Humanists of Utah has been encouraging the University of Utah student group SHIFT for the past year with advice and monetary considerations. The group was recently awarded for their efforts by their parent organization:

Each year, the Secular Student Alliance gives out five awards to groups that have excelled in particular facets of activism and campus involvement. This year, we had a record number of applicants; we got nearly 30 excellent entries.

Best Educator: University of Utah SHIFT

The SSA chose the University of Utah's SHIFT (Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought) for its Best Educator Award. This Utah club's efforts at educating the community are impressive, to say the very least. Last fall, SHIFT put together a wildly successful talk about health care with Representative Brian King, which the club followed with a movie screening of Sicko. As a result of the event, club members learned about how the health care debate interacted with secular values.

In addition, SHIFT educated the community with a lecture and movie for Carl Sagan Day. Another compelling event was the group's hosting geneticist and artist, Dr. Daniel Fairbanks. Fairbanks not only explained Darwin Day; he also sculpted a bust of the notable freethinker, which SHIFT donated to the university to be placed on exhibit. After hosting Fairbanks, SHIFT welcomed noted freethinker Austin Dacey to give a presentation about blasphemy and host a debate with a philosophy professor. These accomplishments make the SSA proud to award its Best Educator award to Utah's SHIFT.

Congratulations to the leadership and members of SHIFT. We hope that you continue to thrive in the coming years!