Biodiversity Institute

When University of Wyoming Department of Botany Associate Professor Daniel Laughlin realized he would have to teach ecology online for the fall semester, he started searching for a resource to show his students landscapes from afar.

When he didn't find what he was looking for, Laughlin and his graduate students designed the Global Vegetation Project.

The BioBlitz asks people in Wyoming to take pictures of wildlife and plants so that scientists can get a snapshot of the ecosystem in the state. 

The future of the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Wyoming has been uncertain for the last six months. Thursday the UW Board of Trustees approved plans to keep it open.

Citizen science is the focus of the last event planned by the Biodiversity Institute whose future is uncertain. This weekend, the Rocky Mountain Citizen Science Conference located in Cody brings scientists involved in projects where people in the community help collect data for science research projects. Community-engaged scientific research is booming.

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees delayed action on the future of the Biodiversity Institute. Its funding runs out at the end of December. The UW administration originally announced it would shut down the institute, and its science education and outreach efforts, and turn to a heavier focus on biodiversity research.

University of Wyoming leadership held a town hall meeting Wednesday to get input on a transition plan for the closing of the Biodiversity Institute, but many who attended are still uncertain about what's to come.

In its remaining months, the Biodiversity Institute is gearing up for a regional conference on citizen science. In late July, the University of Wyoming announced plans to shut down the institute, which promotes the study of living organisms by learners of all ages, from pre-schoolers to Ph.D. students.

The UW Biodiversity Institute, known for its citizen science projects and K-12 science outreach, is closing. UW Communications Directors, Chad Baldwin, said the decision was made by university administration.