Wyoming
University of Wyoming launches Bitcoin Research Institute
The University of Wyoming is launching the UW Bitcoin Research Institute in August. The new institute aims to provide “high-quality peer-reviewed” studies about Bitcoin.
Bradley Rettler, a Bitcoin activist and Associate Professor at the University of Wyoming, announced the new institute on X on July 28. He will serve as the institute’s director.
Rettler described the current state of Bitcoin BTCUSD research as “poor” and stressed the industry needs more “high-quality peer-reviewed” publications to ensure the public is properly informed about what Bitcoin is and how it works.
He highlighted a 2018 study led by University of Hawaii Professor Camilo Mora that claimed Bitcoin emissions alone could increase global warming by 35.6° Fahrenheit (2° Celsius) by 2048.
“They failed to account for the difficulty adjustment *and* didn’t know there was a block size cap,” Rettler stressed in a July 28 X post.
“These mistakes make their way into journalism, and policy. Bitcoin is multi-faceted in theory, and even more so in practice. Journalists can’t be experts, so they rely on academics. Too many of those academics have let them down.”
One of the institute’s professors is Andrew M. Bailey, lead author of “Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin.” Rettler was also named as an author of the book.
The Bitcoin Research Institute will officially open in August when the Fall semester for 2024-2025 begins.
It will run annual summer workshops, offer academic prizes and host weekly seminars, according to its website.