A Note From Our Fearless Leader

Fall
2014
SCI
NOTES
A newsletter of Parkland College’s Department of Natural Sciences
Parkland College Natural Sciences:
Science,
Naturally
In this Issue:
Feature Articles
Names in the news . . . . 2
Planetarium events . . . . 3
New faculty profile . . . 4
Hittin’ the road—
BCCE conference . . . . . 4
Campus Sustainability . .6
The Revolving Door Where are they now? . . .7
-SAVE THE DATE!
FEBRUARY 26,
2015
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
DAY
LOCATION :
Crystal Lake Boat
House
A Note From Our Fearless Leader:
How do you sum up the year so far and give hope for the rest of the year? I can sum up the
year so far with 2 words: Thank You! Thank you for granting me the opportunity to be
chair. It has been and will continue to be a huge learning experience. I have learned some
of how Parkland works, doesn’t work, and some of the convoluted things we do to make it
work. Thank you for your help. There is so much to learn and I’ve been lucky enough to
have you to help me. Thank you for your patience. I know some of you have received multiple emails asking pretty much the same question over and over again just so I could be
consistent with Nat Sci’s answer. Thank you for your forgiveness. I know I am far from
perfect and have made mistakes, but I’ve tried to correct them as quickly as possible. Thank
you for your flexibility. With the decreased enrollment, the Affordable Care Act restrictions, and the typical absences due to illness, conferences, or life events you have
stepped up and taken or subbed for sections that might have been out of your comfort zone.
Thank you for your words of encouragement, your bent ears, and your chocolate. There
were days that those were what got me through.
Okay, on to the future. 3 words: Big Red Box (or bar). Many of us have come to think of
those words as the scary unknown part of our future specifically of the academic services
reorganization, but maybe we should look at it a little differently. Every summer on the Saturday before Father’s day my mom packs her big red cooler for the Drake family reunion.
Once a month a not so big, reddish-orange box shows up in my mailbox with my Stampin’
Up subscription craft kit and my mom, my friend Amy, and I get to spend a couple hours
having fun. Currently on my hearth sits a big red package addressed
to my nephew Carter. These big red boxes have a lot in common.
They all inspire hope: deviled eggs, something creative, hours of fun
with Carter. They all involved people that care: Mom makes the
eggs and my family devours them; Mom, Amy, I get to create; and
Carter and Aunt Sheryl get to play. They all have some uncertainty:
it could be a veggie tray without dip; it could be empty; Grandma and
Grandpa could have gotten him the same gift. When it comes to the
big red box that is Parkland’s future there are some uncertainties:
reorg, budget, enrollment, outside forces, IL budget, etc. There is still
hope: the reorg will help us get the things that need to be done and
the things we’d like to get done, done; the budget will be fixed with
not just pennies, but dollars will fall from heaven; enrollment will
steadily increase; the state budget will get fixed and fund SURS without skyrocketing taxes or cutting funding for education; etc. Most
importantly there are a lot of people that care about Parkland: You!
-submitted by Interim “Sher,” Sheryl Drake
.
1
Waylena McCully wins
Service Award
Staerkel Planetarium production designer, Waylena McCully was awarded the prestigious “Service Award”
from the Great Lakes Planetarium Association. GLPA is the largest of seven regional organizations in the country. Waylena is the fourth person to
win this award since the first was given out in 1997. It recognizes exceptional and long-term service to the
association. She received the award
at the GLPA annual conference at Ball
State University in Muncie, Indiana.
Natural Sciences,
Names in the News
* Congratulations to Earth
Science Instructor Julie Angel
on the birth of her first grandchild! Clara Faye Angel was
born to Matt (former IMC
Assistant) and Autumn Angel
on November 26. Since we
scientists measure things, she
came in at 7 lbs, 1 oz and 20
inches long. She also has red
hair.
* Congratulations are also in
order for our own Karen Rocha on the birth of her great
grandbaby. In the photo below we see five generations! From left to right we see Sarah Krebs (Karen’s daughter),
Karen Rocha, Betty Karnes (Karen’s mother), Leon Kern, and Anthony Kern (Karen’s
grandson).
