University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel and successful students from Powell and Cody highlighted the innovation and opportunities available at the college April 18 in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn in Cody.

The university was visiting the area as part of “UW in Your Community,” a monthly effort where university members visit a Wyoming community to talk to students, community members and alumni about what’s happening in Laramie. 

“When I started on the board, they got real tired of me saying ‘sometimes the university needs to get out of Laramie, and we need to see you more up in the north,’” trustee Brad Bonner said. “And I have to tell you, the university has responded beautifully with that, and over the past few years, the university has found a way to have a lot of people up here to the Big Horn Basin, to Cody, to Powell. And it's fantastic to see everybody here.”

The University of Wyoming “is committed to becoming a best in class 21st century land grant university,” the university said in a video played for the audience, adding, “The Wyoming Innovation Partnership, and its new and existing initiatives will allow for UW to become an even stronger university to meet the challenges of a changing state and world and to develop skilled forward thinking leaders who will shape the future of Wyoming, the United States in the world.”

Two Powell graduates, Jay Cox and Christian Bitzas, also spoke to highlight the opportunities available at UW. Cox, a track and field athlete at UW, is an all time top 10 record holder for both the 200 and 400 meters. But Cox said that the most important opportunity he has been given at UW is the computer engineering program.

“I get to be part of this really awesome program that has taught me so many things. I've got to meet some really incredible professors that are very knowledgeable, very helpful, that are people that I know are gonna get me to where I want to be, and that's something that I truly appreciate,” Cox said.

Bitzas is finishing his Master’s of Computer Engineering, something he hopes to do within five years, all while running a company with fellow university students. Before starting his company Bitzas was able to work for the Wyoming Space Grant and intern at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. When Bitzas wanted to start a company, he turned to the University’s College of Business, which directed him to a start up fund competition.

“So next week, we're launching our second product, we just hired two interns, they're starting next week as well,” Bitzas said. “So we're trying to grow and it was one of the best things that came out of the University of Wyoming for me, and our whole mission is to bring more job opportunities to the state.”

Seidel touted the university’s innovation and increased effort to drive the state’s economy and offer programs that are in line with this mission.

“Among other things, you've heard about the, the Impact 307 hubs, while we're working with all the community colleges across the state, to build out these hubs of innovation, so that, for example, the 70% of our students that leave the state when they graduate, that's not a good thing,” Seidel said. “Of course, we're proud of them for getting jobs around the country. But we want to provide more opportunities here in the state and in the community.”

The university is focusing on growing business, how to “invigorate the agriculture industry,” using new technologies, and growing hospitality and tourism. Seidel declared Wyoming the energy state — he said that Wyoming produces roughly 13 times the energy is consumes and is the second largest exporter across the country. 

Seidel said the week of April 10 the Undersecretary for Science and Innovation Jerry Richmond, the Office of Science and multiple secretaries, including one for energy, spent three days meeting with faculty and students.

“So we have so many things that we're trying to do like that to make sure that there's a light shone on the university and the state,” Seidel said. “And then we can take advantage as we try to build up those relationships.”