Honors at Graduation
Honor Societies
Departmental Awards
Scholarships Awarded to Biochemistry and Chemistry Majors
Beloit College 30th Annual Student Symposium, April 19, 2006
Beloit College International Symposium, November 9, 2005
Pew Symposia
The Beloit Biologist, Volume 25, 2006
Laura Parmentier took the Beloit Scotland program to Glasgow in the fall
of 2005 and continued on to Norway for her sabbatical leave in the spring,
so we were fortunate to have Wanda Hartmann joining us for the year to teach
Organic Chemistry. Wanda also taught an Advanced Topics course in the spring
on Analysis of Biomolecules, recruiting Kathleen Mandell and Srebrenka Robic
(Biology ’97–John Jungck’s sabbatical replacement in Biology)
to cover instruments and techniques they use in their research. Srebrenka
returned to Beloit for a year after her Ph.D. at Berkeley and a postdoctoral
fellowship at Stanford, and has recently started in a tenure track position
at Agnes Scott College. Wanda taught at Rock Valley College this summer and
is now at Elmhurst College.
We were delighted to learn of Kathleen Mandell’s selection by the Naval
Reserve Association to receive their national Junior Officer of the Year
Award. She was recognized for her research on biopolymer materials and biosensors
at the Office of Naval Research’s Laboratories of Science and Technology
in Forest Park, IL and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base. The award was presented to Kathleen at the annual Conference
of the Association in Washington, D.C., in April. At that time, Kathleen
had just been called to active duty for the Navy at the Pentagon, where she
served through September. Clarissa Schumacher Craft (Biochemistry ’03)
filled in for Kathleen in September. Clarissa is a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern
University doing cancer research, and this teaching opportunity will help
her prepare for a career in undergraduate liberal arts education. Being able
to call on outstanding alumnae like Clarissa and Srebrenka for help is a
tremendous advantage.
We were also fortunate to lure David Gordon (Chemistry ’97) back to
campus to fill the newly created position of Laboratory and Safety Coordinator
for the Departments of Chemistry and Biology. Dave came to us from North
Central College in Naperville, IL, where he was Science Division Lab Manager.
In his first year, Dave has already made a significant difference by providing
the kind of support we have long needed, and we are looking forward to his
crucial work as we plan for the move into our new Center for the Sciences.
Over the past year, we have revised our curriculum significantly. Degree
requirements have been revised for the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Applied Chemistry,
and Environmental Chemistry major tracks to provide more flexibility for
student scheduling and preparation for a wide range of possible careers,
while recognizing the five principal areas of chemistry (analytical, organic,
inorganic, physical, and biochemistry). A new interdisciplinary Environmental
Studies major, with elements of both science and policy included in it, has
also been approved, reflecting the strong student and faculty interest in
this field.
A new Nanochemistry course has been added, and the Inorganic Chemistry course
revised and renamed Solid State Chemistry. The former Instrumental Methods
of Analysis course, typically a capstone course for seniors, has been replaced
by a modular Topics in Instrumental Analysis course, which will allow students
much earlier exposure to a wider range of instruments, taught by the particular
faculty member who makes most use of that instrument. The former Chemical
Equilibrium course has been revised and renamed Analytical, Environmental,
and Geochemistry to better reflect its content.
The context for curricular reexamination included preparation, ongoing for
several years, for a North Central Association 10-year accreditation visit
for the College this fall. We are happy to report that this visit recently
culminated in a recommendation for reaccreditation, with some very positive
comments by the external evaluators on the reflective self-evaluation and
report presented by the college. In addition, our program will soon be up
for its 5-year review by the American Chemical Society’s Committee
on Professional Training. Another part of the context is a new policy for
faculty teaching assignments to be phased in over the next four years. In
the past, each faculty member taught six courses (or four laboratory courses)
per year. The new expectation will be five courses per year (and a proportionate
reduction in laboratory courses) in order to provide more time for faculty
engagement with individual students, student-faculty research, and other
professional development activities. This transition will be accomplished
by some curricular revision to increase small upper-level course enrollments,
some consolidation of existing released time for professional activities,
and the addition of six new tenure-track positions, including a much-need
position in molecular biology to be filled for the 2007-8 academic year.
This year has been particularly successful for equipment grants. Kathleen
Mandell received her second National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation
grant. Her first grant was for differential scanning and isothermal titration
calorimetry equipment. The new $145,000 grant is for a circular dichroism
(CD) spectropolarimeter with stopped flow and total fluorescence accessories.
In addition to research with students here and in collaboration with Argonne
National Laboratory on confinement effects on biomolecules and the stability
of DNA molecular wire constructs, as well as George Lisensky’s work
on liquid crystals, the instrumentation will be used routinely in the Biochemistry
of Macromolecules, Nanochemistry, and Thermodynamics and Kinetics courses.
Due to quick work in response to a request for proposals this summer by George
Lisensky and Derek Keefer’09, his Sanger Research Scholar, we have
also received $2300 in GC and DSC syringes from the Hamilton Company.
We are happy to report progress on building the new Center for the Sciences.
It is becoming a reality! Major work was completed this past summer
to close Emerson Street, build a new driveway behind Chamberlin Hall to Pearsons
Hall, and re-route sewer, water, electric, chiller, phone, and fiber optic
lines. We worked intensively with the architects: instructional technology
plans are underway, floor and casework plans are complete, and “50%” drawings
were finished in August. Construction documents will be completed and a contractor
selected later in the fall, with a spring 2007 ground breaking and August
2008 occupancy date. The design is exciting and embodies the interdisciplinary,
active, and collaborative nature of Beloit science learning and research
that has evolved through experimentation over recent decades. It will make
a difference in attracting and retaining students and faculty, and will set
a new direction for the College as its first LEED Certified “green” building.
For programmatic and design details, see https://www.beloit.edu/sc/. The fund
raising campaign is in full swing, and alumni participation will be crucial
to its success.
Finally, please see the press release (October 10, 2006) below about an additional
exciting development in our campaign to equip the new Center for the Sciences:
“Beloit College has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation. The funds will be used to purchase laboratory equipment to be used in teaching and research in the new Center for the Sciences and to provide support for the operation of that equipment. This is one of the most important philanthropic grants received to date in support of the new Beloit College Center for the Sciences, construction of which will begin this spring.
The new instrumentation purchased through the grant will benefit faculty and students, both majors and non-majors, in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and psychology and will be used to obtain and visualize detailed structural information at a variety of scales and on systems of varying complexity. It includes a powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) system, global positioning system (GPS) field equipment for the GIS laboratory, scanning probe microscopes, molecular digital imaging system with multi-wavelength fluorescence illumination, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer, electroencephalograph, and other visualization instrumentation.
In addition, the grant will provide two years of partial salary support for an instrument specialist to train faculty and students in the effective use of major instruments in the Center for the Sciences and consult with students and faculty on developing experiments using the equipment in courses, research and collaborative projects.
According to Beloit College President John E. Burris, “This generous gift will allow us to fulfill our goals in creating a teaching facility that will prepare outstanding science majors for continued work at the nation’s finest graduate research facilities and medical schools, and will expand our commitment to preparing all our students to be scientifically literate citizens, ready for leadership roles in communities and work. One can not contribute to the advancement of our society without a comfort level with scientific issues and the scientific approach to complex questions. This grant will allow Beloit to continue to set the highest standards, especially in science education, for generations to come.”
Beloit’s Biochemistry Program continues to evolve. Beyond the traditional chemistry and biology interface, advances in nanotechnology, medicinal chemistry, and bioinformatics have strengthened the connections between biochemistry, physical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry. In order to better prepare undergraduate biochemists for a wide variety of inter-disciplinary careers, the requirements for the biochemistry major have changed to reflect changes within the field. Students will have the opportunity to develop their scientific skills as well as their liberal education in diverse fields. They continue to combine biochemistry with a variety of interests and experiences, ranging from Classical Civilization to Dance to Economics.
Many biochemistry majors dedicated their summer to research off campus. This summer our students participated in a variety of outstanding programs, including programs at the University of Pittsburgh and Northwestern University. Student research on campus has continued to develop and thrive. The Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and an Isothermal Titration Calorimeter (ITC) have been used in laboratory exercises in Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physical Chemistry courses. The ITC characterizes binding constants and the reaction stoichiometry of biomolecular interactions. The DSC directly measures enthalpy as a function of temperature. The DSC was used for student research on the thermodynamics of disparate DNA strand concentrations. Other students cultivated yeast cultures for the over-expression of proteins. Thus, biochemistry students at Beloit continue to develop their scientific experience in the classroom and research laboratory, both on and off campus.
Our students presented the results of their research at a variety of conferences, including the Pew Undergraduate Research Conferences. This past year, Beloit College sent ten students from Psychology, Biochemistry and Biology to the Pew Midstates Science & Mathematics Consortium Biological Science and Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, held at Washington University in St Louis in October 2005. Six Beloit students from Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Physics presented their research at the Pew Midstates Science & Mathematics Consortium Physical Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference, held at the University of Chicago in November 2005. Both Liz Boatman (Physics ’07) and Dan Murphy (Biochemistry ’08) received awards at this conference.
I was honored to serve as Chair of the Biochemistry program during the 2005-2006 academic year and will be continuing with that responsibility. As the fall 2006 semester begins, we welcome John Jungck and Laura Parmentier back from sabbatical. Last year, Wanda Hartman, Visiting Assistant Professor, taught the organic chemistry courses and a Bioanalytical Methods course. Wanda will be teaching at Elmhurst College this fall. Srebrenka Robic’97 taught Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology, and a Special Topics course in protein folding (in collaboration with Rama Viswanathan) as a Visiting Assistant Professor. She has since accepted a tenure track position at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. Wanda and Srebrenka brought great enthusiasm and dedication to Beloit, and we will miss them. The students, Roc Ordman and I look forward to hearing wonderful stories from Wanda and Srebrenka and sharing John and Laura’s experiences from their past year.
