Honors at Graduation
Honor Societies
Departmental Awards
Midstates Symposia
Beloit College 10th International Symposium, November 16, 2011
Beloit College 36th Annual Student Symposium, April 14, 2012
The Beloit Biologist, Volume 31, 2012
It has been a good year in the department. Our physical space still seems new, but we have gotten past the unpacking. In the last ten years enrollment in chemistry courses at Beloit has doubled, and since moving into the Science Center the number of majors has increased 50%. Departmental majors comprise 5% of the graduating class. Nationally over the same time period, the number of graduates with degrees in Chemistry has remained stable at approximately 1.5% of all graduates.
This year’s graduating class spent all four years in the “new” Science Center, although some of them can remember Chamberlin Hall either as a place they visited before enrolling or as a distraction that was deconstructed during their first semester. This class has been very active (see their student paragraphs below) and we will miss our new graduates.
The department hosted the annual meeting of the Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges. We previously hosted in 1958 and 1979, so it was our turn and there is a recent tradition of hosting to show off new buildings. Our theme was Chemistry and Energy, and 83 chemistry faculty from the Midwest attended during our fall midterm break. Much of the meeting was devoted to hands-on experiments such as making solar cells, fuel cells, and photoelectrochemical cells; synthesizing and characterizing biodiesel; or measuring the energy content of food and fuels. The experiments were derived from those we do in our introductory courses as well from the summer workshops we host as part of the NSF Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences. This summer we will have 20 faculty here for a week-long course on Renewable Energy.
This year the College initiated an advising practicum day each semester where sessions are devoted to course schedules, internships, employment, and graduate study. In the fall the chemistry department joined with the biology department to make a 50-foot submarine sandwich as a lunch break. By spring most of the sciences worked together, and we had a 150-foot-long sandwich!
With Laura Parmentier on leave in the spring, we had Uzma Zakai with us all year to teach organic. We have appreciated Uzma’s enthusiasm, her willingness to try out new ways of teaching, and to continue our tradition of individual multistep syntheses in Organic II.
Kevin Braun received funding from the American Chemical Society to host a symposium on Analytical Chemistry and Archaeology. The invited speakers included Catherine Cooper ’11 and Kelly Knudsen ’97.
Looking ahead, we have been authorized to do a tenure track search in chemistry next fall. The position will support offerings in introductory chemistry, environmental chemistry, molecular visualization, chemical instrumentation; continue to serve the many programs that use chemistry as a supporting course; and provide student-faculty research opportunities within the department.
The chemistry department at Beloit College, established by Erasmus Smith in 1857, is one of the oldest departments in the College, but it has a strong interdisciplinary focus. Biochemistry, materials science, molecular visualization, medicinal chemistry, environmental science, and nanotechnology are examples. We see a need to educate scientists who have a strong fundamental background in their discipline, but in a context where they get practice and reinforcement making connections and doing team projects.
Consider the general chemistry course. Having two different full year introductory courses, one for majors and one for non-majors, is common elsewhere. The courses often follow a standard introductory text and the content rationale is, “This what you need to know for later courses.” We instead offer a combined one-semester course, Chemistry (117), using inquiry-based methods to study climate change, food and fuels, and high technology materials that might solve some energy-related environmental problems. The chemistry content discussed depends on what is needed to understand the issue. This model is better for non-scientists because it has a context, and it is better for scientists because it more closely represents how science is actually done. For the past twenty years more than a quarter of all Beloit College students have taken Chem 117. It has been a designated writing course for the past decade. This course also participates in the Museums Across the Curriculum program, bringing over a hundred students a year to the Logan Museum.
The rest of the chemistry curriculum is similarly interdisciplinary. Nanochemistry (Chem 150) is about equal parts chemistry, physics, and engineering, and has students reading scientific literature published within the previous month and preparing nanomaterials in the laboratory in order to better understand the potential of this new field. Environmental, Analytical, and Geochemistry (Chem 220) concerns the chemistry of water systems and application to geology, environmental studies, biology, and health. The course again uses a topical approach where the effect of acid rain on soil chemistry, geology, and biology provides the organizational framework for the course. Graphical mathematical techniques used to visualize systems make this a quantitative reasoning course. Organic Chemistry (Chem 230-235) concerns the chemistry of carbon and applications to environmental studies, biology, and health. Students use an inquiry-based model to focus on conceptual understanding rather than memorization. Thermodynamics and Kinetics (Chem 240) concerns time and energy scales for fundamental processes of the physical world. Molecular Modeling, Visualization, and Computational Chemistry (Chem 245) overlaps with computer and computational science, physics, and applied mathematics. Solid State Chemistry (Chem 250) is our inorganic chemistry course that concerns the rest of the periodic table. Students in the course have either a chemistry, geology, or physics background, and the focus is on solid state and materials science as well as inorganic chemistry. Biochemistry of Metabolism (Chemistry/Biology 260) asks students to understand the chemical reactions in which photons and nutrients are utilized to construct and maintain an organism (i.e. bacteria, yeast, oak tree, human) and contemplate the effect that 3.5 billion years of metabolic reactions have had on the geography of earth. The laboratory sessions provide students with realistic clinical chemistry experiences such as measuring mice blood-glucose levels. DNA and Protein Biochemistry (Chemistry/Biology 300) is a workshop format class where students work on understanding the chemistry of molecular biology. Students gain first-hand experience in the art of protein purification and kinetic characterization of enzymatic mechanisms. Advanced students have the opportunity to continue working in Beloit College’s enzymology suite where they can use their experience to tackle original research questions.
In all these courses we use inquiry-based, active, and collaborative pedagogy; teamwork; lab-intensive and experience-based learning; early introduction of current research in cutting-edge interdisciplinary areas; and relevance to issues of societal importance. These innovations, which model how people actually do science, are key to our program.
Kevin Braun '99
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.S. (chemistry) and B.A. (anthropology) Beloit College
Ph.D. University of Arizona
At Beloit since 2007
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/classes/braun
Overall, it has been a delightfully busy year. From putting the finishing touches on my co-authored book to teaching the joys of quantum mechanics, the year found me teaching some new courses and working on a wide range of projects.
In the Fall, I had an opportunity to teach Chem 245: Molecular Modeling, Visualization, and Computational Chemistry while Rama was on sabbatical. With a background in physical chemistry, it was great to jump back into the field and see all of the new computational and visualization additions introduced by Rama. I also taught a section of General Chemistry, which continues to evolve with the addition of a hydrogen fuel cell laboratory developed by Tess Jacquez ’11 and George and an aspirin degradation laboratory developed by Ted.
In October, I gave two presentations at the Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC) annual meeting on the synthesis and characterization of biodiesel from used fryer oil.
In the Spring, I taught a section of Chem 220: Environmental, Analytical, and Geochemistry and an edition of Chem 225 focused on forensic instrumentation. Between soil-filled columns and burnt wood samples from an arson investigation, it was a very interesting semester in the laboratory.
