Savannah Romney

Savannah Romney

Savannah Romney is a double-major in biology and math at the University of Utah.

Savannah participated in the ACCESS Scholars scholarship program for entering first-year students who are dedicated to expanding science education to all sectors of our society, including to women who traditionally have had a harder time breaking “the glass ceiling.” She appears to have shattered that ceiling (so wear your shoes … there’s glass everywhere!)

A Utah native, Savannah commutes to school every day from Draper where she works in the Parkinson lab studying e-coli.

“During my ACCESS year, I have gained confidence in my abilities as a student, leader and scientist,” she says. Savannah talks about how ACCESS connected her with peers who share her passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and learning in general. The ACCESS network now includes “Some of my best friends!” she says.

She reminds young people who are considering a university education that life at the U is “fast paced, so balancing academics with your personal life is so important.”

Her favorite ACCESS social was the Star Party at the U’s observatory atop the physics building where the night sky is brought into high relief for researchers and students alike.

“While transitioning to college can be intimidating,” she says, it is comforting to know you are not alone. ACCESS Scholars connected me with the very best advisors, mentors, and peers/friends I could ever hope for!”

To conclude, she says that “if you’re passionate about STEM and want to enhance your college experience, ACCESS Scholars is for you!”

 

by David Pace, first published @biology.utah.edu

Distinguished Researcher

Distinguished Research Award


Jon Chaika, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, has been awarded the Distinguished Research Award (DRA) from the University of Utah.

The DRA recognizes outstanding achievements in research by University of Utah faculty. Up to three awards for outstanding achievements in research are awarded to university faculty each year. This prestigious research award provides a faculty member with a $10,000 grant to pursue research and/or creative pursuits, as well as recognition at the university’s commencement exercises.

"It’s a big honor to receive the DRA, and it adds to my excitement to continue working on the problems that I have been pursuing," he said.

The funds from the award will allow Chaika to meet with other colleagues on his research. "The type of mathematics I do doesn’t need labs or expensive machinery, but it does rely heavily on interactions with other people,” he said. “This award will allow me to work with my collaborators, domestically and abroad."

Jon Chaika

Research on dynamical systems

Chaika’s research is in the field of dynamical systems, which seeks to understand a space and a map by following individual points. The map could represent the passage of time in a physical system. Ergodic theory is a sub-branch of dynamical systems that uses an idea called a measure to do this. A measure is an abstraction of the idea of length or area (or volume). One of the families of systems Chaika studies is billiards in polygons. In these systems, a point travels in a straight line inside a polygon until it hits one of the sides. Once it hits a side, it obeys the law of elastic collision, bouncing off the side the same way a billiard ball would off the side of a pool table. It then continues to travel in a straight line until it hits the next side, where it again has an elastic collision. Chaika and Giovanni Forni, a mathematician at the University of Maryland, have been able to show there are billiards in polygons in which the flow in different directions is usually uncorrelated.

Other awards

In July 2022, Chaika will give an invited lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). Originally scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, the conference now will be held remotely. Chaika will present jointly with Barak Weiss, professor of mathematics at Tel Aviv University.  Invited lectures are organized into sections, and Professors Chaika and Weiss will present within the “Dynamics” section. The U’s Department of Mathematics will have outstanding representation at the ICM. In addition to Chaika, Mladen Bestvina, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, will give a plenary lecture at the event.

In 2020, Chaika received a Simons Fellows Award in Mathematics. He obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics in 2010 from Rice University and joined the University of Utah in 2013.

by Michele Swaner, first published @ math.utah.edu

 

Distinguished Educator

Distinguished Educator Award


Claudia De Grandi

Claudia De Grandi awarded College of Science Distinguished Educator Award.

Claudia De Grandi, assistant professor (lecturer) of educational practice in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, has been recognized for her exceptional contributions to the educational mission of the College of Science by receiving the 2021-2022 College of Science Distinguished Educator Award.

Nominations for the award include faculty who have gone above and beyond to foster community, provide engaged learning opportunities, or otherwise substantially enrich learning experiences within the College of Science community at the university.

