What I Discovered About Science at Pitzer

When I was a CMC student back in the late 1980s, I was pleasantly surprised when I took some required science coursework at Pitzer.

Why was I “pleasantly surprised”?

Because I thought each school in The Claremont Colleges had a specialized focus, and I thought Pitzer focused only on social justice and social responsibility, not science. Science was Mudd’s area, right? And yet, there I was on the Pitzer campus, learning about water conservation and taking trips to explore the ecosystems of various local rivers and streams. I really enjoyed it.

That connection between the classroom and field experience gave me a taste of the way that Pitzer connects the real world with the classroom. And the emphasis that my professors put on the dangers of pollution and the impact of human development on water systems introduced me to how social responsibility can be discussed in a scientific setting.

Flash forward to last fall, when Nucleus West, a massive new building that is part of the College’s science complex, opened its doors. That facility is a dramatic sign of the College’s investment in science majors; it’s also a visible sign—like the green department logo, which combines a Pitzer leaf with a Scripps arch (pictured above)—of a partnership with its neighbor institution to the west. Today’s students have an even greater assortment of resources available than when I was an undergrad.

To get a sense of what some of those resources are, you won’t want to miss reading this issue’s cover story about the new building—as well as the many profiles and features about students and alumni who are pursuing exciting science careers thanks to what they learned at Pitzer. It’s also a pleasure to include the personal remarks of Ulysses J. Sofia, our science dean, who shares why he became a scientist and his hopes for science students today at Pitzer (and Scripps, too). 

Enjoy the issue. 

Nick Owchar, Editor