In this Issue:
Summer Research Program 2 –3
Department Highlight
4
Spotlight on Animal
Guess who’s in
here??? For more
info see page 8!
Caretakers!
5-6
Alumni News
7-8
Personal Congratulations!
8
Alumni Grad School Highlights
9-12
Professional Congratulations! 13-15
Where is The Twinkie?
15
Student Happenings!
16
January 2012
Volume 12, Issue 1
Reid Tornquist ('12) and Caitlin Peirce ('12). Undergraduate research is all about exploring things that you've never done before and
learning from each other while doing it. It takes a little bit of risk-taking and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone. Students in
our summer research program, whether they be headed for high school biology teaching (e.g. Reid Tornquist '12), contemplating
professional school (e.g. Caitlin Peirce ‘12), or entirely unsure of their future career, are gaining a variety of new skills, but most
importantly, they are gaining confidence.
Biology Department News
Hope College Biology Department - Visit our website at: http://www.hope.edu.academic/biology
Summer Undergraduate Research; it’s about exploring!
Summer research participants attended a special exhibition of the “Life and Works of John James
Audubon” at the Grand Rapids Art Museum
1
Bio Summer Research Program Continued….
Keeping up the long-running tradition of being one of the most productive biology undergraduate research
programs in the nation, 26 biology students participated in the summer 2011 events, working on a variety of
projects in the labs of Drs. Chase, Hledin, Putzke, Murray, Li, Winnett-Murray, Stukey, McDonough, Bultman
and Yurk. The Biology Department has been increasingly creative about funding undergraduate research, and
the 2011 crew received funding from a variety of sources including NSF – REU (Research Experiences for
Undergraduates), NSF- RUI, the DTE Foundation, the Hope College Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, the
Campbell Foundation, the S-STEM grant, the Dean of Natural and Applied Sciences, some generous anonymous
private donors, and departmental funds that make possible discretionary awards such as the Cronkite Award
and the Wolterink Award. The 2011 summer research crew included Joe Adamson, Emily Armbruster, Sasha
Balcazar, Alexis Beatles, Elizabeth Billquist, Kristen Bosch, Jeffrey Corajod, Christopher Davis, Jillian Farkas,
Guillermo Flores, Danielle Goodman, Austin Homkes, Tanweer Ismail, Erica Jansen, Jessica Kozack, Merhawi
Mihreteab, Danielle Mila, Caitlin Peirce, Caitlin Ploch, Monique Richards, Daniel Smith, Sherri Smith, Jasmine
Sutton, Reid Tornquist, Holly Vander Stel, and Marshall Willey, as well as several high school students and
teachers who were funded through the Hope College REACH and STEM programs. Participants engaged in full
time research in their respective labs, but also came together each week to enjoy a variety of workshops
focused on scientific writing and professional development, as well as to enjoy each other’s company in some of
the various social outlets the west Michigan summer has to offer – picnics! baseball! museums! farmer’s market!
field trips! Just a few of the highlights are pictured here and on Page 3.
Caitlin Peirce (’12) poses with a
captured Cedar Waxwing on
bird banding day at the Outdoor Discovery Center –
Macatawa Greenway. 49 birds
were captured, banded and
released on June 2, 2011!
Joe Adamson (‘14) and Kristin Bosch (‘13) demonstrate how to band a Cedar Waxwing. Banding
records are critical for evaluating population changes in
birds.
Summer research students Austin Homkes
(‘14) and Daniel Smith (‘12) contemplate
the interactions between multiple levels of
organization in Vinca minor, commonly
called Myrtle.
Jillian Farkas (‘13) and Erica Jansen (’12) carefully
check for ectoparasites on a female Rose-breasted
Grosbeak; rarely, ectoparasites on birds, such as
ticks, could be vectors for Lyme Disease or Eastern
Equine Encephalitis. Therefore, ectoparasites are
carefully monitored. Marshall Willey (‘13) is seen
examining a different bird in the background.
Participants in Bird Banding Day, pictured L to R: Caitlin
Peirce, Marshall Willey, Jessica Kozack, Erica Jansen, Jasmine
Sutton, Jillian Farkas, Dr. Greg Murray, Joe Adamson.
2
Summer Research Highlights!
Many of the summer research students joined Drs. Bultman,
Murray, Li, Mcdonough, Stukey, and Winnett-Murray for a natural
history field outing at the Hope College Nature Preserve.
Jasmine Sutton, Sherri Smith, and Kristin Bosch
prepare the BBQ grill for one of the summer’s ever
-popular picnics, this one at the NOAA Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon, MI.