David Gordon
Laboratory and Safety Coordinator
B.A. Beloit College
At Beloit since 2005
On my first few trips to Pearson’s and during lunchtime strolls around campus this past summer my brain kept telling me that I should expect to see students I recognized. However, I slowly realized that more years had passed after I graduated from Beloit College than I wanted to admit. So, while my first year as Laboratory and Safety Coordinator was spent dealing with a constant sense of déjà vu, at least there was not the stress of an assignment or laboratory deadline!
As Chemistry or Biochemistry majors, many of us have spent a great deal of time in academic and/or industrial laboratories since graduation. The current group of students will likely do the same. If their experiences are anything like ours, then they will find that sometimes safety may take a back seat to “productivity” and deadlines. Typically, before a Beloit College student uses a laboratory procedure, most of the work to make sure that the experiment runs safely has already been done. The professors have done a terrific job of incorporating reading MSDS and identifying potential hazards into laboratory protocols. A student’s main safety related requirements are to come to the laboratory having read the procedure and to ask questions if they do not understand the directions. This goes a long way towards ensuring laboratory safety in Chamberlin Hall. In the upcoming year, it is my goal as Laboratory and Safety Coordinator to weave even more safety awareness into laboratories and incorporate additional training for teaching assistants and other interested students. Hopefully, they will implement safe laboratory practices wherever life after Beloit College leads….even if it leads back here.
Wanda Hartman
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A. Kalamazoo College
Ph.D. Michigan State University
This past year, I taught organic chemistry as a visiting professor. The main highlights were teaching “guided inquiry” style and working on organic chemistry and other chemistry related special projects. In organic chemistry, four new molecules not previously synthesized by students in the course were made: flutamide (an anti-prostate cancer drug), a derivative of serotonin, a precursor to quinine, and melatonin. An interesting special project was the study of the organic and biochemical compounds in bitter melon (bitter gourd–Momoridica charantia), performed by several students: Jason Marmon’06, Esteban Oyarzabal’06, Chance Irick’08, Elise Marquie’08, Peter Reiss’08, Ryan Seelbach’08 and Jon Soffer’08. In these courses, students used various types of equipment, techniques and methods to purify, identify, characterize and quantify organic and biological molecules. Charantin, a peptide with potential anti diabetic activity, was partially purified and studied using column chromatography, UV-VIS spectrophotometry and gel electrophoresis.
George Lisensky
Professor
B.A. Earlham College
Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
At Beloit since 1980
https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/Lisensky
Last summer I co-chaired a Gordon Conference on Scientific Visualization in Oxford, England, for which Beloit received conference funding from the National Science Foundation. I also ran a week long faculty workshop at Beloit on Materials Science and Nanotechnology as part of the NSF funded Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences administered by Georgia State University.
In the fall of 2005, I taught Inorganic Chemistry and an FYI seminar on Nanotechnology. I also organized the fourth annual International Student Symposium. Designed to mirror the student research symposium in the spring, classes are cancelled campus wide and students present educational aspects of their international experiences in simultaneous sessions. In December, I presented a nanotechnology workshop to the African Materials Research Society meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.
In the spring, I taught CHEM 220–Chemical Equilibrium, to a large class of 27 as well as taught the last offering of CHEM 360–Instrumental Analysis. Changes in the departmental curriculum next year will add a new CHEM 150–Nanochemistry course, rename CHEM 220 as Environmental, Analytical, and Geochemistry, and switch Instrumental Analysis to CHEM 225 as a topical module course.
A new polyhedral model kit on which I have been working was recently released for distribution. See http://mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/pmk. This model kit simplifies the visualization of complex chemical structures by representing coordination spheres with polyhedra.
Derek Keefer’09 was awarded a Sanger Fellowship and worked with me this summer on laboratory aspects of display technologies, including the preparation of conductive glass, preparation of liquid crystal pixels, and preparation of electrochromic pixels. These experiments have all been filmed and incorporated into the Video Lab Manual for Nanoscale Science and Technology that I organized in collaboration with UW-Madison, http://mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/nanolab. We also presented demonstrations at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for two days.
In July, I presented nanotechnology workshops at the International Conference on Engineering Education in Puerto Rico and the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education at Purdue University.
Daughter Laura was married in August, and Diana has started graduate school in England studying primate conservation. Rachel is now in eighth grade.
Presentations and Workshops
• “Materials Science and Nanotechnology,” week-long NSF funded
faculty workshop, Beloit, WI, July 24-29, 2005.
• “Resource Materials for Nanoscale Science and Technology
Education,” NanoDays Conference, Rice University Center for Biological
and Environmental Nanotechnology, Houston, October 10, 2005.
• Plenary Address, “Incorporating Nanoscience into the Chemistry
Curriculum,” Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts
Colleges (MACTLAC), Appleton WI, Oct 28, 2005.
• Main address for the Student Affiliates meeting, “ABCs of Nanotechnology:
Atoms, Bits, and Civilization,” American Chemical Society SW-SE Regional
Meeting, Memphis, November 2, 2005
• Workshop on Teaching Nanotechnology, African Materials Research Society
International Conference, Marrakech, Morocco, December 7-10, 2005.
• Workshop on Nickel Nanowires at “Nanotechnology Workshops for
Journalists,” Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Madison,
WI, March 20, 2006.
• Panel discussion on “Nanotechnology’s Impact on Manufacturing,
Learning & Society” at the Jobs with a Future conference sponsored
by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Madison, WI, April 6,
2006.
• Live webcast “New Technologies: A Virtual Symposium on Nanotechnology
and Biotechnology for Science Educators,” UW-Madison, School of Education,
Office of Education Outreach, May 1, 2006.
Meetings
• “Scientific Visualization,” Gordon
Conference, Oxford, England, July 1-8, 2005.
• “The Status of Solid State
Chemistry and its Impact in the Physical Sciences,” Northwestern University,
Evanston, IL, May 18-20, 2006.
• “Nanoscience Learning Goals
Workshop”, sponsored by the National Center for Learning and Teaching in
Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Menlo Park, CA, June 13-16, 2006.
Publications
• E. M.
Boatman, G. C. Lisensky, and K. J. Nordell, “A Safer, Easier, Faster
Synthesis for CdSe Quantum Dot Nanocrystals,” J. Chem. Ed., 82,
1697-1699 (2005).
• G. C.
Lisensky and E. M. Boatman, “Colors in Liquid Crystals,” J.
Chem. Ed., 82, 1360A (2005). This article was the cover
story for the September issue.
• A. K.
Bentley, A. B. Ellis, G. C. Lisensky, and W. C. Crone, "Suspensions of
nickel nanowires as magneto-optical switches," Nanotechnology, 16,
2193-2196 (2005).
• G. C. Lisensky, A. C. Payne, K.
L. Gentry, A. Comins, S. M. Condren, W. C. Crone, and A. B. Ellis, “Polyhedral
Model Kit,” Institute for Chemical Education, Madison, WI (2006).
• G. C.
Lisensky, K. Lux, and W. C. Crone, “A Web-based Video Lab Manual for
Nanoscale Science and Technology,” Nanoscale science and engineering
education: Issues, trends and future directions, edited by A. E. Sweeney
and S. Seal (in press).
• G. C.
Lisensky, D. Horoszewski, K. L. Gentry, G. M. Zenner, and W. C. Crone, Fats,
Oils, and Colors of a Nanoscale Material,” submitted to The Science
Teacher.
• O. M.
Castellini, G. C. Lisensky, J. Walz, G. M. Zenner, Wendy C. Crone, “Carbon
in all its varied forms,” submitted to The Science Teacher.
In the fall of 2005, I taught CHEM 117–General Chemistry. General Chemistry
has undergone a name change to Chemistry during the chemistry curriculum revision
in spring, but continues to be a fun and exciting way to learn about chemistry
in the world around us. I also taught CHEM 300–Biochemistry of Macromolecules.
The course focuses on the synthesis, stability, and structures of biological
macromolecules and laboratory skills for the purification and characterization
of nucleic acids, proteins, enzymes, lipids, and cell membranes. In the spring,
I taught CHEM117–Chemistry and CHEM 260–BioMetabolism. The name
of this course has now been changed to Biochemistry of Metabolism to reflect
its focus better. The course continues to be very interesting as we develop
inquiry based curricular material to investigate metabolic processes within
the cell. The laboratory experiments are integrated into the discussion and
provide a hands-on learning of the theory.
I conducted research with Dan Murphy’08 last summer. We investigated the
thermodynamic effects of disparate DNA strands. DNA hybridization assays have
become a popular diagnostic tool. The assays are conducted under disparate stand
concentrations. Our research focuses on the variations of thermodynamic stability
when unequal DNA strands are present. Dan presented this research at the Pew
Midstates Science & Mathematics Consortium Physical Sciences Undergraduate
Symposium at the University of Chicago, where he was awarded the University of
Chicago’s Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award for his work. I presented
the results of my continuing research on the development of a protein switched
DNA nanowire at the Biophysical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have been
collaborating on this research with colleagues at Argonne. Ammar Kutiyanawalla’07
and Ejus Biakolo’07 worked with me on the over-expression of gal 4 repressor
protein this past spring to further extend the research. Additionally, I am continuing
the collaborative development of a nanoscale calorimeter with the Material Science
Division at Argonne.
As a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the US Navy, I have been privileged to collaborate
and support outstanding sailors and scientists while serving as a reservist with
the Office of Naval Research/Naval Research Laboratory, Science & Technology
Unit 109. In a national competition, I was selected as the Naval Reserve Associations
Junior Officer of the Year (SELRES-Line). I was humbled to receive the honor.
At the end of March, I was recalled to active duty to support Navy Operations
and Planning at the Pentagon. Clarissa Schumacher (Beloit ’03 and currently
a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University) taught Biochemistry of Macromolecules
this fall until I returned at the end of September. It was great to have Clarissa
return to Beloit while I had the honor to serve our country.
Finally, I was able to participate in science education outreach projects including
Beloit College’s Girls and Women in Science and by developing activities
for elementary school students. I continue to support junior and high school
science fairs actively by being a judge at local and regional fairs, where the
students continue to amaze me with their dedication and creativity.
