Utah
How one Utah university is trying to embrace artificial intelligence
OREM — The world is changing quickly as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, including in the classroom.
Utah Valley University is trying to embrace it, despite its potential pitfalls and the speed at which AI is developing.
“It’s a brave new world,” Astrid Tuminez, UVU’s president, said in an interview with KSL TV. “Technology – you can never stop it, and so knowing and understanding its uses is really important.”
Using AI in the classroom
Noah Myers teaches accounting at Utah Valley University’s main campus in Orem. More and more, he finds himself using AI in the classroom.
“It’s really a net gain for education,” Myers said.
This semester he’s teaching students how to use ChatGPT to create a spreadsheet that will make their jobs as accountants easier.
Before AI made it easier to input coding and programming instructions, Myers said, this would have taken a lot longer.
“Students can rely on it as their assistant,” he said, “and it can help them learn.”
This is just one example of how UVU – which has roughly 45,000 students – is trying to get a better handle on artificial intelligence.
“We need to understand how AI works,” Tuminez said.
She pointed out that UVU has recently started using it in many ways. That includes courses like computer science and sociology, and helping students learn to identify “deepfake” images and videos in political messaging.
Plus, Tuminez said, the university has created an institute to look at how to train faculty on AI, how to prevent cheating, and how to make human resources processes better.
“And we have pioneered a chatbot – a teaching assistant – that is available 24/7 for some of our largest courses,” Tuminez added.
Concerns about AI
But there are concerns about artificial intelligence on campus like plagiarism, or students letting a computer do their thinking for them.
“It’s a real concern,” acknowledged Barclay Burns, UVU’s new assistant dean of applied AI. “Sometimes it’s easier to just let it do it for you and not go through all of the discipline of learning how to be a good writer, a good thinker, a good problem solver.”
But AI isn’t going away, and Burns said it’s important to understand how to better use it – even though it feels like the “wild, wild west” right now, with artificial intelligence technology constantly changing and improving.
Burns said UVU is launching an initiative that will gather feedback from professors and come up with new guidelines for AI use going forward.
“If students lean into, and the faculty lean into it, I think we’ll end up having smarter students,” Burns said.
Preparing for the workforce
Tuminez, UVU’s president, said students today need to understand how to use artificial intelligence as they prepare for full-time jobs.
“We want them to be workforce-ready,” Tuminez said. “Whatever field you’re going to be in – whether that’s entertainment or computer science or engineering or politics – AI is going to apply to all of these fields.”
Accounting student Conner Mariluch is about to graduate in a few months. He said using AI in Professor Myers’s class helped him learn.
As a result, Mariluch said, he feels better prepared for the workforce.
“From a practical perspective,” he said, “this was probably one of the most relevant experiences I had here at UVU.”
Utah
Utah Royals FC Returns Home to Host Racing Louisville FC Chasing Eight Match Unbeaten Streak | Utah Royals
HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, May 14, 2026) — Utah Royals FC (5-2-2, 17 pts) returns to the Beehive State this weekend to host Racing Louisville FC (2-1-5, 7 pts) for the first meeting between the two clubs during the 2026 campaign on Sunday, May 17, at America First Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MT.
Utah enters Sunday’s contest following a hard-fought 0-0 road draw against Bay FC at PayPal Park, earning another clean sheet while continuing the club’s streak of never allowing Bay FC to score at home against Utah Royals FC. The point on the road marked Utah’s 11th away point of the 2026 campaign, equaling the club’s combined road-point total from both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The Royals were tested throughout the opening half, with one of Bay FC’s best opportunities coming in the 40th minute when Racheal Kundananji broke forward on a dangerous run through the middle of the pitch before entering the penalty area. Midfielder Narumi came up with a crucial defensive stop, diving in front of the attempt and deflecting the shot away with her leg to preserve the scoreless draw. The sequence highlighted Utah’s defensive commitment, with multiple Royals players sprinting back to disrupt the Bay FC attack and protect the clean sheet heading into halftime.
Utah continued to remain organized defensively throughout the second half, limiting Bay FC’s opportunities and securing its fifth clean sheet of the 2026 season. The result extended the Royals’ unbeaten streak to seven consecutive matches while also leaving Bay FC winless against Utah through five all-time meetings between the clubs.
With the result, Utah extended its unbeaten streak to seven consecutive matches, continuing the Royals’ impressive run of form heading into Sunday’s home match against Racing Louisville FC.
Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets and his squad now look to build on an impressive seven-match unbeaten streak, alongside multiple consecutive clean sheets against Chicago Stars FC, Seattle Reign FC, Angel City FC, Houston Dash, and most recently Bay FC. The result against Bay extended Utah’s strong run of form as the Royals continue to establish themselves as one of the league’s toughest defensive sides. Utah now returns home looking to carry that momentum into America First Field in front of its home crowd while aiming to extend both its unbeaten streak and defensive success.
Now in his second full season at the helm, Head Coach Coenraets continues molding a balanced squad built on defensive discipline, midfield control, and attacking creativity. Sunday’s contest presents another opportunity for Utah to extend its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive matches while collecting crucial points at home in front of the club’s supporters at America First Field.
Racing Louisville FC enters the matchup with a 2-1-5 record, most recently earning a 3-1 home victory over Portland Thorns FC after suffering back-to-back defeats. Led by Head Coach Bev Yanez, Racing Louisville FC will look to build on its return to winning form and secure all three points on the road at America First Field.
Sunday’s contest marks the tenth match of the 2026 NWSL regular season for the Royals and the ninth for Racing Louisville FC, with both sides aiming to secure valuable early-season points and strengthen their position in the league standings.
WATCH LIVE on Victory+ with Josh Eastern and McCall Zerboni :: Utah Royals FC vs Racing Louisville | America First Field | 6:00 p.m. MT
WATCH LIVE on Victory+ with Kelley O’Hara and Ali Riley :: Utah Royals FC vs Racing Louisville | America First Field | 6:00 p.m. MT
LISTEN via KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 5:30 p.m. MT
Following Sunday’s match, Utah Royals FC will remain in the Beehive State to host inaugural side Denver Summit FC on Saturday, May 23, at America First Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT, with tickets available for purchase here.
Utah
‘It means building hope’: USU brings independence to refugee group through chicken coop project
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Refugee communities in Utah are being supplied with farm-fresh eggs and poultry thanks to a collaborative effort between Utah State University and Utah Refugee Goats.
According to Utah Refugee Goats (URG), their goat and poultry farm supplies refugee communities with reliable, affordable and culturally familiar sources of meat. Thanks to Utah State University (USU) agriculture students, it’s getting some ‘egg’stra attention.
Over the last 10 weeks, Brad Borges, a Ph.D candidate for career and technical education, has been taking a hands-on approach with his students to construct a new chicken coop with the support of a mobile construction lab and a $20,000 grant.
According to URG President Abdikadir Hussein, the coop is equipped with fully enclosed roofs and will increase their flock by 40%, meaning faster growth for the Salt Lake City-based farm. As a refugee, though, Hussein said it means even more.
“It means resiliency. It means independence. It means building hope. Hopelessness is something that is killing the most refugees inside,” he expressed. “I came as a refugee, and hope is the last everything that ever came to mind.”
“We feel like even the birds are happy, like they want to get into there,” he added.
From the student perspective, being able to build a project that will be used to generate money for refugee groups was incredibly engaging and inspirational, according to Borges. The sentiment is shared by Joseph Okoh, extension assistant professor of small acreage livestock.
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” Okoh said. One, we are getting the coop for the refugee group, these students are going to learn from the construction of the coop, and not only that, everybody is going to be happy to be part of this community to be able to develop a better coop for better production.”
To learn more about issues facing refugees in Utah and how to support them, visit Utah Refugee Goats’ website.
Via 313 is launching a brand new pizza in Utah and it’s four flavors in one!
The DLX 313 is a large, four-flavor pizza is double cut into 16 slices, making it perfect for groups, sharing or first-timers looking to taste it all.
It includes:
- The Detroiter with smoked pepperoni under the cheese and natural casing pepperoni on top
- The Ambassador Bridge loaded with pepperoni, sausage, fresh garlic, oregano and house-made ricotta
- The Cadillac featuring prosciutto, gorgonzola, parmesan, fig preserves and balsamic glaze
- The Bobo Brazil brings the heat with hot calabrese, sausage, red pepper flakes and Mike’s Hot Honey
Alongside the DLX 313, Via 313 is also featuring a full summer LTO lineup through Aug. 2, including the new Elote Pizza, Meat & Cheese Boards, Banana Pudding and seasonal cocktails.
You can learn more at via313.com or by visiting them at 6163 S. State Street in Murray.
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