2018
UC BERKELEY C O L L E G E O F C H E M I S T RY
PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT REPORT
DEAN’S REPORT
Douglas S. Clark DEAN, COLLEGE OF CHEMISTRY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Focusing on program expansion Our departments of Chemistry and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) rank among the most prominent in the world. According to the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU — ShanghaiRanking), Berkeley is the best university in the world in Chemistry. U.S. News & World Report ranks our Chemistry program #1 globally, and the CBE Department is ranked #2 in both its graduate and undergraduate programs. The College of Chemistry’s ongoing aim is to maintain the highest standards of academic excellence by hiring and retaining exceptional faculty who are distinguished by outstanding research, dedicated teaching, and strong service. This year we welcome three extraordinary assistant professors: Kwabena Bediako and Jonathan Rittle in Chemistry and Rui Wang in CBE. We are also working to expand our infrastructure for research and instruction while offering a multitude of academic options within our degree programs. We continue to attract outstanding students and postdoctoral scholars who will become the next-generation leaders in chemistry, chemical biology, and chemical engineering. In addition, the College has always valued creating a diverse, welcoming community and environment for graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, visiting scholars and student researchers, and its dedicated staff. Our undergraduates are at the core of UC Berkeley’s public mission to provide an outstanding education to the brightest students of all backgrounds, and enhancing the undergraduate student experience remains a priority for us. The revamped College of Chemistry Undergraduate Student Services now includes career counseling, student research and discovery experiences, a faculty and alumni mentorship platform, and a peer tutoring program. We are proud to provide our undergraduate students with a “small college” experience within a large university setting. In order to maintain our worldwide leading reputation and achieve our long-term goals, the College is embarking on collaborative initiatives on campus that include construction of a new building in partnership with the College of Engineering and the College of Natural Resources. Our values include both public service and entrepreneurialism, with an eye toward successfully commercializing innovations that emanate from interdisciplinary collaborations with our worldwide industry and academic partners. Through this vision, the College of Chemistry is working to bring ideas and products to market, ultimately fulfilling our goal of making the world a healthier, better place. We ask you to join us and support the extraordinary UC Berkeley College of Chemistry.
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Dean’s Report
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Undergraduate Student Experience Update
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Donor Highlights
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Your Gifts
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Our Alumni in Action
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Corporate Giving
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Scholarship Support
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Facility and Infrastructure Updates
20 Leadership 21
Donor Honor Rolls & In Memoriam
Š 2018, Regents of the Universiy of California
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE UPDATE
First dedicated career counselor joins the College RACHANA VYAS, CAREER COUNSELOR “We are delighted to introduce Rachana Vyas, our first dedicated career counselor for undergraduate students in the CoC,” announced Undergraduate Dean John Arnold recently. “Rachana will be working with students to assist with career advice at all stages of the undergraduate experience, from internships to interviewing and resume-writing workshops; from graduate school to industrial job applications. We are grateful to our alum David Gee (B.S. ’76, Chem) and his wife Caryn Lum for their generous financial support of Undergraduate Student Services, allowing us to fund this position for the first three years.” Rachana joins the College with more than ten years of corporate experience across the healthcare and tech industries, with a keen focus on building strong partnerships and a passion for talent development. As part of the Career Center team, she plans to support College of Chemistry students by providing appropriate tools and engagement opportunities in an effort to align their educations with a successful career track. Rachana comments on her new role: “The coolest thing about my job is that I get to work with the best students in the world (no, really — the Chemistry program is rated #1 in the world)! I get to go on a journey with students that will help change the world someday!”
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Peer Tutoring program moves into second year Last spring anytime you walked into the Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center at the College of Chemistry there was a lot of activity going on. The new Undergraduate Peer Tutoring program was in action with students dropping by throughout the day to get help with concepts and problem solving for their classes. The white board was covered with formulas and people were sitting and taking notes. The program was so popular that it grew to seven tutors by the end of the semester. Shamaya Pellum, the program’s director states, “People loved the program and kept coming back for more assistance. One student returned 33 times over the semester!” The statistics are impressive: There was a total of 540 tutoring sessions, 43 per week, nine per day all handled by the seven tutors and one volunteer. 66% of the students returned more than once for tutoring. 100 of the students were chemistry majors while another 18% were students from other majors looking for help with chemistry courses. 32% of the service’s users were transfer students who also benefited from the program.
