alumni-story | College of Science

Humans of the U: Megan DuVal

January 29, 2025

Army ant (Labidus praedator) viewed through a dissecting scope. Photo credit: Todd Anderson

I first became interested in ants when I was matched with the Longino lab through the University of Utah ACCESS Scholars program my freshman year of college. I started working on a project investigating the flight seasonality of male army ants, comparing sites in Costa Rica, Ecuador and southern Brazil. As with insects in general, ants are fascinating. There are many questions to be explored about their evolution, how they’ve spread geographically and their social behaviors.

Working with army ants has made me appreciate their value as indicators of ecosystem health by virtue of their presence, absence or abundance. With large, predatory and nomadic colonies, army ants need intact habitat and are some of the first ant species to disappear when an area becomes too degraded or fragmented to support them. This makes them a strong indicator species of ecosystem health, which could help us identify areas in need of conservation.

I have been able to make real contributions to research on ants by working on projects led by John (Jack) Longino, a professor of biology, and Rodolfo Probst, a biology alum and postdoctoral researcher for the Science Research Initiative (SRI). I never imagined science would take me beyond the borders of Utah to Brazil, Canada and Oregon, where I have presented at scientific conferences. Nor did I imagine ever working alongside scientists collecting and studying ants and insects in New Mexico, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo in São Paulo and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia in Manaus, also in Brazil.

I am autistic and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout high school, I often felt isolated and different from my peers. Being a part of ACCESS Scholars, SACNAS and the myrmecology community has helped me feel I belong and have the support needed to succeed in my field. As an undergraduate researcher, the College of Science–SRI learning assistant and a teaching assistant for entomology, I’ve seen my peers and I grow a lot through these unique experiences.

Undergraduate Megan DuVal working with one of the many ant specimen collections in the Longino lab. Photo credit: Todd Anderson

My goal is to become a professor at a top R1 research university or a scientist at a natural history museum so that I can pursue research in ant systematics and taxonomy. I’m planning to take a fifth year to finish my classes and undergraduate research before I move on to graduate school. I’ve learned that I would rather go at a slower pace and have more time to process and do my best work.”

—Megan DuVal is a senior honors student from Salt Lake City majoring in biology, with an emphasis in ecology, evolution and environment, and a minor in mathematics

ACCESS Scholar: Jackie Timothy

January 27, 2025

In the lab. Getting out the otoliths

A picture of a striking new horizon, balancing a rambunctious social life with academic goals, and likely not sleeping as much as they should!

But reality often paints a very different picture, as many students are forced to take a more complicated route in the pursuit of higher education. Some of them are older, others working long hours alongside online classes, many with dependents that rely on them for care. These aspects of life construct obstacles that can seem impossible to hurdle, which makes those that rise to the challenge that much more impressive.

And of stories such as these, Jackie Timothy's (BS’95, biology) is one of the most inspiring.

As a single mother of four children, Timothy was not in a position where most would consider an education feasible to pursue—doubly so given the rare liver disease of her youngest (9 months) and the developmental disability of another. But while she was working as a babysitter to support her family she met a friend named Susan Gudmundsen, another single mother who was currently taking science classes at the U. Reminiscing about that time Timothy explains, “I remember just thinking, why would anybody want to go to school at this point in their life, you know? I just thought it was so bizarre! But eventually, I had this epiphany that the only person who could change my life—and when I would do so— was me. And so I followed my friend’s lead.”

That path would lead both women into the ACCESS Scholars program, providing critical support to finance their educational journeys while their shared experiences helped lift each other up. To say Timothy made the most of the opportunity would be an understatement. “I took a full course load every single quarter,” she describes. “I never skipped a summer, never took time off because I was going to get through this.” Laughing over how she wouldn’t recommend that, she pauses then follows with, “But I kept going. I realized that my children’s lives improved when my life improved, as funding and insurance became more feasible. It gave me a clear goal, and I knew I was going to meet this goal.”

And meet the goal she did. ACCESS connected her with the Prescott Lab where she worked as an intern, enabling further connections that would eventually net Timothy a full tuition scholarship. She would be chosen as a convocation speaker for the College of Science and ultimately graduated with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry.

Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)2024

This success catapulted her north to the University of Alaska in Juneau, adding a Masters in Public Administration that kickstarted a stellar 23-year career. Timothy would work across government agencies to balance resource development with resource protection, develop habitat enhancement and restoration projects and ultimately become a valuable leader that cultivated and cared for critical environmental projects that still hold high importance to the State of Alaska. Going on 7 years in retirement she still serves as a valued consultant in the biological sciences, which she balances while caring for a child with cerebral palsy that she adopted last year.

Timothy’s impressive life would stretch the limits of our imagination were she not living proof that her accomplishments had been achieved. But perhaps that’s only because more people like her haven’t been given these opportunities as well? Tradition likes to paint these pictures of how the world should be—that parenthood and university cannot coexist. But Jackie Timothy and many others have shown us a more hopeful, more ambitious canvas. Responsibilities don’t have to be roadblocks, their sturdiness can just as easily act as the supportive pillars of success.

After all, when compared to raising multiple children on your own… well, how hard could college really be?

