studentspotlights

2025 Convocation Student Speaker: Marcus Tanner

May 5, 2025

On May 1, Marcus Tanner, an undergraduate in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, spoke at the College of Science's 2025 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. His complete remarks are below.

Friends, classmates, scientists, biologists, congratulations on blazing your trail through your undergraduate degrees! No matter how long it took you to get here or what path you took, this is the culmination of all your hard work … but this is not the end of your education, or at least I hope it isn’t, and I don’t mean whatever post-graduate programs you might be attending after we toss our caps. I hope you continue to learn and challenge yourselves long into the future.

I have been a part of many communities on campus during my five-year stay: the physics department, the geology department, the Science Ambassador team, countless teaching and mentoring roles, and I learned something new from each one of them.

Physics taught me that challenging myself is often worth the effort. Geoscience taught me to look at things from new perspectives. Being an Ambassador taught me that science is a team effort, and that not knowing things is more than okay, it’s a part of the job. Being a Teaching Assistant and Learning Assistant has taught me humility (and a lot of physics), because I was once in my students’ shoes seeking help for what now seemed so simple.

But one thing I learned from all of them is that change is an important part of life; I’ve seen friendships wax and wane, I’ve watched fledgling scientists grow into their own and spread their wings towards brighter skies, I’ve seen the world change and shift in ways I would have never dreamed of.

Looking back, I’ve seen that the thing that ties all of this together is the ebb and flow of overwhelming force and renewed strength. A gas cloud must collapse before it shines as a star. A rock must melt before it recrystallizes into something stronger. A mentor must make mistakes and live their life to have advice for people on a similar path. It’s rather parsimonious then, that people too must falter before they can rise higher, and often with support from others to give them some lift.

As we start our new journeys, I hope we can not only learn to grow and shine, but also be willing to take a chance to falter and ask for guidance. We can learn to be proud to admit when we don’t know something. As we do, we can shine when we are strong and borrow some fuel when we are weak. We can wander and wonder, burn and yearn, feel and heal; above all, we can keep learning.

After all, everything ends at some point. There’s no reason to stop changing before we run out of fuel. Our current degree programs may be over, but we can keep being students until we become part of geologic time ourselves.

Thank you.

Marcus Tanner, BS'25 with double degrees in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, is from Draper, Utah.
You can read more about him in his Humans of the U story here.

ACCESS Scholar: America Cox

December 15, 2024

It was through the ACCESS’s supportive peer community, mentorship and unique research opportunities that she quickly found her footing and was off to the races. “I guess I always knew that I was going to go to college and that it was a big deal for me, and that science was my thing, but the ACCESS program really gave me the opportunity to affirm that for myself and to then be a part of a community of people that will support that,” she says.

America is pursuing an honors degree in biology with an emphasis in ecology, evolution and environment, alongside a second major in philosophy of science and minors in chemistry and media studies. Alongside her diverse collection of studies, she is also highly involved in research, thanks to her placement in the Dentinger Lab during her first year through ACCESS. There, she has been fascinated with the world of mycology, completing a nearly four-year study on the unique coevolutionary relationship of ant-fungus agricultural systems. “Mycology is such an emerging field because about 70 years ago, people still thought fungi were plants,” she explains. “So when I went to Mexico, we were out there just seeing what there is,” she explains. “Being able to see that at the ground level, and seeing the field [of mycology] start to move in new ways is really cool.”

The global level

Amanda Cox, taking her studies to the global level.

For the last three summers, America has taken her experience to the global level, traveling far and wide with her research. She has presented at conferences for the Mycological Society of America, searched for new species of mushrooms in Mexico, explored ecology with the honors integrated minor at Mpala Research Center in Kenya, and completed an REU studying E. muscae, (also known as “zombie” parasitic fungus) in the Elya lab at Harvard University.

Throughout her unique experiences, America has learned the importance of going back to the basics when she feels overwhelmed or out of place. “I am not a stranger to imposter syndrome. So it’s very easy for me to think, ‘Is this even good enough for what I’m doing?’” she explains. “But then I can look at my data when it comes together, and I realize that I am doing something for the scientific community, and it is contributing to a wider set of knowledge.”

