belgian-style beers.

“Ninety percent of the grains we use are Wyoming grown,” Ben says. “It’s some of the best grain out there. A big kudos to the farmers here in Wyoming making those barley crops.”

He likes to pair the A O.K. with pizza or burgers and the Petro Club or IPAs with salads or fish.

Ben loves traveling across the state for sales and delivery and to see their beers being enjoyed in small towns. He remembers his time at UW fondly. “The College of Business had a lot of really good professors who helped us develop into the entrepreneurs that we are,” Ben says. “It was a really good place to go to college, and I felt I got a good education.”

Ben’s college roommate, Greg Morthole, is now a winemaker (see page 19).

CYRUS BEVENGER –TIMNATH BEERWERKS

Cyrus Bevenger grew up in Cody, Wyo., and earned his bachelor’s (’04) and master’s (’06) in chemical engineering at UW. He worked in the semiconductor industry before turning his skills to brewing, first as

a home brewer then as lab manager at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse. In 2018, he joined Timnath Beerwerks in Timnath, Colo., as head brewer and became part owner in 2019.

“This industry is unlike any other,” Bevenger says. “There is so much collaboration and helping each other out because we all share the same customers. The craft beer community understands that, when everyone makes better beer, it elevates us all.”

The brewery currently pours more than 15 types of beers—from blondes to ambers, IPAs to sours. Bevenger’s favorites depend on the weather and his mood, but he especially loves a crisp, bitter, clean double IPA.

“I’ve been dialing in the one here at Timnath Beerwerks since I started home brewing and really miss it when it isn’t on tap,” he says. “It goes well with a good steak or really anything hearty.”

He says UW helped prepare him for his career in many ways: “The engineering school and honors programs there are top notch. Both do a great job of maintaining high standards while caring for the students to help them through tough courses. Favorite memories include long nights studying reaction kinetics and mass transfer with some of my best friends and probably too much beer, traveling with the football and basketball teams to postseason games as part of the pep and marching band, and cross-country skiing down the Poker Run in Centennial with a bunch of crazy people and crazier dogs every winter.”

JARED LONG –NEW GLORY CRAFT BREWING

Jared Long of Sacramento, Calif., began his journey into craft

Cyrus Bevenger.

PHOTO BY KRISTI HESS

Ben and Daron Gruner.

PHOTO BY THE BARK FIRM

brewing right here in Laramie at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery.

“During the day, I was Mr. Long, sixth-grade classroom teacher. Then I would head to the brewery,” says the elementary education, geography and American studies graduate (’03). “That’s the way it was for five years before transitioning to brewing full time.”

Long now serves as director of brewing operations at New Glory Craft Brewing in Sacramento, where he manages all processes and personnel required to turn raw ingredients into the beer. The brewery features dozens of canned beers, including a wide selection of IPAs, and offers a taproom.

“I love the type of people our industry attracts,” he says. “Beer is ancient, but craft brewing in the United States is a relatively recent phenomenon. Because of this, a lot of the individuals who work in craft beer have had previous careers in an entirely unrelated industry. I’ve met so many good people with genuinely interesting life experiences who somehow found their way into craft beer.”

He loves a good German-style pilsner paired with golf, travel and friends or a Japanese-style lager paired with sushi.

When Long came to UW, he knew nothing about Wyoming.

“It broadened my thinking and broke down a lot of preconceived notions I held about people and the way the world works,” he says. “I remember wearing my Pokes shirt visiting my family in California during a break, and people would just look at me like I was insane— ‘What the hell is a Poke?’ Too funny.”

capacity was found within the region, Foulke wrote a grant and obtained $50,000 from the UW Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for a de-huller. Wyoming Seed Certification Service Manager Mike Moore installed the de-huller at the Powell Research and Extension Center.

It’s the only non-organic de-huller in a three-state area. This gives the Wyoming First-grains Project a leg up in the regional market. Moore brings his expertise in seeds and grains to the group.

“I see it as something UW can do to help a new industry,” he says. “When you hear that sugar beets are struggling and they don’t need as much malt barley now, the area definitely needs production opportunities and unique ones. Something like this can be an opportunity not just for producers but from farmers all the way to an end product—something that can put all the jobs and the money into Wyoming instead of shipping off raw product.”

With their expertise and de-huller, Foulke says potential producers in the region will look to them. “We’re thinking we can do it like a barley contract where we contract for acres and help control the size of the market because we actually have an outlet for the grain. UW can contribute to the regional economy in the state and play a role we haven’t been playing before.”

Colorado is one market for the grains—consumers there seek these products, as do brewers. The Wyoming First-grains Project is partnering with Wyoming Malting Co. in Pine Bluffs to provide malted grains for use in the craft brewing industry. The First-grains Project has already supplied grain for flour to bakeries in several locations across the state.

“Partnering with people is how we help create jobs and enhance incomes,” Foulke says. “Businesses have the technical knowledge, and we can share that revenue in a way that’s beneficial to both them and us.”

Consumers also appreciate buying locally grown products. Eberle says: “All of our bakers, brewers and malters are interested in the product and want to try it, and the local food demand is something I really love seeing and interacting with.”

Youngquist has been working with commercial and home bakers to develop recipes and is working on a video series. Emmer is her favorite.

“It makes a dense bread, but the flavor is outstanding. You can cook it as a whole grain. It can be sweet or savory like a bowl or breakfast cereal.”

Interest in first-grains is growing with businesses as well. The Alibi in Laramie was the first to start selling breads made with the grains. The Bread Doctor in Torrington has recently started to take delivery as well. Other commercial bakeries also sell products using first grains, including Claire’s French Bakery, which is owned by baker Diane Whitlock and serves the Powell and Cody area. Youngquist shared some first grains with her about a year ago, and Whitlock began making and selling a seven-grain molasses loaf that customers love.

“It’s so fresh and so yummy,” Whitlock says. “The greatest thing is to be able to say that this is grown and milled right here in Wyoming. People love the thought of it being created in Wyoming. I love the thought of bringing back these ancient grains. It’s amazing to me that we’ve been given this gift.”

To learn more about the Wyoming First-grains Project, visit neolithicbrand.com.

Jared Long. PHOTO BY NIKKITA MILLER

GROWING THE STATE

Research and extension efforts help cultivate new crops and opportunities.

By Micaela Myers

What do a statewide food coalition, wine grapes and Peruvian popping beans all have in common? All are spearheaded by University of Wyoming personnel for the betterment of the state. All also involve UW Extension and/or research and extension centers.

In all, UW operates four research and extension centers— in Lingle, Sheridan, Powell and Laramie. The variety of projects taking place through Extension can lead to diversification of crops and the economy. Extension educators

also work with the state’s youth to foster the next generation and with farmers and ranchers to bring down barriers for a prolific future.

Wyoming Food Coalition

Across Wyoming, farmers and ranchers produce quality local food. Wyoming residents want these products but often have to go out of their way to find them or only have access during summer farmers markets. The Wyoming

Northwest Area Agriculture and Horticulture Extension Educator Jeremiah Vardiman shows off grapes grown at the Powell Research and Extension Center. Through vineyards there and at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center, researchers study which varieties of table and wine grapes grow best in Wyoming.

Food Coalition, organized with help from UW Extension, aims to change this dynamic, helping producers band together for a powerful collective voice that will lead to real solutions.

“Our team joined the coalition out of an overall vision to help bring fresh, healthy, locally grown food into Wyoming homes,” says Adam Bunker, head of business development for Papa Joe’s Produce in Sheridan, which is owned by Joe Wesnitzer. “To us, there were two big things that rose to the top and framed our involvement: the need to ‘grow’ more farmers by encouraging and supporting local producers so there’s more food available and the need to help connect producers with the customers in their local communities.”

Bunker chairs the coalition’s “Vibrant Farms, Local Economies” working group, which aims to expand and support Wyoming’s local food industry with things such as development of commercial kitchens, efficient processing and packaging, and producer standardization, plus connecting new farmers to financial support and education.

“As producers, Joe and I are at the foundation of Wyoming’s food system,” he says. “We grow leafy greens, mainly lettuce, year round in our hydroponic greenhouses. We also raise Scottish Highland cattle and grow a variety of seasonal produce. In the past, we’ve connected with customers almost exclusively via direct sales at the farmers market; however, our newest greenhouse has more than tripled our capacity, and we’re expanding into business and retail sales as well.”

Alone, they have a small voice and limited resources. But together, producers share resources to tackle challenges, to develop food systems and to use their collective voice to support positive state policies.

Cole Ehmke, a specialist in agricultural entrepreneurship and personal finance in UW Extension and the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, saw the need for a coalition that could encourage a more diverse, thriving and equitable food system. He arranged for an AmeriCorps Vista position— yearlong volunteers—to facilitate the initial efforts, which included a meeting attended by more than 80 stakeholders and Wyoming first lady Jennie Gordon in December 2019.

“The coronavirus showed the importance of strong local food systems, so the coalition’s work on behalf of producers, as well as consumers and the environment, is much needed,” Ehmke says.

“We believe that the Wyoming Food Coalition is very well positioned to make some very real, very positive

changes for Wyoming’s food systems in the coming year, and it’s precisely because of the tremendous work that folks have already been doing over the course of many years,” Bunker says. “We’re very proud to be working with such amazing people from across the state who are invested in Wyoming and their communities.”

Vineyards of Wyoming

When you think of Wyoming, vineyards are likely not what comes to mind. But, in fact, a variety of table and wine grapes can successfully grow in Wyoming. Grape geneticist Sadanand Dhekney established two vineyards at UW research and extension centers in Sheridan and Powell before he departed last year. Northwest Area Agriculture and Horticulture Extension Educator Jeremiah Vardiman has continued the project with a Wyoming Grape Guide published this past spring.

“There are table and wine grapes in Sheridan. Powell is also producing wine grapes,” Vardiman says. “The wine grapes

Adam Bunker of Papa Joe’s Produce in Sheridan chairs the Wyoming Food Coalition’s “Vibrant Farms, Local Economies” working group. COURTESY PHOTO

tend to be more robust and able to handle our conditions better. Those are showing more promise.”

In 2009, the Wyoming Grape and Wine Association reported about 75 members and estimated 25-30 acres of grape production with an annual production of 45 tons. Today, the numbers are likely higher, and Vardiman hopes to offer workshops to support grape growers and promote vineyards in Wyoming.

“We’re trying to take our knowledge from the research and provide it to residents in the state to try to get folks interested in planting and growing grapes,” he says. “For people who are growing them already, we want to be a guide to help them be more prolific with their vineyards.”

New Beans Pop Up

Peruvian popping beans, also called nuña beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), have arrived in Wyoming. Native to the Andean region of South America, these nutritious beans get their name from their unique ability to “pop” when heated for a short time. While other common beans, such as pinto beans or black beans, require hours of soaking and slow cooking, nuña beans can be prepared in as little as 5 minutes. In addition to having simpler preparation methods, nuña beans are a good source of dietary fiber, protein and many vitamins and minerals.

UW researchers, Department of Family and

Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor Jill Fabricius Keith and Powell Research and Extension Center Professor and Director Jim Heitholt are working with Washington State University, University of Hawai’i, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service East Lansing, and USDA-ARS Pullman on cultivation and distribution of the nuña bean in the United States. Nuña beans are traditionally photoperiod sensitive, meaning they require a strict schedule of 12 hours of sunlight, 12 hours of darkness to thrive and grow. This makes cultivation easy in the Andean Region but difficult in the western and northwestern regions of the United States. However, a Colorado line has been bred that is not as photoperiod sensitive, pops when heated, and retains a buttery nutty texture and flavor for consumers.