In March, I hosted a mini-symposium titled “Unlocking the Past – Archaeological Applications of Analytical Chemistry” in honor of the American Chemical Society’s International Year of Chemistry. The symposium, sponsored by a grant from the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry with additional support provided by the Department of Chemistry, Department of Anthropology, and the Logan Museum of Beloit College, offered a platform to note the significant role analytical chemistry has played in the study of archaeology. The symposium included talks by Bill Green and Shannon Fie of Beloit College, in addition to two invited lectures by Ms. Catherine Cooper, a 2011 Chemistry and Anthropology alumna and current graduate student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Anthropology, and a keynote address by Dr. Kelly Knudson, a 1997 Chemistry alumna and current Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Bioarchaeological Research and the Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory in the school of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. Thanks again to Kelly and Catherine for joining us.
This summer, after three long years, my first book, ChemConnections Activity Workbook coauthored with Sharon Anthony from Northland College and Heather Mernitz from Alverno College, will go into print. With contributions from Ted, George, and Brock this is truly a departmental accomplishment. To promote the book, I will be giving a presentation at the Biennial Conference on Chemistry Education at Pennsylvania State University in August.
At the end of June, George and I will welcome twenty-two faculty from around the country to campus for the second edition of our Renewable Energy workshop sponsored through the Chemistry Collaborations, Workshops and Communities of Scholars (CCWCS) program supported by the National Science Foundation.
The most important project, though, I have been involved in this year has been preparing for the arrival of Rachel’s and my first child. With a due date of September 5th, we look forward to greeting the class of 2016 with a future member of the class of 2037.
Ted Gries
Assistant Professor
B.A. Indiana University
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin
At Beloit since 2010
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/classes/gries
I’ll repeat Laura’s statement from last year and extend the sentiment to the present: it has been a great year to be a chemist at Beloit College! During the fall semester, I significantly revised the structure of the Chem/Bio 300 course. The goal of these revisions was to provide students with an authentic biochemical research experience as a means of developing an understanding of biological information storage mechanisms and protein structure/function relationships. During previous iterations of this course, the laboratory experiences were separated from the classroom time. This time students spent the entire semester investigating various aspects of both wildtype and mutant versions of the E. coli alkaline phosphatase. Besides working through the molecular engineering required to generate E. coli that express significantly higher levels of the alkaline phosphatase enzyme and also mutant versions of this enzyme, each student purified a version of this enzyme and subsequently performed quantitative enzyme kinetic studies. I’ll be continuing revisions to this course in the fall.
To build on experiences from Chem/Bio 300, Joe Lownik ’13 worked in my research lab on a special project during the spring semester. Joe presented his successful work on the effects of urea and glycine betaine on the E. coli alkaline phosphatase mechanism during the Beloit College Student Symposium. Additionally during the spring semester as part of the Chem/Bio 260 course, students developed assays to test mouse tissues (isolated as part of Prof. Katie Johnson’s Anatomy and Physiology course) for various metabolic functions (i.e. lipid digestion, transaminase activity).
During the summer, I’ll be co-teaching a forensic science course with Prof. Nancy Krusko in Anthropology as part of the Beloit College Summer Fields Program. Additionally, Beloit College Biomedical Scholar Ozgun Kilic ’13 will be working with me to purify and identify Ant Deterrent Factor(s) produced by X. nematophilia and P. luminescens.
In addition to these more scientific, academic pursuits, I got to share office space with Visiting Prof. Uzma Zakai and sing with Prof. Lisensky in Men’s Glee!
George Lisensky
Professor and Chair
B.A. Earlham College
Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
At Beloit since 1980
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/classes/lisensky
Last summer George spent a month with Ebbe Nordlander ’86 in Sweden studying the electrochemistry of Fe-Mn binuclear complexes as bioinorganic models. He also gave a talk at the Swedish Chemical Society Inorganic Division meeting. In July George’s family visited the Håkan Carlsson and Christy Whiddon family on Sweden’s west coast. Both Håkan and Christy taught at Beloit for a semester in 2003. Then George’s family visited with the Rawat family in Stockholm. Simon Rawat was a high school exchange student who stayed with George in 2009-2010.
In the fall of 2011 George taught Solid State Chemistry (250) and General Chemistry (117). In September George’s first grandchild was born, and he was able to spend a week in Portland, OR, meeting Abby. George organized the annual International Student Symposium at Beloit, as he has done for all of its ten years. Ari Jacobs did research with George preparing ZnO nanorods, nanotrees, and photoelectrical cells. Ari presented some results at the Midstates Science and Math Consortium Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Chicago in the fall. George gave the plenary address at the same conference as he received the Janet Anderson Award. The Award recognizes faculty from member schools who are exceptional mentors for undergraduate research students. In the spring of 2011 George taught Environmental, Analytical and Geochemistry (Chem 220), Nanochemistry (Chem 150), and Introduction to Scientific Glassblowing. The nanochemistry class produced a balloon sculpture in the Science Center atrium for Honors Day. Many of the glassblowing participants became quite skilled, and it was amazing to see so much progress. Ari did further work on ZnO in the spring during an Honors Term
George again participated in Masterwork’s Chorus all year and joined with Ted Gries as part of the Men’s Glee Chorus in the spring. George also called a dance for the Contra Club in the spring. Carol and George had a high school student from Denmark staying with them for the year.
This summer Kevin Braun and George will lead a Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS) week-long renewable energy workshop at Beloit College, June 24-29. George is also continuing his collaboration with UW-MRSEC on materials science and nanotechnology education.
Alfred "Roc" Bram Ordman
Professor
B.A. Carleton College
Ph. D. Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
At Beloit since 1977
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/Ordman
http://www.nutritioninvestigator.org
I was up after 11 pm doing final revisions on a grant proposal sent to me last night by the top bladder cancer surgeon at UW Hospital, with whom I submit a proposal today. Then up at 5 am to discuss details of the grant with him as he rode his bike to a day of surgery. In the grant we pointed out that there are plenty of publications showing how vitamin C kills cancer cells and dramatically improves survival of cancer patients, yet the Mayo Clinic website states that vitamin C is worthless for treating cancer. In case there is a reviewer from Mayo, we removed mention of their error in the proposal.
So the grant will be submitted tomorrow, I fly off to Ft. Worth, TX to present my work at the American Aging Association, "Determination of an oral dosage of vitamin C that may prevent recurrence of superficial bladder carcinoma", and I still wait patiently for a decision about my proposal to study the effect of vitamin C on concussion, that was supposed to be announced in January. Because of NFL troubles, the decision has been repeatedly delayed.
