Note: This story originally appeared in University of Utah Magazine.

A bionic prosthetic that helps wounded soldiers readjust to a normal life. A genetic test to detect breast cancer in women who haven’t yet developed symptoms. The algorithmic animation that made sheriff badges and space suits spring to life.

What do all these inventions have in common? They are some of the hundreds of influential developments that have grown out of the minds of U students, faculty, and alumni who continue to come up with new ways to reshape society and move us into, well, “infinity and beyond”!

The U community’s creativity doesn’t surprise Erin Rothwell, vice president of research.

“We have an amazing group of scientists and scholars that represent the best and brightest minds in the country,” she says. “And we have exceptional setups on campus to foster their creativity.”

The U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health are some of the agencies that provided $750 million in research funding in 2023, a year that saw 143 patents issued to members of the U community.

If we were to list all the breakthroughs that originated in every lab across campus, we could fill this magazine. So, to keep things manageable, we present just a handful of landmark discoveries—plus a few intriguing developments our people are now working on.

Click here to read the full list on University of Utah Magazine’s website.