USU GEAR UP in the News
The USU STARS! GEAR UP program aspires to expand college readiness and the college bound culture in Utah. One way of doing this is to share successes and information on our programs through local news stories. This page contains downloadable articles mentioning schools, staff, and students associated with the program in the general media. For more stories and articles on the program, please visit our News & Highlights or Newsletter sections.
Visit our contact page to reach out for more information.
2023 Stories
Marissa Tsugawa, a research professor in USU's Department of Engineering Education, recently received a $75,000 grant from the nonprofit Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP.
Utah State Today
March 03, 2023
2022 Stories
Students from across the state explored STEM topics and developed teamwork skills as they built and raced single-seat electric vehicles at the seventh annual Mountain West Grand Prix, organized by USU's GEAR UP program.
Utah State University/College of Education and Human Services
June 23, 2022
Tutor.com, one of the world's largest online tutoring services, is excited to announce its continued support of the Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP program, which helps thousands of students across the state set and achieve ambitious college-going and persistence goals.
Tutor.com Press and Media Center
June 17, 2022
Utah State University undergraduate Canyon Bryson put a lot of thought into two seemingly disparate STEM activities designed to introduce high school students to basic science and engineering concepts.
Utah State Today
June 8, 2022
The track at the Utah Motorsports Campus was alive Tuesday with the sounds of electric race cars for the 2021 Mountain West Grand Prix.
KSL News at 5
Apr 26, 2022
2021 Stories
Students from 13 Utah schools recently gathered in Tooele to race small electric vehicles at the annual Mountain West Grand Prix, hosted by USU’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program. This hands-on STEM education event is the only one of its kind in Utah.
Utah State University/College of Education and Human Services
May 11, 2021
Utah State University’s STARS! GEAR UP is a program affiliated with the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education. The program supports students from middle school through their first year of college.
Cache Valley Daily
May 3, 2021
The track at the Utah Motorsports Campus was alive Tuesday with the sounds of electric race cars for the 2021 Mountain West Grand Prix.
Fox13 News, Salt Lake City
Apr 20, 2021
2020 Stories
USU Partnering with Logan School District for 2020 Latino Education Fair
The fair provides Latino students and parents the information they need to prepare for college application and the opportunity to ask questions.
Utah State Today
Oct 22, 2020
Student Attends Congress of Future Medical Leaders
Wilkerline (Will) Sintyl, a senior at Cottonwood High School in Murray, fulfilled a dream by attending the Congress of Future Medical Leaders last spring with the help of USU STARS! GEAR UP.
Utah State Today
Oct 21, 2020
2019 Stories
APA Students Build Electric Car with Solid Edge
Every year, teams of students around the world design, build, and race their own custom-designed electric car as part of events hosted by Greenpower Education Trust.
Siemens Blog
Dec 24, 2019
Robot Invasion: QCNR Helps High School Students Build and Test Submersible Robots
High school teacher Jill Kennedy prefers to go beyond books. She believes in encouraging her students to
get their hands on their projects —but not just the typical bridges built with toothpicks.
Utah State Today
Dec 2, 2019
Putting Students on the Path to Success
Over 13,000 students received services through the Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP program during the previous school year.
Utah State Today
Nov 12, 2019
The GEAR UP Initiative Comes to Granite Park Junior High
"The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative is one of the largest and most
effective programs focused on increasing the college and career readiness of low-income students in communities nationwide,"
according to the National Council for Community and Education Partnership website.
South Salt Lake Journal
Oct 3, 2019
Siemens and GEAR UP fuel Greenpower Utah Electric Car Challenge
Greenpower USA has launched its 4th annual Greenpower Electric Car Challenge on the Utah Motorsports Campus this past April 25th. Started in 2015 with a handful of schools taking part, the competition involves students working in teams to design, build, and race single-seat electric car kits from GreenpowerUSA.
Siemens Blog
Jul 9, 2019
USU hosts 200 students for middle-to-high school transition camp
Utah State University hosted 200 students from nine different schools for the fifth annual USU STARS! GEAR UP Transition Camp.
The Herald Journal
Jun 27, 2019
USU Grant Helps Students go to College
Eight years ago, schools that were not yet in the Utah State University STARS! program had some of the lowest high school graduation rates in the state. Few students at these schools (on average, only 16 percent) went on to college. Today, more than 3 times that number are completing their first year of college after participating in GEAR UP programming.
Utah State Today
May 28, 2019
Student-designed electric karts to race in Tooele
Schools from Cache Valley and all across Utah will come together for the 2019 Greenpower Electric Car Challenge on Thursday. The 24 teams attending the one-day event have spent months building single-seat electric cars to race at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele County.
The Herald Journal
Apr 25, 2019
24 school race electric cars at Utah Motorsports Campus
Twenty-four teams for schools across Utah and Nevada ranging from elementary to college-aged are competing in the Utah Greenpower Electric Car Challenge.
ABC 4 News
Apr 25, 2019
Driven To Succeed: Utah Students Build Electric Cars And Gear Up For College
During this first installment of the UPR original series Driven to Succeed, we follow seven college freshmen designing and building a solar-powered electric car using a charging system that allows the driver to power the car in motion.
Utah Public Radio
Apr 25, 2019
Utah Schools Compete in Electric Car Races
Greenpower electric car challenges take place all over the country, and the world, promoting engineering and technology skills in students ages 9 to 25.
