STEM in the Upper School

People don’t often associate high school with opportunities to develop an original thesis or conduct research alongside an expert. But at Rowland Hall, we're working to change that.

Rowland Hall has a long and proud history of preparing students to thrive not only in college, but in career and life. As a leader in education, we know this begins with ongoing opportunities to build student confidence, whether that’s by climbing a tree or testing a new invasive insect trap. As a result of our approach, many students enter the Upper School with an understanding of their own interests and passions. They’re ready to grow the knowledge and skills they’ll need after graduation, as well as to embrace new, self-directed learning opportunities that allow them to address real-world questions, including some of the toughest we’re facing today.

To ensure that students are well prepared for what lies ahead, the Upper School offers a wide array of advanced courses that build knowledge as well as provide opportunities to practice skills. These include Advanced Placement classes and faculty-designed Advanced Topics courses, which deeply dive into their subjects and offer more opportunities for lab, hands-on, and project-based work.

I'm not sure many other high schools can or do offer the opportunity to do such in-depth research on a topic of your choice. These classes were incredibly fulfilling for me because they were more independent, and I could dictate what I wanted to research based on my own interests.—Sophie Baker, class of 2024

An increased focus on research-based courses, particularly over the last four years, is further setting apart Rowland Hall’s program. Classes including Research Science, unveiled in fall 2020, and authentic learning opportunities such as collaborating on peer-reviewed journal articles have helped prove that high school students can help find solutions to real-world problems and create impactful knowledge—a key focus of Rowland Hall’s strategic vision. To further this important work, the Upper School recently took steps to formalize and expand research classes. The result? A new class designation, Advanced Research (AR), which was applied to four areas of study—chemistry, biology, humanities, and debate—in its first year, 2023–2024.

“Advanced Research is a program across different disciplines that allows students with significant interest, and some advanced coursework already under their belts, to go deep in an area of study with the goal of a college-level, real-world application to their work,” explained Upper School Principal Ingrid Gustavson. To be designated AR, a class must allow students to develop original theses and/or conduct research under the guidance of an expert, offer some student choice in what is studied, and provide opportunities to present original work or compete for an external audience. And because AR classes are so advanced, they tend to be more intimate (even for a school with an already impressive nine-to-one faculty-to-student ratio), providing more opportunities for one-on-one mentoring and bonding with peers.

“I'm not sure many other high schools can or do offer the opportunity to do such in-depth research on a topic of your choice,” said senior Sophie Baker, who took AR Biology and AR Humanities this year. “These classes were incredibly fulfilling for me because they were more independent, and I could dictate what I wanted to research based on my own interests.”

Below, we provide a glimpse at each of the four AR classes offered in the program’s inaugural year. You can also check out each section individually: AR Chemistry, AR Biology, AR Humanities, and AR Debate.

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AR Chemistry and the Promise of Algae

For most, the word algae calls to mind a carpet of green scum atop a body of water. But for this year’s AR Chemistry students, the word holds the promise of a more sustainable world.

“There are many unique ways algae can be used,” said science teacher Tascha Knowlton—from biofuel to biodegradable plastic to medicine. And because algae also captures large amounts of carbon, it’s becoming an important tool for a greener future.

Algae first captured upper schoolers’ attention last spring, when Tascha asked her students, including those enrolled in her upcoming AR Chemistry class, to research the organism for an end-of-term project. The students were so excited by what they found, they asked if they could make algae the focus of their AR Chemistry research. While Tascha had been planning to continue the graphite research started in Research Chemistry (the original name of AR Chemistry), she was happy to change course to follow the students’ interest.

And though there were several directions the students could take their research, the six seniors in this year’s class decided to focus on two: the use of algae as a wastewater treatment and as a substitute for limestone in cement, both of which contribute to a more sustainable world. As a wastewater treatment, algae provides a more effective alternative to the chemicals and bacteria that remove pollutants in water; the by-products of this process can also be used to create bioproducts. In cement, the calcium carbonate by-product of algae can take the place of limestone, which lessens the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere during limestone mining.

This fall, the students began diving into current research on these subjects, as well as writing their own proposals and abstracts and conducting lab work. One group studied the effect of two types of algae, chlorella and Scenedesmus, in wastewater, and the other focused on the use of Emiliania huxleyi, a special type of algae that produces a calcium carbonate shell, in biocement. They also spoke with experts, including Dr. Ronald Sims from Utah State University—who took them on a tour of the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility, which recently piloted an algae wastewater cleaning program—and biocement specialists. These opportunities to immerse themselves in their chosen areas of research made a big impression on the young scientists.

These classes really provide an outlet to explore personal areas of interest and use your education to make an impact that resonates with you and your values.—Gabriella Miranda, class of 2024

“These classes really provide an outlet to explore personal areas of interest and use your education to make an impact that resonates with you and your values,” said Gabriella Miranda, a member of the wastewater group. “Truly, I think the AR program embodies academic freedom and gives students valuable insight.”

By the spring, the class was ready to take their work on the road. In early March, both groups competed at the University of Utah Science & Engineering Fair, where the wastewater team placed third in the Biology & Microbiology category and the biocement team placed second in the Chemistry & Biochemistry category. Later that month, they traveled to New Orleans for the American Chemical Society spring conference, where they confidently shared their work with attendees from around the world.

