About Us
Energy & U was developed by the University of Minnesota in 2007. In 2019, Dr. Karen Lozano and team wrote a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to migrate the show to the Rio Grande Valley and also translate the show into Spanish.
The show was scheduled to premiere live at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was cancelled. Under the circumstances of social distancing, a virtual production was developed in 2020 and 2021 and premiered to over 20,000 students over Zoom. The show went live in 2022, and since its inception, over 40,000 students have been inspired along with countless community members.
In 2022, the production won a Lone Star Emmy award from the National Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences in the instructional/informational category and earned the UTRGV 2023 Team Excellence Award. Most recently, in 2024, it won The Communicator Award in various categories.
Our last live performance was in May 2025, and our team cannot wait to continue this show at UTRGV in the coming year. Come watch the fire, dance, music, science, engineering, and explosions. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring your classrooms and families to experience Energy & U LIVE!