“I am excited and honored to receive this award! It’s a pleasure to work with faculty, students, and staff in the College in the pursuit of educational excellence.”

In supporting De Grandi’s nomination, Christoph Boehme, professor and chair of the department, said, “The award recognizes the excellent work that Claudia has done over the past years, not just as an outstanding course instructor, but also for course and curriculum development. We are so lucky to have her as a faculty member in the department.”

Some of the projects she has been actively involved with in the department include: designing and leading the teaching assistant orientation for incoming graduate students, reforming the undergraduate physics curriculum, and piloting a new peer-to-peer mentoring program (the PANDA Network led by Dr. Gail Zasowski).

Since fall 2020, Dr. De Grandi has served as the chair of the Physics and Astronomy Teaching Excellence Committee, the goal of which is to support all faculty and instructors in the department to design effective learning environments and foster student success. The ongoing work of this committee includes: creating a community in the department to discuss and share teaching practices and tools (especially during the beginning of Covid-19 and the adjustment to online teaching); providing instructors with the tools to seek feedback from students (e.g. via mid-semester anonymous surveys); and advising department leadership on the implementation of teaching innovation.

Since her arrival at the U in 2018, De Grandi has been teaching several large-enrollment introductory physics courses and labs geared to all STEM majors. De Grandi designs her courses with these goals in mind: fostering community and collaboration among students, creating a space for incremental learning, and providing resources and access.

Informed by her previous teaching experience at Yale University, De Grandi brought to the U a new course in the spring of 2020: the Being Human in STEM course (SCI 3900/HONOR 3990). The goal of this course is to create a space for dialogue between STEM students and STEM faculty to investigate together the theme of diversity and climate within STEM. As part of the course, students develop and implement their own projects with the goal of improving the experience of STEM students at the university. The course satisfies the University General Education Diversity requirement and also counts as an Honors College elective. De Grandi has co-taught this course for the past three years in collaboration with other faculty in the College of ScienceCollege of Engineering, and College of Mines and Earth Sciences.

Here is what one student said about the course. “This class gave me the tools I needed to be more inclusive and bring more humanity into STEM and the world. It has really just opened the door for me to realize that I have so much more to learn and experience. I am humbled by what little I know and how much I have to learn; but this class has given me the tools to start asking why. [It has also helped me in] re-examining my perceptions and how the dominant culture influences the foundations of our societies. It is by asking these questions and coming to these realizations that will then allow me to understand how we and I begin to dismantle it. Thank you all for giving us these tools! — Sam Bagge (Geology) Being Human in STEM 2021

by Michele Swaner, first published @ physics.utah.edu

 

Crocker Science Center

Crocker Science Center


The University of Utah dedicated its new Gary and Ann Crocker Science Center (CSC) in 2018. Led by a $10 million donation from Gary and Ann Crocker, the U completely renovated the 83-year-old George Thomas Building on Presidents Circle. The CSC was originally a library for the U, before becoming the home of the Natural History Museum of Utah from 1968-2011. The CSC is the heart of the College of Science, housing research, teaching, and support for the College.

During the groundbreaking, former dean Henry White stated, “This modern science hub is ready to serve new generations of students, faculty and staff at the University of Utah. We are extremely grateful for Gary and Ann’s pioneering support for this building to become a world-class science education and research center on campus.”

Research in the CSC draws faculty and students from all seven departments and one school in the College – Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics & Astronomy, Materials Science Engineering, Geology & Geophysics, Atmospheric Sciences and Mining Engineering — to study STEM subjects from ecology to the basic machinery of cells, and from rock formations to the air we breath. In addition to a fully equipped, world-class biotechnology incubator, the newly renovated Crocker Science Center houses two large lecture halls, teaching laboratories, classrooms, and a host of research programs, including the celebrated Science Research Initiative for undergraduates from the U‘s College of Science.

The rooms are designed with glass walls to serve as a living exhibit of modern science and thus to encourage public viewing and visual participation. Two Creek Coffee is also found on the second floor and is very popular with the COS to grab a cup of coffee and snacks before heading to class or finding a quiet space/classroom to study.