Publications
Mandell, K.E., Vallone, P.M., Owczarcy, R., Riccelli, P.V., and Benight, A.S. (2006) “Studies of DNA Dumbbells VIII: Melting Analysis of DNA Dumbbells with Dinucleotide Repeat Stem Sequences.” Biopolymers, 83, 199-221.
Presentations
“Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Investigations of Deoxyoligonucleotides.” Invited Speaker at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Research Laboratory, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate. Wright-Patterson, OH. June 3, 2005.
Poster Presentations
“Design of a DNA Nanowire.” *Kitayama, A., *Drennan, A., Rajh,
T., Tiede, D.M., and Mandell, K.E. 50th Annual Biophysical Society. Salt Lake
City, UT. February 18 - 22, 2006.
“Design of a Protein Switched Nanowire.” *Kitayama, A., *Drennan,
A., Rajh, T., Tiede, D.M., and Mandell, K.
E. Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Conference in
Nanotechnology, Appleton, WI, October 28 - 29, 2005.
“Thermodynamics of Disparate strand Concentration of Bacillus anthracis and Variola virus.” *Murphy,
D., and Mandell, K.E. Pew Midstates Physical Sciences Undergraduate Research
Symposium. Chicago, IL. November 4 - 6, 2005.
“Design of a Protein Switched Nanowire.” *Kitayama, A., *Drennan,
A., Rajh, T., Tiede, D.M., and Mandell, K. E. Metalloprotein and Protein Design
Conference, Chicago, IL, July 28-30, 2005.
“Novel DNA Structures as Molecular Wires.” *Kitayama, A., *Drennan,
A., Rajh, T., Tiede, D.M., and Mandell, K. E. Gordon Research Conference on
Analytical Chemistry. Roscoff, France. June 12 -17, 2005.
*student coauthors
Sometimes, family deserves to be first. My fifth grandchild was born in June. My wife Eliza is majoring in English and is scheduled to become a Beloit College alumna in December. My extended family includes the Chemistry and Biochemistry alumni. Thanks to all of you who shared your adventures with me.
As I write this update, some events of the past year come to mind. Bryna Dunaway’03 sent a thrilling tale of her life as a Physician’s Assistant when she interviewed for a job on a remote Alaskan island! I was also honored by the request of David Virshup’77 to be added to my personal alumni email discussion list. He is now Professor of Cancer Research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. His work on Wnt signaling was the beginning of the field of signal transduction.
Those of you on my email list have heard about the untimely demise of our dear friend and biochemistry alumnus David Murray’00, who received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Structural Biology from Oregon Health Sciences University for his research on protein x-ray crystallography. We plan to commemorate his memory by placing a special brick in the wall of the new Center for the Sciences.
Remembering Dave’s enthusiasm for life and biochemistry, I look forward to teaching classes each semester. I now teach a variety of Biochemical Issues courses, designed primarily to show students the thrill and value of scientific research. This fall, my Nerve Signaling course is exploring how neurons work, and focuses on meditation and its biochemical effects on brain function. One of the readings is The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalai Lama. Our reading of this text coincided with the visit of a group of Buddhist monks from Tibet during a “Buddhist Week” held on campus (see class picture below). Paulo Barriero Sanjines’08 initiated the idea of studying meditation through his project for the course in fall 2005. Another course I taught last spring was “The Art and Science of Negotiation,” using game theory and current high profile biochemical controversies to promote scientific and information literacy in our students.
My primary research and teaching interest is Nutrition, offered every semester. Student research during the class leads to presentations and posters in a Nutrition Symposium every term, open to the campus and community. Student work can be seen at the “Research Projects by My Students” link in the index at https://www.beloit.edu/nutrition. One student poster described new evidence that we benefit from 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily, 2,000 if over 65. Another poster describes the value of omega-3 fats, linked to significant reduction of the risk of heart disease and dementia. I also encourage you to view posters on the benefits of dark chocolate and green tea. Good nutrition can lead to healthier aging, and many of you have heard me say I intend to live a long time. As we all age, I remember Lao-Tzu, who stated, “the journey is the reward.”
Publications
Moser, L. R. (Beloit ’02) and A. B. Ordman, “Design for a study
to determine optimal dosage of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol in humans,” AGE
28: 77-84 (2006).
Ordman, Alfred B., Ricki J. Colman , and Joseph W. Kemnitz, “Selection
of aging biomarkers in primates: Caloric restriction in Rhesus monkeys,” AGE
28: 56 (2006).
Laura E. Parmentier
Associate Professor
B.S. Northland College
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Madison
At Beloit since 1991
https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/parmentier
During fall 2005, I served as the resident director of the Beloit seminar at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. I had previously been the resident director of this program in fall 2000, and it was a delight to be able to return to Scotland. Beloit students in the program (including Chemistry major Kristen Skruber’06) enrolled in an environmental studies course with me entitled “Environment of Scotland Through the Ages.” An important feature of this interdisciplinary course was a series of visits to environmental and archaeological sites throughout the country. Our field trips were very popular, and other international students often sought us out to participate in our excursions. Our students also enrolled in a pre-sessional course in Scottish Studies (history and literature) and then chose additional courses from the University listings. In addition to leading our program and teaching the interdisciplinary environmental studies course, I also taught in the third year organic/medicinal chemistry program at the University. I thoroughly enjoyed being a student of Scottish Studies again, and the experience of teaching and interacting with students and staff at the University of Glasgow was very informative. My family enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout Scotland once more and to renew friendships we have made throughout the years. Please look at https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/scotland/index.html for some more information about our program and for some fun photos.
In late December, my family and I moved to western Norway where I spent spring semester 2006 on sabbatical at Sogn og Fjordane University College (HSF). I worked with Dr. Matthias Paetzel, a geologist, examining lake sediments for evidence of environmental change. We were particularly interested in dating the sediments to gain information about glacial advance and retreat and climate changes around the time of the “Little Ice Age.” I also worked closely with the international coordinators at Sogn og Fjordane University College to develop a study abroad exchange agreement for students at Beloit College and HSF. The HSF program entitled “From Mountain to Fjord–Geology and Ecology of Western Norway” is an excellent course, offered in the fall, for students interested in an international experience in environmental studies (see http://www.hisf.no/m2fjord/).
Western Norway is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and by summer time, when we left, was light nearly round the clock. We especially enjoyed having the glorious Sognefjord out our front door and the high mountain peaks out the back. I traveled to and from work in a sea kayak with my brother David (http://www.moreld.net), and Maddy and William learned to ski like natives and speak Norwegian. Some photos from our time in Norway are posted at http://www.ultimateaudiomastering.com/norway/index.htm.
Teaching CHEM 117–General Chemistry–regularly continues to be challenging and enjoyable for me. This lab-based, collaborative, and topical approach (global warming, fats in the diet, blue LEDs and lasers) seems to engage a wide range of students effectively and gives me the opportunity to work with them as they are deciding on the direction for the rest of their college career.
With the successful adoption of an Environmental Studies major this past year, I was pleased to be able to offer the capstone Environmental Studies seminar, The Challenge of Global Change, again. The focus this year was on domestic and global energy resources, use, and policy. My participation in the annual meeting of the National Council for Science and the Environment on “Energy for a Sustainable and Secure Future” in Washington, D.C., last January was particularly useful for this seminar, as were class field trips to a Wisconsin wind farm and our new local gas combined cycle electric generating plant. One outgrowth of teaching the seminar is that I am now working with others to develop a “campus sustainability” initiative to integrate student interest and education with on-going campus environmental projects.
In addition to chairing the Chemistry Department, most of the rest of my time has been devoted to planning for the new Center for the Sciences and raising funds for it. Over the summer, our work with the architects has accelerated rapidly as we plan to complete construction documents this fall and break ground next spring. On the fund raising side, I have served on the Campus Campaign Committee (more than 90% of faculty and 80% of all staff contributing!) and the Science Campaign Committee. One benefit of this involvement has been seeing alumni at the national and regional campaign events this spring and summer in Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. For the coming year, I will continue teaching one course per semester while spending the rest of my time on the Center for the Sciences and on campus sustainability as part of my sabbatical for the year.
This past year, I continued with my initiative to develop an interdisciplinary program—based on modeling, simulation, data analysis, and visualization—in Computational Science at Beloit College. This curricular development was done in conjunction with my participation in the complete revision and update of the Computer Science curriculum. Course development included teaching two courses in fall: CHEM 245-Molecular Visualization, Modeling and Computational Chemistry, and CS 270-Data Visualization, both with an emphasis on visualization using computers. I used a relatively inexpensive GeoWall 3D Stereo projection system (http://www.geowall.org) to visualize molecular structures as well as GIS and network data. I also developed a new beta version of my BioGrapher Excel front end for network visualization that I recently presented at a conference on imaging and visualization in the sciences sponsored by Sigma Xi, MIT, the Harvard Initiative for Innovative Computing (IIC), and NSF. This version of BioGrapher will soon be enhanced with mathematical routines for computing graph-theoretical properties of networks, of great importance in a number of different fields, especially from a “small worlds” perspective.
During spring 2006, a highlight of CHEM 240–Thermodynamics and Kinetics was a class visit by Beloit College alumnus and trustee Eugene Zeltmann’62 (see pages 18 and 35) to discuss energy issues and work done by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on energy conservation. I was also involved in various curricular and grant initiatives, including the successful NSF Major Instrumentation proposal. The CD and fluorescence spectrometers that we will be acquiring with the NSF grant will enable me to develop new laboratory experiments in physical and biophysical chemistry. Finally, it was great fun participating in teaching the Protein Folding class with Srebrenka Robic’99 and demonstrating computer visualization using the GeoWall to parents and teachers at the annual Girls and Women in Science (GWIS) Workshop (see page 18).
