Yale Reunion Giving Volunteer Newsletter

Fall 2024

GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR

Chris Seager, Director of Reunion Giving

If you’ve been to the Yale campus recently, you may have noticed the cranes and hardhats on Science Hill. While the beloved Peabody Museum re-opened earlier this year and is more accessible than ever, Yale recently broke ground on the new Physical Sciences and Engineering Building, the heart of a multi-phase transformation of Science Hill that will advance the research and discoveries of our students and scientists – for an impact far beyond Yale.

Every discovery begins with inquiry, and sometimes answers lead to more questions. At Yale, curiosity-driven science – or science for its own sake – is founded upon questions like, “what controls carbon dioxide levels?” and “what is a robot?”

Why is this important? In the words of famed astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan, “Cutting off fundamental, curiosity-driven science is like eating the seed corn. We may have a little more to eat next winter but what will we plant so we and our children have enough to get through the winters to come?”

In this issue, you’ll hear about curiosity-driven science through faculty and student lenses. If you’re serving on a reunion gift committee this year, remind your classmates that support for the sciences ignites students’ curiosity and powers discoveries that we see in everyday life.

Warmly,

Chris Seager

Director, Reunion Giving

CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE

Driven by Curiosity: A Conversation with Dean Larry Gladney

Dean Larry Gladney joined Yale as a Professor of Physics and became the Phyllis A. Wallace Dean of Diversity and Faculty Development in January 2019. In July 2022, he also took on the role of Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Dean of Science. Larry’s research focuses on discovering how matter, energy, space, and time are connected. He works with experimental particle physics and cosmology, trying to understand big questions like where the Universe comes from and why it’s expanding faster and faster. He has written or co-written more than 600 research papers.

At Yale, curiosity-driven science focuses on exploring fundamental questions and unknowns, driven by pure curiosity rather than immediate applications. This interdisciplinary approach has led to significant and unexpected discoveries, fostering collaboration among scholars from various fields. Yale supports this initiative through dedicated funding, advanced facilities, and the active involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in cutting-edge research.

We thank Larry for his contributions and for joining us in this edition of the newsletter to share his invaluable insights. Read more…

TRAINING SCIENTISTS

Cultivating a Love for Science: Anaa Andriyash '26 PhD

Long before she considered herself a plant scientist, Anaa Andriyash ’26 PhD spent childhood summers on her family’s farm in eastern Ukraine, helping her mother in the garden and experimenting with leftover plant seeds.

Now a doctoral student in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at Yale, Anaa runs experiments with plants year-round in the lab of Dr. Vivian Irish. Her research focuses on the formation of plant organs—leaves, stems, and flowers—and cell-to-cell interactions during a plant’s growth cycles. “Understanding the molecular processes in plant development has enormous implications for agriculture,” Anaa says. “In the future, this research can inform scientific strategies for sustaining the world’s food supply." Read more…

Yale's STARS

In 1995, Yale College made a commitment to support students from economically underprivileged or other historically underrepresented backgrounds to ensure their success in science, engineering and mathematics. The Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) Program provides enrichment activities including seminars, networking opportunities, mentorship, group dinners, and professional development designed to help students stay in STEM fields.

The STARS program fosters an ideal environment for curiosity-driven science, where students can ask questions that may one day lead to discovery. In the words of Jaida Morgan ’23, who researched new therapeutic approaches to ovarian cancer as a STARS scholar, “I hope eventually there will be a treatment that is beneficial to most cancer types. Knowing that I’m doing something that will potentially help is what I want.”

WHEN ANCIENT HISTORY AND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE COLLIDE

An Ancient Roman Shipwreck May Explain the Universe: CUORE and CUPID experiments featured on SciShow

SciShow, a YouTube channel with over 8 million subscribers that, according to their tagline, “explores the unexpected,” recently featured the CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) and CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification) experiments in a video about how “An Ancient Roman Shipwreck May Explain the Universe”. Read more…

Giving to Yale | Yale Alumni Association | Yale College Reunions | Reunion Giving Volunteers

For questions or feedback, please contact Chris Seager at christine.seager@yale.edu.

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