Science - USA (2020-05-22)

NEWS

814 22 MAY 2020 • VOL 368 ISSUE 6493 sciencemag.org SCIENCE

T PHOTO: AARON LAVINSKY/THE STATE PRESS

he numbers tell the story of a mas-

ter mentor. Carlos Castillo-Chavez,

a Mexican-born mathematical bio-

logist, has trained some 50 Ph.D.

students, two-thirds of whom be-

long to groups historically under-

represented in science. He is es-

pecially proud of what he calls his

“diamonds in the rough”—students

from less selective undergraduate programs

who have ended up with good jobs in aca-

demia, industry, and the public sector.

At Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe,

where he held the coveted title of regents

professor and an endowed chair, Castillo-

Chavez presided over a mini-empire of pro-

grams designed to increase diversity within

the math community. He’s been honored

by three U.S. presidents for expanding the

educational horizons of thousands of mi-

nority students. His work has been fueled

by nearly $50 million in grants from federal

agencies and the private sector.

But that’s all in the past. On 16 May,

Castillo-Chavez retired from ASU. It was the

final step in the dismantling of his empire.

In August 2019, he abruptly resigned as

FEATURES

Carlos Castillo-Chavez trained

a record number of minority

mathematicians—but his tough-

love approach took a toll

By Jeffrey Mervis and Molly Stellino

HARD

LESSONS

Published by AAAS