Working as Sanger Scholars in summer 2005, Harrison Metzger’07 and I successfully designed and developed a unique 8-bit CPU that he then built using off-the-shelf IC chips. Harry later presented the design (see page 26) at a Pew Undergraduate Research Symposium held at the University of Chicago in November 2005. During this past summer, I participated in the BioQUEST Faculty Workshop on Exploring Complex Data Sets as a session leader where I presented BioGrapher and other Excel tools and front-ends that I am developing. I also worked with Jhaunell Reid’08 on a project to design and implement a simple high-precision solution calorimeter, featured on the front cover.
“How In Situ Remediation is a Blend of Chemistry, Microbiology, Geology/Hydrogeology,
and Engineering.” Robert Norris’66.
“Trace Metal Analysis in Archaeology.” William Gartner’86,
Visiting Assistant Professor, Beloit College.
“Choosing a Career after Beloit.” Nicole Koretsky’96, VWR Technical
Sales Specialist, Global Marketing Division.
“Compartmentalized Signaling of Ras.” John Miura’04, New York
University School of Medicine.
“Sustainability Science and Engineering.” Anu Ramaswami (Rama’s
cousin!), Associate Professor, Dept. of Environmental Engineering, University
of Colorado-Denver. The talk was followed by a short visit to ABC Supply Headquarters
on Riverside Drive to look at their green roof system (http://www.greengridroofs.com)
and their work with solar cells.
“Automated Peptide Synthesis Technology at Intavis.” Ian Schmitz'98,
Director of Marketing, Intavis, Inc.
“The Geobiology and Geochemistry of Thermopolis, WY (OR How a Hard-rocker
got Stuck in the Slime).” Suki Smaglik’81, Associate
Professor of Geology and Chemistry, Central Wyoming College.
"Please Don't Supersize Me: How Food Companies Shape What We Eat.” Paul
Stitt’62, President and CEO, Natural Ovens of Manitowoc, Inc.
“Life as a Physician.” Kanchana Viswanathan, M.D. Beloit Clinic.
“Energy Deregulation: Its Recent Past and Future Prospects.” Eugene
Zeltmann’62, President (retired), New York Power Authority, and Beloit
College Trustee.
The fifteenth annual Girls and Women in Science (GWIS) Conference,
supported by Beloit College, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and private
donations, was held at Beloit College March 24-25 2006, and as usual was a great
success. GWIS is a minds-on, hands-on science workshop weekend for sixth grade
girls, along with their teachers and parents, and is designed to ignite enthusiasm
for science in sixth grade girls. This year again was special because the Chemistry
Department had a record number of students—Davianne Cartwright’06,
Kate Eaton’08, Grisha Grigoriev’07, Paul Hansen’08, Heidi Jump’08,
Kelli Kazmier’07, Jennifer Laube’08, Jason Marmon’06, Daniel
Murphy ’08, Jhaunell Reid’08, Christopher “Chip” Schumacher’06,
Ryan Seelbach’08, Matthew Sonnenberg’06, and Larissa Thomas’06—help
with activity stations, while Diane Pham’06 was the Administrative Coordinator.
Wanda Hartmann, George Lisensky, Kathleen Mandell, and Brock Spencer participated
as faculty mentors, while Kathleen’s daughter Colleen and George’s
daughter Rachel were among the girls attending! Rama Viswanathan helped
Dan Murphy’07 show the 3D GeoWall Projection system and its applications
in visualization to parents and teachers. Finally, we were delighted to welcome
back Amanda Drennan’05 as one of the Alumni Panelists.
| 117 | General Chemistry |
64 |
| 127 | Biochemical Issues |
14 |
| 230 | Organic Chemistry I |
49 |
| 245 | Molecular Modeling/Visualization |
4 |
| 250 | Inorganic Chemistry |
8 |
| 300 | Biochemistry of Macromolecules |
5 |
| 380 | Senior Seminar |
5 |
| 385 | Senior Thesis |
1 |
| 390 | Special Projects |
4 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant |
2 |
| Total |
156 |
| 117 | General Chemistry | 45 |
| 127 | Biochemical Issues |
26 |
| 220 | Chemical Equilibrium | 26 |
| 235 | Organic Chemistry II | 23 |
| 240 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics | 4 |
| 260 | Biometabolism | 4 |
| 280 | Professional Tools for Chemists | 13 |
| 370/5 | Advanced Topics | 9 |
| 380 | Senior Seminar | 9 |
| 385 | Senior Thesis | 9 |
| 390 | Special Projects | 6 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant | 6 |
| Total | 173 |
Andrew |
Bartles |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Dixon, Illinois |
Ian |
Blitz |
2008 |
Chemistry |
Charleston, Illinois |
Judith |
Broderick |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Beloit, Wisconsin |
Aarti |
Chawla |
2009 |
Biochemistry |
Mumbai, India |
Stephanie |
Giles |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
W. Medford, Massachusetts |
Amanda |
Hammermeister |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Ketchikan, Alaska |
Paul |
Hansen |
2008 |
Chemistry |
Holland, Michigan |
Heidi |
Jump |
2008 |
Chemistry (Minor) |
Tenino, Washington |
Sarah |
Katz |
2007 |
Chemistry (Minor) |
Silver Spring, Maryland |
Kelli |
Kazmier |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
Linden, Michigan |
Leah |
Kelly |
2009 |
Chemistry |
Tucson, Arizona |
Warren |
Kretzschmar |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Hannover, Germany |
Ammar |
Kutiyanawalla |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
Mumbai, India |
Han |
Lai |
2009 |
Biochemistry |
Chengdu, China |
Jennifer |
Laube |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Charleston, Illinois |
Xiaoyue |
Ma |
2007 |
Chemistry (Minor) |
Beijing, China |
Jason |
Marmon |
2006 |
Chemistry (Honors Term) |
Eudora, Kansas |
Katelyn |
McCool |
2008 |
Applied Chemistry |
Warren, Illinois |
Daniel |
Murphy |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Frankfort, Illinois |
Rachel |
Oliver |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
Missoula, Montana |
Davis |
Peterson |
2007 |
Chemistry |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Laurel |
Purdy |
2009 |
Chemistry (Minor) |
Canby, Oregon |
Jhaunell |
Reid |
2008 |
Applied Chemistry |
Westmoreland, Jamaica |
Peter |
Reiss |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Poecking, Germany |
Nathaniel |
Remley |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
Green Bay, Wisconsin |
Andrew |
Scarano |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Edgerton, Wisconsin |
Christopher |
Schumacher |
2006 |
Chemistry (Honors Term) |
Madison, Wisconsin |
Ryan |
Seelbach |
2008 |
Chemistry |
Hillsboro, Missouri |
Jonathan |
Soffer |
2008 |
Chemistry (Minor) |
Creamridge, New Jersey |
Jeffrey |
Thimm |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Dulles, Virginia |
May Fern |
Toh |
2008 |
Biochemistry |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Jason |
Tse |
2009 |
Biochemistry |
Beloit, Wisconsin |
Anna |
Wentz |
2007 |
Biochemistry |
Saint Louis, Missouri |
Johna |
Winters |
2007 |
Chemistry |
Lakewood, Colorado |
Rachel |
Yucuis |
2009 |
Biochemistry |
Iowa City, Iowa |
| SUMMA CUM LAUDE | Shanishka Bain Larissa Thomas |
| MAGNA CUM LAUDE | Davianne Cartwright Christopher Schumacher Daniel Towns |
| CUM LAUDE | Carissa Schubert |
| DEPARTMENTAL HONORS | Shanishka Bain |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Shanishka Bain |
| Sigma Iota | Carissa Schubert |
| Mortar Board | Larissa Thomas |
JOHN H. NAIR AWARD
honors an alumnus (Class of 1915) and
provides membership in the American Chemical Society for one or more seniors
who plan careers in chemistry.
Shanishka Bain’06
EDWARD C. FULLER AWARD in CHEMICAL EDUCATION
was established by the majors of the Class of 1982 in honor of Professor Fuller
and is given to a junior or senior who has done outstanding work as a teaching
assistant.
Rachel Oliver’07
Diane Pham’06
WILLIAM J. TRAUTMAN AWARD IN PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
recognizes chemistry majors for outstanding performance in physical chemistry.
Professor Trautman taught chemistry at Beloit College from 1921 to 1947.
Christopher Schumacher’06
CRC PRESS FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
recognizes outstanding work by a first-year student and consists of a copy of
the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics .
Warren Kretzschmar’08
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
sponsored by the Division of Polymer Chemistry recognizes outstanding work in
the introductory organic chemistry course.
Rachel Yucuis’09
DAVID A. NORRIS'92 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
was established in his honor and encourages and supports chemistry-related student research.
Jason Marmon'06
J. CARL WELTY HONOR AWARD (Biology Department)
for services and accomplishments
that most enhance the department each year.
Larissa Thomas’06
GERTRUDE E. SWEET AWARD (Biology Department)
presented to a biology student who
is committed to serving others and demonstrates leadership in societal issues
related to the life sciences.
Diane Pham’06
ANDY BOGGS MUSIC AWARD (Music Department)
Laurel Purdy’09
Andrew Bartles’08 |
Brannon Presidential, AFS/YFU Rotary International |
Shankishka Bain’06 |
Moore Family |
Ian Blitz’08 |
Eaton |
Davianne Cartwright’06 |
Moore Family |
Aarti Chawla’09 |
Moore Family |
Amanda Hammermeister’08 |
Ericsson, Monticello Foundation, Paul W. Boutwell |
Heidi Jump’08 |
Presidential |
Sarah Katz’07 |
Chapin Presidential , Founders |
Kelli Kazmier’07 |
Chapin Presidential |
Han Lai’09 |
Moore Family |
Jennifer Laube’08 |
Chapin Presidential |
Xiaoyue Ma’07 |
Moore Family |
Jason Marmon’06 |
Paul W. Boutwell, Ericsson, Eugene & Susan Zeltman |
Katelyn McCool’08 |
Chapin Presidential, Ericsson |
Daniel Murphy’07 |
Hildebrand Memorial |
Rachel Oliver’07 |
Maurer Presidential, Marjorie Brown Leff |
Davis Peterson’07 |
Eaton |
Diane Pham’06 |
Eaton, C.H. & E.T. Ferris, Winter Wood |
Laurel Purdy’09 |
Presidential, Marjorie Brown Leff |
Andrew Scarano’08 |
Eaton |
Carissa Schubert’06 |
Joseph P. Collie, Wendy Ann Vick |
Christopher Schumacher’06 |
Presidential |
Larissa Thomas’06 |
Presidential |
May Fern Toh’08 |
World Affairs Center |
Jason Tse’09 |
Presidential, Sau Wing Lam |
Anna Wentz’07 |
Maurer Presidential, Marjorie Brown Leff |
Johna Winters’07 |
M.P. Spanswick, Kate Baron |
Shanishka Bain’06
“Achieving Optimal Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status in the Vegan Population.” Mentored
by Prof. Alfred Ordman.
