Timeline

On October 16th, 1875, Brigham Young gave land in Provo to a board of trustees, asking them to build Brigham Young Academy (BYA): a school that combined religion with education. The following year, Brigham Young asked Karl G. Maeser to travel to Provo to create a curriculum for the school. With only 29 students enrolled for its first term, Maeser was worried, but hopeful. He created the curriculum that developed into the Four AIMS of education we use today: spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, character building, and leading to lifelong learning and service.

The Academy only functioned as a high school until 1896, where college-level departments were added.

In the 1879 school year, Principal Maeser taught the very first chemistry class at BYA, with George Q. Coray as his laboratory (demonstration) assistant. With just one textbook, they covered subjects such as nitrogen, nitric acid, oxygen, theory of oxidation, and hydrogen.

Charles E. Maw graduated Brigham Young Academy in 1897. He taught grade school for one year before attending Stanford University, where he obtained his BS in Chemistry. That same year, he was hired as a faculty member of BYA, where he taught chemistry. He is noted by Dr. Hugh Peterson as "likely the first teacher of chemistry in the history of the Academy who had been trained in the subject to this extent of specialization." ("A Brief History of the Chemistry Department of Brigham Young University," 1966.)

On November 16th, 1903, the academy's Board of Trustees changed the name of the institution to Brigham Young University. Although the amount of high-school students outnumbered the college students, the Board decided this name change would better represent the institution's work and encourage further expansion of classes and faculty.

The Chemistry Department was brought into the College of Arts and Sciences in 1921. This offered chemistry students the chance to work within specialized learning spaces rather than being scattered generally on campus.

In 1922, the Chemistry Department was authorized to award master's degrees in chemistry to its students, beginning the department's journey with graduate studies.

Although BYA and BYU were associated with and created by Church members and leaders, the Church's first official funding of the institution did not occur until 1939.

Joseph Kelly Nicholes graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1908. After his mission, he taught at St. George Stake Academy/Dixie from 1912 to 1914. While teaching, he attended classes at BYU during the summer, and transitioned to a full-time student during the 1915-16 school year. He graduated with his Bachelors degree in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.

He served as president of Dixie college (in St. George) twice. He graduated from Stanford University with a Masters degree in Chemistry. Although he loved St. George, Nicholes taught at BYU from 1933-1960. He served as the Chemistry Department's chairman from 1945-1955, the first to take the position since Dr. Maw.

In 1947, BYU was able to hire three full-time chemistry faculty in one school year, the first additions to the department in over a decade.

Dr. H.S. Broadbent was added to the staff in 1946 but was allowed to do a year of post doctorate study at Harvard. In the Fall of 1947, he began teaching alongside Dr. J. Rex Goates and Dr. Albert D. Swensen. With these three additions, the teaching load on the few faculty was greatly lifted.

There were only five faculty in the department before this point: four doctorates, and one professor.

The Eyring Science Center was initially proposed by Howard S. McDonald, university president. At the time, the building's proposed planning was ambitious: 214 rooms and the capacities to hold up to 2,500 students, and construction costs rose from just $250,000 to almost $2 million. These plans received some backlash, but with great support from Joseph Fielding Smith, construction moved forward.

At its dedication, it became home to the departments McDonald originally envisioned: Chemistry, Physics, and Geology. The Science Center gave all three of these departments dedicated facilities and lab space.

In 1954, the Science Center was renamed in honor of Carl F. Eyring.

After thirty-three years in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Chemistry Department was moved to College of Physical and Engineering Sciences, marking the growth of the department and university.

Before 1955, the department chair was an indefinite position. Switching to a three-year term allowed faculty to share responsibilities and not become overwhelmed. The only two department chairs who served over this three-year term were Dr. Maw (1903-1946), and Dr. Nicholes (1946-1955). The following department chair, Dr. H. Smith Broadbent, served from 1955 to 1958.

Richard L. Meibos developed BYU’s first chemical stores and instrument shops, providing a place on campus for students and faculty to retrieve chemicals and lab instruments. This greatly aided in the department's academic and research programs by reducing some costs and creating a convenient location to retrieve needed items.

