Finding the Spark: High School Juniors Attend USU Scholars Day
During the day, the students participated in a group building activity where they created gumdrop bridges while their parents attended a question-and-answer forum about Honors and undergraduate research.
Sparking an interest in research and showing high school students the many opportunities Utah State University offers were a central focus of Scholars Day, a recruiting event for high school juniors hosted by the offices of Admissions, the USU Honors Program and the office of Research and Graduate Studies.
More than 186 academically-engaged high school juniors, and their parents, came to visit USU from across the state of Utah and from southern Idaho in late May 2015. The USU Honors Program showcased the many benefits it offers high-achieving students: small classes, faculty mentoring, research opportunities and funding, personalized advising and hands-on learning. Attendees learned about many exciting undergraduate research opportunities available at the university.
The day began with a welcome followed by a series of “USU Ignite” talks from current and former USU students who are involved in research. The talks featured USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences valedictorian, Honors student and Truman Scholar Briana Bowen, as well as Salif Mahamane, a current doctoral student in the experimental and applied psychological program, and Justine Britten, a College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences student pursuing a master’s in animal health and disease. Students also saw a USU TedX presentation by Honors student Nicole Martineau, an undergraduate biology education major and theater education minor.
“We wanted to show the students that research is something that can be exciting and inspire them,” said Scott Bates, associate vice president and associate dean in the office of Research and Graduate Studies.
Following the Ignite talks, students were given the opportunity to participate in a group building activity where they created gumdrop bridges while their parents attended a question-and-answer forum about Honors and undergraduate research. A tour of campus followed for both students and parents.
After lunch, a series of exploration tours were held with topics ranging from “Discovering Bugs, Biology and Space” hosted by researchers in the USU Spider Silk Lab, to “Helping People” hosted by researchers in USU’s Center for Persons with Disabilities, to “Building and Breaking Things” hosted by researchers in the USU Space Dynamics Laboratory. The hosts were excited to showcase their work and inspire the next generation to make the most of their college experience.
“Scholars Day showed that USU can offer them a personalized Honors education at a first-class research institution,” said Kristine Miller, director of USU Honors Program. “As Utah’s land-grant institution, USU is committed to engaging our students with the world around them, offering practical, hands-on research experiences at the undergraduate level. This commitment to practical, civic engagement helps to differentiate us from other universities in the state.”
After learning more about USU’s Honors Program and undergraduate research, more than 75 percent of attendees said that they would rank USU higher on their list of prospective colleges. One teacher from Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah, found the event so impressive that he planned to bring three buses of high-achieving students next year.
“This is what it is all about,” Bates said. “Let’s reach out to these talented students within arm’s length of USU and let them know what a world-class research institution we are.”
USU’s Undergraduate Research office provides opportunities for these high-achieving students to discover their own passions and strengths, and more than one-fourth of USU undergraduates participate in research. The Undergraduate Research Fellowship selects around 30 incoming Honors freshmen every year for its four-year fellowship that starts them on a research trajectory from the outset of their college career.
The USU Honors Program showcases the work of these and other talented undergraduate researchers by funding their conference and study abroad travel, pairing them with faculty and alumni mentors, offering them personalized advising and priority registration and fostering community with co-curricular activities, faculty-student socials and an Honors House in USU’s Living Learning Community. Honors offers the leaders of tomorrow the unparalleled opportunity to customize and enrich their undergraduate education at USU.
To learn more about attending USU, see the Discover Utah State website. For more information on USU’s undergraduate research opportunities, visit its website. For more information on USU Honors, visit the Honors website.
Contacts: Kristine Miller, 435-797-3637, Kristine.miller@usu.edu; Scott Bates, 435-797-2975, scott.bates@usu.edu
Writer: Maren Aller, 435-797-1355, maren.aller@usu.edu
Parents and students attended Scholars Day and were on hand for the presentations, including a selection of "Ignite" lectures.
USU group leaders were on hand to welcome students and parents and answer questions.
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