Taking it to the Startup Slopes

November 25, 2024

“I am proud to be an Olympian,” says Tang. “Elite competition pushes the limits of humanity, our physical and mental capacity, our emotions and compassion for each other.” For Tang, pushing those limits has extended from the slopes to business, to family and, finally, to something else that makes this U alumnus extraordinary, his capacity to pay it forward.

Tang is the founder and president of Apantac LLC, a global leader in design and development of high-quality, cost-effective image signal processing equipment. The company will be celebrating its 17th anniversary in 2025.

“The Apantac product line, which now includes more than 200 items, has been designed to provide the broadcast and professional audio-video industry with flexible and innovative technology solutions for video processing and signal extensions and switching,” says Tang.

Apantac clients include TV stations, news studios and sports broadcasters like ESPN and Fox Sports. “The KSL-TV broadcast house in downtown Salt Lake is a wonderful local customer, they used our equipment to broadcast the 2024 Paris Olympics,” says Tang. “Also, large social media companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon use our products for their worldwide global event centers.”

Prior to founding Apantac, Tang was the director of marketing for Philips Broadcast in West Valley City. After Philips divested, he decided to help a small startup company in Redmond, Washington and oversaw sales and marketing as well as strategic planning and product development. While there, from 2004 to 2008, Tang grew the business more than eightfold.

"At this small startup with very limited resources, I was working so hard, one day my wife said to me, ‘If you’re going to work this hard, you should work for yourself!’ This put the idea in my head that I should start my own company. I knew that I wanted to make products for the video industry, so I quit my job in early 2008 and started working on how to realize these ideas,” says Tang.

“During the first three years, times were tough,” says Tang. “And when things were not going well, I dug into being an Olympian. When you train, you know the pain is transitory, and you know you’re getting stronger and something better is coming! Athletes understand they’re not always going to have a good day, but hard work and persistence pay off.”

By the end of 2008, he had begun developing products in his basement. In April 2009, the company’s first product, a Multiviewer, was launched. The device allowed one user to view multiple video sources on a single screen or across multiple screens. It received the prestigious Pick Hit Award at the National Association of Broadcasters conference. The award is given to products that demonstrate outstanding technology and innovation not previously showcased at the event.

Since then, Apantac has grown significantly, offering more than 200 products and shipping to more than 40 countries. Tang and his team had been involved in numerous broadcast and professional audio-visual projects worldwide. Apantac’s customers include national broadcasters, Soccer World Cups, Olympic games and more. “We now ship from pole to pole, from Greenland to New Zealand,” says Tang. Apantac has offices in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.

From Taipai to Salt Lake

Tang’s story of determination and persistence started in Taipei, Taiwan, where he was born in 1964. “I was the youngest, and the only son in a Taiwanese family, so the pressure for me to succeed was extremely high,” he says.

Tang attended a strict private school, Tsai Hsin, that started in kindergarten. He always loved sports, but he struggled academically. “My grades were always below average,” says Tang. “I did not perform well in the traditional Taiwanese academic system. I was not really allowed to play sports, because the teachers in my school would punish me for not doing well academically. I was stuck in a rut and my parents realized that and decided it was best to move to the United States for a change of environment.”

Tang’s father, Mei-Chun Tang, was educated in the U.S. at Berkeley and at Columbia. At the time, he was a professor of anthropology at National Taiwan University and there was an exchange professorship program between the University of Utah and National Taiwan University.

As part of the exchange program, the family moved from Taipai to Salt Lake City in September 1977, when Tang was 13 years old. He attended 8^th grade at Bryant Junior High School and began learning English as a second language.

“In 1977, Salt Lake was a very safe and small town, there was nothing past 7200 South. I used to hitchhike to get around town,” remembers Tang. “The transition was difficult. New people, new school, new language. But being a good athlete, I was accepted very quickly into the American culture,” says Tang.

He later attended East High School. “At that time, I really wanted to go to medical school but biology was difficult for me because English was my second language. However, I was always good at math, so physics was a natural fit when I started at the University of Utah,” says Tang.

Tang remembers many faculty members in physics, especially Own Johnson, George Williams, Fritz Luty, Dave Ailion and Eugene Loh.

While attending the U, he worked in the Marriott library shelving books and eventually landed an internship in the chemistry department for faculty members Jim Wang and Chuck Wight. “Chuck was a young professor in his 30s,” says Tang. “He was a great mentor and had the most impact on me. We even published a paper together, ‘Low Temperature Photochemistry in Amorphous Films,’ Proc. SPIE 1056.”

By 1989, Tang had essentially finished his bachelor’s degree in physics. When the chance presented itself, he accepted a role at Evans & Sutherland in the computer graphics division. “I remember Microsoft came to campus to recruit me, but working at Evans & Sutherland was the ultimate honor for a U of U student, so I accepted the job.”

“In fact, Evans & Sutherland was one of the largest tech companies in the valley, employing around 1,500 people. The management encouraged us to transfer between different departments to expand our technical horizon. My first job was porting applications between UNIX workstations, Linux kernels, PC graphics card drivers and graphical user interfaces. I later worked on several exciting projects, including the world’s first F-14, F-16, and other flight simulators. That’s where I learned about the technology of video processing.” He stayed at Evans & Sutherland until 1997.

