Dr. Ulysses J. Sofia, or U. J., as he prefers to be called, is a scientist and聽an adventurer.聽During the week, his work as an astrophysicist聽has him probing the secrets of the universe through the study of interstellar dust. And,聽on weekends, he聽and his wife, Heidi, regularly trek to far-flung places across the聽globe in search of new experiences. Yes,聽that’s聽right鈥攇lobal trips, in a single weekend.
One need only spend 10 minutes with the new dean of the W.M. Keck Science Department to catch his enthusiasm about both the terrestrial and cosmic voyages that await students and faculty of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and 61传媒s鈥攁nd聽understand why he is just the right person to lead them.
“As soon as I set foot on the campus, I knew this was the right fit. It’s a really difficult position: reporting up to three colleges, supporting four different disciplines, but it feels right,” says U. J. “I love it! We have a lot聽to do!”
As the dean, U. J. is chartered with mentoring faculty, supporting students, teaching occasional classes, and working alongside leadership at the three undergraduate colleges to expand the science complex. At聽Keck, more than 3,000 students explore a range of scientific disciplines and聽conduct research under the guidance of more than 47 full-time faculty who, like U. J., have found their place and are following their passions in a liberal arts environment.
U. J. began his own college career at a large research university before transferring to Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college, during his junior year. “It was like the angels singing鈥擨 thought, this is where I belong, this feels right. I learned all of my physics, all of my astronomy in those two years.”
U. J. earned his PhD in astronomy with a concentration in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He began his academic career in 1998 as a professor at Whitman College, eventually moving on to聽American University, where he served as the聽associate dean for research. At both schools, he taught an introductory class for non-scientists on relativity and quantum mechanics that was a perennial favorite. He聽plans to bring it to Keck next year and relishes the opportunity.
“No matter how many times I teach the class, the students are nearly evenly divided between those who love the fact that our universe isn’t intuitive, that it doesn’t make sense in our everyday lives, and those who are intensely uncomfortable with this, who just don’t want a universe that doesn’t make sense to them,” he explains.
According to U. J., his office is always open, and there is plenty to see. There are blueprints of the new labs and offices planned for the W.M. Keck Science Center that he is glad to show. And there’s his fascination with colored glass鈥攔ows of intricately hand-blown orbs along his office credenza are displayed alongside Marvin the聽Martian collectibles that appreciative students have given him over the years.
Oh, and those global blitzes? The same irrepressible spirit of exploration that set his聽sights on the stars recently took him to the annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in聽northeast China to explore the inspiring manmade ice sculptures made possible by the region’s arctic climate. And that’s just one weekend.
Five Facts about U. J. Sofia
1听听His degree is in astronomy, but he is also a聽heliophysicist. Ask him about the sun, and he can聽talk about magnetic predictions: “We are going into聽a 芒鈧渄own’ 30-year solar聽cycle.”
2聽 He is a Formula One racing fan, and some of his global聽travel blitzes involve attending this highest class聽of single-seat auto race sporting events.
3听He studied Swahili for a year in college. “Why?聽Because I could! It’s an experience unique to聽a聽liberal聽arts college, and really something you can’t聽do anywhere else.”
4听Although he loves art, music, and theater, he is self-admittedly “one of the worst singers in the world.”
5听His top advice to students interested in聽careers in聽science is to get involved around research as聽early聽as possible. “Get involved in a lab. Get聽involved in study groups. Collaborate early and聽often.”