Honors at Graduation
Honor Societies
Departmental Awards
Scholarships Awarded to Biochemistry and Chemistry Majors
Beloit College 28th Annual Student Symposium, April 15, 2004
Beloit College International Symposium, November 12, 2003
Pew Symposia
The Beloit Biologist, Volume 23, 2004
Chemistry is changing. A look at graduate programs, NSF funding, or articles
in JACS shows a huge increase in interdisciplinary connections for chemistry.
Nanotechnology, biological chemistry, and bio/geo/environmental chemistry all
occupy much larger areas than a decade ago. Rama Viswanathan has just completed
a highly successful sabbatical leave in bioinformatics. George Lisensky continues
to be a national leader in developing and disseminating instructional and laboratory
materials for nanotechnology. Kathleen Mandell brings a new focus on biophysics.
Laura Parmentier continues her interests in pharmacology and medicinal chemistry.
Roc Ordman's teaching and research interests are in nutrition. Brock Spencer
is significantly involved in environmental science.
Beloit chemistry graduates have always used their undergraduate chemistry background
to pursue a variety of careers; others are now finding this much more flexible
approach to career preparation essential. In order to better accommodate career
exploration, preparation, and planning, we have revised the chemistry major
options this past year. For the ACS-certified and regular Chemistry Majors preparing
for graduate school or professional work as chemists, students now must have
experience in all five branches of chemistry (organic, inorganic, physical,
analytical, biochemistry), and we have provided significantly more flexibility
in supporting course requirements in mathematics, computer science, and physics.
We have replaced the Special Chemistry major with an Applied Chemistry major
for those planning to attend professional school or graduate school in an interdisciplinary
area, or seeking related employment. This option includes a core of courses
in at least four of the five branches of chemistry and more flexibility in supporting
courses, including mathematics, physics, and a complementary discipline appropriate
to possible career interests. We have also added an Environmental Chemistry
Major to parallel similar majors in Biology and Geology, and a Chemistry Minor.
All of the new majors strongly recommend at least a summer or semester of full
time research or other career-related experience. Details on all of these are
available on the Chemistry Department web site (https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/)
under Advising.
In preparing materials for several recent grant proposals, we have updated our
data on graduates in chemistry and biochemistry over the past decade. Over that
period, we have graduated an average of 15 majors per year, 9 in biochemistry
and 6 in chemistry. Of those, 58% have been female and 42% male (essentially
the same ratio as for the College as a whole), 12% U.S. minorities, and 18%
international students. In the past 5 years, 73% of our graduates have completed
a summer or semester of full time research or internship, with 45% completing
two or three such experiences during their time at Beloit.
Over the past year, the College has been involved in a self-study with the help
of Civitas, a Denver urban and campus planning firm, to put together a campus
plan for facilities and landscape development over the next 25 years. The latest
version of the plan and underlying documents is available online at https://www.beloit.edu/cmp/.
One of the highest priorities identified for the next five years is the project
to build an addition to Chamberlin Hall and renovate it for the departments
currently here plus psychology. Initial planning for this project began a decade
ago, with detailed programming and initial conceptual plans completed in 1999.
We have recently selected Holabird & Root, a noted Chicago architectural
firm, for the project. This fall we will revisit our earlier planning in light
of new faculty and changing programs since 1999 and the new campus plan. Following
that phase, we then hope to begin developing architectural plans to accompany
a fund raising campaign for the project.
In last year's newsletter, we announced that we had hired Kathleen Mandell to
join us as a new tenure-track faculty member in biochemistry. We have been delighted
with her first year here. Kathleen has redesigned our core biochemistry courses
(cross-listed in Biology and Chemistry) so that Biology/Chemistry 300, Biochemistry
of Macromolecules, will be offered each fall and a new Biology/Chemistry 260,
BioMetabolism, will be offered each spring. She has been busy designing and
testing new labs for these courses and writing proposals for new equipment for
them and for her research with students. This past spring she was initiated
into Chemistry 117, General Chemistry, with a section of her own, and next fall
she will start out with a section of FYI, Criminal Science Investigation: Beloit.
Kathleen is a member of an outstanding group of new faculty who have joined
us in Chamberlin Hall in the last few years, a group that bodes well for the
continued vitality of our programs as we look toward new and renovated facilities
to house them.
Once again, the biochemists rock! Graduation day was a tribute to the unbelievably
kind and diligent majors here. Of sixteen papers published in the Beloit Biologist,
eight were by biochemistry majors. Of thirty three students elected to Phi Beta
Kappa, five were biochemists. For the second year in a row, a biochemistry major,
KARL MEHTA '04, was instrumental in arranging the Talent Show, where I got to
sing. Reading the honors certificates listing the research seniors have done
at places like Northwestern University, I recognize that our program is simply
an incubator that nurtures eagles learning to fly.
And the Program gets stronger as time moves on. Kathleen Mandell, our new biochemistry
professor, joined us this year after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of
Illinois in Chicago, where she performed research on DNA dumbbells. Her research
is potentially useful in a variety of intracellular DNA and RNA manipulations.
She will be working this summer at Argonne, along with a Beloit student. Kathleen
will be teaching Biochemistry in the fall, and Biometabolism with a molecular
biology emphasis next spring.
The biochemistry team and interests are changing as we enter the new century.
Laura Parmentier teaches women's health and pharmaceutical chemistry. Kathleen
Mandell covers DNA and molecular biology. Brett Woods, the new Physiology and
Neurobiology professor, will help us cover neuroscience. In Advanced Biochemistry
I try to present material on signaling and immunology. Even Rama Viswanathan
has ventured into bioinformatics while on sabbatical and George Lisensky is
recognizing the inorganic dimension of biochemistry.
None of what we have achieved would have been possible without our dedicated
alumni. Now over 200 strong, their efforts and successes have been truly remarkable.
MAYA DAS’99 (see page 36) was recently featured on the cover of AMA Voice.
TARA SANDER’93 is now a biochemistry professor at the Medical College
of Wisconsin. ELIZABETH DIETMEYER JOHNSON’82 lectured here this fall on
forensic chemistry, and has been helping students who have taken a strong interest
in that career path. Thanks to all of you who visited or kept in touch by email.
Reveling in recent memories and your future plans has been such fun. I hope
that you, too, have memories of Beloit that you can revel in.
George Lisensky
Professor
B.A. Earlham College
Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
At Beloit since 1980
https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/Lisensky
In the fall, I taught an FYI seminar on Nanotechnology. "Nano" means
a thousandth of a thousandth of a thousandth. Materials with dimensions on the
scale of nanometers can have fundamentally different properties and behavior
from those of bulk materials. The emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology
are enabling control of the material world at the scale of atoms and molecules.
Nanotechnology has great promise but raises societal, ethical, and cultural
questions. Developments resulting from nanotechnology have the potential to
change our society on a scale similar to that of the transistor-based computer.
Nanomanufacturing will affect the way things are designed and made, and might
require far less energy and produce far less waste. Nanotechnology-based water
purification could improve the quality of life for much of the world. Material
syntheses an atomic layer at a time have already revolutionized lighting and
display technologies and dramatically expanded hard drive storage capacities.
In the future, nanobiotechnology offers the promise of faster, more accurate,
diagnoses and medical treatment. Students in this class said they enjoyed themselves
because they got to go in the lab and play! For more information, see the class
web page https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/nanotech/
I also taught Inorganic Chemistry in the fall. Students used a new interactive
version of ORTEP and again did projects preparing a variety of solid state materials.
Beloit College held its second annual International Student Symposium in the
fall, and I was the Symposium’s organizer. Designed to mirror the Student
Research Symposium in the spring, classes were cancelled campus wide and students
presented educational aspects of their international experiences in concurrent
sessions.
