From the Director

A Successful First Year

Our first academic year as the School of Biological Sciences was a smashing success! We launched a new year-long Introductory Biology course that gives our undergraduates experience doing biology, from hands-on labs to in-class analysis of biological data. Here’s what students are saying:

“We don’t know what our soil sample will yield in the lab, and neither do the instructors. We can arrive at different conclusions in different ways or the same conclusion from different paths—real science.”

“You don’t really enter the lab knowing what you’re going to walk into—in a good a way.”

“You get a deep dive in the subject rather than just a broad view of something. It’s very hands-on.”

And the faculty have commented on the increased student engagement.

Our research capacity in the School continued to grow this year. The $6 million Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope housed in the new Crocker Science Center produced its first images this winter. And we have expanded our capacity to give our undergraduates cutting-edge research experiences with the establishment of the Biology Research Scholars Program. This program is made possible by a lead gift from Jenny & Ryan Watts with supporting gifts from Ole Jensen, Mark Skolnick and George Riser. Stop by next fall for our first symposium to see what our Scholars have been working on.

This May we will launch the 2019 cohort of Biology graduates that includes 185 students with undergraduate degrees and twenty students with graduate degrees. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors and encourage you to stay connected to your roots in the School of Biological Sciences!!

And past graduates… we would love to hear what you are up to now. This newsletter is a venue for sharing your information and keeping connected. Please send us your updates: development@biology.utah.edu

All the best and enjoy your summer,Sincerely,

M. Denise Dearing Distinguished Professor, Director School of Biological Sciences