A sports family

Tang and his wife, Penny, met on campus in the Olpin Union building. In the 1990s, their student organization reserved a gym in the HPER Complex. “She was playing badminton, and I was playing basketball. After 10 o’clock, when the HPER building closed, a few of us decided to go to the Union to play pool. We shared a table, and the rest is history,” says Tang.

They were married in 1994 and now have three children: Emma, 23, is a recent graduate of NYU, getting ready to go to law school; Calcy, 20, is studying Kinesiology at the U; and Winston, 18, is ski racing in Europe. “All three of our kids are active in sports,” says Tang who explains that Emma was a professional figure skater who has competed internationally, and Calcy qualified for the Olympics and skied in the 2021 World Championship.

When Tang turns to his wife, his sentiment is one of respect and gratitude. “I’m extremely grateful for my wife, Penny. She encouraged me in those early years when things were tough. She came from an affluent family in Taiwan, and during our early years, she would joke about having never been ‘poor and lonely at the same time,’” remembers Tang. “Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Bringing it full circle

While a proven competitor in sports, Tang’s more collaborative side comes to the fore with his siblings, Grace Hui Tang and Bonnie Y. Tang. The three of them have invested in a permanent named space in the main atrium of the Stewart Building, still under construction, in honor and memory of their parents, Dr. Mei-Chun Tang and Pi-Yung Chen.

A historic building, the Stewart, when its renovation is complete, will be physically joined with the new Applied Science Building and together will complete the Crocker Science Complex on Presidents Circle. A building dedication and opening ceremony is planned for July 2025.

2023 Distinguished Alumni, Chemistry

November 15, 2024

Zlatko Bačić: Tectonic Science

“When two people limited to different ways of thinking come together, you have a synergy that couldn’t exist otherwise,” says Zlatko Bačić PhD’81, speaking on the vital importance of collaborating across the divisions of science. First-hand experience with this synergy is deeply embedded in his history, from serving as the inaugural director of the Simon Center for Computational Physical Chemistry to studying the quantum dynamics of molecules in Los Alamos

He compares the sciences to tectonic plates, constantly moving in varying directions, uncovering the most exciting discoveries where they collide at the edges. “It’s at those interfaces that the most interesting things happen!” he explains. And just as the Earth’s plates change the landscape, so too can the scientific landscape be terraformed in turn.

Bačić’s journey has not only taken him across the field of theoretical chemistry but across the world, studying everywhere from Croatia to Chicago to Jerusalem to Utah. He found a deep love of the culture and cuisine of New York and Philadelphia, while also delighting in the environment and people in the Four Corners area. He loves the town of Telluride,Colorado but also enjoys visiting his daughter in Seattle, creating a bewildering decision when considering a destination for a far-out retirement. He takes every opportunity he can to travel and experience every area to its fullest potential.

Bačić carries this attitude into his teaching as well. As a current professor at New York University, he has uplifted the lives of countless students and overseen the publication of over 150 papers. “Basic research is at the heart of everything,” he tells his students. “If you think you can guide it somehow, you’re missing the point. It is only unguided research that will illuminate the mysteries you know nothing about.” Championing the value of “unguided research,” he delights in providing opportunities for postdocs, creating an environment for them to prove their worth, opening every door for collaboration to let them show what they can do under optimal circumstances. ~ Michael Jacobsen

Amy Barrios: A world-class education

A Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy, Amy Barrios’ passion for inorganic chemistry began at the University of Utah as a high schooler during a summer chemistry program and propelled her through a career in academia to Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the U College of Pharmacy.

Barrios BS'95 grew up in Salt Lake City. During her time as an undergrad, she engaged in radiobiology research about Chernobyl victims with radiobiologist Scott Miller, now research professor emeritus at the U's School of Medicine.

Barrios ventured from Salt Lake to the East coast to earn her PhD in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. There, she dove deeper into bio-inorganic chemistry with Steve Leopard. “My focus was on making molecules that would mimic the activity of metalloenzymes. And I specifically looked at urease, which was actually the first enzyme ever discovered,” says Barrios. “I was making dinuclear nickel complexes that hydrolyzed urea.”

After graduate school, Barrios returned to the west coast and spent some time in California, first in a postdoctoral position at University of California, San Francisco, and later as a professor at University of Southern California.

Finally, Barrios returned home to the U in 2007, this time as a professor. Throughout her education and career, Barrios has visited many institutions and says she’s “...continually impressed by the quality of education that I got here at the U.”

“Our chemistry department, particularly, does an amazing job of educating undergraduates and graduate students, helping us understand all the things we need to know, all the tools we need to go on to be successful in whatever career we go into. So that's something I think is important for our students to recognize: they really get a world class education here.”

