Convocation 2025

March 6, 2025

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | COLLEGE OF MINES & Earth Sciences Convocation Events

Please check back regularly for updates to this page as new information becomes available.

Convocation Ceremony

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center

The College of Science convocation ceremony is not a ticketed event and there is no limit to the number of guests in attendance.

Convocation Reception

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: Following the Convocation Ceremony
Location: Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House

University Commencement Ceremony

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center

For more information, visit commencement.utah.edu

OTHER Important Information for Graduates

Grad Fair

Student graduation packs (gown, cap, etc.) will be available to purchase through the Campus Store starting March 1st. Preordered Grad Packs will be available for pick-up at the Grad Fair on March 27th - 29th, 2025 at the Main Campus Store.

For more information, visit store.utah.edu/student-graduation-information

Cord Pick Up

Dates: April 17 - 29, 2025

You will receive an email if you need to pick up a cord.

Sustainability Pledge

Graduating seniors are in an important position to help build a healthy, sustainable and just world. Pledge to aid in a sustainable future by taking the Sustainability Pledge, and you will receive a green cord to wear at commencement and convocation highlighting your commitment to a sustainable future.

Learn more and take the pledge at sustainability.utah.edu/graduating-sustainability-pledge

Complete the Next Step Survey

Whether you're an undergraduate, graduate student, leave your legacy by letting us know what you're doing after graduation. You'll receive a U Career Success Cord that will be available at the Advising Hive beginning on April 16.

Learn more and take the Next Step Survey.

This page will be updated regularly with additional information. Please check back for the latest details about graduation events.

FORGE Workshop with Alumna Anke Friedrich

December 23, 2024

Anke Friedrich

Managing Principal Investigator Joseph Moore in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, says that “this next phase allows us to build on our important achievements and to further develop and de-risk the tools and technologies necessary to unlock the potential of next-generation geothermal power.”

That’s one hefty piece of good news. But there’s more, and it’s rooted largely in the form of one woman: G&G alumna Anke Friedrich. This past September Friedrich convened a 10-day workshop at Utah FORGE for students from the U and from her home base of Germany where she has an appointment as endowed professor of geology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. (She is also an adjunct in Geology & Geophysics at the U.) “It was extremely important to me to have this workshop authentically at the site where things are happening,” she says, “because it has this sense of urgency that really makes it special and different.”

A recent recipient of the U’s Founder’s Day Alumni Award, Friedrich says it was “priceless” to have the project’s two principal investigators on site—along with Moore, John McLennan, U professors with appointments at the Energy & Geoscience Institute. The setting too, is priceless: Milford Valley in Beaver County, Utah, a place of burgeoning alternative energy operations, including the two geo-thermal plants in operation along with windmill and solar farms running like giant stitches in the dry steppe at the foot of the Mineral Mountains. In the middle of it, to the west, is the FORGE site which includes the double-wide “container” classroom with internet, screens, a kitchen and—very important—air conditioning.

'Liquid gold'

Ten students were the focus of the unique place-based workshop, but a total of twenty-seven participants threaded through the 10-day event, including imported faculty and experts for half-day visits. Additionally, there was a visit from a YellowScan drone and an opportunity to learn how to fly these devices and operate LIDAR to get high surface resolution for fractures wherein is found “liquid gold”—water at a piping hot temperature of at least 275 °C.

Workshop cohort with Anke Friedrich, far right. The site for Utah FORGE is at the foot of the Mineral Mountains with most of the exploration going on, naturally, underground.

Some of that water is naturally circulating, a classic convection system in the earth. Other hot water used for generating turbines for electricity has to be recruited through fracking and inserting surface water underground where it is heated by natural forces, then re-surfaced. All of this has to be done using seismic monitoring via the U’s Seismograph Station where professor Kris Pankow, who helped organize the workshop, is associate director. The monitoring is in concert with geological data collected from drill cores at the geothermal site as well as 3D models of fractures on the surface of nearby mountains using the YellowScan drone.

