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Dean's Message

Dear Friends:

The 2011-12 academic year has been an eventful one for the School of Physical Sciences. We welcomed our largest freshman class in the history of the School—322 students—and graduated our first CAL TEACH students who will begin teaching careers in our local schools. Our physicists played a key role in the discovery of the Higgs boson particle in Geneva, and our Department of Mathematics faculty worked with local high school students who placed competitively in an international math modeling competition. We forged research collaborations with leading scientists from Israel and garnered international attention to the issue of global groundwater depletion. With the help of the Extension program, we are launching an effort to create an online core undergraduate Chemistry curriculum, which will be available for enrichment to anyone, anywhere, any time, at no charge. Closer to home, we experienced record-breaking attendance at our Breakfast Lecture Series, and we mourned together the loss of our beloved professors -- F.S. Rowland and Douglas Mills. In every aspect of my daily responsibilities within the Dean’s office—from academic to administrative considerations—I am reminded how very much we rely on the support of friends.

The generosity of alumni and friends resulted in nearly $1 million in support of our School programs to supplement state, federal and foundation funding.  Approximately $300k was designated for undergraduate scholarships, equipment, and research support, and approximately $700k was allocated for graduate research.  Supporting students remains our top priority. 

The UC Irvine campus has also been abuzz with the recent announcement by the Times Higher Education of London that UCI ranked fourth in the world and first in the U.S. among the world's "new" universities—that is, universities founded within the past 50 years. We are particularly proud as this ranking is based on impact, with a significant weight on academic research and publications, areas in which our School of Physical Sciences is clearly a leader. Our exceptional founding faculty set a high bar for the School. Over the past five decades, the continued dedication of our students, faculty, and community have contributed to this achievement. It now rests on our shoulders to ensure that we continue to lead the world in life-changing research.

Read more of Physical Matters.