The most viewed, read and shared BYU feature stories of the year
BYU made history throughout the year, from inaugurating new president C. Shane Reese, and ranking as one of the top universities in the nation, to making groundbreaking innovations across campus. Whether it’s for building a unique home and being featured in the Parade of Homes, inventing the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the planet, or making break throughs with AI, BYU had an incredible year. Here are the top viewed, read and shared BYU News stories of 2023.
10. Study reveals cost, energy needed to pump Pacific Ocean water into Great Salt Lake
BYU professor of civil engineering Rob Sowby challenged the viability of pumping Pacific Ocean water into the Great Salt Lake and provided scientific reasoning behind the challenges it would present. The pump would require 11% of Utah’s annual electricity usage just to fill the Great Salt Lake with one-third of the water needed to restore it. Further, Sowby estimated that the $300 million dollar operation would also taint the air with nearly one million metric tons of carbon dioxide. BYU professors Gus Williams and Andrew South co-authored the analysis to help inform Utah policymakers of the potential costs.
9. BYU business professor is hunting a different type of ghost this Halloween
This past Halloween, BYU professor Jeff Bednar was seeing ghosts — organizational ghosts. His research identified these ghosts as past institutional leaders who continue to influence company values long after their time working there. Their legacy prompts reflective questions like “Would that former leader be proud of what the new leader is doing?” Bednar’s research indicated that one way these ghosts help is by safeguarding the organization from making potentially harmful decisions. Consider the influential ghosts in your life: “How do they impact the way you think, feel and behave?”
8. ChatGPT can’t ace this test, but experts think it soon will... What it means for teaching
Are BYU accounting students smarter than ChatGPT? BYU researchers fed over 25,000 exam questions about auditing, financial accounting and taxes into ChatGPT and found that students outperformed the AI across the board. When the study was first published, BYU researchers argued that as the technology advanced, it would one day ace accounting assessments. They were right: ChatGPT is now smart enough to pass the test. The findings prompt professors everywhere to reconsider how to use ChatGPT as a tool in the classroom.
7. Utahns are ahead of the curve in baby-naming trends, but still plenty quirky
Utahns are often stereotyped for coming up with unique baby names. But BYU linguistics professor Dallin D. Oaks found that Utah parents just have a history of anticipating American naming fads. In other words, Utahns are often trendsetters when it comes to baby names. The research also confirmed the common trend of “Mc-” names for girls or using Book of Mormon or public Church figures for boys: “Nephi,” “McKay” or “Kimball.”
6. BYU’s next unicorn? Student startup “Zaymo” has won more than $900,000 in prize money this spring
Online shopping was made easier thanks to the BYU student invention “Zaymo.” Winning over $900,000 in prize money, the team received third place at the 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition. The innovation allows customers to shop on a company’s site within their email, while eliminating the management of multiple tabs. Zaymo could be the next in a long line of BYU-student-started businesses that became unicorns — companies valued at $1 billion before being listed on the stock market. The student innovators credit their success to BYU’s unique environment.
5. Supermileage vehicle is all about the mpg, not the mph
If you’re driving home for the holidays, you might want the help of these BYU engineering students. Despite long odds and countless obstacles, the BYU Supermileage Team took home first place at the vaunted Shell Eco-marathon, an international competition hosting teams from across North and South America trying to build the most fuel-efficient vehicles on Earth. Their student-built vehicle, which gets 1,915.83 miles to the gallon, can make it from Provo to Niagara Falls on one gallon of gas.
This year’s event was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500. Out of four races, BYU’s winning performance indicated that their car could travel farther than any other vehicle in the competition: it outperformed the second-place car by more than 100 mpg. BYU has competed in the Eco Marathon before, but this year marked the first top finish.
4. Pornography use at any level harms romantic relationships, says new BYU study
Prior to this BYU study, researchers couldn’t agree on the harmful effect of pornography on relationships. However, BYU family life professor Brian Willoughby found that pornography use at any level, regardless of gender, negatively impacts the stability of romantic relationships. Without being exposed to pornographic material, participants answered questions about viewing pornography and the satisfaction and stability they felt in their relationships. BYU researchers are hopeful that their findings not only help those struggling with pornography but also start conversations with policymakers.
3. BYU students design, build solar-powered concrete house on campus. It was in the Parade of Homes
Did you see the “Triple Dome Home” on campus this year? The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home was nestled behind the Snell Building and starred in the 2023 Utah Valley Parade of Homes. BYU students, competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, built the house focused on reducing its carbon footprint, decreasing water consumption and maintaining consistent temperatures through the changing seasons. Unlike any other house on the market, its structure is also windproof and fireproof, which increases resistance to extreme temperatures. The home was uprooted and sold in California this fall, being the first of its kind.
BYU was ranked No. 20 overall — among Princeton, MIT, Yale, Stanford and Harvard — in the 2024 Best Colleges in America rankings from the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse. The ranking considered the ability of each college’s student body to graduate on time and how much the school boosts salaries after graduation. When recommending the college to a friend, choosing the same college again, and feeling satisfied with the value of their tuition, BYU scored 93/100. For comparison, No. 1 overall Princeton earned an 84. In other rankings, U.S. News also named many BYU graduate programs some of the best in the nation, including BYU Law coming in at No. 22.
1. C. Shane Reese named Brigham Young University’s 14th president
BYU history was made as C. Shane Reese was inaugurated as the 14th president of Brigham Young University on Sept. 19, 2023. President Reese has a long history of service at BYU, acting as academic vice president, dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, as well as teaching for nearly two decades as a member of the statistics faculty, beginning in 2001.
With enthusiasm for the student body and the mission of BYU, President Reese is passionate about his call and plans to further help the university truly “Become BYU.” President Reese replaced outgoing President Kevin J Worthen. The video below features a powerful performance from BYU's combined choirs and orchestra of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," performed at President Reese's inauguration.
