At the heart of the College of Arts & Sciences is a vibrant community of faculty and students united by a shared commitment to advancing knowledge, creative expression, and meaningful change. Whether through groundbreaking scientific discovery, compelling artistic performance, or critical social analysis, we are shaping the future—one idea, experiment, and collaboration at a time.
Faculty
Students
Centers
Our People
Faculty
Our faculty members are leading researchers, artists, and scholars who push the boundaries of their fields—publishing influential work, securing competitive grants, and mentoring the next generation of thinkers.
Students
Our students, both undergraduate and graduate, are active contributors to this dynamic research culture—posing bold questions, conducting hands-on research, and developing the skills to become tomorrow’s innovators, creators, and leaders.
Spotlights
Jeannie Thomas
Faculty Mentor
Under the guidance of English Professor Jeannie Thomas, a team from Utah State University helped bring new visibility to Utah folklore by installing the state’s first “Legends & Lore” roadside marker commemorating the Bear Lake Monster. Thomas mentored master’s student Melissa Anderson Asay, who led the project, and co-authored the grant funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. She emphasized that initiatives like this not only strengthen public connections to local history but also give students hands-on experience in writing, research, and civic engagement.
The Bear Lake marker is one of several folklore-focused projects Thomas and her students are developing to celebrate Utah’s cultural heritage. As Thomas explained, these collaborations show how academic learning can have real-world impact. Through them, students aren’t just studying stories — they’re helping preserve and share them for future generations.
Reina Peterson
Student
Reina Peterson is an undergraduate researcher studying Music Therapy at the College of Arts & Sciences.
Reina is researching the effect of Music Therapy on Batten’s Disease and Juvenile Dementia. Inspired by loved ones impacted by these diseases, Reina is passionate about decelerating symptom progression and providing communication methods through rhythms, notes, and melodies.
When asked what advice she would give to those beginning research, Reina said, "You don’t have to do it all in one day. You don’t have to stress out if you can’t do everything in the time frame you thought it would take. It’s okay if it takes longer than you think. You will get it done, you’ll figure it out… you are so much more capable than you think you are."
Reina is a recipient of Utah State’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities grant and will take her research discoveries with her to her upcoming internship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Kyle Ransom
Alum
Meet alumnus Kyle Ransom, whose research, mentored by Dr. Jeannie Johnson, explored Chinese marketing of surveillance technology in Latin America.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative, Kyle utilized the Cultural Topography Analytic Tool to examine how China markets AI-enabled surveillance tech. His work provides valuable insights into the societal and security implications of these technologies for U.S. policymakers and miltary leadership. Kyle’s key research findings have been presented to U.S. military officials overseeing China-Latin America relations at Fort Bragg.
Reflecting on his research approach, Kyle emphasized the power of interdisciplinary work, stating: "This kind of multi-disciplinary research is essential to tackle the complexity of 21st-century problem sets. Exploring the intersection of technology, international relations, and culture revealed new insights that would not have been possible by investigating these fields individually. I would encourage students to pursue research that stretches their disciplinary expertise."