With funding from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Keith and her team of undergraduate and graduate students are looking into the popping percentage of the beans grown in Lingle and Powell, as well as testing

them with consumers. The popping percentage refers to how many of the beans pop when heated.

“Before they pop, they look like a regular bean,” Keith says, adding that some appear like kidney beans while others are spotted. “When they pop, they look kind of like a peanut. They pop out of their skin and expand a little.”

Last year, they popped the beans in her lab using different oils and three different cooking methods—air popping, microwave and gas range. Then they invited 150 people to try them. Next, they plan to serve them at Wyoming farmers markets.

“As far as taste and texture, they don’t compare to any other bean. You pop them, and they’re crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. In South America, they’re popped, salted and served that way like a peanut-type snack.”

The project’s funding comes from the specialty crop initiative.

“It could be a specialty crop farmers could grow in an area of their field that would bring a premium price,” Keith says. “For the consumer and nutrition aspect, it would be great to have a product that’s a bean or legume that could potentially be preferable to consumers, especially kids.”

Keith is pursuing funding that would allow her team to work with school districts to offer the bean as a nutritious popped snack.

Cultivating Future Chefs

Administered by UW Extension, the Wyoming 4-H program hosts a Showcase Showdown each year offering 12 different contests for 4-H members along with workshops and tours. One of its most popular contests is the Food Cook-Off, where juniors are given three recipes to practice and then choose one randomly to compete with, and seniors, ages 14 and older, are given set ingredients to use along with access to a pantry to create a dish. The top team gets to attend the National Food Challenge in Dallas, Texas. In 2018, the Big Horn County team made it to the national contest. In 2019, Albany County students Malea Christensen and Carey Berendsen qualified for the national event.

“I have been attending the Showcase Showdown since 2012,” says Christensen, a recent high school graduate and 10-year 4-H veteran in a number of categories. “You get to meet new people, form friendships, get to show off your hard work and sometimes qualify to go to national competitions. At national competitions, you compete with the best in the nation. This past year, I qualified for three national contests—one of those was the Food Cook-Off.”

The experiences taught her never to give up and to take criticism for selfimprovement. “My 4-H experiences have taught me how to better communicate, to set goals to reach and to do things for the right reasons,” says Christensen, who started UW this fall majoring in molecular biology and planning to pursue medicine.

“One of my favorite things about cooking is watching people enjoy the food I prepare,” she says. “I also love trying out new recipes or altering new ones to see if I can make them taste better.”

Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor Jill Keith (left) tests different cooking methods and popping percentages of Peruvian popping beans, which—when popped—retain a buttery, nutty texture and flavor. She hopes the beans can be a specialty crop for farmers that would bring a premium price.

From free fruit and cooking classes to meat products made by students, the Laramie campus is bursting with nutritious offerings.

By Micaela Myers

of Flavors Campus

It’s Friday on campus, and University of Wyoming students stop by the Wellness Center to mix up smoothies on the smoothie bike, grab some free fruit or sign up for a cooking class or a beer education series in the Union. Afterward, they enjoy Washakie Dining Center cuisine, including authentic Mexican recipes passed on for generations and a revolving pastry menu from a celebrated pastry chef. Meanwhile, alumni in town for a game drop by the Wyoming Union and take home some summer sausages and snack sticks made by UW students. These are just some of the exciting food and drink options offered here in Laramie.

Wellness Center Promotes Healthy Eating

During typical semesters, the Wellness Center, located in the Half Acre Gym building, offers Free Fruit Fridays, Cowboy Cooking Classes and a smoothie bike during, all free to students and members of the campus community.

“Cowboy Cooking Classes are designed to provide nutritious, quick, simple recipes and ideas for students to eat. They are inexpensive and don’t require a lot of supplies,” says Lena Newlin, assistant director of campus recreation. Though the won’t be offered this fall, the classes typically take place once a month during the regular school year as a partnership between the Wellness Center and Residence Life and Dining Services, which provides the chef. Classes have included

homemade bread, plant-based meals and meat-based meals, and the chefs provide substitution suggestions to fit a variety of dietary needs.

Each Friday during the school year, the Wellness Center also hosts Free Fruit Friday, when students can come by and pick up pieces of fruit.

“It’s a way to help increase fruit consumption among college students,” Newlin says.

During typical semesters, the Wellness Center also offers the smoothie bike once a month.

“The smoothie bike is super fun,” Newlin says. “It’s a bike with blender attached to it. We provide all the supplies, and people can come into the Wellness Center and make their own smoothie.”

It only takes about 15 seconds to blend a smoothie on the bike. To mix things up, the Wellness Center offers themes, such as pumpkin smoothies in the fall and Hawaiian smoothies with pineapple. Departments and clubs can also rent the smoothie bike for outreach events.

Meat Products Made by Students

Clara Ritchie of Arvada, Colo., hopes to pursue a career in the research and development of beef products. She graduated this past spring with her

Student Isabela Farmer rides the smoothie bike in the Wellness Center. COURTESY PHOTO

Favorite things to cook: “Tacos al pastor—that’s my favorite. My family and I also love chile rellenos.”

Washakie Chef Gloria Gomez grew up in Mexico, helping at her uncle’s restaurant. Her family recipes have been passed on for generations, and for 15 years, she’s been sharing those authentic flavors with students at Washakie Dining Center, where she currently serves as a dining supervisor.

“We always made everything from scratch. Everything my mom cooked was so good,” she says. “I love to cook things that

people enjoy. It gives me a lot of pleasure when the students make comments like, ‘This was awesome.’ ”

Her salsas are one such creation that elicits complements from students. Gomez tastes the food and makes sure it meets her high standards.

“If it’s not good for me, it’s not good for the customer,” she says. “I’m really picky about my food. If there’s no flavor in it, I don’t serve it. I enjoy making something good. That’s my signature. It’s what I love to do.”

Meet Washakie Chef Gloria Gomez

bachelor’s degree in animal science and a minor in agricultural business and is now pursuing her master’s degree in meat science at UW. Ritchie interned with UW’s Cowboy Branded Meats this past spring and also works in UW’s Meat Lab.

“The UW Meat Lab is a highfunctioning education and research center,” she says. “It provides highquality retail cuts from local livestock operations in Wyoming. All of the products produced in the meat lab are made by students. The Meat Lab offers various classes for students to take in order to get a hands-on approach to the meat industry. The classes include slaughter, processing and fabrication of pork, beef and lamb.”

At UW, students have multiple opportunities for learning about livestock production. First, the livestock judging team uses the animals, then the meat judging team uses the carcasses, then the Meat Lab breaks them down. The trim and ground beef goes into Cowboy Branded Meats for products such as sausage and snack sticks. Profits go back into the cycle to help more students learn.

Ritchie pursued the Cowboy Branded Meats internship to learn

more about the marketing of processed meats. During her internship, she conducted inventory and restocking at CJ’s and the bookstore in the Union and was responsible for maintaining a strong presence on Facebook and social media to market products.

“In spring, we were testing flavors to introduce a new limited-time summer sausage that will be used as a fundraiser for the UW Meat Science Quiz Bowl Team.”

She also worked to develop a plan to remodel the Meat Lab Sales Room.

Assistant Lecturer Sierra Jepsen serves as the Cowboy Branded Meats coordinator and a meat judging coach. She offers three internships each year.

“The students take a lot of pride in what they’re doing and the products,” Jepsen says. “You can tell that they get really excited to test the legs on their meat science knowledge when they

Planned for 2021, the Laramie International Flavor Festival matches local restaurants with international flavor ambassadors. The event is organized through Laramie Main Street Alliance. The University of Wyoming Global Engagement Office and International Students and Scholars helped identify student organizations and individuals to provide recipes and collaborative ideas to local restaurants. From these 40 responses—representing 30 nations—downtown restaurants chose to pair with a country/flavor ambassador. An international stage will showcase international talents and demonstrations. Laramie Main Street Alliance hopes to see the majority of downtown eateries participate in this week-long celebration (laramiemainstreet.org).

talk to consumers about what they’ve made—the nutritional benefits and things like that.”

Cowboy Branded Meats offers two summer sausage flavors and seven snack stick flavors. In addition to the products sold on campus, consumers can purchase products at local retailers such as the Butcher Block, Big Hollow Food Co-op, 307 Meat Co. and the Laramie farmers market.

GO TO UWYO.EDU/UWYO TO EXPERIENCE THE LARAMIE FARMERS MARKET

Haley Cole of Cheyenne interned in the summer of 2018. She graduated in spring 2019 and is now pursuing her master’s degree in agricultural education from Texas A&M University–Commerce.

“I learned how the products were made and how to market and sell a product,” Cole says. “Working with local retailers and selling the product at farmers markets gave me countless opportunities to enhance my professional social skills and taught me how to speak with a variety of consumers. When I reflect about my time as the intern, I truly feel that it and Ms. Jepsen formed me into a young professional.”

At UW, Cole competed on the meat judging team and now serves as a coach of her graduate school team.

International Flavor Festival

Cowboy Branded Meats offers sausages and snack sticks made by students.

COURTESY PHOTO

Favorite things to bake: For breakfast, croissants and Danishes. “It’s a laminated dough where you layer the dough and butter together. It’s incredibly relaxing. I love it. You have all that delicious crunchy layers. It’s worth all the effort.” For dessert, French entremets cake. “It’s full of mousse and cake layers with a crunchy bottom layer. The flavor combinations you can do are endless. Once you get it all made, you glaze the whole thing.”

UW Pastry Chef Keefe Fillerup began baking when he was 4: “I have dyslexia, and I hated to read. My parents used cooking as a way to get me to read. I’d read whole cookbooks.”

He grew up in Cody, Wyo., and worked in a chocolate shop and then UW’s bakery. Fillerup attended Laramie County Community College’s Albany County Campus before

transferring to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. He worked at a country club and then the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte. But Wyoming beckoned, and Fillerup and his wife and two kids relocated back to Laramie, where he took the job as UW’s executive pastry chef. At UW, he oversees all the baking—breads, desserts and pastries—for Washakie, the cafes across campus and catering.

The extensive Washakie menu changes on a four-week rotation where nothing repeats.

“We serve two desserts every meal and three different types of cookies a day, 3,500 a week just at Washakie,” Fillerup says.

He enjoys the variety and expression his job affords him: “It makes it fun. I get to use a lot of creativity.”

Meet UW Pastry Chef Keefe Fillerup

She says: “I can say with absolute confidence that joining the meat judging team and applying for this internship are some of the best professional and personal decisions I have ever made.”

Food for All

When students face food insecurity, it hampers their ability to succeed in college. Approximately 32 percent of students nationwide face food insecurity, and the number could be as high as 44.9 percent at UW. Efforts to address food insecurity at UW began several years ago, led by students and further advanced in fall 2019 with a resolution by the Associated Students of UW to establish a collaborative student, staff, faculty and administrative task force.

Environment and natural resources and political science senior Caitlin McLennan of Monterey, Calif., who is minoring in sustainability, helped establish a campuswide taskforce last fall as co-chair of the student Sustainability Coalition. Since then, she has co-coordinated the task force as an undergraduate research assistant.

“Studies have demonstrated several challenges for students experiencing food insecurity, including increased likelihood of missing classes or study sessions, inability to buy required course and study materials, dropping classes, achieving lower GPAs, higher dropout rates, anxiety and depression, and poorer physical health,” McLennan says. “Our task force operates from the standpoint that no UW student—my peers and friends—should have to go to class hungry due to food insecurity.”