Barrios is keen to deliver a message of belonging as she continues in academia. “It's so important, I think, for students to be able to feel like they belong here,” she says. “We need scientists from all backgrounds and with all kinds of different interests and all kinds of different skills. So, I think that's really important also for young people to recognize and for us as faculty and instructors to help them feel that this is a place for them, that we need their talents, and their talents are valued. I hope that they get that message here.”
~ Lauren Wigod

Roger Leach: lifelong learning and agility

Originally from Chicago, Roger Leach Phd'84 first journeyed to the University of Utah for a summer REU program while pursuing his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Augustana College in Illinois. The program allowed him to explore hands-on scientific research for the first time and, captivated by the unique outdoor access and balanced lifestyle he enjoyed in Salt Lake, City Leach returned to the U for graduate school.

Reflecting on his time here, Leach fondly remembers Joel Harris, a distinguished professor whose openly enthusiastic teaching style and love for science still inspire Leach today. “Everything about it was like, the door’s open, walk in, and let’s talk,’ he recalls. “My whole career after Utah, that was sort of my motto you know, ‘What would Joel do?’”

After finishing his graduate degree at the U, Leach began his career working as an analytical chemist in the textile fibers department at DuPont. Though he recalls the initial nerves he felt upon joining the company, Leach acknowledges the U for preparing him well: “[At Dupont], you could meet people who had really moved the bar in terms of technology development that made people’s lives better. So I felt intimidated a little bit, but there was never a time when I felt inferior in terms of my education and preparation.”

Since his days at DuPont, Leach’s career has led him to Viridos, a biotech company focused on algae-based biofuel. For the last few years, Leach has been helping to push the boundaries of renewable energy technology, hoping to create a more sustainable future. Currently a resident of Solana Beach, California, Leach emphasizes the importance of continuing to foster curiosity throughout his career: “The thing that strikes me is how many things we understand today and use today in our daily lives that didn't exist when I was at the University of Utah,” he remarks.

“And the process of keeping yourself relevant as a STEM contributor to society is an exercise in lifelong learning and agility.”
~Julia St. Andre

Mitch Johnson: reinventing and modernizing formulations

Mitch Johnson first joined the University of Utah as a graduate student in 1994 after finishing his undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He knew he was interested in doing research and was drawn by the U’s outstanding research facilities and small university feel. During graduate school, Johnson worked in Joel Miller’s lab where he gained valuable skills in problem-solving and perseverance. “If I had like four or five ideas, Dr. Miller was very patient and listened to all of them,” Johnson recalls. “I learned that you have to put the work in. You really do have to spend the time and invest yourself completely into solving the problem.”

For Johnson, chemistry truly runs in the family. His father, a chemical engineer, sparked his interest in the subject at a young age. Later, at the U, he met his wife, who was also pursuing a degree in chemistry. Their shared passion for the field often sparks discussion over dinner, and they even keep a whiteboard nearby for spontaneous problem-solving. Fascinated with creating things and solving problems, synthetic chemistry was the ideal path for Johnson. His career took him to General Plastics, developing specialized thermoplastic materials for use in aerospace engineering and satellite work. He started at the company in 2008 as a product development chemist, with the mission of reinventing and modernizing their formulations. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, and Johnson made his way through the ranks, eventually taking over the company as President and CEO in 2017.

Looking back on his education, Johnson emphasizes the lasting impact of his time at the U: “The staff and faculty here are fantastic. They really do cultivate very good students and very well-trained professionals.” he says. “A lot of the success I’ve had over my career, it all started here at the U.”
~ Julia St. Andre

Pioneer in Sustainable Mining Denee Hayes Joins College Leadership

October 31, 2024

In this role, Hayes will advise the College on issues relating to energy and the environment, help establish a new advisory board in these domains, and inform programs centered on workforce development and industry leadership. Hayes will also contribute to bridging the gap between academia and industry needs, particularly in the areas of sustainable mining practices and green energy technologies.

Hayes, a U Mining Engineering alumna (BSME'02), currently works as a private consultant in the mining industry and other sectors. Her career spans over two decades, beginning at Interwest Mining, a subsidiary of Pacificorp, and including nine years with Rio Tinto who owns Utah's Kennecott Copper. Hayes has since emerged as a thought leader in the convergence of mining and alternative energy. She was the first woman to chair the Mining Engineering Department's Industrial Advisory Board and has extensive experience in other areas, such as software development, digital optimization, process improvement, utilities, manufacturing, high performing teams and corporate leadership.

"I am honored to join the College of Science as Senior Fellow," said Hayes. "The College has a unique opportunity to lead the way in reimagining the mining sector's role in a sustainable future. I'm excited to work with Dean Trapa and the faculty to develop innovative solutions that balance our need for critical minerals with environmental stewardship and to inspire the next generation of mining engineers to think holistically about their field and that a choice for mining is a choice for the environment."

"Denee Hayes brings a wealth of industry experience and an important perspective on the crucial intersection of mining and sustainability," said Peter Trapa, dean of the College of Science. "Her appointment as Senior Fellow will greatly enhance our ability to prepare students for the complex challenges of the future and strengthen our connections with industry partners."

College of Science Senior Fellows represent a variety of industries and provide key insights and guidance to leadership and faculty. Denee Hayes joins Fielding Norton, Tim Hawkes and Berton Earnshaw as senior fellows, further diversifying the expertise of the College leadership team.

Read more about Denee Hayes in a recent U Mining Engineering alumni profile. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn.

