Doing something that has never been done before, such as bringing a Ferris Wheel to the Quad, is what defines pioneering. I think of other wheels involving handcarts and the vision and fortitude they required. We explore the traits and achievements of pioneers in this issue by grabbing hold of the

When I was a kid in Montana, I loved pretending that I was a pioneer – being the first to explore a new area in the American West. My exploration of new lands was done by riding a stick horse miles and miles and miles, along cattle paths that I pretended

Quinn Grover wasn’t exactly studious in college. He often skipped class to go fly fishing up Logan Canyon in search of wild spaces. It was a different kind of education than one finds on a syllabus. “What was I looking for, and did I even know it when I found it?”

War, genocide, infanticide, gang violence. These subjects often filled Matthew LaPlante's notebooks while reporting for outlets like the Salt Lake Tribune and CNN. But the daily dose of bad news wore him down. “I was sad and angry and I didn't like me very much, but I felt what I was doing

Nothing says style quite like a Fort Rock Sandal with its distinct close-twined sole. At 9,300 years old, this rugged sagebrush bark footwear is a true classic. Veronica Villhard '19 was well aware of these sandals, and many others throughout human history, when she set out to design superior ones—at

More than 7,000 years ago, humankind made one of its greatest discoveries to date: cheese. Without it there would be no pizza, no mac, no shmear for our bagels, no cheddar for our burgers. A dark age indeed. Early cheese production is believed to have emerged as a way of preserving milk

Picture this. The family is sitting around a meal at the table. Children and parents share events of the day. Talking and laughing can be heard because there is no sound of television, video games, or phones. Now, think about what might be more realistic. Perhaps people stand at the counter

David Schramm admits he is selfish. When asked why he conducted a research study on parenting advice and regrets from empty nesters, he says because he wants to be a better parent, and no one has ever done such a study. “I only get one chance at being a dad, and

In six months, NASA’s newest rover will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the Jezero Crater, a dry lakebed on Mars to discover if life ever existed on the red planet. The rover will roam windswept sand dunes and ancient rock beds collecting samples for a future mission to

Paul Rogers is comfortable with messiness. Before he was a researcher monitoring the health of western forests, before he became a disturbance ecologist, Rogers studied geography. This is where things tend to get muddled. Because the study of place is also the study of people. People put lines on maps. People

Words can’t outline the exact architecture of a great heart. A kind heart. But one can picture a kitchen table, with a worn chair tilted just enough to welcome. And one can see a girl, tall, dark haired and pleased with herself, who can run faster than all the boys. Who can

LYNN THOMAS WALKS IN THE SPITTING RAIN TO THE DARYL CHASE FINE ARTS BUILDING. His keys jingle as he describes growing up in Hyrum during the height of the Cold War—a time when neighbors erected fallout shelters in the mountains and classmates performed duck and cover drills in school. Mid-sentence