The year 2021 started off on a tragic note. Edward (Ted) M. Eyring, who devoted his life to family, church, and science,  passed away on February 20, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, children Steven and Jill Eyring, Valerie LaHaye, David and Juli Eyring, his brothers Henry B Eyring and Harden Eyring, 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter Sharon and great granddaughter Addyson.

Throughout the year, several members of our faculty and students achieved notable accomplishments. Luisa Whittaker-Brooks was awarded the prestigious 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship, given to researchers “whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.” Whittaker-Brooks was also among 16 early career chemists named as a 2021 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. Selected by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars receive an unrestricted $100,000 research grant.

Following Whittaker-Brooks’s success, Vahe Badarian received the Distinguished Research Award. Each year since 1965, the University of Utah has selected faculty members from across campus to receive the Distinguished Research Award (DRA) – an award designed to recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in scholarly and creative research by University of Utah faculty. Professor Valeria Molinero was among the 252 newly elected members of AAAS–American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among those joining Molinero in the class of 2021 are neuroscientist and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay K. Gupta, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times and media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey.

As the Spring semester ends and summer begins, Professors Michael Morse and Peter B. Armentrout both were recipients of awards. Morse received the 2021 College of Science Award for Fostering Undergraduate Research Excellence for his outstanding contributions to undergraduate research with the College of Science Award for Fostering Undergraduate Research Excellence. He will receive $20,000 to fund his research, including support for one or more enrolled undergraduate research assistants pursuing a degree in science or math. Armentrout was the recipient of the 2021 ASMS John B. Fenn Award for a Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry, for the development of robust experimental and statistical techniques for the determination of accurate thermochemistry. He developed the guided ion beam threshold dissociation approach to provide insights into the thermochemistry, kinetics, and dynamics of simple and complex chemical reactions.

While our faculty had an outstanding year, our students did as well. Lydia Fries, an undergraduate researcher in the Sigman Group, received this year’s Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award from the University of Utah. Another undergraduate, Celine Slam, received a highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the 2021-2022 academic year. Finally, Grant Myres, a graduate student in the Joel Harris research group, received the FACSS Hirschfeld Award this year.