In 2011, Peter Stang was awarded the National Medal of Science “for his creative contributions to the development of organic supramolecular chemistry and for his…record of public service.” He was then awarded the 2013 Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society for his “cutting-edge research that has had far-reaching implications for many areas of science, including drug development and more efficient ways to produce gasoline and home heating oil.”

At that time, Utah Chemistry was ranked among the top 25 chemistry programs in the nation and among the top 1% annually in awarding undergraduate degrees certified by the American Chemical Society. In addition, it was the top annual producer of Ph.D. degrees at the U.

Construction of the Thatcher Building was in its final phase, boasting a 94-seat lecture hall, reception space, nine research labs for Bio-Analytical, Bio-Physical, and Bio-Organic Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry research space, offices for faculty, graduate students, and research teams, three teaching labs, study spaces, a lounge space, and an active learning center. It was registered under the LEED Green Building Rating System. The building was dedicated on March 13, 2013.

Ronald Ragsdale officially retired in May 2012. Over the years, he taught and mentored 50,000+ undergraduates, 4,000+ high school students, 2,000+ summer enrichment students, and 100+ high school chemistry teachers. He also left a legacy with the annual Christmas Faraday Lectures that continue to this day and provide a public venue for science outreach to children of all ages. The appointment of Charles Atwood as the Ronald and Eileen Ragsdale Endowed Chair for Chemical Education (currently held by Gina Frey) allowed Ragsdale’s legacy of excellence in teaching general chemistry and outreach to high school students to live on. The Ronald and Eileen Ragsdale Endowment was also established to provide scholarship support to outstanding chemistry majors.

Valeria Molinero was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2012. In addition, she was the first recipient of the College of Science Myriad Faculty Award for Research Excellence from Myriad Genetics. She was selected as a 2012 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar by the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation.

The Curie Club was founded in 2011 on the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie’s 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry by passionate, successful, civic-minded intellectually engaged women to help overcome the barriers that women and other historically underrepresented individuals face as young scientists, researchers, professors, and leaders in their fields, to support women scientists, and to encourage more young women to pursue a life of the mind. The following individuals founded the Curie Club: Claudia Skaggs Luttrell, Cynthia Conner, Kathy Thatcher, Cynthia J. Burrows, Linda Lee and Craig Lee, DDS, Kalpana Patel and Dinesh Patel, Ph.D., Susan R. Poulter, JD, Ph.D. and C. Dale Poulter Ph.D., Rebecca Reese and Don Reese, MD.