Science Unwrapped hosts first event of the fall semester
Science Unwrapped opened its semester of lectures with the unwrappable: the mummified remains that are the subject of anthropologist Sascha Baldauf and her faculty mentor Molly Cannon’s research.
When the Utah State University Museum of Anthropology came into possession of ancient, mummified remains, they were unable to dismantle them, so Baldauf and Cannon borrowed a specialized scanner from the USU biologists in order to examine the specimens without damaging them.
The pair talked about this process on Sept. 19 at the first Science Unwrapped, a free, public science outreach program at the university. This was the first of the three planned events for the semester.
Mary-Ann Muffoletto, communications specialist for the USU College of Arts & Sciences, said they picked this year’s theme because USU designated 2025 as the year of undergraduate research.
“Periodically, Utah State University designates celebratory years,” Muffoletto said. “So, to honor and amplify this year’s theme, the Science Unwrapped committee chose to celebrate undergrad research as their theme for 2025.”
At each event, the speakers present their research and attendees have the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning activities afterwards.
Lisa Poulsen, a Science Unwrapped team lead, said the activities are a fun way for the audience to interact with school clubs and other organizations related to STEM fields.
“They are a really fun way to learn a little bit more about the kinds of things that these student clubs and other organizations are doing and just a really fun hands-on approach to connecting with science,” Poulsen said. “The people that attend really love this portion of the event.”
The program is celebrating their 16th anniversary. Poulsen said the organization’s current mission is to provide a space for people to learn about what ArtSci has to offer.
“The community and members of USU can come by and get a little taste of the kinds of science that’s being worked on here at USU by faculty and guest lecturers that come to present at our events,” Poulsen said.
According to Poulsen, the program is also meant to demystify science for all ages.
“The speakers present their findings and their science in a way that’s palatable and accessible to all ages and gets people really excited about learning more,” Poulsen said. “It’s just a taste of what’s going on with their research, and it ignites an interest in those topics so the audience has a desire to learn more about it.”
On top of being for all ages, the events have free admission. Muffoletto said the founders of the program went into its formation with accessibility for everyone in mind.
Submitted by Mary-Ann Muffoletto A Science Unwrapped attendee looks at a model in the Eccles Science Learning Center.
“They wanted everyone who wanted to participate to be able to participate,” Muffoletto said. “For some families, paying admission to an event can be quite a stretch, and so the organizers wanted to make sure that everyone could attend. They didn’t want to leave anyone out.”
The next events will be hosted on Oct. 3 and Nov. 14.
The October event will feature undergraduate researcher Tanner Helms and his faculty mentor Chad Mano, who will be talking about tackling tariffs and the challenges, creative and technological, that arise from using AI to solve a real-world problem.
The November event will feature undergraduate researcher Ethan Wayland and his faculty mentor Reyhan Baktur. Wayland leads the USU Get Away Special Student Satellite Team that has been picked by NASA to build and design a cube satellite to send into space from the International Space Station. They will be talking about how student researchers design and build a space satellite.
For those interested in more information, visit the Science Unwrapped website at artsci.usu.edu/unwrapped/coming-events.