According to John Arnold, “This program, which was created by Shamaya Pellum in Undergraduate Student Services and coordinated by transfer student Ty Perez last year, is a further example of the College’s commitment to developing peer engagement and support that is making a huge difference for our students.” Currently, the program is operating out of the lobby of the Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center. Arnold states, “Thanks to a further donation from Chevron, the College is creating a beautiful new tutoring center in Bixby Commons that will open this fall. Once the program has its own space, besides tutoring sessions there are plans to add homework parties, movie nights and much more.” Pellum comments, “After only one year, I was really delighted to see the number of students on probation drop by almost 33%. That’s a big deal and we have the tutors, and the students coming in to get help, to thank for it.”
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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE UPDATE
Introducing some of our amazing students FREJA EKMAN, B.S. CHEMBIO ’18, UNIVERSITY MEDALIST Freja Ekman, 21, a graduate in chemical biology with a near-perfect GPA of 3.99, is this year’s winner of the coveted University Medal. As Berkeley’s top graduating senior, she received a cash award and delivered a speech to thousands of her peers at the campus-wide commencement ceremony in California Memorial Stadium in May. During her undergraduate years, Freja published scientific papers with such luminaries as CRISPR/CAS9 co-discoverer Jennifer Doudna, professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, and CBE professor David Schaffer. “First authorship on one publication and authorship on three additional publications is arguably sufficient for a Ph.D. at Berkeley, [but it’s] an incredible feat for an undergraduate,” wrote Schaffer in his letter recommending Ekman for the University Medal. “Freja is an extremely gifted young scientist in the top 1 percent of all undergraduate students who I have mentored in my 19 years here,” he continued. Congratulations, Freja, on your amazing win. We wish you all the best in your continuing journey in graduate school at the University of Cambridge in England.
TY PEREZ, B.S. CHEMBIO ’18, TRANSFER STUDENT Transfer student Ty Perez has transformed his personal experience as a junior college student into a win-win for undergraduate students at the College of Chemistry. When Undergraduate Advisor Shamaya Pellum started the Peer Tutoring program last fall with funding from Chevron, Perez was her first hire, as the program’s coordinator. By the end of Spring 2018, there were seven paid tutors — and a lot of students getting help: 540 of them, with 43 tutoring sessions a week! Ty spoke of his own earlier experience being tutored: “What was great for me was that, at my junior college, tutors were available 24/7 for drop-in assistance, and they really knew their stuff. I realized I could help to focus our program on the chemistry being taught right now at the College. Our tutors are very passionate about the subject. They’ve had the same classes as the students coming in for tutoring, with the same professors, and so are able to be ‘hands on’ in their tutoring.” Pellum commented, “We now have to look for someone to replace the unbelievably great Ty Perez, starting in the spring. He has been the program’s anchor doing all the scheduling, running meetings, tutoring and coordinating with the faculty.” Perez will graduate this fall with a B.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
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ARIEL PLANTZ, CHEME ’20, LAB WHIZ Ariel Plantz sits down prepared to discuss all things College of Chemistry. Despite a professional — and slightly serious — exterior, her eyes twinkle as she discusses her current ChemE degree focus and her developing passion for Chemistry. In fact, she’s thinking about graduate school in Chemistry now that she’s in her third year at Berkeley. “Discovery is very interesting to me,” Ariel comments. “I love the experimental and conceptual aspect of science.” She is particularly interested right now in research into climate change and quantum mechanics. “I was really lucky to get a Stauffer scholarship this summer that allowed me to stay in Berkeley and spend my summer working in the lab of Professor Reimer. It was a great experience.” Ariel’s mom is a civil and environmental engineer. Her dad is a physicist. There was a general expectation that Ariel would go into the sciences. She initially considered the University of Minnesota. In her mind it was a done deal but her mom talked her into taking a look at Berkeley. “I was literally on the campus for only five hours. But it was obvious from the moment I set foot here, this was it. It’s the best decision I could have made. There’s something about Berkeley that is amazing. The community I have built here could only happen at Cal.” Ariel invests time and commitment in the College clubs as well as her classes. “I feel it broadens my perspective. I’ve met a lot of students in different disciplines that I would not cross paths with otherwise.” She is currently the vice president of the Engineering Honor Society and is looking at joining the AIChE club. Chair and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Jeffrey Reimer says of her, “We have really enjoyed Ariel becoming part of our lab group. She takes care of many safety issues that present themselves in the lab unprompted, making the lab more generally a safe place to work. She is such an independent researcher. With only small amounts of guidance, she prepares MOFs, has made CAD drawings for new parts for a new NMR diffusion probe, and has modified older equipment to conduct thallium NMR and she makes it seem easy!”
