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How one Utah university is trying to embrace artificial intelligence

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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Springlike heat surges across Utah; only isolated showers

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Springlike heat surges across Utah; only isolated showers


A little mid-level moisture will drift across Utah this weekend, but most areas will stay dry.

A few very isolated mountain showers are possible, mainly in the afternoons, but nothing widespread.

The big story is the heat. High pressure will build in, pushing temperatures 15–20 degrees above normal.

It will feel more like late spring, with many areas nearing or breaking March records, especially across central and southern Utah.

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Overall, expect a warm, mostly dry weekend, with just a small chance for a quick mountain shower. Rain chances increase significantly later next week.

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Case dismissed for Wyoming man charged with allegedly kidnapping missing Utah girl – East Idaho News

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Case dismissed for Wyoming man charged with allegedly kidnapping missing Utah girl – East Idaho News


POCATELLO — After a search for a missing Utah girl resulted in the arrest of a Wyoming man last November, a motion was accepted to dismiss the man’s case.

Anthony Holm of Star Valley, Wyoming, was originally charged on Nov. 17 with one felony count of second-degree kidnapping, but these charges were dismissed on March 17 during his preliminary hearing.

According to court documents, Bannock County Prosecutor Alan Boehme filed a motion to dismiss the case against Holm, as Utah will bring charges against him.

The motion was granted by Magistrate Judge Carol Tippi Jarman.

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EastIdahoNews.com checked Utah court records, and no charges have been filed at the time of publication.

RELATED | Man arrested on kidnapping charges; missing Utah juvenile located safely

RELATED | Wyoming man charged with kidnapping thought teenager was 18, court documents say

The original incident occurred on Nov. 14, when Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies were contacted by the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office in Utah, which requested assistance in locating a missing juvenile.

The juvenile was believed to be with Holm, who was driving a 2024 Ford Bronco, and was suspected to be in the Lava Hot Springs area.

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Court documents state that the vehicle was spotted at a hotel in Lava Hot Springs; however, the license plate did not match the reported one. Bannock County Dispatch reported that the vehicle belonged to Holm, and later confirmed that he was staying at the hotel.

Deputies spoke with Holm and the 16-year-old girl outside of a hotel room.

When asked by deputies how he knew the girl, he said they met on the app Ashley Madison the day before, and that the girl told him she was 18.

RELATED | Ashley Madison isn’t the only place to cheat. Infidelity thrives on social media

Deputies spoke with the 16-year-old, who confirmed that she had told Holm she was 18, but did not want the man to go to jail. She later told deputies the plan was for them to stay in Lava Hot Springs to swim and spend the night there.

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Documents state that in Willard, Utah, Holm had picked up the juvenile and traveled to Salt Lake City, where the two stayed at a hotel, before traveling to Idaho.

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Utah Falls in Emotional, Physical Game Against Capitals | Utah Mammoth

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Utah Falls in Emotional, Physical Game Against Capitals | Utah Mammoth


Utah’s power play went 2-for-4, and it was the first time the Mammoth have scored two power play goals in a game since the last time they played the Capitals (Mar. 3, at Washington). Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley each capitalized on the man-advantage in the first period. Cooley was added to the top unit with Barrett Hayton out of the lineup (week-to-week, upper-body injury), and he shared what was working for the top unit.

“Just trying to establish a shot,” Cooley explained. “Trying to build off that and then things start to open up. We have a lot of great players on that unit that can make a lot of plays, and I think when we establish a shot first (mentality) that’s when we’re going to get our opportunities, and find seams and different rebounds like that.”

“They were rolling,” Tourigny said of the power play. “The way they were attacking, the way they were direct, they were really aggressive. They were intentional, their aggressiveness, that paid off.”

In addition to his power play goal, Guenther also scored three minutes and 55 seconds later. The forward has six multi-goal efforts this season and he set a new career-high in points (61). This is his second consecutive season with 60 or more points. Guenther has been a consistent scorer for the Mammoth as he has nine goals in the month of March and has scored eight of those in the last 11 games. He trails on Boston’s Pavel Zacha (9) for the league lead in that span. 

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MacKenzie Weegar scored his first goal as a member of the Mammoth in the third period. He’s contributed a point in two-straight games and has grown his role with Utah. In addition to playing alongside alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev on the top d-pairing, Weegar contributes to both sides of special teams. 

It’s a close playoff race in the Western Conference and Utah is still in the first wildcard spot. However, the Mammoth will need to raise their game, keep a high level of intensity, and manage their emotions in the final nine games of the regular season. Utah’s next game is a tough test against the Los Angeles Kings on the road. 

“Everyone’s gotta look in the mirror, we all got better and we all know that,” Keller said. “Still super confident with our group. This is the most exciting part of the year and the most exciting hockey. We’re all positive, and we’ll learn from it and go to L.A..”

“Yeah, I think we started out good,” Cooley reflected. “Special teams were good. I thought the first period, we were moving it well. I think we kind of just started to let it slip, give up some odd-man rushes, and they capitalized. Every game is so important right now, and it stings. It’s two points that we probably should have had, especially early on with the way we were playing. We got to make sure that we are ready for a heck of a battle with L.A.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

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  • Sergachev registered three assists in the first period marking the first three-assist frame of his NHL career. This also marked his second career three-point period, both of which have come against Washington, as well as his fourth three-point game this season.
  • Alexander Kerfoot posted an assist on Weegar’s third-period goal, marking his 300th career NHL point. He is the 16th player from his draft class to reach that milestone. He joins Sergachev as the second skater to accomplish the feat with Utah.
  • Keller posted three primary assists tonight for his eighth three-point game, third three-assist game, 23rd multi-point game, and 13th multi-assist game in 2025-26, all of which are team highs. The Captain has seven points over his last six games (3G, 4A).
  • Utah’s captain has tallied at least 70 points for the fourth consecutive season and he became the 12th NHL player to accomplish this feat over that stretch. According to NHL PR, Keller is the fifth player in NHL history to eclipse the 70-point mark in each of a franchise’s first two seasons.

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