By Mary-Ann Muffoletto Utah State University alumna Mary Cleave, who died in 2023 at the age of 76, was a trailblazing veteran of two NASA shuttle spaceflights and was just the 10th woman to fly in space. She flew as a mission specialist aboard space shuttle Atlantis mission STS-61B in 1985, and

By Jeff Hunter '96 There are objects in space so dense not even light can escape from them. The gravity of these objects creates a boundary, called the event horizon, beyond which no matter or energy can escape. But black holes don’t take Maria Rodriguez to a dark place. In fact, a smile

By Megan Bowen For millennia, humanity has gazed up at the night sky finding meaning in the vast expanse of lights. Now, that trend is being reversed. Instead of looking to the lights in the sky, we’re using satellite technology to look down from above.   Every night, satellites orbiting Earth capture a

By Taylor Emerson '18 A large garden cart was the chariot of choice — or perhaps just of convenience. The well-worn, green-painted metal hauler, largely used to ferry plants around the facility, stood in stark contrast to its freshly milled, carefully assembled, and now plastic-covered delivery. An accompanying group of seven researchers,

By Eric Warren Outside of Utah — and maybe even Cache Valley — Utah State University likely wouldn’t be one of the first names to come to mind when identifying institutions at the forefront of space research. But space isn’t just the final frontier — it’s USU’s backyard. Every day, nearly 1,400 engineers,

By Timothy R. Olsen The only way this photo could more aptly highlight the content of this magazine would be if we subbed out Maverik Stadium for Old Main.  Originally discovered on March 27, 2020, Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE — or simply Comet NEOWISE for short — was named after the telescope

During this period of rapid change for USU, please know that the strong foundation of our institution provides a springboard for success in our long-time endeavors and our future innovations. Our strength is in our people — the students, faculty, and staff who make our institution special through their talent,

By Taylor Emerson For me, it was hidden from view — whether because as a student my head was buried in the coursework ahead of me or because it really does take a close look behind closed doors to unveil it. But upon examination, it is apparent. This university — Utah State University

Ecologists Document Utah’s Bee Species and Say Beehive State is Rich in Bee Diversity As pollinators for native plants and food crops, bees play a pivotal role in our ecosystem, according to Utah State University ecologist Joseph Wilson. He and undergraduate researcher Anthony Hunsaker took on the herculean task of documenting

By Jeff Hunter '96 Jaxon Didericksen’s original higher-education plan called for him to graduate from Utah State University with a degree in accounting. But the Smithfield native quickly realized that for him, a career in accounting didn’t quite add up. “I went to class about three times in management information systems, and