On the academic side, spring was fabulous. I have been reauthorized to teach more challenging labs and an FYI. In nutrition class, we began a set of labs doing vitamin C assays, in preparation for a fall Advanced Topics course I am doing on determining an optimum dosage of vitamin C to obtain the highest bladder concentration. In my consciousness IDST this spring, we continued exploring free will and consciousness. We had a great range of religious beliefs this term, leading to exciting discussions. My scientific definition of consciousness that came from class discussions is now posted at Wikipedia.
This summer will be spent writing IRB proposals for research and teaching, and developing my FYI class, "What will I eat?", a big choice all of you had to make when you were here. I hope you get my nutrition newsletter sent bimonthly, and are making the right choices. I would love to do a study comparing alumni who took my nutrition course with controls who did not. The testimonials from students who give up sodas and switch to the no-fours diet [http://chemistry.beloit.edu/Ordman/nutrition/nofours.htm] give me hope that these students will become as healthy and successful as my many dear alumni friends (you?). Here's a youtube video that two perspectives told me they loved when I met them at a Memorial Day picnic. Remember to dance and sing! -Roc
Laura E. Parmentier
Professor
B.S. Northland College
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Madison
At Beloit since 1991
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/classes/parmentier
This has been a very enjoyable teaching year for me. In the fall, as usual, I taught Chem 230, but this year I shared that responsibility with Dr. Uzma Zakai. With Uzma here in the fall carrying some of the Chem 230 load, I was also able to offer my upper level course in Medicinal Chemistry. I last taught this course in 2008, and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to engage with this group of highly motivated upper-level students and bring the focus of the course to the current research literature in medicinal chemistry.
Consistent with the College’s focus on advising this year (see the news story on the Advising Practicum, which has received national attention (https://www.beloit.edu/news/?story_id=342975), I participated in two regional meetings this year specific to advising:
Pre-Med/Pre-Health Advisor Conference, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, May 2012.
ACM FaCE Workshop, “High Stakes Performance by Liberal Arts College Students:
Understanding and Coping with Anxiety,” Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, November 2011.
The pre-health meeting was highly relevant to my role as a health professions advisor. I attended the High Stakes Performance workshop in order to improve both my ability as an advisor to students who are coping with performance anxiety in the context of exams and oral presentations in chemistry and biochemistry, and to improve my content knowledge in this key area so that I can incorporate it in my interdisciplinary course in women’s health. The keynote speaker at the High Stakes Performance workshop was Dr. Sian Beilock from the University of Chicago. If you are interested in this topic, you might enjoy her book entitled Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting it Right When You Have To (Free Press, 2010).
I was on leave in spring of 2012, and I will be on sabbatical in fall of 2013.
It has been a treat to hear from so many alums this past year – I always love to reconnect and to hear your stories. Please keep those emails, cards, and letters coming, and do stop by when you can. We love to see you!
Following his environmental interests, Brock taught a First Year Seminar (FYI) in the fall on “Our Energy Future.” New to the FYI program this year is an Initiatives Advising Workshop (in each of a student’s first three semesters on campus) as part of the new daylong Advising Practicum, in which an entire day each semester is turned over to advising-related activities for the campus. In the spring, he and Ted Gries taught the two sections of Chem 117 and revised about a third of the course. This year Brock has been involved in the self-study by the Environmental Studies Program leading up to its evaluation next fall. He continues as a mentor for the Sustainability Fellows program, working with the intern at the Welty Environmental Center. In conjunction with the Liberal Arts in Practice Center, he supervised local internship positions during the academic year at Kerry Ingredients and ChemTool, and helped to place four students for this summer in lab internships there. Brock will continue his half-time appointment next year while we search for his tenure track replacement
Even four years after its completion, the Center for the Sciences is still of particular interest both as a “green building” and as an example that supports student-centered undergraduate science education. In addition to building tours for admissions and alumni, as well as for groups from other campuses planning science facilities, Brock gave an hour-long presentation with the architect on “Fostering Interdisciplinary Science in Undergraduate Education” at the 2011 Tradeline College and University Science Facilities Conference and conducted a tour for the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance. The annual meeting of the Midwest Association for Chemistry in Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC) with the theme of “Chemistry and Energy,” which we hosted here last fall, also featured the building.
Rama was on (extended) sabbatical leave during fall 2011, working on software and hardware to implement smart "pervasive" display devices ("Wallputers"), linked to the Cloud–a.k.a. Google Calendar and Google PicasaWeb–and capable of being updated in real time from anywhere in the world where the administrator has Internet access. He also spent five weeks in Mumbai, India as a visiting professor teaching minicourses on computer hardware and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) at his alma mater, St. Xavier's College. One of the highlights of the SPM course was a successful experiment that his students in Mumbai performed remotely on the SPM at Beloit College (with the help of Dr. Rongping Deng, Instrumentation Scientist at Beloit College) using a Skype video link combined with Remote Desktop access to the SPM computer controller. While in Mumbai, Rama also researched ways to implement very low cost solar-powered versions of the Wallputer, suitable for use in off-grid environments and in developing countries. Rama returned to Beloit College in January and presented his work at an ARM (CPU that powers almost every mobile device including the iPhone) Developer's Workshop held at MIT in February. He also taught his usual courses in CS (Computer Networks, Computer Modeling) and Chemistry (Thermodynamics and Kinetics) in spring 2012.
Uzma Zakai
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., B.S., Lenoir-Rhyne College
Ph.D., University of Arizona-Tucson
At Beloit for 2011-12
Wow, what a year! After almost a decade of being out of college, I re-experienced the challenge, the sleepless nights, and the excitement that comes with learning and young minds trying to grapple with complex ideas. I had much fun teaching my very first year of college! I team taught Chem 230 with Laura and Chem 117 with Kevin and George in the fall. In the spring, I then ventured into a class of my own, putting Metals in Medicine on the Beloit agenda for the first time, and continued into the organic chemistry sequence teaching Chem 235. It was really thrilling to become a Beloiter for a year and evidence the might of the Buccaneers. Now back in Madison as a researcher at the Enzyme Institute, I continue to cherish my moments and will forever wear my "Be" elemental pin with pride. If you are in the area, be sure to drop a line at zakaiu@yahoo.com and perhaps we can meet up for some ice cream and rekindle out moments together.
“Unlocking the Past - Archaeological Applications of Analytical Chemistry,” a special Beloit symposium sponsored by The American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry and organized by Kevin Braun ’99 in honor of the International Year of Chemistry, March 23, 2012:
Catherine Cooper’11, Graduate Student, University of British Columbia Department of Anthropology, “From Inorganic to Organic Chemical Analysis: Investigation of Colonial American Window Glass and Ancestral Puebloan Hair Samples”
Bill Green, James E. Lockwood Jr. Director, Beloit College Logan Museum of Anthropology, “Potential of Nondestructive Chemical Analysis in the Museum”
Shannon Fie, Associate Professor, Beloit College Department of Anthropology, “Tracking Prehistoric Social Interaction through Chemical Sourcing”
Kelly Knudson’97, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Bioarchaeological Research, Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory, Arizona State University, “Isotopes and Archaeology: Biogeochemical Contributions to Understanding the Past”
Prof. Laura Peterson, Chemistry and Environmental Studies at Luther College, was visitor to campus under the auspices of the Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium. In addition to meeting with faculty and staff on environmental studies, developing a geochemistry course, and a potential environmental overseas study/research site in Italy, she gave a seminar on "Chemical Clues in Ocean Sediments: Reconstructing Past Climate Change."