“Their posters and how they presented themselves was on par or better than any undergraduate posters, and there are hundreds,” said Tascha. And she wasn’t the only one impressed—many attendees shared their amazement that the Rowland Hall group was still in high school; one undergraduate said he wished he’d had this type of experience before college. Tascha hoped moments like these provided the students with perspective about their experience, showed them their capabilities, and gave them the confidence they’ll need to hit the ground running as undergraduates. “They’ll be able to jump in and expand opportunities in college, versus having to get familiar with the work later,” said Tascha.

The experience may even inspire careers.

“Prior to taking AR Chemistry, I wasn’t particularly passionate about any given subject. With the pressure of college majors looming, I often dismissed the decision entirely,” said class member Halle Baughman. “Through this in-depth investigation, I was able to explore my passion for sustainability by integrating it with my interest in the sciences. I found a topic with the promise of success and my personal investment.” As a result, Halle changed her indicated major from undecided to sustainability and design.

“My project excited me in ways I couldn’t imagine,” said Halle. “The process was truly life-changing.”

Learn more about the AR Chemistry class’s time in New Orleans.

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AR Biology Works to Better Understand and Find Treatments for Aggressive Cancer

To Upper School science teacher Dr. Padmashree Rida, providing students with research opportunities is a no-brainer.

“It’s important to invest in mentoring and guiding high schoolers,” she said. “This is how you’re going to build on the next generation of people who can impact big areas.”

With the introduction of the AR designation, Dr. Rida knew she could further expand student research opportunities in an AR Biology class, opening the door for more students to build strong research, critical-reading, and science-writing skills during school hours and under the guidance of a trusted mentor invested in their growth.

That’s why the former university research scientist and breast cancer researcher, who joined the faculty in 2021, has been on a constant lookout for ways to bring students into the process of research science. In addition to sharing her expertise in class, Dr. Rida has even welcomed students to the teams of researchers she collaborates with on peer-reviewed papers. (Two, now-alums Max Smart ’22 and Tianyi Su ’22, have already been published.) And with the introduction of the AR designation, Dr. Rida knew she could further expand these opportunities in an AR Biology class, opening the door for more students to build strong research, critical-reading, and science-writing skills during school hours and under the guidance of a trusted mentor invested in their growth.

And it all begins, she explained, by deciding what to study.

“Defining the scope of the work is itself a big step,” she said, and one she wanted the three seniors enrolled in her first AR Biology class to experience. Though Dr. Rida did provide some parameters (she encouraged students to choose a topic within her area of expertise, and one that can be done on campus—after all, the school has no biosafety clearance to work with cancer cells), she wanted students to have a say in what they studied. She also wanted them to get familiar with identifying research worth pursuing by learning what kind of questions to ask: What is already known about a topic? What are people not yet asking that is of value to the field? What are some of the gaps in our knowledge that we can help fill?

Armed with this guidance, the students kicked off the year by reading papers and brainstorming subjects that were both manageable and could make a contribution to the research field. By early November, they’d chosen their topic: to uncover more about why androgen receptor-low triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is so lethal. By understanding drivers of the disease, they hoped to help identify novel, actionable treatment targets, as this cancer currently has no approved targeted treatments and, as a result, poor outcomes, particularly in Black women.

“Black women are twice as likely as white women to get TNBC, and within this subgroup Black women are disproportionately afflicted with the androgen receptor-low form of TNBC,” said Dr. Rida. “Identification of potential treatment targets for androgen receptor-low TNBC could therefore help us ameliorate the stark racial disparities observed in breast cancer outcomes.”

To further keep research manageable, the students limited their scope to the centrosome biology that may play a role in this cancer subtype’s deadly impact. Centrosomes, miniscule structures in cells that organize the cell’s cytoskeleton, are critical for cell division; however, excessive centrosomes, which are commonly found in cancer cells (and at a higher level in tumors of Black women), are implicated in the aggressive clinical behavior of TNBC. That’s because cancer cells cluster their extra centrosomes during cell division via a process that increases genomic instability and clonal heterogeneity inside tumors, contributing to treatment resistance and disease progression. Although we have known for a few decades that, to survive, cancer cells must dial up their centrosome-clustering mechanisms as they generate extra centrosomes, exactly how this accompanying upregulation is achieved was undefined.

In pursuit of answers, the AR Biology students began analyzing publicly available gene expression data to identify the pathways that are in overdrive in androgen receptor-low TNBCs, while keeping their eyes peeled for crucial links that connect centrosome-amplification mechanisms to centrosome-clustering pathways. The students were fortunate to identify oncogenes (genes with the potential to cause a cell to become cancerous) that connect these two pathways, synchronously upregulating both drivers of aggressive disease, said Dr. Rida. This helped identify potential treatment targets for high-risk patients. And the students did all this alongside learning how to navigate databases and perform in silico analyses, wade through dense primary sources, create publication-quality figures, and collaborate with researchers outside Rowland Hall. It could be tough at times, but it was worth it.

We were working on something that actually had real-world value.—Sophie Baker, class of 2024

“We were working on something that actually had real-world value,” said senior Sophie Baker, as well as something that allowed the group to discover their own capabilities. “The most important thing that I learned about myself this year is that I can actually complete research of this scale,” Sophie continued. “It's impossible to know if you're capable of doing something until you try, so it was nice to be given the opportunity to try in a supportive environment.”

Best of all, the students’ potentially life-changing work didn’t stay in the classroom. In April, they traveled to San Diego to present their findings as a poster at the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual meeting. And later this spring, they were part of a group (including City of Hope researchers) that submitted a journal manuscript that’s currently in its first round of peer review. Dr. Rida said both opportunities have brought immense value to the students.

