Dean's Corner

Henry S. White

Dear Alumni and Friends,

This issue of Notebook highlights key efforts that demonstrate the College’s continuing commitment to education, scientific discovery, and economic impact in the State of Utah, the nation, and the world.

I am pleased to report that the Gary and Ann Crocker Science Center in the newly renovated George Thomas Building on Presidents Circle will be completed in November. See page four for a preview of the new research and teaching resources that the Crocker Science Center will bring to the campus community, including research laboratories for the Center for Cell and Genome Science, and critically-needed undergraduate educational labs and classrooms. Classes will begin in spring semester 2018.

The College continues to provide exceptional undergraduate experiences. For the second year in a row, one of our students has been chosen for the prestigious Churchill Scholarship for study at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Michael Zhao, an outstanding senior in Mathematics, was one of just 15 students in the U.S. to receive a Churchill Scholarship. We are also proud that one of our undergraduates received the highly competitive Hertz Foundation Fellowship, which awards $250,000 for graduate study in a STEM field. College of Science Research Scholar Ethan Lake, a double major in Physics and Mathematics, was one of only 12 students nationally who received this fellowship.

This issue of Notebook also features two outstanding alumni from the College: Doon Gibbs, BS’77 in Physics and Mathematics, is the Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York – one of the largest research centers in the country. He visited campus on May 4 to deliver an inspiring and insightful talk to the

College of Science graduating Class of 2017. Read his story on page 12; Ryan Watts, BS’00 in Biology, co-founded Denali Therapeutics in 2015 and is now on a mission to discover drug therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s. Read his profile on page 18.

I invite alumni, donors, friends and colleagues to be more engaged with the College of Science. That is why I’m excited to introduce the Crimson Laureate Society. As you’ll see on page 15, the Crimson Laureate Society will provide more opportunities for direct involvement in the College and incentives for charitable giving.

The College of Science gratefully acknowledges our alumni, friends, and supporters whose generous gifts are helping to provide a truly exceptional education for our students. Your contributions make a difference!

Henry S. White — Dean, College of Science