J-1 ExchangeVisitor News for U

By: Mo Tao

If you require additional time to fulfill your objectives of your J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, you may qualify for an extension of your DS-2019 form. The duration of this extension will be determined by a recommendation from your hosting department and must not exceed the maximum allowable program length* for your specific J-1 visa category.

To request an extension of your program, you must initiate this process before the program's listed end date as indicated on your current DS-2019 form. It's essential to note that extending your DS-2019 does not extend your visa. While a valid visa is not mandatory to maintain legal status within the United States, it is required for re-entry into the country following any departure.

*Maximum Program Length

• Short-Term Scholar: 6 Months
• Student Intern: 1 Year
• Specialist: 1 Year
• Research Scholar: 5 Years
• Professor: 5 Years

The DS-2019 form is one of three crucial immigration documents, along with your I-94 and J-1 visa, that collectively enable your participation in an exchange program within the United States. We encourage you to review our DS-2019 Extension Policy Guide and our primary J-1 Policy Webpage for comprehensive information regarding this process.

If you will be out of the country for more than 30 days and you intend to return to continue your program, you must receive authorization for a Temporary Out of Country Absence or your SEVIS immigration record will become inactive, and your EV program will be completed.

To be eligible for a Temporary Absence, you must:

• Continue to pursue your original program goals and objectives. Your research or collaboration with the University of Utah must be ongoing and continue to be a benefit to the University.
• Maintain the required health insurance for yourself and your dependents, even when abroad.
• Remain under the supervision of your supervisor or PI at the University of Utah.

For more information and instructions on how to apply, please see our Temporary Out of Country Absence Policy Guide.

ISSS' international student & scholar advisors are experienced in advising students & scholars from all over the world.

If you have a problem or a question that may impact your immigration status, please ask! Advisors may have resolved a similar issue before. We highly recommend that before meeting an advisor, you review our website thoroughly so that you may find your answer.

If you are not available in our Walk-In Advising hours (Tue 10:00AM-1:00PM), please feel free to email us and make an appointment: internationalscholars@utah.edu

• Update ISSS of any change in your physical address, phone number, and e-mail address within 10 calendar days of the change through UAtlas.

• Request a travel signature on your DS-2019 if you plan to depart the U.S. and return to continue your exchange program. When you submit your DS-2019 for a travel signature, we will provide a travel survey for you to complete. The travel survey lists information helpful to know to successfully re-enter the U.S.

• Maintain health insurance that meets the requirements of the Exchange Visitor Program for the entire duration of your stay as indicated by the begin date and end date listed on your DS-2019.

Visit the ISSS website for information and resources related to your J-1 visa.

Welcome to the heart of crimson pride, where the University of Utah's football culture runs as deep as the majestic red rock canyons that surround it.

It's not just a game; it's a way of life.

💡What is "Utes" ?

The University of Utah athletic teams are known as the "Utes" in honor of the American Indian tribe for which the state of Utah is named. The Utes have inhabited this area of the country for at least 1,000 years.

With Rice-Eccles Stadium as the thunderous backdrop, fans proudly wear their red and white, creating an electric atmosphere. The "Ute Pride" chant echoes through the valley as generations of dedicated supporters rally behind their team.

From challenging matches against other teams to the rich history of players making it to the NFL, Utah football is a journey characterized by dedication, passion, and an unwavering belief in the possibility of victory.

When you visited Rice-Eccles Stadium or every time you logged into the Umail box, have you ever noticed this iconic stand?

It is actually the cauldron, which held the Olympic flame during the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics left an unforgettable impression on the people here. The stunning performances, sense of unity, and the region's natural beauty combined to create cherished memories that still resonate today

The Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Medals were made from gold, silver and copper from the Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah.

The Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah is a monumental feat of human engineering and resource extraction. As the world's largest open-pit copper mine, it spans over 2.5 miles wide and half a mile deep. Founded in 1903, Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine is among the world's top-performing mines, significantly contributing to Utah's wealth. Operating around the clock, it remains an economic powerhouse. Yet, it's not just about economics; visitors are captivated by the mine's colossal scale, a testament to human ambition and the Earth's geological treasures.

Over the years, the mine has weathered challenges, including landslides and market fluctuations, but it continues to be a vital part of Utah's mining legacy and a symbol of human determination in extracting precious resources from the Earth's depths.

This Michelin 53/80R63 XDR3 tire weighs 10,633 pounds- As heavy as three passenger cars.

Six of these tires on a large haul truck can carry a payload of 350 tons- as heavy as 140 light trucks, 53 elephants, or two blue whales.

It stands 12.5 feet tall and has an internal volume of over 2,000 gallons-enough to fill five hot tubs. It can roll one mile in only 142 revolutions. The same materials used to produce this tire could make 90 school bus tires or nearly 500 passenger car tires.

It contains over 2,000 pounds of steel, enough to make 16 washing machines. It has more than 30 different kinds of rubber adding up to over 8,000 pounds of rubber.

Large haul truck: Front - 2 tires; Back - 4 tires

(About $60,000 per tire! And it could only be used for 3–4 months)

(Open: April - October)

The Rio Tinto Kennecott Visitor Experience is dedicated to educating the public about the key role Kennecott plays in modern life, safe mining practices, and responsible environmental stewardship. Learn about the history and see first-hand the gigantic scale of the operation, vehicles, and artifacts.

Tickets are $6 each and children under the age of five are free. All proceeds will be generously donated to the Kennecott Charitable Foundation. Tickets should be purchased in advance. Walk-up visitors run the risk of not being able to visit the mine overlook if we are at capacity that day.

