University of Utah President Taylor Randall has named five faculty members as 2025-26 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars for exemplary public engagement, from eliminating health inequities to helping communities plan and prepare for disasters and mentoring STEM education students.
The awardees are Tino Nyawelo, professor (lecturer), physics and astronomy, and founder of the REFUGES program; David Wetter, professor, population health sciences and adjunct professor, psychology, and director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE); Matthew Basso, associate professor, gender studies and history; Divya Chandrasekhar, associate professor, Department of City and Metropolitan Planning; and Sameer Rao, assistant professor, mechanical engineering.
Tino Nyawelo
David Wetter
Matthew Basso
Divya Chandrasekhar
Sameer Rao
"As Presidential Societal Impact Scholars, these exceptional faculty demonstrate how public engagement and scholarship can have a broad impact on the world around us,” said President Taylor Randall. “As one of the nation’s leading research universities, we aim to improve the communities we serve by sharing our research and expertise in meaningful ways. The recipients of this award embody this mission, translating their work into efforts that not only shape their fields but also positively transform society.”
Each scholar will receive a one-time cash award of $10,000 and support from University Marketing & Communications to promote their research, scholarship and initiatives.
To be considered, the faculty member’s area of focus must address a major societal issue, such as physical health and well-being, mental illness, poverty, the housing crisis, an environmental problem, etc. The nominee’s work should have the potential to inform public debate and positively impact individuals, institutions and communities.
“This year’s scholars represent the incredible impact that faculty can have beyond the classroom through service and public engagement,” said law professor Randy Dryer, who established the award in 2022 through a gift to the university. “Their work not only advances their respective fields but also demonstrates a deep commitment to improving the lives of individuals and communities. These scholars translate their research and expertise into real-world solutions, making a tangible difference in society, using their knowledge to create a more just and equitable world for all.”
The 2025-26 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars will serve through May 2026 and then continue as members of the permanent scholars’ network. All scholars are highlighted here.
Below are the 2025-26 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars.
Matthew Basso
Matthew Basso is an Associate Professor in Gender Studies and History. His research interests include the theory and history of masculinity, labor and working-class history, the history of old age, the history of race and ethnicity, the relationship of the military to society, U.S. Western history, the history of Pacific settler societies and transnational history. His work appears in traditional books and articles, and in community-focused projects like the construction of digital archives, the development of oral history projects, and the production of K-12 curriculum materials. He is the author of Meet Joe Copper: Masculinity and Race on Montana’s World War II Home Front, winner of the Philip Taft Labor History Book Award and the American Historical Association’s Pacific Coast Branch Book Award. He’s also the co-author of a K-12 textbook entitled We Shall Remain: A Native History of Utah and America. We Shall Remain is part of a larger initiative, the Utah Indian Curriculum Project (UICP), which also includes the Utah American Indian Digital Archive, a 50,000-page digital archive. UICP won the Western History Association’s Autry Public History Prize, the American Association of State and Local History’s Award of Merit, and National Council on Public History’s Project of the Year-Honorable Mention. He has worked the Smithsonian Institution, Utah Humanities, and museums across the state to illuminate the history of work in Utah and is currently assisting the National Park Service to amplify their coverage of the World War II home front.
Sameer Rao
Sameer Rao is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at The John and Marcia Price College of Engineering. His groundbreaking work in atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) and sustainable thermal practices has transformed how critical global challenges—such as water scarcity, climate change, and disaster resilience—are addressed. This research is advancing the frontiers of science but also improving lives.
His expertise in AWH has directly shaped global policymaking through his collaboration
with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). His insights informed two seminal FAO reports that helped develop actionable strategies for sustainable agricultural water management in water-scarce regions.
Rao has also spun up a startup to commercialize his AWH technology that focuses on delivering affordable water solutions to underserved communities and disaster-stricken areas.
His research also addresses sustainable thermal practices in the industry. In collaboration with U.S. Magnesium, he is developing renewable energy-driven brine recycling processes that convert waste into fresh water while preserving fragile ecosystems and ensuring national security as a part of an NSF Regional Innovation Engine program. Similarly, his partnership with Chevron’s ACES Hydrogen Storage Hub integrates non-consumptive water recycling into hydrogen storage operations, supporting the transition to green hydrogen while minimizing environmental impacts.
