Y Magazine

22/01/2024

Who hasn’t heard a joke about Utah parents' unique and creative baby names? But are these trends really so different from baby naming in the rest of the country? BYU professors say that Utah actually tends to be a trendsetter with baby names that become popular nationwide.

Check out the link below to see what baby-naming trends are currently all the rage in the Beehive State.

Aspyn, McCall, Jaxson, Oaklee—with innovative spellings like these, Utah has won a reputation for “creative” baby names. But are these trends really so different?

18/01/2024

BYU professor of religious education W. Justin Dyer shared the lightness of walking with Christ in his devotional, printed in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine. Though life is difficult, Christ offers us a path of divine support. Read or listen to the speech at the link below. How does Christ lighten burdens in your life?

Every choice in life comes with burden but Christ’s burden is light.

12/01/2024

Despite success and a whirlwind schedule, acclaimed author and BYU alum Brandon Sanderson still teaches English 318R: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy at BYU. Sanderson credits his own authorial beginnings to the class, which he attended in 2000 as a student himself. Read more about Sanderson's course at the link below.

Brandon Sanderson teaches one of BYU's most popular courses—here's why aspiring writers flock to his class.

11/01/2024

“Running hurts,” says BYU steeplechaser Kenneth Rooks (’24). And nothing’s more painful—or nerve-wracking—than race day. To tame the jitters some racers amp up with music and affirmations. Rooks takes a different approach: seeking calmness and clarity, he reads scripture and prays for perspective. Read more about Rooks in the latest issue of Y Magazine.

How do you come back after a fall during a race? Rooks has an answer for that.

29/12/2023

Massive wildlife murals? These are the work of Chris Peterson, an alum who is a painter and art educator. His huge murals not only please but spark conversations and beget community pride in local native species. “Being in nature is healing,” says Peterson, “and wildlife encounters are even more so.”

Alum Chris Peterson shares about his massive wildlife and nature murals that spark conversations and community pride.

14/12/2023

Nadia DeVol, a half-Ukrainian BYU nursing student, felt helpless when Russia invaded her family’s home country last year. But she became a source of hope for many Ukrainian refugees in May when she traveled to Poland with a BYU nursing global-health team.

Eager to help, nursing student Nadia DeVol volunteered as a translator for a nursing trip to help Ukrainian refugees.

13/12/2023

“I’ll never forget the early-morning prayers with fellow nursing students before our clinical practice in hospitals, healthcare clinics, and nursing homes. We would gather with our clinical instructor and pray for guidance in applying classroom lessons on living, breathing humans! I didn’t want my patients needing IVs to become my practice pin cushions.

“The words the Healer’s art, a phrase often used in the BYU College of Nursing, would come to be a source of strength as I walked into rooms and into the lives of those who needed healing and Christ’s light. I felt the companionship of the Holy Ghost in what some might deem mere schooling. I don’t think I would have been able to help my patients as much without bathing my practice in gospel light.

“Years later, as the mother of a young son with cancer, that vision of gospel-enriched medical practice continues to give me sanctuary and solace. When my son was diagnosed, I found myself praying that the nurses who would care for my baby would also immerse their practice in the gospel as I had learned to do at BYU. And they did—they were true practitioners of the Healer’s art.”
— Eryn Paskett Hansen (BS ’18), Logan, UT

How was your BYU education bathed in gospel light? In the fall 2023 issue, alumni share their stories of spiritual experiences they had at BYU.

Explore how faith and learning intersect in a few first person narratives from BYU alumni, each offering a unique perspective on the role of spirituality in various fields of study.

12/12/2023

Rocket launching is a tricky business. “Everything has to be perfect,” says David T. Fullwood (MS ’06), mechanical-engineering professor and BYU team advisor at the 2023 Spaceport America Cup.

So “it was a huge surprise,” Fullwood says, to soar past 80 US and 78 international teams to win the world’s biggest intercollegiate rocket competition. Read the full story at the link below.

Which university's engineering students took top prize at the international rocket competition? Not MIT, not Georgia Tech—BYU.

11/12/2023

What better gift to give than divinely delicious brown butter chocolate chip cookies? This recipe from food blogger Maria Lichty made waves at Lichty and her husband’s wedding. Perhaps they're the perfect treat for Santa—or for your in-laws, party guests, excited kiddos, too-cool-for-school teens, or other friends this Christmas. Make sure to save this post for future reference!

The secret to these cookies? Browned butter.

04/12/2023

As teenagers are bombarded with TikTok trends and other social-media influences, the negative consequences of heavy online use are becoming increasingly clear: more pronounced mental-health concerns and lower self-esteem.