In 1958, the Chemical Engineering program split off from the Chemistry Department. Originally placed together in the Eyring Science Center, the separation of departments helped with spacing in labs, class sizes, and better tailored courses within both departments. The Department of Chemical Engineering moved to the brand new Harvey Fletcher Engineering Laboratory while the Chemistry Department remained in the Eyring Science Center.

On November 22, 1959, the Chemistry Department became the first department at BYU authorized to grant doctorates.

The very first two doctorates granted at BYU were given in June 1961 to Owen Ash and Waldo Zaugg, who had completed their Ph.D's in biochemistry.

This 2011 Y Magazine article highlights them alongside Dr. Craig Mayfield, who was the other recipient at BYU to receive the first doctorates.

Leo P. Vernon, Assistant Academic Vice President, made major changes in guidelines for handling federal research funds at BYU. Because of these changes, external funds increased from ~$2 million to almost $6 million per year across the decade.

Dr. Juliana Boerio-Goates was hired as BYU’s first female chemistry professor in 1982. She received her BS in chemistry from Seton Hill College in 1975. Her MS (1977) and PhD (1979) in chemistry were completed at the University of Michigan. Dr. Boerio-Goates conducted postgraduate studies across the country: Argonne National Laboratory, MIT, and Oxford University.

She taught chemistry classes at all levels and received awards both within and outside of BYU. She was named the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, BYU’s most prestigious faculty honor, in 2005.

Her husband, Dr. Steven Goates, also taught in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department at BYU.

The name was officially changed from the Chemistry Department to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, to better represent the work done within the department and to distinguish the two fields.

On Friday, October 20, 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Ezra Taft Benson building. The building would serve as the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department's new home and as a place for students to gather for Church meetings on Sunday.

President Hinckley dedicated it as, "a facility in which may be taught the gospel of Thy Beloved Son. May Thine eternal truths be taught here with integrity, with faith and with good example."

Named after President Ezra Taft Benson, the building serves as a reminder to his work and the emphasis the department places on improving people and their life circumstances. Today, it remains the only building on campus that is home to just one department.

The Simmons Center for Cancer Research (SCCR) was established at BYU in 1997, becoming one of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department's research facilities. Located in the Benson building, the SCCR is home the department's research on cancer. The center is named after chemist and former director Daniel L. Simmons.

Since its creation, the SCCR has funded hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students.

Paul D. Boyer, a department alumnus, jointly won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for explaining the "enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)." He split this honor with Dr. John E. Walker, for their work with ATP, and Dr. Jens C. Skou, who first discovered an ion-transporting enzyme.

To read more about Dr. Boyer, please visit his page on the Nobel Prize site.

The 1998 school year was the first time the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department required undergraduates to take a Biochemistry course for their degree. This helped introduce undergraduates to biochemistry.

During BYU's Homecoming Weekend (October 19th and 20th) in 2001, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department hosted several alumni activities to celebrate both the department and the university's success. The festivities included a magic show, a slideshow about the department, a tour of the Benson building, and a Saturday lunch before the game.

The Chemistry and Biochemistry department made a tradition out of these festivities and now hosts alumni BYU Homecoming events every year.

Dr. Lori Allen and Marv Allen first travelled to Samoa in 2009, assisting with research in rheumatic heart disease (RHD). In 2013, the program was officially organized, drawing in volunteers. In 2016, the program joined with BYU's Chemistry and Biochemistry department, bringing in faculty and students to travel and research RHD.

To learn more about the Rheumatic Relief program, please visit their website.

The Chemistry and Biochemistry's Women in Chemistry Club (WIC) began in 2018 as a place to support and inspire undergraduate and graduate scientists. To learn more about the club, visit their website.

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s External Advisory Board began in 2022. The Board brings together Chemistry and Biochemistry alumnus from their current fields of academia, healthcare, and industry to give the department feedback, plan for future programs, and provide support during key decisions. Currently, there are twelve members.