Giving back

Though a daunting task, it is a deeply calculated and calibrated one, and, happily, a recent benchmark test at Utah FORGE has proven successful. Students from both sides of the Atlantic are there, feeling the heat and doing hands-on research to better experience the process of hydro-fracking in the geothermal industry. For Friedrich this unique experience, which will be repeated, is also a way to give back to the community she encountered as an undergraduate when she came to the U in 1989 as a competitive skier. (Last year she was inducted into the Crimson Hall of Fame for winning three of the four NCAA Championship races she entered.)

But this time she’s in the Beehive State to indelibly “give back” in a way that “is really worth sharing with students, young scientists, and even colleagues.”

From Curious Volunteer to Dinosaur Discoverer

July 9, 2024

As a young adult, Carpenter wasn’t sure if college was for her, but she did want to reconnect with her childhood love of paleontology. She started doing volunteer fieldwork with the Natural History Museum of Utah and her passion led Carrie Levitt-Bussian, the paleontology collections manager, to suggest she intern at the museum. There was just one catch. Carpenter would need to be a student at the University of Utah.

“I took the shot and applied for the U and luckily I got in,” said Carpenter.

Recent U graduate Savhannah Carpenter is the a co-author on a paper about the world’s newest horned dinosaur.

Once at the U, Carpenter immediately started taking dinosaur classes and met paleontologist and faculty member, Mark Loewen. Impressed by her communication skills, Loewen asked her to be a teaching assistant for his course. “Sometimes I would just turn the class over to her and let her answer questions,” Lowen said. “It is amazing to watch her think on her feet.”

According to Loewen, having people who can communicate science like Carpenter is essential.“I have lots of colleagues in the field who are amazing researchers and I respect their work,” he said. “But they can’t get people excited about it. The future of scientific research, and the funding of scientific research, really hinges on whether we can get other people excited about what we are doing.”

As part of her undergraduate studies, Carpenter also worked on ceratopsian research with Loewen. Through the Department of Geology and Geophysics, she was even able to get course credit for this work. Recently the 2024 U grad joined him and other researchers as a co-author on a paper identifying a new type of dinosaur, Lokiceratops rangiformis. “I was really excited to share Lokiceratops with the world because no one has seen him in 78 million years and it’s nice to welcome him back,” she said.

“Sometimes being a science person looks like playing in the dirt or rock climbing and making observations,” Carpenter said. “It’s not always doing chemistry in a lab. Fieldwork really helped bring me back to my roots and realize we are all science people. It just looks different for everybody.”

Undergraduate research played a key role in helping Carpenter connect with her coursework.

Read more about Savhannah Carpenter's journey @The U.

Convocation 2024

May 20, 2024

Congratulations 2024 Graduates!

The College of Science 2024 Convocation Ceremonies were held on Thursday, May 2 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The ceremony was presided by Dean Peter Trapa and featured comments from Associate Dean Pearl Sandick, chairs and directors of each department and a student speech by physics graduate Dua Ahzar.

Dean Peter Trapa Convocation Speech:

Welcome! My name is Peter Trapa, and I am Dean of the College of Science and of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences. On behalf of the entire merged college community, I welcome you to the 2024 convocation ceremony.

I am so happy to be here with all of you -- graduates, of course, but all those (family, friends, loved ones) who have been with you every step of the way. Many of you began your college careers during the years of the pandemic, so you know acutely the privilege of celebrating here together, in person. Just take a moment to think about how the last few years have changed you - I hope you look back fondly at favorite lectures, campus events, the friends you’ve made, and how much you’ve learned and grown as a person. You have achieved so much, overcome so much… you are unstoppable!

The twenty-first century will continue to be shaped by scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who first shed light on the pandemic, and whose research in many ways allow us to be here on this dazzling day. The challenges facing our world will continue to tackle the grand challenges – energy, environment, medicine, health – of the future.

That’s you! It’s your turn. The world awaits you -- needs you -- each and every one of you. Your career, your family, your entire life -- all unspool into an endless frontier of infinite possibility, and it’s your imagination that is the best window into your future. You will take what you learned in the Colleges of Science and Mines and Earth Sciences, the technical and the abstract, what you learned from your friendships and experiences at the U -- you’ll take all of that, and apply it in new ways that none of us, except for you, can imagine. Embrace the change and opportunities as they come, and seek out new discoveries and challenges. I’m so excited - and so proud - for all of you.