Reflecting on her journey so far, America describes how several elements of her identity intertwined with her experience: “I am a first-generation college student. I’m a woman in STEM, and I’m also Hispanic, so the things that overlap there are not always represented in STEM.” As a kid dreaming of entering a field that felt like unfamiliar territory in many ways, she emphasizes how crucial it was to find a community of like-minded people who could offer guidance and compassion: “As the first person to go into STEM my family, it was a really unknown field, and so being able to have them say, ‘hey, let’s see what you’re interested in, and let’s get you going’ — that support was unparalleled and for sure got me to where I am right now,” she states.

That 'aha' moment

Looking forward, America plans to attend graduate school in biology, incorporating outreach and advocacy with her work and one day she hopes to become a professor and researcher. “Teaching is a big thing for me. I love helping someone find that ‘aha’ moment, and also paying it forward. I am who I am because of great teachers who have come before me and inspired me. So I would love to be that for someone else,” she says.

America Cox has already begun her teaching journey, giving back to the ACCESS Scholars Program as a teaching assistant and a mentor for younger students, working to provide them with the representation and support they need to see themselves flourish in STEM and to find their passion, just like she did.

ACCESS Scholar: Ella Bleak

November 18, 2024

Her inner nerd was fostered by high school chemistry and biology teachers, and having a professor in developmental biology with a PhD from the U as a neighbor didn’t hurt, either. That led her to discover ACCESS Scholars, a College of Science first-year community, research and scholarship program for students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

“I didn’t really have many expectations,” explained Ella. “I didn’t know very much about the program when I got into it, other than the research aspect. It ultimately was one of the main reasons I decided to come to the U because I was looking for early research opportunities. What I was not expecting was the lasting effects it had on my experience at the U.”

Through ACCESS, Ella was placed in the Karasov lab. Led by School of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Talia Karasov, they work to study tailocins, phage-tail-like bacteriocins used by bacteria to compete with other bacteria for resources and space—essentially weapons used in a bacteria warfare. More specifically, they’re characterizing the interactions between tailocins and their target bacteria’s lipopolysaccharide (structures on the bacterial membrane which tailocins can bind) to understand how tailocins differentiate between closely related strains.

Despite an initial hesitancy due to its lack of chemistry, Ella says it’s the best lab she could have ended up in. Publishing in the Karasov lab opened up the opportunity for Ella to become a Beckman Scholar, an institutional award funding research for scholar-faculty mentor pairs, allowing her to combine her two science loves and expand her research into a biochemistry focus.

“My lab has been one of the most amazing and supportive resources I have at the U, and I am so lucky to be in that lab because of ACCESS,” says Ella. “Beyond lab work, ACCESS helped me get involved in the campus early. I was more confident in applying to jobs, talking to professors, and getting involved with clubs. ACCESS really was the thing that catalyzed all of my college experiences.”

Some of those opportunities ACCESS Scholars opened up include becoming a UROP Scholar, Teaching Assistant, and Science Ambassador for the College of Science.

“The major benefit to ACCESS compared to other research options is the community and network that becomes available to you. If you are looking for ways to find friends or mentors in college then ACCESS is the way to do it.”

Upon graduating, she plans to get a PhD in chemical biology and end up in research.

“I don’t yet know if that means academia, industry, or some other area, but I have found a love for research and know that I want to be doing it for the rest of my career.”

ACCESS Scholar: Kate Anderson

October 1, 2024

Anderson grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and had a passion for science, astronomy specifically, from a young age. She says that ACCESS was what initially drew her to the U, and ultimately what made her decide to major in physics and chemistry. The ACCESS scholarship is designed to advance belonging in STEM by engaging first-year students with research and helping them develop a community within the college.