By Bianca Lyon

Pete Johnson: An Abundant Source of Energy

October 8, 2024

Left to right, Grace, Levi, Pete, Kristin, Josh and Sydney Johnson. Credit: courtesy of Pete Johnson

What focuses his energy, though, is his family — wife Kristin, daughter Sydney, 16; daughter Grace, 14; son Josh, 10; son Levi, 8.

Johnson is exploring and developing technologies to tap a new source of energy that is powerful, vast, and clean. It’s known as geologic hydrogen. Studies suggest that the earth produces significant amounts of hydrogen through natural geochemical processes and that it may be accumulating in formations below the surface. If sufficiently sized reservoirs can be found, geologic hydrogen could help fuel the U.S. economy for centuries to come while reducing emissions and carbon footprints.

Johnson grew up in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake during the eighties. “I was born the fifth of six sons and had an unbelievably fun, Huck Finn-type of childhood exploring the foothills by foot and bike with my brothers,” he says. “We also spent a lot of time skiing, boating and going to high school sports games for my older brothers.”

At East High School, Pete was inspired by several teachers and classes, including AP Biology and AP Calculus. “I think the most inspiring person for me at East was Keeko Georgelas, the head coach who revitalized the school’s football program and took it from a perennial doormat to one of the top programs in the state. Keeko put into our heads that we could do great things.” Pete took those words to heart, channeling that motivation as he led the East High football team to a state championship in 1997, his senior year. It was the first championship at East since 1974.

Awarded a four-year presidential scholarship, Johnson enrolled at the University of Utah for Fall semester 1997 intending to be an environmental or civil engineering major. “I was interested in biology and math and wanted to be in the environmental remediation and hydrology world, in part thinking that it would give me lots of opportunities to work outside.”

Johnson completed the prerequisite courses before serving a two-year church mission. When he returned, in 2000, he struggled to find passion for the course work. He persisted and took a few more civil engineering classes but wasn’t intrigued with the subject matter.

“I started thinking about what else I could do and was in the middle of a general physics course taught by Sid Rudolph who was just a crazy man and unbelievably passionate about physics,” says Johnson. “I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised with the curriculum and the way I was challenged by the science and the math.”

“I had tough, interesting courses in quantum physics, nuclear physics, electromagnetics and other areas from faculty [not only] Sid Rudolph, [but also] Clayton Williams, Mikhail Raikh and Rich Ingebretsen," says Johnson. "Rich was a longtime family friend who also taught me how to run rivers.” It was the cumulative effect of these courses, and perhaps hitting the rapids, that inspired Johnson to become an entrepreneur in the energy sector.

“My dad was in energy, and it was always something that I was interested in," says Johnson. "So, I applied to the mechanical engineering graduate programs at Stanford and MIT and was accepted into both programs."

Johnson chose Stanford and spent two years there, mostly doing biomechanical research where he found some fascinating topics in stem cell implantation into heart tissue. “At that point, it was time to propose a PhD project, but I struck out on two or three different ideas, being told by my advisor that these ideas sounded more like business plans than research projects. I kept trying to ‘science’-up the proposals but wasn’t getting it, and I realized, probably later than my advisor, that I was more interested in stepping out and pursuing things in Silicon Valley than I was in three-to-five more years in the lab. So, I finished with a master’s degree and never looked back.”

Modern day gold rush

The company name, Koloma, was inspired by the small town of Coloma, California, where gold ore was discovered in 1848 which led to the California Gold Rush that transformed the country and the entire economy. Johnson and company founders Tom Darrah, Paul Harraka and Scott McNally visited the site in 2021 to launch Koloma, Inc. Geologic hydrogen has also been referred to as gold hydrogen, so the team thought the name was appropriate. An appreciation for the history of exploration and the value of learning from the past is embedded in the company.

“The unique thing about Koloma is that we have 20 years of data advantage and a big head start in the field, and that data advantage has led to a large number of tools and techniques we can build and validate through our exploration work,” says Johnson.

Koloma has already developed the technology to identify the most promising regions for geologic hydrogen potential. The company continues to conduct geophysical studies and some preliminary drilling projects around the world. Johnson anticipates large-scale hydrogen production to begin by 2030 if they are successful in their exploration efforts.

As a new primary energy source, naturally occurring geologic hydrogen could be a powerful tool to help move towards lower carbon energy forms in the U.S. and around the world.

The Science

Geologic hydrogen is generated naturally in the Earth’s iron-rich mantel by an oxidation-reduction reaction known as serpentinization. Through this water-rock reaction, considerable quantities of hydrogen are continuously produced and stored in geological formations below the surface. In fact, geologic hydrogen can be produced with low-carbon intensity, resulting in a low-carbon footprint on par with electrolysis. In addition, the process does not require external water inputs or external energy inputs such as heat or electricity.

For these reasons, geologic hydrogen presents a highly efficient, low-cost and low-greenhouse-gas energy source.

Even with all that potential energy in development, Johnson’s internal energy source is rooted in Mountain View, California, near Stanford where he and his family reside.

“We’ve always got plenty going on,” says Johnson of his family which spends weekends at soccer games, hiking in the redwoods or hanging out on the Northern California coast.

