The list of most-read BYU News stories this year has a little bit of everything: An ancient artifact, futuristic technology, bright students, Disney princesses and a makeover for the Y Mountain Trail.
10. BYU mobile app winner makes keeping a journal easier than ever
A journaling app named "Journey" beat out more than 25 other student-made mobile apps (with everything from games to social media apps) to win the 2016 BYU Mobile App Competition. Other top finishers included the game Hexbreaker, which was tops in the analytics category, along with Curo and Flip. Friendability, an app that helps you find compatible friends across social networks, won the audience choice award.
9. BYU announces new engineering building
The Board of Trustees approved construction of a new building for the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology. Crews broke ground at the site on May 9 and will complete the project in the fall of 2018.
8. Final phase of BYU Campus Drive Redesign completed
The intersection at Bulldog Boulevard and Campus Drive moved east to make room for a tree-lined median on West Campus Drive, reconfiguring turning lanes and installing new sidewalks. The overall project resulted in a net gain of parking spaces and a more pedestrian-friendly campus.
7. BYU welcomes one of largest, highest-achieving freshman classes
The BYU freshman class of 2016 can compete with the best of them.
6. BYU announces final purchase and acquisition of Y Mountain Trail land
Through an act of Congress, Brigham Young University purchased approximately 81 acres of land on Y Mountain. The university now owns the full length of the Y Mountain Trail and the block Y and has made a number of improvements, including a new LED lighting system that debuted at Homecoming.
5. BYU animated short wins Student Emmy, makes shortlist for BAFTA Award
Our students claimed their 18th Student Emmy, this time for music. Enjoy the comedic and heart-felt storyline of Papá, which centers on a father’s overly-protective love for his daughter as she goes on a date.
4. Tiny origami-inspired devices opening up new possibilities for minimally-invasive surgery
BYU engineers are developing surgical instruments so small that incisions to accommodate them can heal on their own. The technology has been licensed to Intuitive Surgical, which connected with BYU on advice from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
3. BYU conducts study on campus response to sexual assault
In May 2016, BYU President Kevin J Worthen organized the Advisory Council on Campus Response to Sexual Assault with a charge to identify changes that will help BYU work toward the elimination of sexual assault on campus and determine how to better handle the reporting process for victims of sexual assault. Its final report was made public in October and details the Advisory Council’s findings and recommendations. In a letter to the campus community, President Worthen announced that the university accepted all 23 of the Advisory Council’s recommendations.
2. Disney princesses: Not "Brave" enough
Professor Sarah Coyne's research in the journal Child Development found that kids who consume "Princess Culture" are more susceptible to gender stereotypes -- particularly those that are limiting for young women in the long-term. The news about her work trended worldwide on Facebook, making it the No. 2 most-read BYU News story.
Bonus material: Professor Coyne spoke about gender and our "Royal Identity" in this #BYUDevo from May 31.
1. BYU professor works with University of Utah library to translate 1700-year-old obituary
A Jewish-Christian woman named Helene is memorialized for her love of orphans in a unique Greek epitaph translated by Professor Lincoln Blumell. In addition to coverage from CNN and NPR, the story received a lot of attention from Reddit, making it the most-read BYU News story of 2016.
