Gift Endows Katz Symposium

UVA Biology People Katz
December 20, 2017

Through the generosity of Richard D. Katz (BIOL ’79), the Department of Biology is pleased to announce the endowment of the Richard D. Katz Undergraduate Biology Symposium. For the past 33 years, the Katz Symposium has provided the showcase for independent research by Biology undergraduates, most recently that of students in the department’s Distinguished Majors Program. The symposium was created for students to share their laboratory experiences with each other, Department of Biology faculty, and the University community at large.  The awards given, in the words of Mr. Katz, “are meant to recognize a culmination of a body of work that has benefitted the students in learning how to think critically about scientific problems and the potential for the student to benefit society in solving these and other problems.”  Prof. George Bloom, Chair of the Department of Biology, sees the symposium as "a landmark event for our undergraduates,” noting that "an endowment is one of the most powerful ways to support undergraduate education and research in the department, and because of that we are very grateful for this gift, as well as Mr. Katz’s 33 years of continuous support to meet one of our many needs.”  The 34th Annual Richard D. Katz Undergraduate Biology Symposium is scheduled for May 2, 2018.