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MILLION JOHN STAUFFER ENDOWMENT donates second challenge grant for student research scholarships.
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DONOR HIGHLIGHTS
Fund update Berkeley Catalyst Fund Since the College’s founding 146 years ago, research and discovery have gone hand in hand with philanthropy. The Berkeley Catalyst Fund (BCF) and the Berkeley Catalyst Philanthropic Fund (BCPF) continue in that tradition with a 21st century model, investing in world-class research and entrepreneurialism using keen investment acumen. BCF and BCPF have been designed to provide benefits to entrepreneurial startups and the College of Chemistry. The funds work hand in hand to foster commercialization of new technologies from faculty, postdocs, students, and alumni in a hybrid model that will channel investment returns long term back to the College of Chemistry. BCF now has 20 limited partners and ten portfolio companies. Nine of the companies, listed below, have ties to the College: Circle Pharma (circlepharma.com): Walter Moos, (Ph.D., Chem, ’82) is a board member representing ShangPharma Innovation. The company is developing macrocycle therapeutics. co-Founders include UCSF Professor Matt Jacobson and UCSC Professor Scott Lokey. Demetrix (demetrixbio.com): Founder CoC Professor Jay Keasling is creating natural medicines using synthetic biology. DNALite (dnalite.com): Co-founders Mubhij Ahmad (M.S., ChemE, ’16) and Timothy Day (Ph.D., Neuroscience, ’17) are developing a drug delivery method for carrying gene therapies through mucous membranes. 4D Molecular Therapeutics (4dmoleculartherapeutics.com): Co-founders CoC Professor David Schaffer and CEO David Kirn, M.D. (B.A. Phys, ’85; M.D., UCSF) are trailblazers in gene therapies based on Therapeutic Vector Evolution. LogicInk (logicink.com): Founding CEO Carlos Olguin is working with Peter Foller (Ph.D, Chem, ’79.) The company is working on biosensors. Nelumbo (nelumbo.io): Founding CEO Liam Berryman (on leave from CBE) has teamed up with David Walther (Ph.D., Thermosciences, ’98) and Lance Brockway (Postdoc, ChemE, ’16) to work on surface enhanced products for industrial applications, such as in the HVAC industry.
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Newomics M3 emmiter
Newomics (newomics.com): Founder Daojing Wang (Postdoc, Chem, ’00) is improving mass spectrometry for practical use in personalized medicine applications. Sugarlogix (sugarlogix.com): Chaeyoung Shin (Ph.D., ChemE, ’16) and CoC Professor Jamie Cate are taking a synthetic biology approach to synthesizing human milk sugars, which have become recognized for their importance in establishing a healthy gut microbiome. Valitor (valitorbio.com): Founder CoC Professor David Schaffer has teamed up with Bioengineering Professor Kevin Healy and Wes Jackson (Ph.D. Bioengineering) on a new approach to drug delivery.
Aduro Biotech creates postdoctoral diversity fellowship Executive Associate Dean and Professor of Chemistry Richmond Sarpong considers diversity to be a valuable asset in research and discovery. Sarpong grew up in Ghana, Zambia and Botswana, and came to school in the United States — obtaining his B.S. from Macalester College and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. As a boy, he had become familiar with many diseases prevalent in Africa, from AIDS to food-related cyanide poisoning. Sarpong joined the College of Chemistry faculty in 2004, in the area of Organic and Organometallic Chemistry. “Since my arrival at Berkeley, it has been really clear to me that the College attracts the most talented faculty and students,” he states. “But because of lack of available funding, we struggle to acquire a diverse-enough group that can represent a wider research point of view.” He continues, “We can make a difference when hiring new faculty, but only in small numbers. It seems to me it would be better to focus on our Ph.D. and postdoctoral community. Because of the numbers, that is the best place to start as there is the possibility of a significant impact.” Together with Dean Douglas Clark, Sarpong began seeking a sponsor to create a diversity program specifically for postdoctoral candidates. They connected with Stephen Isaacs (B.A. ’73, Biochem/Chem) at a College event in 2016.
