incoming student resources | College of Science

Beyond Volcanoes and Baking Soda

April 2, 2025

The diversity of participants in the University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair is impressive — from public to private schools, and from charter schools to home schools — but also daunting for the judges of the annual event, now held at the Crocker Science Center. Even so, they were up to the challenge this year.

What’s more is that the 169 volunteer judges this year seemed to get as much out of the experience as did the 722 students, representing grades 5-12. These dedicated volunteers are looking far beyond the stereotypical Play-Doh volcano (not that there’s anything wrong with witnessing a propulsive reaction between vinegar and baking soda . . . which is very cool . . . or is that “hot”?)

We asked four of the judges who participated this year in the three-day event to tell us what it’s like to weave through rooms full of smiling, nervous, well-dressed students and their posters and displays on the University of Utah campus. While the finalists who qualified for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair to be staged in Columbus, Ohio this May were few, every solitary participant, whether age ten or getting ready to vote in the next election, came away from the fair enriched by the experience and maybe even ready to become a scientist or engineer someday.

The judges were there to help facilitate that.

Sydney Brooksby

Credit: Cindy Nordstrom

"As a new USEF judge, I was truly amazed by the intelligence and creativity of the young competitors. The level of innovation stemming from these young minds was nothing short of inspiring. I experienced a variety of projects with precise data collection/analysis, deep critical thinking, and techniques beyond what I even knew existed, when I was their ages! Not only did I have the honor of witnessing youthful genius, but I was in the midst of truly passionate kids and young adults.

"My favorite project was a young girl in the elementary division studying heritable traits in genetics. As I am studying genetic engineering, I asked her what she wanted to grow up to be. She excitedly replied, "I love genetics so much! I want to be a geneticist so I can save lives!"

"I have no doubt that this young girl, as well as her fellow competitors, will dig their hands deeper into the wonderous inquiry that science offers us. I cannot wait for next year's USEF competition, to continue to experience these amazing competitors' contributions to the STEM field!"

Sally Russell

Credit: Cindy Nordstrom

"Judging at the Utah Science and Engineering Fair has been so rewarding — although sometimes intimidating. I have talked to some students that just blow me away with how much work they have put into their project and how incredibly knowledgeable and prepared they are. Some are so much smarter than I am at that moment. It fills me with hope for our future.

I started judging at USEF six years ago. I am challenged at times to give positive feedback but always try to leave all of those I talk with knowing that I appreciate the work they did, and for some of them, that I learned more from them than they realize.

"But mostly I want to leave them knowing that they should be proud of the work they did. Of course, not all projects are high caliber, but I always ask the student, 'what did you learn doing this?' And I often get 'I learned how to do research' or 'found out that I could have a hypothesis that was totally wrong and still learn something!' I think that’s one of the points of this whole experience.

"My first year at USEF I met a young lady, a high school senior who had become interested in working on a cure for breast cancer because of personal family health issues and had heard about plants in the Far East that were being used as a treatment. her knowledge of these plants and what she needed to do with them was so deep that I could not think of suggestions on how to improve her project or steps she could take that would be of help to her. Since then I have seen other young men and women like her a — fully immersed in the learning process and working so hard to prove (or disprove) their hypothesis. A study this year that was so impressive was done by a young man who designed a study focused on whether using moral foundations as a basis would be a way to combat the spread of misinformation. This was so well done, and so well researched that I once again could only offer encouragement and suggestions on process but certainly none on content or presentation.

"For many young people, doing a project doesn’t always turn out the way they thought but learning happens anyway. They won’t all end up being scientists, but hopefully they will appreciate the scientific process and be better able to look at research they hear about in the future and determine to some degree whether there was validity and meaning in that study.

"When I go home from USEF I have the feeling that at least parts of our world will be better in the future because of these young people and the experience of being at the fair."

Rajeev Balasubramonian

Credit: Todd Anderson

"I have judged at USEF for over 15 years, and I have found that the 5^th and 6^th graders are especially mind-blowing in their curiosity and innocence. They often use the opportunity to delve into things that are genuinely interesting to them — speed of race-cars, impact of phone use and music. This year, in the waning minutes of judging, I ran into a kid that assessed the impact of yarn type on a Spiderman web-shooter, which is a device he made with his parents. It was a simple spring-loaded magnet gun with yarn attached (use your imagination to fill in the details ). He envisions that with the right suction cups, this will help people with mobility issues. (I think every cool grandparent is going to need a Spiderman web shooter!)

