Horizons Competition at Utah State University

What if you could tackle the world's biggest challenges—from housing crises to space exploration to AI ethics—without needing a PhD or years of research experience?

Utah State University's Office of Research presents Horizons, a competition that challenges undergraduate students to develop innovative solutions to complex, real-world problems. No research background required—just curiosity, creativity, and the drive to make a difference. Horizons is presented as part of USU’s 2025 Year of Undergraduate Research, celebrating 50 years of undergraduate research at USU.

How it works: Form interdisciplinary teams, choose from big challenges like mental health, housing, energy, or space exploration, then develop and pitch your solution to expert judges from industry and academia. You won't conduct the research—instead, you'll focus on big-picture thinking and innovative problem-solving.

2025 Success Story: Starting with over 100 participants, Horizons 2025 culminated with 6 finalist teams presenting groundbreaking solutions on AI and mental health, sustainable space habitats, Utah housing innovation, and educational reform. With the vast majority of participants recommending the experience to others, and over half of participants having had no prior research experience, Horizons has proven to be transformative for students across all majors.

Learn more about the Horizons Competition at:
https://research.usu.edu/your/horizons/