Stephen Isaacs is the Chairman, President and CEO of Aduro Biotech, a company focused on advancing leading-edge proprietary technologies that are designed to initiate and sustain the immune system to mobilize and attack tumors. As a result of subsequent discussions, the Aduro Biotech-UC Berkeley Underrepresented Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, funded by Aduro Biotech, was launched this year. Isaacs has been involved with a half-dozen life-sciences companies over the past 30-plus years. “Aduro Biotech is a very diverse research organization and is much richer for its diversity,” he notes. “The idea with this postdoctoral fellowship was to make the effort to recruit the best and the brightest postdocs to Berkeley and then place them in Aduro Biotech’s R&D unit to be mentored with full access to a professional research environment.” Sarpong adds, “The program is off to an exciting start. We recruited our first postdoc this year in Dr. Alexander Rovira. Rovira is a first-generation Filipino American. His father immigrated to the United States when he was 17. Filipinos are an underrepresented group in the Ph.D. and postdoctoral populations in the sciences, and yet they are not eligible for many federal fellowships geared toward underrepresented groups, so the Aduro-Berkeley fellowship fills an important gap.”
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Your Gifts
For the 2017-18 fiscal year, the College of Chemistry received a total of
$9.2M from
1,568 donors These figures include new gifts and pledge commitments made between July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, and exclude pledge payments and realized bequests.
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Core Revenue by Designation
Total core giving to the College’s unrestricted annual funds
$1,658,730
$633,314
College of Chemistry
$550,304
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
$264,028
Department of Chemistry
$196,234
Undergraduate Program
$12,600
Dean’s Strategic Initiatives
$2,250
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Wellness
from
1,421 donors This represents a 47.5% increase over prior fiscal year.
PHOTO: KEEGAN HOUSER
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OUR ALUMNI IN ACTION
Mike & Ruth Cheng on why giving back is important Mike and Ruth Cheng both immigrated from Hong Kong with their families when they were young. Ruth was 11 when she arrived and Mike was 17. When asked why they came, Ruth states, “It was the 1960s. Everyone in Hong Kong was worried about the communists in China taking over Hong Kong. There was a mass exodus at the time. Both of us had aunts already living in California who had come as war brides. Things were different then. Your whole family could be sponsored so we were all able to come.” Mike (B.S. ChemE, ’77) and Ruth (B.A. Econ, ’77) met on campus when they were 19. Mike was a transfer student in chemical engineering. Ruth was studying economics. They married when they were 24 in 1979. After they finished their undergraduate degrees, Ruth went to work at Allstate and Mike started at the GE Nuclear Energy division in San Jose. “That was an interesting place to start getting my work experience,” Mike states. “I joined the company at 21 through their rather demanding Engineering Training Program and gained valuable experience rotating through different assignments.” After three years at GE, Mike went to work as a process engineer for the Microwave Tube Division of Varian Associates in Palo Alto. The business was founded by the Varian brothers in San Carlos before moving to Building 1 of the Stanford Industrial Park in 1953. The facility became known as the first high-tech park in the United States and signaled the beginning of Silicon Valley. “The opportunity for me to be involved in all aspects of the microwave tube business over the years prepared me well when I was appointed as a Corporate Vice President/Division President at Communications & Power Industries Inc. (a former business of Varian) in 2000,” says Mike. He retired from the company in 2007 after helping take the company public in 2005. Mike moved onto his second career teaching business courses at Golden Gate University (GGU) where he earned his MBA in 1987. He retired this year from his position as MBA Program Director for the Ageno School of Business at GGU, but continues to teach there. Mike and Ruth started thinking about how to get involved as alumni on campus in 2005. “Ruth and I had been talking about what we could do to make a difference,” Mike
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comments. “She once asked me how do we move from success to significance? That was a very powerful question. Through a neighborhood event, we met some of the faculty from the College of Natural Resources. Ruth and I became involved with the College because they are engaged in research on some very urgent social and global issues. Eventually I joined their advisory board.” Mike first became engaged with the College of Chemistry’s fundraising efforts in 2008. The Free Radicals Era committee was looking for alumni to join a steering committee to raise $1.5M and he signed up. The committee was successful and the College has upgraded some of the undergraduate chemistry laboratories and established an endowed chair for a junior faculty member. More recently, he launched a seminar series on career development for undergraduate Chemical Engineering students in the College of Chemistry. Mike states, “The main message is anybody can help the College of Chemistry. It doesn’t mean you have to donate money. Donating time and expertise is just as meaningful. I feel it is important to help students understand how to navigate their careers and contribute positively to society after they leave the University. Students are bright but need some exposure to life management. That’s where we, as alum, can come in and help them out.”