Ian Blitz’08
”Silica Structure and Metal Ion Adsorption.” Mentored
by Prof. Brock Spencer; Prof. James Blitz, Eastern Illinois University.
Ammar Kutiyanawalla’07
“Study of Proteins Involved in Mouse and Human Cerebral Malaria.” Mentored
by Prof. Marion Fass; Profs. Sean Murphy and Asturi Haldar, Northwestern University.
Jennifer Laube’08
“Journey to Teotihuacan.” Mentored by Profs. Dan Shea,
Shannon Fie, and Nicolette Meister.
Jason Marmon’06
“Chinese Bronze Weaponry.” Mentored by Prof. Paul Stanley.
“Proton Translocation across a Metal-Oxide Surface: Reversible
Transformations between [n-Bu4N]5[a-(H3)W12O40]
and [n-Bu4N]6[a-(H2)W12O40].” Mentored
by Prof. George Lisensky; Prof. Dean Duncan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Daniel Murphy’08
“Stereo 3D Computer Visualization Using the
GeoWall Projection System.” Mentored by Prof. Rama Viswanathan; Prof.
Raquell Holmes, Boston University Center for Computational Science.
“Thermodynamics of Disparate Concentrations of Bacillus
anthracis and Variola Virus
Deoxyoligonucleotides.” Mentored by Prof. Kathleen Mandell.
Diane Pham’06
“Netrin-Induced Axonal Outgrowth.” Mentored by Prof. Brock
Spencer; Prof. Yi Rao, and Dr. Claudia Jürgensen, Northwestern University.
Jonathan Soffer’08
“You Wash Your Hands—But Do Your Doctors?” Mentored
by Prof. Srebrenka Robic; Dr. Connie Pierce, Denver Health Medical Center.
Matthew Sonnenberg’06
“Bring Out Your Dead: Methods for Determining Time of Death
in the Recently Deceased.” Mentored by Prof. Kathleen Mandell.
Daniel Towns’06
“Structural Exploration of the MthK Potassium Channel.” Mentored
by Dr. Adrian Gross, Northwestern University School of Medicine.
Beloit College International Symposium, November 9, 2005
Andrew Bartles’08
“Morrocan Sun. “ Mentored by Prof. Kosta Hadavas.
Jennifer Laube’08
“Journey to Teotihuacan.” Mentored by Prof. Shannon Fie.
Jason Marmon’06
“Understanding Cultural Differences in the Pursuit of Science: My Experiences
in China.” Mentored by Prof. Paul Stanley.
Jeffrey Thimm’08
“China in the Era of Globalization: The Dragon has Awakened.” Mentored
by Prof. Yaffa Grossman.
2005 Pew Midstates Undergraduate
Symposium in Biology and Psychology
October 28-30, Washington University, St. Louis
Diane Pham’06
“Netrin Induced Axonal Guidance.”
Kelli Kazmier’07
“Binding Affinity, Selectivity, and Efficacy: Initial Investigations with
8-Carboxyamidocyclazcoine Analogues.”
Ammar Kutiyanawalla’07
“Study of Proteins Involved in Murine and Human Cerebral Malaria.”
Daniel Murphy’07
“Stereo 3D Molecular Modeling and Visualization with GeoWall.”
Anna Wentz’07
“AAV2-Mediated Intracranial and Intraocular Gene Therapy for Infantile
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis.”
2005 Pew Midstates Undergraduate Symposium in the Physical
Sciences
November 4-6, University of Chicago
Elizabeth Boatman’07 (Outstanding Presentation Award)
“Measuring Exciton Diffusion Length in Organic Solar Cells.”
Sarah Katz’07
“Characterizing Liquid Crystal Muscle Films.”
Jason Marmon’06
“Proton Translocation Across a Metal-Oxide Surface: Reversible Transformations
between [n-Bu4N]5[a-(H3)W12O40] and [n-Bu4N]6[a-(H2)W12O40]. ”
Harrison Metzger’08
“The HarryRama Central Processing Unit (CPU).”
Daniel Murphy’07 (Outstanding Presentation Award)
“Thermodynamics of Disparate Concentrations of Bacillus anthracis and Variola Virus
Oligonucleotides by Differential Scanning Calorimetry.”
Johna Winters’07
“Synthesis of 1,3,3-Trimethyl-9'Hydroxyspiroindolinenaphthoxadine.”
The Beloit Biologist, Volume 25, 2006
Davianne Cartwright’06
“Porcine Islet Xenografts: A Realistic Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes.”
Matthew Sonnenberg’06
“Neuropeptide Y Release from the Arcuate Nucleus of the Hypothalamus is
Initiated by Peripheral Ghrelin.”
Larissa Thomas’06
“Rheumatoid Arthritis: How Chemokines Direct Cellular Migration.”
Andrew Bartles’08 spent the summer in Holland working as an intern for TLR Corporation in their analytical chemistry laboratory, performing qualitative and quantitative analyses on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) using real-time PCR. He also traveled around Holland and made trips to London, Brussels, and Oporto.
Stephanie Giles’07 was selected to participate in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer program at Washington University in St. Louis. She worked in an aquatic chemistry laboratory on a project involving studies of lead absorption and binding by phosphate (apatite) in fish bone.
Paul Hansen’08 worked during the summer at Circle Pines Summer Camp as an “acorn” counselor. He says that his job involved watching fire-breathing dragons (a.k.a. 7-12 year old kids).
Heidi Jump’08 participated in the National Science Foundation(NSF)-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer program in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. She worked with Dr. M. Martin-Cereceda and Dr. Val Smith on research that examined how Culex sp. mosquito larvae responded to infection by the biocontrol fungus Beauveria bassiana when raised on diets with varying phosphorus levels.
Sarah Katz’07 spent the summer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., in the power electronics branch, researching semiconductors including silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and diamond.
Kelli Kazmier’07 received a Schweppe Foundation grant and worked in the laboratory of Dr. Adrian Gross at Northwestern University during the summer studying ion channel structure and function. Her project focused on lipid-channel interaction for K+ channels KcsA and KvAP. She found that KvAP tightly binds lipids, similar to KcsA. This may be important because the lipid binding properties of KcsA have been found to be important for ion conduction and for in vitro refolding. In addition, Kelli began investigations into lipid-channel stoichiometry.
Warren Kretzschmar’08 spent the summer working as an intern in the Visceral and Vascular Surgery Department of the Friederikenstift hospital in Hanover, Germany. He also translated a book on child education from German to English, which, with the consent of the author, he will try to get published in the US.
Ammar Kutiyanawalla’07 performed summer research at the University of Pittsburgh with Dr. Kelly Cole on understanding the role of humoral immune responses involved in HIV-1 and the closely related Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) infection and vaccination. He worked on a project to clone the SIV gp120 surface protein, which binds to the CD4 receptor, from SIV into an expression vector to produce soluble envelope proteins to be used in binding assays in vitro.
Jason Marmon’06 traveled with the Anthropology Field School to Chile this summer, working in the Atacama Desert as a volunteer. He returned at the end of June and was a keynote speaker at the University of Kansas’ Upward Bound Program. During his stint in the Atacama, he emailed to say that they had found several mummified bodies in Pisagua, north of Iquique. The bodies ranged from the Alto Ramirez period (up to 2000 B.C.) to Chinchorro (4000 B.C.). Although the Chinchorro culture dates back to about 6000 B.C., they only found “red mummies,” which were buried with clay masks and are the more recent Chinchorro mummies. In addition, his group, under the direction of Professor Dan Shea, excavated several dwellings. There was obvious evidence that these houses, built thousands of years ago, had been occupied until the turn of the last century. Jason is currently spending his Service Honors Term at Beloit College in the Anthropology Department, where he is researching Asian metal blades and displaying the materials on the departmental website.
Nathaniel Remley’07 spent an interesting summer getting his helicopter license, training for Ironman Madison, which takes place later in fall, and visiting Australia.
Jhaunell Reid’08 (pictured on the front cover) worked with Rama Viswanathan this past summer on a project to replace the ancient custom-built solution calorimeter (originally donated to the College by the Parker Pen Company more than a quarter of a century ago!) with an inexpensive but sensitive and high-precision solution calorimeter based on an “electronic” Wheatstone’s Bridge. See front cover for more details.
Ryan Seelbach’08 worked in his uncle’s newly opened restaurant during the summer. It was a great experience, since he was a major player in starting and operating the business, using his creativity and his extensive previous experience working in restaurants.
Jonathan Soffer’08 spent the summer working for the Infection Control Department of Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, working on a number of hand hygiene and infection control studies.
Anna Wentz’07 spent the summer learning to use and running the flow cytometer in the High Speed Cell Sorter Core Laboratory of Prof. Bill Eades , located in the Siteman Cancer Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Johna Winters’07 participated in the SENSORS: From Design to Implementation (Polymers/Nanotechnology) undergraduate research program at Drexel University this past summer.
