The University of Oregon’s geological sciences department received a booming gift of $10 million for volcano research from Chuck and Gwen Lillis on Tuesday.
UO has been at the forefront of volcano research, and this donation will help lift its reputation even higher.
The department plans on hiring two new faculty members for ventures such as “new technologies for monitoring volcanoes and their eruptions,” according to Professor Paul Wallace in an interview with Around the O.
Chuck and Gwen Lillis have been frequent donors to the University of Oregon, having donated $12 million —30 percent—of the funds to build Lillis Business Complex in 1999. The couple donates to other parts of the university, including arts and scholarships.
“Gwen and I have been inspired by the great work of our volcanologists,” said Lillis in a statement. “We see this as an investment that will accelerate their research here and will ultimately lead to greater safety for those that live in the arc of active volcanoes.”
A previous version of this article stated that the grant was given to UO’s “volcanology department.” The UO has no volcanology department; only geological sciences.