“ The main message is anybody can help the College of
Chemistry. It doesn’t mean you have to donate money. Donating time and expertise is just as meaningful.” — MIKE CHENG, ALUM
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OUR ALUMNI IN ACTION
Free Radicals Era Endowment reaches $1.5M Milestone
You did it! College of Chemistry donors have graciously invested in our students and faculty to create a Free Radicals Era endowment that funds both a professorship and the undergraduate Free Radicals Era laboratory. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity! In order to raise $1.5 million for this endowment, a group of Free Radicals Era alumni (see list to the right) came together and reached out both to their own cohort and to College alumni at large. [Free Radicals Era alumni are “named” for the period from 1964 to 1979 that began amidst social turmoil — the Free Speech and Civil Rights Movements and the rallies against the Vietnam War.] “We felt we could help grow the College’s academic excellence and leave a legacy for future generations of students,” alumnus Dean Draemel, fundraising chair, noted. Kranthi Mandadapu, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) is the inaugural Free Radicals Era Professor. “Promising young professors come to Berkeley because of our internationally renowned reputation and excellent students, but keeping them here includes an economic commitment to their salaries and benefits so that they can live in the Bay Area. We are grateful to the Free Radicals Era fundraising committee and donors for their efforts,” commented Jeffrey Reimer, CBE Chair and Professor.
FREE RADICALS ERA COMMITTEE Dean Draemel, Chair (B.S. ’70, M.S. ’75, ChemE) Mike Cheng (B.S. ’77, ChemE) Thomas Dietsche (Ph.D. ’72, Chem) David Gee (B.S. ’76 Chem) Lara Gundel (Ph.D. ’75, Chem) Tom De Jonghe (M.S. ’73, ChemE) Tim Montgomery (B.S. ’73, ChemE) Virginia Harrell Schultz (B.S. ’66, Chem) Steve Sciamanna (B.S. ’79, Ph.D. ’86, ChemE) Bruce Stangeland (Ph.D. ’67, ChemE)
Mandadapu’s current research interests include how materials behave at multiple length and time scales. He is interested in the intersection of statistical and continuum mechanical fields while looking at principles of organization in biological membranes, principles of eukaryotic and prokaryotic motility, and thermal and mechanical behavior of polycrystalline and amorphous materials. Camille Olufson, Senior Director of Strategic and Philanthropic Partnerships, remarked, “We are grateful for the Free Radicals Era alumni commitment to raising funds for the College. The second-floor student lab received a real renovation boost from the funds. The lab and the professorship funding were a profound way for this particular era-group to leave its mark.”
Kranthi Mandadapu The Free Radicals Era Professor
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“ We owe a debt of gratitude to the College of Chemistry for the excellent education we obtained, leading to rewarding careers in industry.” —THOMAS J. DIETSCHE (PH.D. ’72, CHEM) AND LAURA J. DIETSCHE (B.S. ’81, PH.D. ’93 CHEME)
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OUR ALUMNI IN ACTION
Meet our parents Leyla & David Paul Leyla and David Paul are delighted to discuss the accomplishments of their two college-age students – Lazlo, their son, who is currently studying chemical engineering at Berkeley, and their daughter, Sylvie, who is working on her master’s degree in Russian literature and language at Brown University. The parents both come from university-educated backgrounds. Leyla studied economics at Berkeley (M.A. ’80, Econ), and David received his B.A. from Brown and law degrees from Duke and NYU. Their two children followed suit — one at each alma mater, Berkeley and Brown.
there is a problem, the counselors and faculty seem to always get it worked out quickly and smoothly. We’re also really pleased that he has opportunities like joining BEACN (Bay-Area Environmentally Aware Consulting Network), which is a student run consulting organization that works with sustainabilityfocused companies.
