Photo Gallery: 2026 KEYS Research Showcase
Hundreds gathered at the Health Sciences Innovation Building on July 17 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BIO5 Institute’s Keep Engaging Youth in Science (KEYS) Research Internship and the achievements of 58 interns from across Arizona.
On July 17, the KEYS Research Internship celebrated the 20th annual research showcase, commemorating two decades of providing high school students with in-depth, hands-on research experience at the University of Arizona. KEYS is a vital part of the BIO5 Institute’s commitment to providing research opportunities for students at all levels and helping to train the next generation bioscience workforce.
Over 400 community members and families attended to support the dedicated researchers, interns and program that opens doors for scientific opportunity.
The showcase gives interns a platform to present their research from the immersive seven-week program, where they contribute to diverse bioscience, physical and computational projects.
Chosen from the program’s largest applicant pool of over 500, the 20th cohort included forty-three students in Tucson, five in Phoenix and ten participating virtually.
KEYS welcomed Representative Adelita Grijalva, representing Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, as the ceremony’s keynote speaker, where she gave an uplifting address on supporting the next generation of scientists and the importance of research training. Grijalva also visited several intern posters to learn more about the research of this year’s cohort.
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva speaks with 2026 KEYS intern Abrielle Anchondo-Leyva about her research poster.
Lily Howe
In honor of the 20th anniversary, three alumni speakers representing the program’s early, middle and recent years were invited to share more about their scientific journeys.
Salika Dunatunga shared her nonlinear journey starting as a 2009 KEYS intern in a plant metabolism lab to her current role as software engineer for Myriad Genetics. From Yuma, Joshua Dusek discussed how his scientific career evolved from a 2018 KEYS intern in a cardiovascular pharmacogenomics lab to working on his graduate degree in optometric medicine at Rocky Mountain University/Brigham Young University. Recently graduated from the University of Arizona with an undergraduate degree in physiology and public health, Mariam Rana, KEYS 2022, expressed how the program helped her grow her passion for science as she pursues a medical career.
Their stories are a few examples of how KEYS has been committed to expanding access to STEM opportunities for twenty years, helping students build skills, grow confidence and explore careers in science and research.
In the past, housing barriers have limited participation for students from communities farther from Tucson. With support from the APS Foundation and an increased gift from Jan Davenport, KEYS was able to offer free on-campus University of Arizona housing, making the program more accessible to students from non-metro areas for the first time since the pandemic. The 2026 cohort included 13 students in dorms from areas such as Yuma, Nogales and the Navajo Nation. Another exciting development was the generous gift from the Thomas R. Brown Foundations that will now permanently fund five KEYS interns focused on the physical sciences.
(Left to right): 2026 KEYS interns Abrielle Yelisa Anchondo-Leyva, David Jones, Alexis Herrera Mendoza, William Miles Ruiz, and Maiya Virani pose with Mary Bernal (center, in red), representing the Thomas R. Brown Foundations.
Since its founding, the KEYS program has graduated 869 students. The program is made possible through the support of BIO5 and generous donors, including individuals, families, companies, foundations and colleges and departments across the University of Arizona.
The Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF), which helped launch BIO5 25 years ago, continues to be a catalyst for interdisciplinary bioscience research, innovation and impact at the University of Arizona, making student-focused programs like KEYS possible.
Applications for the 2027 KEYS cohort will open in fall 2026.
KEYS thrives thanks to community support! Donations help fund tuition, financial aid, KEYS Crew and overall programming. If you’re interested in making a difference for future KEYS interns, visit https://keys.arizona.edu/give .
Photos from the 2026 KEYS Research Showcase
About the University of Arizona BIO5 Institute
The BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona connects and mobilizes top researchers in agriculture, engineering, biomedicine, pharmacy, basic science, and computational science to find creative solutions to humanity’s most pressing health and environmental challenges. Since 2001, this interdisciplinary approach has been an international model of how to conduct collaborative research, and has resulted in disease prevention strategies, promising new therapies, innovative diagnostics and devices, and improved food crops.