The Pac-12 Conference announced that the U is the winner of the Fan Engagement category of the Zero Waste Bowl. Our winning program is the RecycBike Brigade, six cargo bikes with a large bin on the back to collect recyclables. Each week, the Sustainability Office signs up students to ride its recycbikes and collect waste. In past years, the bikes were used only in the main tailgating lot. In 2017, the Sustainability Office created new routes that cover the majority of campus so that tailgaters farther from the stadium had access to recycling.

Each Pac-12 institution participates in the Zero Waste Bowl with the goal of determining which university diverted the most waste from the landfill at a selected football and men’s basketball game, as well as which used the most innovative methods to expand reach and impact of sustainability education efforts. In addition to the overall waste diversion rate, the universities were scored on innovation, partnership and participation, and fan engagement. Three judges selected one overall winner and one winner in three categories.

Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. But how do you protect yourself from a gas you cannot see, taste or smell?

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon.

 

Click here for more information.

The University of Utah’s Sorenson Impact Center will play a pivotal role in a nationwide effort to improve kindergarten readiness, which is seen as key to helping children succeed later in school and eventually the workplace.

The Pritzker Children’s Initiative is providing $6.5 million for a pilot project aimed at improving kindergarten readiness by focusing on child development from birth to age three. Partners in the project include the National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, Center for the Study of Social Policy, National Institute for Children Health Quality and StriveTogether.

The Sorenson Impact Center, housed at the U’s David Eccles School of Business, will work with Pritzker and the partner organizations to manage the initiative.

“We are confident that through close collaboration and a shared focus on our nation’s youngest children, this strong network of partners will be able to build local capacity to achieve the greatest outcomes for as many children as possible,” said Janet Froetscher, president of the J.B. and M.K Pritzker Family Foundation.

Each year, an estimated 3 million children across the U.S. are at risk of reaching kindergarten not yet ready to learn. The partners will work to dramatically reduce this number by promoting targeted, evidence-based programs and services that include a healthy start at birth, support for families with infants and toddlers and provision of high-quality care and learning environments.

Research shows that investment in children and their families in the earliest years helps communities create better education, health, social and economic outcomes that increase revenue and reduce the need for costly, less effective interventions later in life.

“We at the Sorenson Impact Center are honored to play a role in the groundbreaking work of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative,” said Fraser Nelson, managing director. “Our mission is to solve complex social problems through evidence-based programs and policies. Through this work, we feel privileged to bring our expertise in project management, innovative financing and data science to improve outcomes for young children and their families.”

Researchers developed a new mathematical tool to validate and improve methods used by medical professionals to interpret results from clinical genetic tests. The work was published this month in Genetics in Medicine.

The research was led by Sean Tavtigian, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and professor of oncological sciences at the University of Utah, in collaboration with genetics experts from around the United States.

Tavtigian utilized Bayes’ Theorem, a math equation first published in 1763, as the basis of a computational tool he and the team developed to assess the rigor of the current, widely-used approach to evaluate the results of a clinical genetic test.

Clinical genetic testing is used in a variety of medical fields, including cancer care, obstetrics and neurosciences, among others. Results of a genetic test may help to provide a definitive medical diagnosis, or assess the likelihood of a person to develop a particular disease before symptoms appear. The range of approaches employed to provide health care based on the results of the test can vary significantly. Patients may be at negligible risk for disease with no medical management required, or they may pursue costly, invasive medical treatment in an effort to stave off disease or manage and minimize symptoms.

Read the full story here.

The Entrepreneurial Faculty Scholars have extended the deadline for Distinguished Innovation and Impact Award nominations through Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Faculty on career, clinical, or tenure tracks are eligible. The recipient receives public recognition plus a $10,000 cash award.

To see criteria and deadlines, click here.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2018-19 academic year is available at fafsa.gov. Students that want to be considered for the maximum amount of aid programs, including grants, need-based scholarships, and work-study need to complete the FAFSA and their financial aid file by the Feb. 1, 2018, Financial Aid Priority Date. Students can complete the FAFSA after the priority date and will still be considered for some aid options.

Here’s some helpful FAFSA hints:

• Use school code 003675 on the FAFSA
• Utilize the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) in the application. It will securely transfer your federal tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA.
• After submitting your FAFSA, consistently check your UMail account and financial aid status in CIS. The University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (UOSFA) may require additional information. Not following up on requests in a timely manner will delay your financial aid award letter.
• Financial aid award letters for 2018-19 are expected to be available in late March-early April.
• Financial aid is available for the 2018 spring and summer semesters. Students will need to complete the 2017-18 FAFSA. The separate summer application will be available on the UOSFA website in the next few months.

The University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is here to help you. If you need assistance completing the FAFSA, have financial aid or scholarship questions, visit our website.

The Office for Global Engagement is requesting pre-proposals for the Global Learning Across the Disciplines (GLAD) Grants offering up to $10,000 for faculty teams to internationalize the curriculum by developing global learning outcomes and an assessment process. Global Learning is defined as “the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students acquire through a variety of experiences that enable them to understand world cultures and events; analyze global systems; appreciate cultural differences; and apply this knowledge and appreciation to their lives as citizens and workers” (Olson, Green and Hill, 2006).

Instructions and background information for the pre-proposals can be found here. Please carefully review the purpose of the GLAD Grants and the instructions. If you have any questions or would like to receive feedback on your proposal idea, please contact Sabine Klahr, acting chief global officer, at 7-8888 or s.klahr@utah.edu.

DEADLINE: Feb. 9.

The Beehive Honor Society was established at the University of Utah in 1913 and is the oldest and most prestigious honor society on campus today. The Beehive Honor Society is looking to acknowledge and honor graduating University of Utah seniors who have excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to the university and the community.

The application is due Feb. 12 and can be found here.

The University of Utah is partnering with Alta Ski Area to recognize students, faculty and staff with the fourth Alta Sustainability Leadership Awards. The awards recognize members of the university community who demonstrate leadership in sustainability education, research or campus/community initiatives. An award of $2,500 is given in four award categories.

The application deadline is Jan. 31, 2018.

The awards will be presented on Feb. 15, 2018, at the Environment and Sustainability Research Symposium.

For more information on applying, or to nominate yourself or a colleague, click here.