Quantum Leap: USU Alumna Prepares to Celebrate Scientific Milestones at USU Physics Day at Lagoon

Utah State University Physics alumna Jennifer Albretsen Roth plans to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology with a crowd of like-minded science enthusiasts during USU Physics Day at Lagoon Amusement Park this Friday. The daylong event, led by USU’s Department of Physics and Idaho National Laboratory, is expected to draw some 8,000 teens from Utah and neighboring states to Davis County’s überplayground for gut-churning STEM-learning fun.

“About 100 years ago, scientists in Europe began, individually and collaboratively, challenging ideas about classical mechanics in ways that transformed physics,” says Roth, an Idaho Falls resident who graduated from USU in 2009. “Their discoveries shook scientific foundations and opened doors to world-changing technologies. It’s mind-blowing, really, and I want to share that excitement with young scientists and engineers.”

Drafted by her former USU physics faculty mentor J.R. Dennison to help with Physics Day, observed each May since 1990, Roth is thinking about how budding scientists view subatomic particles.

“At Physics Day, we always focus on Newton’s laws — thinking about inertia, force, acceleration, gravity and motion — as we zoom through hoops on rollercoasters or spin in circles on the tilt-a-whirl,” she says. “But this year, I’d like to get students thinking about the quantum scale, the size of atoms and protons, and how matter and energy behave at the atomic and subatomic levels.”

Are those topics too heavy for a day at the amusement park?

“Not at all,” Roth says. “Take your cellphone, which most every teen has. Quantum mechanics underpin how these devices we use every day function. I’m excited to demonstrate, in simple, fun and easy-to-understand ways, how quantum science and technology touch our lives.”

Introducing youngsters to science in a way that is accessible, enjoyable and sparks interest is important to Roth.

“Not everyone who studies science will become a professional scientist or engineer, but everyone can benefit from STEM learning,” Roth says. “What’s important is to build an appreciation for knowledge and learning.”

The Wisconsin native, who was awarded a USU Presidential Scholarship, chose Utah State as her college destination because of its Honors program and the opportunities it offered in undergraduate research.

“I’ve never regretted my decision to attend Utah State one bit,” says Roth, who was named a 2007 Goldwater Scholar, one of the nation’s top scholarship awards for students in STEM.

As a USU first-year student, Roth was selected for a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates in nanotechnology at Dartmouth University — a rare opportunity.

“That experience changed my academic perspective,” says Roth, who was named a 2006 Governor’s Scholar by then Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr., and USU Scholar of the Year in 2009. “From then on, I wanted to be part of scientific discovery for the rest of my career and my life.”

At Utah State, Roth dove into NASA-funded research with Dennison on such topics as the impact of space weather on the Parker Solar Probe, which at that time still existed only on paper.

“I worked alongside so many wonderful faculty and graduate student mentors doing science at Utah State,” she says. “Actually getting involved in research and real-world problem-solving was much more memorable than any textbook or lecture.”

After graduating from USU, Roth pursued graduate studies at Oregon State University and earned a master’s degree in physics in 2010. She recently taught part-time at Brigham Young University-Idaho. She credits experiences at Utah State with propelling her teaching career, along with parenting eight children, ranging in age from 14 years to six months, with her husband and fellow Utah State grad Gable Roth (BS’09, mechanical engineering.)

“Teaching, parenting and research all require hard work, problem-solving skills, ingenuity and perseverance,” she says. “There’s no textbook for these things, sometimes you fail, but the rewards are many.”

Roth has fond memories of her days at Utah State, when she volunteered at Physics Day, and has enjoyed her recent experiences, starting in 2024, as a Physics Day coordinator.

“Students are so creative,” she says. “It’s so much fun to see how they approach challenges, think outside-the-box and come up with solutions we never dreamed of. That’s what we hope for.”