Many parents are wondering, “How do I help my kids build self-confidence and avoid the pitfalls of comparison?” A study by BYU experience design and management professor Brian J. Hill suggests that family history might be the perfect antidote.

Read the article below for four tips.

Explore four practical ways to incorporate family history andancestral stories into your family's traditions and build more confident teens.

20/11/2023

Is religion a burden? In the BYU devotional “Christ’s Light Burden,” printed in the fall 2023 issue, religion professor W. Justin Dyer explains that every choice in life comes with burden—but Christ's burden is light.

Every choice in life comes with burden but Christ’s burden is light.

16/11/2023

How do bees tell each other about distant pollination sites? With a bumbling dance.

The “waggle dance” has long been known to scientists. Now an algorithm developed by BYU students, with guidance from computer-science professor Sean Warnick, can decode the dance in real time.

Warnick’s budding apiarists hope to build a pill-shaped robot bee. “If we can get the robot to dance, we can put the robot in the hive and tell the bees where we want them to [pollinate],” Warnick says.

BYU computer science students are translating bees' dancing language in real time—they hope to build a robot bee that can talk back.

10/11/2023

Religious freedom means protecting the right to worship for all. Here's how the average person can help preserve this human right.

10/11/2023

Why does BYU invest in athletics? It’s about spreading light.

BYU’s leadership loves a Cougar victory as much as BYU fans. But the university doesn't sponsor sports just to rack up wins. Instead, it's about sharing light.

09/11/2023

Ever seen Gone with the Wind or King Kong? You have Max Steiner to thank for the music in those films. And BYU is making his scores more accessible for modern musicians to play.

Steiner's original scores—handwritten in a notation not performable for modern orchestras—are being transcribed by a team of BYU experts. So far, the group has already transcribed over 50 scores.

“This is the first time,” says music-catalog librarian Jeffrey W. Lyon, that Steiner’s works have been cataloged and analyzed “in this level of detail.”

Ever seen Gone with the Wind or King Kong? You have Max Steiner to thank for the music in those films. A group of BYU experts are transcribing Steiner's music for modern musicians to be able to play.

07/11/2023

“There’s rhythm in knitting,” says BYU viola professor Claudine Bigelow, comparing the practice to music.

Bigelow spends hours on her knitting, viewing it just as much an artful endeavor as a mastering a viola piece. “Often, [knitting] has not been valued as art,” she says. “But [it] should be.”

“Knitting like music, requires real discipline,” she continues. “Both are meditative. Both can be imbued with sentiment and meaning.”

See Bigelow's knitted creations at the link.

With its musical rhythm, BYU viola professor Claudine Bigelow finds another love in knitting.

06/11/2023

BYU’s new Music Building, which opened for classes January, holds state-of-the-art performance halls, upgraded recording studios, and meticulous soundproofing. Visit the link to explore 360-degree videos of students practicing and rehearsing in the impressive rooms in the new building.

BYU's new Music Building opened in January 2023. Take a tour of the facility, complete with 360-degree videos.

20/10/2023

For BYU Homecoming 2023, descendants of George H. Brimhall sponsored an essay contest honoring BYU founder Martha Jane Knowlton Coray, the first woman on the board of trustees for the fledging Brigham Young Academy in 1875. Read the winning essay, penned by life-sciences student Erika E. Frandsen (’24).

Life-sciences student Erika Frandsen honors BYU founder Martha Jane Knowlton Coray and reflects on being "too much."

12/10/2023

Danelle Pickard McCollum’s culinary journey started with evening homework in her mom’s kitchen. Now she’s sharing her own fancy and frugal creations through her blog, Let’s Dish Recipes. Follow the link to get instructions for making McCollum's divine ham and swiss croissant bake or her lemon-glazed blueberry muffins. 🍽️🥐🍋

Food blogger Danelle Pickard McCollum (BA '94) at Let's Dish Recipes shares two of her favorite fancy yet frugal recipes.

06/10/2023

Where Catholic perspective combines with Latter-day Saint scripture: These carvings may look Catholic, but they depict Book of Mormon scenes. Combining his Catholic faith with a willingness to “treat another religion’s text as sacred,” Polish woodcarver Roman Śledź infuses familiar stories with fresh wonder. Read more about these works at the link below.

Catholic Polish woodcarver Roman Śledź creates unique Book of Mormon woodcarvings based on his devotional reading of the sacred text.

18/09/2023

Is serving a mission “worth it?”