I taught Chemical Equilibrium, Instrumental Analysis, and Glassblowing in the
spring. I also gave a number of workshops and presentations, listed below. Both
semesters I organized chemistry Senior Seminar. Students now arrive in the course
with enough knowledge about PowerPoint that the class was able to focus on graphic
design rather than mechanics. The goal was to produce graphics-rich and word-lean
visuals.
It was quite a year for international experiences in the Lisensky family. Last
summer we visited England, and I presented at a Gordon Conference on Scientific
Visualization in Oxford. (I have been elected to co-chair the next conference
to be held there in 2005.) While in the UK, we drove to Glasgow and spent several
days on the Isle of Iona visiting with a former high school exchange student
who had lived with us in Beloit. Between semesters daughter Diana and I went
to Benin, West Africa, for two weeks where daughter Laura is in the Peace Corps.
This spring Diana studied in the Galapagos Islands for several weeks.
This summer Beloiters LIZ BOATMAN’07 and JASON MARMON’06 are doing
research with me, respectively working on the preparation of quantum dots and
organic light emitting diodes. (See front cover for more details.) Beloit will
also be hosting a week long workshop on Materials Science and Nanotechnology
as part of the NSF funded Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences administered
by Georgia State University.
I maintain the ChemConnections web materials at http://chemistry.beloit.edu.
I also continue to be associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Materials
Science Research and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Materials
and Interfaces. To watch some movies made at Beloit, see http://mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/cineplex,
http://mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/nanolab,
and http://mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/SlideShow.
Presentations and Workshops
•Gordon Conference on Scientific Visualization, Oxford, England, July 2003Publications
•Anne K. Bentley, Mohammed Farhoud, George C. Lisensky, Anne-Marie L. Nickel, Arthur B. Ellis, and Wendy C. Crone, “Template Synthesis and Magnetic Manipulation of Nickel Nanowires,” J. Chem. Ed., (in press.)It has been an honor to have joined the Chemistry Department at Beloit College
this past fall. I have just completed my first year of teaching here and have
enjoyed working with such wonderful and dedicated colleagues and fine students.
In the fall, I taught Chemistry 300–Biochemistry. The field of biochemistry
has grown rapidly over the past few years. I therefore developed and introduced
new laboratory experiments to reflect the advances in technology and techniques
within the biochemistry field. In the spring, we developed a new biochemistry
course, Chemistry 260–BioMetabolism. The course features integrated discussion
and laboratory sessions focusing on the bioenergetics and regulation of cellular
processes. Students carried out investigations of the metabolism of carbohydrates,
lipids, amino acids and nucleic acids. Additionally, I team taught Chemistry
117–General Chemistry–with Brock Spencer. It was an exciting and
busy semester.
Along with AMANDA DRENNAN’05, I conducted research in the Photosynthesis
Group, Chemistry Division at Argonne National Laboratory during summer 2003.
We were able to successfully develop a novel DNA construct for the development
of a molecular wire. Amanda presented the results of her research at the Argonne
National Laboratory Symposium for Undergraduates in October and at the Sigma
Xi Conference for Undergraduate Research in Los Angeles in November. I presented
the results of our research at the Biophysical Society’s 2004 Annual Meeting
in Baltimore. I am currently continuing the research with my colleagues at Argonne.
We also recently received funding for a three year project with the Material
Science Division at Argonne for the collaborative development of a nano-scale
calorimeter.
Finally, I was able to do science education outreach projects through participation
in Beloit College's Girls and Women in Science program and by developing activities
for elementary school students. Fourth graders learned about the scientific
method as they developed a consumer report based on the study of Band-Aids.
Similarly, second graders observed the transformation of tadpoles to frogs.
They also experimented with ways to “see” inside an egg without
cracking the shell. Very egg-citing!
This past year, I found tremendous opportunities to have students and myself
involved in nutrition education research. My thanks to LETA MOSER’03,
PATRICE LEAHY'04, and the Beloit student volunteers who participated in a nutritional
study that began in September, 2001. I sponsored 19 of the 77 student presentations
at the Undergraduate Research Symposium this year, many of them as part of a
poster session dedicated to nutrition research. Some of the nutrition research
posters can be seen online, as can a new mural in Commons, the Willett Food
Pyramid (left, produced by art major JESSE KAPLAN’04). Also, English major
BRIANNA RILEY'04 did a pilot study to explore how Beloit students make food
choices between butter, margarine, and olive oil.
During summer 2003, I attended the Linus Pauling Meeting in Portland, OR (where
I also saw my first grandchild). In addition, I attended the AGE meeting in
Baltimore and presented the results of our study to determine the optimum dosage
of vitamin C when vitamin E is also taken. That trip included a memorable reunion
and lunch with Leta, ASHLEY NEILS’04, and AMY KNOWLTON’86. Ashley
was doing an internship with Amy, who is now a professor at Johns Hopkins researching
AIDS.
In the years since I began studying human aging and vitamin C, I have also been
building a comprehensive nutrition website (See https://www.beloit.edu/biochemistry/nutrition.html)
Starting with the message, "be conscious of what you put in your body,"
Personal Health Cite [as in citations of peer-reviewed publications] is my effort
to provide intelligent answers to nutrition questions extracted from the avalanche
of technical research papers now published about nutrition. As I wish a long,
healthy life to the alumni, I urge all of you to please visit the site.
This past spring, I participated in a seminar on poverty led by Visiting Biology
Professor Wanjiku Chiuri, a Fulbright Fellow from Kenya. Just before I drafted
this essay, I worked on Wanjiku's proposal to treat AIDS in Nairobi. Amy Knowlton
has also provided feedback on the draft. I will be on sabbatical leave during
spring 2005, when (among other things) I expect to visit Kenya and attend a
USAID meeting in Nairobi to help Wanjiku get support for her proposal. What
a fabulous journey to take as I help in networking and building optimism! Given
the stressful reality in which we exist, it is comforting to know that you are
out there, and I leave you with a deep dream of peace.
Laura E. Parmentier
Martha Peterson Associate Professor
B.S. Northland College
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Madison
At Beloit since 1991
https://www.beloit.edu/chemistry/parmentier
This has been an enjoyable teaching year for me. With two large sections of
Chem 230 in the fall and one large section of Chem 235 in the spring, most of
my time was devoted to organic chemistry, courses I love to teach. I also taught
our interdisciplinary, laboratory based Women’s Health class this spring,
which was particularly delightful.
Work on my NSF-CCLI project for “Enhancement of the Organic Chemistry
Laboratory Curriculum Using Temperature-Programmable, Computer-Controlled, and
Network-Accessible Gas Chromatographs” is nearing completion. We were
able to incorporate three new or refined experiments using the new GCs into
the organic laboratory last year, and we have refined them even further this
year. JACOB HORGER’05 joined me on the project last summer, and we developed
an experiment based on the analysis of fats, which we tested out in two sections
of Chem 117 this spring, and an experiment based on the analysis of flavor components
in candy to be used for sixth grade girls and their teachers and parents as
part of the annual Girls and Women in Science Program. Jacob presented a talk
entitled “Capillary Gas Chromatographic Determination of Fatty Acid Composition
of a Series of Oils Before and After Hydrogenation” at both the Pew Midstates
Science and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium and the Argonne National
Laboratories Undergraduate Research Symposium. We are currently in the process
of preparing papers based on this work for submission to the Journal of Chemical
Education.
KARLA LIGHTFIELD’04 and JACOB HORGER’05 joined forces this spring
to synthesize Nanokid, a complex organic molecule reported in the literature
last year and (nearly) completed in 13 synthetic steps in our lab. I invite
you to come visit the Wall of Fame in the organic laboratory to see the molecular
structure of this and other new molecules made by Beloit College students this
year. MOLLY IRICK’04 also worked with me this spring on a special project
combining women’s health and analytical chemistry. She brought this research
experience into the Women’s Health class as an outstanding teaching assistant!