DEPT. OF NATURAL SCIENCES
Chairperson: Sher yl Dr ake
Parkland College
2400 W. Bradley Avenue
Champaign, IL 61821
217-351-2285
SCI-NOTES
Editor: If you want to blame someone,
blame Dave Leake (which is why it isn’t
as pretty as Sheryl’s last issue!)
Parkland College ensures equal educational opportunities are offered to
students, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, disability,
sexual orientation, veteran/Vietnam veteran era, age, or religion, and is Section
504/ADA compliant. For additional
information, or accommodations,
call 217-351-2505.
* Congratulations to our own
Toni Burkhalter who was determined to be one of “40 under 40” to have made significant contributions to their community and workplaces, all
before age 40 according to
Central Illinois Business magazine. Toni’s profile reads:
Associate professor of biology
and kinesiology, Parkland College’s Community involvement: Nutrition and exercise
incentive programs at local
schools; hands-on demonstrations at Saturday Science at the Market; speaking to audiences from kindergartners to elected officials as a member of the Parkland Speaker's Bureau. Biggest career challenge: In my 20s, it was very challenging to take on a full-time
career while accepting a leadership role supervising peers who may have had more experience or knowledge in the field. Pivotal career decision: I gave birth to my daughter
when I was working on my Ph.D at the University of Illinois. With the excruciatingly
long hours, I missed my daughter terribly. I realized that I did
not have much work/life balance. I decided to step into a more
family-friendly career, allowing me opportunities to continue
to challenge myself while giving back to the community. My
partner/best friend/mom would describe me as: "On the go."
From the nominator: "Toni is a dedicated, enthusiastic and engaging instructor that strives to get better at her craft each semester. In addition to providing our students with an outstanding educational experience, she is a rock for support and guidance when they need it." -Rose Dalton, associate professor of
biology, Parkland College
2
Planetarium Events
The World of Science Lecture continues in the spring with three more
speakers:
February 6, 2015
“Conquering Mt. St. Helens”
Come along with Parkland Earth Science
instructor Julie Angel as she scales America’s most famous volcano!
March 6, 2015
“The Fear Factor of GMO Plants”
A quick glance at social media will turn up
several references to “Genetically Modified Organisms.” But what are GMOs and
are they really dangerous? Ph.D. student
Lynnicia Massenburg fills us in!
April 3, 2015
“Appreciating Biodiversity Close to
Home”
In an array of images taken in and around
Champaign-Urbana, U of I lecturer Rob
Kanter calls attention to the surprising
range of animals that inhabits the humandominated landscape of central Illinois.
The first annual Educators Open house is
scheduled for February 26, 4-7pm. District teachers can stop in as their schedule
permits to see some of the things the planetarium can do to support their instruction.
Looking for something special to do for
Valentine’s Day? Why not take in a harp
concert, live in the
planetarium featuring
Ann McLaughlin.
Showtime is 8:30pm
both February 13 and 14.
All seats are $5 at the
door.
President’s Day Special . . . . A special
showing of the new fulldome “Back to the
Moon . . . For Good” will occur at 11am
and 2pm on Monday, February 16. Admission is $4
per person.
New fulldome opening this
spring!
Natural Sciences,
Names in the News
There have been about 30 students and several
faculty and staff who've attended the music
events this fall held every Thursday in the new U
wing. The new stage in the cafeteria area proved
to be an excellent venue for musical performances. There's a really neat vibe seeing all the students and employees listening to live music while
studying, socializing, or just listening. The students in these photos are taking a music composition class with Kris Engberg in FAA. They presented the seminar on music composition on November 6, and really did an outstanding job.
- Dave Wilson
On July 5th, 2014, I joined a group of 15 other
brave souls and 4 volcano guides on a summit
climb of Mt. St. Helen's in Washington
State. The trip is one of several offered throughout the summer months by the Mt. St. Helen's Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people understand and protect the volcano. Oh how I wish Parkland College
were closer to Mt. St. Helens AND the
Institute, as they offer field seminars,
lecture series, guided climbs, and other
fabulous hikes and educational opportunities for people of all ages. If you'd
like to hear about my adventure and see
some cool pictures, come to my "World
of Science" talk on February 6, 2015 at
7pm in the Parkland Planetarum. Oh...and thanks to Mindy
Tidrick for letting me borrow her awesome climbing poles!
