Volume 1, Issue 7
Dean's Message
Clayton H. Heathcock
Dean, College of Chemistry, & Gilbert Newton Lewis Professor (courtesy Peg Skorpinski)
January 2005
Dear Friends,
In a recent ranking of universities by the British Times Higher Education Supplement, Berkeley was named as the second-best university in the world, and first in terms of reputation. While the methodology of the study was less than academically rigorous, it is nevertheless remarkable that a public university, with its mission of access and excellence, should be so highly rated. Also important, three California universities were ranked in the top ten, a huge honor and an indication of the respect that our teaching and research capabilities inspire. But these rankings are only a snapshot of our abilities at a given time. To further our educational and research prowess, we must seek out new challenges and inspire researchers to push the boundaries of conventional wisdom. Collaborations and joint programs between departments and campuses are crucial to this effort.
One campus alliance--the Synthetic Biology program--has taken on a life of its own. Established last year at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) as an avenue for like-minded scientists from various disciplines to engineer cells for industrial or medical use, the fledging program is getting a boost. The campus and LBNL are cooperating to lease a large amount of lab space in West Berkeley. Several labs, including those of chemical engineering professor Jay Keasling and bioengineering professor Adam Arkin, will move to well-equipped new digs in January; it's a big expansion of a relatively new program. While the move off campus is not ideal, it is an interim solution to allow new exciting programs to develop while big building projects continue on campus. Keasling has also made recent headlines with the announcement of a large grant from the Gates Foundation to support his antimalarial drug research and development in collaboration with biotech and nonprofit pharmaceutical companies.
Another alliance, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), is also ramping up. This agency was established by Proposition 71, the $3 billion stem cell research initiative that was approved by voters in November. Berkeley's Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has been appointed to the committee that will oversee the distribution of research grants and loans for embryonic stem cell research, some of which will take place in the innovative labs within our colleges.
With the approach of the holiday season, I'd like to join with Deans Owen and Richards in wishing you and your loved ones the very best. We look forward to seeing you on campus in the coming year.
Clayton H. Heathcock
Dean, College of Chemistry
UC Berkeley
heathcock@berkeley.edu