Ar-CHEM-edes “Eureka!” Moments Inspire Giving to UConn Chem

An appeal to UConn Chem Alumni    

On UConn’s 2nd Annual Giving Day, I reflect on “Eureka!” moments that have inspired me to support the UConn Department of Chemistry and the students and research that make it so great.

Popular culture paints a picture of “Eureka!” moments as relatively rare, mostly random, and always solitary. I think otherwise. Eureka moments of different magnitudes occur every day in the laboratories, hallways, and offices of our beloved Chemistry Building. The ideas borne out of these moments are the product of human interactions: of researchers engrossed in collaboration and frequently in a conversation. If you ever did research in the UConn Department of Chemistry–as a postdoc, a graduate student, or even as an undergraduate –I bet you can recall one of these moments during your training. It may have come in a conversation with a labmate, or probably with your research advisor. Eureka moments like these are catnip to professors. First, we, like you, want to be the first to know something new. The best way to do that is to ask the right questions and then figure out the experiments that will best answer them. Second, empowering young scientists to do research is what we do. When we do it well, we all share in the rewards that come from it.

Eureka moments get captured in things like publications and presentations or grants and contracts; these products propel us further down the paths of our research programs. If your research experience included a collaborative epiphany–YOUR “Eureka!” moment–then consider supporting one of the funds in the UConn Department of Chemistry. These accounts help to support students–people like your former UConn self–to realize their potential while simultaneously increasing the research profile of UConn Chemistry.

#UConnNation #HuskiesForever #UConnGives

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