The New Face of Science

from Notebook - Spring 2019

by University of Utah - College of Science

Homecoming 2019

The University of Utah has changed drastically in the 49 years since Pete D. Gardner started his time as the first Dean of the College of Science. The university campus now totals 225 buildings, across 1,500 acres, with enrollment exceeding 33,000 students. Technology has enabled discoveries that break down barriers between traditional disciplines. In the midst of all of this growth, the U has emerged as a leader on the world stage.

Credit the University leadership of the 1970s for having the long-term vision to recruit the best and the brightest to Utah and provide them with state-of-the-art facilities. Over the years, leaders realized that in order to establish its status as a top tier school, it was imperative that the University attract faculty from diverse disciplines engaged in innovative research. This recruitment strategy is still in place today. And after nearly five decades, the results speak for themselves: 13 National Academy of Science members, 9 National Academy of Medicine members, one Nobel Prize, and a long list of annual honors and grants.

The College of Science has played an integral role in the University’s growth. The College is now a national leader. Faculty members have received awards ranging from the National Medal of Science to the Breakthrough Prize. Over the last five years, the College has received more than $166 million in research funding. Most importantly, our alumni can be found making meaningful contributions around the globe.

EDUCATORS – MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Distinguished Professor Joel Harris witnessed the evolution of the College of Science firsthand. Joel joined the Chemistry department in 1976 and is known by many as the founder of analytical chemistry at the University of Utah. This year, Harris was awarded the Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching. The award recognizes one teacher at the University of Utah each year that has made “a contribution to teaching, the dissemination of knowledge, and to improving our ability to communicate with each other.”

This level of excellence is found throughout the College. Physics Professor (Lecturer) Gernot Laicher was recognized with a University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award. Chemistry Professor (Lecturer) Holly Sebahar and Biology Professor Leslie Sieburth were recognized with Excellence in Teaching Awards from the College of Science.

RESEARCH – THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE

Since its inception, the College of Science has held firm to the belief that scientific research cultivates progress and innovation. We are proud to recognize our faculty’s tremendous research accomplishments, including receiving over $42 million in research grants in 2018 alone.

This hard work has not gone unnoticed. The University of Utah awarded Distinguished Scholarly & Creative Research Awards to Valeria Molinero, Professor of Chemistry, and Mladen Bestvina, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics.

MAJOR AWARDS – INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Christopher Hacon, McMinn Presidential Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, added two new “honors of a lifetime” to his already stellar resume: Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

Additional honors in the Department of Mathematics include Professors Tommaso de Fernex and Peter Trapa, who were named Fellows of the American Mathematical Society. Professor Firas Rassoul-Agha was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and Assistant Professor Akil Narayan received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Grant.

Denise Dearing, Director and Distinguished Professor of the School of Biological Science, received the American Society of Mammalogists, Joseph Grinnell Award for contributions to education in mammalogy.

Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Science Diane Pataki was named a Fulbright Global Scholar, an Ecological Society of America Fellow, and the Associate Vice President of Research for the University of Utah.

Professor Lynn Bohs joins Pataki as a Fulbright Global Scholar, while Assistant Professor William Anderegg was named a Packard Foundation Fellow.

Associate Professor Cagan Sekercioglu became a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society.

Professor Nalini Nadkarni was honored with a University of Utah Distinguished Innovation and Impact Award, and Assistant Professor Nitin Phadnis received the College of Science Award for Fostering Undergraduate Research Excellence.

In the Department of Chemistry, Department Chair and Distinguished Professor Cynthia Burrows received the University’s highest faculty accolade, the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence, presented annually to a faculty member who transcends ordinary teaching, research, and administrative efforts.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized Professor Shelley Minteer as a fellow.

Professor Michael Morse received The Optical Society’s William F. Eggers Award. Distinguished Professor Henry White was awarded the John A. Widtsoe Presidential Endowed Chair in Chemistry.

Tino Nyawelo, Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, blurs the line between researcher, teacher, and activist in his work with Sudanese refugees and underserved youth throughout Salt Lake County. He was also awarded the College of Science Award for Fostering Undergraduate Research Excellence.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Alexei Efros was awarded the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize. The American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics recognized Professor Emeritus Bill Sutherland with the Dannie Heineman Prize in Mathematical Physics.

STUDENT SUCCESS – BREAKING THE MOLD

Graduate student Florence Doval’s work on microtubule transport systems sounds more like biology than the research of Assistant Professor Michael Vershinin’s lab in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

“Understanding this potential mechanism for regulating transport is important for biomedical research, but it is a major technical challenge to build and study these nanoscale structures. Our lab is constantly pushing the limits of biophysics to make this research possible.”

The College of Science is committed to consistent improvement in teaching and learning. Our graduate and undergraduate research programs provide unprecedented access to lab space and faculty, while an environment of interdisciplinary collaboration spurs research innovations.

Cameron Owen BS’19, is another U student on the cutting edge of scientific research. Owen joined the lab of Distinguished Professor Peter Armentrout as a freshman and has collaborated on multiple publications, three of which have Cameron as the lead author. This spring, Cameron was awarded a prestigious Churchill Scholarship (the College’s 4th in a row) and the College of Science Research Scholar Award.

As he prepares for graduate studies at Cambridge, Cameron credits his success to the supportive environment at the U and cherishes the friendships he cultivated via the Armentrout Research Group and his Honors Science Cohort.

FOR THE FUTURE

The long-term vision of the College of Science is alive and well at the University of Utah! The College continues the University’s tradition of recruiting the best and brightest faculty to Utah and providing them with state-of-the-art facilities. We strive to advance the frontiers of science, excel in research and education, and increase public understanding of science.

We are proud of our students and faculty. They are the new face of science, driving an amazing future for our university, our state, our nation, and our world.