Remember that you are, and will continue to be, part of our College family. We want to hear about your successes, your new discoveries, your opportunities. Remember that we are here, celebrating with you every step along the way, as you achieve great things.

The Solace of Numbers: The Math Center

May 20, 2024

Today, things are exponentially better, and not just because of the expanded space, with its beautifully rendered sandstone exterior accented with concrete and glass and illuminated naturally through skylights, rising into an elevated garden patio above. The $1.8 million T. Benny Rushing Mathematics Student Center, where the Math Center is housed, currently speaks to the collaborative, integrated space—both physical and mental—that offers what Gardiner calls a “continual review of mathematics” targeting University of Utah undergraduates enrolled in math classes.

That continuing review is robust as well—on-demand for students who at times just drop in with a quick query or for others who actually use the space as a study hall, raising different-colored felt flags (depending on what area of math they need help with) at their work stations when they need one-on-one attention.

Some of the tutors are graduate students, required, as part of their teaching requirement to work a minimum of one hour per week. There is also a tutor cohort which is more of a fixture, logging many weekly hours. All of these skilled mentors are always at-the-ready, willing and fluidly collaborative with their colleagues who may be more conversant with concepts than they are—whether it's quadratic equations, calculus, or trigonometry. There’s even a dedicated private space for Foundations of Analysis work where students are mentored through “proofs,” a deductive argument for a mathematical statement, showing that the stated assumptions logically guarantee the conclusion.

Discussion is a premium, says Lisa Penfold who took over the direction of the Center in 2018. "If a student discusses the problem with a tutor within 24 hours of a lecture,” she says, “understanding and retention increases” markedly. For the tutors, the benefits are mutual as they benefit in their preparation for the Graduate Record Exam, required for graduate school, by working as a tutor in the Math Center.

Veteran tutor Stella Brower, working with a student.

While designed first to be pragmatic (students need to pass math classes for their generals, but also for their STEM-related majors) the Center inspires students to move beyond the Steps (1,2,3…) to solving an assigned problem to really understand what the meaning is of what they’re looking at. It’s this undergirding mission that has made the Math Center at the U the powerhouse that it is. Tutors, who are skilled at deciphering the students' level of understanding, respond to students in real time.

Helping students to pass their math classes and to better understand math meanings can sometimes be complicated by the all too familiar “math anxiety.” Refrains like "I'll never be able to do math" or "math doesn't even walk in our family" are all too common for some who arrive at the U. The Math Center, with its welcoming atmosphere, private group meeting rooms, computer lab and a break room/kitchen has become a sanctuary for students struggling with the complexities of numbers, equations, and formulas. (It would seem the only thing they might be missing is a climbing wall.)

"Our objective is to make sure students feel welcome here and get the help they need," Penfold states. "We know there's a lot of baggage with mathematics."

Addressing that baggage is one of the Center's core missions. Through extraordinary patience and individualized teaching approaches, tutors work tirelessly to dismantle math anxiety. "We start by acknowledging it's valid," says tutor Caleb Albers, a PhD candidate in applied mathematics. "Then we can begin chipping away at those negative associations.”

“I find that helping students get more of a conceptual understanding … helps a lot,” says Stella Brower, a veteran tutor pursuing a master's in statistics. “I have experience tutoring many different types of learners. There are those that thrive working alongside you as you go through a problem, some that want a tutor to check their work, and then there are those that need a bit of guidance or a refresher on a concept.”

Albers echoes this approach. “The most important thing is to help them ‘learn how to learn’ math for themselves, instead of just showing them how to do one problem.”

The tutoring strategies are as diverse as the students themselves, and “meeting the student where they are,” is the standard operating procedure of the tutoring team. The objective of every interaction is to bring a deep commitment to unlocking each student's individual potential. Penfold encourages a culture of tutors commingling across disciplines, asking each other for support on esoteric concepts. Students from calculus and introductory courses are seen clustering together, facilitating an enervating—even fun— cross-pollination of ideas.

"You'll see six to eight students sitting together,” she says, “some in calculus helping those in an entry-level course.”