Leyla laughs when asked where they think Lazlo got his interest in chemistry and chemical engineering. “We think Lazlo’s interest is hereditary! Both of my parents (John and Nilüfer Woods) emigrated from Europe to Canada and became chemical engineers. Lazlo and Sylvie were regularly on the phone with their grandparents for math homework help when they were in high school.”
Leyla and David have chosen to support the College of Chemistry by donating to our Annual Fund. This fund is critical for sustaining the College’s undergraduate initiatives such as a dedicated career counselor for undergraduates and the Peer Tutoring program.
Leyla continues, “We were delighted when Lazlo was accepted to the College of Chemistry at Berkeley. We like that he is able to attend a small, intimate college inside a large university. It feels very similar to my undergraduate experience at Ohio State University, which I remember with real fondness. There are so many courses he can have access to beyond his major. He will finish his requirements this year and can take advantage of all the other class opportunities and seminars. It is such an interesting environment; there is so much research going on.”
“We visited campus during homecoming last year and went to the Breakfast with the Dean event. We enjoyed meeting and talking with Dean Douglas Clark about the College and his priorities,” David adds.
“Even though I’m a Brown alum,” David states, “I really enjoy using my Cal Dad mug.”
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David steps in, “Because we are ‘evolved parents,’ we sit on our hands and let Lazlo work issues out on his own directly at the college. We have found it very reassuring that, any time
MILLION DONATED BY 248 COLLEGE PARENTS in 2017-18
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Lazlo models his first Cal sweatshirt
CORPORATE GIVING
Corporate giving increases this fiscal year Corporate giving focused this year on both capital projects and the annual fund. Highlights from our corporate donors include:
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BASF In July, during a California Research Alliance (CARA) symposium, BASF’s Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer, announced a donation of $7 million toward the construction of a new state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary research science facility at UC Berkeley. Fundraising by the College of Chemistry is ongoing for this capital project. A signing ceremony confirming BASF’s donation was held in the College. In attendance were members of BASF along with UC President Janet Napolitano; UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ; former Governor of California Gray Davis; UC Berkeley Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Alivisatos; Dean of the College of Chemistry Douglas Clark; and CARA Co-director, Professor of Chemistry Peidong Yang.
their support of our Undergraduate Student Services, contributing to a new Peer Tutoring lounge that will open this fall, as well as further capital improvements to the Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center. They also supported several of the College’s clubs, including AXE and AIChE and the 2018 ChemE Car team. The team built a shoebox-sized car powered and controlled by chemical reactions for the annual AIChE-sponsored Chemical Engineering Car competition. The team won three first-place and one second-place ribbon in the competition.
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CHEVRON Chevron committed over $300,000 to the College in funding for student initiatives this year. In the spring, they awarded seven undergraduate scholarships and two graduate fellowships to College of Chemistry students. They continued
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SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT
Bruce Firestone provides scholarship support for undergrads Bruce Firestone (B.S. Chem, ’78) was recently on campus and stopped by to share his thoughts on being a Berkeley and College of Chemistry alum, and why he feels it is important to give back to the College. “I had a really great experience, both in my education and personal development, here at Berkeley as an undergrad,” Firestone comments. “Two events really stand out for me from my time in the College. The first was when I was taking an organic chemistry class as a sophomore. The Lab lecturer told us about the structure and history of a molecule that was one of the first antibiotics ever developed after World War I. At that instant, I had my ‘A-ha’ moment, realizing the connection between chemistry and drug development.” “The second was as a senior. I was doing research in the lab of Professor Neil Bartlett at Lawrence Berkeley Lab. At lunch on my first day, I went outside with two fellow students and sat on the iconic bench above the lab with the incredible view of the Bay and San Francisco. This gentleman walked up to us and said, ‘Hello, do you mind if I join you?’ We said, ‘Yes, please do.’ It turned out to be Professor Glenn Seaborg,” Firestone laughs. “Well you can imagine. Our jaws fell to the ground. We all leapt up falling all over each other. I don’t remember a thing about what we discussed but he did sit with us as we ate our lunch with a Nobel Laureate.” After graduation, based on his interest in drug development, Firestone went to work for Syntex in pharmacological research for three years. “At that point, I decided I wanted to go into R&D management but felt that I needed a Ph.D. I went onto UCSF and got my Ph.D. in pharmaceutics. I also spent a year in Sweden doing a postdoc. I landed back in Southern California at Allergan where I spent the next 25 years in management in the areas of pharmaceutical sciences and product development. He departed from his position at Allergan in 2015 to start a consulting practice helping pharmaceutical startups. He states, “I am really enjoying working with young companies helping them fill in their expertise needs as they get their first drugs into clinical trials.” A while back, he started doing volunteer work with his local Cal Alumni chapter and then began giving in small amounts to the University and the College of Chemistry. He continues, “Eventually, I decided to give back more broadly by setting up
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needs-based scholarships for the College of Chemistry and Athletics. I have come to realize how important these years are for undergraduates. My thinking is that providing these kinds of scholarships helps take some of the pressure off students and their families.” “As a Cal/College alum, I have developed important lifelong relationships here. At this point, giving back is meaningful both for me, and the College. All alumni should consider giving, either financially, or by volunteering. We are all part of the Cal family. Besides, it’s a lot more fun coming back to campus now that I don’t have to take organic chemistry finals.”