“It helps place work they did in the context of the real world issues—this actually can advance understanding of tumor biology, or guide clinicians or researchers,” she said. And on the flip side, she continued, these opportunities also show clinicians and higher education researchers the benefits of welcoming high school students to the table.

“We’re changing the culture,” said Dr. Rida.

Click the image below to view the poster presented by AR Biology students at the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual meeting.

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AR Humanities Expands Opportunities for Student Voices

Rowland Hall students are known for their writing. Throughout their time at the school, there is an ongoing emphasis on developing strong writing skills, and faculty members provide expert guidance as students grasp the foundations of language and grammar, then begin to build on their skills, knowledge, and confidence. Year by year, the school graduates exceptional writers, many of whom share their voices, whether that’s through poetry, science, or newspaper op-eds.

With the introduction of AR Humanities, Upper School students can apply and build writing skills on a whole new level: through college-level humanities research.

“Even though I'm a ‘STEM student’ of sorts and really like robotics and whatnot, I was really interested in doing some sort of deep dive into writing and humanities-based research,” said Omar Alsolaiman, one of the six seniors enrolled in AR Humanities in fall 2023. “And I thought the idea of getting to a full paper by the end was super exciting.”

Omar is referring to the 15- to 20-page research paper that is the pinnacle of the AR Humanities experience. Written over the 17 weeks of the fall semester, each student’s paper is the culmination of their time tackling research like professional scholars: by choosing a focused project question, developing unique arguments, and examining primary and secondary sources.

This class is an opportunity for students to craft questions around something that’s meaningful and interesting to them ... and to ultimately make small but meaningful contributions to a larger body of knowledge about whatever topic they want to study.—Dr. Nate Kogan ’00, history teacher

“This class is an opportunity for students to craft questions around something that’s meaningful and interesting to them, and to work to pursue that in the way one would an undergraduate senior thesis,” said history teacher Dr. Nate Kogan ’00. “They’re more independently trying to emulate the methods and practices and scholarship they’ll be more fully immersed in when they go to college, and to ultimately make small but meaningful contributions to a larger body of knowledge about whatever topic they want to study.”

In addition to providing the students with his own support as a historian and academic, Nate uses Wendy Belcher's Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks, a workbook for academic publishing, to guide them through the research process. “I try to give the class a well-scaffolded and accessible entry point to the type of work real scholars in the humanities use,” he said. “This book helps plan the course by setting up a practical and accessible framework of steps you have to go through, which can often be opaque and challenging for students.”

And whatever a student’s inquiry, said Nate, they pursue the same process, meaning that over the semester, each class member became familiar with how college-level research unfolds as they pursued individualized research topics:

• how American media coverage of Haiti employed necropolitical narratives;
• how the medieval kingdom of Al-Andalus fostered social cohesion amongst a multiethnic and religiously diverse community;
• how neoliberal economic and regulatory policies toward pharmaceutical companies exacerbated an opioid crisis in Appalachia;
• how neoliberal economic policies exacerbated the gender wage gap and intensified racially driven critiques of welfare policy;
• how changing attitudes toward migrant players in the US men’s soccer program limited the competitiveness of the team at international competitions; and
• how the community-based ideologies and practices of the original Black Panther Party evolved into a more exclusionary form with the New Black Panther Party in the 1980s and 1990s.

“I learned a lot about what college-level writing would be like, and I definitely learned a ton of great formal writing strategies while also researching something I'm really interested in that I hope to continue learning about,” said Omar, who worked on the Al-Andalus project and credits AR Humanities for building his ability to write efficiently and systematically—a skill he believes will be invaluable in college.

I learned a lot about what college-level writing would be like, and I definitely learned a ton of great formal writing strategies while also researching something I'm really interested in that I hope to continue learning about.—Omar Alsolaiman, class of 2024

And since this is an AR class, the experience also included the chance for the students to share their work. As the semester began to wind down, the group worked to condense their arguments into eight-minute presentations for a mini-conference, held at the Upper School in December. Not only was the conference a chance to share their research with more people, but it also improved their final papers.

“The goal of the presentation is to serve as a testing ground for the clarity of their written arguments: ‘Can I take this stuff I've been mulling over and writing about and communicate it clearly to other people?’” said Nate. “That process of distilling an argument and trying to articulate it in a more condensed format also helps with the final revision stage: ‘Which points landed? Where do I need to play up the evidence more clearly?’”

By the end of the semester, all six students had completed beautifully written research papers that reflected their diverse and wide-ranging interests. (Though it wasn’t required, one student submitted their paper to The Concord Review, a high school history scholarship journal, in addition to Nate.) When asked to reflect on the class experience, Omar said it was valuable in many ways, not least of which was its reminder of the importance of the humanities as well as the ability to write well—areas that can easily be forgotten in the noise of a technology-heavy world.

“This class definitely reminded me how important the humanities are to me, so in college I'm hoping to find some outlet or focus on the humanities, despite my overarching path in engineering and STEM,” he said. “It also recentered my strengths in writing as one of my most important skills for the future.”

Click the video below to listen to this year’s AR Humanities students share their research at their mini-conference.