"A number of students/projects receive mentoring from teachers/researchers and are more polished. I love it when students use science fair to go in depth on an extra-curricular topic for months – those end up being the best projects and the most fun interviews. Some of the high school projects are impressive enough to be fledgling undergraduate theses. Many students write their first meaningful computer programs as part of their USEF experience. A couple of students in 2023 wrote an impressive computer system to interpret American Sign Language — one of them studies at the U and the other is at Yale.

"Many projects do not receive mentoring from experts, but are equally impressive in their ingenuity. Last year, a student developed a custom-made football helmet that could accommodate his hearing aid — the kid saw a legitimate problem in his life and he solved it, epitomizing the spirit of science and engineering fairs!"

Paul Stach

Credit: Todd Anderson

"I have judged USEF during most years since 2015, and it’s challenging for me to distinguish the science fair from Christmas! As a science and tech generalist, I keep up with the hot topics and discoveries in all fields, and I’m very interested to take a sample look through the lens of what topics the kids are finding to be interesting, worthwhile and having potential for exciting innovation.

I’ve seen many naturally-talented kids from disadvantaged families who were sincerely applying themselves in trying to solve humanity’s problems — such as how to recapture excess carbon from the atmosphere — for the good of all people in the world. These students didn’t always have all the resources they needed, and sometimes the exact best resources would not be safe for kids and would require specialized careful expert handling — but the kids fully understood their reference research papers which they were attempting to build from — and that understanding will serve to carry them still further when they are ready.

"As the old song said, 'your dreams were your ticket out' — but I would change that 'out' to something else like 'up' or 'to the next big thing.' The science fair can be 'the thing that gets you to the thing.

"Interacting with the talent and potential of the students is so uplifting, and having the chance to inspire them and see their own recognition of their learning — it’s such an uplift that you can’t feel your feet touching the ground afterward.

"As the late American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said, 'All the science and technology we have today is the result of a long, slow struggle, at great personal cost to the participants. This is an important reflection, and it's a communal activity that has yielded so many benefits and understanding to humankind.'

"I think USEF is a part of that great “communal activity.”

The College of Science thanks all of the judges who participated in this year's USEF under the direction of Brenda Mann and the management, planning and event deployment of Jody Oostema. Thanks too for the 2025 planning committee and the many sponsors of the event whose monetary support helps Utah's students learn to love science and to continue their scientific discoveries. You can see more photos from the event and read about the winners here. Would you like to volunteer as a judge? Contact USEF here.

Meeting students where they are

January 21, 2025

A licensed clinical social worker and University of Utah alumnus, Trujillo is committed to caring for student’s mental and emotional well-being as they explore their identity and pursue their education at the U.

Trujillo is just one member of a larger team of mental health professionals at the University Counseling Center, which provides a variety of therapeutic resources to students, most with zero cost associated. These services range from individual and group counseling sessions to immediate crisis services and everything in between. “At the Counseling Center," says Trujillo, "we're always thinking about new things and how to expand and have a better reach and accommodate the needs of students. And so the embedded model is another piece of that.”

Seeing patterns, creating plans

Steven Trujillo at Sound and Fury music festival in Los Angeles, 2024.

As an embedded therapist, Trujillo aims to integrate his services into the College of Science community — providing students with an accessible mental health resource and a familiar friend well-versed in their needs. “Being here on a regular basis allows me to see patterns in what College of Science students are managing and dealing with,” he explains. “I see a lot of recurring themes of imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and a number of different struggles, so it's helpful to have somebody here who has seen the patterns and can create plans to help manage those experiences.”

For many of the students Trujillo meets the pressures of academic performance can blur the lines between personal worth and educational achievement. “There are a lot of indicators of whether you're 'failing' or not, with grades, GPA, and all of these things." he explains. "And so often, we use those as a measure to determine whether we're succeeding or failing in life. But you can fail a class and still be succeeding in life, right? So a lot of my work is about helping people sort of separate their academic identity from their human identity.”

