As a high school student, Eli Mann didn’t expect a science event to shape his future. That changed the moment he stepped into the University’s Biotechnology Symposium. There, while presenting his experiment on fluorescent proteins and seed germination — inspired by his passion for plants — something clicked that launched his path further into science.

His journey from student to scientist-in-training wasn’t by chance. It was carefully nurtured during his four years of high school by his teacher, University alumnus Andrea Jydstrup-McKinney ’09 (biotechnology), who now leads the biotech specialization at West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas. A graduate of the biotechnology program’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s track, Jydstrup-McKinney was Eli’s biotechnology teacher from 9th through 12th grade.

The role of mentorship in student success and STEM career readiness

“She wasn’t a typical teacher,” Mann said. “She came from industry and connected what she did directly to what we were learning. Most of the experiments I did in high school were at a high college level, giving me a head start on my research at the University.”

Jydstrup-McKinney estimates five to 10 of her students have joined the biotech program in the past 13 years. Mann is one of them, now a sophomore, where he has traded seed trays for Petri dishes and is researching mosquito-borne diseases.

Interest in the program has grown steadily, thanks in part to outreach, mentorship and events such as the annual Biotechnology Symposium. Launched soon after the biotech program’s founding in 2001, the symposium has grown into a major event hosted in part by the Nevada Center for Applied Research. Held in May at the School of Medicine’s Center for Molecular Medicine, this year’s 20th annual gathering featured student research, lab tours and faculty talks. It’s designed to show students what’s possible and connect them with people and tools to get there.

High school programs and internships help students explore biotechnology careers

Early exposure is key. Last year, the program began hosting a four-week Summer Research Internship that places high school students in research labs, where they shadow faculty, explore biotech careers and contribute to real-world research, all while earning college credit and gaining confidence in the lab.

The program has become a launch – pad for scientists, doctors, patent lawyers, educators and entrepreneurs. For students like Mann, it’s not just a head start – it’s a future taking shape with every experiment.

Innovation at the University isn’t confined to labs or startups. It flourishes in the humanities, the arts and public dialogue.

In recent years, the College of Liberal Arts hosted a public engagement series, with each event exploring a theme from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. One evening, a deputy general counsel to the governor, an English professor and a Ph.D. candidate came together to discuss the phrase “insure domestic tranquility.” Alongside faculty, students and neighbors, they reflected on what that ideal means today, in our homes, our politics and our debates about gender, race and identity. These conversations illustrate the University’s role as a civic institution, one that fosters thoughtful discussion and community connection.

That spirit continues through the Center for Constitutional Law, which was launched in May. “One thing many of us can agree upon is there is a profound misunderstanding of how our government was designed to function under the Constitution,” Rick Trachok ’74 (plant science), the Center’s executive director said.

The Center was created to explore fundamental questions about the constitution, bringing top scholars from around the country to discuss, debate and share with University students and the larger community. The Center also sponsors summer workshops for Nevada’s high school government and civics teachers at the Lake Tahoe campus, bringing national experts to help shape curricula and deepen civic understanding statewide.

Not far from the Quad, the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art opens its doors at no cost to the public, inviting conversations sparked by contemporary work and the University’s own collection.

“The Lilley is like a laboratory,” Stephanie Gibson, director of the Lilley Museum of Art said. “Professors test out new pedagogy in the museum, teaching students how to learn complex topics using our paintings, sculptures and archives. Schools and colleges across campus experiment with new ideas and techniques to expand the way we look at the world.”

The Church Fine Arts Building melds into the glass and steel of the University Foundation Arts Building, housing a combined 300 events each year, and offering rehearsal halls and studios on par with any conservatory, spaces where the next generation of musicians, actors and artists can hone their craft.

This creative energy radiates outward — into the Performing Arts Series, where student performers share the stage with national and international artists, and into the Reynolds School of Journalism, where students have gone on to produce award-winning documentaries and Pulitzer-recognized reporting.

Here, innovation is not limited to technology or science. It is expressed on canvas, on stage and in the pages of our favorite publications — some of which are printed on campus at the Black Rock Press and University of Nevada Press. Innovation lives in dialogue, in storytelling and in the University’s commitment to helping Nevada understand itself — and imagine what comes next.

High school freshman Nicholas Murray was minutes away from advancing to the finals when his wrestling opponent grabbed his foot and twisted. In seconds, championship-bound Murray went from varsity wrestler to multiple months on crutches and knee surgery for a torn meniscus and partial ligament tears.

And this wasn’t the last injury for the multi-sport athlete, who competed year-round in football, wrestling and track. Beyond typical injuries like shin splints and sprains, Murray sustained a spinal injury during a football game that temporarily paralyzed his lower body.

“We didn’t have athletic trainers on the sidelines,” he said. “I wasn’t spine-boarded. I didn’t get the right care. And I’ve carried the long-term effects ever since.”

Those experiences shaped his decision to enter the field of kinesiology and dedicate his work to injury prevention and public health. “I want to make sure the next generation of elementary and high school student-athletes don’t have to go through what I did,” he said.

Launching the innovATE project

As fall sports return, Murray is leading the charge to change that as School of Public Health associate professor and kinesiology graduate program director. Backed by the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute’s innovATE project — “AT” for athletic trainer &nmash; the School of Public Health is placing a certified athletic trainer at Wooster High School to support student-athletes. The program launched this fall, and Neuromechanics Athletics Trainer Zoe Haddox ’21 (community health sciences) is already bringing her expertise to the sidelines. As the project and public support grow, the School plans to expand the program to other Washoe County campuses.

“This isn’t just about sports,” said Murray, who is principal investigator on the project. “It’s about keeping student-athletes healthy and active by having qualified medical professionals available to provide care, guidance and support for them, their teammates and families.”

The innovATE project provides funding to underserved schools to hire athletic trainers, a critical but often missing piece in student sports safety. According to Murray, fewer than 1% of high school athletes go on to play at the collegiate level, yet millions participate in youth sports each year without dedicated medical support. Athletic trainers are educated to recognize and respond to concussions, fractures and other serious injuries. They also help manage return-to-play and return-to-class decisions, monitor long-term recovery and support overall student health.

Expanding access to athletic training for high school sports

For Murray, who is also the current director of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Neuromechanics Laboratory, the mission is personal. “Every kid deserves to play safely,” he said. “We want this to be the start of a bigger movement that helps make full-time, salaried athletic trainers standard at every Nevada high school.”

Christianne Eason, president of sport safety and education for the Korey Stringer Institute, praised the University’s long-term vision and statewide impact. “What impressed us most about the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health’s application was the sustainability plan. Dr. Murray is building strong partnerships with local school districts and showed a deep understanding of the community’s needs in northern Nevada.”

“By placing athletic trainers in schools, we’re not only protecting young athletes, we’re investing in the health, safety, and potential of an entire generation. The innovATE project will be expanding access to care where it’s needed most. It’s a powerful reminder that public health extends beyond academia and into the everyday lives of our communities,” said Dean of the School of Public Health Muge Akpinar-Elci.

Eason notes, “It’s about more than just taping ankles. Athletic trainers help prevent injuries before they happen, provide care and rehabilitation, and are prepared to respond to emergencies. They serve as a critical link between students, coaches, parents and the broader health care system” In underserved communities, trainers often become the first point of medical contact, not just for athletes but for entire families.

“This is what public health looks like,” Murray said. “It’s meeting people where they are — on the field, on the court and in the community.”