News and Events

At 43, King is not your typical graduate student. He’s worked in oil fields and mines, taught high school science, flipped houses, run a rental business, and even planned a year-long move to Spain. Now, he’s a student in the first-ever cohort of a master’s program at the University of Utah focused on mining safety. The interdisciplinary program is a collaboration between the U’s Department of Mining Engineering at the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health.

Beneath Yellowstone lies a magma reservoir, pulsing with molten and superheated rock and exsolved gases. Scientists have long known about the chamber’s existence, but they have yet to precisely locate its uppermost boundary and characterize the contents of the chamber closest to the surface—information crucial for understanding the potential perils this volcanic feature poses.

(Photo credit: Jorge Gonzalez) The ancestors of today’s crocodylians survived two mass extinction events. A new study uncovered a secret to their longevity, which could help conservationists better protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.

(Photo credits: Todd Anderson) Swomitra Mohanty at the University of Utah is developing nanotube sensors for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) through breath samples. This innovative approach aims to provide accurate, affordable, and rapid TB diagnosis, addressing significant global health disparities.

(Photo credit: Jim Steenburgh) Salt Lake's locally sourced dust pollution carries far more hazardous elements than natural dust blown in from Great Basin. Airborne dust pollution has been a concern for Utahns for several years, especially with the exposed lakebed of Great Salt Lake potentially becoming more hazardous as the lake dries. Natural dust blows from the Great Basin and settles along the western edge of the Wasatch Front, Utah’s major population center, and the surrounding mountains.