The pandemic accelerated the Math Center’s evolution, prompting an online tutoring option that continues facilitating virtual support Monday through Saturday. As the U continues to grow its enrollment, Penfold insists on preserving the Center's uniquely personalized, student-centric approach. Penfold is often stepping onto the floor herself when every seat is taken and helping a student even as they are currently almost doubling the size of the tutoring area and creating satellite centers like the one that recently opened in the Sutton Building to accommodate the number of students using the center.

“If a tutor has a question or encounters something shaky, they’ll ask another tutor. We have grad students, as well as undergrads— everyone talking about mathematics and working together.” Asked what she wants students to know about her facility, she immediately responds that she hopes they find out about the Center and that they then use it as frequently as needed.

It’s a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the Math Center team from the early days in old barracks to today’s open and accommodating facility with both online and in-person options, “This is probably the most difficult challenge faced as a tutor," says Brower. "The ability to change up your teaching methods on the fly is very important when helping a student that just isn’t quite getting it.”

The Math Center helps make that happen every day.

by David Pace

This is the feature story of the latest edition of Aftermath, magazine for the Department of Mathematics.

Academic Innovation + Intelligence Lab

March 4, 2024

The Office of Undergraduate Studies is pleased to announce the establishment of The Academic Innovation + Intelligence Lab (The A.I.I., or “A double i”), a cross-functional group that uses research, data, and intervention to clear paths for students to succeed. Its goal is to drive steady, continuous change by creating, implementing, and scaling viable interventions that enable every student to have an exceptional educational experience. Specifically, the lab investigates processes, explores new pedagogical approaches, tests new technologies and tools, uses data analysis and visualization to unearth new understanding, and shares its insights nationwide.

The A.I.I. is a culmination of multiple collaborative academic innovation efforts the university has engaged in for many years. Led by Jim Agutter, A.I.I. lab director, and senior associate dean for Faculty Success & Academic Innovation, it will fold in a long line of internally funded efforts to optimize university operations, remove barriers to student success, and transform how the U delivers exceptional education experiences for all.

“We stand at the precipice of a transformative era in undergraduate education at the University of Utah,” said T. Chase Hagood, senior associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of Undergraduate Studies. “Our vision with the A.I.I. is to create a nexus of innovation and intelligence that propels student success to new heights. By blending research, data, and interventions, the lab represents a commitment to continuous, evidence-based evolution in our teaching, learning, and success strategies. We invite creative thinkers and curious minds to join with us in this spirit of innovation. Together, we will not only navigate the changing landscape of higher education but also chart new paths of success for students and faculty at the U and beyond.”

The A.I.I. will also strengthen the university’s partnership with the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a leading coalition of public institutions that fund, test, and scale interventions to bridge equity gaps and power student success for all. Working closely with the U’s UIA Extend Group (a campus-wide group of faculty and staff), it will incubate and coordinate UIA-sponsored projects with direction and management from UIA Fellow Lindsay Coco, special assistant to the SAVPAA/dean of Undergraduate Studies. Hagood and Senior Advisor in the Office of the President Laura Snow will shepherd projects as the university’s UIA Liaisons.

Read the full announcement by RAYNA WILES - PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR, ACADEMIC INNOVATION + INTELLIGENCE LAB

Why Science?

August 17, 2022

We empower our students to achieve their ambitions.

It is the mission of the College of Science to connect our students with the vast opportunities that mathematics and science unlock. We develop the tools for critical thinking and reason. We prepare students for exciting careers, and educate the next generation of scientific leaders.

Over the last five decades, thousands of students have used their degrees from the College of Science to launch professional careers around the globe. Science and mathematics degrees prepare students for success in a wide range of careers including industry, academics, health, business, and law.

Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi

Alumni of the College of Science include co-founders of Fortune 500 companies, pioneers of Utah’s software and biotechnology booms, and internationally-recognized leaders in health and technology.

College students have the opportunity to work with world-renowned faculty, including members of the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The School of Biological Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, are consistently ranked among the highest performing on campus and throughout the region.

Science Mentors

A guiding light for aspiring scientists.

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August 24, 2023

Science Research Initiative

Research experience for first-year students.

