Our students left for spring break early in March, just as all of us began to sense that our world was about to change as we’d never experienced before. There was and is no road map for this unprecedented situation. For the faculty and staff, the week of spring break was suddenly filled with meetings and strategizing. The Department of Chemistry spent the entire week quickly putting measures in place to secure the safety and well-being of its students, staff, and faculty. Here’s how the Department of Chemistry got things in order, working with the University and the College of Science within ten days thanks to the cooperation and collaboration of faculty and staff, and what’s happened since it all began:
Monday, March 9, 2020
- Chemistry seminar visitors are given the option to cancel their trip if they feel it is safer
- University restricts all university-related business travel
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
- Classes canceled for Monday and Tuesday to give professors and instructors time to transition to online courses
Friday, March 13, 2020
- Summer abroad programs canceled
- Possibility that summer courses will also be online
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
- 5.7 Earthquake
- First day of online classes canceled
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
- PPE donations to U Hospital & ARUP: 79,400 nitrile gloves, 605 safety glasses, 31 N95 respirators
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
- Message from Dean Trapa: prepare for possible transition to online classes and students returning from spring break should self-isolate
Thursday, March 12, 2020
- Lab Action Plans:
- Allowed and Disallowed Work
- Critical 14-Day Instrument Maintenance
- Non-critical 14-day Instrument Maintenance
- All group meetings go virtual
Sunday, March 15, 2020
- Non-essential Chemistry staff will telecommute and work from home if possible
Thursday, March 19, 2020
- NMR Center & Mass Spec Core Closures
- Essential Research:
- Caring for living organisms
- Maintaining continuous cell lines
- Maintaining equipment and reagents
Friday, April 3, 2020
- University-wide hiring freeze implemented
For our students who have worked for so many years for this moment, many of them overcoming significant hurdles and obstacles to get here, graduation is a rite of passage signifying to themselves and their community that they have gained the skills and knowledge to contribute to making this world a better and brighter place. We could not let spring pass without acknowledging their success and celebrating with them.
The College of Science is sending out “Graduation in a Box” this spring, which will include:
- Two Convocation Programs
- A College of Science Mug
- Honors or Internship Cords Awarded by the College of Science
The College of Science will host an in-person convocation in December for graduates.
Cheves T. Walling Award
Cheves Walling played a key role in the growth and development of chemistry at the University of Utah, retiring as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in 1991. Each year, one or two graduate students receive this award for the best dissertation, as decided by a committee of faculty members.
We reached out to as many Walling award recipients as we could find and received responses from 16 alumni who have continued on their path of excellence in chemistry.