The Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellowship (Sigal Fellowship) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is a two-year postdoctoral fellowship awarded every two years to a Ph.D. candidate who will pursue research at the chemistry and biology interface. Candidates are nominated by chairs of Ph.D.-granting Chemistry Departments in the United States. Individuals are not able to submit an application without being nominated.
Ronald Ragsdale passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, January 16, 2020, at his home in Draper, Utah. He came to Utah as an assistant professor in 1963 and was promoted to full professor in 1972. He will be warmly remembered for his extensive and passionate teaching as well as for establishing the annual Faraday Lectures back in 1981.
Ron taught over 50,000 undergraduate students, 4,000 high school students, 2,000 summer enrichment students, and more than 100 high school teachers. He and his wife Eileen have always championed students and education. They established the Ronald & Eileen Ragsdale Endowed Chair in Chemical Education to allow the Department of Chemistry to hire and maintain a faculty member whose research is dedicated to investigating and implementing teaching practices that ensure the best possible experience for students. The couple also established scholarships that will continue to support students who are in need of tuition support and are excelling in their studies. The Ragsdale’s have also supported the Curie Club and women in STEM within the department.
During his 49-year career in the Department of Chemistry, he is recognized for initiating three groundbreaking educational outreach programs that have distinguished the university’s chemistry department from its peers: The Summer High School Chemistry Enrichment Program, a university/high school cooperative Advanced Placement Lab program, and the annual Faraday Lectures.
The Summer High School Chemistry Enrichment program began in 1973, and Ragsdale would invite guest speakers to deliver symposiums twice a week to cover diverse topics from Shakespeare to current political elections as well as a broad range of scientific disciplines.
With his devotion to chemical education, Ron instituted a chemistry demonstration program in the spirit of Michael Faraday in 1981, ably assisted by Dr. Jerry Driscoll, one of Ron’s former students. Together, they entertained and educated crowds of several thousand community members–particularly high school chemistry students. The Lectures continue to entertain over a thousand local kids, students, and parents each year every December. Professors Janis Louie and Tom Richmond continue this tradition that Ron established so many years ago.
Ron’s impact on the Department of Chemistry is far-reaching and ongoing.
The Campbell Staff Award was initiated by a distinguished chemistry department alumnus, Jerry Murry, and other “Kecklings,” to honor the memory of Diana Campbell, who was one of Professor Emeritus Gary Keck’s administrative assistants who had a long-lasting impact on the graduate students who benefited from her dedication to our research and education missions. The staff award acknowledges the important role that our departmental support staff play in the graduate education and careers of our researchers. The award will be given to a staff member who meaningfully and consistently contributes to and supports graduate students in ways that go above and beyond their administrative duties. This is the first award that recognizes and rewards the significant impact our staff members have on the excellent quality of education and research in the department.