Breaking from those deep “multiple levels of organization” discussions,
Austin Homkes and Daniel Smith (pictured with several other summer
research students in the stands) take time to enjoy Biology Research
Night Out at the Whitecaps baseball game near Grand Rapids, MI.
Research experiences
are always full of surprises; Kristin Bosch (‘13), a
Mathematics major,
conducted interdisciplinary research in
biological mathematics
with Drs. Yurk and
Murray and probably
never
expected that
mathematical modeling
would involve zip-lining
through rainforest
canopy in Costa Rica –
but it did!
Near the conclusion of the summer, each research participant delivers a formal presentation of his/her scientific accomplishments.
Here, Danielle Goodman (‘12) informs the group about phage characterization research.
Group gathering on final day of summer research.
3
Department Highlights
Tahnee C. H. Prokopow, MPH, Health Professions Advisor &
Assistant Professor of Biology. Ms. Prokopow joined Hope College
full time in mid-June 2011. Ms. Prokopow comes to Hope College
from the University of Michigan (UM) and she brings a wide range of
experiences from her 16 years of work at the UM’s Medical School
and School of Public Health. Her areas of expertise include health
professions advising and career coaching, diversity in higher
education, program design, management and evaluation; and the
engagement of special populations in clinical research. While she
worked in various roles in the UM Medical School Diversity Office,
the role she cherished most was being a pre-med advisor. She found
her breadth of experiences helpful in advising students along their
successful journey to a career in health/biomedical professions.
Ms. Prokopow earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health
Behavior & Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1996 and a
Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hope College in 1992. Ms. Prokopow is also a wife and mother.
Her husband, Don, works for International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. Her son, Benjamin, is in
first grade. The Prokopow family owns a pug/beagle mix dog, Dora, who is blind. As a family, they
love to waterski, go for walks and bike rides, and play outside when they can!
Learning Process Never Ends!
The holiday break doesn't mean that the learning
process takes a break. Seven students in the BIO
380/GES 341 course and three faculty ventured to
the Island School on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas,
from December 15-23 where they focused on
island biology (including vegetation, insects and
spiders, and coral reef organisms), and on the
geology of limestone formation. The students also
examined sustainability in food, water, power, and
waste systems.
Dr. Bultman Receives NSF Grant Supports Research into Relationship
between Fungi and Grass
Dr. Thomas Bultman, professor of biology and chairperson of the department, is
leading the effort to understand the way that varieties of fungus help protect Canada
wild rye grass from creatures that might eat the grass. Working with samples grown
at Hope, Dr. Bultman’s research team will be studying the fungi's effect on seeds
taken from as far south as Texas to as far north as Minnesota.
4
Spotlight on Animal Caretakers!
Animal care is one of the most important “behind the scenes” functions taking place in the Biology
Department at Hope College. Throughout the academic year, including summers, breaks, and even
Christmas Day, numerous student workers meet the goal of providing quality animal care to the department’s diverse (furred, feathered, scaled, shelled and chitinized) residents who are used for research and
educational purposes. Meeting very high expectations for maintenance, cleanliness, feeding, and humananimal interactions, student animal care workers have the opportunity to practice skills in handling and
caretaking, they build self-confidence, and they contribute directly to the support of scientific research.
To do this requires a lot of dedicated, labor-intensive, and sometimes unpleasant-smelling grunt work,
but diligently learning to adhere to numerous guidelines around the clock, and understanding the
rationale behind them, is an important skill that applies to many types of careers, not just animal care.
Learning how to trouble-shoot independently when unpredictable things happen (which is fairly routine
when working with everything from anemones to zebrafish) builds confidence, pro-activeness, and the
ability to “think on one’s feet”.
Catie Gammon (‘14) and Lina, a Leopard Gecko
Nick Pillsbury (‘12) and Bufo fowleri.