Finally, I continue to engage in science education outreach projects by bringing
science activities to elementary school students. This year, fifth graders at
Theodore Robinson Intermediate School explored light and color and energy with
the smorgasbord of LED activities from Chem 117, and first graders at Levi Leonard
Elementary School sampled wildlife biology (my bachelor’s degree in biology
is still put to use!) by identifying small mammal skeletons found in owl pellets.
The enthusiasm of the students, from the early grades though the college years,
is what sustains my love of teaching.
I continue to divide my teaching between General Chemistry and environmental
courses. We try to limit our General Chemistry sections to 24 students to facilitate
our integrated "studio" format for the class, but they have crept
up to 28 this past year due to student demand. With new editions coming out
in the fall, we will continue to use three ChemLinks modules with Beloit co-authors:
Climate Change: What Should We Do About Global Warming? (Sharon Anthony), Would
You Like Fries With That? The Fuss About Fats In Our Diet (Heather Mernitz),
and Build a Better CD Player: How Do You Get Blue Light from a Solid? (George
Lisensky).
This year I taught the Interdisciplinary Studies course "Environmental
and Science Policy," with an emphasis on energy resources, environmental
impact, and scientific input (or lack thereof) for energy policy. We are in
the process of designing an Environmental Studies major, in addition to the
current minor, and plan to have it in place this coming year. With the increasing
number of students who have designed their own interdisciplinary majors with
an environmental emphasis, faculty now teaching environmental courses in economics
and international relations, and strong enrollment in the capstone seminar "The
Challenge of Global Change," we are eager to put this new major in place.
I continue to be involved with the ChemLinks project, for which W.W. Norton
is publishing newly revised editions of a dozen modules for General Chemistry.
We are also about to start our final year of regional workshops around the country
to disseminate the work of the five NSF chemistry curriculum reform initiatives.
This past year I have helped put on workshops at the University of Nebraska
– Lincoln, Denver University, the University of Arkansas – Little
Rock, Macalester College, and this summer at the University of California –
Berkeley and at the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education at Iowa State
University.
This past year I served on the Campus Master Plan Task Force, which was an intensive
and exciting exercise to look at the next 25 years for the College. With that
planning effort behind us, I am looking forward to leading the project to build
an addition to Chamberlin Hall and then renovate it, which we hope will begin
shortly (see State of the Department).
I was on sabbatical leave during fall 2003. I worked with Professor John Jungck
and his colleagues in the NSF-funded BEDROCK (Bioinformatics Education Dissemination–Reaching
Out, Connecting, and Knitting-together) program headquartered at Beloit College
to learn about the interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics–a field that
connects chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, and biology. The objective
was to develop software and applications for use in the undergraduate curriculum.
I started by working with a unique technique for visualizing biological molecules
at the Summer Modeling Institute organized by the Milwaukee School of Engineering
(MSOE) in July 2003. TIA JOHNSON’92 (a BEDROCK staffer) and I used a cutting-edge
rapid prototyping machine to construct a three dimensional physical model of
one of the smallest proteins currently synthesized–the Trp-cage molecule
containing 20 amino acid residues.
I later found out that PATRICE LEAHY’04 had spent the summer of 2003 at
SUNY–Stony Brook as an NSF-REU intern in the research group of Professor
Carlos Simmerling, who has performed detailed molecular dynamics simulations
of Trp-cage folding.
I worked on an Excel front-end for the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
(KEGG) on-line database of metabolic pathways (http://www.genome.ad.jp/kegg/)
in July 2003. A prototype application–BioGrapher–that could display
a graphical “network” representation of a pathway with nodes and
edges from data entered manually into the spreadsheet in standard matrix notation
was demonstrated in October. At this point, using the insights into the KEGG
database gained during an earlier visit to Japan, I was able to develop an XML-based
parser that would access, download and translate data from the KEGG web site
in Japan into the standard matrix notation in an Excel spreadsheet and then
successfully display and visualize intricate metabolic pathways, e.g., the pantothenate
pathway and the pathway for glycolysis, in the form of graphs. The software
was presented at a number of workshops organized by BEDROCK. Details of the
BioGrapher tool and its practical application in reanalysis and visualization
of gene array data available in the literature were presented at the American
Society for Cell Biology 43rd Annual Meeting in December 2003.
The capstone activity of my sabbatical was a visit to the Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory (CSHL – Long Island) in November 2003. Coincidentally, this
visit occurred just after the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the discovery
of DNA by Watson and Crick, and I was lucky enough to be able to obtain Professor
Watson’s autograph when he visited the cafeteria building to inspect an
art show in his capacity as the past President and Chancellor of CSHL! The laboratory
is one of the premier centers of research in molecular biology in the world,
and I participated in a course in Computational Genomics taught by experts in
the field, including the scientists (Bill Pearson, Steve Altschul) who developed
some of the original algorithms (FASTA, BLAST) for sequence matching and comparison
that are at the heart of functional and computational genomics today. Having
successfully completed the course, I now plan to apply the expertise that I
have gained to investigate the occurrence of miniprotein motifs in gene sequences.
This is a particularly challenging problem since miniproteins like Trp-cage
have such a small number of amino acid residues.
This past spring, I taught Chem 240–Themodynamics and Kinetics, and CS
245–Computer Networks. Teaching both of these upper level courses kept
me busy. In addition, I was one of the invited speakers during the celebration
in Itzehoe, Germany on April 2 of the tenth anniversary of the founding of Innovationszentrum
Itzehoe (IZET), a research and technology park sponsored by the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
I discussed the state-of-the-art in Bioinformatics and also presented details
of work done during my sabbatical last year.
“Exploring the Control of Cell Architecture, One Kinase at a Time.”
Dr. Eric Weiss, Northwestern University.
“3-D Computer Projection and the Geowall Consortium.” Dr. Paul Morin,
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota.
“Bioluminescence: How Does It Work?” Prof. John Lee, Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia.
“Global Change, the Earth's Nitrogen Budget, and Coastal Zone Eutrophication.”
Dr. Kenneth Foreman, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory.
“Mining the Human Genome: A Search for the SCAN Family of Vertebrate-Specific
Transcription Factors.” Prof. Tara Sander (Beloit College Class of ’94),
Medical College of Wisconsin.
“A Career in Forensic Science.” Elizabeth Dietmeyer Johnson (Beloit
College Class of ’82), U.S. Army Forensic Science Laboratory.
“Structural Biology: Crystal Structure of Activated Protein C-inactivated
Bovine Factor Va.” Prof. Stephen Everse (Beloit College Class of ’95),
Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont. [BioQuest/BEDROCK Summer
2004 Workshop.]
“Bioinformatics: The Trp-cage Story.” Prof. Rama Viswanathan, Beloit
College. [BioQuest/BEDROCK Summer 2004 Workshop.]