The task force is made up of volunteers—students, faculty and staff from across campus.

Rachael Budowle, Haub School of

Celebrating Fermented Foods

Studies show the benefits of healthy gut bacteria, which prompts many people to take probiotic supplements. Fermented foods are a natural source of probiotics. Last year, the Wyoming EPSCoR program (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) community partner Science Loves Art hosted a fermentation festival featuring fermented foods such as sourdough bread, kombucha, cheeses and beers. The three-day event was held in conjunction with the Downtown Laramie Art Walk and included Gem City Kombucha, Mama Boo’s Kimchi, Shannon Albeke’s beer, Sharon Martinson’s kefir and sauerkraut and Alibi’s sourdough bread. 4th Street Studios also provided an assortment of meats and cheeses. All of these items were available for the public to taste accompanied by information on their fermentation process. The event was capped off with live music by Seth Leininger in the 4th Street Studio greenhouse. Science Loves Art hosted the second annual Fermentation Festival Sept. 5. Visit sciencelovesart.org for updates and additional offerings. Email info@ sciencelovesart.org to share ideas or get involved.

Environment and Natural Resources assistant professor who helps facilitate the task force, says: “Student food security has been an area of focus in my research, teaching and service since the very first student efforts to understand and reduce food insecurity at UW in 2017. I see myself and fellow faculty on our task force in a mentorship and facilitation role, helping students to achieve their action and leadership goals for food security. Students have truly led the way on this work from the beginning. Their voices are most

important, as this issue directly affects them and their ability to thrive at the University of Wyoming and beyond.”

Initial efforts included the first food share cabinet in the Bim Kendall House in winter 2017–18.

There are now similar cabinets in the Corbett Building, Visual Arts Building, Honors House, Global Engagement Office, Department of Psychology and the American Studies Program. Haub School and Division of Kinesiology and Health students created a Food Share Cabinet Toolkit to support other units and student organizations in creating their own cabinets, and the Sustainability Coalition received $11,000 in special projects funding from ASUW for additional cabinets this past academic year.

“We established the first cabinet as a space to share food, open to all without demonstration of need or criteria to participate,” Budowle says. “As far as we know, this distributed, bottom-up approach to addressing student food insecurity is unique to UW.”

When classes went online in spring 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the cabinets were consolidated into a central food

Food share cabinets like this one in the Haub School’s Bim Kendall House are located around campus. COURTESY PHOTO

pantry in the Union breezeway to allow continued access through summer.

“In addition to supporting cabinets, the task force has accomplished a lot in a short time, including producing two reports that scope strategies and recommendations for student food security, sharing those recommendations through presentations with numerous UW stakeholders including the Board of Trustees, and meeting with First Lady (Jennie) Gordon at her invitation to identify connections with her Wyoming Hunger Initiative,” McLennan says.

The task force is looking into five interrelated strategies for supporting student food security at UW, including food recovery and sharing (e.g., from

UW dining centers and after catered events, through an alert system); meal swipe sharing at UW dining centers; growing food on campus, including at ACRES Student Farm; expanding and supporting food share cabinets; and a centralized grocery pantry with at-cost, subsidized and/or free food options.

“This work is only more important as students increasingly deal with food insecurity and other challenges in the wake of COVID-19,” McLennan says. “The task force is really built on a community ethic that we should be taking care of each other, and it is truly amazing to see these people put their heads together to best take care of students.”

New Food Share Pantry

In response to COVID-19, a new, larger food share pantry has opened in Knight Hall as a collaboration between ASUW and the UW Food Security Task Force. It offers a variety of healthy foods as well as hygiene products, and it can support refrigerated, frozen and perishable foods.

Simply fill out an online request form (no identifying information will be shared). Curbside pickup is available three days a week: Mondays and Thursdays 4–7 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m.–noon.

Monetary or food and hygiene donations are welcome.

To learn more, visit uwyo.edu/ foodsharepantry

THE WYOMING INSTITUTE FOR HUMANITIES RESEARCH

The Humanities Research Institute strives to be an engine for producing interdisciplinary research in the humanities; a community for faculty, students, and the public; and a model of democratic education fit for our land-grant university. Please join us!

For an exciting list of activities and programming, visit our Website: uwyo.edu/humanities and our facebook page: Facebook.com/UWYOWIHR

• Boasts 20 faculty, over 350 undergraduate majors, and three graduate programs— including the largest master’s program at UW, the Master’s in Public Administration

• Encourages students to take advantage of a wide variety of internships and study abroad opportunities with designated funding

• Develops skilled, forward-thinking leaders who will shape the future of Wyoming, the United States, and the world

www.uwyo.edu/ppais

uwyo.edu/pols

By Micaela Myers

When it comes to cuisine and nutrition, University of Wyoming athletes enjoy nothing but the best overseen by an Olympic nutritionist and French-trained chef.

You Are What You Eat

Colby Wolf earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Rhode Island and her master’s degree in sports nutrition at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She became certified in ISAK skin folds at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before interning with special forces and working with Virginia Tech studentathletes. Wolf joined UW in August 2019 as the director of sports nutrition

for Olympic sports, where she works with all Olympic sport teams.

At UW, she oversees the athlete Refueling Station, helps with Training Table menu creation, and works with teams and individual athletes.

“A main focus of my job is educating the athletes about how nutrition can optimize their performance,” she says. “I give team talks that can be about anything from pre-practice snack ideas, to foods that reduce exercise-induced inflammation, to building an athlete’s plate.”

The Training Table provides breakfast, lunch and dinner for the student-athletes as well as specialty pregame meals. Wolf also offers cooking classes and conducts body composition testing to help track athletes’ progress and keep them

healthy. Along with the athletes’ doctors and trainers, Wolf helps access biochemical data, including iron and vitamin D levels.

“I provide one-on-one counseling for student-athletes,” she says. “This allows me to help athletes with specific individual nutrition goals. This can include energy needs, gastrointestinal issues, supplementation, surgery and recovery, specific diets, or simply providing recipes for athletes who are living on their own for the first time.”

The Refueling Station provides fuel for athletes before or after exercise. It offers many to-go snacks, fruit, sandwich materials, granola bars and a smoothie bar.

Wolf is an athlete herself. Growing up, she swam and played volleyball. “I swam a 10k open water swim in Fort

UW’s athletic nutrition program helps Cowboys and Cowgirls achieve peak performance.

Collins when I was 15, and I swam an 11-mile open water in July 2017,” she says. “I love to spend my free time hiking, backpacking, camping, snowboarding, rock climbing—really anything outside.”

Her future goals include developing an even stronger bridge between the nutrition department and coaches to help optimize the athletes’ performance. Wolf says, “Nutrition can play a vital role in training and recovery as well as give the athletes a competitive edge over other teams.”

Bon Appetit

High Altitude Performance Center

Training Table Assistant Director Ivy Hung attended The French Culinary Institute in New York City and has worked in fine dining kitchens across

the country, at destination resorts and in high-volume university campus dining. At UW, her primary roles include menu planning, recipe development, nutritionally focused menu creation, health and food safety, and training and development of culinary staff.

“The Training Table serves student-athletes who participate in a wide spectrum of sports and have vastly different nutritional focuses throughout the competition seasons,” Hung says. “There are needs for calorieheavy, protein-focused dishes, as well as lean options that fuel endurance.”

She enjoys introducing students to new flavor profiles and cuisine from around the world. “Bringing excitement to old routines and helping student-athletes go past their comfort zone in their culinary preference and experience are something I find rewarding—and, coincidentally, very much in line with the mindset and attitude you need to succeed in your athletic training and competition.”

For example, her spring carrot dish features gremolata with lemon zest, pine nuts for crunch and fresh herbs for a burst of flavor.

“I enjoy creating menus and recipes that accommodate a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions,” Hung says. “I am a lover of seasonal cooking. I love hearty vegetables in winter like roasted Brussels sprouts, fingerling potatoes, and rainbow beets, and incorporating fresh berries and stone fruits as flavor components in savory dishes. I get equally excited about a great cut of beef or lamb or pork, fresh seafood, and plant-based proteins such as a creative quinoa bake, garbanzo salad or boldly spiced grilled tofu.”

Hung says: “Feeding studentathletes is almost like gardening to me, in the sense that you see their physiques transformed right in front of your eyes over the course of the training seasons—like watching plants growing strong in the garden you tend to. And that is immensely satisfying.”

Director of Sports Nutrition Colby Wolf works with UW’s Olympic sport athletes.

Training Table Assistant Director Ivy Hung in the High Altitude Performance Center.

Find your future with the HAUB

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

We are a community of students, scholars, and practitioners who work with people to build sound, inclusive, and durable solutions to our most complex environment and natural resource challenges.

We engage in

• innovative, experience-based education for undergraduate and graduate students,

• research and scholarship on critical natural resource questions,

• support for collaborative, stakeholder-driven solutions.

Join us to gain the skills, tools, and information you need to build prosperous and sustainable futures in Wyoming and the West.

Learn more about our programs at UWYO.EDU/HAUB

Remembering Bill Ruckelshaus

Ruckelshaus leaves a lasting legacy of collaboration at UW and beyond.

By Micaela Myers

Lawsuits, factions and deep divides— William Ruckelshaus knew there was a better way to solve natural resource challenges. By bringing diverse stakeholders together to engage in civil discourse, inclusive outcomes rather than litigation create lasting solutions.

Ruckelshaus died Nov. 27, 2019, at his home in Seattle at the age of 87, but he left a lasting legacy in Wyoming and the world. He served as the first administrator of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) under President Nixon and later under President Reagan, achieving major policy accomplishments to protect clean air and water. In addition to his work at the EPA, Ruckelshaus served as acting director of the FBI, deputy attorney general, a lawyer, an

environmental consultant and CEO of a major waste management company, among other roles.

“He was known for his integrity and ability to build robust solutions that benefitted both environmental protection as well as business,” says Kit Freedman, an associate research scientist at the University of Wyoming Ruckelshaus Institute. “In 1993, he came to UW at the request of Sen. Alan Simpson to help create a new institute of environment and natural resources that would focus on bringing together stakeholders with differing perspectives to build collaborative solutions to natural resource challenges. Today, that institute has grown to include a school (the Haub School), as well as the Ruckelshaus Institute (named in his honor in 2002), which carries on his work and legacy.”

Ruckelshaus served on the UW Institute of Environment and Natural Resources board for nine years—most of them as chairman—before becoming emeritus. In 1998, he received an honorary doctorate from UW. In 2015, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizing his efforts as “a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly to protect public health and combat global challenges like climate change.”

Nicole Korfanta, former director of the UW Ruckelshaus Institute, says: “After decades of litigation over environmental disputes, Bill Ruckelshaus recognized that the best solutions don’t emerge from the courts but from civil discourse among reasonable people who disagree. His legacy—which lives on through the Ruckelshaus Institute at UW, the Ruckelshaus Center in

Washington state and through the words he left behind—is a call to work through our toughest natural resource challenges together, to find solutions that sustain both people and our natural world.”

Among other programs, the UW Ruckelshaus Institute hosts the Collaborative Program in Natural Resources—a yearlong training program to give natural resource professionals the skills to apply collaborative processes to complex environment and natural resource issues. Spicer Chair of Collaborative Practice Steve Smutko supervises the program and says collaborative decision making has spread from environmental issues into other public policy issues such as education and public health.

“Through the work of the institute, we bring people together from environmental nonprofits, business and industry, and government at all levels and teach them skills in collaborative problem solving—collaborative leadership, negotiation, conflict management—so they can apply it to their own work,” he says.