- Julie Angel
Erik Johnson, Sheryl Drake and Dave
Leake hold down the fort (literally) at one
of the more chilly “Science at the Market”
outreach events at Lincoln Square Mall in
Urbana.
3
New Faculty Profile
Sarah
Schneider
What is your
current position at Parkland? What
do you teach?
I co-teach Bio
107 (Introduction to Evolution) and serve
as a substitute instructor. I also teach and
tutor at Lincoln College in Normal, IL.
What did you do at your previous job?
I was a graduate student at the University
of Illinois. After my master’s degree I
stayed on at U of I to pursue a PhD in a
program called Ecology, Evolution, and
Conservation Biology. I spent two years
gaining teaching experience and researching how migratory songbirds might be
spreading Lyme disease here in Illinois.
While the research was interesting, I found
grad school to be rather miserable, so I
ended up leaving the program! I’m what
you might refer to as a PhDud.
Where did you get your degrees?
B.A. in Biology from Kenyon College
(2009). M.S. in Natural Resources and
Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois (2012)
What has been your biggest challenge so
far as a member of our department?
My commute from Bloomington! The surrounding corn/soybean desert makes for a
not-so-scenic drive, particularly in the winter.
What do you like so far about working
at Parkland College?
All the friendly faces! I’ve found that everyone I’ve worked with has been incredibly kind and helpful.
If we borrowed your phone/IPod/CD
player right now, what would we be listening to?
This is slightly embarrassing, but you’d
most likely find rap/hip-hop playing on my
Ipod. I wonder if I’m the only instructor at
Parkland who actually listens to this…
Favorite place to eat in town?
I’m a really big fan of the giant cheese
curds at Seven Saints!
Name one thing on your "bucket list?"
Travel to beautiful places and see as much
of the world as possible. One place I’ve
always wanted to see Alaska.
Natural Sciences,
Hittin’ the Road
Conference on Chemical Education
By Christina Beatty
I had a great time at BCCE (the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education) at Grand Valley
State in Grand Valley, MI in August.
Flipped Classrooms: Ther e wer e lots of sessions on Flipped Classrooms (i.e. students do a
majority of the work before class instead of after so you can spend class time on tougher concepts).
Here are some tips I learned if you’ve been considering flipping your classroom:
Barely discuss the syllabus but instead send an assignment home with them like a syllabus
quiz. Engage students the next class period to ask them why would I do this? Students get
it. They understand why doing the easier work up front (listening to a lecture) before class
and then discussing the harder concepts in class is beneficial.
Just flip every other chapter the first time you try it so it’s not so overwhelming on you, the
instructor. Then you also can get feedback from students if they like it or not.
There are ways to keep students accountable to doing work ahead of time: grade their notes
that they took while watching the lecture, see how many times they watched a video (if at
all), clicker questions etc.
I’d like to try some sort of combo of POGIL (that I already do) and a flipped classroom.
Learning Catalytics: I also attended a wor kshop on Learning Catalytics which is a r eally
fancy (but fairly easy to use) web-based version of clickers. When trying it in Che 100 this semester, I assumed the biggest hindrance would be that not everyone has a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Results from a survey I gave on day 1 showed only 1 out of 21 students did not have a
smartphone. [I just got mine last year , even after John Moore got his J – I feel behind the
times!] So I was going to let this student
borrow an old iPod touch I have. However, the real hindrance was Parkland’s wifi. I had trouble with consistency and will
go back to iClickers in the spring. (I had
switched because LC is free with our
Pearson textbook). The system itself is
easy to use and offers a variety of question types (instead of just multiple choice)
– it’s really versatile. The picture above
asks students to graph what they believe
should happen on a graph and students
draw exactly what they think instead of
choosing a multiple choice answer. The
only downfall about the system itself is that you have to use HTML for subscripts and superscripts
which is not so sweet if you’re a chemist [C<sub>12</sub>H<sub>22</sub>O<sub>11</sub>].