Prof. Tori Ziemann Forbes ’01, a member of the faculty in chemistry at the University of Iowa, gave a seminar on her research on "Using Nanoparticles to Understand the Environmental Transport of High-level Nuclear Waste in Groundwater" as part of our Homecoming/Reunion weekend.
Dr. Bart DeCorte, medicinal chemist with the Janssen Research Foundation (a Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical company), gave a seminar on “The Long Road to INTELENCE, an Important Advance in the Treatment of HIV.” Dr. DeCorte is a co-inventor of INTELENCE, Janssen’s first FDA-approved non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV.
Prof. Pavel Jungwirth from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, gave a seminar titled "Water, Water Everywhere."
As part of the spring Advising Practicum, Dr. Eric Isaacs (Beloit ’79), Director of Argonne National Laboratory, gave a talk on “Gamechangers: How Our National Laboratories are Working to Help Solve America’s Energy Challenge .”
Dr. Lee Bishop, a post doctoral fellow in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, gave a seminar on "Adventures in the Catalysis of Old Reactions: 6π Electrocyclizations.”
In April, a group of students and faculty toured the production facility and technical center of ChemTool in Rockton, Illinois. ChemTool is one of the largest manufacturers of lubricants in the world and has provided internships for several Beloit chemistry majors.
| 117 | Chemistry (3 sections) | 55 |
| 225 | Instrumental: SEM and Scanning Probe Microscopies | 11 |
| 230 | Organic Chemistry I (2 sections) | 47 |
| 245 | Molecular Modeling, Visualization and Computational Chemistry | 5 |
| 250 | Solid State Chemistry | 7 |
| 300 | DNA and Protein Biochemistry | 20 |
| 375 | Advanced Topics: Medicinal Chemistry | 12 |
| 380 | Chemistry Seminar | 8 |
| 385 | Senior Thesis | 8 |
| 390 | Special Projects | 1 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant | 3 |
| Total | 177 |
| 117 | Chemistry (2 sections) | 49 |
| 127 | Biochemical Issues: Nutrition | 20 |
| 150 | Nanochemistry | 14 |
| 220 | Environmental, Analytical, & Geochemistry (2 sections) | 36 |
| 225 | Instrumental Analysis: Forensic Chemistry | 7 |
| 235 | Organic Chemistry II | 27 |
| 240 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics | 14 |
| 260 | Biochemistry of Metabolism | 22 |
| 280 | Professional Tools for Scientific Careers | 21 |
| 375 | Metals in Medicine | 6 |
| 375 | Introduction to Scientific Glassblowing | 23 |
| 380 | Chemistry Seminar | 9 |
| 385 | Senior Thesis | 1 |
| 390 | Special Projects | 2 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant | 2 |
| Total | 253 |
| Elizabeth Capstick | 2013 |
Applied Chemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Catherine Cochran | 2014 |
Biochemistry | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Michael Collis | 2013 |
Biochemistry | Willowbrook, Illinois |
| Valerie Dauterman | 2013 |
Biochemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Thomas Davis | 2013 |
Chemistry | Westminster, Maryland |
| Xinchen Deng | 2014 |
Applied Chemistry | Guiyang, China |
| Edward Folk | 2013 |
Biological Chemistry | Lebanon, Illinois |
| Alicia Hoffman | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Cumberland, Maine |
| Elizabeth Jenkins | 2013 |
Chemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Grace Kellogg | 2013 |
Environmental Chemistry | Falcon Heights, Minnesota |
| Kelsey Kettlehut | 2013 |
Chemistry | Downers Grove, Illinois |
| Ozgun Kilic | 2013 |
Biological Chemistry | Izmir, Turkey |
| Kayla Kingslein | 2013 |
Chemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Christopher Koch | 2014 |
Biochemistry | Houston, Texas |
| Michael Kreiser | 2013 |
Biochemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Leah Kruckman | 2014 |
Chemistry (Minor) | Libertyville, Illinois |
| Wiliam Ksander | 2013 |
Chemistry | Amherst, New Hampshire |
| William Kubetin | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Tacoma Park, Maryland |
| Katsuki Kubota | 2013 |
Enviornmental Chemistry | Singapore |
| James Lazarcik | 2014 |
Chemstry | LaCrescent, Minnesota |
| Joseph Lownik | 2013 |
Biochemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Andrew May | 2014 |
Biochemistry | Waukegan, Illinois |
| Christina Mikulka | 2013 |
Chemistry (Minor) | Crystal Lake, Illinois |
| Colbert Miller | 2013 |
Chemistry | Galloway, Ohio |
| Ryan Munger | 2014 |
Chemistry | Appleton, Wisconsin |
| Christopher Nakamoto | 2013 |
Chemistry | Naperville, Illinois |
| Kevin Palmer | 2014 |
Biological Chemistry | Stoughton, Wisconsin |
| Orion Pearce | 2013 |
Chemistry | Rockland, Maine |
| Joseph Poshepny | 2014 |
Biochemistry | Viroqua, Wisconsin |
| Derek Pugh | 2012 |
Chemistry (Minor) | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Santiago Quintana | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Olivia Randi | 2014 |
Biological Chemistry | Franklin Lakes, New Jersey |
| Hannah Richter | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Spokane, Washington |
| Donnia Robbins | 2014 |
Biological Chemistry | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Cate Rubin | 2015 |
Chemistry | Tucson, Arizona |
| Johnson Saba | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Yarden Sagron | 2014 |
Chemistry | Highland Park, Illinois |
| Gregory Schalla | 2013 |
Biochemistry | West Bend, Wisconsin |
| Darrell Scott | 2013 |
Chemistry | Chicago, Illinois |
| Matthew Sherrell | 2015 |
Chemistry | Ridgewood, New Jersey |
| Amanda Silverman | 2014 |
Chemistry | Richmond, Indiana |
| Constance Siu | 2013 |
Biochemistry | Chicago, Illinois |
| Joshua Smith | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Downers Grove, Illinois |
| Alexa Sughroue | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Roscoe, Illinois |
| Daniel Walker | 2013 |
Chemistry (Minor) | Oregon, Wisconsin |
| Jillian Wulf | 2013 |
Chemistry | Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Elizabeth Wynn | 2013 |
Applied Chemistry | Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin |
| Haoda Zhong | 2015 |
Biochemistry | Beijing, China |
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HOOD (Recognizing the graduating senior with the highest academic ranking) |
Ari Jacobs |
| SUMMA CUM LAUDE | Jamie Eversage |
| MAGNA CUM LAUDE | Jennifer Gilbertson |
| CUM LAUDE | Savanah Huston |
| DEPARTMENTAL HONORS | Jamie Eversage – Psychology |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Jamie Eversage |
| Mortar Board | Jamie Eversage |
Eta Sigma Phi (Classics) |
Li Shen |
Phi Sigma Iota (Foreign Language) |
Jennifer Gilbertson |
Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science) |
Li Shen |
| Psi Chi (Psychology | Jamie Eversage |
CRC PRESS FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD recognizes outstanding work by a first-year student
Alicia Hoffman ‘15
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.
