$2.1M Initiative Expands Early Learning Opportunities for Young Children in Rural Utah

An investment from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services is helping faculty members expand early childhood education and STEM opportunities for children and families in Utah’s most rural communities. The one-year project directed by Professor Lisa Boyce focuses on improving preschool classrooms, expanding summer STEM camps, and strengthening family engagement to address student attendance—all with a specific emphasis on rural Utah, where access to educational resources can be limited.

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ADRC Director Beth Fauth Selected for NIH Scholar Program to Support Dementia Caregivers

Beth Fauth, Ph.D., professor and director of Utah State University’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center, has been selected as an NIA IMPACT Collaboratory scholar, an initiative of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging. The Collaboratory trains researchers to move effective dementia care interventions into real-world health care systems where the public can readily access them.

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Undergraduate Psychology Students Present to Legislators at Research on Capitol Hill

USU students presented to legislators at the annual Research on Capitol Hill event during the 2026 Utah State Legislative session. The 26th annual event brought together students from USU and the University of Utah to share their research with Utah’s legislators and other leaders. Students share the impact of their research and demonstrate the importance of continued state support for their work. More than 20 students were selected to represent USU, and of those, eight are studying in the Department of Psychology.

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From Scholarship to Stewardship: Helen Simmons and Shauna LaBeau’s Circle of Giving

For almost 30 years, the Helen L. Simmons Endowment at USU has financially supported students in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. Alumna Shauna LaBeau, a 2006 recipient of the scholarship, has been fulfilling a promise to give back by contributing to the same endowment—amplifying her impact through her employer’s matching program. Together, Simmons’s and LaBeau’s shared generosity highlights a full-circle legacy that continues to expand opportunities for future Aggies.

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Aviaton Week

Jessica Cox, motivational speaker and first armless female pilot

Jessica Cox is the Dean’s Spring Speaker for the Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The event is co-sponsored by the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

Monday, March 30
7:00 p.m.
Taggart Student Center International Lounge

Blue Plate Research

Presented by Matthew Wappett, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice

Leading the Charge: How USU’s Institute for Disability Research is Advancing Disability Research and Policy in Utah

Tuesday, April 21 at 11:30 AM
Gallivan Hall, 239 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City

To RSVP for this event, visit Blue Plate Research.

2026 CEHS Graduation