Shanishka Bain – Nassau, Bahamas
Environmental Chemistry Major
As an Environmental Chemistry major, my studies have combined a foundation in
chemistry with marine science. My specific interests are in monitoring and managing
natural resources of small developing coastal states in order to ensure continued
socioeconomic growth. These interests led me to intern at the Department of Fisheries
in Nassau, Bahamas in summer 2004, and at the Bimini Biological Field Station
in Bimini, Bahamas in summer 2005. In the Fall of 2005, I spent a semester abroad
in the Turks and Caicos Islands studying marine resource management. In addition
to these successful internships, I was awarded the American Chemical Society
Award for Organic Chemistry in 2004 and the William J. Trautman Award for Physical
Chemistry in 2005 for my academic work at Beloit College. My interests expanded
to the nutritional sciences during my Junior year, and I presented my research
on how optimal omega-3 fatty acid status can be attained in the vegan population
at the Student Symposium in 2005. Activities on campus included dance, being
a Teaching Assistant for Organic Chemistry, Chemical Equilibrium, and Marine
Biology, as well participating in Varsity track where I currently hold individual
school records in the indoor 400m and the outdoor 200m. Upon completing my graduate
education, my ultimate goal is to pursue a career that combines alternative medicine
with environmental science.
Davianne Cartwright – Nassau, Bahamas
Biochemistry Major
Biochemistry major in three years and spending a semester abroad in South Africa
studying public health. An avid member of Black Students United, she has taken
part in the club’s many actions and events during her three years on
campus. Davianne’s plans include working in a research laboratory on
juvenile diabetes and entering medical school. She would like to thank her
family for their love and support throughout her time here.
Jason Marmon – Eudora, KS
Chemistry and Physics Majors
Jason has pursued a wide range of interests and activities while at Beloit,
ranging from Archeology (he attended Field School in Chile this summer as a
volunteer) to Physics to Chemistry to Nanotechnology. While pursuing an academic
track that included a double major, he also found time to undertake a field
trip to China during summer 2005, where he studied the physics of martial arts.
Jason is a McNair Scholar and intends to attend graduate school in Materials
Science and/or Nanotechnology. He is currently working on a Honors Term at
Beloit College with a focus on one or two of the following objectives: creating
a virtual Asian metals exhibit; developing workshops; designing exhibits; bringing
in a metals conservator to speak to the campus and classes; and re-establishing
and creating links between Anthropology and other divisions, including the
sciences.
Diane Pham – Geneva, IL
Chemistry Major
Diane has worked with Professor Brett Woods, Professor Whitney Sweeney, and
Professor Kathleen Mandell on various research projects while at Beloit. During
the summer of 2005, Diane obtained a Schweppe Fellowship and conducted research
on cellular migration and axonal guidance in Dr. Yi Rao’s laboratory
at Northwestern University. She has presented her research at the University
of Iowa and at Pew Consortium Symposia. In addition, she participated in varsity
tennis, Alpha Sigma Tau, Interfraternal Pan-Hellenic Council, and the Leadership
Institute. She was the Administrative Coordinator of the Girls and Women in
Science program for two years and went to Washington, D.C., for a Women and
Science Policy conference. She is considering going to graduate school in biochemistry
or neuroscience and is looking at a career in science policy. After graduation,
she has a research position at Washington University, St.Louis, working
in Dr. David Gottlieb’s laboratory on a project studying embryonic stem
cells.
Carissa Schubert – Wausau, WI
Biochemistry and Spanish Majors
At Beloit College, I found my interests to be in medicine. I took night classes
at the local technical college to earn my Emergency Medical Technician(EMT)
license and volunteered regularly with a local ambulance service in order to
gain experience in the medical field. I had a variety of internships including
helping to run a summer school program for children of agricultural migrant
workers, an NSF-REU research position working to determine gene expression
in response to heavy metal toxicity and nanotechnology, and a volunteer position
in the trauma center of a public hospital while studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador.
I was also a human biology TA, a CPR instructor for the local technical college,
involved in student government, and a varsity swimmer. After graduation, I
will be taking a much-needed year of vacation from academics, hopefully in
sunny southern California, before pursuing medical school with a possible specialization
in rural emergency medicine.
Christopher “Chip” Schumacher – Madison,
WI
Chemistry Major
Chip took advantage of Beloit’s liberal arts education and graduated
with academic honors, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and supplemented his chemistry
major with several psychology, religious studies, and healthcare studies courses.
He spent the spring semester of his junior year studying in Copenhagen, Denmark,
through the DIS Program. Along with traveling and experiencing Europe, he also
broadened his experience and interest in healthcare, studying in the Medical
Practice and Policy branch of DIS. In summer 2005, he was involved in research
with the Nutritional Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Outside of the classroom, Chip was a three-year letter winner on the varsity
soccer team and elected as a captain his senior year. He has also been an active
member of the Sigma Chi fraternity for four years. Currently working on a Honors
Term at Beloit College, he plans to take a year off and then attend medical
school, become a physician and, ultimately, affect the lives of everyone he
encounters along the way for the better.
Kristen Skruber – Franklin, TN
Chemistry Major and Physics Minor
Kristen’s experience at Beloit has allowed her love of science to flourish
and grow in unexpected directions. She spent a summer interning at Rollins
College/ University of Central Florida where she worked on the remediation
of PCB’s. She spent a semester studying abroad in the Glasgow Program,
where she investigated the environment of Scotland from a geochemical perspective.
Her senior thesis researched the stability of anthocyanins as food colorants
when pH and temperature were changed. Kristen hopes to intern after graduation
and may venture into the world of teaching.
Matthew Sonnenberg –Barrington, IL
Biochemistry Major and Physics Minor
Matthew’s four years at Beloit have been a real pleasure. Whether
studying in Chamberlin, helping organic students as a TA, running around on
the Frisbee field, or performing autopsies at the Rock County Coroner’s
Office, he was always busy. During his time here, Matthew interned at the University
of Illinois-Chicago in their Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and was
involved in special projects on Neuronal Signaling and the Serotonin Autoreceptor
5HT-1B. He also participated in conferences including the Pew Undergraduate
Research Conference, Girls and Women in Science and UW-Madison’s bi-annual
Engineering Expo.
Larissa Thomas – Waldport, OR
Biochemistry and Dance Majors
Larissa obtained a complete liberal arts education at Beloit, majoring in both
Dance and Biochemistry. She was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board.
Larissa studied the macromolecular pathology of rheumatoid arthritis using
a Schweppe scholarship at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School
of Medicine in summer 2004, and completed her biology senior thesis on chemokines
based on that research. Apart from academics, Larissa served as head
resident assistant and has participated in Habitat for Humanity, Gold Key,
and Dance Club. She has performed in both the student choreographed December
Dance Workshop and in Chelonia. The energy with which she propelled herself
through school will also fuel possible careers in dance and medicine that she
is considering.
Daniel Towns – Edgerton, WI
History Major and Chemistry Minor
Daniel majored in history while minoring in chemistry, exemplifying the liberal
arts Beloit experience. In fall, Daniel will start medical school at Des Moines
University in Iowa, where he plans to spend two years doing classroom
(didactic) work and the next two years in rotations where he will determine
what to do with the rest of his life. At this point, Daniel is entirely open
as to what type of physician he will become.
Nozomi Yamaoka – Tajimi, Japan
Chemistry, and Economics and Management Majors
Nozo spent the summer after her first year researching religion in Japan with
the help of a Venture Grant from Beloit College. In addition to completing
majors in Economics and Management and Chemistry, she was a member of the Beloit
College Jazz Ensemble throughout her time here. She is planning on going to
medical school in Japan.
*Past issues of Beloit College Magazine can be accessed on-line and downloaded
in PDF format at https://www.beloit.edu/belmag/.
Tom Brauch, who taught in the Department from 1993 to 1996, wrote from Golden,
Colorado to say that he recently retired from the army and is the
co-owner of an environmental air consulting company. He occasionally uses
chemistry but mostly develops solar power and communications systems for remote
(monitoring) instruments. Spouse Suzette is in private practice as an anesthesiologist,
and they now have three children, ages 12, 6, and 3.
William Brown, professor emeritus of chemistry, has just completed
the eighth edition of his book General, Organic, and Biochemistry (Brooks/Cole
Publishing Co.) and his textbook Introduction to Organic Chemistry (third
ed., John Wiley & Sons) has been translated into Italian.
Heather Mernitz, ChemLinks Project Assistant 1996-2000, has completed her Ph.D.
at Tufts University in the Nutrition and Cancer Biology Laboratory in the Friedman
School of Nutrition and Public Policy. She will be staying on for a year of postdoctoral
research while looking for an undergraduate teaching position. Our congratulations
and best wishes to Dr. Mernitz!
William Swisher’35 and his wife, Dorothy, continue to remain active and
love to travel. Recent trips have taken them to Palm Desert, Calif., Germany,
and on a Scandinavian cruise.
Lowell Ericsson’50 is an executive board member of the United Nations Association
of Seattle, and is also an active member of the Democratic Party.
Elizabeth Rearick Chenoweth’55 was pictured in the fall/winter 2005 issue
of Beloit College Magazine holding the reunion cup at the Homecoming Alumni Assembly
in October 2005. Chenoweth was singled out at Homecoming for a special Alumni
Award in recognition of her lifetime of dedicated service to higher education.
She directed the Saginaw Valley (Mich.) State University Bookstore for more than
25 years, served for dozens of years on the Midland Michigan School Board, and
lobbied at the state and national levels on behalf of public education.
Paul Stitt’62, co-founder of Natural Ovens of Manitowoc bakery, spoke at
Beloit College (see page 18) in fall 2005 about the relationship between nutrition,
behavior, and the ability to focus. Stitt’s voice was heard in an off-camera
interview in the documentary film Super Size Me (2004).
Eugene Zeltmann’62 retired as President and CEO of the New York
Power Authority (NYPA)and co-chair of the Electric Drive Transportation Association
in early 2006, after a distinguished career. He has also served as chair of
the board of EPRI (the Electric Power Research Institute), and as a member
of the Technology Institute’s Advisory Council. Dr. Zeltmann has been
back on campus a number of times in 2006, first in his capacity as an expert
on energy issues, where he visited classes and gave talks (see page 18) on
campus in January, and more recently as a member of the Beloit College Board
of Trustees. (See article in the Spring 2006 issue of Beloit Magazine at
https://www.beloit.edu/belmag/).