James Lazarcik ’14, Ryan Munger ‘14
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY AWARD sponsored
by the Division of Analytical Chemistry, recognizes a student who displays
an aptitude for analytical chemistry.
Ari Jacobs ‘11
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY sponsored by the Division of Inorganic Chemistry, recognizes undergraduate
achievement in inorganic chemistry.
Orion Pearce ‘13
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.
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12, Kelsey Kettelhut ‘13
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.
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12, Allie Hunter ‘12
JOHN H. NAIR AWARD honors an alumnus (Class of 1915) and
provides membership in an appropriate professional society.
Allie Hunter ’12, Jourdan Posner ‘12
ANN M. VERVILLE SCHOLAR’S AWARD in Biology
presented to an upper class biology major chosen by the biology department faculty as the outstanding student of the year.
Caitlin McDonough ‘12
DONALD S. DEAN BIOLOGY EDUCATION AWARD awarded to students who have demonstrated commitment to generating innovative curricular materials and/or becoming a life science educator.
Matthew Hackbart ’12, Caitlin McDonough ’12, Jourdan Posner ‘12
WALTER S. HAVEN PRIZE IN BIOLOGY awarded to students who have completed outstanding research projects.
Valerie Dautermann ‘13, Joseph Lownik ’13, Jourdan Posner ‘12
J. CARL WELTY HONOR AWARD IN BIOLOGY awarded to students whose services or accomplishments most enhance the department.
Caitlin McDonough ‘12
JUNE BAKER MEMORIAL AWARD IN MUSIC
Li Shen ‘12
WALTER VAN DYKE BINGHAM FELLOWSHIP IN PSYCHOLOGY awarded to graduating seniors in Psychology who will pursue graduate work in that field.
Jamie Eversage ‘12
DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE, DANCE AND MEDIA STUDIES AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE
Michael Kreiser ‘13
FERWERDA MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS are awarded to science majors who have established a record of academic excellence in their chosen field. The James R. Ferwerda Endowed Science Scholarship Fund was established in 1978 by Dr. James Ferwerda, a member of the class of 1953 and a Beloit College trustee, and his wife, Connie.
William Ksander ’13, James Lazarcik ’14, Joseph Lownik ’13, Orion Pearce ’13, Joseph Poshepny ’14, Elise Wolff ‘13
GRACE L. CHAMBERLIN 1898 AWARD given to the senior woman of highest academic achievement in commemoration of the first women graduates of Beloit College in 1898.
Allie Hunter ‘12
2011-2012 Athletic Honors
BLANKET AWARDS, the highest honor for a Beloit College student-athlete and signifying the “Best of the Best.”
Sarah Stariha ‘12
JOE KOBYLKA AWARD, given to a male and female student-athlete who have best exemplified the qualities of sportsmanship and team spirit throughout their careers.
Sarah Straiha ‘12
RUTH COLEMAN PETERSON AWARD given to the senior woman who best exemplifies the qualities of athlete, scholar, and leader.
Sarah Stariha ‘12
ALL-MIDWEST CONFERENCE TEAMS
James Lazarcik ‘14 –Basketball – Honorable Mention
ACADEMIC ALL-MIDWEST CONFERENCE TEAMS
Matthew Hackbart ’12 – Basketball
Alicia Hoffmann ’15 – Swimming
Aaron Joiner ’12 – Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track
Leah Kruckman ’14 – Volleyball, Basketball
James Lazarcik ’14 – Basketball
Jaren McCannon ’12 – Football
Ryan Munger ’14 – Soccer
Joseph Poshepny ’14 – Basketball
Hannah Richter ’15 – Swimming
Gregory Schalla ’13 – Swimming
Matthew Sherrell ’15 – Swimming
Joshua Smith ’15 – Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track
Sarah Stariha ’12 – Basketball
Elizabeth Wynn ’13 – Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track
STUDENT RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
2011 Midstates Science and Math Consortium Undergraduate Research Symposium
in the Biological Sciences and Psychology
October 28-29, 2011 at Washington University in St. Louis.
Michael Collis ’13 – “Phylogeny of Amatitlania nigrofasciata based on Cone Opsins’ – based on work done at Loyloa University Chicago through the Beloit College Biomedical Scholars Program during the summer of 2011
Valerie Dautermann ’13 – “Salivary Cortisol Testing: Collection Techniques Show Similar Accuracy, but Swab is more Precise” – based on work done at Beloit with Prof. Kathryn Johnson
Christopher Goyne ’13 – “Effects of Neurotransmitters on Cyclic AMP Response-Element Binding Protein (CREB) in B Lymphocytes” – based on work done at Beloit with Prof. Demetrius Gravis
Matthew Hackbart ’12 – “Overexpression of Phytochelatin Synthase in E. Coli and P. Pastori” – based on work done at Rush University Medical Center through the Beloit College Biomedical Scholars Program during the summer of 2011
Caitlin McDonough ’12 – “High Frequency of Hormone Injections and Sperm Collection Negatively Affects Sperm Quantity but not Quality in Fowler’ s Toads (Bufo fowleri)” – based on work done in collaboration with the Memphis Zoo
Jourdan Posner ’12 – “Voronoi Diagrams Applied to Radiolaria Skeletons and Drosophila Embryos” – based on work done at Beloit with Prof. John Jungck
2011 Midstates Science and Math Consortium Undergraduate Research Symposium
in the Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science
November 4-5, 2011 at the University of Chicago
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12 – “Synthesis of Self-assembling Silver Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy” – based on work done at the University of Washington – Seattle on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Allie Hunter ’12 – “Monte Carlo Simulation of the Interfacial Free Energy of a Hard-Sphere Fluid at a Convex Hard Wall’ – based on work done at the University of Kansas on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Will Ksander ’13 – “Total Synthesis of Apoptolidin A” – based on work done at the University of Rochester on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Beloit College 10th International Symposium
November 16, 2011
Ozgun Kilic ’13 – “Being International in Your Own Country in Your Own Field in Turkey”
Caitlin McDonough ’12 – “Reproductive Biology and Conservation in Tasmania”
Constance Siu ’13 – “Exploring Values of Contemporary Chinese Youth: Angry Youth of the Post-80s Generation”
American Chemical Society National Meeting
Anaheim, California – March, 2012
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12 – “Synthesis of Self-assembling Silver Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy” – based on work done at the University of Washington – Seattle on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Beloit College 36th Annual Student Symposium
April 14, 2012
Valerie Dauterman ’13 – “Got Spit? Analysis of Salivary Cortisol Collection Methods and Physiological Stress in Beloit College Male Soccer Players” – based on work with Prof. Katie Johnson in Biology
Jamie Eversage ’12 – “Living Green: Environmentalism in New Zealand and the United States” – based on work done as a result of studying abroad in New Zealand
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12 – “Synthesis of Self-assembling Silver Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy” – based on work done at the University of Washington-Seattle on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Jennifer Gilbertson ’12 – “The Role of Midwives in Rural Senegalese Medicine” – based on work in Senegal supported by the College’s Wood International Venture Fund and Weissberg Human Rights Fund
Matt Hackbart ’12 – Quantitative Biological Computer Modeling” – based on work with Prof. John Jungck in Biology
Allie Hunter ’12 – “Computer Simulation of Solid-Liquid Boundaries” – based on work done at the University of Kansas on an NSF REU 2011 summer program
Grace Kellogg ’13 – “Dating Sediment Cores With Volcanic Ash Layers” – based on work done in Fall 2011 on the program From Mountain to Fjord, Sogn og Fjordane University College, Sogndal, Norway
Michael Kreiser ’13 – “Effects of KLHL1 on Localization of Calcium Channel α1a Subunit in Hippocampal Neurons” – based on work done with Prof. Demetrius Gravis in Biology
Joe Lownik ’13 – Solute Studies Reveal Conformational Changes in E. Coli Alkaline Phosphatase Which Lead to Increased Substrate Binding Affinity” – based on work done with Prof. Ted Gries in Chemistry.