Harold Bergman directed the Ruckelshaus Institute and Haub School

of Environment and Natural Resources from 1998–2008, meeting Ruckelshaus in 1994.

“Bill was incredible,” Bergman says. “He was always even-tempered, smart and very able to talk to people from all sides of issues and find solutions. Throughout his career, he was really a proponent of collaborative dispute resolution and collaborative interaction among stakeholders. And that’s what he brought to that first meeting at UW. He recommended that for a land-grant university in the U.S.—where there are always disputes about land and natural resource issues—that we focus on collaborative solutions to these contentious problems.”

At early board meetings, they would model the processes together.

“We went through a whole series of issues through those early years— elevated nitrate in groundwater, open spaces protection, land use, conservation easements, how to use collaborative process in implementation of the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, coal-bed methane disposal issues and more,” Bergman says.

At the time UW established the school and programs, few universities were doing this kind of work. Ruckelshaus believed universities played a central role in fostering these processes.

In May 1997, he remarked: “Landgrant universities such as the University of Wyoming were borne out of a tradition of helping citizens solve their problems and achieve their goals, usually associated with improving agricultural practices, ranching, mining or the like.”

Ruckelshaus continued: “Their real genius lies in discovering that often different sides can each get what they need, that the pie can be artfully baked so as to be bigger than we thought. This is known in the facilitation business as going from OR to AND. We stop saying fish or irrigation, jobs or wildlife, and we start saying fish and irrigation, jobs and wildlife. From that change, everything else flows.”

Today, Ruckelshaus’ legacy lives on. UW’s institute and its graduates help facilitate collaborative stakeholder solutions across the state and around the country.

Bergman says, “He inspired us to find a different way to deal with these contentious issues.”

Above: Bill Gern, Harold Bergman, Sen. Al Simpson, Bill Ruckelshaus, John Ehrmann and UW President Phil Dubois. Below: Bill Ruckelshaus after receiving his honorary degree from UW in 1998.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAUB SCHOOL/RUCKELSHAUS INSTITUTE

Truly a Wyoming Company

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming supports Wyoming nurses through scholarships.

By Tamara Linse

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming has been helping the people of the state cover the costs of health care since 1945, and today, it is the only domestic health insurance company within the state.

“All of our customers—also our family members, our friends, our neighbors— live in Wyoming,” says Diane Gore, president and CEO. “We are truly a Wyoming company. It is very meaningful to us to be a good corporate citizen.”

Gore has been with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming for 35 years. She began her career there one week after graduating from the University of Wyoming.

In 1990, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming established the Caring Foundation of Wyoming—to promote the good health and well-being of its neighbors. “We’ve always tried to focus on health-related items that impact the entire state,” Gore says.

The foundation’s support is a story of success. The initial focus of the foundation was to make sure the children of the state had access to and coverage of health care.

The state then implemented the Kid Care CHIP program, which provides affordable health coverage for children. And so the Caring Foundation turned to supporting women’s wellness visits, mammograms and other health concerns. Then, along came the Affordable Care Act, which mandated that everyone have coverage. It passed in 2010, came into full force in 2014 and eliminated the need for this support.

And so Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming and the Caring Foundation asked themselves, “What else can we do to help with health care in the state of Wyoming?” They had been supporting health profession scholarships for a number of years, but this was an opportunity to really step up and support future health care providers.

Coincidentally, at this time, the UW Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing was developing the ReNEW program (Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming). This statewide program allows nursing students to earn their Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) degrees starting at Wyoming’s seven community colleges and then completing them through UW with online courses and practicums while continuing to stay in their home communities.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming loved this idea and wanted to support these hard-working future nurses. “They have Wyoming roots and Wyoming ties, and chances are they will stay in their local communities,” Gore

Doctorate of Nursing Practice students Lauren Hamilton and Ryan Russi discuss coursework in the Health Sciences Building.

“By teaming up with the school of nursing, we’re just trying to make sure people can get the health care they need no matter where they are in Wyoming.” –Diane Gore

says. In 2016, the Caring Foundation funded seven $1,000 scholarships, one at each of the community colleges, for students in the ReNEW program.

“By teaming up with the school of nursing, we’re just trying to make sure people can get the health care they need no matter where they are in Wyoming,” Gore says.

Then Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming asked, “What else can we do?” The answer was adding three—and now five—$10,000 scholarships that support students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, with at least two of those five in the DNP mental health track. The UW DNP program sets a new standard for advanced practice nursing education and comes in two tracks—the family nurse practitioner or the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

“Wyoming has always been special to me, lately even been more so,” Gore says. “We’ve been so fortunate. Wyoming has been hit by the virus and the economic impact that the virus has caused, but I still see people coming together and trying to make the best of things. I really think it’s the spirit of the people in Wyoming that does bring us all together.”

Gore adds, “I love that—one Wyoming, one university, one state. There’s no place else in the country that can say that.”

A powerful collective of contemporary female role models — from artists to politicians, ranchers, authors, businesswomen and community stewards. Their 22 stories celebrate the achievements, power, and learned wisdom of Wyoming women today.

On view September 12, 2020 – July 17, 2021

Visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum/exhibitions and www.womeninwyoming.com to learn more.

Centennial Complex · 2111 E. Willett Drive Laramie, Wyoming • (307) 766-6622

www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Sunday & Monday

Lindsay Linton Buk (American, b. 1985), Neltje, 2016, medium format film capture, archival inkjet, courtesy of the artist.

UWAA President Letter

This is an exciting yet challenging time for the University of Wyoming and the Alumni Association. I am honored to become the first UWAA president to serve for two years as part of our governance restructuring. We have made tremendous progress in many areas the past four years I have spent on the board of directors. That progress includes amending the by-laws for efficiency, creating the 300 Club Alumni Excellence Endowment from the sale of the Alumni House to the university, expanding the Brown and Gold Champions and the alumni networks and chapters, and establishing the Brown and Gold Council to help extend our engagement opportunities. During this time, our presidents and board members have made huge contributions while fulfilling their terms. We have also filled our board vacancies with many extremely talented new members.

In my role I look forward to the opportunity to work with the UWAA Executive Director Keener Fry and the staff to support UW President Dr. Ed Seidel in carrying out his priorities for the university. I value the opportunity to help further alumni engagement with their alma mater and am eager to work with alumni and various other groups to strengthen bonds (in person or virtually) with the university.

UW’s fall reopening plans have been central in our planning for alumni and student engagement events and programming, especially as we all play our role in reducing the risk and transmission of the COVID-19 virus. We remain mindful that the character and impact of the virus is evolving and uncertain and may still cause disruptions with future activities. As such, the association has prepared contingency engagement plans for our regular activities. We have positioned our resources to pivot to new virtual events to sustain and increase engagement activity with alumni. The virtual events we held over the summer were popular and successful with our alumni and friends. For a current listing and the status of all of our events and their format, please refer to our website calendar, email alerts, and social media platforms.

We have one of the most outstanding universities and alumni in the country, and I am proud to be a Cowboy. The world, particularly in this time, needs more Cowboys! I hope everyone remains safe and healthy. Go Pokes!

Kermit Sweeny

BROWN AND GOLD SPIRIT IN EVERY STEP

The University of Wyoming Alumni Association sponsored the first Tracing Our Roots Virtual 5K Walk/Run for alumni and friends in June, commemorating the association’s first meeting 125 years ago. The exact same date in 1895 also is when UW’s school colors were inadvertently selected.

Only four years after the first class of 14 students graduated from UW in 1891, the university’s handful of graduates recognized the importance of establishing an organization to nurture alumni relationships.

The UW Alumni Association (UWAA) formed on March 26, 1895, with eight graduates in attendance and—two weeks later on April 15, 1895—adopted the first official constitution and bylaws to “promote the University interests and the affiliation of its graduates.”

The leadership wasted no time in generating interest and enthusiasm for the UWAA by holding an annual meeting and banquet in the Ladies’ Study Hall on June 20 of that year. Thanks to the initiative and foresight of these few alumni, the UWAA was launched, and the mission remains the same as established 125 years ago.

While the first meeting was significant for the association, it was also significant for UW more broadly because it was at that meeting in June 1895 that the school colors were inadvertently chosen. Funds were unavailable for decorations, so two banquet organizers traveled to Laramie Springs looking for native flowers. They came back with a buggy full

of Brown-Eyed Susans. The alumni were so impressed with the brown and gold and the beauty of the flowers that they decided to select these as UW’s official school colors. Today, faithful Wyoming alumni and fans all over the world wear the brown and gold with pride.

The Tracing Our Roots Virtual 5K Walk/Run allowed attendees to complete the race at their leisure from any location. Race bibs were specially designed for registrants and their dogs. A total of 330 people from 25 different states in the U.S.—as well as two international registrations from Saudi Arabia and Japan—participated in the virtual 5K.

“We had so much fun on Saturday,” race participant Kevin Bowen said, “and my father was beyond excited! We started the morning off with a great rendition of ‘Ragtime Cowboy Joe’ led by my brother on his ukulele, then we ran/walk/ jogged several laps around Manning State Forest in Billerica, Mass., until we hit our 3.2 miles!”

“This was fun, and I got lots of waves (socially distanced) along my selected 5K route,” said Barb Keener (’70, M.A., communication and journalism). “The race bibs were a big hit, especially my dog Webster’s, which he wore around his collar.”

The alumni association was elated with the sizeable turnout, and as a result of this successful first year, the 5K will be an annual celebratory event for alumni and friends. Next year’s virtual 5K walk/run will take place Sunday, June 20, 2021.

RETROGRAMS

April 27, 1925 – Entire UW General Assembly: On April 27, 1925, for the first time that year, the entire university was called into general assembly on the spacious floor of the new Wyoming Gymnasium. The occasion was a visit to the school from Wyoming’s first woman governor, Nellie T. Ross.

1886 – In the Beginning, Old Main: In 1886, in the beginning, there was University Hall, now familiarly known as Old Main. The nickname came naturally enough, for in the early years of UW history this was the main building—and indeed the only building.

1954 – The Peanut Pond: In 1954, the pulse of life on the Cowboy Campus was reflected in the waters of UW’s own landmark, the Peanut Pond, which was located next to Merica Hall to the northwest. From small boys sailing toy boats in its cool pool to engineers surveying Hoyt Hall from its banks, from the flawless sky and stately clouds to the last whispering leaf of Wyoming winter, the Peanut Pond was a mirror to Wyoming students.

1934 – The Torch-Bearers: The Torch-Bearers, a play by George Kelly, introduced several new players to Laramie audiences in 1934, among whom were Maudie Doyle, Eleanor Atwell, Harry Proud, Gloria Hopkins and Virginia Olson. The play is a satire on the “arty” little theater group and has been a favorite in school theaters ever since its New York production in 1922. For its effects, the play depended on situation and dialogue rather than on plot and characterization.