“As a Cal/College alum, I have developed important
lifelong relationships here. At this point, giving back is meaningful both for me, and the College.” — BRUCE FIRESTONE, ALUM
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FACILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES
Rubber Chen funds facilities upgrades for the College Thanks to the generosity of Rubber Chen, CEO of PMP Tech, the College is receiving a much-needed facilities upgrade. The Rubber and Joy Chen College of Chemistry Dean’s Enrichment Fund, established in 2017, has funded lab and infrastructure upgrades around the College, significant equipment purchases for the machine shop, and faculty research. In addition, Chen contributed to a new fellowship that was established by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan for graduate students in the College of Chemistry. Currently there are three Taiwanese graduate students who have received these new fellowships. The College’s machine shop received some high-tech upgrades. It acquired a 7,650-pound, computer-numericcontrolled (CNC), TRAK LPM milling center with a 16-tool magazine. Eric Granlund, shop supervisor, noted, “It’s a big piece of equipment. Although measurements were carefully taken to confirm it would not be a problem, the assembled machine barely made it through the doors into the building, with a ¼” to spare on either side.”
available off the shelf. With a dollar’s worth of material, and a CAD drawing, the machines can be repaired and are still very useful, saving the College money.” Mike Kumpf, the College Health and Safety program director, described one of the current facility initiatives: “We have started building newly designed safety corridors inside some of the student laboratories and have also moved the students’ offices. The concept is to make it safer for students to move chemicals inside the labs instead of out in the hallways.” Chen’s company, PMP Tech, was established in 1978 in Taiwan. The company’s focus is the development and production of functional elastomers and materials for the technology industry; it provides advanced precise functional elastomers, which are widely used in major computer, communication, and consumer electronic products. The company works with many Fortune 100 companies worldwide including Apple.
The shop also acquired two Markforged 3D industrial printers and an OMAX JetMachining Center for ultra-precision abrasive waterjet cutting. Machinist Clint Jessel remarked, “The 3D printers are really coming in handy. We have been able to create spare parts for machines that no longer are
(l to r) Tenny Chen, Rei Chi Chen (Chem), Yen-Cheng Lin (Chem), Tzu-Yang Huang (CBE), and Rubber Chen
Dinner to celebrate the Taiwanese Fellowship students
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“ The 3D printers are really coming in handy. We
have been able to create spare parts for machines that no longer are available off the shelf.” — CLINT JESSEL, MACHINIST
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LEADERSHIP
College Leadership Douglas S. Clark, Ph.D. Dean, College of Chemistry Richmond Sarpong, Ph.D. Executive Associate Dean, College of Chemistry Jeffrey A. Reimer, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Matthew Francis, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Chemistry
John Arnold, Ph.D. Undergraduate Dean, College of Chemistry Laurent “Lo” de Janvry Assistant Dean, College Relations & Development Alexander Shtromberg Assistant Dean, Engineering and Facilities Suzanne Sutton Assistant Dean, Administration & Finance
Advisory Board Ronald E. Silva, J.D., Advisory Board Chair President & CEO, Fillmore Capital Partners, LLC
John H. Markels, Ph.D. President, Latin America, Merck & Co., Inc.