Like many alumni of the program, ACCESS strongly shaped Anderson’s first year experience. She contributed to a project in Assistant Professor Yao-Yuan Mao’s astrophysics lab. Anderson gathered data with code to locate isolated, low-mass galaxies near the Milky Way that might provide clues to the origin of our universe.

“Some of these galaxies are so isolated from the Milky Way that they have had little to no interaction with other galaxies since their creation. Because of that, they still have a lot of the properties of the very early universe. I was just trying to find the precursor to the bigger question” explains Anderson.

This hands-on research experience through ACCESS helped Anderson earn a NASA Space Grant Consortium Scholarship, an additional boost on her path to becoming an astronaut.

Anderson’s dream of voyaging to another planet to do true astrophysics “fieldwork” is supported by a plan that has been in the works since well before she stepped foot on campus. “I decided I wanted to be an astronaut and worked backwards,” she says.

NASA astronauts either have a science or military background. Anderson thought “why not both?”. This motivated her to join the Air Force ROTC in addition to her academic obligations with the hope of becoming a pilot. This way, she can command the spaceship as well as handle the science.

“NASA actually posted applications for astronauts a couple months ago. I was devastated that I couldn't apply now,” says Anderson. Though the journey ahead is long, this budding scientist and future space traveler has a lot to look forward to in her next few years at the U. Anderson is excited about starting new research projects, taking observational astronomy, and spending time with her friends, many of whom she met through ACCESS.

ACCESS: The Invisible Scaffolding

June 13, 2024

Transitioning from high school to college can be challenging in ideal circumstances but at the height of the Covid pandemic? Audrey Glende was forced to leap into the next chapter of her life by staying still, stuck at home. There were so many possible opportunities to pursue; her life had given her interests in everything from math and physics to visual arts and piano composition, just to name a few. But which to choose?

And more importantly, how does one make an educated decision when all the information is funneled through a Zoom call?

Amid this chaos she was introduced to the ACCESS Scholars Program, a first-year community committed to providing students with all the help they need to make academic goals, connect to mentors, and develop the leadership skills they need to excel. Now instead of committing a semester to a path that she might regret later, a summer cohort could briefly introduce her to various fields. With any luck that should provide some deeper context for a wiser decision.

What she received was more than she could have ever hoped for.

A Broader Perspective

Like so many students Glende entered higher education after years of being asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The classic pressure of narrowing down your life goals before college begins. But ACCESS understands that this can be a challenging question to answer without real-world experience, and as such provides it in spades.

Encouraged to start as broadly as possible Glende gravitated towards physics, treating it as a toolset that could be used in whatever field she ended up in. Working with the ACCESS team, who facilitated her placement in a physics research lab during her freshman year, she secured critical experience related to what a job in STEM looks. This before spending years pursuing it. She was brought into a cohort of dozens of students from all walks of life, all asking the same questions she was, and together they moved forward with confidence. For Glende, a math major would join physics, with a philosophy of science major following soon after.

Reflecting on her path, Glende describes, “It was like I’ve taken a winding road through college, where instead of feeling like I’m working towards something — realizing it’s not for me and being forced to turn back — I’m always moving forward. I could slowly ease from one area to the next because of that advice to stay broad and stay general while I explore. It makes me feel more confident. Now I can narrow things down going into grad school applications.”

And thanks to this approach, Glende is fast approaching the completion of a triple major with honors. She works in the Deemyad Lab studying condensed matter in regard to crystals. The social system her cohort provided still holds strong to this day. And looking back on it all, she is amazed by how many fantastic things she’s been able to experience thanks to the guidance she received in ACCESS. “It's like an invisible scaffolding, supporting students in ways they would never know they needed otherwise.”

Audrey Glende, a 2023 Goldwater Scholar, now mentors in the ACCESS program herself, eager to give back however she can, to help future students feel that same support and to experience that same success that she did.

2024 Convocation Student Speaker: Dua Azhar

May 1, 2024

On May 2 physics graduate Dua Azhar spoke at the College of Science's 2024 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. Her complete remarks are below.

Thank you, Dean Bandarian for the introduction. I am honored to speak today before the deans, faculty, family and friends, and of course Class of 2024, congratulations!

