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Author: Brooke Ortel

A woman in a blue jacket stands in front of the stone ruins and steep green mountains of Machu Picchu, Peru.

UW Alum Teaches and Researches Global Biodiversity, Inspiring Curiosity and Conservation

Nina Zitani has discovered and named 15 insect species previously unknown to science. Fellow entomologists have named another nine newly discovered species in her honor. A renowned scientist and educator, Zitani has led or co-led more than 30 expeditions to remote areas of Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. She’s collected and scrutinized thousands of entomological research specimens, led field courses in the Amazon rainforest, and served as a biodiversity expert for 18 Smithsonian Journeys, including an “Around the World by Private Jet” program.
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Brooke Ortel August 6, 2026
field containing a thick strip of yellow grass with mostly green grass to the right side

UW-Led Institute Releases Film Highlighting 10 Years of Collaborative Invasive Grass Management

The University of Wyoming’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) has released a short film highlighting a decade of collaborative efforts to manage invasive grasses in northeast Wyoming. The film, titled “Northeast Wyoming Holds the Line Against Ventenata & Medusahead,” features the Northeast Wyoming Invasive Grass Working Group (NEWIGWG), one of the largest invasive grass working groups in the U.S.
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Brooke Ortel July 27, 2026
large group of people organized into two rows pose together next to a sign advertising UW's Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

UW Graduate Student Presents Hunger in Wyoming Workshops Across the State

In partnership with the Food Bank of Wyoming, University of Wyoming graduate student Julie Hampton-Lyon has organized a workshop series addressing the issue of food security. Hampton-Lyon, a master’s student in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences’ Food Science and Human Nutrition program, has spearheaded six events sharing information about Wyoming food policy with communities across the state.
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Brooke Ortel July 21, 2026
4-H educator holds open a sheet of newspaper on top of a wooden flower press while child sets flower blossoms and leaves inside

UW Extension Partners with Wyoming Department of Health to Offer Family-Friendly Wellness Program

The University of Wyoming Extension has partnered with the Wyoming Department of Health to offer a free self-paced wellness program encouraging outdoor exploration and healthy living. The three-month “Ready, Set, Thrive” program is open to Wyoming residents of all ages interested in getting outdoors with friends and family, embracing new wellness practices, and nurturing creativity.
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Brooke Ortel July 5, 2026
Two land managers stand in sagebrush near a lake and talk, with one gesturing while explaining something; rolling hills and water are visible in the background.

UW-Led Institute Releases Films Highlighting Invasive Grass Management in Carbon, Sublette Counties

The University of Wyoming’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) has released two short films highlighting cheatgrass management efforts in Carbon and Sublette counties. These films are the latest installments in an ongoing seven-part series highlighting collaborative efforts to “defend the core” from invasive annual grasses like cheatgrass, medusahead, and ventenata.
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Brooke Ortel May 4, 2026