Lawrence to rename building for Steitz

APPLETON - Lawrence University plans to rename an academic building after graduate Thomas Steitz, who recently won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

University president Jill Beck announced Thursday that Science Hall would be renamed, Thomas Steitz Science Hall. A date for the official renaming has not been set.

“His dedication and accomplishments serve as inspiration to all of our young, aspiring scientists,” Beck said in a news release. “Having the building they learn and conduct research in bear his name will motivate them to consider all that is possible in their own careers.”

“I was truly amazed to hear from President Beck that Lawrence is going to name its new science building after me,” Steitz said in a news release. “This is, indeed, a great honor from a university to which I owe so much.”

Steitz, a Milwaukee native who graduated from Lawrence in 1962, is the Sterling professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry and professor of chemistry at Yale University, where he has taught since 1970. His Nobel Prize honored his decades-long research on the structure and function of the ribosome, which transforms DNA into proteins central to life functions.

Science Hall is Lawrence’s newest academic building. The building houses Lawrence’s molecular science, chemistry and biology programs. Ironically, Steitz was the keynote speaker at the building’s dedication in October 2000.