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AR Debate Soars in First International Debate Research Opportunity

Rowland Hall and debate go hand in hand. For nearly 40 years, the school has offered a top debate program—we’ve been named a Debate School of Excellence by the National Speech and Debate Association, and our debate team has claimed the last four 3A speech and debate state championships (2021–2024).

Needless to say, a lot of exceptional debaters roam the Upper School halls, so when the division’s administrative team was identifying potential areas for AR classes, they knew that a high-level debate-based research class would appeal to and benefit the school’s most advanced debaters. And for debate coach Mike Shackelford, AR Debate offered an ideal space for debaters to not only work on ongoing prep for their Policy and Public Forum competition events, but to harness their knowledge and skills in a new way.

“Our kids are really good at research, and it was important to me to give them an opportunity to show off their research skills in a more traditional format,” he said.

And Mike knew just the right outlet: the International Public Policy Forum global essay contest, which he had heard about from some of his national colleagues. Jointly administered by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, this contest “gives high school students around the globe the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.”

To participate in the IPPF contest, teams of at least three students from the same school are invited to submit a qualifying essay of no more than 3,000 words on an annual topic (this year’s was “Resolved: Governments should provide a universal basic income”). Teams can either affirm or negate the topic in qualifying essays. From there, a panel of judges chooses the top 64 schools to advance to a single-elimination, written debate tournament—in other words, teams are invited to engage in a pen pal-style debate competition. During each round, a team receives a competitor school’s latest 3,000-word essay via email, then writes an 1,800-word rebuttal. Judges review both essays and choose the top response from each round. The contest ends with the final eight teams traveling to New York City in early May for IPPF Finals Weekend.

Even with steep odds, the Rowland Hall team stood out. They were selected to move on to the top 64—and called out for their exceptional work on their qualifying essay. "This is a fantastic paper, bordering on brilliant,” one judge wrote. “This paper reflects scholarship rivaling post-graduate work.”

In October, the eight AR Debate students (three seniors, three juniors, and two sophomores) began working on their qualifying round essay. To stand out, the Rowland Hall group decided to write their essay using a critical feminist analysis, affirming universal basic income as a way to reduce domestic violence, reverse the stigma of welfare, and promote a more just concept of work that’s valued in the United States.

"We took this approach because we thought other papers would be written from traditional economic topics, and we didn’t want to silence an important perspective,” said Mike.

The team hoped to qualify to the round of 64, but suspected competition would be stiff. Indeed, this year, 311 teams, representing schools in 26 countries, submitted qualifying essays to the IPPF. But even with these steep odds, the Rowland Hall team stood out. They were selected to move on to the top 64—and called out for their exceptional work on their qualifying essay.

"This is a fantastic paper, bordering on brilliant,” one judge wrote. “This paper reflects scholarship rivaling post-graduate work.”

Buoyed by this feedback, the group jumped into the next round of competition, ultimately submitting and defending seven different essays to and against schools from Texas to Canada. With a trip to New York as their new focus, the AR Debate students remained nimble, switching sides in their essays as required and working closely to write their best responses.

“It’s rare, at least in debate, to have that much of a collaborative research opportunity—to have one product with six cooks in the kitchen, writing, collaborating, and thinking,” said Mike of this new opportunity for debaters. “The competitive debate world is so insulated, so this experience was so valuable in translating the skills they’ve been building. They know intuitively they’re great researchers, but I don't think they ever had practice taking their debate cases and translating them into papers.”

The small nature of the AR Debate class created an environment that facilitated targeted, individual growth in addition to improvement as a team. This meant that each of us got more individual attention in terms of feedback and skill improvement than before.—Eli Hatton, class of 2025

Class members also felt the benefits of stretching their skills. “AR Debate has given us the opportunity to use our research and argumentative skills beyond Policy Debate competition. I am glad I took AR Debate mainly because of the dedicated time and space for focusing on improving debate skills, practicing debates, and building arguments and strategy,” said junior Eli Hatton, who plans to continue debating in college and appreciates how the research-based approach of the class challenged class members, helping them become stronger debaters.

“The small nature of the AR Debate class created an environment that facilitated targeted, individual growth in addition to improvement as a team. This meant that each of us got more individual attention in terms of feedback and skill improvement than before,” Eli continued. “I personally learned quite a lot about the areas where I needed to improve and became a much better debater as a result.”

And though the team didn’t make it to New York City (they were defeated in the Sweet 16 round, in a 2-1 decision, in early April), they are proud of what they accomplished and how far they went in their first IPPF contest. Returning debaters are even looking forward to next year’s competition.

“After the close loss, I was expecting students to be hesitant in making the same investment next year," said Mike. "Instead, they unanimously said it was a positive and fun experience and that they would want to do it again.”

Check out the AR Debate students’ work: view one of the team’s negative essays (submitted during the round of 32) and one of their affirmative essays (submitted during the round of 16).

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Editor’s note: In addition to the classes covered in this article, Rowland Hall will expand AR offerings to include AR Computational and Mathematical Sciences in fall 2024. This class will provide a new opportunity for student-driven projects in computer science and math.

Research

If you’ve walked by Robin Hori’s science classroom during periods 2 or 7 this semester, chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of students in the middle of a project build.

From water towers to bridges to trebuchets, students in grades 10 through 12 have been putting science and math to the test this year in the Upper School’s first ever, and student-requested, engineering class. Titled Integrated Engineering I and II (Engineering I and II beginning in 2024–2025), this lab-based course deeply emphasizes the engineering design cycle while exploring a variety of engineering fields: civil, mining, and chemical engineering in the fall, and mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering in the spring.

