University of Utah

The University of Utah (also The U or the U of U) was established by Mormon leader Brigham Young. Initially named "University of Deseret" in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 28, 1850, the school was closed two years later for financial reasons. It reopened as a commercial school in 1867 in the old Council House in what is now downtown Salt Lake City under the direction of Elder David O. Calder, a prominent Salt Lake City businessman and associate of Mormon prophet Brigham Young. The University was renamed University of Utah in 1894 and classes were first held on the present campus approximately two miles directly east of downtown Salt Lake City in 1900.

Programs

The University has a number of commendable graduate and professional programs including a well-regarded law school and medical school.

Related Topics:
Law school - Medical school

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The University's School of Computer Science has made several important contributions to the field. In 1968, the University joined with the University of California, Los Angeles, the Stanford Research Institute, and the University of California, Santa Barbara to form the first four nodes of the ARPANET, direct ancestor to today's Internet. Other accomplishments include the first method for representing surface textures in graphical images, the Gouraud smooth shading model for computer graphics, invention of magnetic ink printing technology, the Johnson counter logic circuit, development of the oldest algebraic mathematics package (REDUCE) still in use, and the Phong lighting model for shading with highlights. The school has pioneered work in asynchronous circuits, computer animation, computer art, digital music recording (for which university alumni were awarded Academy Awards), graphical user interfaces, and stack machine architectures. Notable alumni include James Blinn, Nolan Bushnell, Ed Catmull, Jim Clark, Alan Kay, Shane Robison and John Warnock. Companies founded by faculty and alumni include Adobe Systems, Ashlar, Atari, CAE Systems, Centillium Technology, Cirrus Logic, WordPerfect, Evans and Sutherland, Myricom, NeoMagic, Netscape Communications Corporation, Pixar, Pixal Plane, PlanetWeb, and Silicon Graphics.

Related Topics:
1968 - University of California, Los Angeles - Stanford Research Institute - University of California, Santa Barbara - ARPANET - Internet - Gouraud smooth shading - Computer graphics - Logic circuit - Phong - James Blinn - Nolan Bushnell - Ed Catmull - Jim Clark - Alan Kay - Shane Robison - John Warnock - Adobe Systems - Ashlar - Atari - CAE Systems - Centillium Technology - Cirrus Logic - WordPerfect - Evans and Sutherland - Myricom - NeoMagic - Netscape Communications Corporation - Pixar - Pixal Plane - PlanetWeb - Silicon Graphics

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The University of Utah's School of Medicine is respected as the region's finest, with several notable achievements, and the University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics has consistently ranked as "Best Hospital" by U.S. News & World Report. In 1970, the school established the first Cerebrovascular Disease Unit west of the Mississippi River. In 1982, Barney Clark received the world's first permanently implanted artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, during an operation performed by William C. Devries, M.D. Clark survived 112 days with the device. The campus houses both the Huntsman Cancer Institute, one of the premier cancer research centers in the world, and the Moran Eye Center, an ophthalmic clinical care and research facility. Areas for which the school is often praised include cardiology, geriatrics, gynecology, rheumatology, pulmonology, oncology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology.

Related Topics:
1970 - Cerebrovascular Disease - Mississippi River - 1982 - Barney Clark - Jarvik-7 - Cardiology - Geriatrics - Gynecology - Rheumatology - Pulmonology - Oncology - Orthopedics - Ophthalmology

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Also of note at the University is its economics department. Despite belonging to the major university of what is generally considered the most conservative state in the United States, the U's economics department has a distinctly left-leaning flavor. The University of Utah's College of Political Science is considered among the nation's leading schools of politics and government. Aside from regular course work, the college provides its students the opportunity to volunteer as interns in state and federal government offices. The college is often visited by local and national leaders, most notably President Bill Clinton and Senator Orrin Hatch.

Related Topics:
Economics - Political Science - Bill Clinton - Orrin Hatch

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The University is well known in the field of biology for its unique contributions to the study of genetics. This is due in part to long-term genealogy efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the LDS or Mormon church) which is headquartered about four miles from the University. LDS members are an asset to researchers who are able to use family records to trace genetic disorders through several generations. Additionally, the relative homogeneity of Utah's population makes it an ideal laboratory for studies of population genetics. The population tends to volunteer for genetic testing in high numbers. The University is home to the Genetic Science Learning Center, a unique resource which educates the public about genetics through its website. In addition, University of Utah faculty member Mario Capecchi has made significant contributions to the field by developing a gene knockout technique that functions even in higher organisms.

Related Topics:
Biology - Genetics - Genealogy - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Mormon - Mario Capecchi

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The University suffered some embarrassment in 1989 as the result of its then-chair of chemistry (Stanley Pons) and Martin Fleischmann (visiting from the University of Southampton) purportedly discovering cold fusion, which was swiftly discredited by the nuclear physics community.

Related Topics:
1989 - Chemistry - Stanley Pons - Martin Fleischmann - University of Southampton - Cold fusion - Nuclear physics

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The university suffers from some inherent problems associated with its urban location. Some consider the University a "commuter campus" as many students commute from all over the Salt Lake Valley and from Davis County to the north and Utah County to the south.

Related Topics:
Davis County - Utah County

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