Connect Sign In
ARUP CEO Andy Theurer leads a group of university students through ARUP’s Automated Core Laboratory.
Jonathan Kuhlenhoelter has always loved science, but he struggled to pick a specific major during his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University (BYU). He landed on mechanical engineering because he believes it can be used to solve a variety of problems.
Before Friday, March 21, 2025, when Kuhlenhoelter toured ARUP Laboratories as part of a BioHive university student chapter event, he had never considered using his skillset in mechanical engineering at a diagnostic laboratory. He will graduate with his master’s degree from the University of Utah (U) soon and has started looking for jobs. The visit opened his eyes to opportunities, he said.
“On a surface level, you might think laboratories would only need chemistry or biochemistry skills, but they actually need all sorts of skills,” Kuhlenhoelter said. “ARUP has a whole infrastructure for people with skills more aligned with mechanical engineering.”
Kuhlenhoelter was among nearly 80 students from the U, Utah Valley University, and BYU who stopped at ARUP as part of an event that also featured a visit earlier in the day to Myriad Genetics. At ARUP, the students learned about diverse career paths in laboratory science and toured ARUP’s Automated Core Laboratory.
The visit to ARUP started with a welcome from ARUP CEO Andy Theurer, followed by a panel discussion about career paths and disciplines within laboratory science led by Jonathan Genzen, MD, PhD, MBA, chief medical officer (CMO) and senior director of governmental affairs; Zach Wilkey, MLS(ASCP)CM, operations director of Automation and Systems Engineering; Mike Graczyk, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CMMB, operations director of ARUP’s Molecular Division; and Kendall Miller, C(ASCP)CMMB, clinical product manager in oncology and digital pathology.
The panelists discussed their own career paths, explained the scope of their fields, and provided examples of different applications of laboratory science.
Miller shared her story of finding a career at ARUP after being unsure which career to pursue. When she started her undergraduate education, she wanted to go to medical school and become a practicing physician. After realizing direct patient care wasn’t the right path, she tried a few scientific jobs that also weren’t a good fit. She found out about ARUP while working in the fast-food industry when she saw someone wearing an ARUP badge.
“After seeing that, I looked up ARUP and applied to a job in a clinical toxicology lab,” Miller said. “I spent 10 years on the bench and absolutely loved it.”
Miller enjoyed connecting with students and said it is important to show students that there are a variety of careers they can pursue after graduation. Now that she has found the right path for her, she is eager to share it with others who may be questioning their career choices.
“When you’re in college, you don’t know what all your options are,” Miller said. “Being able to work in the medical field and to support clinicians is so rewarding. You add so much to people’s lives.”
After the panel discussion, the students toured ARUP’s Automated Core Lab to see lab science in action. Tour guides including Genzen, Wilkey, Graczyk, and CEO Andy Theurer led groups of students through the laboratory, pointing out some of ARUP’s most advanced technologies. ARUP’s autonomous intelligent vehicles, automated specimen track, and sort-to-light system all streamline the process of transporting specimens to appropriate labs for testing.
Seeing the automation of specimen management inspired Kathryn Smith, a neuroscience student at BYU, to consider careers in laboratory science. Smith aims to pursue medical school after graduating with her bachelor’s degree.
“It was kind of a ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ moment,” Smith said. “All the vials are automatically moving along the assembly line. It was fun to see.”
Smith is working on a research project at BYU where she manages approximately 150 blood samples to study schizophrenia. In her academic research, “It takes me two to five hours to work with one sample while staying organized. To see all these samples being sorted at once was amazing.”
During the panel discussion, Smith noted ARUP’s range of innovative projects. “Research and Development is what I am most interested in. It was exciting to hear that there is an innovative part of the company, and I could picture myself doing research here.”
Kuhlenhoelter’s favorite part of the tour was also seeing the automated specimen track. He recognized techniques he learned in his mechanical engineering program at the U being applied all over ARUP’s Automated Core Lab. His guide, Wilkey, manages ARUP’s automation engineering and was able to offer unique insight into a variety of ARUP’s automated labs during Kuhlenhoelter’s tour.
Ligaya Kuiken, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, MB(ASCP)CM, ARUP Human Resources education program coordinator, said that it’s important for ARUP, students, and community partners to participate in events such as the BioHive event.
“It brings awareness to our community of what ARUP does and about the different career opportunities ARUP offers,” Kuiken said. She added: “Knowledge is power. This gives the students a glimpse of what a real-world laboratory workplace is like.”
ARUP has partnered with other student organizations to host student events in the past, including Black Physicians of Utah’s Summer Research Day in 2023. Kuiken said of these partnerships: “There is power in collaboration. It’s a win-win opportunity for both sides.”
Andy Robertson, managing director at BioHive, said he was delighted to work with ARUP to organize this event for students.
“ARUP is a leader in the life sciences in Utah, making a tremendous difference for patients around the nation,” he said. “We want to ensure that students at Utah-based universities have the opportunity to see ARUP’s impact on healthcare and are introduced to various members of Utah’s life science industry.”
To participate in or join a local BioHive university student chapter, send an email to info@biohive.com.