He met his wife Kristin in September 2003, the first weekend he was in Palo Alto for graduate school. “Kristin had just taken a job with Pfizer in sales. I was smitten early on, but she was dating guys who didn’t have years of grad work in front of them and were already going places, so it took me about a year of building trust as a friend before she really started to see me as a viable option!”

“Once we started dating it was clear we had something great going on, and I think my mom would have killed me if I messed it up so I was careful,” says Johnson who proposed at sunrise on top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. They were married in October 2005 in Salt Lake City.

Pete Johnson’s advice to others is simple and, not surprisingly, family-centric: “Avoid thinking that being passionate about your work means you won’t be able to be a great spouse and parent. Find a way to make it all work.”

You can read a recent story in CNBC about Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos' backing Pete Johnson's Kolomo, Inc here.

Fielding Norton Named College of Science Senior Fellow

September 24, 2024

The University of Utah College of Science has announced that Fielding Norton has been appointed to the role of Senior Fellow.

In this role, Norton will serve as a resource for the College’s faculty and staff, focusing on the intersection of climate science, technology, and insurance. He will help develop project-based learning opportunities for students in the College and identify ways to unlock the commercial potential and societal benefit of research & innovation across the College. Norton will also serve as an advisor to the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy and serve on the College’s Energy & Environment Advisory Board.

Norton currently advises insurtech and climatech companies that use AI and other technologies to enable a profitable transition to a low-carbon economy. His career spans more than 35 years, first as a science and math educator in Kansas and Maine, then as recipient of teaching awards while earning a MS in applied physics and a PhD in earth & planetary sciences at Harvard University. Later, in the global reinsurance industry, he and his teams managed and priced the risk of extreme disasters including hurricanes, floods and wildfires. Among his recent leadership roles, Norton worked in Bermuda as chief enterprise risk officer of XL Group, a Fortune 100 global insurer and reinsurer.

“I am thrilled to join the College of Science as Senior Fellow,” said Norton. “The College and the Wilkes Center can play a pivotal role in creating common sense, pragmatic solutions to complex environmental, societal and economic problems. I look forward to working with Dean Trapa and the faculty and staff of the College to help Utah flourish and find opportunity in the environmental challenges we face.”

“Fielding Norton is a world-class innovator with deep roots in climate science and STEM education,” said Peter Trapa, dean of the College of Science. “I am eager to collaborate with Fielding to bring his wide-ranging expertise to our students across many disciplines.”

College of Science Senior Fellows represent a variety of industries and provide key insights and guidance to leadership and faculty. Fielding Norton joins Tim Hawkes, attorney and former Utah legislator, and Berton Earnshaw, AI Founding Fellow at the clinical-stage “techbio” company Recursion, as senior fellows.

By David Pace

Ron Perla, 2024 Distinguished Alumnus

September 6, 2024

Ron Perla working on slab above Alta village, 1968. Credit: Charles Bradley, Montana State University

Recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni award from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Perla graduated in 1971 with his PhD from the University of Utah in meteorology. As a snow scientist, he conducted research into avalanches and is well-known for discovering “the thirty-degree threshold,” where slopes of thirty degrees or more are much likelier to cause avalanches.

Perla worked at Alta Ski Resort as a member of the ski patrol and in 1966 became a part-time snow ranger and part-time research assistant at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Alta Avalanche Study Center. As a research assistant to Ed LaChapelle, Perla researched slab properties, factors that contribute to an avalanche and rescue methods, among other things.

Early in the morning and during intense storms, snow rangers blast the mountain to reduce the risk of avalanches. Between these times, Ed LaChapelle allowed Perla to take classes at the U. From 1967 to 1971 Perla commuted between Alta and the university. He split his time between snow rangering and his PhD program supervised by Professor Shih-Kung Kao and included classes in meteorology and applied mechanics. These classes are fundamental disciplines for avalanche research.

Perla’s advisor, along with the Department of Meteorology's chair Don Dickson, understood the unique combination of university study and avalanche study. Kao was a world-class specialist in atmospheric dynamics, turbulence and diffusion while Dickson was a highly decorated World War II pilot with hands-on meteorology experience. He helped Perla obtain a research grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and arranged for the donation of an old Alta ski lifts building which was turned into a mountain meteorology lab.

Models of moving avalanches

Perla has also extensively researched snow structure as well as models of moving avalanches. His current research involves quasi-three-dimensional modeling of the internal structure of a moving avalanche, from start to stop and has modeled moving snow in many different ways. His first model (1980) followed the mass-center of moving snow, and in 1984 his model assumed the avalanche as a collection of starting particles. The current model assumes the avalanche consists of snow parcels moving turbulently in three layers.

Ron Perla, U.S. Forest Service, 1968.

Along with his research, Perla has spent a lifetime in the snow. An avid skier and mountaineer, he partnered with Tom Spencer (U alum in mathematics) in 1961 for the first ascent of Emperor Ridge on Mt. Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. He also established a new route on the north face of the Grand Teton in Wyoming and a first ascent of the popular “Open Book” route on Lone Peak in the Wasatch Mountains.

