Research Day on Capitol Hill is an annual opportunity for University of Utah and Utah State University students to share their research with lawmakers.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Research Day on the Hill— an annual opportunity for University of Utah undergraduate researchers to show off their hard work at the Utah State Capitol.
“This event allows us to share with the public and our leaders the positive impact research has on society,” said Annie Fukushima, director of the U’s Office of Undergraduate Research. “It also fosters a deeper connection between students and their governmental representatives.”
In partnership with Utah State University, Research Day highlights the innovative work of the state’s two Carnegie-designated R1 institutions and gives students a chance to discuss their work with Utah lawmakers.
“ My degree has been primarily focused on health and policy,” said Dayttn Barschi, a senior at the U who presented at Research Day about reducing stigma towards people experiencing homelessness. “Being able to focus on a health-related issue and then bring it to decision-makers really rounds out my experience.”
Held on Feb. 20, this year’s event comes in the wake of executive orders slowing or stopping significant federal research funding in the United States. Despite the national challenges, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a declaration supporting undergraduate research in honor of Research Day’s “silver jubilee.”
“Participating in undergraduate research prepares students to enter the workforce, acquire advanced degrees, and equips them with the necessary skills to contribute to our state,” Cox wrote in the declaration. “Research is influential in informing policymakers on specific issues and topics pertinent to them.”
University of Utah President Taylor Randall discusses research with students during the 2025 Research Day on Capitol Hill event.
As Utah lawmakers ask pointed questions about how the state’s higher education institutions support workforce readiness, leaders at Utah’s colleges and universities note that undergraduate research is an essential part of preparing students to succeed in their careers.
“All of you students who have put time into doing research, you’ve just increased dramatically your probabilities of getting incredible jobs,” President Taylor Randall told students gathered at the Capitol. “Nearly 80% of you will have jobs right out of school because of the skills that you have developed.”
Utah has a rich history of innovation, from laying the groundwork for the internet precursor, ARPANET, to the first artificial heart implant, to identifying the BRCA1 cancer gene. Providing undergraduate students with quality research opportunities is crucial to continuing that legacy.
“What’s amazing about the research community,” Randall said, “is we’re all working on problems that sometimes feel disconnected, but they all come together to actually make our society much richer and much better.”
Click here to see past projects and learn more about future applications.
Allie Perkins shares her research during Research Day on Capitol Hill.
Here is a full list of 2025 presenters:
Jasmine Aguilar Lopez, Atrapadxs en un Hoyo: Reproductive Justice and Environmental Health of Latina Mothers and Children in Salt Lake City Utah
Heba Alhamdani, Understanding Autism in Children with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy
Katelyn Ballard, Effects of Circadian-Based Intervention on Cardiometabolic Health in Adults with Habitual Short Sleep Duration
Catherine Bao, Auditing AI: Applying an Ethical Framework for Responsible Implementation
Dayttn Bartschi, Interventions to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination Toward Homelessness: Education, Social Activism, Interpersonal Contact
Ella Bleak, Understanding Weapons of Bacterial Warfare
America Cox, Cryptic Co-evolution of Ant-Farmed Fungi: Linking Genomic and Metabolic Profiles
Aniela Creek, 1U4U – Testing of an Indoor Climbing Program to Promote Physical, Mental and Social Well-Being for College Students
James McCarson, 1U4U – Testing of an Indoor Climbing Program to Promote Physical, Mental and Social Well-Being for College Students
Logan Reeves, 1U4U – Testing of an Indoor Climbing Program to Promote Physical, Mental and Social Well-Being for College Students
Leyla Sharples, 1U4U – Testing of an Indoor Climbing Program to Promote Physical, Mental and Social Well-Being for College Students
Aspen Dalby, Quantification and Characterization of Microplastics in Biosolids and Soils in the Salt Lake City Region
Sofia Flowers, The Parent Caregiving Experience of School-Aged Children Diagnosed With Cancer
Diya Garg, Utilizing ChatGPT For Assessing Disease Volume in Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer (mPC)
Marylinda Gonzalez discusses her research during the 2025 Research on Capitol Hill event.
Marylinda Gonzalez, Traditional Bomba Dance as a Tool for Maintaining Puertorriquenidad in Utah
Read more about Marylinda Gonzalez and her project.
Isaac Graham, Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles on Mesoporous Silica Supports
Parker Guzman, Birds Groom More During Molt
Sam Lewis, Vibrotactile Feedback in Adaptive Sports
Marlon Lopez, Targeting short-from RON for Therapeutic Advancement in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Norah Milam, Effect of N-Acetyl-Carnosine on Body Weight and Composition
Ali Nopper, Convergent access to asymmetric [2.2]paracyclophane and derivatives via Ni-catalyzed cross electrophile cyclization and deamination contraction
Joshua Nydegger, Evaluation of Corneal Endothelium Damage with a New Handheld Fragmentation Device
Allie Perkins, Quaking Aspen Pathogen Defenses Change in Response to Drought Events
Read more about Allie Perkins and her project.
Kyle Pope, Monitoring Seasonal Aquifer Storage Change in the Salt Lake Valley Using Repeat Microgravity and GPS Measurements
Alex Rich, Decoding Spider Venom Identities: A Venom mRNA Analysis Using RNA-to-DNA Barcoding Pipeline
Kishan Thambu, Enhancing Myocardial T1 Mapping with a Deep Learning Framework for Deformable Motion Compensation using Utah Patient Data
Colton Williamson, Locating underwater groundwater discharge into the Great Salt Lake using 222-Radon
Andy Yu, Artificial Extracorporeal Replicate for Drugs (AERx): A Low-cost Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) Mimic for High Throughput Drug Screening