Caitlin McDonough ’12 – “Effect of the Frequency of Hormone-Induced Spermiation on Sperm Quantity and Quality in Fowler’s Toads (Bufo fowleri)” – based on work done at the Memphis Zoo
Jourdan Posner ’12 – Polygonal Biological Patterns: Do Two Dimensional Laws Apply to Three Dimensional Curved Surfaces?” – Based on work done with Profs. John Jungck in Biology
Li Shen ’12 – “Discovering Political Ideologies in Mistero Buffo: Medieval Jesters Join the Communist Movement” – based on work done with Prof. John Rapp in Political Science
The Beloit Biologist, Volume 31, 2012
Caitlin McDonough ’12 – “Frequent Hormone-Induced Spermiation Negatively Affects Sperm Quantity, and Positively Affects Sperm Quality in Fowler’s Toads (Bufo Fowleri)” – based on work done in the Conservation and Research Department of the Memphis Zoo.
Jourdan Posner ’12 – “Polygonal Biological Patterns: Two-Dimensional Laws Hold on Three-Dimensional Curved Surfaces” – based on work done with Prof. John Jungck in Biology
Michael Collis ’13 spent the spring semester on the Beloit College exchange program in Ecuador at the Galápagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences (GAIAS) in the Galápagos islands.
Valerie Dautermann '13 is spending the summer as a Beloit Biomedical Research Scholar working with Professor Kathryn Johnson in the Biology Department at Beloit College on salivary cortisol research.
Xinchen (Alison) Deng ’14 is spending the summer in Prof. Liu's research group at Duke University studying assembly and applications of carbon nanotubes.
Jennifer Gilbertson '12 received grants from the College’s Wood International Venture Fund and Weissberg Human Rights Fund to study pre-natal and maternal health by observing a mid-wife and participating in public health activities in a rural community during the break between the fall and spring semesters. As a continuation her participation in the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Initiative REU program last summer, Jenny is working this summer in Aix en Provence at the Microelectronics Center Provence doing a project that involves chemistry and materials processing and electrical characterization related to bio sensors. In the fall, she will return to Beloit for an Honors Term working on nanochemistry with Professor George Lisensky and serving as the TA for his First Year Seminar on Nanotechnology.
MacKenzie Hilliard ’12 returned to an internship with Kerry Ingredients in Beloit this spring to continue work she had begun there last summer.
Ari Jacobs ’12 did an Honors Term in the spring working on nanochemistry projects with Professor George Lisensky.
Grace Kellogg ’13 spent the fall semester in Norway on the “Mountains to Fjords” geology and environmental studies program where she did research using Icelandic volcanic ash to date fjord sediment cores.
Kelsey Kettelhut '13 has an internship this summer at Abbott Laboratories in Abbott Park, IL. She will be working with Dr. Jeffrey Rohde of Franciscan University on the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, creating new small molecules for use as potential drug therapies.
Ozgun Kilic ’13 spent the spring semester studying on the International Student Exchange Program at the University of Helsinki in Finland and is working this summer as a Beloit Biomedical Scholar doing research with Professor Ted Gries at Beloit.
Chris Koch ’14 plans to be a nurse assistant volunteering in Jamaica this summer.
Leah Kruckman ’14 is working this summer as a tour guide and is helping take care of animals at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide, Colorado.
James Lazarcik ’14 is working in the analytical laboratory at Kerry Ingredients in Beloit this summer.
Joe Lownik ’13 is spending the summer in an NSF REU program with the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University).
Christopher Nakamoto ’13 spent the fall semester of 2011 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and is a participant in the 2012 summer National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) REU at University of California-Santa Barbra where he is working on selective neural ion pumps.
Orion Pearce ’13 is doing nanotechnology research this summer in the NSF REU program at Duke University.
Hannah Richter '15 is spending the summer with the Disterhoft Group in their lab at Northwestern University looking at changes in the CA3 region of the hippocampus with aging.
Elise Wolff ’13 spent the fall semester and Christina Mikulka ’13 spent the spring semester at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.
Jillian Wulf ’13 has continued her work as a research intern at ChemTool, a major manufacturer of lubricants located nearby in Rockton, Illinois. She has worked there part time during the academic year and is returning for her second summer now. She is being joined this summer by Colbert Miller ’13 and Ryan Munger ’14.