Rachel Haas (‘13) and Francis the Boa Constrictor
The current crew (2011-2012), which is comprised of Nicholas Pillsbury, Catherine Gammon, Jason
Speet, Meredith Whitehead, Rachel English, Rachel Haas, Taylor Mann, Hilary Bultman, and Jordan
Dischinger-Smedes, is also particularly interested in educational outreach, which has been a key function
of the VanKley Museum and its predecessor “The Biology Museum,” for many years. In this capacity,
student animal care workers enjoy an opportunity to create and enhance human-animal bonds, and to
help other people (often very small ones) overcome their fear of animals, as well as to convey accurate
natural history information about animals to children of all ages. Over 1500 visitors, ranging from
organized preschool field trips to informal drop-ins by senior citizen campus visitors, frequent the
VanKley “animal museum” every year. Lori Hertel, who directly supervises the student animal care
workers and who has directed the museum’s activities for decades, explains that “developing the ability
to translate information about animals at a variety of levels appropriate to the audience” is a valuable skill
that animal care workers are learning through these informal channels, and may be one of the most
important skills they will develop through their work. Some of the animal care workers are also
members of Club Animalia, which has developed a successful educational outreach program for K-6
students called “Zoo To You”. A particularly striking feature of the VanKley Museum is the spectacular
saltwater tank that houses numerous species of coral reef fish and invertebrates. This tank was set up
and receives ongoing, and much appreciated, TLC by Kevin Kraay (Hope College Business Office); this is
further testimony to just how many different people, in various capacities, are involved in maintaining high
quality animal facilities that are enjoyed by thousands of people at Hope every year.
5
Spotlight on Animal Caretakers Continued..
Hope College, like all institutions in the U.S. engaged in research involving animals, has an official
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (HCACUC) that oversees the caretaking of all animals used
in teaching and/or research. The committee consists of scientists and non-scientists, community members
interested in animal welfare, and at least one veterinarian. The committee meets several times a year to
inspect animal facilities, offer suggestions on improved animal caretaking, and review proposals for using
animals in teaching and/or research. Hope’s facilities which house covered animals are also inspected by
federal inspectors on a regular basis. While numerous individuals are involved to insure the quality of
animal caretaking at Hope, our Director of Laboratories, Lori Hertel, deserves a special thanks for having
worked very hard for many years to provide not only consistency and high expectations in the delivery of
animal care, but also a professional attitude with on-going insights on improvements in animal housing
facilities and caretaking practices. Lori also has loads of experience hiring and coaching good animal caretakers, and often articulates these important skills and work ethics to prospective graduate programs and
employers of our alumni. If interested, you can read Hope’s policy on Animal Care and Use at the biology
department website: http://www.hope.edu/academic/biology/ourdepartment/policies/statement-of-use/.
The current Chairperson of the HCACUC is Dr. Christopher C. Barney, who has over 35 years of
experience working with animals in research and teaching. And most importantly, you will find that any of
the current animal care students listed above are more than happy to tell you all about what they do every
day, and about the unique personalities of some of the animals they care for! Drop by sometime and visit
them and the animals at the VanKley Museum, Schaap Science Center room1034!
Rachel English
(‘12), Triscuit
(guinea pig),
and Lori Hertel
Jason Speet (‘14) and Hyla cinereus
A portion of the 2011-2012 Animal Caretaking Crew (L to R):
Catie Gammon, Rachel English, Jason Speet, Lori Hertel,
Rachel Haas and Nicholas Pillsbury in the VanKley Museum
“Baby”, the longest living resident of the Biology Museum (bottom), a
Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina), and his sidekick, Bowser (top),
the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta).
6
Alumni News
Biology Alumni Continue to Make Impacts in the Education Realm
Biology Alums Eddie Helderop (‘09) and Jeffrey Vredenberg (‘11) have both recently received Fulbright
Education Fellowships to work in developing countries. Eddie began working in Andorra last September and
wrote to us recently: “I'm in the country of Andorra (city of Andorra la Vella) which is an extremely small
country in between France and Spain; our population is just under 80,000 people. My Fulbright duties consist of
teaching English classes in the public school system here… it's a secondary school where I teach ages 13-16. In
addition, another Fulbrighter and I are doing some really basic research (really just research assistants on
existing project) that's determining secondary and primary school student proficiencies in speaking Catalan and
Spanish - without going into too much detail, Andorra is the only country with Catalan as an official language but
due to the large number of Spanish people here most everyone grows up speaking both from birth, plus there
are lots of immigrant families with students at varying ages from countries where they have no background
speaking Catalan, so that creates more pockets of Spanish, etc.” Eddie is also continuing his interest in
Environmental Science and Policy.
Jeffrey arrived in Ecuador last October where he is teaching
English part of the time, and working jointly with some
biologists at the university and also the Department of
Projects in the local government. Jeffrey writes: “My main
Project is taking mud that is contaminated with oil from carwashes and oil changing stations and trying to decontaminate
it before it gets washed into the river. We are working with
eco-remediation and hopefully this will work for this climate
and soil. Another project that I have been helping with is
documenting trees in a reserve to better protect the area
from loggers.”