UWAA | CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Endless opportunities to stay engaged! Check out our website calendar for updates, highlights, and a full listing of our events, www uwyo edu/alumni/

September 3: Women’s Leadership Recognition - Virtual

September 18: UWAA Board Meeting - Virtual

September TBA: Natrona County Alumni Network Town Hall - Virtual

mber 24: The World Needs More Cowboys Community Celebration, s, WY

r 1: The World Needs More Cowboys Community Celebration, WY

r 9: The World Needs More Cowboys Community Ce e, WY

r 10: The World Needs More Cowboys Community Ce n, WY

October 10-17: Virtual Homecoming

November TBA: Membership Appreciation - Virtual

November TBA: Women's Panelist Event - Virtual

December 18: Norway Buckhorn Boys Alumni Network Christmas Party - Virtual

ber TBA: UWAA New Graduate Recognition and Fall 2020 encement

DIGITAL

CONNECTIONS

: UWAA | VIRTUAL TOWN HALL SERIES

Never miss an alumni event again! Check out our recorded virtual town hall series featuring exclusive interviews with prominent figures on campus Catch up on all our virtual recordings on the University of Wyoming Alumni Association YouTube Channel at a time that works for you

June 2020 | UW Athletics & Football Edition

This town hall recording was a live event for our members and featured exclusive interviews with Craig Bohl | UW Head Football Coach, Tom Burman | UW Athletic Director, and Randy Welniak | Senior Associate Athletic Director, Development & Revenue Enhancement for Cowboy Joe Club

July 2020 | UW Basketball Edition

This town hall recording was a live event for our Brown & Gold Champions and featured exclusive interviews with Gerald Mattinson | UW Head Women's Basketball Coach, and Jeff Linder | UW Head Men's Basketball Coach

August 2020 | UW Student and Academic Affairs Edition

This town hall recording was a live event for our members and featured exclusive interviews with Anne Alexander | UW Interim Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Kim Chestnut Steich | UW Vice President of Student Affairs They shared academic and student success plans to keep students healthy and safe this fall

WYOGRAMS

Alumni, we want to hear what you’ve been doing. Mail career, wedding, birth and obituary news to: WyoGrams, UW Alumni Association, 222 S. 22nd St., Laramie, WY 82070; complete our online submission form at uwyo.edu/alumni/wyograms, or email us @ uwalumni@uwyo.edu; or fax (307) 766-6824. Photos may be sent to uwalumni@uwyo.edu for consideration. WyoGrams written by Annika Belser.

1960

Tom Wilkinson, B.S. ’66, physical education, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his achievements in football and baseball from 1964–65.

1970

Dennis Dreher, B.S. ’75, history, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his dedication to volunteering at UW athletics events since the early 1970s.

Bill Ogg, B.S. ’76, agricultural business, became the executive director of the Nebraska State Fair and the Aksarben Livestock Show in May 2020. He wants to be a catalyst to grow pride and support for the Nebraska institution, while also respecting wholesome traditions.

➊ Mike Scheuerman, B.S. ’71, zoology, co-wrote the novel, The Edge: Business Performance Through Information Technology Leadership. The book simultaneously tells the tale of a company and the struggles of the family that runs it while describing principles of technology management.

1980

Scott Kath, B.S. ’81, psychology, J.D. ’83, law, ended his tenure as public defender for Park and Big Horn counties in January 2020 after more than 35 years. Kath continues to practice law at Copenhaver, Kath, Kitchen & Kolpitcke.

Mike Schenbeck, B.A. ’89, administrative justice, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his achievements in football from 1985–88.

Steve Simon, M.B.A. ’81, commemorated being a 1980 Olympic Winter Games torchbearer in February 2020 by returning to Lake Placid, N.Y., for the 40th anniversary of the event. Simon represented the state of Wyoming on the Torch Relay Team for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games.

Mary Louise (Onstine) Wood, B.S. ’87, microbiology, received the Marvin Millgate Engaged Staff Award in April 2020. Wood is UW Extension’s 4-H and youth development coordinator and, through her work with Albany County 4-H, she reaches a diverse community of adults and youth.

1990

Cindy Asay, B.A. ’99, elementary education, retired from her 21year teaching career in Lovell, Wyo.

Jon Cogdill, B.S. ’90, industrial education, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his achievements in football and wrestling from 1986–90.

Tim Hansen, B.S. ’90, wildlife conservation and management, M.P.A. ’99, was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and assigned as director of the Appraisal and Valuation Services

Office. Hansen provides oversight and strategic direction for all valuation services within the Department of the Interior, which includes over 500 million surface acres in the U.S.

Cass (Messersmith) Kvenild, B.A. ’96, English, received the 2020 Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award for her contributions as an education librarian at UW.

Kevin Mannon, B.S. ’99, history, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his achievements in track and field from 1998–99.

2000

Anne Alexander, Ph.D. ’01, economics, became UW’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs in May 2020.

Nycole (Fabrizius) Courtney, B.S. ’03, communications, M.S. ’05, education, Ed.D. ’14, education, transitioned from UW’s associate dean of students into the role of associate vice president and dean of student success and graduation in April 2020.

Jill Hughes, M.A. ’00, education, was named the Casper College Innovative Educator of the Year for 2019–20 for her contributions as an English instructor.

➋ Ken Keffer, B.S. ’02, wildlife biology, released his book, Earth Almanac: Nature’s Calendar for Year-Round Discovery, in April 2020. This book explores the ebb and flow of nature through daily natural history facts and stories, featuring mammals, birds,

insects, marine life, plants, fungi, geology, astronomy and more.

Leslie Rush, Exp. ’11, geology, became the interim dean of the UW College of Education in July 2020.

➌ Ryan Starkovich, B.S. ’07, architectural engineering, became the sports practice director and vice president at Henderson Engineers in April 2020. He leads all aspects of Henderson’s sports and recreation practice.

2010

Erin Bentley, B.S. ’17, animal and veterinary sciences, Exp., botany, was one of 40 artists and scientists selected to join the Arctic Circle, an annual expeditionary residency program scheduled for June 2021. Bentley is a UW master’s student in botany from Green River, Wyo.

Brandon Ewing, B.A. ’16, social science, was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall

of Fame Class of 2020 for his achievements in basketball from 2006–09.

Christian Kilpatrick, B.S. ’15, physiology, graduated from the Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in May 2020.

Chris Kosine, Cer. ’11, land surveying, joined Stahly Engineering & Associates as a professional land surveyor in spring 2020.

Stephanie Lear, B.S. ’16, microbiology, graduated as a chiropractor from Parker University in Dallas, Texas, in the spring of 2020.

Cassh Maluia, Exp., American studies, was selected in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft with the 204th pick overall by the New England Patriots.

Caitlyn Skavdahl, B.A. ’19, international studies, Exp., public administration, won the Wyoming State Golf Association Match Play Championship in June 2020.

Shawn Snyder, B.S. ’11, nursing, D.N.P. ’15, nursing, joined the team at New Beautiful You MediSpa in Casper, Wyo.

Dan Toro, B.A. ’10, art, created a mural on Snake River Brewing’s wall in Jackson, Wyo., as a centerpiece for Jackson Hole Public Art’s “Wild Walls” event.

Logan Wilson, B.S. ’19, kinesiology and health promotion, was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft with the 65th pick overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

WEDDINGS

Charles Retz, B.A. ’15, psychology, and Melinda (Hampton) Skinner, B.S. ’12, nursing, will wed on Nov. 1, 2020.

Robert Routson, B.S. ’72, civil engineering, and Micky (Hoel) Routson, B.S. ’72, business education, M.S. ’83, speech pathology, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 31, 2020.

WyoGrams continues on page 60

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

MEDALLION SERVICE AWARD WINNER

April Brimmer Kunz

Luckily for the University of Wyoming, April Brimmer Kunz chose the College of Law for her juris doctorate (’79), beginning a lifetime of leadership and support for the university.

After law school, she went on to clerk for U.S. District Judge Ewing T. Kerr and to serve as a Republican for Laramie County in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1985–86 and 1991–92 and the Wyoming Senate from 1993–2004. In the State Senate, she served as majority floor leader and vice president before being named the first female president of the Wyoming Senate in 2003. During her time as a state senator, she was instrumental in creating matching funds for UW.

“I was a co-sponsor on the matching funds bill in the Legislature. I believe the program has provided a tremendous return on investment for donors,” she says. “There aren’t many programs that double your gift dollar for dollar. The program has helped to revitalize and rebuild the University of Wyoming.”

More than $222 million in endowment and facilities matches

have resulted from this incredible program.

Brimmer Kunz, president of K and R Enterprises in Cheyenne, also served as chair of the UW Foundation Board and has been a member of the board since 2007.

“I have remained involved because I believe it is so important to help students break through, receive a meaningful degree and have productive lives,” she says.

She and her mother—the late Marian Rochelle, for whom the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center is named—donated the funds for the now iconic “Breakin’ Through” statue by artist D. Michael Thomas at the center, which features a female rider breaking through a wall.

“ ‘Breakin’ Through’ symbolizes the power of education and a meaningful degree from the University of Wyoming,” Brimmer Kunz says. “It stands in recognition of the contributions of women—past, present and future—to Wyoming, the Equality State.”

She has personally donated to many programs at the university, including the foundation,

athletics, College of Law, College of Arts and Sciences and the Alumni Association.

“I am passionate about business and giving back,” Brimmer Kunz says. “It’s important to help people, particularly students.”

Of her time at UW, she says, “My legal education has been useful throughout my business career. My fondest memories are football and basketball games.

Go Pokes!”

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

David Burman

The University of Wyoming debate team played a key role in Dave Burman’s life. There, he not only learned great advocacy skills that benefitted his impressive law career, but he also met his wife, DeeAnn.

“She’s the single best thing about the years then and since, and together we have two daughters who have made us extremely happy and proud,” he says.

After graduating with his political science degree in 1974, the Laramie native went on to study law at Georgetown and then clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t have considered me were it not for my Wyoming background,” Burman says. “In my interview, I exaggerated my athletic ability but did know a fishing spot near the Colorado border that he tested me on. Clerking was a superb start to my career, and highlights of the career since then are related to that. I’ve argued twice at the Supreme Court, although after Justice White retired. Even one argument there is a highly unusual and coveted opportunity for a litigator, and my first one was an important case in preserving a main source of funding for civil legal services for the poor. I’m very proud to have contributed to that victory, and the experience

of preparing for and arguing at that level was incredible.”

That victory highlights Burman’s ability as a trial lawyer and also his passion for giving back through volunteer and pro bono work.

Burman is a partner at Perkins Coie in Seattle, with 30 years of experience in litigation, including antitrust, appellate, class action, consumer protection, constitutional, media, patent and intellectual property and privacy. He has worked on many highprofile cases, and his client list includes giants such as Google, Zillow, Major League Baseball, Boeing and Amazon.

“Most of my cases are on behalf of businesses like Costco, Intel and Nintendo,” Burman says. “I’m fascinated by the intersection of legal issues and public policy, and that happens frequently in antitrust and intellectual property cases. My cases take me around the country.”

He continues: “I’ve tried to do my share of pro bono representation. I’ve represented five death-row inmates, including one now in Alabama, and handled free speech, gay and immigrant rights, and other constitutional cases. I’ve been a volunteer voter rights attorney for political campaigns.

“A highlight of my career was working for President Obama

in the Chicago boiler room on election night in 2008 and 2012 and getting to spend most of a day with him once working on legal issues.”

Burman also gives back to UW and served six years on the College of Arts and Sciences advisory board, as well as speaking at the College of Law and to the UW debate team. His brother, Tom Burman, is UW’s director of athletics.

“I was surprised and humbled by the award,” Burman says of being named a distinguished alumnus. “I’m extremely proud of my Wyoming and UW background, and it is a great honor that someone thought I reflected well on UW.”

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

DISTINGUISHED

ALUMNA

Nancy Freudenthal

Growing up in Cody, Wyo., Nancy Freudenthal always knew she’d attend the University of Wyoming. She earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1976 and her juris doctorate in 1980 before beginning a very successful law career.

