On the SCENE: High school student gets hands-on lab experience at ASU

A scene can be a lot of things. 

Playwrights might picture a location in their piece, artists might picture a local venue and those who like to party might picture a lot of things. However, for many eager young scholars across the valley, they think of the invaluable mentorships, equipment and laboratories available through Arizona State University’s SCENE (SCience and ENgineering Experience) initiative. 

Aryan Rauniyar is one of those students. A senior at BASIS Peoria, Rauniyar’s scene is forging the way for more sustainable hardware in the ever-expanding artificial intelligence industry. Although, it didn’t start out that way. 

“SCENE is a place to hone your passions,” Rauniyar said. “The program is geared toward fostering and developing students that already have a passion and want to pursue it further. It provides a professional foundation and incredible access to resources that a student normally wouldn't have access to.”

ASU’s SCENE initiative works to provide high school students across Arizona with the opportunity to work in “state-of-the art labs at Arizona State University, under the guidance of professors and university students, to answer their own original research questions and compete in regional and national science competitions.”

More than that, it allows motivated students to be hands-on with the #1 most innovative research in the country and further that legacy through their own contributions. 

“My experience is unique in that a majority of my research is conducted remotely,” Rauniyar explained. “I had the chance to work in the Speyer Group on the Sol Supercomputer to simulate III-V ternary semiconductor alloys, to understand their characteristics and how to best implement their properties in real life.” 

With ASU being a pivotal partner in advancing research across multiple STEM fields, SCENE is able to provide students connections to some of the top research organizations across the globe, and do so without the hassle of networking on your own. 

Alongside the top research organizations, ASU’s faculty provide amazing mentorship for a student who is just starting out. 

“I was surprised by how close I grew with my research mentor,” Rauniyar said. “They were invested in my learning and my success, so we were constantly emailing each other and talking with each other. Everyone makes sure that you understand everything that you need to know. I was initially a little scared about jumping into something I hadn't really heard about before, but my SCENE mentors were there with me every step of the way.”

Mentorship with SCENE doesn’t stop at just being supportive, the cutting edge research being done at ASU provides a mentorship that pushes students to learn at the same level as the faculty researches themselves. 

“I am working with Professor Antia S. Botana, to work alongside other research groups at ASU. They recently synthesized a new filled skutterudite (a type of material) and are working with us so we can simulate and determine their important characteristics,” Rauniyar said.

For anyone else who had to read “skutterudite” three times to make sure they got that right, it is according to Wikipedia a “cobalt arsenide mineral containing variable amounts of nickel and iron,” used in energy related hardware, and a great example of how SCENE students will be pushing beyond what they are taught in a standard high school science class.

Rauniyar spoke to other examples of what he has learned from his time in SCENE. 

“I have grown very familiar with using the vast digital infrastructure provided by ASU,” said Rauniyar. “On the Sol Supercomputer, I use software such as Quantum Espresso and VASP via Linux to create the simulations. Additionally, I have used their MATLAB services to create the analysis and graphs for my research. And all of this was for free.”

From helping synthesize new minerals to learning advanced software that can help calculate complex simulations, SCENE provides a lot of tools that students can use to drive their own research and create an impressive resume before they enroll in college themselves. 

And they also help to get the students' names out as well. 

“The most memorable thing I got to do was definitely participating in the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AZSEF). It helped me turn my research into something tangible and I'm really proud of how my poster board turned out,” Rauniyar said. 

“While I was a little bummed that I got second place in my division, I got to meet with and talk to so many other people that were just as invested in research as I was,” Rauniyar continued. “The experience really opened up my eyes to how transformative participating in SCENE could be, as I never even imagined I would be able to even attend AZSEF, let alone place.”

For a student who is motivated, but still unsure of exactly where that motivation should be directed, SCENE provides the opportunity to hone that passion into real world experiences and a more direct understanding of the work that can be done in their future. 

Rauniyar explained just how it was able to help him go from a passionate STEM student, to determined engineer. 

“SCENE has definitely been one of, if not the most influential factor in my post-high school plans,” Rauniyar explained. “I always had an interest in building sustainable materials, but never knew the specifics of what I wanted to do. SCENE helped me figure out that I wanted to create more-efficient AI hardware, which informed all of the college applications that I submitted.”

While many students and faculty within ASU will shout from the rooftops just how amazing the opportunities for research are here, leave it to a bright-eyed high school student like Rauniyar to explain in perfect words how SCENE can elevate the education of anyone interested in STEM. 

"Don't be scared to give it a shot. SCENE simply wants to give students an avenue to really refine their interests and provides way more than just setting you up with a research mentor. It was one of the most transformative decisions I have made so far, and I have loved every step of it!”

SCENE applications for the 2025-2026 year open May 17 and are available for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. For more information on how to get involved check out the SCENE homepage.