We’re all here today because of our love for the sciences. I know I've always been drawn to the mysteries of the natural world, from the universe to the human brain, all the way down to quantum mechanics. That rush of excitement and ideas that comes when reaching towards that you don’t understand keeps me motivated. So, it would make sense that I am here today graduating with a degree in physics. But if you told high school me I’d be doing that, I’d probably burst out laughing.

What I’ve learned these past few years is that there is a caveat to deciphering these mysteries because, as Cillian Murphy’s character says in the film Oppenheimer, “theory will take you only so far.” You see, in quantum mechanics, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle states that it’s impossible to know all information about a particle. If you think this drives scientists crazy, you’re absolutely right. The past four years for all of us have also been filled with uncertainty, and I don’t know about you, but I also went a bit crazy. Yet, I and all of you are here today to celebrate the chances we took and the perseverance through the uncertainties that have come with this journey.

Dua Azhar gives student speech at 2024 Convocation.

For many of us here today, this is our first proper graduation – the last time we gathered for graduation, it was on Zoom and in parking lots. The global pandemic also didn’t stop after those make-do send-offs. However, we all decided to continue our educational journeys despite that uncertainty. Like many of you, I struggled during that time. Despite the difficulties, it was also beautiful because we came together to help each other push through it all. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to go through that time without the mentorship and support of the faculty, who went out of their way to not only accommodate all of us but also provide individual support, in and outside of classes. For example, while I was uncertain about my studies, it was because of the faculty and the college’s resources that I was able to forge my educational path, combining my interests in neuroscience with physics. I know many of you could share similar stories, because together, we persevered through uncertain times to reach this day.

And we didn’t get here alone. We all have loved ones that have supported us and set us on our paths. In my case, I cannot take credit for any of this without acknowledging the uncertainties my parents faced as immigrants. Exactly 30 years ago, being one of the few Pakistanis in Utah at the time, my father graduated from the U in mechanical engineering. His studies and career path influenced my own, and it was through both of my parent’s sacrifices in adapting to a new country that I am here today.

Watching my parents and the talented individuals around me, I have learned the value of taking chances amidst uncertainty. My parents took a chance for a better opportunity for our family. WE all took the crazy chance to go to college during a pandemic! And I took a chance on the sublime complexity that is physics.

As we leave here today, we’ll be entering anew into a world that is now especially uncertain and scary. But we can come together again to push through it. Some of us graduates might not know where we will go next, but there is a beauty to that uncertainty. It will bring the excitement, the collaboration, and the knowledge needed for us, together, to solve the problems and mysteries that keep us up at night. So sure, theory might only take you so far, but theorize anyway. Then take a chance, because you won’t know until you try.

Biologist Eron Powell: Student Commencement Speaker

April 29, 2024

“Outside of college and into the future, I hope to always be able to educate myself,” Powell said. “We are never complete people. We have to keep working on ourselves. That is the fun of living—learning to be a better person who is more kind, more compassionate and more caring.”

Twenty-six-year-old Powell grew up in Emmett, Idaho, with his seven siblings. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology, he was drawn to the U because of the school’s research opportunities and the prestige of the U’s College of Science.

Though Powell faced many challenges during his first year of college, from health issues to adapting to rigorous course work to finding his place among strangers, there is a lot he will miss about being a U student.

“As we approach commencement, I’m sadder than I thought I would be,” Powell said. “I thought I’d be so excited, but I really loved my experience at the U. So it’s hard that it’s ending.”

Read the full article by Maitlyn Mortensen in @ The U.

The General Commencement ceremony where Powell will speak will be held on Thursday, May 2 at 6 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Read more about the 2024 commencement here.

Humans of the U: Brenda Payan Medina

April 26, 2024

I feel really connected to students who may be struggling, I think because of my own background as a first-generation student. Neither of my parents graduated high school and my grandparents didn’t finish elementary school. It feels like a big step for myself and my siblings to reach a point where we’re graduating college.

