Anthropology alumna named Sun Devil 100

Every year, the Arizona State University Alumni Association selects leaders from the alumni community who exemplify innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit for a special honor. Being named a Sun Devil 100 is a unique honor, one that Julie Euber is still getting used to.

“I am just starting to get to know it and the power of that network, and what it does,” said Euber, when asked how it feels to join this coveted class of honorees. “I'm so grateful for it.”

Julie Euber is the CEO of SARSEF, the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation. Founded in 1955 as a regional science fair, SARSEF has not only grown to be one of the largest science fairs in the world, but has also grown to become a critical resource for schools and educators in expanding STEM education, specifically in schools with higher percentages of low-income families. 

“Our focus is getting kids engaged in research,” explained Euber, with a glowing smile. “It is very much getting them to notice, wonder and think about data, and what questions they have about the world around them, and what questions matter to their own community.”

Sparking that interest in science at a young age is the heart of Euber’s work at SARSEF – providing students the opportunity and platform for discovery and asking questions. 

“It's amazing how often their projects are at the intersection of science and empathy. We had a kindergarten class that wanted to know how to measure a hug because they had been told that the bigger the hug they give, the more love they're showing. They wanted to know: how do we accurately measure a hug so we know we're giving the right amount of love,” recalled Euber.

In order to complete their experiment, the kindergarten class teamed up with their fifth-grade partners. They worked together to figure out the best way to gather data, including measuring hug-spans.  

“Projects like that really warm my heart when I see that intersection of not just ‘how do I do science,’ but ‘how do I use science to solve a problem that I care about that could really influence the people around me.’”

It’s that intersection of science and humanity that really piqued Euber’s interest when she was in school. Her educational journey started at Indiana University. It was here that she discovered her interest in archaeology, specifically bioarchaeology. 

“Once I had done my first field school, I knew that I loved bioarchaeology. It was getting to know people from the past in really thoughtful ways,” recalled Euber. 

She went on to earn bachelor’s degrees in English and anthropology there, before coming to Arizona State University’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

While in pursuit of her PhD, Euber began to hone in on her passion and where her career path could lead. She decided to forgo the academia path and graduated with her Master of Arts in anthropology. Euber went on to serve as the Manager of Education and Outreach for TGen, the Translational Genomics Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization. In that role, she focused on increasing community awareness of genomics, and educating and training the next generation of researchers and physicians.

That experience of educating and training the next generation of researchers made her next, and current role, as CEO of SARSEF a natural fit. 

Though her career took a different shape than she initially envisioned, Euber found her calling in bridging education and science – an extension of the intersection of science and humanity that first sparked her educational pursuits. 

“While I don’t think I took the path that maybe I thought I would, what it did was give me experience in teaching and what anthropology can mean to a broader audience. I saw the difference between students that read about digging square holes and the ones that actually went in the field or worked with the real data. That really inspired me to see science education outside the classroom and what it could be.”

Now, through SARSEF’s mission to engage young learners in STEM, Euber is continuing to spark curiosity and confidence in future scientists. 

“It can start so young; getting to see an elementary school student recognize themselves as a scientist is just phenomenal.”