The Upper School engineering class is a lab-based course that emphasizes the engineering design cycle while exploring a variety of fields: civil, mining, and chemical engineering (fall), and mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering (spring).

“For years, we’ve been getting feedback from students that they want an engineering class,” said Upper School Principal Ingrid Gustavson. By designing a fresh approach to the Upper School’s earliest science courses (taken in 9th and 10th grades), Ingrid and her team made room for more subjects that students are interested in, including engineering. Longtime physics teacher Robin Hori was also game to take on this new opportunity—though he wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming reaction from the student body.

“It’s been more successful than I expected,” laughed Robin, whose fall class was filled with students who wanted to continue the course into spring semester—in addition to an entirely separate group of students who wanted to join the spring class. (Upper School students can take engineering during either fall or spring semester, or they can enroll in both semesters consecutively.) The Upper School had to add a second spring class to meet demand.

“The kids were so excited about it that we were approved to open up another section,” said Ingrid, “and Robin took on the class to give everybody that experience.”

It’s clear that this experience is meaningful to these students, many of whom were excited to share their gratitude, particularly about the hands-on nature of the class. As junior Spencer Brady put it, “Engineering is something you do; it's not something you just learn in theory,” and it was important to Robin to structure the class so students fully experience that doing of science in ways that stretch their brains and build their confidence.

“A lot of students have never built anything before and they’re really impressed they can actually build something that works,” said Robin. “Kids are really making an effort to understand why something works. And I’m trying to give them a sense that they can build things out of almost anything, and as long as they follow the science, they know it’ll work.”

To nurture these skills, Robin has structured the class around projects that support each field of engineering, such as building bridges during the study of civil engineering or building trebuchets during the study of mechanical engineering. Students are placed in small groups to promote real-world collaboration and given plenty of room to lead their own learning. Though Robin decides on assignments and parameters—for example, the first-semester bridge-building final required students’ projects to span 100 centimeters and support a moving load—he gives students plenty of freedom, acting as a coach and guide while they problem solve.

There’s lots of freedom in the class to explore.—Andrew Johnson, class of 2024

“He provides materials and concepts, then it’s up to the students to decide what path they want to take—and they can push outside guidelines,” explained senior Andrew Johnson. “There’s lots of freedom in the class to explore.”

For senior Kelton Ferriter, there’s also very low pressure. “It's kind of a perfect, stress-free, good way to get into engineering and explore various areas,” he said. “There’s so much creative freedom.” And this low-pressure approach is beneficial when it comes to practicing the engineering design cycle, from conducting research to creating a prototype to building a final project—and moving back and forth along that path through trial and error.

“These are big concepts, but being able to put them into a physical project and to really see how that works, and to watch where failures happen and when, it’s just a different dimension for learning,” said Kelton.

It’s also helping students become more comfortable with mistakes. “This semester, kids are more patient with failures because they know failure in engineering helps them become more successful,” said Robin. As a result, he continued, “final products are getting a lot better in terms of design, and students are better at explaining the mechanics of how and why a machine works or doesn’t work.”

To help his students become better at learning from mistakes, Robin requires them to keep professional engineering notebooks in which they record projects, including notes, observations, steps, designs, and corrections. All work is done in ink and students are trained to never tear out pages so that they can refer back to what they’ve done. For Spencer, an aspiring engineer and member of the school’s Monochromats robotics team, this is a key takeaway from the class. As a young builder, Spencer said he’s always been told to write down what he’s working on, but he never quite knew how until this year. “I really like how the class has taught me how exactly you write everything down and what you put in an engineering journal,” he shared.

“It’s nice to be able to go back and see where we made a mistake,” added Kelton, who’s acted as project manager for his group at times, a role that’s also helped him better understand how many ways there are to tackle a problem. “Everyone has a different idea and way to approach it, no matter what the project is,” he said. “The class is so open and creative.”

These are big concepts, but being able to put them into a physical project and to really see how that works, and to watch where failures happen and when, it’s just a different dimension for learning.—Kelton Ferriter, class of 2024

And the class isn’t just for one type of student. Every person brings to the table their individual talents and ideas, strengthening each project and even helping the students better understand where they may want to go next in their education and careers. Senior Rosie Schaefer, for one, said that the engineering class, which she’s taking after a summer 2023 internship with biomechanics professor Dr. Brittany Coats at the Utah Head Trauma Lab, has helped her better identify her career path.

“I realized I want to go into biomechanics—to help people with engineering,” she said. “I really enjoy research and I think that’s what I ultimately want to end up doing.” And, continued Rosie, in-class opportunities to share her evaluations of her group’s projects have helped her identify a talent of conveying science. “Where I’ve excelled is in the explanation of how things work: putting into words why what we’re doing makes sense,” she said.

Whatever their individual takeaways, though, many of the students agree that the class isn’t just for aspiring engineers. It’s for anyone who wants to learn more about the field, to build like a kid again, and to discover more about themselves. And because there are no prerequisites for the class, it makes what can often be thought of as a rarefied subject more accessible, opening doors to students who may not have tried it out otherwise. It’s just one example of how the team is putting Rowland Hall’s vision into action.

“As we evolve new courses, we’re offering new opportunities for students to go really deep,” said Ingrid. “And we’re offering life-changing and skill-building opportunities that are accessible to everyone.”