The CSC is also home to the Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Science, Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy and the U’s Center for Science and Math Education along with the COS Dean's and staff offices.

Trivia

  • During renovations to make the Crocker Science Center, workers found human skeletal remains. Scientists determined that these were most likely artifacts of the University of Utah School of Medicine between 1905 and 1920. The bones recovered during this project were donated to the Department of Anthropology to be used as part of their human osteology teaching collection.
  • The mobile art piece in the atrium is called “Life of Tree” and was designed by Bill Washabaugh. He says,  “it was inspired by the biological Tree of Life which highlights the underlying connection between the parts of our natural world. It is the link between patterns across seemingly disparate disciples.” It depicts a Pinyon Pine Tree reflected in water, hence the upside down nature of the sculpture. This reflection also symbolizes the metaphor that all scientific theories are a reflection of the underlying reality. In addition, the kinetic “Life of Tree” is solar powered much like a real tree.
  • Throughout the building, numerous areas of exposed structure are labeled with placards and diagrams — serving as in situ learning exhibits for students to discover more about the art and science of structural engineering.
  • A $5.9 million high-resolution cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) was installed in December 2017 and is one focal point of research instrumentation in the building. The cryo-TEM allows researchers to observe and construct images of three-dimensional structures of important biomolecules with atomic resolution, providing insights into their biological functions in humans.
  • The dinosaur heads in the Ririe Room are a nod to its history as the former Utah Museum of Natural History, relocated and renamed the Natural History Museum of Utah in the Rio Tinto Center in the U's Research Park.
  •  In 2022 it was announced that the Applied Science Project, consisting of the retro-fitted historical Stewart Building and a new structure south of the Crocker, will complete what will then be called the Crocker Science Complex. The Complex will be the new home of the Departments of Physcs & Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences. It will also be the new home of the Wilkes Center.

 

Loudest Stadium … according to science

Widtsoe Building

Henry Eyring Building

CAPE-K

UteQuake

South Biology

Cowles Building

‘Life of Tree’ Returns to Life in the Crocker Science Cntr.

James Talmage Building

Skaggs Building

 

Audrey Brown

Audrey Brown


Audrey Brown

“One of the biggest things that helped me was connecting with my loved ones.”

When the pandemic first emerged in early 2020 Audrey Brown, HBS’21, found that online classes were novel at first, “but I quickly found myself losing motivation and becoming depressed/anxious due to the day-to-day Zoom monotony and the never-ending doomsday news on social media.” As part of the covid or Zoom college generation, Brown could have put her academic career on hold, pivoted away from a college education… in short given up. But several supportive people, programs and institutions helped her navigate through this singular moment.

“One of the biggest things that helped me early on, the Bountiful native says, “was focusing on connecting with my loved ones. Even something so simple as getting out of my house to go on a walk with my mom was a huge help. I also had to learn to let go of things that were out of my control, and disconnect from the news that was feeding into my anxieties.” Needless to say, those anxieties extended beyond the coronavirus pandemic and included political and social strife unlike most of us can remember in the United States. Then there were challenges from the natural world: a devastating windstorm and the earthquake of 2020.

Aside from family, Brown found support from a bevy of awards and scholarships through the University, College and School of Biological Sciences. Yes, financial help was important, but so was the acknowledgment that came with awards like the AChemS Award for Undergraduate Research, Association for Chemoreception Sciences, 2020; the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Scholar award (UROP); and an Independent REU project award, Department of Mathematics where Brown had matriculated along with her major in biology.

A four-year Presidential scholarship, a Utah Regent’s Scholarship and a College of Science Dean’s scholarship both facilitated and rewarded her achievements, culminating in her graduation with honors, magna cum laude. She even received a marching band performance scholarship during the 2018/19 academic year.

The ACCESS cohort.