How We Learn: Finally, I attended a gr eat wor kshop on Lear ning Science (how people
learn) and will hopefully give a presentation on it at Professional Development Day. Research
says:
Immediate feedback is cr ucial. Students scor ed a lot better on an exam when their pr actice for it was multiple choice quizzes with immediate feedback rather than open-ended
exam-like questions with delayed feedback. You’d think forcing them to write answers to
open-ended questions that are similar to exam questions would help them learn the material better for the exam, but the feedback on the multiple choice practice quizzes was instead more helpful.
Self-testing is cr ucial. One gr oup of students in a study r ead a passage 3 or mor e times in
a row. Another group read it once and then immediately took a recall test. Though the
former group scored slightly higher on an exam 5 minutes later, the latter group (that selftested) scored dramatically higher when they took the exam 1 week later. So self-testing
after reading instead of re-reading helps with information retention.
Sometimes, too much information can be a crutch for lower level students. Giving your
students more and more information isn’t always helpful (“But I told them this 3
times….”). Too much information can be crutches for lower level students. It’d be better
to give them practice quizzes to force them to try to recall the information, even if they
4
THANK YOU!
In difficult times, we often find ourselves
feeling very alone, struggling to again find
our way back to our path forward because
a life event blew a gale in our faces and
knocked us on our rumps. When my mom
passed away unexpectedly in midOctober, I found myself in just such a situation. She had been hospitalized for similar symptoms before, but this time I was at
a Phi Theta Kappa conference--co-hosting
in fact--so I couldn't get to her side for a
few days. And then I overheard the word
cancer. ...Couldn't believe my ears! A 20year survivor of bilateral breast cancer, we
thought, but it had crept back in when
none of us was looking. "It's in her
bones," they said, "and probably her
lungs, causing the fluid that is accumulating." Incredulous, I asked the oncologist ,"How could this be? She had breast
cancer 20 years ago and has been cancer
free!" Imagine my shock when he replied,
"Yes, we see this all the time with breast
cancer." (Ladies--did you know that? Tell
everyone you know who is a survivor to
remain vigilant.) Next thought--how do I
tell this brave woman that it has returned
with a vengeance and it is too late to do
anything but wait for an absolutely horridly miserable death? ...And then there was
a fortuitous mistake--a tiny needle prick in
the wrong place changed everything, and
the next day, during my brief visit on my
way out of town to another conference,
entirely unexpectedly she passed. What a
clever escape from a dreadful fate!
Within an hour of her death, I shot a
short email to Sheryl--my mom just died. I
need subs for next week. In less than an
hour I got a reply--condolences and here is
who is covering each of your courses so
don't worry about a thing; take care of
yourself. And then the emails and texts
started arriving. So sorry... I'm here for
you...What can I do to help...Do you need
anything...Can't imagine your pain...We're
all here for you.... Each day that followed,
I received tremendous support from multiple folks in Nat Sci and HP. Never doubt
that the smallest gesture of kindness is a
gift that can have an impact so much larger than you realize. Words cannot begin to
express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the whole wonderful lot of you
with whom I have the fortune to spend my
days. So I will end with a simple statement that I hope sums it all up: YOU
ROCK!!!!
- Lori Garrett
Natural Sciences,
Hittin’ the Road
get questions wrong a lot. I know I am too quick to jump in to answer students’ questions
– I need to let them ponder and try it on their own first. Been working on that forever!
By Britt Carlson
I had a great time at BCCE 2014! I learned a lot and even
bumped into a prof. from my undergrad alma mater and also
a friend from grad school! It was also very entertaining to
listen to Al D. Hyde and the Keytones (a band made up of
chemistry educators) – they were pretty good! The symposia
I attended concentrated on 2YC3 (Two-Year College Chemistry Consortium), laboratory safety, undergraduate research
experiences, NSF programs and opportunities, and inquiry in
the classroom. I learned so much from other 2-yr college
faculty about how to increase opportunities for students to do
research out of the classroom and how to form relationships with NSF and with 4-yr institutions.