“UW really provided me with a great foundation to go into law school,” Freudenthal says, adding that the small classes made it easy to get to know her professors. “Both my undergraduate career and law experience helped me move into the work that I’ve done throughout my career as a lawyer. “

She found UW’s law school excellent and now makes a point to recruit her law clerks from the College of Law.

“The clerks have been wonderful from day one in terms of the law school preparation,” Freudenthal says.

As a law student, her first choice for an internship was the Wyoming attorney general’s office, but it turned out to be serendipitous that she got her second choice at the state planning office.

“I can’t imagine how my life would have ever been any better,” Freudenthal says. “For everyone out there who gets turned down, that decision may take you on a path that’s remarkable.”

From 1980–89, she worked as an attorney for intergovernmental affairs under two governors, Ed Herschler and Mike Sullivan.

“I’m proud I had the opportunity to work with Gov. Herschler and Gov. Sullivan,” Freudenthal says.

She went on to become partner at Davis and Cannon LLP in Cheyenne and to chair the Wyoming Tax Commission and the State Board of Equalization. In 2010, President Obama appointed Freudenthal a U.S. District Court judge, making her the first female judge to serve the District of Wyoming.

He said of Freudenthal and two other nominees: “Throughout their careers, these nominees have displayed unwavering commitment to justice and integrity. Their records of public service are distinguished and impressive, and I am confident that they will serve the American people well from the United States District Court bench.”

Despite the rigor of her impressive career, Freudenthal always found time to give back. She served on the National Governors Association

Spouses’ Leadership Committee, Carbon Sequestration Working Group, Wyoming Humanities Council, and the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation. A lifelong collector of Western artwork, Freudenthal also served on the Western States Arts Federation and the UW Art Museum Board during the time her husband, Dave Freudenthal, served as governor of Wyoming (2003–11).

“I’ve always enjoyed the UW Art Museum,” she says. “I think it’s an undiscovered gem at UW. My time on the board was a time for me to educate myself about the important work they do there.”

Freudenthal stays involved with her local Zonta Club, which works to improve the lives of women and girls.

“I’m really passionate about self-sufficiency for women, girls and children. Those are the areas that are closest to my heart,” she says.

In less than two years, Freudenthal will qualify for senior status as a judge, which will allow her more flexibility.

“I plan on rolling back my docket so that I have the chance to visit my grandkids,” she says.

Freudenthal is honored to be named a UW Distinguished Alumna: “Even if I had just been nominated, it would have been a real honor. UW was a special place for me, and it’s stayed with me whether volunteering or teaching or recruiting. It’s a forever backdrop that’s present in my life.”

PHOTO BY MICHELE RUSHWORTH

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

Peter Sherman

As Peter Sherman told the University of Wyoming graduating class at his commencement address in 2019: You’re not walking across a stage, you’re standing on a launchpad.

He speaks from experience. A Cheyenne native, Sherman launched all the way to the top of the marketing world as executive vice president at Omnicom Group—one of the world’s leading marketing services and communication companies. Based in New York City, he’s charged with driving innovation, integration and growth across the company’s largest global clients. His career has taken him all over the world, including 16 years at Omnicom’s largest worldwide advertising agency BBDO, where he ran accounts in New York, followed by running an office in San Francisco, and eventually led BBDO’s European region consisting of 35 offices in 18 countries from headquarters in Milan and Paris.

“The thing I love the most about my career is that it’s allowed me to travel, live and see different parts of the world that I might not have otherwise,” Sherman says. He also appreciates the lasting friendships and connections he’s made.

“The more you can achieve, the more you can give back,” he says. “The friendships that I developed at UW have been a strong magnet to stay involved.”

Sherman serves on the UW Foundation board of directors.

“I’m very invested in the purpose and mission of the university. I think it’s a way to not only give back to UW but also the state.”

He and his wife, Amy, love the outdoors as well as travel. Sherman graduated from UW with his degree in journalism in 1986 and looks back fondly at his UW days, especially football and fall: “I remember just how beautiful Laramie is in the fall when the leaves are turning, and the air is crisp, and you can feel all 7,000 feet. To be on the campus at that time of year is very meaningful.”

Sherman says UW prepared him well for his career, and he appreciates its perfect size and diverse student population.

“I think there’s an ethos at UW that says the world is yours if you’re curious enough and hungry enough to go out and grab it,” Sherman says.

While he’s achieved worldwide professional acclaim, Sherman still lists the UW Distinguished

Alumni Award and his invitation to speak at 2019 commencement as two of the most significant things that happened in his life: “This award could go to so many people. I was so very honored and humbled. To be chosen was such a significant honor.”

He adds, “I think no matter where you go in your career and life, there’s always a place for Laramie. For me, that place is the exact center of the universe. As much as I’ve left Laramie, Laramie has never left me.”

WYOGRAMS

Arrivals

➍ Brett Befus, B.S. ’05, business administration, J.D. ’10, law, and Mary Katherine Scott, welcomed a son, Rex Scott Befus, on Jan. 14, 2020.

➎ Brent Brouillard, B.S. ’10, civil engineering, and Danee (Hunzie) Brouillard, B.A. ’10, international studies and political science, M.A. ’15, educational leadership, welcomed a son, Finn David Brouillard, on Feb. 27, 2020. The couple met while attending UW.

Hana (Beamer) Rogers, B.S. ’13, speech pathology, and Alan Rogers, welcomed a daughter, Etta Blake Rogers, on March 31, 2020.

In Memoriam

William Avery, B.A. ’48, music education, M.A. ’63, music education, April 14, 2020. Survivors include his sons, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Jacqueline (Flater) Bath, B.A. ’53, sociology, April 25, 2020.

Survivors include her children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Dwight Blood, B.S. ’53, agricultural economics, March 23, 2020. He taught economics for 45 years at Penn State University, the University of Wyoming, Colorado State University and Brigham Young University. Survivors include his children, siblings, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

C. Neal Bloomenrader, Jr., B.S. ’70, microbiology, June 10, 2020. Survivors include his wife, children, sister, grandchildren and nieces.

➏ Timothy Bommer, B.A. ’63, political science and government, J.D. ’70, law, May 13, 2020. While attending UW, Bommer was in Air Force ROTC, and after graduating, he was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Bommer was a federal magistrate judge for 28 years, covering Jackson, Grand Teton National Park and the

Bridger-Teton National Forest. Survivors include his wife, former wife, children, grandchildren, great-granddaughter, step-sons and step-grandchildren.

John Crow, Exp. ’59, law, Feb. 28, 2020. Survivors include his wife, daughters, sons, stepsons, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, brother, stepbrother and sister-in-law.

Paul Custer, B.S. ’59, geology, April 6, 2020. Survivors include wife, son, daughter, granddaughter, grandsons, brother, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family members, special neighbors and friends.

Steven Davis, B.S. ’74, math education, June 5, 2020. Survivors include his daughter, son, grandchildren and nephews. Patricia (Kay) DeVoe, B.A. ’81, international studies, May 15, 2020. While attending UW, she participated on the Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa and ASUW. Survivors include her son, grandchildren and daughter-inlaw.

Shannon (Stauffer) Dickson, B.A. ’16, psychology, April 15, 2020. Survivors include her husband, children and family.

Louis Dillinger, Exp. ’64, college of agriculture, Feb. 26, 2020. Survivors include his wife, son, daughter, grandchildren and siblings.

Donald Downes, B.S. ’74, music, May 1, 2019. Downes passed away after a short cancer illness. He spent his time cooking and food writing and published food articles in The Scottsdale Progress newspaper and The Phoenix magazine.

Douglas Essert, Exp. ’39, College of Arts and Sciences, May 16, 2020. Survivors include his children and grandchildren.

Fred Gibbs, B.S. ’67, microbiology, M.S. ’68, animal husbandry, April 15, 2020. Survivors include his wife, son, sister, niece, stepdaughters, stepson and grandchildren.

Gary Haefele, B.S. ’67, petroleum engineering, Feb. 21, 2020. Haefele’s career as a petroleum engineer took him around the world. He received an M.B.A. from the University Perth in Australia. Survivors include his wife, sons, grandchildren, greatgrandson, siblings and nieces.

Dale Harris, B.S. ’58, business administration, M.S. ’59, industrial engineering and business management, March 7, 2020. Harris served in the Navy on the USS Keosanqua before completing his degree at UW. Survivors include his children, grandchildren, sister, nieces, nephews and girlfriend.

Troy Jensen, B.S. ’91, psychology, March 18, 2020. Jensen dedicated his career to law enforcement and spent time as an officer with the University of

Wyoming and City of Laramie. Survivors include his wife, daughter, son, parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Don Joder, B.S. ’54, zoology and physiology, April 29, 2020. Joder served as the first handler of Cowboy Joe, the UW pony, while attending school. Survivors include his children and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

William Jones, J.D. ’51, law, May 11, 2020. Jones was a fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel, inducted as a fellow to the American College of Trial Lawyers, and served as the Wyoming State Bar’s 58th president. He was also appointed to the UW Board of Trustees and served on the UW Foundation Board of Directors for 20 years. Survivors include his wife and son. Roy King, B.S. ’66, civil engineering, Feb. 21, 2020. King worked for various private engineering firms and Aramco. He participated in Toastmasters, the Mahler Society of Los Angeles, Calif., and the Southern California Writers Association. Survivors include his wife, daughter, sisters, numerous sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews.

Janet (Supon) Kingsbury, B.S. ’66, home economics, April 17, 2020. Survivors include her husband, son, daughters, grandchildren, brother and sister.

Mary (Richie) Latham, B.S. ’81, agricultural education, June 5, 2020. Survivors include her husband, children, grandchildren, sister, brother, father, mother-inlaw and sister-in-law.

Lisa (Gravino) Lindsey, B.F.A. ’88, art, May 21, 2020. Survivors include her siblings, aunt, nieces, nephews and cousins.

William Long Jr., B.S. ’80, criminal justice, M.P.A. ’89, May 27, 2020. Survivors include his wife, sons and sister.

Terri Longhurst, B.S. ’94, home economics, M.S. ’98, family and consumer science, Feb. 20, 2020. Survivors include father, sons, sisters and brothers.

Nancy (Toppins) Mauk, M.A. ’63, English, Nov. 18, 2019. Mauk was a devoted teacher for 32 years and taught in San Antonio, Newfoundland and Wyoming. She completed her teaching career with 25 years at Albuquerque High School. Survivors include family members and friends.

Samuel Mauk, B.S. ’63, mechanical engineering, June 22, 2013. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years as an aeronautical and nuclear engineer then worked in civil service for 16 years at Kirtland Air Force Base. Survivors include his daughter, siblings, nephews, nieces and friends.

Jacob McJunkin, B.S. ’62, civil engineering, June 3, 2020. Survivors include his wife, sons, daughter, grandchildren, sisters and brothers.

Sanford Meggert, B.S. ’62, physical education, April 29, 2020. Meggert played football for UW as a running back for Coach Bob Devaney. His 1959 team won the Skyline Conference championship, and he was later inducted into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame. Survivors include his daughters, brother and grandchildren.

WyoGrams continues on page 65

BUILDING A BETTER WYOMING AWARD: MAXINE CHISHOLM — DEDICATED ALUMNA PAVED THE WAY FOR WYOMING NURSE PRACTITIONERS

Maxine Chisholm (B.S. ’80, M.S. ’82) is a pioneer. Though she’s now retired, Chisholm was instrumental in introducing the state of Wyoming to nurse practitioners—a relatively new addition to the medical landscape but one that is now integral.

