By Jonathan Riggs | December 11, 2024

A tablet, a birthday cake, an eight-clap.

These were just some of the markers of a new chapter in STEM when Bruins gathered Oct. 9 to celebrate the launch of the UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program and to welcome its incoming cohort.

The trailblazing program, made possible by a $24.5 million pledge from The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation to expand and enhance the existing Big Bang Theory Scholarships at UCLA, may trace its roots to the success of a fictional sitcom, but its real-world impact has and will continue to be massive.

“This program is incredibly unique, because students get laboratory and leadership experience, an opportunity to study abroad, hands-on mentoring and an opportunity for graduate fellowships, which will sustain their immersive success as scholars,” said Adriana Galván, dean of undergraduate education. “The program is designed to support and empower the next generation to change the face of STEM and collaborate across the sciences.”

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Vince Bucci
“With the growing success of our Big Bang Theory scholars and the community they have built, it was the right time to expand our support to impact even more students by providing additional leadership and wraparound services,” Chuck Lorre said.

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Unveiling the physical space in the California NanoSystems Institute that will be available to program members to use for study and community-building, CNSI director Jeff Miller shared brief remarks.

“We are honored and excited to be the new home of the UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program, as you will see from the inscription on the entrance as you come in the building,” he said. “I want to express our gratitude to The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation for the visionary philanthropy that established these scholarships and fellowships in the first place, and has now moved on to form this program to expand the educational and career developments for Bruin students.”

Speaking directly to the incoming cohort, Gina Poe, the inaugural faculty chair of the program as well as a professor of integrative biology and physiology, traced the reality of what this will make possible back to what she wished had existed while she was an undergraduate.

Helping undergraduate students dig deep into science beyond the classroom and get the most out of their UCLA experience — including conducting scientific research while studying abroad — is an honor, she said, that she and her fellow program administrators are excited to uphold.

“Our leaders are looking forward to providing holistic support — financial, academic, mental — and to enhancing the essential community support you students will provide one another,” Poe said. “We are honored to work with and get to know each of you.”

As the recipient of both an undergraduate Big Bang Theory Scholarship and graduate fellowship, alumna Emmi Deckard also addressed attendees. Graduating from UCLA in 2022 with a degree in bioengineering and a minor in disability studies, Deckard is currently a medical student at UC Riverside.

“I never considered a career as a doctor to be within my reach, yet thanks to the experiences I had at UCLA, I’m now reaching for the stars,” she said. “I can confidently say that The Big Bang Theory Scholarship has been pivotal in defining who I am, teaching me not just the impact of receiving support, but also the power of giving back to others.

“I’m deeply, deeply grateful to Mr. Lorre and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation for their ongoing generosity and vision. Thank you for believing in me and so many others like me,” Deckard added. “Your support doesn’t just help us achieve our academic goals — it empowers us to become leaders who will make a difference in the world. On behalf of all the scholars here today, we look forward to carrying on your legacy.”

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Vince Bucci
The newly launched UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program will offer four years of scholarship, mentorship and other support services beginning the summer before freshman year, as well as opportunities for graduate school funding.

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Key staff member Angela Deaver Campbell, who has supported the scholarship since its inception in 2015 and subsequently the program as well, spoke next.

“It’s just so wonderful to see how this has all evolved over the years,” said Deaver Campbell, an assistant dean of undergraduate education and the executive director of the UCLA Center for Scholarships and Scholar Enrichment. “Chuck, thank you so much for everything you’ve done to support our amazing students. It has been a pleasure to work with you and everyone at UCLA to get this incredible program off the ground.”

Deaver Campbell introduced Ziba Razinia, the inaugural director of the UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program. Razinia’s first duties in the role have included getting to know all of its recipients as a mentor, advocate and role model; she herself holds a Ph.D. in biology from Yale.

“I look forward to supporting each scholar’s growth and success while fostering an environment where they can flourish as leaders in the STEM field,” Razinia said. “This incredible program would not be possible without the generous support of Mr. Chuck Lorre. His vision for empowering STEM students is paving the way for a brighter future for all.”

That vision started early in the run of “The Big Bang Theory,” which Lorre co-created and which became one of the most successful sitcoms in television history.

“We started to read these articles about how young people were going into STEM fields because it looked cool on the show. That was not our goal — we just wanted to make people laugh,” Lorre said. “So it occurred to me, if the show is having this impact on young people to change the trajectory of their lives, maybe we can participate even more. Maybe we can help. And that’s where the scholarship program began.”

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Vince Bucci
Mayim Bialik, who graduated from UCLA with a doctorate in neuroscience and played Amy Farrah Fowler on “The Big Bang Theory,” has and will continue to provide guidance and mentorship to past, present and future program scholars.

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Lorre thanked UCLA physics professor David Saltzberg, who served as the scientific consultant on the series, before awarding the incoming student cohort Dell tablets with Mayim Bialik, a double Bruin and one of the stars of “The Big Bang Theory.”

After students surprised Lorre with a birthday cake and serenade, Bialik led the room in a celebratory eight-clap and shared closing words of encouragement for the scholars.

“We’re here to say we’re so incredibly proud of you,” she said. “You’re going to change the lives of other people because you are at the finest university in the country.”

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