I applied to the U through the College of Science ACCESS Scholarship program and when I first got here, I had kind of a hard time. I literally don’t think I would’ve stayed on campus if it weren’t for the ACCESS director at the time, who really advocated for me. I was planning on transferring back home to Price because I had a whole support system down there. Here, there are definitely people willing to help you, but it’s harder to reach out when you’re used to figuring everything out your own, like I had been. I want to use what I learned to help other people have an easier experience navigating college and living away from home, because it can be super overwhelming to try to balance everything.

I’ve seen discourse on social media saying you don’t always need a college degree to succeed. But for students where education has historically not been a part of their family, I think it’s still important to pursue higher education even if it’s inaccessible to them. It’s one of the reasons I started working with the Utah Prison Education Project and the STEM Community Alliance Program with the arts manager, where I help plan art classes and exhibitions for students in juvenile facilities. It’s really cool because a lot of the students find a drive to pursue their projects when they know their work will be shown at galleries. Working with UPEP and STEMCAP has given me a different perspective about what education looks like and what works for different people, and I’ll hopefully continue working with this population in a similar program at Columbia.

Read the rest of the story in @ The U.

Goldwater Scholars 2024

April 17, 2024

Two College of Science students awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for 2024-25

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is a prestigious award given to undergraduate sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers. Goldwater Scholars often go on to hold distinguished research and leadership positions across many disciplines. For the 2024-2025 academic year, 438 scholarships were awarded to college students across the country. At the University of Utah, two undergraduate students have earned the honor of becoming Goldwater Scholars: Muskan Walia and Nathan Patchen.

Nathen Patchen
Biochemistry

“Biochemistry was a great way for me to combine my love of biology and chemistry and understand not only how things work, but why,” says Nathan Patchen about what motivated him to pursue research in that field. Patchen was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for his work in Yang Liu’s lab, an assistant professor of biochemistry at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine.

Patchen describes his research as broadly being focused on DNA damage repair. He says “[w]e have access to revolutionary gene editing tools that, when used in conjunction with advanced imaging techniques, allow us to explore how cancer cells undergo DNA damage repair as never seen before. Personally, I am doing this by implementing a modified CRISPR-Cas9 that allows us to capture time-resolved images after damage and then produce data about the kinetics of repair.”

After graduating from the U, Patchen hopes to pursue an MD/PhD to practice medicine while continuing his research on gene editing and aging. Outside of his time in the lab, he enjoys being active through swimming, biking, and running as he trains for an IRONMAN 70.3 in St. George, Utah in May.

Muskan Walia
Mathematics
Philosophy

“Mathematics is at the cusp of interdisciplinary research” says Muskan Walia. During the College of Science ACCESS Scholars research program, she reflected on her academic interests and goals. She explains, "I wasn’t interested in studying any discipline in a vacuum or in isolation. Rather, I wanted to work on mathematics research that centered justice and informed public policy.”

The majority of Walia’s undergraduate research sprouted from her time in ACCESS where with the help of Fred Adler in the mathematics department at the College of Science, she began to adapt an epidemiological SIR model to predict the number of cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. Since then, she has created other models to further answer her questions about disease. These include a “... model of disease progression within an infected individual, a model of an antigen test, and a model of symptoms to evaluate how testing can be used to limit the spread of infection.”

“Ultimately, I want to lead a team that utilizes mathematical principles to tackle the most pressing social justice related questions of our time.” Walia is one of 57 awardees honored this year who intend to pursue research in mathematics or computer science. Besides innovating mathematical models, Walia enjoys spending time outside bird watching with her mom and gardening with her grandmother.

By Lauren Wigod
Science Writer Intern

Biology Student Stories: Bailey Landis

April 3, 2024

The “major” shift happened when Bailey took Genetics from Nitin Phadnis. That was the moment he realized he loved biology and wanted to give research a try.