Though Trujillo works within the academic environment, his therapy sessions aren’t just limited to school subjects. “You don't have to just come here if you're having academic stressors,” he explains. “It can be anything. It can be outside stressors. It can be life transitions. It can be depressive symptoms. It can be symptoms of trauma, grief, or any number of things.”

Getting connected with therapy services is simple — by going to the University Counseling Center’s website, students can make an appointment for their initial consultation, where they'll meet with a therapist for 20-30 minutes who will gather an initial understanding of what they're seeking. From there, they’ll receive a recommendation for services and be connected with a therapist who best fits their needs.

Everyone's going through something

To students who may feel hesitant or nervous about utilizing therapy services, Trujillo wants to emphasize that mental health care is for everyone, regardless of the challenges they face. “There's a reason why we have a whole counseling center on campus, and I say that to try to destigmatize it. Everyone's going through something. This is a really intense environment to be in, the university setting and the academic setting, and it's okay to get support,” he says. Trujillo also highlights the importance of viewing mental health as a routine aspect of self-care. “Maintaining our mental health is not a sign of weakness. It doesn't even have to be an indicator that something's wrong with us. It's just taking care of ourselves in the same way we go to the doctor every year when nothing's wrong to get a check-up. Checking in with our mental health is just as important,” he states.

Students who work with Trujillo can expect to meet an outstanding, caring individual who focuses on fostering trust and connection. “My approach is always the therapeutic relationship first. I want to know who you are, and I want you to feel like you can know who I am, so we can create a relationship where this feels comfortable, inclusive, and safe," he says. "I want people to have a space that feels like it's some reprieve from the day-to-day, where they look forward to it. That's really important to me.”

Outside of his work, Trujillo practices what he preaches by engaging in his own forms of self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “I am a partner and a father. So I love going home to my family and doing things with them. I love music and going to shows. It's something I've done my whole life and continue to engage in, and it's part of how I take care of myself," he shares. "I also collect retro video games, and I ride a motorcycle which I really enjoy. And engaging with friends, maintaining relationships, that's something that I actively try to do.”

Through his role as embedded therapist, Steven Trujillo is meeting students where they are, and encouraging all of us to make mental health care a part of our regular routine.

Storyteller for the Times

October 9, 2024

Robin Wheelwright and her three daughters celebrating Pride Day.

Wheelwright must mean she loves herself — which is a good thing, of course — because she’s a great storyteller, currently fashioning her own life narrative as well as helping students draft their own as a career coach in the College of Science.

One could argue that every story needs a hero. And Wheelwright has hers: “I am my own hero,” she says. “As a survivor of domestic abuse, I firmly believe that our lives and how we navigate the struggles and hardships are completely up to us. None of it is easy, and I spent many tear-filled nights feeling like I didn’t have it in me to advocate for myself and my kids. But I did. Saving myself and my kids took strength and courage that I didn’t know I had.”

Wheelwright’s path has been a harrowing one toward healing and success, but it has made her not only the editor of her own continuing success story, but the grist for helping others achieve their dreams by drafting their own. Since her arrival at the College of Science last year, Wheelwright has been tasked with providing personalized career coaching to students guiding them through their career journey to ensure they achieve their professional goals.

Her experiences in the role have proven gratifying. One recent example of that is working with a chemistry student whose goal was to attend a graduate program in Korea so she could study Korean skincare. “We worked together on her resume and her interview skills,” reports Wheelwright. “She was quite nervous going into the interview, but after some coaching and mock interviews, she felt more confident in her ability to articulate her experiences and her motivation. After her interview she said, ‘I must have done better than I thought. I was accepted into not one, but three schools!’ I am so excited for her and this opportunity and the many doors this experience will open for her.”

Wheelwright earned both a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in human resources from Utah State University in Logan. The combined degrees have made her perfectly poised to help students reach their potential as they approach graduation and enter the next phase: their work lives. Career coaching is a little bit of hand-holding and a whole lot of at-your-fingertips resources; a little bit of asking the right questions of your client (and asking them at the right time) and the uncanny ability to help someone see how cool they already are.