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April 19, 2022

What Can You Do with a Science Degree?

Learn more about where a science career can take you

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January 5, 2022

SRI Timeline

Plan your first year of research and beyond.

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January 3, 2022

Transfer Students

Finish your degree at the College of Science.

October 19, 2021

Tour the College of Science

Request a tour of the stunning science campus at the University of Utah

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May 7, 2021

Live on campus

Unique housing opportunities for science students.

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January 27, 2021

Scholarships, Grants & Financial Aid

Scholarships for students at the College of Science.

December 3, 2020

ACCESS Scholars

Individuals from all dimensions of diversity who embody excellence, leadership and equity.

Matt Crawley

November 1, 2019

Science Research Initiative

April 19, 2022

What Can You Do with a Science Degree?

January 5, 2022

Research Opportunities

October 30, 2021

Tips for Finding Research:

Talk to your professors! They are a wealth of knowledge and LOVE to talk about their work. Talk to them after class, or set an appointment to talk about their work and your interests.
Go to the department's website (linked below) that you are interested in and click on the research tab. Read short summaries on each professor's research. It's okay if you don't understand the research right away–this is normal! Keep a list of faculty that interest you to narrow down your options.
Use Google Scholar to browse through publications by the professor with titles that interest you. Most professors keep a list of current publications, read the abstracts and look at images; this will help you narrow down topics.
Email the professor you are interested in working with. You may need to email them several times. This is okay; they are very busy and often appreciate the reminder.
Include an updated resume in your email.
If the meeting goes well and it seems like a good fit, you can talk about the next steps to becoming a member of their group. Don't forget to:
- Discuss how many hours you would like to work
- How many semesters you want to be with the lab
- Future plans for opportunities such as UROP
- And ask who your lab mentor will be
If you meet with a lab, and it doesn't seem like a good fit: that's okay. Repeat this process with another professor. If you are not quite sure, and you want to get a better feel for the research group, ask if you can attend a weekly group meeting, where current students in the group often discuss their current research.

Example Email to a Professor:

Dear Dr. ______________,

My name is (insert your name) and I am a (first year, sophomore, junior, senior) (___________) major at the University of Utah. I have been exploring research opportunities in the department, and after looking through your research page, I would like to meet with you to discuss (your studies, a certain topic, opportunities to work in your lab, etc). (Feel free to elaborate on your interests and what you are looking for.)

I can meet (give 3-5 different specific dates and times that work for you...this allows them to choose a time that works for them). Would you be able to meet at any of these times?

I am looking forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you for your time,

(Your name)

How do I present my research?

One of the best parts of doing research is presenting at conferences.

Here are some opportunities available to students at the U:
Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) at the U in the spring:
Posters on the Hill (February)
Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research (UCUR)
National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR):
Make sure to include your presentations on your resume and curriculum vitae (CV)!
You can also ask your research mentor about opportunities to submit your work for publication.

What is an REU?

National Science Foundation (NSF) funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where they work closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel.

Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location. Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information is listed for each site.

Search for an REU site or find more information @ https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | COLLEGE OF MINES & Earth Sciences Convocation Events

Convocation Ceremony

Convocation Reception

University Commencement Ceremony

OTHER Important Information for Graduates

Grad Fair

Cord Pick Up

Sustainability Pledge

Complete the Next Step Survey

FORGE Workshop with Alumna Anke Friedrich

The good news for the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) managed by the U is that with an additional $80 million in funding from the Department of Energy, the project is fully funded through 2028.

'Liquid gold'

Giving back

From Curious Volunteer to Dinosaur Discoverer

Savhannah Carpenter’s route to being the only student listed on the research team credited with finding the world’s newest horned dinosaur didn’t follow a straight line.

>> HOME <<

Congratulations 2024 Graduates!

Dean Peter Trapa Convocation Speech:

The Solace of Numbers

PRIOR TO 2002, ANGIE GARDINER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE SERVICES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS, WAS WORKING WITH HER MATH TUTORS OUT OF TWO OLD WWII BARRACKS SITUATED BETWEEN THE COWLES AND WIDTSOE BUILDINGS ON PRESIDENTS CIRCLE.

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opportunity is knocking