Andre Argenton, Ph.D. Global Senior R&D Director of Corporate Research, The Dow Chemical Company
Gary M. Masada, Ph.D. Retired President and CIO, IT, Energy Research & Technology Company, Chevron Corporation
Vik Bajaj, Ph.D. Managing Director, Foresite Capital
Alan Mendelson, J.D. Partner, Latham & Watkins, LLP
Shih Hung Chan, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Fuel Cell Center/Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Cynthia Murphy-Ortega, B.S. Manager, University Partnerships & Association Relations, Chevron Corporation
Sunney I. Chan, Ph.D. Emeritus George Grant Hoag Professor of Biophysical Chemistry, CalTech
R. Andrew Ramelmeier, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Technical Operations & Manufacturing, Sangamo Therapeutics
Nirmal Chatterjee, Ph.D. Retired Vice President of Engineering, Air Products and Chemicals
Georgieanna Scheuerman, Ph.D. Retired Manager, Applied Research and Catalysis, Chevron Energy Technology Company
Rubber Chen, B.S. CEO, Pioneer Material Precision Tech (PMP Tech) Margaret Chu-Moyer, B.S. Executive Director, Amgen Inc. Zhiping (Phillip) Cui, M.B.A. Vice President and General Manager of VC Investment Department, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd Herbert H. Hooper, Ph.D. Managing General Partner, Ampersand Ventures
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Charles V. Shank, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Chemistry & Physics, UCB; Former Director, LBNL Harmeet Singh, Ph.D. Corporate Vice President, Lam Research Peter Walther, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Heterogeneous Catalysis, BASF Corporation
Ted Hou, Ph.D. CEO, NEEM Scientific; General Partner, Berkeley Catalyst Fund
Keith Watson, Ph.D. Founder, Practivist Investors LLC
Yuan T. Lee, Ph.D. Nobel Laureate, Chemistry; Professor Emeritus, Chemistry, UCB; President Emeritus, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Learn more: chemistry.berkeley.edu/advisory-board
Ellie Yi-Li Yieh, B.S. Vice President & General Manager, Applied Materials, Inc.
Donor Honor Rolls & In Memoriam DONOR HONOR ROLLS
IN MEMORIAM
Our annual Donor Honor Rolls are available on our website at chemistry.berkeley.edu/donors. The rolls include individual, corporate and memorial donations. The College of Chemistry deeply appreciates each and every gift from our incredible alumni, students, parents, friends, and corporate community. Your generosity, now more than ever, is critical as we strive to increase scholarship offerings for students, provide funds to support our stellar faculty, augment support programs, and enhance our facilities.
The 2018 In Memoriam for the College of Chemistry is located on our website at chemistry.berkeley.edu/memoriam. We create an annual list in honor of our deceased alumni, adding names throughout the year as they become available to us. It is our hope that this In Memoriam will help you to keep abreast of news of your friends and colleagues. When possible, we link to obituaries.
Through our Distinguished Dean’s Society, the College of Chemistry recognizes annual gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations that support the many areas of College research, teaching and operations. Eight levels of giving are recognized. For each level, membership is determined by gifts made during the previous fiscal year, which is for the period July 1 – June 30. The online rolls note gifts made during the fiscal year 2017-2018. Please accept our sincere gratitude for your generous support of the College of Chemistry!
FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN $100,000 New foundation core support for 2018
CONTACT US Laurent “Lo” de Janvry Assistant Dean, College Relations and Development ldejanvry@berkeley.edu Mindy Rex Senior Director, Capital Projects & Corporate Partnerships rex@berkeley.edu Camille Olufson Senior Director, Strategic and Philanthropic Partnerships colufson@berkeley.edu Colleen Cahill Senior Development Officer, Undergraduate Parents colcahill@berkeley.edu
Make your threeyear, leadership-level commitment to any of our core annual funds. Help set a new, higher foundation of annual giving to ensure our College’s continued excellence.
PHOTO: KEEGAN HOUSER
Learn more and make your commitment here: chemistry.berkeley.edu/ ffecampaign
University of California Berkeley College of Chemistry 420 Latimer Hall #1460 Berkeley, CA 94720-1460
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