FALL
| 117 | General Chemistry |
50 |
| 230 | Organic Chemistry I |
40 |
| 250 | Inorganic Chemistry |
5 |
| 300 | Biochemistry |
16 |
| 370 | Advanced Topics |
3 |
| 380 | Senior Seminar |
5 |
| 390 | Special Projects |
1 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant |
3 |
| FYI | Nanotechnology |
15 |
| IDST | Entrepreneurship |
4 |
| Total |
142 |
| 117 | General Chemistry |
51 |
| 186 | Biochemical Issues: Nutrition |
7 |
| 220 | Chemical Equilibrium |
18 |
| 235 | Organic Chemistry II |
21 |
| 240 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics |
5 |
| 260 | Biometabolism |
15 |
| 280 | Professional Tools for Chemists |
14 |
| 360 | Instrumental Methods |
4 |
| 370 | Glassblowing |
18 |
| 380 | Senior Seminar |
10 |
| 385 | Senior Thesis |
3 |
| 390 | Special Projects |
7 |
| 395 | Teaching Assistant |
2 |
| IDST | Global Nutrition |
10 |
| IDST | Women's Health |
15 |
| IDST | Environ. Science Policy |
19 |
| Total |
209 |
| Elif | Alpoge | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Istanbul, Turke |
| Shankishka | Bain | 2007 |
Biochemistry | Nassau, Baham |
| Davianne | Cartwright | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Nassau, Baham |
| Abigail | Corpuz | 2007 |
Biochemistry | Ewa Beach, HI |
| Maylene | Corpuz | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Ewa Beach, HI |
| Jonathan | Dowdle | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Apo, AE |
| Amanda | Drennan | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Franklin Park, I |
| Nana | Fenny | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Accra, Ghana |
| Stephanie | Giles | 2007 |
Biochemistry | Medford, MA |
| Jacob | Horger | 2005 |
Chemistry | Morrison, CO |
| Margaret | Hulse | 2005 |
Chemistry | Clayton, MO |
| Sarah | Katz | 2007 |
Chemistry | Silver Spring, MD |
| Patrice | Leahy | 2004 |
Chemistry | Bedminster, NJ |
| Karla | Lightfield | 2004 |
Chemistry | Burlington, WI |
| Rachel | Linz | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Okemos, MI |
| Danijela | Maric | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Jason | Marmon | 2006 |
Chemistry | Eudora, KS |
| Karl | Mehta | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Bangalore, Indi |
| John | Miura | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Hilo, HI |
| Nancy | Nguyen | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Beloit, WI |
| Alexandra | Nicholson | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Wausau, WI |
| Gregory | Peck | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Belvidere, IL |
| Davis | Peterson | 2007 |
Chemistry | Des Peres, MO |
| Diane | Pham | 2006 |
Chemistry | Geneva, IL |
| Nayani | Pramanik | 2004 |
Biochemistry | Bangalore, Indi |
| Chiemi | Riedel | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Denver, CO |
| Carissa | Schubert | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Berlin, WI |
| Christopher | Schumacher | 2006 |
Chemistry | Madison, WI |
| Justin | Severson | 2004 |
Chemistry | Poplar Grove, I |
| Peter | Shinnick | 2006 |
Chemistry | Chicago, IL |
| Dina | Simkin | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Northbrook, IL |
| Kristen | Skruber | 2006 |
Chemistry | Franklin, TN |
| Matthew | Sonnenberg | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Barrington, IL |
| Amanda | Splan | 2005 |
Biochemistry | Clinton, WI |
| Larissa | Thomas | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Waldport, OR |
| Zachary | Walker | 2005 |
Chemistry | Wilmette, IL |
| Loren | Warmington | 2005 |
Biochemistry | St. Catherine, Jamaica |
| John | Whittier | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Evansville, WI |
| Johna | Winters | 2007 |
Chemistry | Littleton, CO |
| Nozomi | Yamaoka | 2006 |
Biochemistry | Tajimi-shi, Japa |
| SUMMA CUM LAUDE | Nana Fenny Karla Lightfield Nancy Nguyen |
| MAGNA CUM LAUDE | Maylene Corpuz Danijela Maric John Miura |
| CUM LAUDE | Rachel Linz |
| DEPARTMENTAL HONORS | Karla Lightfield |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Maylene Corpuz Nana Fenny Karla Lightfield Danijela Maric John Miura Nancy Nguyen |
| Mortar Board | Maylene Corpuz Amanda Drennan '05 Nana Fenny Danijela Maric John Miura Nancy Nguyen |
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.
Maylene Corpuz’04
Nana Fenny’04
Rachel Linz’04
Danijela Maric’04
John Miura’04
Nancy Nguyen’04
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.
Maylene Corpuz’04
Karla Lightfield’04
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 .
Elizabeth Boatman’07
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.
Shanishka Bain’07
EDWARD STEVENS '78 STUDENT RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
was established in his honor and provides funds for chemistry-related undergraduate
research and travel to present research results.
Jacob Horger’05
Karla Lightfield’04
Anne M. Verville Scholar’s Award (Biology Department)
given to an upperclass biology major chosen by department faculty as the outstanding
student of the year.
John Miura’04
Gertrude E. Sweet Award (Biology Department)
Presented to a biology student who is committed to serving others and demonstrates
leadership in confronting societal issues related to the life sciences.
Nancy Nguyen’04
Donald S. Dean Biology Education Award
Presented annually to students who have demonstrated commitment to generating
innovative curricular materials and/or becoming a life science educator.
John Miura’04
Elizabeth W. Souter Award (Biology Department)
Outstanding scholarship, presented to a biology student with high academic achievement
and potential for research.
Maylene Corpuz’04
Danijela Maric’04
Outstanding Achievement in Dance Performance (Theater Arts Department)
Larissa Thomas’06
| Shankishka Bain’07 | Moore Family Scholarship |
| Davianne Cartwright’06 | Moore Family Scholarship, Lyford Cay Foundation Scholarship |
| Abigail Corpuz’07 | Charles Winter Wood Scholarship |
| Jonathan Dowdle’05 | Eaton Scholarship |
| Amanda Drennan’05 | Eaton Scholarship, Ericsson Chemistry Scholarship, Ferwerda Science Scholarship, Moore Family World Outlook Scholarship, Sanger Scholarship |
| Jacob Horger’05 | Eaton Scholarship, Ferwerda Science Scholarship |
| Margaret Hulse’05 | Presidential Scholarship |
| Sarah Katz’07 | Presidential Scholarship, Founders Scholarship |
| Jason Marmon’06 | Paul W. Boutwell Scholarship, Eugene & Susan Zeltmann Scholarship |
| Alexandra Nicholson’05 | Eaton Scholarship, Nancy Logan Hill Scholarship |
| Davis Peterson’07 | Eaton Scholarship |
| Diane Pham’06 | Eaton Scholarship, Charles H. Ferris Scholarship, Samuel A. Fugua Jr. Scholarship, Charles Winter Wood Scholarship |
| Carissa Schubert’06 | Collie Scholarship, W.A. Vick Scholarship |
| Christopher Schumacher’06 | Presidential Scholarship |
| Peter Shinnick’06 | Eaton Scholarship |
| Dina Simkin’05 | Ferwerda Science Scholarship |
| Amanda Splan’05 | Eaton Scholarship, Strong Scholarship |
| Larissa Thomas’06 | Presidential Scholarship |
| Zachary Walker’05 | A & M Wilson Scholarship |
| Loren Warmington’05 | Moore Family Scholarship |
| John Whittier’06 | Eaton Scholarship |
Maylene Corpuz’04
“Cell-Permeable Fluorescent Probes for Zinc Ions.” Mentored by Prof.
George Lisensky and Dr. Thomas O’Halloran, Northwestern University.
Jacob Horger’05 and Karla Lightfield’04
“‘Cute Little Buggers’: Synthesizing and Characterizing Anthropomorphic
Molecules.” Mentored by Prof. Laura Parmentier.
Karl Mehta’04
“Cloning Hypothetical Genes Implicated in Competence for Genetic Transformation
in Haemophilus influenzae.” Mentored by Prof. Roc Ordman and Dr. Gerard
Barcak, University of Maryland Medical School.
Karl Mehta’04
“Cross-cultural Analysis of the Effect of Diet on Bone Density among Women
in Australia and India.” Mentored by Prof. Roc Ordman.
John Miura’04
“Ras Signaling on Golgi in Lymphocytes.” Mentored by Prof. Laura
Parmentier and Dr. Mark R. Philips, New York University School of Medicine.
Nancy Nguyen’04
“Asthma Surveillance among Inner-City Children in the Milwaukee Public
Schools.” Mentored by Prof. Ken Yasukawa, with Dr. John Meyer and Jennifer
Cohen, Medical College of Wisconsin.
Margaret Hulse’05
“Medical Training and Practice in Glasgow, Scotland.” Mentored by
Professor George Lisensky.
Nozomi Yamaoka’06
“Traveling to See Japanese Religion and Its Sights.” Mentored by
Professor Olga Ogurtsova.
