The Salt Lake City School District recently hosted Human Innovation Day, an event designed to inspire high school students to pursue careers in STEM fields. The event, hosted by the district, the Salt Lake Education Foundation, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s Tech Lake City initiative, introduced students to the state’s growing life science industry.
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.
The goal of the event was to show students different paths they could take in the world of science and inspire them to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in this rapidly growing industry. Brian Pantle, a project manager at the department of economic development for Salt Lake City, emphasized the importance of seeing faces like theirs in the industry and encouraged students to think creatively about their future careers.
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 exciting career opportunities that they can look forward to pursuing after graduation. She encouraged freshmen and sophomores in particular to plan for their futures and explore new ideas that could contribute to the scientific community.
Overall, Human Innovation Day was a resounding success as it inspired young minds to pursue STEM careers and provided them with valuable insights into what it takes to succeed in this dynamic field.