Adilene Dominguez – Waukegan, Illinois
Biochemistry and Spanish Majors
Jamie Eversage – Swanville, Maine
Psychology Major
Chemistry Minor
Striving to balance her interests in both the physical and social sciences, Jamie has been actively involved as a tutor, lab assistant, and research intern throughout her time at Beloit. During the summer of 2009, she served as a nanochemistry research assistant to George Lisensky, as well as the Materials Science and Nanotechnology Workshop. She presented her research on "Superhydrophobic Polystyrene Nanotube Sheets" at the Midstates Consortium for Math and Science in the fall of 2009. In the chemistry department, she worked as a teaching assistant for Introductory Chemistry, Nanotechnology, and Analytical Chemistry. She served as the department tutor for the psychology department, conducting projects with professors in addition to tutoring Statistics and Research Methods and Design. Jamie studied abroad in New Zealand during the fall of 2010 and was able to return to Middle Earth over winter break of her senior year to collect data for her honors thesis in psychology. She presented her research, "Living Green: Environmentalism in New Zealand and the United States," at the Annual Student Symposium in the spring of 2012. She plans to spend the summer in Maine at the yoga studio, in the garden, and on hikes throughout the countryside before pursuing her doctorate in physical therapy.
Jennifer Gilbertson – Manhattan Beach, California
Chemistry and French Majors
Jenny has always loved the sciences ever since her early dreams of being the first woman on Mars. She fell in love with chemistry in high school, and has not looked back since. A Chemistry and French double major, Jenny has spent a lot of time out of the classroom finding the intersections of these two majors. The spring of 2010, Jenny went abroad to Martinique where she studied the reemergence of plant-based medicine on the island. The summer of 2010, she was granted a Beloit College Biomedical Research Scholarship and she spent the summer working at Rush University Medical Center with Dr. David Williams developing drug targets for schistosomiasis. The following summer, Jenny was accepted to the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network REU at the University of Washington, Seattle, where she worked in a Chemical Engineering lab synthesizing and controlling the clustering of silver nanoparticles. The winter of her senior year, Jenny was given a Weissburg International Human Rights grant and an international education grant to work with midwives in rural Senegal. Following graduation this spring, Jenny will spend the summer working in Aix en Provence at the Microelectronics Center Provence doing a project that involves chemistry and materials processing and electrical characterization related to bio sensors. Next fall she will be returning to Beloit for an Honors Term working on developing the CHEM 150 Nanochemistry course and being the TA for George Lisensky’s Nanochemistry FYI.
Matthew Hackbart – Woodstock, Illinois
Biochemistry and Psychology Majors
MacKenzie Hilliard – Monticello, Wisconsin
Chemistry Major
When MacKenzie first came to Beloit College as a freshman, she planned on pursuing a career in law, but later found her niche in the Chemistry Department. In the summer of 2011, MacKenzie completed an internship with Kerry Americas in Beloit as an analytical lab intern and aiding senior project managers in product development. In the spring of 2012, she was asked back to Kerry to help in research projects to define and resolve problems in some areas of product manufacturing. During her fours years at Beloit, MacKenzie was a varsity basketball player and volunteered for the Girls and Women in Science (GWIS) conference. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in the beauty industry and one day hopes to continue her education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Cosmetic Science.
Allie Hunter – Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Chemistry Major
Mathematics and Physics Minors
Allie came to Beloit planning to do chemistry, and after her first year of organic chemistry she was hooked. Her primary interest now is in physical chemistry, after doing an REU internship at Southern Illinois University working on improving NMR signals. This was followed by an REU at the University of Kansas, where she wrote her own program to do a Monte Carlo simulation. In the fall, she will be attending the University of Colorado Boulder to pursue her PhD in physical chemistry doing theoretical and computational work, inspired by her time at KU. Allie is deeply grateful for the support of the department in helping her to develop into a confident and successful scientist!
Savannah Huston – Roscoe, Illinois
Biochemistry Major
Music Minor
Savannah came to Beloit in order to prepare herself for veterinary school. She majored in Biochemistry, which led to several jobs within the Biology Department, including being a TA for John Jungck and Micho Gravis and working with John during the BioQuest workshop. She also pursued her love for singing and music through a music minor and choir. She worked no less than 30 hours a week on top of school in order to pay her own way through Beloit and to better prepare herself for veterinarian school. She is moving to Madison this summer and will be starting veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin next fall. When her fiancé gets back from his tour in Afghanistan some time next spring, she will be getting married.
Ari Jacobs – Mequon, Wisconsin
Chemistry Major
Physics Minor
Ari came to Beloit with an interest in pursuing the 3-2 engineering program for chemical engineering. After taking Intro to Chemistry with Brock Spencer his freshman year, Ari decided to forgo all plans of transferring and declared a major in Chemistry. He maintained sanity by participating in a number of extracurricular activities including editing for the Round Table newspaper, working as a Residential Assistant, and obtaining a mild obsession with Frisbee. His interest in nanomaterials led him to do many special projects with George Lisensky and landed him an internship at the University of Oregon. Ari is currently applying for laboratory positions at various labs and plans to go to graduate school in two years. Eventually, Ari would like to obtain a Ph.D. in a nanoscience-related field and live somewhere on the west coast, in an area surrounded by big hills with tall trees.
Aaron Joiner – South Beloit, Illinois
Biochemistry Major
Spanish Minor
Aaron entered Beloit College as a WiscAMP scholar and quickly found a place among the Biology majors of the campus. During his first year, he did some research with Demetrius Gravis and a fellow student on the properties of CREB. At the time of his matriculation, he was focused on pursuing a career in medicine. However, after his experience with the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at the University of Louisville in Kentucky in the summer of 2010, he decided to take a different path. The next summer, he spent time doing public health-related research at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. All of these experiences helped him decide to pursue a career in research. In addition to his academic triumphs, Aaron was a two-sport athlete, running both Track (two-year captain) and Cross Country during his four years at the college. He also spent a semester studying abroad in Alicante, Spain to work on his Spanish. Aaron will continue to enjoy his love of research and travelling by going on to work with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama City, Panama starting in January of 2013. From there, he plans to attend graduate school in either Chemistry or Biochemistry.
Faith Jones – Elburn, Illinois
Biochemistry Major
Faith entered Beloit College as a WiscAMP scholar, knowing that she wanted to major in Biochemistry. During her time at Beloit College, she was a varsity basketball athlete and was captain of the basketball team during the 2011-2012 season. In the summer of 2011, she shadowed a Respiratory Therapist at John H. Stroger Hospital in Chicago and also a Pediatric Intensivist in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Central DuPage Hospital in Wheaton, IL. She has volunteered with the Girls and Women in Science Conference and Cedar Crest Assisted Living Facility in Janesville. In the summer of 2012, Faith will be participating in the Summer Enrichment Program at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. In the Fall of 2013, she looking forward to attending medical school in order to become a pediatrician.
