Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2009
INSIDE LAWRENCE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
• The percussion trio of Felicia Behm ’09, David Ranscht ’10, and Stacey Stoltz ’11, along with bass-baritone Derrell Acon ’10, and pianist Leonard Hayes ’11 earned top honors at the 14th annual Neale-Silva Young Artists competition in Madison, Wis. In addition to the three winners, Lawrence had two other finalists: pianist Dario LaPoma ’10 and the piano trio of Laura Hauer ’09, Anna Henke ’09, and Megan Karls ’07.
• Freshman Daniel O’Connor earned first-place honors at the Regional Competition for Young Organists. He is one of nine regional winners in the country. Susanna Valleau, a junior from Andover, Mass., took second place in the RYOC chapter division held in Boston earlier this spring.
• Marshall Cuff ’12, from Salem, Ore., earned first-prize honors at the Wisconsin Music Teachers Associate Collegiate Piano Competition held at UW-Madison. Dario LaPoma ’10 earned an honorable mention.
• Senior Stephen Flynn was the first recipient of the American Library Association’s White House Conference on Library and Information Services Award.
• Sophomores Caitlin Fish and Karl Hailperin earned Outstanding Witness awards at the 23-team American Mock Trial Association regional tournament hosted by Marquette University. A total of 13 Lawrence students — 11 of whom had no previous mock trial experience — competed in the tournament.
• Liz Rowland ’09, Bryce Schuler ’09 and Michael Schreiber ’10 were recognized for their Senior Experience projects at a meeting of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in New Orleans, La. All three earned awards for their poster abstracts. Schreiber earned an honorable mention for his poster defense.
• The team of Jian Gong ’12, Fangzhou Qui ’12, and Uladzimir Pashkevich earned Meritorious Winner recognition in the 2009 Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
BJELLA SAYS GOOD-BYE
After 25 years at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, Rick Bjella (above, center), director of choral studies, is leaving to take a similar position with the School of Music at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. During his tenure at Lawrence, Bjella conducted the Concert Choir, Viking Chorale, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Collegium, Chamber Singers, and the Choral Society. Reflecting on his career, Bjella said, “Over the years, it has been wonderful to see the substantial growth in the students’ participation and commitment to excellence and caring for each other. It has been wonderful to be a part of this picture that I believe has enhanced the lives of so very many in the Lawrence community.” Dean of the Conservatory Brian Pertl ’86 praised Bjella for his dedication saying, “Over the last quarter century, Bjella single-handedly built the choral program at Lawrence, making it world class. He will be missed.” Paul Nesheim has accepted a one-year appointment as visiting associate professor in choral studies to replace Bjella. Nesheim is currently director of choral activities at Minnesota State University in Moorhead.
SAFETY PROJECT GETS GRANT
The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region has given Lawrence’s Office for Engaged Learning a $3,000 unrestricted funds grant to support the college’s continuing partnership with the Appleton Fire Department. Since 2007 Lawrence students have assisted AFD with evaluating and enhancing fire safety education efforts targeting lower income households and the elderly. Alan Parks, professor of mathematics and Pieper Family Professor of Servant Leadership said, “We are partnering with several community agencies to recruit families for a home visit program. This program will be developed and conducted by Beth Hoffman ’10 along with myself and Lori Casey, the AFD’s public education director. Hoffman’s work is part internship, part research project, and part outreach — a mixture we want to encourage.”
HELPING THE HOMELESS
Lawrence students braved the elements this past spring to raise money to help the homeless. Using found and recyclable materials, teams of students constructed 12’ x 12’ shacks on Main Hall Green. At least one team member had to spend the night in each shack. Those who participated said Shack-a-Thon, now in its eighth year, helped give them a better idea of what it means to be homeless. The students are hoping to secure funds to co-sponsor a second Habitat for Humanity home in Appleton. In 2007 Lawrence’s student chapter of Habitat for Humanity built its first home in partnership with J.J. Keller & Associates and the Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity.