In recognition of her contributions to the state, her making a difference in the lives of Wyoming residents, and being a source of UW strength and pride, Chisholm received this year’s Building a Better Wyoming Award from the University of Wyoming Alumni Association.

“It’s nice to get an award like this, but the university has given me so much,” she says. “Had I not gone through the education at the university, I would never have been able to continue professionally the way I have.”

Chisholm was a nontraditional student, enrolling at UW as a married mother of three. Chisholm first earned a four-year degree before taking advantage of a brand new nurse practitioner master’s program launched by the State Legislature to address a shortage of rural medical professionals.

Chisholm was the program’s first ever graduate and began working at a nursing home, helping geriatric patients to reduce their medications.

“That’s where I probably learned more about Wyoming— through these pioneer residents who were in the nursing home, who had such vast information on their lives and the values that Wyoming has,” Chisholm says. “The project at the nursing home was supposed to last for six months, and I actually stayed for 10 years. I loved it.”

Chisholm worked with UW faculty to write articles related to her work at the nursing home, eventually becoming an instructor herself at the university. A trailblazer in her specialty, Chisholm was appointed to the State Board of Nursing by Gov. Mike Sullivan, and later elected to the Ivinson Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, serving as each body’s first nurse practitioner.

“I was told that I was the first full-time geriatric nurse practitioner in long-term care in the state,” she says. “I felt like a pioneer.”

Chisholm and her husband, Rod, have long been avid supporters of UW and members of the Cowboy Joe Club. Retired to Mesquite, Nev., the Chisholms live in a community with no shortage of Laramie ex-pats.

“Wyoming has not left us,” she says. “We just left Wyoming and brought it with us.”

NETWORK/CHAPTER LEADER AWARD: MYRON SCOTT GNALL — NYC TRANSIT ANALYST FOUND HIMSELF IN THE WEST

The West—and Wyoming especially—has long answered that calling for adventure, for something different and new. That promise is what brought Myron Scott Gnall (B.S. ’96) to Laramie from the East Coast.

“I was trying to figure out who I was and what I could become,” he says. “I took it upon myself to understand the place I was in. So I took great care in learning about the normal things that other people were doing out there because they were— without a doubt—vastly different.”

Gnall is one of this year’s Network/Chapter Leader Award winners. The award recognizes active members of the University of Wyoming’s alumni community, especially those who have been leaders in UW Alumni Association networks.

“It still doesn’t quite register,” Gnall says of receiving the award. “It wasn’t like I did this for recognition. I just want to give back. I found a few people, we had an event, and I saw how incredibly appreciative the people who showed up were.”

Now an analyst for the New York City Transit Authority, Gnall runs UWAA’s New York Metropolitan Area network. The alumni chapter started with a simple effort to get in touch with other UW Cowboys fans to watch games together.

Gnall was looking to maintain connections to the place and

institution he discovered as a young man. Others—many of them Wyoming natives living in NYC—were looking for something even more.

“It became so much more as time went on,” Gnall says. “It gives them that sense of home, to have that feeling of community.”

The New York network welcomes UW folks living or traveling in the tri-state area and has started raising money for scholarships, aiming to encourage local high school graduates to take a chance on the West and to discover what so many UW alumni once discovered themselves.

As with all things, the network has been slowed by the pandemic, but Gnall says he’s excited to get things moving again once the current crisis passes.

“It started with giving back, but I didn’t know how far it would go,” he says. “The chapter has a dedicated bunch who want to see the network grow and do more.”

IMAGE BY KELLY COULTER

PHOTOGRAPHY

NETWORK/CHAPTER LEADER AWARD: JØRGEN WAALER — NORWEGIAN ALUMNI CHAPTER STILL GOING STRONG.

For a modestly sized university in the country’s smallest state, the University of Wyoming has an outsized influence across the globe. Far-flung alumni networks are one aspect of that influence.

Network/Chapter Leader Award winner Jørgen Waaler heads an alumni chapter in Norway, an actively engaged network of more than 100 Norwegian UW graduates.

The award recognizes active members of the UW Alumni Association who have been leaders in their respective networks.

“I’m proud that we have managed to keep our Norwegian UW alumni organization intact and worthwhile,” says Waaler, who organizes reunions—sometimes hosted all the way back in Laramie—and an annual Christmas party attended by prominent members of the UW community.

In receiving this recognition, Jørgen said, “I’m really honored and proud to receive this UWAA Chapter leader award—and I believe this is also an appreciation to all the former Norwegian UW graduates.”

Waaler has always taken an avid interest in cross-country skiing, which is his home country’s national sport. Though he was among the top 15, Waaler faced stiff competition for spots on the world’s best cross-country ski teams, so he jumped at the chance to ski competitively for UW, for which he was actively recruited.

The university—and the state at large—offers unparalleled outdoor recreation opportunities, and the region’s intense winters, a turn-off to some, attract many winter sport enthusiasts.

Waaler earned a business bachelor’s and then an MBA before returning to Oslo in 1983. Once home, he put his new business skills to use, launching the IT firm StrongPoint ASA.

“I was one of the founders, and we were a public company on the Oslo Stock Exchange,” he says. “From 2011 to 2018, we quadrupled the stock price. I retired in fall 2018 after hiring a new younger CEO, but I still have my shares.”

Waaler now works as a farmer and still enjoys skiing and travel. The Norwegian alumni chapter is still going strong, composed mainly of alumni who graduated between 1980 and 1995. Waaler says he was not the only one drawn to UW by the opportunity to ski.

“I do wish that UW would re-install the ski team in order to compete in the NCAA,” he says. “Each ski team member attracted and recruited 8–10 Norwegian friends who paid full-time tuition!”

RISING ALUMNI AWARD: MEGAN DEGENFELDER — RISING ALUMNA DEMONSTRATES PASSION FOR ENERGY POLICY AND GIVING BACK

A University of Wyoming education provides the framework for a successful career in any number of fields, and alumni like Megan Degenfelder (B.A. ’12, B.S. ’12) waste no time making a difference in the world.

Degenfelder is this year’s Rising Alumni Award recipient. The award recognizes UW alumni who graduated in the last 10 years and have attained a high level of professional accomplishment.

“It’s such a great honor to be considered a reflection of the university and what the university looks for in its alumni,” she says. “My goal is to work hard enough that future students have the same opportunities I did.”

Degenfelder’s career has often focused on the intersection of government and energy. Degenfelder earned a master’s in economics from a Beijing university and has worked in coal, state government, and oil and gas.

“I think it was there that it really made me realize my passion for energy and energy policy,” she says. “I’m interested in trying to bring those fantastic resources we have in Wyoming to people across the globe.”

Degenfelder now works for Southland Royalty Co., an oil and gas company, and serves as chair of the advisory board of the

Wyoming Women’s Foundation. Years ago, at UW, Degenfelder honed her leadership and teamwork skills on the rugby team and student government. The opportunities afforded her by UW have influenced her work ever since.

“Whether it’s been government, for publicly traded or private companies, those cowboy ethics, the Code of the West—standing by your word, working hard, riding for the brand—that’s really never failed to help elevate my career,” she says.

Even as her UW background has brought her success, Degenfelder says she is compelled to give back, to support future generations through coaching and mentoring, or even to lead by example.

“My hope in doing all of these things and coming back to Wyoming is that every student in the state has as many, if not more, opportunities than I was afforded,” she says.

IMAGE BY BRIAN DEGENFELDER PHOTOGRAPHY

LIFE MEMBER SERVICE AWARD: JENNIFER NEVINS — NEVINS SHOWED PHARMACY STUDENTS JOY OF WORKING AT A RURAL HOSPITAL

As the state’s flagship institution, the University of Wyoming offers something other colleges can’t—a chance to connect with and be a part of small local communities.

Wheatland pharmacist and Life Member Service Award winner Jennifer Nevins (B.S. ’76) knows this better than anyone.

The Life Member Service Award honors outstanding and exemplary service on behalf of the Alumni Association and the UW alumni community.

The Cody High School graduate was active on campus as she worked toward her pharmacy degree, including membership in the Kappa Epsilon pharmacy sorority, Spurs, Chimes, Wyo Gals, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

After Wyoming, Nevins worked in retail pharmacy out of state for five years before returning to Wheatland, where she worked at Platte County Memorial Hospital for nearly 40 years. She never lost touch with her alma mater as a member of the UWAA since graduation, even serving on the UWAA Board of Directors. Nevins also helped organize the “Fun and Fabulous Class of ’77” scholarship, which has been awarded to students since 2002.

“I’ve always felt like everything I have I had because I went to UW and because of the education I got,” Nevins says. “So I always thought it was important to give back. Being on the alumni board showed me all of the great things that are going on at the university and made me want to give back even more.”

As a preceptor, Nevins supervised UW pharmacy students at the hospital in Wheatland. Named the Preceptor of the Year for the 2015–16 academic year, Nevins enjoyed showing pharmacy students what it’s like to work at a rural hospital.

“They’d rather go to the big hospitals until they come to

the small one and see that they can do everything,” Nevins says. “So it’s been fun to help influence some of them.”

Nevins served on the State Board of Pharmacy for 15 years and was that body’s president for four. She was also president of the regional eight-state District Board of Pharmacy for two years.

*The UW Alumni Association Award Recognition Ceremony and Reception to honor Maxine Chisholm, Megan Degenfelder, Myron Scott Gnall, Jennifer Nevins, and Jørgen Waaler originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, has been postponed to the fall of 2021.

STAY CONNECTED

PHOTO BY BHP IMAGING

Carl Morck, B.A. ’62, international studies, M.A. ’65, political science, May 30, 2020. Survivors include his daughter and grandchildren.

David Pond, B.S. ’51, geology, June 1, 2020. Pond worked for Anders Engineering Corp. then at the UW Carpenter Shop as an upholsterer for 17 years. Survivors include his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Larry Reisig, B.A. ’66, economics, April 15, 2020. Survivors include his sister, brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Cleo (Groves) Riley, B.S. ’58, home economics, Dec. 25, 2018. Riley dedicated her time to teaching at various schools including UW. She served as president of the Wyoming Home Economics Association, on the Wyoming Education Classroom Teachers Executive Board and in various positions in Delta Kappa Gamma. Survivors include her children, sister, brothers, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Marie (Hildebrand) Robertson, B.S. ’48, secretarial science, Feb. 1, 2020. Survivors include her children, sister-in-law, brother, nieces and nephews.

David Robrock, B.A. ’70, history, M.A. ’75, history, May 18, 2020. Survivors include his brothers, sisters-in-law, nephew and nieces.

Paul Schueler, B.S. ’54, petroleum engineering, May 31, 2020. Survivors include his wife, sons, step-sons, step-daughters, brothers, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends.

William Sherman, B.S. ’56, geology, March 20, 2020. Survivors include his children and grandchildren.

Ronald Soester, Exp. ’84, College of Arts and Sciences, April 22, 2020. Survivors include his siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Nancy (Lubnau) Stewart, B.A. ’56, humanities, April 18, 2020. Survivors include her daughter and son.

Lesley (Ekman) Thomas, B.A. ’56, English and business, May 7, 2020. Thomas was an active member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Cheyenne, Wyo. She served as the director of Christian education and youth group leader.

Survivors include her children, grandchildren and great-nephew.

Kathy (Gerber) Trabing, M.S. ’82, physical education, March 7, 2020. Survivors include her husband, father, children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews.