STEM

Sophie Zheng remembers the first time she saw a competition math problem in fifth grade. “It was nothing I’d ever seen before,” she remembered.

At the time, Sophie had been tackling her first-ever American Mathematics Competition (AMC) exam, an optional test that’s designed to promote problem-solving skills in students. She remembered that initial excitement about the test, about using unique perspectives to observe the world and weaving connections between concepts with utmost flexibility.

“I see competition math as a puzzle,” Sophie explained. “It’s not like school math, where you have an equation and follow it. There’s a lot more creativity involved.”

Math really isn’t a competition in itself. It’s about learning skills and a way to connect with friends around the world. It’s vibrant and joyful.—Sophie Zheng, class of 2024

So when she came to Rowland Hall in seventh grade, Sophie, now a senior, embraced the middle and upper schools’ offerings for students interested in the creative world of competition math. She joined (and now leads) MATHCOUNTS and the Upper School Math Club, and, inspired by the division’s successful Writing Center, founded the Math Center to offer tutoring to students. Along the way, she delved into the wider competition math community by joining the Utah American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) team, the Ross Mathematics Program, Math Prize for Girls, and the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT). Sophie has also continued to take the AMC every year, placing in the top five of all girl competitors in the Intermountain Section since 2020, and has qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), the next level of AMC competition, every year since eighth grade. In 2020, she even earned an inaugural Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 Award for her work on the AMC, just one of the many recognitions she’s collected during her high school career.

Sophie has enjoyed opportunities to travel for mathematics competitions, both as an individual and as a member of the Utah ARML team, a selective group of mathematicians from Utah high schools. And this year has been especially exciting, as she’s had three opportunities to travel to Boston to compete not only in math, but also in scientific research. In October, Sophie went to MIT to participate in the Math Prize for Girls. In November, she attended HMMT with her ARML team. And later that month, she flew east again for the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award, where she defended her astronomy research, “Investigating the Origins of Hot Neptunes from Radial Velocity Data,” a project Sophie has spent two years on and which beautifully exemplifies how her math journey has helped to shape her goal to become an astrophysics researcher—a career, she said, that provides “a perfect integration of applied and pure math.” (By the way, Sophie’s research won silver.)

For Sophie, these trips to Boston go far beyond any wins or recognitions, though. In a journal she wrote about the experiences, titled “Three Trips to Boston,” the young mathematician and scientist shared how these opportunities have furthered her advocacy for gender equity, inspired collaboration, and invigorated her personal enjoyment of STEM.

“Math really isn’t a competition in itself. It’s about learning skills and a way to connect with friends around the world. It’s vibrant and joyful,” she said.

And though Sophie is busy preparing for college and the next chapter of her own journey, her senior year STEM experiences aren’t over quite yet. Sophie recently took the AMC and AIME once more, achieving personal records for both. As head MATHCOUNTS coach, she’s guiding middle schoolers to the state competition in March. She’s also extending her astronomy project to participate in this year’s science fair and to submit her paper for publication. And in May, she’ll be traveling with her ARML team for the national ARML tournament. Best of luck, Sophie! We know you’ll do great.

Below, we share Sophie’s journal reflection, “Three Trips to Boston.”

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Three Trips to Boston

By Sophie Zheng, Class of 2024

This fall: three times I stepped out of the same airport at 5 AM, Utah time, on a Saturday morning and rushed to university campuses with a sense of purpose. The Math Prize for Girls (MPFG), Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT), and the S.-T. Yau North America High School Science Award were all held at the most famous universities in Boston through back-to-back weekends. The MPFG, the largest contest for female students, brought together about 250 girls who were invited to promote gender equity in STEM through showcasing their mathematical creativity. The HMMT, as one of the most popular high school competitions in the world, draws thousands of students in over a hundred teams globally to engage in math reaching beyond traditional curriculums. Lastly, the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award, founded in 2008 by Fields Medal winner Prof. Shing-Tung Yau, inspires scientific innovations from high school students all over the world. Through writing academic papers and defending their research, students cultivate innovative thinking and collaborative spirits. Amidst 48-hour whirlwind trips every weekend, I traversed the corridors of three renowned Boston universities, immersing myself in all three of these STEM endeavors.

MPFG is not just a platform to spotlight individual skills. It is a crucial frontier for female participation in math competitions. In the world of STEM, where the gender gap looms prominently, competitors like me who have felt the strength of solidarity in the battle for gender equity carry a responsibility to pass on our vision. It's a call for everyone, irrespective of gender, to fearlessly pursue their passions in STEM.

This July, I was thrilled to receive the news that I qualified for the MPFG and immediately intensified my math studying in preparation. The night before the contest, over 250 girls met each other at game night at MIT. I not only reunited with friends from past summer math camps, but also met a larger community of girls who all shared a profound love for mathematics. We exchanged stories about our mathematical journeys and experiences, forging connections through our shared passion. The following morning thrust us into the 20-question, 150-minute test. Despite the jetlag, the adrenaline had woken me up hours earlier, and I felt ready to face these problems head-on. 263 tables, 263 chairs, and 263 school girls spread out in a massive ballroom to stretch our brain muscles to their limits. Out of all the math contests I had ever taken, I felt this was definitely the one where time was the tightest. I was able to solve 7 out of the 20 questions correctly, and secured the rank of 42nd place, narrowly missing an honorable mention, which needed 8 correct answers. While my performance received much praise, what resonated more profoundly with me was the substantial gap that separated me from the first-place winner. Rather than discouragement, this wide margin inspires me to continue striving for proficiency. Moreover, MPFG is not just a platform to spotlight individual skills. It is a crucial frontier for female participation in math competitions. In the world of STEM, where the gender gap looms prominently, competitors like me who have felt the strength of solidarity in the battle for gender equity carry a responsibility to pass on our vision. It's a call for everyone, irrespective of gender, to fearlessly pursue their passions in STEM.