It was inspiring to learn about different programs designed to get students to think beyond the syllabus and engage with the doing of science and the many forms of these programs that exist across
the country and across different types of institutions. I also attended two workshops. One was on
transfer and the other was “Exploring Great Lakes Issues.” The transfer workshop was very eyeopening. Specifically, I was surprised to learn about how each state deals with the issue in very
different ways and how that completely frames the conversation. It was hard to get down to any
real details because we were on such different pages when it came to state regulations and systems. The workshop on the lake issues was a lot of fun. We started off on Muskegon Lake and
then went out onto Lake Michigan. Along the way, we learned how past industrial processes had
reshaped the chemical, geological, and biological make-up of the waterways. We also got to take a
look at the invasive quagga mussels and look at some beautiful diatoms, plankton, and Daphnia
(along with a cormorant and some swans). My favorite part was probably when we learned about
microcystins and anatoxins. Microcystins are hepatotoxic and tumor-inducing polypeptides
(serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitors with
LD50 ≈ 25-60μg/kg) produced by Microcystis and other
cyanobacteria (the ones that create “algal blooms”).
Anatoxins are also produced in algal blooms. They are a
family of neurotoxic alkaloids (nicotinic acetylcholine
receptor agonists with LD50 ≈ 200μg/kg) that are produced by A nabaena and other cyanobacteria. Before this
trip, I hadn’t known what it was about algal blooms that
made the water dangerous for people, and considering
the fact that at the
Anatoxin-a: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatoxin-a.svg
same time as my
trip, Toledo, OH was
undergoing a tap
water ban due to a
Microcystis bloom,
this was really fascinating.
Microcystin: http://www.enzolifesciences.com/ALX-350-148/microcystin-ly/
5
Natural Sciences,
Hittin’ The Road
CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY
In a move toward sustainability on
campus, I worked with Pheasant's Forever, Parkland's Sustainability Committee, the Physical Plant, and our
campus civil engineer to establish a
new one-acre tallgrass prairie planting
across the Perimeter Drive in front of
the new Student Union. We planted
about 75 species of prairie plants native to east-central mesic soils.
In conversations, the Sustainability
Committee and Physical Plant both are
encouraging the college to support additional plantings. We could add another 15 acres of tallgrass to campus, including large tracts behind the track
and small showy flower beds by the
buildings! This would eliminate hours
of mowing, minimizing the grounds
crew's time on the mower, fuel use,
and the college's carbon footprint. It
also means beautiful flowers throughout the growing season.
Planting tallgrass prairie costs less than
planting turf grass, and once the seed is
in the ground there is little maintenance required! Tallgrass prairie helps
control drainage, prevents erosion, and
brings important pollinators to the area.
Our deep, rich soils are also due to the
prairie, and growing them reminds us
of our natural heritage.
BY Sheryl Drake
I attended a number of workshops while at BCCE.
Molecular Origami for Biochemistry by Charles Abrams: When teaching the biomolecules
(carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, DNA, and RNA) in Chemistry for Health Professions I always
struggle to find affordable models that the students can get their hands on and hoped this workshop
would help with that. We built an alpha helix, a beta sheet, a Rossman fold which combines a parallel beta sheet with an alpha helix, and he provided us with the pdf version of his book so we can
build amylose, cellulose, lipids, DNA, and more. I think students would get more out of the activity if they actually built the molecules like we did in the workshop, but some of models, like DNA,
are very time consuming to build. I’ll have to think carefully about how to incorporate them into
the class.
Three workshops I attended were
about teaching chemistry via other disciplines, making chemistry more appealing to
non-science majors.