“In 1967, I was working as a USFS Snow Ranger near the top of Mt. Baldy,” Perla says. “The cornice broke off prematurely, and I fell into a Baldy chute. The cornice blocks triggered a large avalanche. I was tumbled around with no chance of 'swimming,' and somehow I missed all of the rocks. Just before I lost consciousness under the snow, I managed to thrust an arm up to the surface. I was found quickly.”

Collective consciousness

Perla is an honorary member of the American Avalanche Association as well as a member of multiple different snow and ice committees, such as the Snow, Ice, and Permafrost committee for the American Geophysical Union.

After earning his PhD at the U, Perla moved to Fort Collins, Colorado as a research meteorologist for the USFS. In 1974, he moved to Alberta, Canada to work for the National Hydrology Research Institute. He has remained in Alberta since.

Perla is a significant reason why we understand snow science and avalanches and why backcountry education has improved to help keep those who recreate in areas with snowfall — skiers, mountaineers, snowshoers and ice climbers — safe.

“Despite the enormous increase in backcountry use, despite increasing behavior to ski and ride lines we could never imagine in the 1960s, avalanche fatalities are not increasing to match those trends,” Perla says in an interview with Wildsnow. "Surely, associations, centers, websites, and educators, in general, are responding to match those trends. Surely it’s also because today’s risk-takers are increasingly more skillful backcountry skiers, riders, and [,as in Perla's harrowing experience on Mt. Baldly,] escape artists."

He continues, adding that "[e]quipment is improving. ...But there’s something else: call it collective consciousness in the backcountry. An increasing number of backcountry users correlates with increasing observations and tests. Thus, safety can be enhanced by numbers if there is increased communication... ."

You can read Ron Perla's interview with Wildsnow here.

Berton Earnshaw Named College of Science Senior Fellow

July 15, 2024

Berton Earnshaw

The University of Utah College of Science has announced that Berton Earnshaw has accepted the role of Senior Fellow. As a Founding Fellow at Recursion, a leading clinical-stage “techbio” company (defined as one focused on leveraging data and technology to improve, enhance, and accelerate life science processes), and as Scientific Director of Recursion’s AI research lab Valence Labs, Earnshaw has led the development and deployment of many of the machine learning capabilities employed in the company’s drug discovery workflows. He also directs multiple research programs across Recursion and Valence Labs.

“I first met Berton in the math department during his PhD studies,” said Dean Peter Trapa. “It’s great to see him come full circle with the U as a Senior Fellow in the College of Science. Currently, he’s at the top of his game in machine learning as it relates to drug development and will add appreciably as an executive advisor to the College and its research priorities.”

Earnshaw earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Brigham Young University and, in 2007, earned a PhD in mathematics from the U while working with its mathematical biology group. There he designed biophysical models of protein trafficking at synapses during episodes of learning and memory formation. He was a postdoctoral researcher at both the U and Michigan State University and has taught as an adjunct professor in the U’s Department of Mathematics since 2018.

Earnshaw has worked in many scientific and leadership roles in industry before arriving at Recursion as Director of Data Science Research in 2017, including as CTO of Perfect Pitch (now Boomsourcing), Director of Data Science and Operations at Red Brain Labs (acquired by Savvysherpa) and Principal and Senior Scientist at Savvysherpa (acquired by UnitedHealth Group). Earnshaw has also served as a member of the Utah State Auditor’s Commission on Protecting Privacy and Preventing Discrimination.

Outside of work, Earnshaw enjoys traveling together with his wife and five children and loves being outdoors, eating well, investing, and reading everything from fiction to philosophy to theoretical physics.

“The opportunities offered by today’s innovations in AI and the life sciences to radically impact our lives for good are extraordinary,” said Earnshaw. “I am honored and thrilled to be working with Dean Trapa to ensure that the College of Science is a leader in preparing its students to take advantage of these opportunities.”

Earnshaw joins Tim Hawkes, attorney and former Utah legislator, who was announced as the inaugural senior fellow in 2023. The College of Science senior fellows represent a variety of industries and provide key insights and guidance to leadership and faculty.

Life On Other Planets … and in a student’s mind

June 24, 2024

That’s where the Martin Horvath Lab comes in and, in particular, Mary Fairbanks BS’23. She and her team in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah explore structural biology and biochemistry by researching microbes from the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, an area of marine alkaline hydrothermal vents located in the Atlantic Ocean.

As with Fairbanks, who gained hands-on experience creating experiments and directly participating in research, other lab members worked on the project as undergraduates before graduating. They include Payton Utzman BS’22 and Briggs Miller BS’22 who along with Fairbanks and graduate student Vincent Mays researched microbes that live at the bottom of the ocean where there is little oxygen and even less sunlight. Because of the lack of oxygen in the environment where these microbes thrive, the fact that researchers found GO DNA repair genes is important: it shows a need for genes that repair DNA that has been put under stress from oxygen. Their research was recently published in PLOS.

Acting like a scientist

"Working in Dr. Horvath’s lab has taught me how to be curious and be dedicated to a project,” says Fairbanks. “Being able to design my own experiments has given me the opportunity to act as a scientist. I have grown through research and it continues to expand my view of the possibilities of innovation.”

