College of Science

Providing Skilled Scientists and Mathematicians for Today and Tomorrow

Sheida Hajarian's dream was to earn a science degree from Weber State University, just like her Iranian-born father did in the 1980s. She wanted to study pre-medicine. But at 19, Sheida suffered horrific injuries in a car crash. She spent the next five years in physical therapy.

While recovering, Sheida grew increasingly concerned about the toxicity of her medications, so she began researching the natural healing properties of plants. At 32, Sheida finally achieved her dream, graduating from WSU with a degree in botany. She hopes to one day return to the university ... as a science professor

For 125 years, determined students like Sheida have come to the College of Science to gain the knowledge and skills they will use to advance research, boost the economy, cure diseases, ease hunger and develop innovations.

Our commitment to science education is robust, with outstanding programs in:

  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Geoscience
  • Mathematics
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Zoology

Our pre-professional programs (dental, medicine, pharmacy, physician's assistant and veterinary medicine) are equally impressive.

Through the years, our unique, personalized approach to education has fueled astonishing student achievement:

To determine the source of Utah's air pollution, a team of physics students recently helped launch a high-altitude, data-collecting weather balloon 20 miles into space.

  • The current medical and dental school acceptance rate for WSU students averages 62 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 40 to 45 percent.
  • An alumna who graduated at the top of her class in medical school now heads the pediatric neurosurgery division at a leading children's hospital in Indiana.
  • A botany major created a native plant database that may help regional law enforcement investigate crime scenes.
  • In 2013, zoology students joined a collaborative effort to save a rare Utah flower from extinction.
  • Hikers exploring the foothills above our Ogden campus will know much more about that area's distinctive geology, ecology and history thanks to WSU geoscience students who helped design and install a series of informational signs along the route.

Now, we dream of expanding our achievements.

For 125 years, inspirational WSU students, faculty and alumni have used their education to energize the scientific community, fulfill dreams and transform lives.

What We Can Accomplish Together

There's no question: what we do at the College of Science gets noticed. The Ott Planetarium recently received an award from NASA that recognizes the best examples of educators using Hubble Space Telescope images. A chemistry professor's landmark research identified the specific chemical compound found in cranberries that helps prevent bladder infections. But every day, we challenge ourselves to do even more.

That's why we're embarking on this comprehensive campaign, inviting alumni and friends to invest in our efforts to provide students with an incomparable science education and to make major scientific contributions to our community and world.

Provide Opportunity

Undergraduate Research Fellowships

A student and several faculty mentors spent two years tracking pygmy rabbits in Woodruff, Utah. Their findings were submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to help shape future land use policy.

As far back as 1904, science classes took field trips so students could observe nature firsthand and work side by side with their instructors. In 1947, students and faculty embarked on a six-week bus trek to Mexico to watch the Parícutin Volcano spew molten lava. Since then, our emphasis on personalized, hands-on learning hasn't changed. A WSU zoology student studied the DNA of tiny brine flies near the Great Salt Lake, and was one of 10 undergraduates worldwide invited to present her research at a prestigious conference in Kyoto, Japan.

Undergraduate research fellowships are like scholarships. They allow deserving students to focus on academics and research without having to work unrelated jobs to make ends meet. Without fellowships, many bright students could not afford to participate in priceless research opportunities.

Dean's Fund

The Dean's Fund provides flexible resources that enable students and faculty to take advantage of invaluable, and often unexpected, learning experiences. It also provides lab supplies, allows us to maintain and repair existing equipment, and periodically pays for new, state-of-the-art instruments.

Advance Knowledge

Center for Science & Mathematics Education

With your help, our center can elevate the number of students who choose STEM majors. We can recruit and train future K-12 STEM teachers, and escalate our efforts to serve first-generation college students and other under-served populations.

National experts agree that the United States' ability to maintain its position as a global leader depends on how well we educate young students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Yet, only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in math and interested in STEM careers.

That's why your support of WSU's Center for Science & Mathematics Education has never been more critical.

Community Outreach

Weber State has a rich history of public engagement. In May of 1904, a physics class exhibit was featured at the St. Louis World's Fair. Today, with your support, we can maintain our efforts to promote outstanding science programs on campus and off, whether it's planting seeds of knowledge at Science in the Parks, maintaining a world-class Museum of Natural Science that is free and open to the public, piquing community interest with a provocative lecture series or organizing nature hikes led by faculty and students.

Equipment Upgrades

In 1902, Weber's laboratory featured the latest scientific gadgets like a Wimshurst electrostatic generator and a Ruhmkroff induction coil. In autumn of 1917, academy board members spent $100 to upgrade chemistry supplies. But today's lab supplies carry 21st century price tags, and $100 doesn't stretch as far as it did in 1917. With Dream 125, we hope to provide the modern tools and facilities our tech-savvy students need to give them a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving workplace.

Enhance Campus

Tracy Hall Science Center

Thanks to a multi-million-dollar budget allocation from the Utah Legislature and a generous pledge from local donors, Weber State has drawn plans for an exciting new science lab building at the Ogden campus. Now, we're asking for your support to bring that design to life. Named in honor of the Ogden native who invented the synthetic diamond at General Electric in 1954, Tracy Hall Science Center will replace a dilapidated, seismically vulnerable, 45-year-old building with a sophisticated, state-of-theart facility to match the talents, dreams and expectations of students and faculty.