Noelle E. Cockett Life Sciences Building

Noelle E. Cockett Life Sciences Building Noelle E. Cockett was appointed as Utah State University’s 16th president in October 2016, beginning her official tenure in January 2017. At the time, Cockett was serving as executive vice president and provost at USU, a position she had held since 2013. Prior to that, she served USU as vice president for Extension from 2006 to 2013; dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences from 2002 to 2013; and director of the Utah Agriculture Experiment Station from 2009 to 2013. Cockett has built a distinguished career in sheep genomics research, maintaining an active research program even while serving in various leadership positions at USU. Her research program has centered on the identification of genetic markers associated with economically important traits in sheep, as well as the development of resources that advance research on the sheep genome. Cockett and her colleagues published an article describing the sheep genome sequence in Science in 2014. Her newest research focuses on the identification of genetic regions associated with entropion in newborn lambs. Cockett has served as the United States coordinator for sheep genome mapping since 1993 and is an active member of the International Sheep Genomics Consortium. After receiving a master’s and doctorate in animal breeding and genetics from Oregon State University, Cockett spent five years as a research geneticist at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. She joined USU in 1990 as a researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. At a June 15, 2023 farewell reception, USU Foundation Board Chair Jeannine Bennett announced the naming of the Noelle E. Cockett Life Sciences Building. The Dr. Gene Miller (1925-2017) Life Science Garden Laboratory Along with research and education, plants were one of Gene W. Miller’s passions. It is fitting that the Life Sciences Building features an experimental garden, named in his memory, where Aggies can participate in hands-on learning. Dr. Miller’s academic career at what is now Utah State University was interrupted by World War II. After serving in the U.S. Army and taking part in the Battle of Bulge, he returned to the Utah State Agricultural College, where he earned a bachelor’s in soil chemistry in 1950 and a master’s in 1954. He subsequently earned a doctorate in plant biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 1957. Dr. Miller, a professor of plant physiology, mineral nutrition and plant biochemistry at USU for more than 30 years, became the first head of USU’s Department of Biology. He created Baicor, a plant nutrition manufacturing company specializing in liquid fertilizers for foliar and soil research. Baicor was subsequently acquired by the Brandt Group, which provided funding for the laboratory named in Dr. Miller’s honor.

A native of Boise, Idaho, Aline Wilmot Skaggs graduated from Boise High School and Boise Business School. She married Sam Skaggs in 1949, and the couple eventually settled in Salt Lake City. Sam Skaggs assumed responsibility for Skaggs Payless Drug Stores, which he built into a successful, national business. Deeply involved in her community, Aline served on many philanthropic boards and took part in a variety of service projects. With her husband, she established the ALSAM Foundation, a family-operated charitable entity that has provided millions of dollars in support to educational, medical research and social services institutions. The Aline W. Skaggs General Biology Laboratories provide state-of-the-art learning and research space for Utah State University students in foundational biology classes. The classes propel them toward enriching careers in life sciences, engineering education, health care, natural resources management and other fields. Aline’s aim of providing resources and expertise to alleviate human suffering lives on in facilities that enable scholars to pursue new knowledge and prepare for the world’s many challenges.

Robert Wardle received a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1981 from Utah State University. Robert, who served as senior director, advanced programs at Northrop Grumman, was a member of the National Research Council Advisory Board and the National Academy of Engineering Board. He published over 100 technical papers and was an inventor who held over 35 U.S. patents. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of customers worldwide. Its 90,000 employees are defining possible every day by using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Jack Simmons attended the Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University), where he met his future wife, Helen Lower, in fall 1948. Shortly afterwards, he began serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he served in the Northern California Mission for four months, and then served in New Zealand for another 24 months. Upon his return, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Jack subsequently returned to USAC and earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He went on to receive a doctorate in biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology. This was followed by two years of postdoctoral work in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University Medical School. Jack became an assistant professor of zoology at USU in the fall of 1961, and later became a full professor. He was instrumental in bringing about the union of the Departments of Bacteriology, Botany and Zoology to form the Department of Biology and helped to establish its curriculum. He served in many administrative positions, including head of the department and acting dean of the graduate school. He served as a pre-med and pre-dental advisor and was recognized as Advisor of the Year in the College of Science. Jack and Helen Lower Simmons served as co-presidents of the USU Emeriti. On two occasions, Jack served as a member of the USU Alumni Association Board.

Weston R. Innes graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s in biology in 1978. He met his wife, Jody, at USU. Jody graduated in 1977 with a bachelor’s in psychology. All four of their children attended USU. Weston was the owner of Biomet West, a medical supply store in Murray, Utah, until it joined with Zimmer in 2015 to offer innovative orthopedic medical devices and joint replacement.

Mention the name of professor Tom Bahler to his former students and prepare for reverence, expressions of gratitude and stories of a mentor “who changed my life.” After joining the science faculty of what is now Utah State University in 1949, with the ink barely dry on his doctoral diploma, Tom devoted the next 40 years of his life to teaching and guiding Aggies on the rigorous and often daunting paths to medical school, dental school and other demanding endeavors. With humor and compassion, Tom instilled in his students the ability to listen, think, reason and evaluate. He not only drilled students in the intricate details of anatomy and physiology, but also taught them how to be vigilant and empathetic healers. Generations of Aggies have praised Tom as a professor who endeavored to greet each student by name, wrote countless letters of recommendation and propelled students towards life-enhancing opportunities. A group of Tom’s former students donated funds to name the Advanced Physiology Laboratory in his memory.

Born in Vancouver, Washington, and raised in Michigan, Janice (Jan) Saalfeld loved the outdoors and pursued life with passion, purpose, curiosity and compassion. After earning a bachelor’s in mathematics from Michigan State University, Saalfeld returned to Washington, where she became the first female forestry technician hired by a Boise Cascade timber management team. At the end of the 1970s, she completed a master’s program in forest measurements from Washington State University, during which time she created pioneering log-scaling and timber cruising programs for personal computers. She joined the WSU Cooperative Extension program and trained foresters in the use of these computer programs. Saalfeld moved to Cache Valley, Utah, in 1983 and began working at Utah State University and Omidata International, Inc., a manufacturer of rugged data recorders. At Omnidata, Jan was instrumental in developing the company’s forestry and natural resources markets. In 1994, as Omnidata transitioned to the HarvestMaster agricultural research company, Jan became director of the company’s new forestry division, Juniper Systems. In 2001, she was named vice president of marketing and sales, as well as a board member. In 2010, Jan succumbed to lung disease, but her legacy lives on through the Jan Saalfeld Juniper Systems Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Teaching Laboratory, which was made possible by a donation from Juniper Systems. The laboratory enriches Aggies’ learning and research experiences. Jan was a model of integrity, perseverance, equality and courage during her too short, but inspirational lifetime. Utah State University is proud to honor her memory through the Jan Saalfeld Juniper Systems GIS Teaching Laboratory in the Life Sciences Building.

Roger Anderson graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s in 1973. He went on to attend West Virginia University and graduated in 1975. He specialized in otolaryngology, focusing on the ears, nose and throat. Dr. Anderson completed his fellowship at Graduate Hospital, his residency at West Virginia University Medicine Center and his internship at Akron City Hospital. When asked why he chose to give to the new Life Sciences Building, Dr. Anderson said there were two reasons: USU helped him get out the army sooner, and the university is what started him on his path to become a doctor. Dr. Anderson said he felt that, out of the three schools he attended and donated to, USU should receive the most.