Horvath first learned that one of the GO repair genes called MutY might be present at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field from a student in his Molecular Biology of DNA Lab course, Emily Dart HBS’16. Horvath knew that Dart was working with William Brazelton, a fellow biologist who had recently collected DNA from Lost City. Searching that Lost City DNA, Dart and her teammates found genes encoding at least portions of MutY.

“Since that first analysis,” says Horvath, “the sequence technology improved, more samples from another expedition generated metagenomes with better coverage, and we now have functional tests that show these MutYs from the bottom of the ocean actually work to prevent mutations in lab strains of bacteria.” That these discoveries stemmed from basic science research by undergraduates, he says, is “something that I am very proud to celebrate!”

How life might evolve on other planets

GO DNA repair genes are advantageous even in environments without much oxygen. Since hydrothermal fields like the Lost City Hydrothermal Field are similar to the environment of early Earth, this indicates that these repair systems evolved before the Great Oxidation Event.

Fig 5. LCHF MutY chemical motifs. (A) Conservation and diversity of MutY-defining chemical motifs are depicted with a sequence logo for the 160 LCHF MutYs. These motifs are associated with biochemical functions including DNA binding, enzyme catalysis, attachment of the iron-sulfur cofactor, and recognition of the damaged OG base.

Insights like this can help develop models of how life might evolve on other planets. Planets that lack the abundance of oxygen that modern Earth has may have life evolving in a similar way to microbes that live near hydrothermal vents. Since these microbes have repair systems that deal with oxidative stress, it’s reasonable to consider that life on other planets may as well.

The group also discovered the role that these repair genes, including MutY, play in hydrothermal microbes, by associating GO DNA repair with metabolic pathways. These pathways produce oxygen as a byproduct, so MutY may play a part in fixing DNA damage caused by metabolic processes.

Life on other planets may take many different forms, and similarly, learning science also takes many forms beyond the classroom. “I’ve been encouraged to ask questions and explain findings to form a cohesive pattern that tells a story,” says Fairbanks. She credits the lab experience as helping her “see a project from start to finish. I have been able to improve my critical thinking skills and laboratory technique, as well as adapt to change.”

That adaptation to change is a good lesson to learn as empirically observed far below the surface of the ocean but also on a personal level for Fairbanks and her young researcher cohorts. Findings such as these may show how DNA-based life forms rely on fixing damage caused by oxidation, even in environments without oxygen. And they give scientists a clue as to how life may look on other planets by forming models of life in environments unlike Earth’s. But the “findings” are clearly internal as well for young, developing scientists who will never forget their time examining and interpreting data in the Horvath Lab.

As Martin Horvath intones of this research, “Life finds a way.”

As do young minds like that found embodied in Mary Fairbanks who, now headed for a career in the medical field, concludes, “I believe my experience in research will make me a more open-minded thinker.”

Humans of the U: Megan DuVal

“Through research, I’ve been able to find a community at the U, build relationships with mentors, learn valuable research skills and I’ve worked with some really amazing ants in some really cool places!

ACCESS SCHOLARS: Breaking Tradition

Picture a college student. What comes to mind? Tradition paints a picture of a teenager fresh out of high school, eagerly taking their next step forward in life.

Taking it to the startup slopes

Thomas Wei-Tsu Tang, BS’94 in physics, is an extraordinary competitor. A two-time Olympian in alpine skiing (Calgary, 1988 and Albertville, 1992), he has also competed in a World Cup and a World Championship in skiing.

From Taipai to Salt Lake

A sports family

Bringing it full circle

2023 Distinguished Alumni, Chemistry

Four alumni have been honored as distinguished alumni for 2023 in the Department of Chemistry.

Zlatko Bačić: Tectonic Science

Amy Barrios: A world-class education

Roger Leach: lifelong learning and agility

Mitch Johnson: reinventing and modernizing formulations

Pioneer in Sustainable Mining Denee Hayes Joins College Leadership Team

The University of Utah College of Science has announced that Denee Hayes has been selected as its newest Senior Fellow.

Pete Johnson, An Abundant Source of Energy

Modern day gold rush

The Science

FIELDING NORTON NAMED COLLEGE OF SCIENCE SENIOR FELLOW

Climate physicist, insurtech venture advisor and former reinsurance executive Fielding Norton III joins the College’s Leadership Team.

Avalanche Escape Artist

“I out-swam a size three avalanche down a gulley that had been artillery blasted,” reports Ron Perla to Wildsnow, a ski and snow reporting site. “It was my introduction to the post-control release.”

Models of moving avalanches

Collective consciousness

BERTON EARNSHAW NAMEd COLLEGE OF SCIENCE SENIOR FELLOW

A deep learning and AI expert, Earnshaw joins the College’s Leadership Team.

Life On Other Planets … and in a student’s mind

A DNA repair system known as the GO DNA repair system removes oxidized guanine. This helps protect the system from mutating, and while scientists understand how it works, the origin of this mechanism isn’t well understood.

Acting like a scientist

How life might evolve on other planets

FIELDING NORTON NAMED COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
SENIOR FELLOW