This week marks the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year at the University of Chicago. Dean Matthew Tirrell welcomed the newest cohort of graduate students to the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, inviting them to reflect on this monumental next step in their academic careers.
“In joining Pritzker Molecular Engineering, you, our students become part of one of the nation’s most competitive research institutions,” said Dean Tirrell. “But it is crucial to recognize that what makes us competitive — the most valuable resource at PME and the metric by which we measure our impact — is your success.”
Pritzker Molecular Engineering’s newest graduate class consists of 50 PhD students, including 11 enrolled in the Quantum Science and Engineering program, one of the nation’s first programs of its kind. The students hail from 13 countries and 14 states. Of those, six percent have been awarded the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, which supports students from underrepresented groups pursuing advanced degrees in science and engineering.
Orientation week was held September 19-23 and offered students several opportunities to visit with faculty, meet their peers, and explore the UChicago campus. Students learned about ongoing research, explored extracurricular opportunities, and attended faculty-led match talks.
Paul Nealey, Brady W. Dougan Professor of Molecular Engineering and vice dean for education and outreach, also spoke to the new class.
“All of us here today share the belief that science and engineering will play prominent roles in solving many of society’s grand challenges,” said Nealey. “Each of you has the potential to become leaders in our ever more technological society, and the faculty and administration are here to support that journey.”
Students also attended the University of Chicago’s campus-wide graduate orientation ceremony on September 20. University President Paul Alivisatos and faculty speakers welcomed the incoming class and invited them to an information fair where representatives from 50 university offices showcased their resources and answered questions.
“One thing I want to convey is a very important message—that each and every one of you, in the very deepest sense of the word, belongs here,” said Alivisatos. “Truly, I hope that you will feel that sense of belonging, that you will listen with curiosity to each other, that you will share your views openly, and to really believe that diversity, inclusion, and belonging as a fundamental part of our practice of free expression.”