Fostering Future Scientists: Salt Lake City High School Students Explore Life Science Careers through Human Innovation Day
In an effort to inspire high school students and expose them to potential STEM career paths, around 50 students from the Salt Lake City School District participated in Human Innovation Day. Hosted by the district, the Salt Lake Education Foundation, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s Tech Lake City initiative, the event provided students with a closer look at the growing life science industry in the state.
The day began with a tour of ARUP laboratories, which offers reference laboratory testing for hospitals and health centers. Students then visited Recursion’s biotechnology facility at the Gateway. After the tours, the students engaged in discussions with professional scientists and university students studying various STEM fields.
Brian Pantle, a project manager at the department of economic development for Salt Lake City, emphasized the importance of students seeing faces like theirs in the industry. The goal was to give them a vision of what they could achieve in the future.
Mayor Mendenhall expressed her desire to grow the tech industry in Salt Lake City not just for economic reasons but also to provide students with fulfilling career opportunities. She encouraged students to think creatively and consider pursuing careers in STEM fields. The event targeted freshmen and sophomores to help them plan for their futures and inspire them to explore new ideas that could contribute to the scientific community.
