Ray Hefferlin Research and Internship Endowment
The Ray Hefferlin Endowment for Research and Internships will provide funding for
Southern faculty led research projects that include students and provide paid internship
funding for students working on or off campus.
This endowment was initiated in 2023 through the vision of Dr. Larry Hanson to honor
the legacy of Dr. Ray Hefferlin and his passion for involving students alongside academic
professionals. As a physics professor and researcher at Southern Adventist University
from 1955 to 2015, Dr. Hefferlin had a remarkable career.
He delivered papers and seminars all over the world, worked as an exchange scientist
for the American Academy of Sciences, interacted with Nobel laureates in person or
by correspondence, and consulted at several prominent research facilities and corporations.
He received numerous teaching and research honors and rose to prominence as a physicist
around the world, especially for his groundbreaking work with the diatomic molecules
that are still in use by scientists today.
This fund for research and internships is being established in Dr. Hefferlin's honor
to pay tribute to his legacy as a world-renowned scientist who put Jesus Christ and
students above his personal academic aspirations. .
Dr. Hefferlin actively involved students in his research. Many of the 80+ peer-reviewed
articles he published had students as co-authors. His inclusion instilled in each
student a sense of pride, accomplishment, and academic achievement. It is to continue
that culture that this endowment is established
The Ray Hefferlin Endowment for Research and Internships began in 2023. Its initial investment of $500,000 is provided by individual donors and a matching federal Developing Hispanic-Service Instituetions (DHSI) grant. It provides funding for Southern faculty led research projects that include students and paid internship funding for students working on or off campus.