In my second trip to Boston, together with five other Utah ARML team members from various schools and our coach, we flew to the east coast to represent Utah in the HMMT. The Utah ARML team—a club that convenes weekly to practice cooperation on math problems and partake in national tournaments—traditionally competes in the HMMT twice every year; once in November, and once in February. The competition lasted a whole 8-hour day and consisted of two individual rounds—the General Round and Theme Round; and two team rounds—the Team Round and Guts Round. The individual rounds offered exciting challenges with stimulating questions, but the true highlight was undeniably the team rounds, which displayed the synergy we had honed during team practices throughout the year. The ability to synchronize a flow of individual ideas toward a shared solution is what I love most about math. It is in these moments of collaborative problem-solving that the beauty and joy of mathematics come to life. Our Utah team won an impressive 19th place out of approximately 120 teams, as all 6 members in our team displayed strong performances. I placed 11th in the Theme Round, and another team member ranked 10th in the General Round. Our achievements continue the legacy of the Utah ARML team and serve as an inspiration for the rising younger generation. In the Rowland Hall MATHCOUNTS team and Upper School Math Club, I have encountered so many talented students during my years as a member and coach. My hope is that more Rowland Hall students can venture into the wider community of competition math and see the Utah ARML team for themselves. 

The entire process of my research served as a constant reminder of why STEM captivates me. It taught me to identify core issues, explore creative solutions, and build upon past contributions for advancing scientific frontiers.

On my latest trip to Boston, I defended my astronomy research thesis for the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award at Brandeis University. In the 15-minute presentation and ensuing question session from professional judges, I explained how I modeled astronomical data to detect extrasolar planets, coded statistical analyses to study their parameters, and derived physics equations to interpret my results. The feedback from my judges and winning the Silver Award (second place) in the physics category brought back memories of the past two years, from learning foundations of physics to mathematically resolving astronomical mysteries. The entire process of my research served as a constant reminder of why STEM captivates me. It taught me to identify core issues, explore creative solutions, and build upon past contributions for advancing scientific frontiers. Looking to the future, my exploration is only the first glimpse into the greatest mysteries of the universe and our existence.

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Banner: Sophie Zheng competes at the 2023 Math Prize for Girls. All photos courtesy Sophie Zheng.

Student Voices

Sophomore Fanni Ventilla used to have a stream in her backyard.

It was a place in which she and her siblings could splash on summer days, the flowing water nourishing the trees along the bank that provided refuge both for children who needed a break from the sun as well as for the owls that roosted in their branches. As the sun lowered, the family could hear the owls hooting into the cooling air.

But over the years, as global temperatures have continued to rise, Fanni watched her beloved stream slowly shrink, then fully dry out.

“As the temperature increased, the stream stopped flowing,” she shared, and the losses cascaded from there. “This caused many of the nearby trees to dry out. Some of these trees were recently cut down, and, as a result, the owls that used to come to our yard were forced to find a new home. It’s sad to not hear the hooting.”

Extreme heat has been the number-one weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last three decades, and future heat waves will continue to threaten lives around the globe. By identifying urban heat islands, we can better pinpoint where life-saving heat mitigation resources should be prioritized.

In today’s changing climate, stories like these are not uncommon. Rising temperatures are affecting environments as small as individual backyards and as massive as polar ice caps. They’re also wreaking havoc on human bodies: extreme heat has been the number-one weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last three decades, and future heat waves will continue to threaten lives around the globe.

And even though extreme heat is here to stay for the foreseeable future, Rowland Hall Coordinator of Climate Studies Rob Wilson hasn’t lost hope in our ability to protect one another from its impact—and he doesn’t want his students to either. That’s why, in early 2023, Rob jumped on an opportunity for his climate science class to get involved in a community project to map extreme heat, to better safeguard lives.

In partnership with representatives from Utah State University's Utah Climate Center, Salt Lake City, and the Natural History Museum of Utah, the class helped to apply Salt Lake City for participation in the annual urban heat island mapping campaign, a citizen scientist program funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cities chosen for this program (more than 60 to date) are provided support from CAPA Strategies, an organization that helps map heat distribution within communities. The goal of this work is to identify urban heat islands—hotspots that can measure up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than areas with more trees, more grass, and less pavement that absorbs heat—so that local decision-makers can better pinpoint where life-saving heat mitigation resources should be prioritized. This work is necessary because urban heat islands are often home to those most vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat, which are exacerbated in environments that are unable to cool to under 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature bodies need for recovery. And when people don’t have access to cooler environments, Rob explained, damage can happen quickly.

Being able to collect the data, view the data afterward, and see how people are going to use that information to better our community makes me feel proactive rather than a bystander.—Maddie Mulford, class of 2024

“When experiencing extreme heat, the body responds by dilating the peripheral blood vessels to release heat through the skin. This causes a drop in blood pressure and leads to reduced blood flow to internal organs, and can lead to chronic heat-related illness such as kidney failure,” he said. “In acute cases, when body temperature gets too hot—such as when you live in a space without air conditioning in a city hotspot, over multiple days of a heat wave—the body experiences heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency, and develops when body temperature exceeds the range of tolerance of the cells and organs begin to fail.”