According to a study conducted by BYU family-life professor Jocelyn S. Wikle (BA ’02) and subject librarian Margaret R. Marchant (BS ’18), returned sister missionaries enjoy measurable educational benefits while experiencing some tradeoffs—post-mission, sisters tend to pursue majors offering a higher earning potential, but this same cohort is less likely to complete their degrees.

“Missions are such personal decisions,” says Wikle. “We were hoping that this [study] would give people a starting ground . . . to make the best decision for them.”

Camille Busath McBride’s (BA ’21) mission was hard. Learning Russian was tough, and approaching strangers to talk about the gospel was often discouraging. Still, she says the time she spent in Ukraine from 2016 to 2018 changed her life.

14/09/2023

History happens tonight when No.1–ranked women’s soccer kicks off BYU’s first Big 12 contest vs. TCU. Read all about BYU’s leap to a P5 conference and get to know the foe with fun facts about the other 13 Big 12 schools: Can you guess which Big 12 school once had a beef with their mascot and served it up at a barbecue?

What do you need to know as BYU enters the Big 12? Get the low down on the competition here, and learn about why the Big 12 is such a big deal.

13/09/2023

How long does it take to become a national disc golf champion? Tailey A. Rowley (BS ‘23) didn’t need more than a year and a half. After picking up the sport from her husband and his family, she fell in with BYU’s disc golf team during her final fall semester. Find out how she soared from promising rookie to women’s DI champion: https://magazine.byu.edu/article/byu-disc-golf/

23/08/2023

Thanks to BYU’s Brand and Creative department as well as the College of Humanities, BYU Speeches are now being translated into Japanese and Spanish. Four student translators, aided by machine learning and other cutting-edge technology, are steadily making BYU’s extensive catalogue of forums, devotionals, and inspiring messages available to a global audience.

Learn more about the translation project at the link below. What speech is your all-time favorite?

Ever wish your favorite devotional was available in your mission language or native tongue? A group of BYU students are translating BYU Speeches, starting with Spanish and Japanese.

18/08/2023

What would you do for a good deal? BYU alum Satu Kujanpää ('16) and Lex K. Maynez ('23) have both turned their love of thrifting into entrepreneurial opportunity, leveraging a Finnish-style market and social media hustle respectively to propel their small businesses.

Follow the link below to read more about these two thrift shops with BYU ties: Kujanpää's Nordic-style Preloved and Sad Boi, a chic, retro-90s outlet created by Maynez.

BYU students are big thrift shoppers. Two new speciality thrift stores with BYU ties are getting attention—Preloved and Sad Boi.

09/08/2023

This spring, BYU said farewell to two particularly beloved and devoted members of our campus community: President Kevin J (BA ’79, JD ’82) Worthen and Peggy Sealey Worthen (BA ’03). Follow the link below to read a feature looking back on what transpired during the Worthens' time at the Y. Tell us: what are your favorite BYU memories with President Worthen?

During his nine years at BYU's helm, President Kevin J Worthen had a single-minded focus—the student.

07/08/2023

Yang T. Vang (MA ‘23) is a master’s student in anthropology at BYU—as well as a world-renowned Hmong shaman, a healer and practitioner of sacred rituals central to the Hmong culture. He came to BYU because he saw the university—and the values of the faith that sponsors it—as a “perfect fit” for his mission to preserve his people’s language, history, and religion.

Yang Vang is a husband, father, anthropologist, spiritual leader—and BYU grad student. Read our full article to discover how he's working with BYU to preserve his people's cultural heritage.

02/08/2023

Meet C. Shane Reese (BS ’94, MS ’95)—statistician, teacher, father, and BYU’s new president. With a knack for dad jokes, a reputation for playing Nerf football in office halls, and a drive to maintain the unique blend of spirituality and academic excellence at BYU, Reese is ready to put the pedal to the metal.

Check out our feature on President Reese's journey and vision for BYU.

Stats nerd and social butterfly, fun-loving friend and data-driven leader—BYU’s new president isn’t your average anything.

31/07/2023

Jesus repeatedly taught that we are to “be one.” But what does this commandment mean? In Jenet Erickson's November 2022 devotional, this BYU professor of Church history and doctrine offers some insights. Read more at the link below.

We are deeply relational beings, designed for love and connection with God and with one another.

21/07/2023

People with diabetes are prone to suffering from painful foot ulcers due to their lack of circulation. Public health grad Andrew R. Hillier (BS ‘23) and manufacturing engineer Seth C. Huber (BS '20) teamed up to study how a new medical boot designed by Huber might address that problem more effectively. Follow the link below to take a step into their story.

Two BYU students teamed up to design and test an upgraded medical boot. Their spring-loaded boot does a better job at offloading weight.