Rao is also deeply committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists. He fosters inclusivity and engagement in STEM through outreach programs targeting high school and middle school students, broadening participation in fields critical to innovation and sustainability.
Divya Chandrasekhar
Divya Chandrasekhar is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah with expertise in community recovery from disasters. Her research has examined pre- and post-disaster planning and capacity building, stakeholder recovery decisions, and disaster recovery policymaking in South Asia, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Dr. Chandrasekhar is a member of the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, the Utah State Hazard Mitigation Team, and a member of the Roundtable on Risk and Resilience of Extreme Events (Resilient America) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She received her master’s and Ph.D. degree in urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and holds a bachelor’s degree in physical planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
David Wetter has devoted his career to helping connect communities to healthcare resources as a Professor in Population Health Science and Adjunct Professor in Psychology and as the Director of the
David Wetter
(HOPE). He listens to communities, understands their challenges, and develops tailored interventions that have tangible, positive effects on individual lives and changes how healthcare is delivered. He established Huntsman Cancer Institute’s (HCI) first 38-member Community Advisory Board to guide cancer advocacy, state cancer plans, outreach, education, and research efforts across the Mountain West and serves as the Senior Director for Cancer Health Equity Science at HCI, as well as Director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
His work has developed deep and robust partnerships that bring together community health centers (CHCs), primary care associations (PCAs), state departments of health, state cancer coalitions, schools, and additional healthcare systems to address critical state, regional, and national priorities related to public health (tobacco, colorectal cancer screening, HPV vaccination, cancer survivorship, opioids, obesity, lung cancer screening, and COVID-19). He has secured more than $52 million in funding from prestigious organizations like the NIH, CDC, PCORI and the American Cancer Society to support these efforts. This work is implemented in safety-net healthcare systems across the Mountain West, whose patients are diverse (52% Latino, 8% Native American; 40% best served in a language other than English) and of low socioeconomic status (55% living below the federal poverty level and 42% uninsured). His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic saw his team reach over 110,000 CHC patients with testing and vaccination messaging and guidance to address urgent needs. His innovations in synergizing chronic disease prevention and control efforts are nationally recognized as best practices by the CDC and the North American Quitline Consortium.
He’s received awards from the Society of Behavioral Medicine (both young investigator and senior investigator awards), American Society for Preventive Oncology (lifetime achievement award), Society for Health Psychology (young investigator award), and the AstraZeneca/Scientific American Catalyst for Equity Award which recognizes those who are working to create optimal care and access for all.
Tino Nyawelo
Tino Nyawelo is a professor (lecturer) in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. His main area of research is physics education with the focus on equity/access in education. He is the Director of Undergraduate Research and coordinates the NSF Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program.
In 2012, he founded the REFUGES program, a robust STEM-focused refugee and minority student support program with two distinct components: 1) an after-school program for middle- and high-school students; and 2) a summer bridge program for students transitioning to the University of Utah. REFUGES addresses the academic and cultural challenges of refugee youth in fifteen hours of programming per week on the U of U campus. Participants receive individual tutoring and mentoring, science enrichment activities, college and career readiness interventions, and workshops promoting healthy lifestyles. The program has impacted the lives of over 1,000 refugee youth living in the Salt Lake Valley.
In 2020, he joined the High School Project on Astrophysics Research with Cosmics (HiSPARC), a project in which high schools and academic institutions join forces and form a network to observe and measure ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with a ground-based scintillation detector. HiSPARC project started in the Netherlands in 2003, and in 2024 HiSPARC moved to University of Utah under his leadership and provided the initial infrastructure to imagine new research opportunities in K-12 science education. There are currently two projects that deploy HiSPARC cosmic ray detectors with high school students and teachers in Utah: 1) The InSPIRE Program (Investigating the Development of STEM-Positive Identities of Refugee Teens in a Physics Out-of-School Time Experience); and 2) A Research Experiences for Teachers (RET).
He obtained his master’s degree in theoretical high energy physics at the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the Free University of Amsterdam.