Kourtney Kingslien – Beloit, Wisconsin
Chemistry Major
Jared McCannon – Ashton, Illinois
Computer Science Major
Chemistry and Computational Visualization and Modeling Minors
Caitlin McDonough – Brooklyn, New York
Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biology Major
Chemistry and Anthropology Minors
Caitlin came to Beloit from Brooklyn NY, knowing she wanted to go into Biology. While here she has found her research interest was in reproductive biology. She has had research experiences on estrogen signaling at Loyola University through the Beloit Biomedical Scholars Program and on toad assisted reproductive technologies as a Biodiversity and Conservation intern at the Memphis Zoo. She also studied abroad at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Caitlin has been a TA and tutor for both the Chemistry and Biology Departments and was the administrative coordinator for the 2012 Girls and Women in Science conference. Caitlin has also been treasurer of Alpha Sigma Tau, vice-president of Mortar Board, Academic Senate student representative, Masterworks Chorus alto, and cast member of the Vagina Monologues. This summer she is interning at the San Diego Zoo working in reproductive physiology. She plans to gain more research experience and then continue on to graduate school.
Adam Nicholas – Mount Prospect, Illinois
Biological Chemistry Major
Even as a freshman in high school, Adam knew that his interests lay in the sciences. Intrigued by the new Science Center and focus on laboratory and research experience, he was drawn to Beloit's chemistry program. Immediately following freshman year, he was afforded the opportunity to work for Kerry Ingredients, researching and developing a more accurate and cost-effective method of total fat determination for their analytical tech lab. The following summers were spent doing research at Kent State on simulated active nematics for the Liquid Crystal Institute, as well as for Beloit, helping to develop the new biochemistry curriculum with Professor Theodore Gries. Currently, Adam is searching for job opportunities in the Pacific Northwest in both laboratory work and education. It is there that he hopes to gain further experience, as well as determine where his studies will focus when he attends graduate school.
Jourdan Posner – Honolulu, Hawaii
Biochemistry Major
Li Shen – Shanghai, China
Applied Chemistry and Political Science Majors
Ancient Mediterranean Studies Minor
Li has broad academic interests ranging from organic chemistry and healthcare policies to political theory and ancient languages and rhetoric. In 2009 she worked at the National Institutes of Health, assisting staff scientists on a gold nanoparticle project. She also had internships with various political organizations and participated in the Latin reading workshop at the University of California–Berkeley last summer. She enjoys playing music in her free time. She was a member of the Beloit College Orchestra, occasionally played with the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, and also regularly performed as a piano soloist. Next fall she will go to law school at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Sarah Stariha- LaSalle, Illinois
Chemistry Major
Sarah came to Beloit unsure of what she wanted to do. After taking Chem 117 the fall of her sophomore year, she decided to take a summer internship at Argonne National Lab with Dr. Jennifer Mawdsely working on hydrogen fuel cell bipolar plates. There she fell in love with the research side of chemistry. In the spring of her junior year she presented her research from Argonne at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Anaheim, Ca. That following summer she returned to Argonne to continue her work on hydrogen fuel cell bipolar plates. In the fall she hopes to attend the University of New Mexico to pursue a PhD in chemical engineering, focusing on hydrogen fuel cells. While at Beloit Sarah was a dual sport athlete playing basketball and softball. Her sophomore and junior years she was named to the Midwest Conference first team for softball. She is also a two time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athlete.
Past issues of Beloit College Magazine can be accessed on-line at https://www.beloit.edu/belmag/.
Mark Friedell ’72 has been appointed Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Truman Medical Centers, where he is also holds the Ralph R. Coffey Endowed Chair in Surgery. He oversees the surgical residency program and the departments of surgery at the two major teaching hospitals in Kansas City affiliated with the medical school—Truman Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital – and is starting a vascular surgery division at St. Luke’s Hospital and a vascular surgery fellowship at the medical school.
Yakov Ben-Haim [Jim Moulton] ’73 has started a blog discussing, in non-technical terms, issues relating to decisions under uncertainty, especially from an information-gap perspective (http://decisions-and-info-gaps.blogspot.com). Initial postings include “No-Failure Design and Disaster Recovery: Lessons from Fukushima” and “Doing Our Best: Economics and Optimization.” He holds the Yitzhak Moda'i Chair in Technology and Economics in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - in Haifa.
Laura Wright ’85 has joined the Cincinnati office of the intellectual property law firm Stipkala LLC as a technical writer.
Leta Moser '02 is leaving her job as a high school math teacher to join the ranks at the University of Texas-Austin as a Learning Center Instructor, to help teaching assistants and tutors create meaningful and efficient discussion groups to promote student engagement and learning.
Karla Lightfield ’04 completed her Ph.D. in the Infectious Diseases program in the School of Public Health at the University of California – Berkeley in 2010. She has now returned to Stanford University, where she did research for a year between Beloit and Berkeley, as a post doctoral fellow, studying how metabolism in fruit flies influences survival from infection. In preparation for what she hopes will be a career at a small college, she has done some teaching this past year at a small private college in the Bay Area.
Nancy Nguyen ’04 has completed her Family Practice residency and reports “I am finding balance with being a full-scope Family Practice doc, wife, and new mom to my son Grayson, now 6 months old. I work at the 16th Street Community Health Center in Milwaukee and I love it.”
Grigori “Grisha” Grigoriev ‘07 has been accepted into the Peace Corps. He is currently teaching English as a second language in South Korea.
Rachel Oliver ’07 is working on her MFA in Dance at the University of Colorado – Boulder.
Jenny Laube ’08 is starting pharmacy school in the fall at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Manchester, NH.
Katelyn McCool ’08 has completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Illinois–Chicago and is starting her first year residency in pharmacy practice with a focus in ambulatory care at the W. S. Middleton VA Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.
Warren Winfried Kretzschmar ’09 is a DPhil student in Genomic Medicine and Statistics at the University of Oxford.
Laurel Purdy ’09 is in Bandung, Indonesia, on the island of Java, where she will be teaching at the Cahaya Bangsa Classical School (http://cahayabangsa.org/ ). After helping write some curriculum and a summer teacher orientation, she will be teaching 8th grade Language Arts and a section of History next year.
Stephen Rudisill '09 and his advisor at the University of Minnesota got the cover of the May 15 issue of Langmuir, a top American Chemical Society journal, based on their featured article (with Stephen as first author) in that issue (http://pubs.acs.org/action/showLargeCover?issue=363778272).
Mary Evans ’11 is starting the masters program in Medical Science at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Kiera Hayes ’11 is a Research Assistant in the Department of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Elise Wall ’11 is working as a Research Lab Specialist for two groups in the Geology Department at the University of Southern California.
Kelsey Morse '12 has joined Fairbanks Morse Engine in Beloit as its Environmental Health and Safety Officer.
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 https://www.beloit.edu/alumni/. Please send email addresses and changes to alumni@beloit.edu.
Chemistry faculty
braunk@beloit.edu
griest@beloit.edu
lisensky@beloit.edu
ordman@beloit.edu
parmentr@beloit.edu
spencer@beloit.edu
ramav@beloit.edu
Department Web page
http://chemistry.beloit.edu/classes
(Previous issues of the Annual Newsletter dating back to 1993 are available on-line via the home page!)
ALUMNI, PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH!! Please send your news and notes to any of the Chemistry faculty.