Utah, an arid state blessed with abundant sunshine, boasts some of the nation's richest solar resources. Additionally, wind, hydropower, and geothermal sources play significant roles in the state's renewable energy landscape. A coordinated effort, spearheaded by Rocky Mountain Power, is working towards the ambitious target of achieving 100% net renewable energy for Utah's communities by 2030. This multifaceted approach harnesses Utah's diverse renewable resources to usher in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future.

In recent years, Utah has made significant strides in renewable resource development, with a particular emphasis on geothermal energy.

Geothermal resources of the US

This progress is exemplified by FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy), a groundbreaking initiative funded by over $200 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Located near Milford in Beaver County, Utah, FORGE is the nation's most advanced project dedicated to harnessing energy from the Earth's core. Its mission involves developing, testing, and advancing Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies, with a focus on perfecting drilling, stimulation, injection-production, and subsurface imaging methods. These efforts aim to establish and maintain continuous fluid flow and energy transfer from EGS reservoirs, contributing to the global expansion of geothermal resources.

FORGE - Milford in Beaver County, Utah

The site was chosen six years ago after a national competition because it had lots of dry granite sitting above a large pool of magma. Nearby are long-dead volcanoes and Roosevelt Hot Springs. It also has access to water that, because of its mineral content, can’t be consumed by humans or animals but can be used to pump into the ground and capture heat.

The plan is to drill a pair of wells; one for injecting water into the reservoir and the second for producing (extracting) the water after being heated by the hot rocks. The cold water pumped into the injection well will travel through the fractured rock between the wells where temperatures exceed 400 °F (204 °C). The hot produced water can be used for generating electricity or even directly for a variety of other uses including space heating, aquaculture and food processing.

The University of Utah’s Energy and Geoscience Institute (EGI) is committed to creating a national laboratory to accelerate the development of enhanced geothermal technologies. This team is comprised of the nation’s best technical and R&D management leadership from the oil and gas and geothermal industry, R&D universities, national laboratories and energy technology companies.

In 2018, the U completed its first geothermally heated and cooled building on Campus: Gardner Commons. What began as a student-sponsored project took off and permanently changed the energy portfolio of this university.

Gardner Commons is designed to be 100 percent electric-based. As the U installs and purchases more renewable energy like solar and geothermal, the building will eventually become carbon neutral, with no need for any fossil fuels. This design allows the U to move closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visiting the pump room at the Gardner Commons

February 2023

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading "Capital in the Anthropocene" by Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito. This insightful book not only addressed my longstanding concerns regarding global energy development and environmental protection, especially in the context of my support for the Green New Deal, but also offered a plethora of eye-opening revelations.

It elucidated how the climate crisis underscores the shortcomings of capitalism and presented a compelling argument for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through the lens of Marx's unpublished ecological critique of capitalism, known as "Degrowth Communism."

Marx in the Anthropocene: Towards the Idea of Degrowth Communism, an English-language book that builds on the material published in Capital in the Anthropocene, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2023.

Key Words:

• Imperial Mode of living
• Netherlands Fallacy
• Left Accelerationists
  
• Metabolic Rift
  
• “Greenwash” ; Green New Deal
• Capitalism: Technology Transfer, Spatial Transfer, Time Shifting
• The 4th route for Humankind
• Rebuilding the Commons
• 5 keys to Degrowth Communism
• "3.5% Rule"
• Beyond Capitalism ......

Here are some of our must-drive scenic routes through the months of September, October. Grab your latte and camera and enjoy the amazing fall colors. It's going to be awesome!

1. Guardsman Pass

Big Cottonwood over to Park City.

2. Alpine Loop American Fork Canyon

This 20-mile stretch of roadway meanders its way to Provo Canyon.

3. Midway to Cascade Springs

This road offers beautiful views starting near Soldier Hollow through Wasatch State Park, which brings you to the upper lot of Cascade Springs. You can stop at Cascade Springs or continue onto the Alpine Loop.

4. Mirror Lake Highway

5. Big Cottonwood to Brighton

6. Little Cottonwood to Alta

7. Butterfield Canyon

8. Ogden River Scenic Byway

9. Logan Canyon

"Wind cave trail" (4.0-mile round-and-back) , Logan Canyon

(SEPTEMBER 22-OCTOBER 31, 2023)

Gardner Village, 1100 W 7800 S, West Jordan, UT 84088

September 15th - November 4th (select nights)

Fear Factory, 666 W 800 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84104

The Halloween haunted house "Fear Factory" is one of the top Halloween attractions in the US, made up of 6 buildings, up to 6 stories high, with 2 underground passages.

During its years in operation, the Portland Cement Company was no stranger to spooky happenings, strange sightings, and unfortunate accidents, dating all the way back to 1894. These mysterious events gave rise to the belief that the place was cursed. The Fear Factory, smartly enough, took advantage of this eerie history to create an attraction that sent shivers down the spines of all who visited.

International Night is an annual event hosted by the International Student Association and the International Student and Scholar Services to celebrate the diverse student population at the University of Utah.

Date: November 17, 2023

Time: 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Location: Union Building Ballroom

Participants have the opportunity to share their cultural heritage through song, dance, and other media. It is also an opportunity to raise money for International Student Council Scholarship – an award funded by proceeds from this event, and given to a current international student who has shown exceptional dedication to promoting cultural sharing and understanding on campus.

All University of Utah and community members are welcome to attend this fabulous event!