The feature story in this issue, highlighting colleagues engaged in entrepreneurship, is both inspiring and timely. It showcases an important and growing aspect of our department’s impact. At the same time, it is worth noting that the examples presented in the issue only scratch the surface, as they represent just a small snapshot of the many alumni, faculty, and students who are translating discoveries from our laboratories into real-world
technologies, companies, and solutions in many areas.

We see this even more clearly when we bring our alumni together. At the recent Seaborg Symposium honoring Ric Kaner, many former students shared their own entrepreneurial paths, including ventures in cutting tools (SuperMetallics, Inc.; Chris Turner, ‘12, Ph.D. ‘16), next generation battery technologies (Nanotech Energy; Maher El-Kady, Ph.D. ‘13), and antibacterial coatings (Silq Technologies; Brian McVerry, Ph.D. ‘16). Taken together, these stories make one thing clear: the entrepreneurial spirit of UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry is broad, diverse, and continuing to grow. One could write an entire book and still not capture all of these successes.

At the same time, it is important to remember our core mission. As a public institution, our primary goal is to educate and train the next generation of scientists, professionals, educators, and future leaders across many fields. That mission, in itself, has a profound societal and economic impact. By providing rigorous training and developing critical thinking skills, our departmental programs alone contribute to more than $500 million in annual economic growth through the increased lifetime earnings of our graduates. This is an important reminder of the broader value of higher education and its societal impact, not only in California but around the world.  

The entrepreneurial successes highlighted in this issue are a natural extension of this mission. They reflect what can happen when strong training, curiosity, and opportunity come together and evolve into something truly remarkable. I hope you enjoy this issue and take pride in the many ways our community continues to shape science, industry, and society.

Fiat Lux and Go Bruins! 

Alex Spokoyny, ’06