Eddie Helderop, Fulbright Fellow, Andorra.
Kyle Mosher (‘09) is working on both science and educational projects while he serves with the Peace Corps
in Honduras. Kyle recently wrote about his diverse experiences: “Here's a picture of me taking over PE
classes at a school for the day and teaching some TKD in a nearby town. As for more technical work, these are
my bigger projects: I do topographic studies and designs of potable water systems and irrigation systems; I've
been working with the municipal government and an Engineers
Without Borders group to improve the solid waste collection
and disposal system; and I've also been working to initiate a
water quality analysis lab with my partner NGO. Additionally,
I've always got other somewhat random projects that come up,
such as working on a GPS/GIS manual, setting up a pen pal
exchange between a local school and one in the US and guiding
the construction of more ecologically friendly wood-burning
stoves. A possible future (very bio) project involves recording
all species within the boundaries of a protected area in order to
change the protected area's designation and obtain a higher level
of protection. I imagine this would take an immense amount of
work so we'll see if things come together.”
Kyle Mosher (‘09) teaching Tae
Kwon Do in Honduras.
7
Alumni In Education Continued…...
At the May 2011 Symposium on Teaching Science
and Ecology, held at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute,
Hastings, MI, two of our Biology alumni were included in
the program. Heather Wesp (‘99) has been a
Biology instructor at Montcalm Community College for
several years and is an active leader in the Michigan
Community Colleges Biology Association. Heather is
also active in ABLE (Association for Biology Laboratory
Education). Tammy Long (‘89) Robinson has been a
biology instructor at Michigan State University for
several years, and works at the Lyman Briggs School
where her specialty is research in the practice of science
education. Tammy was the keynote speaker at the
Pierce Cedar Creek Symposium, prompting participants
to reconsider how they gauge student learning in their classes.
From L to R: Tammy Long (‘89) Robinson
and Heather Wesp (‘99)
Aaron Hoffman (‘96), who has increasingly explored media applications in the life sciences and education,
became the Development Associate for Rocky Mountain PBS last spring, on track to become a
Development Officer for this major public education organization.
Personal Congratulations to…
Shirley Bradley (‘10) Dean who wrote in her update to us:
“Immediately after completing my written qualifying exams this past
summer, I returned to MI to marry the love of my life - Thomas A. Dean
Jr. of Greenville, MI. We were blessed to have many friends and family
witness us exchange vows and enter holy matrimony. We ended the day
with a surprise get-away via hot air balloon. Early the next morning, my
husband surprised me with a honeymoon cruise to Alaska. Of the many
sites, we were ecstatic to observe Alaska's beautiful wildlife and scenery.
Now, we live together in MN, where I am continuing my graduate
studies and my husband is a science teacher.”
It’s Shirley and Thomas
on their wedding day!!
Shirley Bradley (‘10) Dean and Thomas Dean
Congratulations to Bio alums Jack Constant ('10) and Julia Becker ('11),
who got married on August 10, 2011 then honeymooned in Glacier National
Park. They both work at Holland Hospital and Julia is in the process of
applying for PA school. Julia worked in the Fraley lab for over 3 years while
at Hope investigating the neuroprotective properties of a plant steroid,
resveratrol.
Julia Becker (‘11) and Jack Constant
(‘10)
8
Alumni Grad School Highlights
Highlighting Some of Our Recent Alums in Graduate School Programs
We asked our Hope College Biology Alumni Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hope-CollegeBiology-Department/135212546533271) followers to let us know what they were up to in their graduate
and professional programs and we heard from many of you! Thank you, and here is a sampling of what our
recent alums who went on to graduate study are up to…..
From Nicholas Marra (‘08): Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University: “ My
dissertation research uses next generation sequencing to characterize the kidney transcriptome of the
banner-tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis) in an effort to identify the genetic basis of this desert
rodent's ability to retain water from its food to survive without drinking water. I am taking a comparative
approach by comparing gene expression and sequence evolution in this species to a related species
Heteromys desmarestianus that survives in the coastal rainforests of Costa Rica. My research has a secondary
goal of contrasting the immune response genes expressed in the spleen of these two species as a result of
different pathogens from their respective environments.” Nick’s research advisor is Dr. Andrew DeWoody.