Caveman Chemistry by Kevin M. Dunn:
This guy was just fun! (Mindy did his Soap
Making Workshop later in the week.) Students have 28 hands-on chemical projects to perform in the course. They learn to make fire from
friction, use the fire to cure the clay they make into a crucible, and use the crucible when they smelt
bronze. During the workshop we turned wool into yarn and then dyed it. Throughout the course
students are learning history and chemistry.
cCWCS Mini workshops: Food Chemistry and Chemistry in Art: Chemistr y Collabor ations,
Workshops, & Communities of Scholars (cCWCS) are NSF-sponsored workshops. These were
mini workshops (3 hours) to give you a taste of the free 5 day workshops. In Food Chemistry we
made chocolate mousse (a colloid) with different juices; we tested different pan metals for their
ability to transfer heat; and we sampled apple juice at 3 different temperatures to see the impact on
sweetness. In Chemistry in Art we etched metal and glass, we electroplated niobium pendants, we
manipulated light to stage a theater production, and we used an
IR camera to show that a painting was painted over another
painting.
But the best thing about
the trip was who I went with.
They say 2 heads are better than
1, but we had 4 heads and an
extra brain.
I am adding prairie planting projects to
Bio 109, Introduction to Plant Biology,
as service learning projects.
If you are interested in helping, contact
Heidi at hleuszler@parkland.edu
6
Natural Sciences,
Featured Articles
THE “REVOLVING DOOR” CONTINUES
Remember the revolving door video we ran at a department meeting a few years ago? Well the door continues to revolve! This
isn’t a bad thing. It means our people are moving up in the world. So what has happened to our past department chairs? We
ask: “W here A re They Now?”
I served as Department Chair for
Natural Sciences from June 2004
to July 2007. Since then, I’ve
walked across the L-A sidewalk
into the academic services vice
presidency and, since October,
have been sucking wind climbing
two flights of stairs up to the third
floor of U where my office is now
located. Despite my new job having provided me the opportunity
to harvest corn, fly a plane, and
work on behalf of community colleges in Washington, D.C., I still
keep a pair of safety goggles and a
CRC Handbook in my office should
the need arise.
- Kris Young (chair, 2004-2007)
I’m keeping busy with the house and a
big vegetable garden, traveling, visiting
sons and three grandsons, playing a lot
of tennis and golf. The only “glitch” has
been triple bypass surgery on the heart,
but at least they caught it in advance!
- Victor Cox (chair, 1988-1993)
After "retiring", I spent 4 years teaching half time as a part of the professor emeritus program. I then spent another almost 5 years coordinating the dual credit program at Parkland
(again half-time). I have been fully retired since May 1, 2013. Connie and I spend a lot of
our time traveling to northern Michigan (condo) and to Hawaii (our other condo). We now
get to spend a month there every winter (we've been to Hawaii about 30 times). I was
able to co-teach a couple of courses on evolution at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. It
was a very pleasurable experience and felt good to be back in a classroom again. Both Connie and I have spent a lot of time the past few years taking care of aging parents. Unfortunately Connie's mom and dad died within 8 months of one another this past year. My mom
is in a nursing home and will turn 96 next month. One of the things I like most about retirement is the flexibility it brings. No more having to be to work at 8 AM. We can take short
trips during the week and schedules are much more open. We just got back from doing the
wine trail in southern Illinois with friends ("The Board") for 3 days. Left on Sunday, got back
on Wednesday. Hard to do that when working. Oh, and did I mention the garden, taking
care of four cats and reading lots of books (although not as many as I want) ? I'm busy as
ever but things seem to be on a more relaxed pace. -Rich Blazier (chair, 1993-2004)
7
Natural Sciences,
Feature Articles
Warm greetings to everyone in Natural
Sciences! My selfie was taken in my
classroom at Brookfield Academy, a K12 school where I teach chemistry. I'm
using my leadership experience from
Parkland to help shape the future leaders of America. I've conveniently withheld from them that my greatest accomplishment as Chair was renovation of
the L-wing men's room. And even that
didn't go very well. There was a controversy over the urinals being too high (a
true story). Hope everyone is well. I
think of you fondly.
Ed O’Sullivan (chair, 2007-2008)
I entered the revolving door to the chair’s
office in the Department of Natural Sciences in July 2008 and re-emerged, relatively
unscathed, in June 2014. Soon after Joe
and I moved to the far northwest suburbs
so I could begin my new position as Dean of
Mathematics and Science at Harper College
in Palatine, Illinois. I am also a few months
from completing a doctorate in community
college leadership. Going through the door
held many surprises as six years ago I
would not have predicted either of those
events. While the journey has been dizzying for me and rest of the Bruce clan, it also
has been, and continues to be, a grand adventure.