Rob and his students knew that mapping Salt Lake’s hotspots would make a real difference in saving lives during heat waves, so when it was announced that the city was one of 18 communities in 14 US states and one international city chosen for the 2023 campaign, they were ready jump into action—both to help map data and to use that information to make a difference to others.

“I think there's not enough opportunities for people to feel like they're doing something hands-on to help people, especially when it comes to issues like extreme heat or climate change,” said senior Maddie Mulford, who was integral to the early project proposals to the city and who, along with classmate Max Jansen, drove a route for the Salt Lake City campaign. “Being able to collect the data, view the data afterward, and see how people are going to use that information to better our community makes me feel proactive rather than a bystander. I think programs like these are a good way of showing that people don't need to be a huge political figure or start a super new and innovative organization to fight climate change. Helping can look as simple as driving around on a Saturday afternoon.”

Maddie’s observation is what Rob always hopes his climate science students take away from class.

“I want students to feel empowered,” he said, and this goal has played a major role in how he’s structured climate science, now in its fourth year. “This subject feels alarmist—and you’re going to get the alarmist message for your entire life. I want to avoid that. Part of helping students to not give in to alarmist messages is to offer them opportunities to take real action against some of the hardest problems our planet is facing. Action is incredibly empowering, and it helps you realize that you can make a difference. We saw this as we worked on this campaign: the mapping project gave us agency. We could address something that’s important to ourselves, our neighbors, and our city, that will help us cope with changes that are happening in our city.”

Part of helping students to not give in to alarmist messages is to offer them opportunities to take real action against some of the hardest problems our planet is facing. Action is incredibly empowering, and it helps you realize that you can make a difference.—Rob Wilson, coordinator of climate studies

Many members of the community also felt that empowerment as they came together for Salt Lake’s heat mapping campaign on July 15. That day, 42 volunteers, including Rowland Hall students and community members, mounted sensors on their cars and drove 10 routes around the city in the early morning, afternoon, and evening, recording the temperature and humidity data that CAPA Strategies would use to create the city’s heat map. This work, which took place over a weekend in which tens of millions of US citizens were under heat advisories, captivated more than just those who were there. Multiple news outlets covered the project between July 13 and 19, and Maddie and Max, along with classmate Angus Hickman, joined Rob on RadioACTive, a local program that highlights grassroots activists and community builders, to share their experiences and talk about why heat mapping is necessary.

Fanni was among those watching the coverage on the news and via the school's Instagram account, and she was inspired by what she saw. Since taking AP Environmental Science at her last school (Fanni transferred to Rowland Hall for sophomore year), she’s spent a lot of time thinking about how pollution contributes to the heat waves that have affected not only her backyard trees, but also her grandmother, who lives in Europe. “My grandma is worried about going outside due to the extreme heat because she has heart issues,” said Fanni. “She has no access to AC, and if homes don’t cool down it causes health problems. That really worries me.”

As she watched some of her new peers contribute to a project that will provide real solutions to local residents, Fanni realized she, too, could do something that would both ease her worries and help support ongoing heat mitigation efforts. This fall, she took action by starting the Upper School’s Climate Action Club, which has set a goal to collaborate with TreeUtah to help plant trees in the hotspots identified in Salt Lake City’s Heat Watch Report and to create a website that will teach others how they can help.

“The heat mapping data makes it clear that we need to take action and we need to take it now,” said Fanni, who joined junior CJ Wujkowska on an October 30 follow-up episode of RadioACTive to discuss next steps that will be taken in Salt Lake’s heat mitigation efforts. “I want to help the city stop the urban heat island effect by planting trees and educating the population in this area about the importance of taking responsibility for the environment.”

I felt like I could do nothing, but now I know I can, and I want people to know they can do something. Everyone can take small steps that will make a better future—and even help now.—Fanni Ventilla, class of 2026

And Fanni isn't the only student applying the data. This year’s climate science students have been hard at work studying the Heat Watch Report findings, and each has picked an area that speaks to them and that they want to explore further: long- and short-term heat-related illness (Ani Agarwal), heat and mental health (Brooke Brown), heat and topography (Hayden Kaufman Schiller), heat and outdoor work (Kiri Mannelin), urban heat and sports training (Bea Martin), heat and air quality (Lulu Murphy), urban heat and redlining (Cam Prichard), and heat and invasive insects (CJ Wujkowska). In addition to writing articles about their chosen subjects for submission to The Gazette, the Upper School newspaper, each student created a poster about their subject that was shared with community members who attended Making the Invisible Visible, a November 5 community event that brought together members of the Salt Lake City heat mapping team, scientists, policy makers, and community members to discuss the Heat Watch Report and solutions that will help the community be more resilient to future heat waves.

It is just the start of what’s to come of this important work, and a promising glimpse of how Rowland Hall students will continue to tackle climate concerns.

“I felt like I could do nothing, but now I know I can,” said Fanni, “and I want people to know they can do something. It’s not just a problem that only scientists and professionals can solve. Everyone can take small steps that will make a better future—and even help now."

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Banner photo: Upper schoolers Maddie Mulford and Max Jansen show one of the heat mapping probes that was used to gather temperature and humidity data in Salt Lake City on July 15, 2023.

Authentic Learning