Unicorn madness for all ages.

It’s a lot about helping someone find an occupational “fit,” not so that they can rest on their laurels in a static world where everything is customized, but as a stop on the continuum of work that is ever-moving and ever-expanding. In this sense, Wheelwright and her colleagues Laura Cleave and Andrea LeBaron are life coaches, helping individuals develop a skill set that can then be deployed in whatever path they choose.

Wheelwright not only has the training to help students develop this skill set, but also deep, personal experiences that help her to empathize and think innovatively about a person’s options, including those outside the proverbial box. Those encounters with herself followed by deep self-reflection are threaded through the raising of her three daughters, ages 14, 12 and eight — along with a beagle and two kitties — all of whom have their own developing stories in the works just like Wheelwright’s student clients.

Wheelwright’s tastes and interests are as broad and diverse as the range of students she sees and works with. Not only does she love her kids and her pets, but also “Halloween, drag queens, being outdoors, and all things mythical and mysterious; karaoke, board/card games, and being around people who love and support an authentic and genuine life.”

Little wonder then that when she’s asked who her hero in life is, she offers a self-confident response that her career clients can relate to and that they likely need to hear at this inflection point in their lives: “I have a plaque at my desk that reads ‘She needed a hero, so she became one,'" says Robin Wheelwright. "That’s my mantra and it gets me through tough times.”

Now that’s a storyteller most anyone would pull up a pillow for to give a good listen.

by David Pace

2024 U Science Fair Youth Compete Internationally

June 26, 2024

Sierra Sun

As stated by Barb Baker, the host of this year's global event, “Each year, millions of students around the world participate in a global network of local, regional, and national science fairs, where they are encouraged to explore their passion for scientific inquiry.” These pre-college students arrive from over 75 countries, regions, and territories to compete in various STEM fields, from animal sciences to systems software, behavioral and social sciences to physics and astronomy. Such a broad scope ensures that no matter where a student’s interest may lie, they have an avenue to ambitiously pursue their goals.

Sahil Shah

The University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair (USEF) has been preparing and sending students to this prestigious event since 2003, and this year was no exception. Students from five school districts as well as charter, private and parochial schools participated at USEF March 4-7 at the Crocker Science Center where the fair had 470 projects and 592 students. Five high school students were chosen to compete on the global stage in Los Angeles at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) May 11-17, granting these students the valuable experience of viewing and presenting their work to people across the world. In addition, five more high school students were selected to compete at the Genius Olympiad in Rochester, NY June 10-15. We celebrate that their hard work has been rewarded!

Mingchaun Cheng

USEF had three finalists walk away from ISEF with awards. Aadhi Umamageswaran, Sierra Sun, and Sahil Shah all placed 4th within their categories, Aadhi focusing on animal sciences, Sahil on translational medical science, and Sierra on behavioral and social sciences. In addition, Sierra received three special awards totaling $6,500 in cash for her efforts from the American Psychological Association, the National Security Agency Research Directorate and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Aadhi Umamageswara

All five USEF finalists won awards at the Genius Olympiad competition, where projects focus on environmental issues. Arianna Vasquez, Caroline Cook and Angelina Nguyen all received Honorable Mentions and Marina Peng and Krishnam Goel received Silver Awards.

“I am so proud of these students,” says Jody Oostema, USEF’s program director since 2005. “They have each put a lot of time and hard work into their projects over the past year and it’s wonderful to see their efforts rewarded!”

Aidan Yu

Past USEF winners have gone on to attend institutions such as Princeton University, Harvard University, and our own University of Utah. Some have gotten NASA grants to develop prototype robots for exploration of Jupiter’s moon Europa, others lead biotech companies creating protein therapeutics, and others still have joined the hunt for the ever-elusive dark matter.

The 2025 University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair takes place March 10-14, again, at the Crocker Science Center. Visit the USEF website for more information.

By Michael Jacobsen

USEF 2024

February 28, 2024

The documentary series Science Fair, streaming on Disney + and Hulu, has one answer as it takes viewers on a journey with students around the United States and in Zimbabwe as they compete at their local science fairs, in the hopes of earning an opportunity to compete on a global stage at the Regeneron International Science Fair.