Gene Banucci’65 (Beloit College Trustee), recently received the
State of Connecticut Medal of Technology for his work as founding CEO and current
Chairman of Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (ATMI), a major supplier of
innovative products for the semiconductor industry. Among the ATMI innovations
is a system for safe storage and delivery of the toxic gases used in semiconductor
implanting. Replacing high-pressure gas cylinders is a system that fills the
cylinders with molecular sieves, which adsorb the gas strongly, allowing it
to be delivered a sub-atmospheric pressure and substantially increasing the
amount of gas that can be stored in the cylinder. This technology also works
with industrial, medical, and water treatment gases. Our congratulations and
best wishes to Dr. Banucci.
James Kudrna’65 is an orthopedic surgeon at the Illinois Bone and Joint
Institute.
Robert Norris’66 visited Beloit in September and gave a talk (see page
18) to the Senior Seminar class. He has performed research in a number of areas
in his career, from stereochemistry for his Ph.D. thesis (Notre Dame),
to bilirubin photochemistry (for alleviating neonatal jaundice) as a postdoctoral
fellow. This was followed by synthesis of organic phosphate flame-retardants
at FMC. He then developed applications for hydrogen peroxide in the mining
and petroleum industries. He has worked in environmental remediation for the
last 24 years. Finally, he has coauthored six books and is working on two more.
Anthony O’Keefe’77 emailed us to pass on a photo (see page
4) taken in summer 2005 when Tom Tisue’61 visited Los Gatos Research
while he was doing some consulting work there for Tony. Los Gatos Research
(co-founded by Tony, who is also the President) has developed a near infrared
cavity absorption instrument that measures the isotope ratios of H, D, 16O,
and 18O in water. This got a lot of interest from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and, since Tom worked at the IAEA for some time, Tony
got him to come out and evaluate the potential for the instrument.
Margaret Arnsten Popp’81 wrote to say that she has been working for RMT,
Inc., since 1996, managing Groundwater Chemistry Databases. RMT is an environmental
engineering company on the far west side of Madison. She lives in Mt.
Horeb and has two children.
Suki Smaglik’81 visited Beloit in September and gave a talk (see page
18) to the Senior Seminar class. She worked for the US Geological Survey in
Denver from 198 to 1987. She has been in her current position (Associate Professor
of Geology & Chemistry, and Program Advisor, Outdoor Leadership) at Central
Wyoming College for 6+ years. Her undergraduate research program is looking
at the evolution of thermophiles in the famous hot springs of Thermopolis in
central Wyoming. Her students are characterizing the species and looking at
variability associated with the geochemistry of the system. These will be compared
with the well-established database from nearby Yellowstone. Overall, the objective
is to study atmospheric changes over the earth’s history.
“Eddie” Deming Tang’84 wrote recently to say that “I
joined SMIC almost 4 years ago after leaving Intel... I left SMIC late last
year and rejoined Intel early this year and am now the engineering manager
for Intel’s Shanghai Chipset BGA assembly and testing factory. This is
a fairly big change for me as my scope and team head counts have significantly
increased--almost one-third of the factory’s personnel, approximately
200 to 300 employees, are now in my team...I am now in the chipset assembly/testing
business rather than in upstream silicon wafer processing. Please
feel free to write to me or chat over Skype (my Skype ID is deming_tang)...There
are quite a few large corporations increasing their R&D activities in Shanghai.
I think the opportunities are quite good and Shanghai is still growing rapidly.”
Kirk Kimball’85 is the CDC’s lead chemist for the state of Vermont’s
chemical terrorism preparedness program.
Krista Van Vleet’87 received tenure in July and was promoted to Associate
Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bowdoin College.
Our congratulations and best wishes for continued success to Krista!
Barry Elswick’89 provided this update via email: “My wife and I
now work part-time so we can also enjoy raising our kids and all that San Diego
living has to offer! Maria is an OB/Gyn who started her career in private
practice here in San Diego but 5 years ago joined our group at Kaiser, where
I began my Emergency Medicine career and became a Partner Physician in 2000,
so she could work part time and enjoy more free time. We met in medical school
in Chicago. We have two children.”
Alice Dobie-Galuska’90 writes that husband “John is the director
of a living-learning center called Foster International on the Indiana University campus.
Our (two) children …are wonderful and I am very proud of our little
family. I have been the academic advisor for the Department of Chemistry at
Indiana University in Bloomington for 3 years.”
Yoon-Hang Kim’91 was, until recently, the Dean of Integrative Medicine
at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. He is now moving
to Atlanta to become the CEO of a non-profit organization specializing in Integrative
Medicine.
Nimalika Weerakoon’92 is currently a high school Science Teacher in Wagga
Wagga, Australia.
Harindra Abeysinghe’94 recently completed his Ph.D. in Pathology at the
University of Minnesota and now works in the R&D division of Johnson & Johnson
in Raritan, New Jersey.
Dawn Buschek’94 is an Analytical Chemist at MedPoint Pharmaceuticals
in Decatur, Illinois.
Brian Pfister’94 continues to work as a Senior Research Scientist in
Articular Engineering in the entrepreneurial venture section of Rush University’s
Department of Biochemistry.
Tara Sander’94 now lives in Milwaukee, where she is an Assistant Professor
of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Mark Brockman’95 completed his Ph.D. in Virology at Harvard University
in 2001. Presently he is an HHMI postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr.
Bruce D. Walker in the AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston.
Wenyi Feng’95 received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, and is currently
a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington Seattle, in the Department
of Genome Sciences.
Ashley Eversole Hesslein’95 has a new daughter, born in June.
Timothy Korter’95, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Syracuse university,
had his pioneering work in Terahertz spectroscopy (started when he was a post-doctoral
fellow at the National Bureau of Standards and Technologies) highlighted in Chemical & Engineering
News—“Spreading the Word on Terahertz Light,” C&EN
83(40), October 3, 2005, pages 43-45, with his picture on page 44! His
work once again made the news in the C&EN Science Concentrates section
of February 6, 2006. For more details on Terahertz Spectroscopy, see Plusquellic,
D.F., Korter, T.M., Fraser, G.T., Lavrich, R.J., Benck, E.C., Bucher, C.R.,
Domench, J., and Hight Walker, A.R., Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectroscopy
of Plasmas and Biomolecules, in Terahertz Sensing Technology, Volume
2: Emerging Scientific Applications and Novel Device Concepts, ed by D.
Woolard, W. Loerop, and M. Shur, 13(4) 385-404 (World Scientific, New Jersey,
2004).
Robert Bradley’96 is now working for NASA in Houston.
Margaret Moore’96 graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine last June, with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.
Kameswaran Surendran’96 got his Ph.D. from Washington University, St.
Louis, and is currently pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship there.
Kristine Zimmermann’96 completed her M.P.H. in 2003, and is working at
the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Tanya Danner’97 is a Family Practice physician in Indiana.
Kristie Mather’97 has finished her Ph.D. at Berkeley, and is pursuing
a postdoctoral fellowship at North Carolina State University, studying plant
evolutionary genetics.
Yutan Getzler’98 is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry at Kenyon College.
Ian Schmitz’98 has completed his Ph.D. at Rush and is working for a German
company, Intavis. They specialize in automation of peptide synthesis and in
situ hybridization. He is still living in Chicago and works mostly from
home. Ian visited the College in September and gave a talk (see page 18) to
the Senior Seminar class.
Melanie Whalen’98 works for Genencore (formerly Enzyme Biosystems).
Kevin Braun’99 wrote to say that in July 2005, he successfully defended
his dissertations for his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Yes,
just to make things more exciting, he defended two dissertations.
One was based on the characterization and application of two-photon absorbing
molecules and the second on Hadamard transform capillary electrophoresis. Though
it added some additional time to his Ph.D., it was a great experience and allows
him to define himself as a physical organic bioanalytical chemist. He says
that all he has to do now is find a way to integrate a bit of inorganic research
into his postdoctoral research! Last fall his first dissertation received
(surprising) publicity in the German magazine, Die Zeit. Each edition
features a section on interesting facts or world records. This particular edition
was on the world’s largest and smallest chains. Apparently, he had fabricated
the smallest (nanoscale) set of chains, and a picture was duly published in
the magazine. Though he cannot confirm the record, it was a nice bit of press.
Based on his second dissertation, he recently published an article in Analytical
Chemistry on an improved multiplexing method using a fast Hadamard transform
for capillary electrophoresis (Anal. Chem. 2006, 78, 1628-1635), and hopes
to have an additional three articles published soon. After defending his dissertation
and a short trip to visit to be with his fiancée in Chile, he bid the
desert goodbye and headed for the east coast. He is currently working as a
postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill for Prof. Michael Ramsey. The focus of the group is the development and
application of micro and nanofluidic devices. Kevin’s research is focused
on developing a new method to characterize DNA utilizing nanofluidic apertures.
The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce the cost of a personal genome
to between $10-1K.
Maya Das’99 entered medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
immediately following graduation from Beloit. After two years there, she also
enrolled in the university’s law school. In 2005, Maya graduated with
both M.D. and J.D. degrees. After finishing her internship at St. Luke’s
Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa., she is now working for Epic Systems Corporation
in Verona, Wisconsin.
Luke Schwantes’99 wrote to advertise a position for a Mudlogger/Geologist
in a startup company (Entrada Geosciences, Englewood, Colorado), a fast growing
branch of their already prosperous parent Coal Desorption company. His interesting
description of the job emphasized scientific sampling of rocks and gases, travel,
and a nomadic lifestyle, “so bring a snow board, kayak, mountain bike,
sleeping bag, etc...”
Carlo Giacomoni’00 completed his M.A. last year at the Chicago School
of Professional Psychology, where he is working on his doctorate in clinical
psychology. Carlo also works in a state forensic hospital doing neuropsychological
personality assessment and therapy as well as working for a private neuropsychologist.
In the future Carlo plans to be either a forensic neuropsychologist or a psychoanalyst.