Another scholarship, however, was just the tip of an iceberg of networking opportunities and a kind of mentoring that can help young women in STEM, like Brown. That program was ACCESS Scholars, a College of Science initiative now in its thirty-fifth year that represents women and individuals from all dimensions of diversity who embody the program values of excellence, leadership, and gender equity.
Brown claims that the program “jumpstarted my research career and increased my appreciation for science as a whole.” The summer after graduating high school she took an interdisciplinary STEM course which introduced her to diverse scientific topics and where she gained an appreciation for the vast amount of research done at the University of Utah.

Today, she has stayed closely involved with the program and has served as a teaching assistant (TA), mentor, and curriculum developer. The ACCESS program places each student in a research lab where they gain firsthand scientific experience by completing a personal research project. Brown was placed with Dr. Alla Borisyuk, a professor in the Department of Mathematics, and studied the olfactory system. This was done in collaboration with and using the data from the Wachowiak lab at the University of Utah, a lab she joined a couple years later, and stayed in for the remainder of her undergraduate career. “I’m forever grateful that I had the opportunity to be exposed to research early on. I quickly fell in love with it and am excited to continue as I work on my PhD.”

That’s right. Brown is now a candidate for her doctorate in biology. She is just finishing up a rotation in which she gains experience in three different labs before deciding where she will spend the remainder of her career as a graduate student.

And the pandemic, of course, has turned into an endurance test for everyone, including Brown. Two years in and she’s added to her repertoire of coping mechanisms. “I try to remind myself of all the positive things that have happened in my life over these past two years, some of which (ironically) never would have happened if the world hadn’t shut down. Rather than dwell on what might have been, I’ve been pushing myself to look for the positives and be grateful for the good in my life. I think that my advice for anyone struggling to find motivation due to the pandemic (or otherwise) would be to focus on finding positives in life, and in connecting with the people in your own circle of influence.”

"I still play the flute as often as I can"

Brown also finds solace and refuge in music. She plays the flute and the piano. “Music is still one of my favorite hobbies, so I intend to make it a part of my future, though I am no longer in any formal ensembles. I still enjoy playing the flute as often as I can and learning new pieces. I have several family members that also play the flute and I enjoy playing with them on occasion. And I am constantly listening to music of all different genres.’

When she’s not rotating through a variety of Molecular, Cellular and Evolutionary Biology labs, she reads. She recently completed “A Pocket Full of Rye” by Agatha Christie, and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” the fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, later made into a celebrated animated film. “Currently, I’m reading ‘Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst’ by Robert Sapolsky, in order to scratch a non-fiction itch I’ve had for a while.” But she concedes along with a whole generation (or two), “My favorite book(s) are the Harry Potter series. I’ve read them several times. They are my ‘go-to’ when I have run out of other things to read.”

Brown considers her grandfather to be her inspiration, even her hero. “My grandfather spent most of his career working for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) research service. He worked on broadening the genetic basis of sugar beet crops by breeding hybrids from wild sugar beet strains.” At the time, the genetic basis for most sugar beet crops was very narrow, making them susceptible to diseases and changing environmental conditions. “His goal was to develop strains with increased disease resistance,” Brown says, “and increased sugar yield. He also investigated the possibility of developing a ‘fuel beet’—a hybrid sugar beet used for making bioethanol.”

The legacy of a grandfather’s example and hard scientific work may not be genetically passed on to a grandchild, but it is, nevertheless, deeply influential for Audrey Brown as the first year of graduate school closes in.

By David Pace, first published @ biology.utah.edu

Are you a Science Alumni? Connect with us today!

 

Thatcher Building

THATCHER BUILDING


  • Completed: 2013
  • Named for: Lawrence Thatcher, Alumni and Friend of the Chemistry Department

A crowd of well-wishers gathered on Wednesday, March 13, to celebrate the opening of the Thatcher Building for Biological and Biophysical Chemistry. The building is named in honor of the Lawrence E. and Helen F. Thatcher family, whose generous gift made the new facility possible. Located adjacent to the Henry Eyring Chemistry Building, the five-story structure provides space for much-needed research labs for graduate students—those future science professionals who are working in critical chemistry disciplines and will help shape the future of the Department of Chemistry.

