College of Science, Engineering and Technology

Heidi Rausch was like a lot of students taking a difficult class — she needed help with physics. Bryce Beatty, a learning advocate (LEAD) in the Learning Lounge, was there for her, and Rausch felt so at home, she decided to become a LEAD herself. Thursday at commencement, she’ll graduate with her degree in Biology and is looking forward to medical school.

More than 5,000 graduates and their 30,000 guests will be on the Grand Canyon University campus this week for spring commencement. There will be six ceremonies — two each, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., on Thursday through Saturday.

The 3,000 high school students who participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition 2017 Arizona Regional at GCU Arena were joined Friday by Ronav Chauhan, a 5-year-old who has battled cancer most of his life. Make-A-Wish Foundation Arizona arranged for Ronav, who wants to be an engineer, to have a dream day with the robots and the students who built them.

This year’s Canyon Challenge, scheduled for Thursday afternoon at GCU Arena, features five mission-driven finalists competing for the $15,000 in prize money. Storage Together, which won an international competition in Barcelona last fall, is among the competitors.

GCU students are researching solutions to a variety of the world’s problems such as using plants to combat bacteria-resistant diseases and developing an exercise plan to help reduce hypertension rates. Several dozen students presented their ideas at a Research Symposium that GCU Provost Hank Radda described as “heartening.”

This weekend’s NCAA Division I men’s basketball Final Four will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium, but the festivities begin at Grand Canyon University Arena on Thursday night with the 29th annual Slam Dunk and 3-point Championships. GCU also will be represented in other ways — by the Thundering Heard Pep Band and by dozens of students who will be volunteering at the various festivities.

The Integration of Faith, Learning and Work “Lunch and Learn” series concluded Friday with a discussion about our relationships, especially the most important one — the one with Jesus. Colangelo College of Business instructor Ken Hein shared some personal anecdotes and said, “It takes courage to stand up and sacrifice what might be everything in order to have a permanent relationship with our Savior.”

Nearly 1,500 students from 83 high schools across Arizona learned about crime scene evidence, toured DNA and cadaver labs and listened to forensic experts speak during Grand Canyon University’s annual Forensic Science Day. They also got to take a crack at solving a “murder” set up for their benefit.

Nearly 1,000 people gathered Thursday at GCU Arena to hear 18 speakers and watch a full day’s worth of thought-provoking, emotional and inspirational TEDx talks. GCU students Austin Mosher and Jedidiah Woods, who conceived and organized the event, believe this year’s inaugural TEDx Grand Canyon University production will become an annual staple.

GCU’s new Robotics Club, one of six new engineering clubs approved last month, got off to a racing start when its Derby Kart entry, a brightly painted Lego-mobile, won the “Most Creative” award in the homecoming weekend event.