On a Thursday evening in mid-April, a group of 17 high school students from Monument Valley, Utah stood in a University of Utah physics lab to watch something extraordinary—cosmic rays streaming in from the Universe to our atmosphere, through the roof and into a detector. Watching particles appear on the live data stream, the group learned about how this detector was built by high school students just like them as part of the HiSPARC (High School Project on Astrophysics Research with Cosmics) program. This moment was eye-opening, igniting excitement and curiosity in the students that would carry on throughout the weekend.
In the following days, the Monument Valley students got a full tour of what the U has to offer as a leading research institution. Their visit included panoramic views of the valley from rooftop weather facilities, hands-on activities at the school of medicine, a visit with the Hallar Aerosol research team (HART) and lessons about topics like flash floods and RNA viruses. Perhaps most importantly, the group learned about all the programs and opportunities available to them and gave them a chance to see themselves as future students and researchers at the U.
With support from a number of U programs, including the Center for Native Excellence & Tribal Engagement, REFUGES (Refugees Exploring the Foundations of UnderGraduate Education in Science), Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Office of Academic Culture and Community and REALM (Research Experience in Alpine Meteorology), the group engaged with a diverse range of scientific disciplines.
The visit was organized through the University of Utah's HiSPARC program under the direction of Tino Nyawelo, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy/Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the U. In addition to Nyawelo, the excursion was facilitated by a large cohort of university faculty and staff (see list below) and was the first time a school from the San Juan County School District was able to visit the U and experience a hands-on introduction to college-level science and research.
'We are literally hours from anything'
"Where we live, we are literally hours from anything," said Todd Bendall, Monument Valley High School’s science teacher. "A lot of my students don't have the same opportunities or experiences as other high school students have here in the Salt Lake Valley."
The trip was years in the making. Tasheena Cly, a senior graduating in physics this year, is a member of the Navajo Nation herself and hails from Monument Valley. Her experiences at the U were life-changing, and she wanted the same for the rest of the students back home. So, she began to chat with her advisor, Saveez Saffarian, about sharing those experiences with them.
"He said, 'What about bringing the students up?'" Cly recalled. "And that's when everything started happening."
Cly reached out to coordinators and helped bridge the gap between the university and Monument Valley. The event quickly picked up steam, and finally, her idea was realized. It was so popular that sign-ups were full at the high school, and a waitlist formed. Luckily, everyone on the list was able to come.
The weekend left a lasting impact on many of the students. “I loved doing tours and learning more about what the university has to offer to Native American Students,” one said. “I also loved meeting new people who have the same interests as me and who are just like me and talking about their experience at the U of U.”
Most of the visiting students are finishing their junior year of high school and starting to think seriously about their future plans. Many of them remarked that the visit improved their confidence in pursuing college in the future: “The program changed how I think about college because it does seem scary, but also interesting, and shows that there is way more I can learn in college, and the people here give me hope that I will not have to do my college experience alone,” a student explained. Another said, “At first, I wasn’t really thinking of going to college, but this trip made me really consider it.”
Small, invisible, high-energy particles
"It's important that students have these experiences rather than just hearing about them,” said Lahoma Cly, who is the proud mother of Tasheena. “Career and research exploration was very beneficial. The students learned that there are many doors open to them."
The program's cosmic ray lecture was led by Ricardo Gonzalez, a researcher with the HiSPARC cosmic ray detection network. In his lab, Gonzalez taught the students that cosmic rays are small, invisible, high-energy particles that consist mostly of atomic nuclei and protons. They can come from a wide range of sources: supernova remnants, black holes and the sun. When cosmic rays enter the atmosphere, they interact with nitrogen and oxygen nuclei, creating secondary particles that cascade into our atmosphere. He explained that despite understanding that this happens, we know relatively little about them. Constructing these cosmic ray detectors has allowed students in the program to contribute to a truly new frontier of science.
Gonzalez, who grew up in Puerto Rico, resonated with the students: "It wasn't long ago that I was a student just like them," he said, "and I recognize how valuable a program like ours would have been for me growing up."
Nyawelo, who originally learned physics in Arabic before completing his Ph.D. in physics and joining the faculty at the U, emphasized the importance of different perspectives in science. "You guys have a unique perspective. Our culture shapes who we are, and science is no exception."
As a dedicated educator, Bendall has a deep sense of belief in his students and knows that they can tackle anything. When discussing some difficult concepts during the cosmic ray lecture, he drew upon the example of Fred Begay, the first Navajo (Diné) physicist to earn a Ph.D. His parents were healers who taught him Navajo ceremonies at a young age. He carried these lessons to bridge the two worlds that he was passionate about—the Diné tradition and thermonuclear fusion. He researched at Los Alamos for 30 years, discovering how lasers, electrons and high-energy beams can heat up plasmas and create an alternative source of energy.
Monumental momentum initiated
Currently, the students from Monument Valley High School are the first from the Four Corners Area to take part in this program, but momentum has been initiated. Tasheena mentioned that she believes that this will be the first of many events with schools all across the district, from Blanding to Montezuma Creek to Navajo Mountain. She wants all of her people to succeed.
"Just giving those kids an opportunity to experience higher ed, especially being on campus to see themselves here. That would be great," she said.
For Bendall, the meaning of the trip came down to something powerful, "This is literally a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids," he said. "We're hoping to be a spearhead and open doors for everybody else as well." As a result of this visit, he will be joining the Department of Physics & Astronomy’s Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program at the U for two weeks this summer working on the design and construction of cosmic ray detectors.
In return, Nyawelo and Gonzalez will also visit Monument Valley High School in the spring to work with Bendall and his students to build additional detectors.
And so, just as a cosmic ray detector picks up particles that are invisible and makes them visible, this collaboration opens up a whole new world that had been invisible to students before. And given that the students, professors and faculty are excited about this program, it's likely that more students might find their place in it.
By Nathan Murthy and Julia St. Andre
In addition to the work of project director Tino Nwayalo, Department of Physics & Astronomy, this event could not have been possible without the collaborative effort of the following individuals at the U: Saveez Saffarian, also from Physics & Astronomy; Samantha Eldridge, Director, Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement; Donna Eldridge, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine; John Horel, Department of Atmospheric Sciences; Gannet Hallar, Department of Atmospheric Sciences.