The second level of the building will enhance the training of undergraduate students in the latest techniques and tools in chemistry research. It also houses the Curie Club, established in 2011, one hundred years after Marie Curie’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The club inspires and supports women in science, and provides space to host activities ranging from undergraduate experiments in the adjacent laboratories, to informal outreach to school children and scout groups.

The top floor of the building features a 100-seat seminar room and reception area with sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley.

On the west side of the building is a stunning, four-story glass wall with a design of the periodic table etched in the glass—the large symbols are the first thing students, faculty, staff and visitors will see as they enter campus from the Stadium TRAX station and parking lot. The iconic “window” makes a strong statement that chemistry ranks high on this campus.

In addition to making the lead gift for the new building, the Thatcher Family endowed a Thatcher Company Scholarship last year, and in a surprise announcement at the dedication, President Pershing announced an additional gift from Lawrence, Helen and Tom Thatcher—a new Presidential Endowed Chair in Biological Chemistry. President Pershing was noticeably pleased to announce that the inaugural chair is a woman—Cynthia Burrows—a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and recipient of a University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award. Burrows will have laboratories located in the new building and will provide leadership for future generations of students and faculty in biological chemistry.

 

UteQuake

Loudest Stadium … according to science

‘Life of Tree’ Returns to Life in the Crocker Science Cntr.

CAPE-K

Crocker Science Center

Henry Eyring Building

Cowles Building

Skaggs Building

South Biology

Fletcher Building

Henry Eyring Building

Henry Eyring Lecture Hall

The Henry Eyring Chemistry Building

  • Completed: 2004
  • Named for: Henry Eyring
  • Architect: Pollard Architects

The Henry Eyring Building (HEB) is named after Henry Eyring, a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Metallurgy (1966-1981) and a former dean of the Graduate School (1946-1966). Dr. Eyring received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught in Wisconsin, Berlin, and Berkeley before making his way to Utah in 1946. He was a former president of the American Chemical Society (1963), and the U still has an active ACS student chapter.

The east entrance of HEB

HEB is where most of the large lecture chemistry classes occur, such as general chemistry, organic chemistry, and quantum chemistry. O-chem labs are on the 4th floor and gen chem labs are in the basement. Near the gen chem labs is the larger stockroom for research labs, where liquid nitrogen and dry ice are stored.

There is a popular study area near the gen chem labs, and TAs are available to answer questions. The HEB is also where many faculty have their offices, including the chair of the chemistry department.

UteQuake

Loudest Stadium … according to science

‘Life of Tree’ Returns to Life in the Crocker Science Cntr.

CAPE-K

Crocker Science Center

Thatcher Building

Cowles Building

Skaggs Building

South Biology

Fletcher Building

LGBT+ Physicists

LGBT+ Physicists


Ramón Barthelemy, assistant professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy

1st study of LGBT+ physicists reveals red flags.

LGBT+ physicists often face harassment and other behaviors that make them leave the profession, according to a new study, which comes as physics as a discipline has attempted to grapple with equity and inclusion issues.

The authors found that the two biggest factors that influence a person’s decision to leave physics are the overall climate of the organization they belong to and more specifically observing exclusionary behavior.

“People feel shunned, excluded, and they were continually having to readjust and twist themselves to fit into the physics community,” said Ramón Barthelemy, assistant professor of physics at the University of Utah and co-lead author of the study. “LGBT+ people are inherently a part of this field. If you want physics to be a place that anyone can participate, we have to talk about these issues.”

“Nearly everybody I know who is LGBT+ in physics has left, to be honest,” said Tim Atherton, associate professor of physics at Tufts University and co-lead author of the study. “We’re talking dozens and dozens of students and faculty. I can empathize with the experiences of the study’s participants from some of my own experiences.”

Tim Atherton, associate professor of Physics at Tufts University

According to the American Physical Society, 15% of early career scientists identify as LGBT+. and while a number of previous studies have explored challenges faced by physicists with regards to gender and race, this study sought to expand understanding of the impact of these barriers through a survey of the experiences of 324 people in physics across the LGBT+ spectrum. It will be published later this month in the journal Physical Review of Physics Education Research.

