On Oct. 12, 1872, the Legislature established the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene. The UO officially opened in 1876, with former Deady Hall was its first building still in use today.

In 1959, the Institute of Molecular Biology at the UO was founded under the leadership of Aaron Novick, and others, including Sid Bernhard, John Schellman, Frank Stahl, and George Streisinger, three of whom were elected to the National Academy of Sciences.