COVID-19? We're Owning It!

What happens if I've already submitted a nomination for my favorite woman/women in STEM?

Can I still submit a nomination for a woman/women in STEM?

Is the Own It event is still even on?

Good questions!  

Earlier this month we announced our Fifth Annual Own It recognition event for women in STEM.  Since then, we've been tackling COVID-19 and the many changes it has brought to EPSCoR and the University of Wyoming.  Amidst the closures and extended Spring Break, EPSCoR is still honoring our women in STEM.  How you ask?  Read on to find out.

Our in-person event is cancelled, unfortunately, but we are still Owning It!  All nominations are being viewed from home and will continue being accepted until March 30th.  While we cannot wine and dine each of the nominees and winners, EPSCoR will still be celebrating all of our women in STEM.

Hosting 6 nomination categories this year, Own It will still virtually celebrate and recognize numerous undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community members.  It would take a lot more than a cancellation to keep us from recognizing our fantastic women during #InternationalWomen'sMonth. 

Still want to nominate a woman/women in STEM?  Please do so by going to the Own It website, and filling out the nomination form by March 30th!

Still have questions about the event?  Feel free to reach out to Lisa Abeyta via email at labeyta1@uwyo.edu or by phone at 307-766-6059.

This Moment, We Own It!

Sunday was #InternationalWomen'sDay, but we are celebrating all month long!  Do you know of an outstanding woman, or women, in STEM deserving of celebration?  We are looking to recognize and honor them through Own It!

Wyoming EPSCoR is hosting their 5th Annual Own It Event on April 9th.  Own It was created to celebrate and recognize women in STEM at the University of Wyoming and in the local community.  Started in 2016, Own It began gaining traction as the number of nominations grew each year.  Past recipients and current nominees, along with their families and friends, gather each spring to marvel at the work women are doing in STEM.  

Hosting 6 nomination categories this year, Own It will celebrate numerous undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community members.  Each nomination category is carefully scrutinized by the selection committee, and winners are recognized later in the evening.  Adults will spend their time wining and dining with their peers while their children spend time in the Kid's Corner.  All in all, Own It is a wonderful evening of recognition and appreciation (along with a break from the kiddos).

Come join us at this year's event!  Own It will be hosted on April 9th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm in the Business Building Atrium.  For more information on the event, or to nominate a woman/women in your life who are making an impact through STEM, check out this year's website.

The DyNAmIC Duo - Disintegrating Bioplastics

Voices collide as soon as you enter the ballroom.  Students of all ages and backgrounds are presenting on numerous research projects. Parents, teachers, UW science faculty, other family, and friends peruse the tables lined with poster boards.  One student presents on the importance of growing vegetation in mining communities.  Another causes a light bulb to come to life.  This is overwhelming and awe-inspiring.  This is the Wyoming State Science Fair.


The Wyoming State fair hosts middle school and high school students from across the state every year.  This year's event was held at the University of Wyoming Union and spanned three days from March 1-3.  The fair gives students an opportunity to present their research projects to a broad community.  Project topics range anywhere from bull riding and satellites to supercomputers and optogenic bacteria.  The creative process for these students are wildly flexible.  One student tells her story behind her project idea saying,

"I play the trumpet, and really wanted to see if they were dirty or not, so I decided to do some swabs and see if bacteria grew on a petri dish or not."

While the topics cover a broad spectrum of creative subjects, two students with similar ideas stood out in this year's competition for EPSCoR's Mini-Interns.  Covering the topic of creating and disintegrating bioplastics, Peyton Crinklaw and Tiernan Stanton made a splash.  Hard work and research paid off when the pair was awarded the 2020 Wyoming State Science Fair Mini-Intern position.  Normally awarded to one student, this year's winnings will be split between the two cousins.  Each will spend one week in the Eco-BGC Lab with Jessica Kern this summer where they can further study their science fair projects.  Erin Stoesz, Science Fair director, will aso work with Peyton and Tiernan to provide tools and tips to aid in further developing their current projects.

 Each intern will also have the opportunity to bring a teacher or parent with them for the week they are on campus.  If they choose to bring a teacher, that individual will work with Erin during the week.  Together they will tour labs, explore the Berry Center on campus, and discuss other ways to encourage students to do hands-on research in their high school.

With the goal of increasing hands-on research in local high schools, the Wyoming State Science Fair has played a huge role in allowing students to begin building their home programs.  Peyton and Tiernan will be taking their win and mini-intern experience back to Newcastle High School to expand upon their own questions and inspiring others to do the same.

For more information on the Wyoming State Science Fair, and how to support them, check out their website at http://www.uwyo.edu/sciencefair/.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

A native Minnesotan, Mike Koshmrl arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.  According to his bio on the Jackson Hole News and Guide website, Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wild lands, and the agencies that manage them since 2012.  Little did he know he was creating stories that go beyond the average newspaper article.

In 2019, Mike was honored as the winner of the Best of Science Journalism competition.  His win was announced at the Wyoming Press Association Conference.  21 journalists and 41 stories were entered into the competition and carefully judged by Christine Peterson, Kristen Landreville, and Emily Vercoe.  All stories and submissions were judged based on writing quality, command of content knowledge, relevancy, and consistency.  Winning was no easy feat.

Mike Koshmrl was awarded $500 in prize money and will have his 2020 WPA Convention fees covered.  He reflects on this experience saying, 

"Award validation from other journalists is nice, but it's so great to see that my work passes muster with scientists, too."

The Wyoming Press Association and Wyoming EPSCoR Department have been working toward increasing science journalism across the state.  With entries to the competition growing each year, it's clear the partnership is booming.  Each entry expands science journalism awareness.  Mike's win was profound and is sure to inspire his fellow science journalists to continue writing.  Maybe their name will be announced as the 2020 winner.

For a more in-depth look at Mike Koshmrl's work, head over to the Jackson Hole News and Guide.