The coauthors themselves come from a wide range of institutions, backgrounds, identities, and career stages and sought to understand the lives of the larger LGBT+ physicist community from their own perspectives.

LGBT+ survey participants reported observing and experiencing exclusionary behavior such as shunning, homophobia, and harassment at high rates. LGBT+ people who are also from marginalized gender, racial, and ethnic groups faced more challenges than their LGBT+ peers.

In addition to the survey, the authors also conducted one-on-one follow-up interviews with five students who identified as being transgender, a Person of Color (POC), or both to give voice to perspectives that often get lost in datasets with large statistical numbers.

Gender had a big impact on a person’s perception of their environment. While about 15% of LGBT+ men reported an uncomfortable or very uncomfortable experience, 25% of women and 40% of gender non-conforming people reported similar experiences.

This pattern is even stronger in response to those who observed or experienced exclusionary behavior. Across the entire group, 20% experienced exclusionary behavior and 40% observed it.

Women and gender non-conforming people are three to four times more likely to experience this kind of behavior, and nearly two times more likely to observe it than their male peers.

Almost half of all participants who identified as transgender experienced exclusionary behavior directly, compared with 19% of their cisgender peers. Transgender interviewees encountered institutional barriers, including discriminatory health insurance plans or policies that restricted their bathroom use. Many trans participants described face-to-face harassment.

“We often talk about the gender issues in physics,” said Atherton. “When we started looking at the LGBT+ issues, it’s amazing how gender just naturally emerged. We almost can’t separate those issues. It’s striking.”

A participant’s level of “outness,” which describes how openly someone discloses their identity as part of the LGBT+ community, also influenced their experience. Participants who were out to their coworkers were more likely to report being comfortable, while participants who were not open about their LGBT+ identity reported being very uncomfortable at higher rates than their out peers.

LGBT+ respondents of color reported being out at lower rates than their white peers. In a follow up interview, one Black participant felt that her race impacted her education more than her sexuality. “I think I grappled more with the race element than I do with the sexuality, because the deal is, that’s what they see first,” she said.

Observing exclusionary behavior was found to have a greater influence on someone leaving physics than directly experiencing exclusionary behavior.

“This study tells us support has to be available in the entire institution,” said Barthelemy. “LGBT+ individuals in all departments have to be continually coming out when we engage with the broader campus community and new people, since our LGBT identity is seldom assumed. By making our presence known, we can help encourage greater equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the institution.”

In future studies, the researchers will dig deeper into the climate model to understand how best to keep LGBT+ physicists in the field. They’ve also submitted a grant to extend the current study to a long-term project that follows LGBT+ physicists every five years.

Some of these respondents went on to workplaces outside of physics with a better climate. “But I’m sad because physics has lost so much of this valuable talent,” said Atherton. Still, he is hopeful. “I see a promising vista if we can begin to address these issues.”

This study is the latest in a long history of queer physicists fighting for space in their field, the authors note. In 1957, the astronomer Frank Kameny was fired from the U.S. Army Map Service for being gay. For the next half century, he fought for the rights of LGBT+ people, even bringing the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation in a U.S. court. In 2009, he stood by President Barack Obama as he signed the executive order that the federal government could no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I feel our work builds on the generations before us,” said Barthelemy. “People like Frank Kameny, Alan Turing, Sally Ride—all of these amazing queer physicists, these icons, who made changes and really laid the groundwork for us to even exist in our field of study.”

Other authors of the study include Madison Swirtz of the University of Utah, Savannah Garmon of Osaka Prefecture University, Elizabeth Simmons of UC San Diego, Michael Falk of Johns Hopkins University and Wouter Deconinck of University of Manitoba.

by Lisa Potter, first published in @theU

Cowles Building

LEROY E. COWLES BUILDING


  • Completed: 1901
  • Named for: Leroy E. Cowles, President 1941-46
  • Architect: Richard K.A. Kletting
  • Style: Second Renaissance Revival
  • Materials: Brick and Sandstone

The Cowles building housed the original library of the University until 1913, when the collection was moved to the Park Building. The Liberal Arts Department then took the place of the library. In 1957 this building housed the Mathematics Department, and in 1976, it became the Communication Building.

