USU Undergrad Physics Researcher Among Aggie Scholars Presenting to Utah Legislators Feb. 26

Utah State University undergraduate researcher Trace Taylor is grateful.

“Research fellowships, grants, internships and scholarships I’ve received as a USU student have allowed me to explore scientific research from the start of a project to its conclusion,” says Taylor, a physics major with a mathematics minor. “And perhaps more importantly, having this support has given me confidence not only in pursuing research, but also in writing research proposals, planning and conducting research projects and in reporting my research in person and in professional journals.”

The Brigham City, Utah native, who was recently named one of two Undergraduate Researchers of the Year in USU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is among about 25 USU scholars who’ll present research posters to state legislators in Salt Lake City on Feb. 26 as part of 2026 Undergraduate Research Day on Utah’s Capitol Hill.

This is will be Taylor’s second time to present at the annual event, which brings scholars from Utah State and the University of Utah to the busy hub of the state’s legislative activity. Initiated in 2000, the gathering highlight the importance of university research to the welfare of local communities and in preparing Utah scholars to tackle future societal and scientific challenges.

“There’s no substitute for standing before others, whether they’re scientists, lawmakers or your neighbors, and explaining your research,” Taylor says. “These experiences have helped me grow as a scholar and as a person.”

On Utah’s Capitol Hill, Taylor, with fellow physics scholar Ashley Bahora, will present “Advanced Analysis Through Database Visualization of the Charging Properties of Materials in Extreme Environments.”

“We are exploring how to mitigate spacecraft charging issues and other harmful exposures that endanger spacecraft and human space travelers in the harsh environment beyond Earth’s safe harbor,” he says.

USU physics professor J.R. Dennison, who has mentored Taylor in research during the past four and a half years, says the undergrad is an outstanding researcher and scholar.

“Trace joined my Materials Physics Group as a freshman and has established himself as a hard-working and conscientious researcher,” Dennison says. “He’s a quick learner, a keen observer, an exceptional team member and just plain fun to work with.”

Among Taylor’s first research projects was an analysis of materials that actually flew in space. His study of remnants from a spacecraft marooned in space nearly six years yielded the first of his peer-reviewed articles published in professional journals. The undergrad is currently preparing three additional articles for submission later this year.

“Trace has received an impressive number of competitive awards during his undergraduate career that he’s put to good use,” Dennison says. “In addition to the Peak Fellowship, he received the Eccles Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the Department of Physics’ Harold Blood Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Utah Innovation Scholarship.”

Dennison notes Taylor is also a recipient of USU’s highly competitive Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities (URCO) grant. Further, Taylor was selected for a summer internship at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

“His JPL mentor praised Trace’s efforts and his valuable contributions made during the 12-week internship,” he says. “Trace has been personally invited to apply for another internship in 2026 at the Air Force Research Laboratory Spacecraft Charging and Instrument Calibration Laboratory in New Mexico.”

Taylor, who plans to pursue graduate study in physics, says participation in undergraduate research has opened doors to opportunities he never dreamed possible.

“I am fully convinced my research experiences have allowed me to excel in my studies, pursue dream internships and to be able to select graduate schools not based on where I can get in, but based on what research truly interests me,” he says.