From Pieter Norden (‘11): “Since graduating at Hope, I have begun my studies in the Genetics Area
Program (Ph.D.) at the University of Missouri at Columbia. I am currently a rotation student and have
worked on RNA expression of tumors using a quail embryo in-vivo system to observe the mechanisms and
signaling involved in tumor angiogenesis as well as isolating small RNAs for RNA-seq analysis to characterize
RNAs that may be involved in inhibiting the replication of polyomavirus genomes. I will be beginning my
third rotation at the start of the spring semester.”
From Jacquelyn Randolet (‘09): Master's program at Purdue University (Biological Sciences): “ I'm
researching the behavioral variation among individuals in response to visual and auditory anti-predator
information using robotic flock mates and alarm calls.”
From Shirley Bradley (‘10) Dean: “Since graduation from Hope in 2010, I have been a graduate student
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, seeking a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Earlier this
year, I joined a lab which uses S. cerevisiae to study the process of MVB (multi vesicular body)- biogenesis, or
a process involved in endocytosis, and the role of ESCRT proteins in this pathway. In April, I was named a
2011 NSF-Graduate Research Fellowship recipient.” See more under “Personal Congratulations” on page 8.
From Alexa Jansma (‘08): Is in her fourth year of veterinary school at Ross University, is completing her
clinical year at Iowa State University and just returned from three months of externships in Morocco and
Paris. Alexa will be finishing her DVM in 2012. At press time, Alexa had just learned that she passed her
national veterinary board exam!
From Krista Brewer (‘99) Capps: Ph.D. Cornell University Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology – Krista is just now (January 2012) completing her Ph.D. on “Effects of an invasive fish on community
ecology and ecosystem processes in rivers in southern Mexico”. She has accepted a postdoc position
entitled: Postdoctoral Fellow-Sustainability Solutions Initiative with the University of Maine beginning January
2012 that will investigate “Carbon and nutrient transport by vernal pool amphibians across forested
ecosystems in Maine.”
9
Alumni Grad School Highlights Continued
From Andy Vander Yacht (‘09): The University of Tennessee Dept. of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries; The
Center for Native Grassland Management: “I am researching the efficiency of various overstory thinning levels,
variation in the seasonality of prescribed fire, and the use of midstory herbicide treatments in restoring the
now rare fire dependent oak savanna and woodland ecosystems throughout the Mid South including a detailed
analysis of treatment effects on fire behavior, oak regeneration, herbaceous plant species, and avian
communities.”
Andy VanderYacht enjoys
setting fires for his ecological
research.
John Drake ('05) took a job to work with Peter Reich as a research fellow at the Hawkesbury Institute for
the Environment at the University of Western Sydney, and is preparing to move to Australia later this year. He
wrote: "I'm excited to move and to work on some more collaborative global change experiments". John is
currently a post-doc in the Biology Department at Boston University, studying how trees interact with soil
microbes to determine the availability of soil nutrients. For his new job in Australia, John will study the impacts
of elevated atmospheric CO2 and temperature on the physiology and carbon storage of eucalypt woodlands.
From Katie Janczak (‘08): University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine: “I'm graduating in May 2012
and am applying for a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery for next year.”
From Kara Radabaugh (‘07): PhD candidate at University of South Florida College
of Marine Science: “I study plankton dynamics in estuarine ecosystems and stable
isotope ecology. I am making a stable isotope map of the eastern Gulf of Mexico
using samples from fish and primary producers.” Kara’s research advisor is Dr.
Ernst Peebles.
Maggie Mohr ('10) worked in the Fraley lab for nearly 3 years where
she earned authorship on 3 papers. Maggie is currently a PhD candidate
in the Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University. Maggie is also
the student rep on the graduate affairs committee at MSU, so a good
contact for Hope students interested in graduate programs at MSU.
10
Alumni Grad School Highlights Continued
From Jamin Dreyer (‘06): Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison: “I am studying the
effects of insects emerging from lakes on terrestrial food webs.” Jamin’s research advisor is Dr. Claudio
Gratton. Jamin and his brother, Austin Dreyer (‘08), recently presented a workshop for students interested
in applying to graduate school for the Fall 2011 Biology Advising Night that was very well attended.
Jamin Dreyer (‘06) and John Rodstrom (‘05) at
Twin Lakes, Alaska, 13 Sep 11, where they worked for
a week to map the bottom of Upper Twin Lake (to the
right); John recently completed work for the National
Park Service at Lake Clark NP monitoring salmon
movement and mapping lake bottoms.
From Whitney Haumiller (‘07): “I was accepted into the Emory University School of Nursing (in Atlanta,
GA) for the Accelerated Bachelors of Nursing/Masters of Science in Nursing program. I'll be completing the
Family Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Midwife dual degree program! It is the exact program I wanted to do...I will be
able to sit for both the Family Nurse Practitioner and the Nurse Midwifery exams!”
