A monthly newsletter that includes a collection of important news and updates from Telluride Science.

We have some great news! Thanks to a very generous gift from the Samueli Foundation, Telluride Science is now in the financial position to start renovations on the Depot in mid-October.

We are thrilled to be supported by the Samueli Foundation and are immensely grateful to the Samueli Family for recognizing Telluride Science as a global force for scientific advancement. It gives us great pleasure that the meeting room on the main level will be the “Samueli Family Meeting Room.” Their impactful work and innovative approach in the fields of science, medicine, and education align with our goals and mission. The work being done at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute at UC Irvine is outstanding. We are honored to be their partner and further their efforts to create meaningful change in the world.

It was a busy season at the Telluride Intermediate School, our home base for the summer. We hosted 40 workshops that concluded on July 29. Fall workshops will be held at the Depot in late September and early October prior to the start of renovations.

We are also happy to offer the Depot as an additional public venue for private parties and events through October 1. If you are interested in renting the Depot, please contact Annie.

Phillip Geissler

March 27,1974 – July 17, 2022

Phillip’s philosophy of life: Share the joy of learning; be irreverent enough to stay home; enjoy the world that surrounds you; treat all those around you as equals; be kind and helpful; and most importantly have fun (an excerpt from Fritz Geissler's speech at Phillip's memorial service).

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to an honored and valued member of our Telluride Science family. Phillip Geissler, the Aldo De Benedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley and a renowned physical chemist, passed away on July 17, 2022. 

Phillip was born March 27, 1974 in Ithaca, New York and was raised in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia. He was a graduate of Douglas Freeman High School and was awarded the prestigious Ethyl Scholarship, attending Cornell University from 1992 to 1996 and graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry. He received his Masters degree and PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and was a post-doctoral scholar at Harvard University and a science fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty of UC Berkeley in 2003.

Phillip was a brilliant scientist and a creative researcher who had a talent for classroom instruction, earning the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011. He was beloved by students and colleagues.

“Phill Geissler was a remarkable scientist, teacher, musician, and a dear friend to many. Phill loved science and the outdoors. Thus, Telluride workshops were something that Phill looked forward to taking part in, which he did for the past 18 years. He will be sorely missed,” said close friend and Telluride Science colleague David Reichman, Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University.

An integral part of the Telluride Science family for nearly two decades, Phillip returned year after year as a participant and organizer of workshops as well as an instructor for the Telluride School of Theoretical Chemistry (TSTC). "Phillip Geissler was a great scientist and a wonderful human being, and he played a key role in teaching in two TSTC schools. I am among many who will miss Phill’s humanity and intellect," said Jack Simons, University of Utah Professor of Chemistry Emeritus and founder of TSTC. 

The week before his passing, Phillip traveled once again to the mountains of Telluride to attend the Condensed Phase Dynamics workshop. On his way back to California, he stopped in Canyonlands National Park. Phill took his last breath surrounded by the incredible beauty of that desert landscape.

We are grateful for our time spent with Phill and for his many contributions to the advancement of science.

WHAT'S PLAYING

HARNESSING THE POWER OF IMMUNITY

Dr. Jayajit Das of the Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital talks about harnessing the power of immunity using powerful computer technology to orchestrate the body’s response to disease. He is interviewed by noted broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis during a  Town Talk at the Telluride Conference Center.

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