Utah State Today
Apr 16, 2019
Middle school students ‘Gear Up’ for higher education during College Week
Ephraim Middle School students experienced their first glimpse of college during College Week, sponsored by GEAR UP.
Sanpete Messenger
Mar 13, 2019
2018 Stories
USU Awarded $16.9M Education Grant to Help Students Prepare for College
Utah State University STARS! has been awarded $16.9 million over seven years to help middle and high school students in Salt Lake County prepare to enter and succeed in college.
Utah State Today
Oct 16, 2018
“Climb College Mountain" with Stephen Koch at USU on Sept. 25
Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP is bringing motivational speaker and pioneering snowboard mountaineer, Stephen Koch, to USU. Koch’s talk, “Climb College Mountain” will take place Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m., in the USU’s TSC Auditorium, Rm. 227. All are welcome to attend and admission is free.
Utah State Today
Sep 18, 2018
Snowboarding Pioneer to Speak at USU Sept. 25
The Utah State University STARS! announces their participation in National GEAR UP Week 2018, Sept. 23-29. This week commemorates the continuing success of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a college access program providing students and families the support and resources they need for college success.
Utah State Today
Sep 4, 2018
Summer App Camp Teaches Girls How to Code
What is an App camp? Jody Clarke-Midura is an assistant professor in the Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences program at Utah State University. She works with the App Camp which started a few years ago.
Utah Public Radio
Jun 5, 2018
Utah students build, race electric cars
Nineteen teams of Utah students spent months building the cars they took to the track on Thursday.
FOX 13 News
Apr 26, 2018
2017 Stories
New Green Roof Display on USU Campus Engages Students
Middle school students and teachers from across the state were the first to see and learn about the benefits of green roof construction in urban spaces through a new interactive display on the Utah State University Logan campus. Participants were part of the USU STARS! GEAR UP program, a combined effort of the Colleges of Engineering and Education at USU.
Utah State Today
Aug 10, 2017
An app for that: Valley middle-schoolers build own apps at USU camp
Earlier this week in a computer lab at Utah State University, middle schooler McKell Balls set out to create a smartphone app.
The Herald Journal
Jun 29, 2017
Students Video Chat with Astronauts Aboard Space Station
For a short time on May 19th, Utah students had the opportunity to speak with astronauts orbiting 250 miles above earth’s surface on the International Space Station.
Utah Public Radio
Jun 1, 2017
Utah State Partners with NASA and Sen. Orrin Hatch for Live Feed from Space
Utah State University’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program and Space Dynamics Laboratory have partnered with U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch and NASA to provide a live conversation between astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station and more than 200 students from across Utah.
Utah State Today
May 19, 2017
Students talk to space explorers in NASA downlink
In a once-in-a-generation opportunity, students from Northern Utah used a video call to the International Space Station to ask questions to two astronauts orbiting Earth on Friday morning.
The Herald Journal
May 19, 2017
Utah students participate in live feed from space
“Station, this is Houston. Are you ready for the event?” The event, held Friday, May 19, 2017, was a live downlink from the International Space Station (ISS), and the crowd was more than ready to meet the astronauts. Gathered from schools from throughout the state, more than 200 Utah students filled the Robert F. Bennett Research Laboratory at the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) in North Logan, with thousands more watching the broadcast from their classrooms.
CacheValleyDaily.com
May 19, 2017
Greenpower race: Sanpete teams sweep state
When it comes to successfully combining engineering, sustainable energy, and motorsports, Sanpete County’s students are the best in the state.
Sanpete Messenger
May 4, 2017
Utah students build and race electric cars
It may be the slowest race held at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, but that doesn't make it less exciting or important.
FOX 13 News
Apr 27, 2017
Students put their electric race cars to the test
Matthew King, a fourth-grader at the Edith Bowen Laboratory School in Logan, crosses the finish line during the USU STARS! GEAR UP Greenpower Invitational at the Utah Motorsports Complex in Tooele on Thursday, April 27, 2017.
Deseret News
Apr 27, 2017
Hatch to host space station downlink chat for valley schools
In a unique opportunity this coming spring, Cache Valley public school students will be able to speak to a U.S. astronaut currently aboard the International Space Station.
The Herald Journal
Mar 6, 2017
Logan High educator awarded Utah biology teacher of the year
The Utah Science Teachers Association has recognized Logan High School educator Shaunda Wenger as the Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year.
The Herald Journal
Feb 6, 2017
Out of this world: Logan High students test space seeds
A team of Logan High students had the rare opportunity to experiment with radish seeds that were launched into space on a Russian satellite.
The Herald Journal
Jan 11, 2017
2016 Stories
USU Continues Trajectory of Record Research Funding
Setting a trend now of three years in a row, Utah State University has achieved another record year of research support — more than $240 million. That’s an all-time high for Utah State, up 4.7 percent in awards over last year’s record.
Utah State Today
Dec 14, 2016
Utah Motorsports Campus is the site of 'Electric' Race
Eleven schools be will settling it all on the tarmac at the Utah Motorsports Campus on April 28 in competition for the title of the fastest electric car.
Utah State Today
Apr 21, 2016
Logan High students learn about DNA extraction
A group of Logan High School students received hands-on experience in DNA extraction through a partnership with Utah State University designed to interest students in STEM subjects and careers.
The Herald Journal
Mar 18, 2016
2015 Stories
A new, $32.8 million grant will help more than 3,000 Utah middle schoolers catch the vision of higher education — and then make the dream come true.
Utah State Today
Oct 9, 2015
