USU's Horizons Competition Showcases Student Innovation and Problem-Solving

LOGAN, Utah - A $4,000 grand prize was awarded to three students for their concept on healthy AI usage education for school children during the Horizons Competition, hosted by the Office of Research.

On Friday, April 11, the Eccles Conference Centre buzzed with energy as six student teams presented their innovative solutions at Utah State University's inaugural Horizons Competition. Proudly hosted by the Office for Research as part of the 2025 Year of Undergraduate Research celebrations, the event featured a distinguished panel of 12 judges, including business leaders, USU senior leadership, and board of trustees members.

Horizons is a shark-tank-style competition in which interdisciplinary student teams formulate entrepreneurial ideas designed to have real impact on the major problems of our times. Guided by academic mentors and a series of workshops, six teams prepared 10-minute pitches which they presented the judges at Friday’s event. The competition featured creative approaches to pressing challenges such as the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, space radiation protection for astronauts, and Utah's housing crisis. Four teams claimed prizes of $1,500 each, including a coveted audience choice award determined by 113 virtual and in person attendees who voted for their favorite presentation.

Taking home the grand prize was the team of Cambria Cann, Emma Shumway, and Jarek Burnett, who impressed judges with their actionable business proposal focused on educating Utah schoolchildren about healthy AI usage. Judges particularly praised the team's persuasive presentation style and the immediate real-world applicability of their solution.

Horizons founder William Gold said, "I couldn't be prouder of our USU students. They've demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and dedication, presenting practical solutions to some of the most complex challenges of our time. This is exactly the kind of interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking that Horizons was designed to inspire."

The Horizons Competition exemplifies USU's commitment to fostering interdisciplinary problem-solving and preparing students to address complex societal challenges. As these young innovators demonstrated, collaboration across different fields of study can yield powerful solutions to some of today's most pressing problems. A complete list of winners and more details on the Horizons competition can be found here.