Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2005
Saxophonist Jesse Dochnahl, ’07, from Ennis, Mont., took first place
in the national finals of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Woodwind Young Artist competition on April 4. Dochnahl, a music education
and performance major and a student in the saxophone studio of Professor
of Music Steven Jordheim, qualified for the national event by winning state
and regional competitions and was invited to perform in a special “winners
concert” following the finals.
Steve Girard, ’05, Fairfax Station,
Va., a cello performance and chemistry major, earned first-place honors in
the Wisconsin edition of the American String Teachers Association competition
on April 2. The contest is open to string players up to 26 years of age who
are residents of or studying in Wisconsin.
Jennifer Murphy, ’06, Naperville,
Ill., is participating this summer in research with the Keck Consortium in
which a mix of undergraduates, graduate students, and professors are excavating
a fossilized forest on Banks Island in Arctic Canada. The four-week field
program focuses on the fossilized plants that grew at high altitudes 12 million
and 2 million years ago, in order to gain a better understanding of these
ancient forests. Murphy will continue her work from this summer as an independent
study during her senior year.
Biology major Ben Pauli, ’06, Madison,
has been named the recipient of the 2005 Aldo Leopold Memorial Scholarship,
awarded by the Wisconsin chapter of the Wildlife Society. He is the first
Lawrence student to win the award, which is named in honor of the renowned
scientist, environmentalist, UW-Madison professor, and author of the seminal
book on conservation, A Sand County Almanac.
Megan Unger, ’05, Shawano,
a geology and environmental studies major, has been selected to participate
in the Geological Society
of America’s Geocorps program, in which she gives tours and geologic
talks to park visitors through the Division of Interpretation at Zion National
Park. The Geocorps program allows geoscience professionals at all levels
to work for ten to 12 weeks in the National Park Service or National Forest
Service.
Jorene Hamilton, ’05, Portland, Ore.; Jennifer
Murphy; Noah Planavsky, ’06,
La Crosse; and Megan Unger presented papers based on their independent research
projects at the North Central Geological Society of America in May.