2003 Pew Midstates Undergraduate Symposium
in Biology and Psychology
November 14-16, Washington University, St. Louis
John Miura’04
“RAS Signaling on Golgi in Lymphocytes.”
Nana Fenny’04
“Use of Kinetic Isotope and pH Effects to Evaluate the Effect ff Mutation
of an Active Site Tyrosine to Phenylalanine in Nitroalkane Oxidase.”
Loren Warmington’05
“Developing a Model for Therapy-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia by Using
RNA Interference Against the Gene Early Growth Response 1.”
2003 Pew Midstates Undergraduate Symposium in the Physical
Sciences
November 14-16, University of Chicago
John Miura’04*
“Ras Signaling on Golgi in Lymphocytes.”
Nancy Nguyen’04*
“Asthma Surveillance and Quality of Life among Inner-City Children in
the Milwaukee Public Schools.”
Maylene Corpuz’04*
“A Novel, Cell-Permeable, Fluorescent Probe for Ratiometric Imaging of
Zinc Ions.”
Nana Fenny’04*
“Use of Kinetic Isotope and pH Effects to Evaluate the Effect of Mutation
of an Active Site Tyrosine to Phenylalanine In Nitroalkane Oxidase.”
Danijela Maric’04*
“Energetically Dissecting the Role of the 2'-Hydroxyl Group Within Catalytic
RNA.”
Rachel Linz’04
“Tea Polyphenols and Inhibition of Carcinogenesis.”
Nayani Pramanik’04*
“The Two-Hybrid System: Method to Identify the Signaling Pathway of the
Cyclophilin CPR7 Cochaperone Signaling System in Sacchromyces cerevisiae.”
Karl Mehta’04*
“Cloning a Hypothetical Gene Implicated in Competence for Genetic Transformation
in Haemophilus influenzae.”
(*First author of paper with multiple authors.)
ELIF ALPOGE’05 emailed to say that after conducting research
during her spring semester in New York and writing her undergraduate thesis
on an Analog and Digital Working Model of the Hippocampus Proper, she will be
joining Dr. Patricio Huerta and his lab at NYU’s Center for Neural Studies.
She plans to research and study the mechanisms by which the brain stores episodic
memories in order to understand how synaptic groups within neuronal assemblies
function.
SHANISHKA BAIN’07 has applied for a Marine Education
and Outreach Internship in the Bahamas. The Bahamian government is in the process
of establishing an expanded network of Marine Protected Areas in cooperation
with the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation.
DAVIANNE CARTWRIGHT’06 has been accepted into the Schweppe Scholars
program and will spend nine weeks this summer working with Dr. David Ehrmann
and doing research on polycystic ovarian syndrome at the University of Chicago
Clinical Research Center.
AMANDA DRENNAN’05 was in Scotland during the spring semester,
and has been awarded a scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Program (DAAD)
that will enable her to perform summer research in organic chemistry at the
Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. Prior to starting with the
internship in July, all the scholars will be meeting at an orientation to be
held in the historic city of Heidelberg! Amanda will return to Beloit as the
Head Orientation Leader for New Student Days for next fall.
JACOB HORGER’05 will be doing research this summer on
micro-emulsion polymerization at the University of Ulm in South Central Germany
through a DAAD fellowship.
SARAH KATZ’07 will be working as a summer camp counselor
to help kids with physical and mental disabilities participate in camp activities.
She also plans to continue with her interest in fencing by joining a fencing
club during the summer.
KARLA LIGHTFIELD’04 is doing research in the Department
of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University.
RACHEL LINZ’04 has started working as a research assistant
for Dr. Svetlana Lutsenko and Dr. Caroline Enns, biochemistry professors at
Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon.
JASON MARMON’06 is a McNair Scholar at Beloit College
this summer, working with George Lisensky to develop an instructional experiment
making an organic light emitting diode.
EMILY MARTIS’04 will be working at Washington University
in St. Louis in their Environmental Engineering REU program. Specifically, she
will be working on research involving conversion of corn to ethanol/hydrogen
fuel. In the fall, Emily will be entering Washington University's Dual Degree
Engineering program in Chemical Engineering with an environmental engineering
emphasis or minor leading to another BS and a MS in 3 years. Emily hopes to
get involved in aerosol research while in engineering school.
JOHN MIURA’04 is returning to the New York University
Medical School to continue research from his internship there last summer.
ALEXANDRA NICHOLSON’05 has an internship in drug design
for neuroscience, mentored by Dr. Van Eldik at Northwestern University.
DAVIS PETERSON’07 will be returning home to work another
summer for the St. Louis County Vector Control Department, where his evenings
and nights will be spent trapping and spraying mosquitoes in the battle against
vector borne diseases.
CARISSA SCHUBERT’06 will be working as an EMT for a small
town ambulance and as a lifeguard at a local pool.
PETER SHINNICK’06 plans to work as a Certified Pharmacy
Technician in a pharmacy.
DINA SIMKIN’05 has been awarded a fellowship at Northwestern
University and will be working for ten weeks on a project involving the cloning
and sequencing of exons of certain genes in mice that have a generalized seizure
disorder.
MATTHEW SONNENBERG’06 has an internship at the University
of Illinois-Chicago in their Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory. The eight
week program begins with a week of seminars on neurobiology and brain function
followed by seven weeks of research and laboratory work that is mentored by
a professor. Many different research topics are offered and he may be working
on anything from signal transduction to neuron structure and function.
LARISSA THOMAS’06 started the summer with a week long
trip to Russia with a group of dancers to perform "Wreath of Memories"
and other pieces at an international dance festival*. She will spend the rest
of the summer as a Schweppe Scholar at the Northwestern University Medical School
working on research examining the immunological response associated with rheumatoid
arthritis.
[*Editor's Note: As we went to press, we learned that Beloit College's Chelonia
Dance Company won the top prize, the Laureate Grand Prix, for the performance
at the festival held in Moscow. Congratulations, Larissa! CAMILLE FOX'02 also
participated in the production when she was at Beloit College. See https://www.beloit.edu/publicaffairs/releases/2004/04dancers_grandprize.htm
for more details and a link to a Beloit College Magazine article on the production.]
LOREN WARMINGTON’05 has a summer internship working in
the biotechnology division of Kemin, Inc., in Des Moines, Iowa.
MAYLENE CORPUZ – Ewa Beach, HI
Biochemistry Major and Physics Minor.
Maylene says that she has gained a wonderful liberal arts education at Beloit
College. She was a member of the International Club and Live Aloha Club, and
was inducted into Mortar Board and Phi Beta Kappa. During summer 2002, Maylene
worked as a Howard Hughes Scholar in Texas A&M University's Colonias Program,
helping low-income families living along the Texas-Mexico border become aware
of programs available to better their current living conditions. In summer 2003,
she performed research at Northwestern University in the field of bioinorganic
chemistry, synthesizing a fluorescent probe for zinc ions. She believes that
her summer experiences have prepared her greatly for graduate school. In the
fall, Maylene will join the Ph.D. program in Pharmacology at the University
of Colorado Health and Sciences Center. Her long-term goal is to work for the
FDA or a pharmaceutical company on research and development of cancer drugs.
NANA FENNY – Accra, Ghana
Biochemistry Major, Performing Arts and Physics Minors
Nana graduated with honors in biochemistry and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa
and Mortar Board. She also received the Roxie Alexander Memorial Award. Nana
spent a summer interning at Loyola University in the Department of Microbiology
and Immunology, and another summer in Texas A & M University’s Colonias
Program. Her senior thesis described the use of kinetic isotope and pH effects
in evaluating mutations in bacterial enzymes. Nana will be joining the M.D./Ph.D.
or M.D./M.S. program in the Pritzker Medical School at the University of Chicago
in fall. [As we go to press, we just learned that Nana is one of the 39 undergraduate
students nationwide who have been selected for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke
Foundation graduate scholarship, which will provide her with an annual award
of up to $50,000 for the length of the program. On behalf of Beloit College,
congratulations and best wishes to Nana on this stellar achievement!]