WISCONSIN LAUDED
Rob Campbell (above, left), a physics and chemistry teacher at McFarland High School, and Jason Gillette (above, far right), a music teacher at Brookfield Central High School, are recipients of the 2009 Lawrence award for Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin.
Lawrence senior Liz Marshall cited Campbell’s enthusiasm, inspiration and dedication in helping students reach their full potential in nominating her former teacher for the award. “Mr. Campbell’s teaching style was clear and logical, but it was his ability to push students further than they believed they could go that made him a wonderful teacher,” Marshall wrote in her nomination letter. “He was my first high school teacher to push me past my academic comfort zone.”
Senior Alex Bunke, who played trombone in the Brookfield marching band, praised Gillette’s infectious passion in his nomination. “Mr. Gillette has a love of music that rubs off on his students,” wrote Bunke. “He demands excellence, but not in an overbearing or intimidating way. He knows how to draw the best out of you without making you feel inadequate or too pressured. He’s the kind of teacher you want to impress because you can tell it makes him happy.” Campbell and Gillette are the 51st and 52nd Wisconsin teachers honored for education excellence by Lawrence since the program was launched in 1985.
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY BIOCHEMIST AWARDED NIH STIMULUS GRANT FOR ASTHMA RESEARCH
David Hall, associate professor of chemistry, will receive $30,824 from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases division to fund four additional summer research students in 2009. This latest grant supplements a previous NIH grant for $206,000 Hall received in 2006 initiate his current project.
Hall’s research examines the mechanisms by which rhinovirus, better known as the common cold, activates immune cells known as macrophages, leading to the exacerbation of asthma. Previous studies have identified immune cells as playing an important role in increasing the severity of irritation of the respiratory system during an asthma attack, but the details of the role of macrophages are still very poorly understood. “During an asthma attack, the cold virus causes an asthmatic’s lung muscles to spasm, restricting air flow and the person’s ability to breathe,” said Hall, a biochemist who specializes in viruses and the immune system. “What this research is trying to understand is the mechanism by which the common cold triggers these attacks. This is a unique way to approach the problem and hopefully will lead to new avenues of treatment for asthma.”
The NIH grant will expand to eight the total number of students working on this problem in Hall’s laboratory this summer and also will provide $4,000 for research supplies and equipment. “This grant gives our students a fantastic opportunity to do real world research with the potential to make a significant impact on a serious health problem,” said Hall. “It’s also a springboard for stimulating student curiosity in basic science and exploring why things happen the way they do.”
TWO FACULTY APPOINTED TO ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Lawrence University faculty members Eilene Hoft-March and William Hixon have been appointed to endowed professorships. Hoft-March, professor of French, was named to the Milwaukee-Downer College and College Endowment Association Professorship. A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1988,
Hoft-March is a scholar of 20th-century French literature with research interests in the evolution of the novel. In addition to French and francophone studies, she also teaches courses in the gender studies program. She was recognized in 1991 with Lawrence’s Young Teacher Award.
This endowed chair honors the legacy of Milwaukee-Downer College, which consolidated with Lawrence in 1964. Hixon, associate professor of government, was named to the Gordon R. Clapp Chair in American Studies.
Hixon first joined the Lawrence government department in 2000 as a visiting assistant professor and returned to the college in 2003 with a tenure-track appointment as an assistant professor. His scholarship interests include Congressional politics and environmental public policy.
Established in 1963, the Clapp professorship honors the memory of Gordon R. Clapp ’27, who enjoyed a distinguished career. He served as general chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority and led a 1949 United Nations economic mission to the Middle East. He also served as deputy city administrator for New York City and as president of a private engineering consulting firm on foreign aid programs.
Early in his career, Clapp served as assistant dean and director of admissions at Lawrence and later served as a member of the Lawrence Board of Trustees (1948–51). Lawrence awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1947 and recognized him with an Alumni Distinguished Service award in 1960.
