Research Week returns with events, exhibits, workshops

Utah State University’s Research Week returns to campus this week, providing new opportunities for students, staff and faculty to get involved and see how research shapes everything from science labs to the arts. 

From April 6-10, the USU Office of Research, in coordination with departments across campus, will host events, exhibits, workshops, performances and research showcases. 

“Overall, Research Week is … a celebration of research, and we want it to also be a recognition of the researchers themselves — the humans behind the work,” said Thomas Sorenson, the communications specialist for the office. “In large part that is trying to create opportunities for the people, and part of it is showcasing the work.” 

While the foundational core of Research Week hasn’t changed, Sorenson said his department has made efforts this year to make it bigger and more collaborative than ever before.  

“We made a big effort to source other opportunities around campus and add them to our calendar,” said Nathan Stucki, the director of research communications for the office. “The calendar is much more extensive this year than previous because it has events included there that are not primarily sponsored by the Office of Research.” 

To help achieve this goal, the office opened its events calendar to the public and allowed campus and local groups to add events to the week’s festivities.  

Some of the departments and sponsors new to this year’s week include the College of Arts & Sciences, the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business and the Department of Environment and Society.  

“We think of research so often as lab coats and microscopes and stuff, and it’s so much more broad than that,” Sorenson said. “This feels like the first time, at least since I’ve been here, that it feels like we can truly say that we’re hitting the breadth of research at this university.” 

Some of the unique events planned for the week include a performance of “The Abduction from the Seraglio” by USU Opera Theatre students, the Entrepreneurship Leadership Series Shark Tank Night and the ENVS Graduate Student Pre-Project Research Symposium. 

“The humanities tend to get lost in the conversation about research,” Sorenson said. “We think it’s really, really critical to remember the human side of the world and the human side of research outcomes, and we have wanted an opportunity to promote that better, and we finally figured out a way to do it.” 

Another new aspect of the week is the inclusion of off-campus events. One of these is a presentation at the Logan Library titled “What Disney Didn’t Tell You — A Tour of the Original Grimm Fairy Tales: An Aggie Talks Event.”  

“The Logan Library one’s a big deal for us,” Stucki said. “It’s an actual community partnership, which we’ve not engaged in before.” 

Despite all of the new upgrades, the week will still host some of the more well-known events. These include Innovation Day Exhibit and the Spring Student Research Symposium, which Sorenson said will feature roughly 500 student presenters. 

“Every hour, there’s a new crop of 45 presentations that come through on literally everything,” Sorenson said. “It is such a fun way to touch on research without having to go too deep. Just take some time on Tuesday or Wednesday. Swing through the library and check these out.” 

Both Sorenson and Stucki agree this week is about highlighting the importance of research. 

“I think research is a core part of the human experience. That’s all that research is — just trying to take the unknown and make it the known,” Sorenson said. “Anyone who has a question and is willing to try to find the answer is a researcher, and that is like literally anyone.” 

The duo also said research is a key player in supporting USU’s land-grant mission, the three core pillars of which are learning, discovery and engagement. 

“I think it’s easy to go through your whole academic experience not realizing that research can be an integral part of your time here,” Stucki said. “Hopefully this inspires a culture of participation in the research mission of USU — that people can see that there’s a culture of innovation here, that you can ask questions and there’s resources to find answers to those questions.”