PATRICE LEAHY – Bedminster, NJ
Chemistry Major
Patrice worked on a number of special projects while at Beloit. She studied
guinea pig behavior and was involved in vitamin C research with Roc Ordman and
Leta Moser '03. She also helped with the Girls and Women in Science (GWS) program.
During summer 2003, she was a NSF-REU intern in Professor Carlos Simmerling's
group at SUNY-Stony Brook, performing research in computational structural biology
related to drug design and discovery. She hopes to pursue a position in pharmaceutical
research.
KARLA LIGHTFIELD – Burlington, WI
Chemistry Major and Music Minor
Some high points of Karla’s time at Beloit include increasing her classic
and romantic repertoire on the piano, playing in a variety of college music
ensembles, chemistry classes with Amanda, serving as the student chair of the
Health Professions Advisory Committee, being a teaching assistant for General
Chemistry and Microbiology, and synthesizing "cute little buggers"
with Jacob. Karla is working as a research assistant in the Department of Microbiology
and Immunology at Stanford University and plans to go on to graduate school
next year. Ultimately, she hopes to be a professor and mentor students who are
as fascinated with microbiology as she is.
RACHEL LINZ – Okemos, MI
Biochemistry Major
Rachel is working at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland before
continuing on to graduate school. While at Beloit, Rachel was actively involved
in the Music Department and was concertmaster of the College Orchestra, played
in a string quartet, and won the 2002 Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra Student
Concerto Competition. She also gave a number of solo performances and a senior
violin recital. She participated in the Howard Hughes Young Scholars program
for two years, and served as a teaching assistant for General Chemistry and
Organic Chemistry. Eventually she hopes to become a teacher.
DANIJELA MARIC – Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Biochemistry Major and Physics Minor
During her four years at Beloit College, Danijela has participated in two research
internships. Her first internship was with the Black Bear Project (Earth Watch)
in association with the University of North Carolina in summer 2001. During
this internship she helped tag black bears and used radio telemetry to obtain
data on their habitat preferences and use. In summer 2002, she interned in the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago,
working on a research project to examine the effects of functional group modifications
on the rate of catalysis of the Tetrahymena ribozyme. Based on the results,
a paper titled "An Atomic Perturbation Cycle for Exploring RNA's 2'-Hydroxyl
Group," has been submitted by her group for publication in the Journal
of Biology & Chemistry. Danijela has received a number of awards and honors
while at Beloit College, including the Susan Fulton Welty Award and a Howard
Hughes Grant from the Biology Department. During her senior year she received
a Ferwerda Science Scholarship and was inducted into Mortar Board and Phi Beta
Kappa. Starting in September, Danijela will be a research assistant at the University
of Chicago and eventually plans to go to graduate school in biochemistry or
microbiology.
KARL MEHTA – Bangalore, India
Biochemistry Major
Karl did internships at the O'Neil Clinic, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute,
the Tribal Village and Under 5 Clinic in India, and was a participant in the
Brigham and Women's Hospital Premedical Program. He also helped arrange the
talent show for Mortar Board this year. His senior thesis described cloning
experiments that he performed during a summer internship with Professor Barcak
at the University of Maryland. His long term goal is to contribute to the goodness
of the earth, and he has made a wonderful beginning to that process at Beloit.
JOHN MIURA – Hilo, HI
Biochemistry Major
While at Beloit, John has been actively involved as a teaching assistant for
General Chemistry, Biometrics, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry. Furthermore,
he served as a tutor for the Learning Services Support Center (LSSC) and participated
in varsity tennis. Over the summers, John interned at the University of Oregon,
conducting structural studies, and at the New York University School of Medicine,
where he focused on Ras signal transduction. During his senior year, he was
inducted into Mortar Board and Phi Beta Kappa. John was also the recipient of
the Edward C. Fuller award in Chemical Education (2003). For the next two years,
John will be in New York, working as a laboratory technician at NYU School of
Medicine. Eventually, he hopes to go to medical school to pursue a career in
clinical medicine or biomedical research.
NANCY NGUYEN – Beloit, WI
Biochemistry Major and Journalism Minor
Research has been a major part of Nancy’s college career. She was a Howard
Hughes Young Scholar during the summer of 2000, researching parental perception
of antibiotic resistance with Professors Nancy Krusko and Marion Fass. As an
ACM Minority Scholar during the following summer, Nancy studied environmental
and behavioral factors connected with asthma in Beloit. This research led her
to work with Fight Asthma Milwaukee (FAM) Allies at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
This summer, she returns to FAM Allies as a research assistant, and will attend
medical school at the University of Wisconsin in the fall. She enjoyed her time
at Beloit College, and will always remember chemistry bowling night and the
infamous unveiling of “Viola,” watching certain peers chase and
kick each other down the hall, and George’s hula dancing. Nancy met many
great people and will miss all of the professors and friends who have been so
supportive throughout the four years, and thanks everyone for the memories and
friendship.
GREGORY PECK – Belvidere, IL
Biochemistry Major
Apart from biochemistry, Gregory has displayed an interest in organic and physical
chemistry. He also played football at Beloit College.
NAYANI PRAMANIK – Bangalore, India.
Biochemistry Major and Physics MinorNayani was awarded a Schweppe Fellowship
and performed research on the yeast two-hybrid system during an internship at
Northwestern University in summer 2003. She has been awarded a honors term at
Beloit College and will be returning after graduation this coming fall to work
with Professor Rama Viswanathan on a bioinformatics project involving the Trp-cage
model protein (see back cover). She is interested in forensic science.
JUSTIN SEVERSON – Poplar Grove, IL
Chemistry Major
Justin is interested in applied chemistry and technology, and is very knowledgeable
about computer hardware and configurations. He is also a talented musician and
has participated actively in musical events on campus as well as in the Beloit
College Jazz Ensemble, where he became the lead trumpet player two years ago.
*Past issues of Beloit College Magazine can be accessed on-line and downloaded
in PDF format at https://www.beloit.edu/belmag/
.
1942 ROBERT KLINE was featured in the fall/winter 2003 issue of Beloit College
Magazine* for his work in getting a statue of Abraham Lincoln installed in the
National Battlefield Park Civil War Visitor Center, in Richmond, Va.
1943 PAUL HODGSON and spouse Barbara visited campus in late April 2004 and graciously
sat for an interview conducted by MARIE DRIES’92 about their experiences
at Beloit College during World War II.
1953 LAWRENCE PAKULA is a distinguished pediatrician and associate professor
of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Pakula was
awarded the Distinguished Service Citation by the Alumni Association at the
2003 Homecoming/Reunion festivities last year. He is seen here with President
John Burris after the award ceremony. Read the full profile online in the fall/winter
2003 issue of Beloit College Magazine*.
1967 ERIC GORDON is a Palo Alto area consultant for several foundations and
drug discovery companies. He was selected by the American Society for Clinical
Pharmacology and Therapeutics to receive its 2004 Gary Neil Prize for Innovation
in Drug Development at its annual meeting in Miami Beach on March 24, 2004.
After completing his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry at the University of Wisconsin
– Madison, Eric went to work in the pharmaceutical industry, rising to
director of medicinal chemistry at both the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals
Institute and the Squibb Institute for Medical Research in Princeton, NJ. He
then moved to Palo Alto where he was successively Vice President of Research
at Affymax Research Institute, founded the infectious disease company Versicor,
Inc., and was the Senior Vice President of Research at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. The Gary Neil Prize recognizes his thirty-year career in drug discovery
and development, which includes being a leader in identifying 10 compounds that
entered clinical trials, four of which have gained FDA approval, a distinguished
record held by very few drug researchers. He was part of the research team that
discovered the first ACE inhibitor. His work was pivotal in the discovery of
novel classes of antibiotic drugs, in creating dual action anti-hypertensive
drugs, in developing one of the first drugs to lower cholesterol, and in discovering
important approaches to HIV therapeutics through the invention of novel classes
of HIV protease inhibitors.