➐ Glenna Miller Travers, B.S. ’86, human resources, Jan. 22, 2020. Miller Travers passed away from pancreatic cancer. She was last employed as a human resources manager at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Wash. She received numerous awards

for tirelessly fundraising for Marysville YMCA and the Seattle MS Society. Survivors include her husband, son, daughter, brother, sister and grandchildren.

Marian (Chilton) Urbigkit, Exp. ’54, College of Arts and Sciences, May 6, 2020. Survivors include her daughters, son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister, nieces and nephews.

➑ Wayman Wing, B.S. ’47, civil engineering, 4/29/2020. Wing was principal of Wayman C Wing, Consulting Engineers in New York for 60 years. He won the National Engineering Award in 1968, the New York Engineer of the Year Award in 1970, and was inducted into the UW College of Engineering & Applied Science Hall of Fame in 1999. Wing was most proud of designing and building a Chinese Gazebo and Garden for the Town of Evanston, Wyo. in 2007. Survivors include his daughter, sister, nieces, nephews and “adopted” family members.

James Zancanella, B.A. ’50, business education, M.S. ’55, business education, May 29, 2020. Zancanella was a professor in the UW College of Education for 30 years. Survivors include his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

nature morte

Still life works at the UW Art Museum underscore why the genre continues to be an important vehicle of expression.

By Nicole M. Crawford

The still life is classically defined as a work of art depicting inanimate, typically commonplace objects that are either natural, such a food and flowers, or manmade, such a books and vases. Also known by the French term nature morte, the still life remains an academic tradition of art in all mediums. As an artistic genre, it has served as a means for artists throughout the centuries to assess and experiment artistically—and as a means to express often profound ideas on time, life and nature. The University of Wyoming Art Museum’s permanent collection has a number of historic to contemporary examples of the still life in a variety of mediums—including painting, photography, drawing and printmaking.

The earliest known still lifes were created in the 15th century BCE by the Egyptians, who created funerary paintings of food. Discovered in ancient burial sites, these images included depictions of crops, fish and meat. During the Middle Ages, the still life was adapted for religious purposes by incorporating objects such as coins, seashells and fruit into the borders of books surrounding depictions of biblical scenes.

Historically, still life paintings were depicted in highly detailed realism that were deeply imbued with religious meaning. As artists during the Northern Renaissance in the 17th century began to separate themselves from spiritual imagery, the focus of still life subjects shifted to items of everyday life. Flowers and all types of food and drink were portrayed as studies of the objects themselves, without hidden meaning. Artists experimented with color, simplified the perspective and introduced multi-colored backgrounds, signaling a major change from the religious symbolism of early still life paintings.

However, artists during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century) took the still life further by including objects that

symbolized the sin of vanity, such as items of precious metals or the abundance of food, and the transience of life, with depictions of hourglasses and extinguished candles. Often employing trompe-l’oeil techniques of hyperrealism in order to create an optical illusion of three-dimensionality, artists explored the boundaries between image and reality.

In the 12th century, still lifes became perfectly suited for the development of cubism, with explorations in geometric spatial organization. American modernists interpreted still life subjects with a combination of realism and cubist-derived abstraction that reveals both the physical structure and the emotional subtext of the objects.

Pop art embraced the still life genre and explored the idea of the multiple through the depiction of objects as a commodity, rather than a simple analysis of an object. Today, the still life is an important vehicle of expression in capturing themes of contemporary life while paying homage to the early traditions of painting.

The artworks in the Art Museum collection explore aesthetic and conceptual artistic strategies that challenge the view that the still life is simply an art of imitation and underscore why the genre continues to be an important vehicle of expression.

Oronzo Gasparo (Italian/American, 1903-1969), Cubistic Still Life #2, 1932, watercolor, 18-1/2 x 13-1/4 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Millman and the Gasparo Estate, 1973.291

AN EXCHANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES

The Health Equity Leadership Program brings Howard University and University of Wyoming students together to learn and grow.

By Micaela Myers

When Zulikhat Segunmaru and Nkiruka Emezienna started Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C., three years ago, little did they know they’d be petting the school mascot—a bison—in Wyoming, in January no less. They were part of the first cohort of students in an innovative pharmacy exchange program between Howard and the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy called the Health Equity Leadership Program, or HELP for short. Four students from each university take part in online leadership development together. Then, in January, Howard students visit Wyoming, and in March, UW students visit D.C.

“The premise of the program was to understand and appreciate the differences in not only health systems, policies and structures but in life experiences as well,” says Emezienna, who grew up in Prince George’s County, Md. “While I observed that our counterparts in Wyoming must navigate all of this with a lot less resources and a lot more hurdles, the similarities were not lost on me. We ultimately stand united in our goal to care for patients. I undoubtedly left Wyoming a little more patient, a bit wiser and a lot more grateful.”

Segunmaru says it’s key for health care providers to be well rounded because they serve patients from different backgrounds. “So it’s important that we’re adaptable and able to maneuver in different environments that we might be privileged to practice in.”

Danna Hanks, a second-year UW pharmacy student from Powell, Wyo., took part in the first year of the program, 2018–19, with Segunmaru and Emezienna.

“This experience exposed me to a whole new sector of health care as well as a whole new culture,” she says. “I had no idea what challenges plagued health care in a heavily populated area, and ironically enough, they were eerily similar to the health care challenges that we face in Wyoming. Here we might have to drive to see a

provider. In the D.C. area, there were large hospitals, but many patients did not have access to health care because of the cost, or lack of insurance, or due to their homelessness. Bottom line, I learned that pharmacists no matter where they are practicing must be creative problem solvers in order to deliver the best care for patients. I also grew in the area of cultural competence.”

UW Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Associate Dean of Students Tonja Woods says the program was created around the overall knowledge and awareness of health equity to eliminate disparities and help improve health across all groups. That was the premise for exposing UW students to an urban setting and Howard students to a rural one.

“We have biweekly meetings with the students via Zoom to engage in leadership activities, so they’re connecting quite a lot and getting to know each other,” Woods says.

When the Howard students come to Wyoming, they are immersed in health care settings but also experience the state via activities such as snowshoeing and a visit to Terry Bison Ranch.

“We’ve taken them to small, rural, critical-access hospitals, outpatient practices and rural pharmacies to see how care is delivered there,” she says. “We’ve elevated those visits to integrate

them into the health care and patient care process.”

Then, in D.C., UW students visit large urban hospitals and major pharmaceutical organizations such as the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), as well as take part in tourist activities.

“We had dinner twice with the CEO of APhA,” Segunmaru says. “We were able to sit down and talk to the heads of a lot of these major associations who are making decisions on our behalf. Having a seat at the table to be able to talk to them and see how they’re advocating for our profession is inspiring as a student.”

Woods reports very positive feedback from all sides of the program: “We’ve been contacted by other institutions asking if we’d be interested in partnering with them. So we’re exploring how we can expand this project. We plan to continue the program based on funding.”

Hanks remembers some words of wisdom from Tom Menighan, CEO of APhA: “Say yes to opportunities.”

She says, “I am extremely thankful that I said ‘yes’ to the Health Equity Leadership Program.”

Clockwise from left: Nkiruka Emezienna at the Wyoming State Museum; Platte County Memorial Hospital in Wheatland; learning about telehealth in Saratoga; UW; Register Cliff Pharmacy in Guernsey. COURTESY PHOTOS

HEAD TO UWYO.EDU/UWYO FOR A VIDEO ABOUT LINDA VAN

DIEPEN’S RESEARCH

Below the Surface

From weeds to invasive species, soil microbiomes can play an important role in the health of grasslands and farmlands.

By Micaela Myers

We often look above the surface at the thriving vineyards that make our wine or the fields of grain produced to make our bread. But nothing we eat or drink would be possible without healthy soils.

Among the factors affecting those soils are weeds and invasive species, which cost farmers and ranchers billions each year. What makes these weeds or invasive species take over in certain areas and not others? What does the application of herbicides do to the important microbes in the soil? These are some of the questions UW Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Assistant Professor Linda van Diepen and her students are studying as part of the Microbial Ecology Collaborative, which is funded by EPSCoR (Wyoming Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Wyoming EPSCoR’s grant is one of the largest at the University of Wyoming, and the main grant focuses on studying microbiomes across the state to help predict how different regions respond to environmental disturbances. Microbiomes are made of the microorganisms in a particular environment. These organisms play essential roles in cycling nutrients, decomposing organic matter, plant performance and determining the fate of pollutants released by human activities.

Van Diepen and her team are studying both a grassland area and a corn field. They are looking at what role soil microbes play in weed invasion and how herbicides affect the microbial community.

Early results of the agricultural corn field show that herbicide application changes the function of the soil microbial community for a short time, but that it returns to normal after about 20 days.

“It seems that the microbial community is functionally fairly resilient to that application, but it remains to be seen if the microbial species composition will also show that resilience,” van Diepen says. Results for the grassland area are still being analyzed.

“The direction we’d like to go into is looking at the cheatgrass invasion, which is a large problem across the western U.S., including Wyoming,” van Diepen says. “That’s a project that will be done with a larger network—BromeCast, another NSF-sponsored research project led by Peter Adler (Utah State University) and Matthew Germino (U.S. Geological Survey) and additional researchers from various universities and government agencies across the western U.S.—trying to understand why cheatgrass invades certain systems and not others.”

Other UW researchers involved in the network are Kevin Wilcox and Kristina Hufford from the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management and Topher Weiss-Lehman from the Department of Botany.

The larger BromeCast network project will involve seeding cheatgrass in set areas and monitoring the vegetation for cheatgrass performance, as well as taking soil samples before, during and after. “We’d take soil samples before we seed the cheatgrass to understand the microbial communities and chemical and physical properties of those soils then measure those same properties throughout,” van Diepen says.

This research will allow them to see what soil factors make the cheatgrass more or less successful at taking over—and if there is a specific role played by the soil microbiome.

“Understanding which factors are important in the establishment of cheatgrass will help in finding ways to combat invasion or restore sites after invasion, such as making cheatgrass less invasive,” van Diepen says. “The cattle and beef industry could potentially benefit from that study.”

As part of the Wyoming EPSCoR Microbial Ecology Collaborative, Assistant Professor Linda van Diepen collects soil at one of the 50 sagebrush sites across a climate gradient in Wyoming. Collected soil samples will be analyzed for various microbial, chemical and physical parameters to better understand the driving factors influencing the microbial communities associated with sagebrush ecosystems.

Allison Portenier, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Family and Consumer Sciences - Design, Merchandising and Textiles, spring 2020

“This project was designed for my Draping class with Associate Professor Erin Irick. As the final design, we visited the Geological Museum on campus to get inspiration from geology or paleontology. When I saw the mammoth picture on the wall, I knew I had found my inspiration. I really wanted to capture the whole aesthetic of a mammoth with my piece. I decided to make the skirt resemble the trunk. The different colors of each layer reflect the movement of the trunk. I lined the hems with faux fur to create some texture as the mammoth would have. But what pulled this design together were the antlers that I strategically cut and placed as the straps for the dress. I had a lot of fun making this design and bringing the creativity I had drawn on paper to a polished final product! The most rewarding thing about this project was how it spiked people’s interest and engaged the onlookers to ask questions during our design showcase held at the museum.”

A Cowboy doesn’t fear fear. Cowboys take risks, share successes and learn from failures.

Summed up in a word, Cowboys are resilient. We seek students who adapt to life’s curveballs — even when it’s challenging along the way — and come out stronger on the other side.

And then there’s you. When you fall o the horse, you dust yourself o and get right back on, slightly bruised but mostly confident. We know you have what it takes.

World Needs More Cowboys. Will you answer the call?

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