Taherreh Jalali’00 is in India working as a Clinical Trials Coordinator
for a Diabetologist in Mumbai. They are currently working on inhaled insulin
and other oral antidiabetic drugs from different pharmaceutical companies.
She writes that her job gives her great satisfaction, and that she is very
happy. She also announced her wedding, to be held in Mumbai in August. Our
congratulations and best wishes to Taherreh.
Inga Smith’00 completed her M.D. at the University of the West Indies
with honors in Surgery. She did her elective in Radiation Oncology with Dr.
Arthur Porter of McGill University. She is currently employed by the Princess
Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas.
Glen Cronan’01 is working on his Ph.D. degree at the University of Oregon,
where he is also employed.
Virginia Evans’01 writes to say, “After graduation I worked as
a nursing assistant for a year, then entered graduate school in Omaha, Nebraska,
to become a physician assistant. In July of 2005, I started working as a physician
assistant with a group of nephrologists right here in Beloit. I work primarily
with dialysis patients, managing their health care and assisting with hospital
rounds. I cannot say enough about the great education that I received at Beloit
and the pride I feel for having obtained my degree in Biochemistry. Good luck
to all the new grads!”
Jonathan Scheerer’01 wrote in April, “I thought I would drop you
a line to let you know that I will be defending my dissertation at Harvard
in mid-summer. I’m writing another paper right now and presenting the
work at a few conferences--I’ll send you the preprints when I’m
finished. A few other major life changes are coming my way this summer. I’ll
be moving to Baltimore for a postdoctoral stint with Prof. Craig Townsend at
Johns Hopkins, but only after I get married… (in August).”
Matthew Heming’02 writes, “I am currently finishing my Ph.D. at
Cardiff University (U.K.) in the School of Biosciences. I am looking into upstream
regulatory elements controlling ADAMTS-4 and -5 (Aggrecanases-1 and-2) expression.
So I’ve gone from doing chemistry to a bit of biochemistry at Rush one
summer to becoming a molecular biologist. I hope to be done by Christmas and
then move on to dentistry.”
Kathryn Stettler’02 writes, “I am starting my fifth year of graduate
school at Vanderbilt University in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
department (which happens to be the highest funded physiology department in
the nation since 1995!) I’m working for Dr. Alan Cherrington, former
American Diabetes Association President. We are cranking out a lot of good
stuff about the liver’s role in glucose homeostasis and diabetes. Plus,
I’m getting married in September! Many good things in my life that I
am so grateful for!”
Muyiwa Awoniyi’03 is currently enrolled in a joint degree program at
the University of Washington Medical School, where he is pursuing both a medical
degree and a Ph.D. degree in immunology and infectious diseases. He may combine
his interest in immunology and children’s health to research inflammatory
diseases like malaria. “I want to work on something that will make an
impact on a lot of people, but on a subject that doesn’t have as many
researchers focused on it,” he says. Awoniyi is also very involved with
the College’s $100 million Classic. Daring. Life-Changing. fund-raising
campaign. He was present at the campaign kick-off ceremony in Chicago in April,
and has been profiled in campaign literature as someone who has benefited from
the life-changing education that he received at Beloit.
Jonathan Demick’03 earned a master’s degree in bacteriology from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently working on his Ph.D.
in biochemistry at the University of Georgia. He recently wrote to say that
he would be very happy to talk to students considering a graduate degree in
molecular biology or biochemistry about research in his Department.
Emily Good’03 is a second year Veterinary Medicine student at The Royal
Veterinary College of University of London. She plans to specialize in Large
Animal Medicine and Surgery, but that decision is three years away.
Jennifer Rumppe’03 emailed in December 2005 to say, “Greetings
from Texas. I hope that all is well in Beloit....Recently I spent a year working
at Haas Total Chemical Management. In a nutshell, the company buys, stores,
and manages chemicals, paints, epoxies, etc. for companies like Raytheon, Boeing,
Lockheed-Martin, and United Technologies...among others. During this time,
some positions opened up with the Texas Department of Public Safety crime laboratory
system. As you may recall, my goal while I was at Beloit was to one day become
a forensic scientist, so these opportunities were too good to pass up. I applied
to positions in several cities and was selected for multiple openings. In the
end, I chose the Garland laboratory because it is close to Dallas and the location
will offer a wider variety of “off duty” activities. While my title
is Forensic Scientist, I am specifically a drug analyst and my job is to test
unknowns for controlled substances, compile reports, and testify to my findings
in court. Soon, I will begin being trained in the identification of marijuana
(or marihuana, as it is spelled in the Texas law books) and.. will receive
additional training in the analysis of liquids, white powders, and other fun
stuff. All in all, the official training period is slated to last 6-8 months,
and I’m told it takes 2-3 years for analysts to fully hit their stride...I’ve
got great supervisors and co-workers. They will push hard and challenge me
a lot. But...I think that’s a good thing because it will help me be better
prepared for testifying in court. Ideally, I’d like to one day be trained
in trace analysis, but I’m happy to begin in drug analysis. None of it
is really as flashy as TV makes it out to be, but that’s okay with me.
Every case is different, and the job will make for an endless supply of puzzles
to solve. If there are any current/former students looking to get into the
Forensics field, they are more than welcome to email me with questions. I’m
a rookie myself, but I’d be happy to help them in any way possible.”
Nana Fenny’04 wrote in summer 2005 to say that “I went on a medical
mission to Cusco and Urubamba, Peru until the end of June. It was a fantastic
experience seeing how rural medicine is practiced in a third world country.
I witnessed quite a number of surgeries and they were certainly performed a
great deal differently from those in the US. I will be doing neurosurgical
research for the rest of the summer in the University of Chicago hospitals.”
Patrice Leahy’04 writes, “I have relocated to Florida with my family
where I will be starting my first year teaching Integrated Science at Timber
Creek High School. It’s a very hands-on based course and should be an
adventure.”
Karla Lightfield’04’s work in the lab of David Relman, a medical
microbiologist at Stanford who is doing cutting edge research identifying the
range of bacterial species that inhabit the human gut, was recognized by Dr.
Relman in June when he gave the prestigious President’s Lecture at the
American Society for Microbiology meeting. Karla was one of four US collaborators
from his laboratory mentioned in his final Acknowledgements slide, according
to an email that we received from Marion Fass, who attended the talk.
Amanda Drennan’05 was one of the Alumni Panelists at the Girls and Women
in Science (GWIS) workshop (see page 18) for sixth grade girls and their parents
and teachers, held at Beloit College in March. She is currently working as
a technician in a protein laboratory at Northwestern University.
Stephanie Gage’05 is a research assistant in Neurobiology at the University
of Arizona at Tucson, working on neurotransmitters involved in olfaction.
Dina Simkin’05 coauthored a number of papers while working as a technician
in the Sleep Research Laboratory at Northwestern University, and recently emailed
to let us know that she has been accepted into graduate school at Rosalind
Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, starting this
fall.
Loren Warmington’05 wrote last year to say that he had been accepted
into medical school at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. We recently
heard from him after he started his first semester and he says that “it
is certainly an experience. There is so much to know it is phenomenal. I think
in one semester we probably cover three to four semesters worth of information.
It is also different from Beloit since they go so quickly through the lectures
(I would say they go four times as fast as an average class at Beloit) and
classes can go for the entire day (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a two hour lunch break)
at times.”
Davianne Cartwright’06 is currently working as a Clinical Research Coordinator
in the Ophthalmology Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She manages human
studies for genetics and color vision research in ophthalmology. She assists
principal investigators with budget and Institutional Review Board applications,
patient recruitment, database development, and grant applications. She also
processes and ships lab specimens as necessary. Davianne is very happy in this
position and excited about being a part of the Medical College
Matthew Sonnenberg’06 writes, “ I thought .. you would like to
hear this because in some way or another you .. left a dramatic impression...
while I was..at Beloit. During the interim between graduating and graduate
school, I have taken a job at Abbott Labs as a Laboratory Analyst. I started
a one month training program (in August), prior to which I spent most of my
summer playing bass, reading, running, swimming in lakes, home brewing... The
training is a requirement so that when they set me loose in the lab the FDA
doesn’t immediately audit me. What this training program has made me
realize more than anything else is how amazing you are as professors. Not only
am I drastically more prepared for this type of work than anyone else in the
training program, but it is almost exclusively because of you eight, and for
that I thank you. My work will involve the use of analytical methods (including
different types of spectroscopy, titrations, GC, HPLC and volumetric pipettes)
to examine organic solvents and proteins. ... I will be required to perform
statistical analysis of my raw data and submit my work in extensive, well cited
reports (sound familiar to anyone?)...Thank you all for everything.”
Our alumni email network has been tremendously helpful to our present students for finding mentors, summer research positions, and post-graduate opportunities. The Beloit College Alumni office now maintains an email directory that can be accessed at http://alumni.beloit.edu/. Please send email addresses and changes to alumni@beloit.edu.
Chemistry faculty
brownwh@beloit.edu
greene@beloit.edu
lisensky@beloit.edu
mandellc@beloit.edu
ordman@beloit.edu
parmentr@beloit.edu
spencer@beloit.edu
ramav@beloit.edu
Web pages
https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry
(Previous issues of the Annual Newsletter dating back to 1993 are available
on-line via the home page!)
https://www.beloit.edu/biochemistry/
ALUMNI, PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH!! Please send your news and notes to any of the Chemistry faculty - this is what keeps the newsletter going!
Gifts have been received from Christopher Bailey’82, Katherine Bailey’81, Brian Bohlmann’83, Jeffrey Cleaveland’83, Joseph Donofrio’74, Elizabeth Johnson’82, Courtney Maeda’00, and Randolph Smith’81.
Thank you for your support, and thank you to all those not listed here who
continue to give generously to Beloit College and the Chemistry Department.
Your support is crucial for nurturing and enhancing the strength of our programs
and infrastructure, especially as we move into the new Center for the Sciences.
Alma Holzhausen Clark’35
Edwin Crow’37
Booth Malone’39
Philip Nethercut’42
Kenneth Curtis’55
Larry Schewe’65
David Murray’00