Of the first three University of Utah buildings constructed, this one is the least altered, both inside and out. The entrance, on the west side, has two columns with unusual capitals, which support a portico in front of the double arched doorway. Like its companion, the James E. Talmage Building, the entrance is placed asymmetrically on the facade.

 

There is a loft on the 4th floor which serves as the graduate student offices and study spaces. It's one of the quietest buildings on campus with the most study spaces - both private study rooms and tons of big open work spaces. It's also the closest building to the Union Food Court for when students need a break!

UteQuake

Loudest Stadium … according to science

‘Life of Tree’ Returns to Life in the Crocker Science Cntr.

CAPE-K

Crocker Science Center

Thatcher Building

Henry Eyring Building

Skaggs Building

South Biology

Fletcher Building

Skaggs Building

Aline W. Skaggs BUILDING


Aline Wilmot Skaggs (1926-2015)

Located immediately east of the South Biology Building, the Aline W. Skaggs building was built on the site of the old gymnasium building, later known as the dance building. Also demolished for the construction was a small brick building that formerly housed the University of Utah's seismograph and a small, wooden ex-Army building moved to the site following WWII. James Ehleringer was the department chair at the time and instrumental in overseeing the project.

The building is named for Aline Wilmot Skaggs, a philanthropist whose aim was to alleviate human suffering. The ALSAM Foundation is named in honor of L.S. ”Sam,” Aline’s husband, and was for decades, instrumental in supporting a variety of causes and organizations. In addition to its signature donation to the Aline W. Skaggs Biology Building (ASB), the Foundation has made significant donations to the University of Utah, The Scripps Research Institute, numerous colleges of pharmacy across the Western United States, and many other organizations.

Often credited as the father of the modern super drug-store chain, Sam Skaggs took over his family’s Idaho grocery store business after his father’s death in 1950. Skaggs grew the business from a regional industry leader into American Stores, which at one time was the third largest food-and-drug chain in the country.

Mr. Skaggs died in 2013 at the age of 89. Aline, a Boise native who loved animals — especially her beloved poodles and a pet deer, “Lafena,” as well as horses—was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the U in 1990. She is remembered by her four children as an excellent golfer, an avid bridge player, an outstanding cook, one who loved reading, and enjoyed country music, especially her favorite, the gospel-infused The Oakridge Boys. She passed away in 2015.

Detail of glass window in ASB cell bridge.

"This building has the best coffee shop on campus. The shop is called Brio and is student-owned."

Though designed primarily for research, the new building includes two large lecture halls, the largest is where the Frontiers of Science, the U's longest-running lecture series, is regularly staged.

"The best place to study is a quiet, sunny, area called the 'cell bridge' which links ASB to the South Biology Building.  Students are able to write with dry-erase markers on whiteboards and on the windows of the bridge."

 

Trivia

  • The windows of the cell bridge between South Biology and ASB are actual images of plant cells.
  • When neurobiologist and former Mario Capecchi Endowed Chair Sophie Caron first arrived in 2015 as assistant professor at U Biology, her lab was set up in the ASB. Some of her equipment was so large and so heavy that workers had to dismantle some of the intricate windows of the "cell bridge" to lift the equipment to the second floor.
  • In 2020 both of the lecture halls, 210 and 220 were re-designed and re-furbished with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment which allows for a hybrid participation of seminars and other lecturers both in-person and digitally through remote broadcast.
  • In Fall Semester 2021 the first in-person seminars at the School reconvened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in the newly-retrofitted lecture halls, providing socially-distanced seating and access for tuning in remotely.

 

UteQuake

Loudest Stadium … according to science

‘Life of Tree’ Returns to Life in the Crocker Science Cntr.

CAPE-K

Crocker Science Center

Thatcher Building

Henry Eyring Building

Cowles Building

South Biology

Fletcher Building