In short, you don’t start at the top. Rather, you follow an eligibility 'roadmap', beginning at your local school and district fairs. Students who advance through these fairs are then invited to participate in the University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair (USEF), an important step along the way to national and international competitions.

USEF is an annual science & engineering competition for students in grades 5-12 and is a reboot of the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair now permanently hosted by the U’s College of Science. It’s also the first time since the COVID-19 that the fair will be fully in-person.

2018 Award Winner

Judging at the four-day event takes place on March 5, 6, and 7 at the U’s Crocker Science Center located at 1390 President’s Circle in Salt Lake City. The event culminates in an awards ceremony staged this year at Juan Diego Catholic School in Draper on March 8.

Participation in science events such as USEF stimulates students' interest in science and technology while simultaneously promoting the development of communication, decision-making, evaluation of alternative solutions, and critical thinking.

But you probably already know that, and USEF is pleased to showcase the inquisitive nature and scientific discovery of some of the best and brightest young minds from the Canyons, Granite, Murray, Park City, Salt Lake, and Tooele School Districts as well as the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese and all private, home school and charter schools within these boundaries.

“We are thrilled that the 592 students participating this year from eight school districts will be able to see the amazing science labs in the building,” says Jody Oostema, fair manager. “USEF’s numbers are finally getting back up to ‘normal’ after several years bouncing back from COVID,” she adds.

This year UCEF includes 470 projects and 592 students with 217 elementary division projects, 164 junior division projects, and 89 senior division projects. Additionally, there are 373 individual projects and 93 team projects slated to compete. Parents and family members are invited to view all projects 45 minutes before each judging session begins.

The full schedule can be found at https://usef.utah.edu/fair-details

The event “brings together some of the most inquisitive young minds with working scientists and engineers who serve as judges,” says fair director Brenda Mann, “allowing the students to share the results of their hard work and foster discussion between the students and judges.”

2018 Award Winner

She adds, “As a research scientist and engineer [at Marinda Therapeutics], I am thrilled to see high school students from an increased number of schools participating at USEF this year. The high quality of these projects demonstrates the difficult questions or problems to which the students are looking for answers or trying to solve.”

“I can remember competing at this fair as if it was yesterday,” says Julia St. Andre, a former USEF competitor and science communication student at the U. “Among all the nerves and excitement of the day, what stood out to me the most was the incredible community within the fair. Between judging rounds, I spent the time talking and bonding with my fellow competitors, walking around to see each other’s posters. To this day, I remember how impressed I was by the variety of research and creativity I witnessed and the excitement we all felt at getting to share our work and form connections with students from across the state. USEF was a uniquely impactful experience for me, and I am so grateful for it!”

And that is what the Utah Science and Engineering Fair is really all about: looking for answers or trying to solve difficult questions or problems. Sharing one’s science project with other eager students is both challenging and fun. As for that international science fair documented on film, the senior division winners from USEF will be eligible to compete in the Regeneron ISEF.

As the world's largest pre-college science fair, Regeneron ISEF is held each May where more than 1,800 students from over 65 countries gather to display their independent research. USEF is an affiliated fair and will select five projects this year to travel to compete.

Visit the Regeneron ISEF website to learn more.

Read a re-cap of the Science Fair at KSL-TV.

COS Belonging and Community

August 8, 2022

In the College of Science, we recognize that progress thrives on different perspectives, experiences, and talents. We are dedicated to cultivating an environment where all scientists, mathematicians, and engineers come together to work, learn, and push the boundaries of scientific discovery. Our student programs build community and provide opportunities for personal growth and professional development, with the goals of enhancing academic success and preparing students for impactful careers. We create a brighter future for STEM in Utah and beyond.

The Committee on Belonging and Community (CBC) hosts events and promotes practices to increase belonging and community for everyone who learns and works in the College of Science. The CBC also serves in an advisory role to the Dean of the College of Science, facilitates communication and sharing of information among units and coordination with institutional priorities, and pursues college-level initiatives to improve experiences and opportunities for students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. CBC members are appointed by the Dean.