Bailey asked Phadnis if he knew of any lab openings, and the very next day he entered the research world…in the Phadnis lab! “Even though research was new to me, I was given the opportunity to jump into cutting-edge science. I immediately began investigating the genetic basis of a hybrid incompatibility between two subspecies of Drosophila.” Bailey artfully explained that “When two populations of a species are isolated from each other, they rapidly evolve [and this can] lead to speciation.” Deciphering the molecular and genetic basis of this process is the focus of the Phadnis lab.

Bailey finds the lab environment “unequivocally amazing” and “is inspired by the motivation and drive of his peers in the lab.” He says, “Whenever you are doing something, people want you to do well ... and are not hoping for your downfall. So I have gotten courage knowing when I am presenting or doing something scary that people are hoping to see me succeed.”

Bailey has gained an appreciation for the collaborative nature of science, receiving mentorship and mastering new techniques with support from two other biology professors, Kent Golic and Clayton Dale. As it goes in research, things often don’t work and you always have to be on the lookout for something unexpected, Bailey shared. “I became frustrated that my hard work had yielded no results and began doubting whether the X-ray machine was working correctly. I examined the neuroblasts of mutagenized males, looking for fragmented chromosomes to ensure that the genetic material was being irradiated. ... My irradiation approach was simple and reliable [yet] lacked efficiency, relying on randomly mutating a single gene out of over 13,000. I felt like I was waiting for an accident and wanted my approach to be more precise. I returned to the drawing board, searching for a more efficient way to identify this gene. I pivoted to a targeted deletion system using CRISPR/Cas-9.”

Bailey’s enthusiasm and dedication has led to an evolution in his knowledge, which will definitely give him a head start when he begins his PhD in biology, at the U, in the fall of 2024.

Bailey is from Chico, California. When he’s not in the lab, you can find Bailey indulging his many other interests from drawing and painting, fly fishing, working on his jiu jitsu, snowboarding, and cooking lots of different dishes!

College of Science

2025 Convocation Student Speaker: Marcus Tanner

2025 Convocation Student SPeaker: Marcus Tanner

On May 1, Marcus Tanner, an undergraduate in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, spoke at the College of Science's 2025 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. His complete remarks are below.

>> HOME <<

ACCESS Scholar: America Cox

ACCESS Scholar, America Cox

The start of college can be an uncertain time for many students, and the journey to discovering your passion is not always easy. America Cox, a senior at the U and an alumni of the ACCESS Scholars program, was no stranger to this feeling.

The global level

That 'aha' moment

ACCESS Scholar: Ella Bleak

ACCESS Scholar, Ella Bleak

Ella Bleak’s journey as a self-proclaimed science nerd started at a young age.

ACCESS Scholar: Kate Anderson

ACCESS Scholar, Kate Anderson

Undergraduate Kate Anderson has her sights set far, another planet to be exact. After a year of research in the ACCESS Scholars program, she is one step closer to her dream of becoming a NASA astronaut.

ACCESS: The Invisible Scaffolding

ACCESS: The INVISible scaffolding

“I think teaching people that it’s okay to need breaks, to not know what’s next, to give room to learn and change is the most important thing to build an accepting environment like that.”

A Broader Perspective

2024 Convocation Student Speaker: Dua Azhar

2024 Convocation Student SPeaker: Dua Azhar

On May 2 physics graduate Dua Azhar spoke at the College of Science's 2024 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. Her complete remarks are below.

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Biologist Eron Powell: Student Commencement Speaker

shaping students into people of excellence

For the 2024 University of Utah student commencement speaker Eron Powell, a love of learning is one of the most important things he is taking away from his time at the U.

Humans of the U: Brenda Payan Medina

Humans of the U: Brenda Payan Medina

Goldwater Scholars 2024

Goldwater Scholars 2024

Two College of Science students awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for 2024-25

Biology Student Stories: Bailey Landis

Biology Student Stories: Bailey Landis

From playing the clarinet and majoring in music to finding inspiration in deciphering the As, Ts, Gs, and Cs relevant to fruit fly evolution and genetics, Bailey Landis has many interests but has dedicated his educational pursuits to biology.

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