1975 BRUCE DUNLAP emailed after seeing an item about the "other" Bruce
Dunlap (actually R. Bruce Dunlap of the class of '64) in last year's Annual
Newsletter. He practices ophthalmology in Long Island, New York, and his wife
Mary is a screenwriter. He writes that "in addition to my practice…I've
been writing music in my dedicated studio in the 'City' where we now live, a
stone's throw from the WTC site. The blackout of '03 had me sleeping on a couch
in an office unable to get home while my wife had to climb 25 flights of stairs
in the dark to get home. I think I had it easier. I've been named the New York
State Chairman of a Physicians Advisory Board for Congress. Time to get political,
I guess. I remember my days at Beloit with fondness and shock at how long ago
it was, and how much the world (and especially New York City) has changed..."
1977 DAVID VIRSHUP was awarded the Willard Snow Hansen Endowed Chair in Cancer
Research at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He is a professor of
pediatrics at the university, a practicing oncologist at Primary Children’s
Medical Center, and co-director of Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Center
for Children.
1982 ELIZABETH (DIETMEYER) JOHNSON visited Beloit during homecoming week in
fall 2003 and spoke about her work. She is a Senior Forensic Chemist in the
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory.
1982 REBECCA SALNESS is an assistant professor of pediatrics/pediatric emergency
medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School.
1983 JEFFREY CLEAVELAND Congratulations and best wishes to Jeff and his family
on the birth of their second child, Ethan Scott Parcher Cleaveland, born in
October, 2003.
1988 STEPHEN EVERSE is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry
at the University of Vermont. He recently visited Beloit College and was one
of the featured speakers at the BioQUEST/BEDROCK 2004 Systems Biology Summer
Workshop held at the college from June 12 through June 20. His presentation
on structural biology included details of his group’s determination of
the crystal structure of activated protein C-inactivated bovine factor Va, just
then published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (See
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/101/24/8918
for an on-line abstract.)
1989 VIVETTE BROWN RITCHIE is a postdoctoral fellow with the Ontario Cancer
Institute in Toronto, where she completed her Ph.D. degree in the Department
of Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto in 2001.
1990 CHRISTOPHER SMITH has completed his third master’s degree, this one
in education, as well as provisional certification as a chemistry teacher and
permanent certifications as a secondary mathematics teacher and in elementary
education. He has been teaching middle school math and science in the south
Bronx and this year moved to Stuyvesant High School, the premier specialized
science high school in New York City. He has been teaching Regents Chemistry,
Organic Chemistry, and Research in Physical Sciences, which produces their science
projects for the Westinghouse and Intel competitions. He is also continuing
as a pastoral counselor and as a national consultant for the church on mental
health.
1991 ELIZABETH BRADY-MORRIS is now the Supervising Criminalist for Controlled
Substances at the Arizona Department of Public Safety Regional Crime Laboratory
in Phoenix, Arizona.
1991 YOON-HANG KIM After finishing his M.D. and M.P.H., Yoon has launched two
projects in Tucson, Arizona. One of them is a collaborative venture between
the University of Arizona's College of Medicine (College of Public Health) and
the City of Tucson, consisting of a clinic designed to take care of the underserved
population in the county. While putting the first project together, Yoon noticed
that there is a lack of communication between Underserved Medicine providers
in Tucson. He therefore created the Tucson Underserved Medicine Network, a list
server to facilitate communication.
1991 THERESA NORTH has served as a member of the Alumni Association board and
its past president. At Homecoming 2003, she was presented with a special Alumni
Award from the association in recognition of nearly a decade of “tireless
efforts, contagious passion, and an ever optimistic approach.”
1991 CAROLINE SCHAUER is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. Her research is on
using biomaterials for sensing aqueous toxins.
1993 JENNIFER SMITH-CHRISTENSEN is getting her master's degree in international
health from Copenhagen University, Denmark. The intensive one year program focuses
on public health in developing countries and includes a five week field trip
to India.
1994 ROBERT BERGMAN After he graduated from Beloit, Bob moved to Denver, Colorado,
with another Beloit graduate, HEATHER COTTON'94 (Heather Bergman since 1995).
Shortly thereafter, he enrolled in the master’s program in chemistry at
the University of Colorado, but subsequently switched his focus to computer
science. Ever since, he has been in software development, and has even had the
opportunity to contribute to a few well-known websites such as MapQuest.com.
Bob currently works as a Senior Software Engineer and a member of the WebLogic
Portal development group for BEA Systems (http://www.bea.com)
in Boulder, CO.
1994 SUDHA PAVULURI was on campus this spring, for a ceremony honoring the late
college trustee, Harry Moore. A Moore Scholar from 1990 until 1994, Dr. Pavuluri
shared her recollections of Harry Moore with the crowd. Learn more online from
the spring 2004 issue of Beloit College Magazine*.
1994 TARA SANDER received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Medical College
of Wisconsin in 2000. She completed three years of postdoctoral training at
Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and is now an assistant
professor in the Pediatric Surgery Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin,.
1995 ASHLEY (EVERSOLE) HESSLEIN is now living in San Francisco after finishing
graduate school and a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale. She works on protein
purification and process development at Bayer, which has a manufacturing site
for the production of a recombinant blood clotting factor in Berkeley.
1995 TIMOTHY KORTER is an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at
Syracuse University, where he is using ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy to map
the conformational landscapes of molecules and follow the delocalized vibrations
responsible for their structural isomerization (http://chemistry.syr.edu/faculty/korter/).
After completing his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh
in 2001, Tim spent two years as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute
of Standards and Technology.
1996 DAWN MILLER is in her first year of medical school at the Uniformed Services
University of Health Sciences and has accepted a commission in the U.S. Army.
1996 ALISON (GREEN) PHARO teaches chemistry at DeForest High School in DeForest,
Wisconsin.
1996 LINA TZE visited in April from Australia, where she is a postdoctoral fellow
at the Australian National University in Canberra. She informs us that there
are at least three Beloit College Chemistry alumni living in Australia now,
including LAKMINI WEERAKOON'98 and her sister NIMALIKA (class of '92), both
of who have met Lina in Canberra!
1996 KRISTINE ZIMMERMANN received her master’s degree in public health
from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She is the project coordinator
for UIC’s National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health and the
Center for Research on Women and Gender.
1998 YUTAN GETZLER has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Kenyon College,
which he will begin in the fall upon completion of his Ph.D. in organic chemistry
at Cornell University.
1998 KELLY JOHANSON graduated from Tulane University in 2003 with a Ph.D. in
biochemistry. She is currently continuing her research as a postdoctoral fellow
in the Medical School at Tulane.
1999 MAYA DAS is completing her fifth year in the M.D./J.D. program at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. She was recently featured in the lead article (titled
“Climbing the Hill”) of the March/April 2004 issue of AMA Voice.
Maya is seen here on Capitol Hill. The article tracks her experiences visiting
legislators in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Wisconsin chapter. Maya says
that initially, she became involved in the AMA during her first year of medical
school because of her evolving interest in health policy issues. Since then,
she has served as co-chair and delegate of the UW chapter of the AMA-Medical
Student Section (AMA-MSS), co-chair of the AMA-MSS Legislative Affairs Committee,
and member of the Student Advisory Board of the American Medical Association
Political Action Committee.
2000 SEPPE KUEHN is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical
Biology at Cornell University. He is in the fourth year, working towards a Ph.D.
in Physical Chemistry. His research in Dr. John Marohn's group involves the
development of improved analytical tools for the physical chemist. Of the currently
available tools of analysis only mass spectrometry and scanned probe microscopy
routinely reach atomic sensitivity–meaning that one can detect a single
atom or molecule. Neither of these methods yields detailed structural information.
