Dean’s Corner Fall 2009
It has been a difficult economic year, and the University of Utah experienced significant budget cuts that required a good deal of belt tightening. Nevertheless, there were many positive aspects that I am happy to report.
Pierre V. Sokolsky Dean, College of Science. Photo by Steven Leitch/University of Utah
Most impressively in this “Great Recession,” the Thatcher family of Salt Lake City, Utah, showed great generosity and forward thinking by donating a multi-million dollar gift to the chemistry department to supplement an $8 million National Institutes of Health grant to construct an addition to the south tower of the Henry Eyring Chemistry Building.
The new Thatcher Building for Biological and Biophysical Chemistry will include a mass spectrometry facility and advanced undergraduate laboratories, which are particularly important since the department’s undergraduate student population is expected to increase over the next few years.
Another important gift was the establishment of an endowment to support a graduate fellowship. The Dale A. Stringfellow Endowed Fellowship in Cell Biology or Microbiology commemorates the life and work of the well-respected research scientist and U of U science graduate Dale Stringfellow. Graduate fellowships are few and far between in the College of Science and are much needed. They permit the college to attract the best students and allow them to pursue research at the highest level. We are most grateful to Mrs. Jean Stringfellow for her generosity in providing this gift in memory of her late husband.
Alumni participation increased significantly this year, with a more than 60% rise in the number of alumni giving to the College of Science. We are very gratified that our alumni are stepping up to support the great teaching and research in the college. As state support continues to diminish, and budgets get tighter and tighter, private giving becomes more important. We hope that each of you find it possible to contribute in any way you can to our great common task of teaching the next generation about science and mathematics and pushing the frontiers of knowledge through the continued building of excellence. We are particularly looking for funds to support scholarships to offset the continuing tuition increases our students are experiencing, as well as donations to support the ACCESS Scholarship Program for Women in Science and Mathematics.
A new Donor Recognition Wall is now installed in the lobby of the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building. This will allow us to properly honor our generous donors and highlight their contributions in a very visible area of campus.
A good example of cutting edge research that is going on in the college is the recent work of Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Graeme W. Milton. A feature article on page six discusses how Professor Milton has developed the mathematics of cloaking: a potentially practical way of rendering objects invisible to sonar and radar, and safe from earthquakes and tsunamis. While much yet remains to be done to make cloaking a common occurrence, proof of principle is in hand. I encourage you to read the news release carefully to understand how clever this idea really is.
In future issues of Notebook, we will be reporting on the many other exciting developments in the college: a new robotic telescope on Frisco Peak in central Utah; plans for reconstructing the old Natural History Museum into a Center for Science and Mathematics Education; new facilities for a Cell Genomics Center; and a new effort in Biophysics that crosses department and college boundaries.
Finally, I am pleased to report that the University of Utah Board of Regents and university administration approved the formal renaming of the physics department to the Department of Physics and Astronomy. This is truly a landmark achievement and represents a major step in the development of an astronomy program at the U. One immediate benefit is the hiring of eight new faculty members to the department. Read their profiles under “New Faculty.”
The College of Science remains vibrant and, with your help, we intend to do everything we can to maintain and grow it, particularly in these difficult times. This is indeed the moment to join with us in efforts that will move the college even higher in excellence as the economy begins to improve.