Kathy Bruce (chair, 2008-2014)
Sheryl Drake, (chair, 2014-2015)
????
8
Natural Sciences,
Feature Articles
A different take on the “Revolving Door” . . . . . . From a guy who has worked
for all of them . . . . . . . . Ladies & Gentleman . . . John Moore . . . .
My memory is poor, even on a good day. Often times, I am lucky to remember whether someone was short or tall - even though
this is one of the most important characteristics of a person (at least in my mind:) !!!!!! That being said - I'll
take a shot at recalling our previous chairs, and maybe a thing or two about each:)
First off - we left off Bob Owens and Susan Kelly, the two somewhat tall chairs who preceded Vic. Bob was a
hard-core religious zealot, and all I can remember about him was that every time he would walk past the
A&P labs and see a "teaching torso" on the counter - he would go in and either remove the genitalia from
view (and place them in a drawer where we would have a tough time finding them:), or turn the torso
around so that said genitals could not be seen from the hallway. (When I was a lab monitor, Jan Vlach and I
actually took a couple of skeletons and placed them in flagrante delicto on one of the lab counter-tops - just
to torque off Bob:) Susan Kelly - again, who was tall for a woman - was here for a very short period of time,
and all I really recall about her was that she was a pilot, and that she used to fly her private plane to see her
hubby on the weekends – where ever it was that he was working.
Then there was the short "good ol boys" period with Vic and Rich. One was known for his rich head of hair
and rugged good looks, one was not. As I recall - both were fairly short men.
Then, with the hiring of Kris Young, started the transition phase between the "good ol
boys" and the "good ol girls". She too, was short (maybe even shorter than Rich, if that
is possible), and was a chemist - and liked cats, if that matters. She left the department
with an "Honorary Biologist" diploma, awarded by the BIO faculty at the time.
Ed O'Sullivan came next - and I was actually on the search committee that hired him. Though I'm still not
sure whether he was part of the good ol boys or good ol girls network from a philosophical point of view, he
was tall and also had the best sense of humor of any chair before or after him - so I
liked him.
Kathy Bruce taught for several years before migrating to the dark side and becoming
chair. She continued the good ol girls network, was short, and liked to drink beer:) The fact that she deserted us in our time of need should not be held against her.
And that brings us to Sheryl - sweet Sheryl. Sheryl is to be commended for stepping up to the interim chair
position in an intense time of need - we Thank You, Sheryl! Sheryl's sense of humor may, in fact, rival that of
Ed - which is a very definite good characteristic to have. If you ask Sheryl on any given day - "How long until your interim position
is over?", she will be able to tell you at least "to the day", and probably "to the hour" how much time is left:) I have no doubt that
Scott Siechen will be able to do the same:)
So, folks - that's the long & short of it (or as I'm more prone to remember, the tall and short of it:) Cheers! - jm
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WE HAVE NEW BIO LABS! WOO-HOO!
Two more new lab spaces for Biology!
Renovation on L-114 & 115 is now being finished and
will be ready to move into for Spring ’15 classes!
LeeAnne Byers has already begun organizing labels so
that we don’t need to open every cabinet in a row to
find what we’re looking for.
Finishing touches are being applied by Jim Bustard’s
crew, the folks from JohnCo and our architects. The
labs look just as fantastic as the other new biology labs
that came on line for Fall ’14. They will be outfitted
with all of the amenities that we’ve come to rely on
now that we have modern teaching lab spaces. (I don’t
know how I ever got along without a document camera
now that I have one.) Additionally, the “traditional” lab
(L-114) has CO2 gas running to outlets at the student
benches. This will make working with Drosophila melanogaster much less smelly (and toxic to the flies) than it
has been, opening up lots of possibilities for labs on inheritance, genetics and natural selection. We’ll be moving stools, refrigerators and other equipment into the
spaces over the next couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to a semester where even more of our students
have their labs in safer, cleaner, more modern lab classrooms.
- Scott Siechen
BEFORE
AFTER
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