X-ray diffraction and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) routinely reach atomic
resolution, i.e., they can tell us the complete chemical structure, but at the
high price of requiring samples that will readily crystallize or are available
in high concentration. His group's goal is to bring the inherent sensitivity
of scanning probe microscopy (e.g. Atomic Force Microscopy) to the chemical
specificity of NMR. They hope to do this by developing a new type of Magnetic
Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM), where magnetic resonance is typically detected
as a force on a microcantilever. Seppe has coauthored a recent paper published
by the group in Applied Physics Letters (see http://www.marohn.chem.cornell.edu/pubs.html)
reporting enhanced sensitivity for measuring nuclei by a new technique that
relies on force gradients rather than forces. They obtained MRFM signal from
approximately one billion nuclei, which was about 100 times better than any
previous measurement that had been made. [Editor's Note: Rama Viswanathan visited
Seppe's laboratory at Cornell in fall 2003 and saw first hand some of the exquisitely
sophisticated instrumentation necessary for the measurements!]
2000 DAVID MURRAY is in the Ph.D. program in immunology at the University of
Oregon. His first project in the laboratory (where he learned to do protein
crystallography) has resulted in his first paper, published in April in Journal
of Biological Chemistry.
2001 GLEN CRONAN is a research assistant at Loyola University and has submitted
a paper to the Journal of Bacteriology.
2001 JACQUELINE MONTGOMERY wrote to Marion Fass, "All is well here in New
York, now at the end of my third year [in medical school] at Cornell. I've decided
to go into OB/GYN, [and am] going to apply to residency programs this summer.
Most likely, I'll be staying on the East Coast for the next four years, but
I'm counting on moving back to the Midwest once I'm finished with the residency–Chicago,
maybe. Cornell turned out to be a really good program for me and I needed to
come to New York…to see the world. I'm glad you pointed me in this direction.
On a personal note, I've married a New Yorker.…I just wanted to let you
know …I'm having a great time in medical school…."
2001 STEPHANIE WILLIAMS is a Peace Corps volunteer and emailed to say that she
has succeeded in setting up a Girls and Women In Science (GWS–original
program at Beloit College, see https://www.beloit.edu/gwsci/) program in Ghana.
In April, with the help of a Peace Corps Partnership grant, she coordinated
a GWS conference for middle school age girls. They had 34 girls from around
the region at her school for fun science experiments, demonstrations, and art
projects, as well as goal setting and life skills directed activities and HIV
education. It was a really great experience, and Stephanie says she was amazed
at the level some of the girls were at already in middle school–some of
them were far ahead of some of the senior secondary students that she usually
teaches in science. See article in the summer 2003 issue of Beloit College Magazine*.
2002 KATHRYN STETTLER lives in Nashville, where she is studying for a Ph.D.
at Vanderbilt University. Her advisor is the president of the American Diabetes
Association, and she hopes to enter the public policy arena after completing
her degree.
2002 LEONARD TINKER has been working as a synthetic pharmaceutical organic chemist
with Pfizer in St. Louis since he graduated and doing art glassblowing on the
side. Lennie will start graduate school at Princeton University next fall in
environmental chemistry with an emphasis on energy technology.
2003 MUYIWA AWONIYI is performing research in the Post-Translational Program
at Mayo Clinic in the lab of Dr. Mark McNiven. The two-year program is designed
for students who wish to gain experience in both clinical medicine and basic
science research. He is working on a project designed to understand the mechanisms
of macropinocytosis using dendritic cells as the model system. He expects to
join a M.D./Ph.D. program after his experience at Mayo.
2003 JONATHAN DEMICK is currently living in Madison and working on his master's
degree in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin.
2003 BRYNA DUNAWAY is in the Physician Assistant (PA) Program at George Washington
University and wrote to say that she is taking the same classes as the medical
students with the exception of histology, the only other difference being that
the PA students have to finish their classroom work in one year instead of two.
She says that "the best part of PA school has been the other students–people
from very different backgrounds who are in medicine for all of the right reasons.
Despite all of the work, we've found time to do yoga during lunch hour, go rock
climbing, run marathons, and volunteer together....I'm one of the youngest in
the program; other people in my class have a wealth of other non-school experiences
such as being helicopter pilots, joining the Peace Corps, and hiking the entire
Appalachian Trail. Amazing how much you can pack into a human brain in a couple
of months, although I think you Beloit faculty could teach a thing or two to
the George Washington faculty..." Bryna received a very pleasant surprise
in fall 2003 when she found out that she had been accepted into the National
Health Service Corps (NHSC–very much like the Peace Corps except that
the workers stay in the United States and Puerto Rico.) The competition was
really stiff (only 147 all-expenses paid scholarships awarded nationwide) but
after getting back from a preliminary conference, she says that she never felt
so much energy and passion from a group of people, all going on a two-year medical
mission after graduation to work in the most underserved areas of the country.
Bryna would love to help any Beloiters who may be interested in applying for
PA school and serving in NHSC.
2003 EZRA EIBERGEN has been accepted into the Ph.D. program in materials chemistry
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and will be joining the program
in fall after six months of research experience at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
2003 EMILY GOOD has been accepted into veterinary school at the Royal Veterinary
College in London, England. Emily is leaving for England in September to join
the five year program--a bit longer than American schools but she will be getting
more experience with animals, including pathology and surgery.
2003 KARI ROETTGER is studying immunology at Loyola University in Chicago and
wrote to say that "…this year has been really good, and I am so glad
that I went to graduate school here. Classes are a bit overwhelming (as you
probably know) due to all of the work, papers, exams, etc., but I have learned
so much. I am in the Immunology and Microbiology program, and this year I have
taken biochemistry, immunology, and virology classes. I have completed one rotation
in a SARS lab, and the research went really well–I will be a co-author
of my first paper in the Journal of Virology pretty soon–and now I am
almost finished with my second rotation in another virology lab. My next rotation
is in a B cell immunology lab, and I am pretty sure that is where I will end
up. I just absolutely love immunology–it is so complicated, but so interesting!
If anyone in Beloit is interested in immunology and wants to go to school in
Chicago, you should send them to Loyola."
2003 JENNIFER RUMPPE emailed last year to say that life in graduate school at
the University of Austin in Texas is hectic but great! Jen has joined Dr. Lara
Mahal's research group and is working on the creation of tools for the study
of n-acetyl-d-glucosamine function.
2003 RU YI TEOW is working as a lab assistant for Dr. Melina Hale and Dr. Vytautas
Bindokas in the Neurobiology Program at the University of Chicago.
Editor’s Notes: As we went to press, we were delighted to learn that SHARON
ANTHONY (ChemLinks Postdoctoral Fellow [1996-1998] and currently Associate Professor
of Chemistry at Evergreen State College) and PAT EARING are now the proud parents
of SARAH ELIZABETH EARING, born on June 8. Congratulations and best wishes!
ELISABETTA FASELLA (Visiting Assistant Professor, 2000-2001) is now a tenure-track
assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University
of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
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!)
http://chemlinks.beloit.edu/
https://www.beloit.edu/biochemistry/
https://www.beloit.edu/biology/
http://www.bioquest.org/bedrock/
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,
JEFFREY CLEAVELAND’83, JOSEPH DONOFRIO’74, JOHN GOSSELINK’67,
DOROTHY GLOYER (endowing a fund in memory of her late husband STEWART GLOYER’32),
WILLIAM HIPPLE’89, STEPHEN HULME’78, NANCY SOEURT’87, BRIAN
STEVENS ‘89, and RU YI TEOW’03.
The EDWARD STEVENS’78 Student Research Award, established by Edward’s
friends who are members of the class of ’78 (and adjacent classes) and
family in his memory, continues to provide endowed support (see page 18) for
chemistry-related undergraduate research by providing funds for research expenses
and/or travel to present research results.
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.
Forrest Beck’54
Frederic Bowers’35
Mark Burleigh’95
Richard Nystrom’43
Richard Retter’40