Mark Lunderberg ('10) is well on his way to becoming a professional student at the University of Chicago in
a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). In this program Mark will be obtaining both M.D. and PhD
degrees “over the next seven (hopefully) to nine years.”
Molly Lien (‘07) received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in May 2011 from the College of
Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University.
Emily Leathley ( '11) worked in the Fraley lab for over 3 years where she researched the estrogen
interactions with neuropeptides that regulate feeding and reproduction. Emily is currently pursuing a PhD at
the University of Minnesota where she studies cellular processes underlying neurodegenerative disease.
Emily Leathley doing research
11
Alumni Grad School Highlights Continued
From Robert Bode (‘05): (Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
Cornell University, 2010) is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the
Department of Biology at Canisius University where he specializes in plantherbivore interactions from an evolutionary perspective. Robert writes that
he “has investigated the ecological and evolutionary consequences of natural
selection by herbivores on Solidago (goldenrod).” His research has utilized
two main experimental approaches: (1) long-term herbivore exclusion plots
to investigate whether there are changes in the growth rates and herbivore
resistance of Solidago altissima (tall goldenrod), and (2) examination of S.
macrophylla (large-leaved goldenrod) growing along an elevation gradient in
the Adirondack mountains in New York, which provides a gradient in the
level of herbivory, with the most herbivores at the bottom. Robert was a
T.A. and lab instructor for several courses while at Cornell (including
introductory botany, plant physiology, and ecology and the environment),
and was the recipient of numerous teaching awards and grants including a
2010 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to conduct research
on the effects of natural selection by herbivory on plant defenses.
Alexis Nikols ('11) worked in the Fraley lab for 2 years where
she worked on a collaboration with the Lee lab (Chemistry)
studying the potential anti-cancer properties of plant derived
hormones. Alexis is currently attending medical school at the
Georgetown University School of Medicine.
.
Alexis in her lab coat (left) and Alexis relaxing at sunset (below).
12
Professional Congratulations!
Timothy Dykstra (’98) received special recognition by Hope College on
October 15, 2011. He was awarded the 2011 Hope College Young Alumni
Award for his major impact in the field of wildlife management and
conservation. Tim is currently the Environmental Stewardship Program
Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Northwestern Division (in
a nutshell, this means he oversees the Fish and Wildlife actions throughout
the Columbia and Missouri River Basins. This geographic area essentially
spans from Seattle to St. Louis). Tim was recently the Director of the Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks Department for Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, based in
Nevada. Tim will be the featured Biology Seminar speaker on Feb. 24,
2012; his seminar is entitled: “Salmon Tales from the Northwest”.
Tim Dykstra (right) (Biology ’98) presented
with Hope College’s Young Alumni Award
by Elias Sanchez (’78) Alumni Association
Board of Directors during Homecoming
Weekend, October 2011.
Joseph Veldman (‘01) was presented with the 2011 Bacardi Award
for the best oral presentation at the 2011 Association for Tropical
Biology and Conservation meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania. The
award is given annually to an early career scientist for the best oral
presentation at meeting. Joe’s presentation, "Forest Replacement by
Grass-dominated Vegetation in Eastern Lowland Bolivia" was based
on his Ph.D. dissertation in botany at the University of Florida. Joe is
currently a postdoctoral associate at the University of WisconsinMadison and is pictured left at one of his study areas in the Tabbuia
savannah of Bolivia.
Dr. Allen Brady, Professor Emeritus of Biology, was
featured in the October 2011 News from Hope (http://
www.hope.edu/pr/nfhc/archive/2011.htm, see October pp. 1819) in recognition of his continuing work on spider systematics.
Dr. Jianhua Li received a grant from the Hanes Trust Lab of Kalamazoo for his research on plant
systematics.
Dr. Leah Chase-Waller was appointed to the Campbell Foundation Board for a three year term.
Dr. Christopher Barney served on the National Science Foundation S-STEM Review panel this past year.
Drs. Aaron Best and Leah Chase received NSF funding.
Dr. Greg Fraley has funding support from the Campbell Foundation.
Dr. Joseph Stukey and his research student, Danielle Goodman (‘12) were awarded the American
Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology UAN Undergraduate Research Award. This award was used
to support their summer research project.
13
Professional Congratulations!
Dr. Vicki Isola and her science education specialist husband, Dr. Drew Isola, were the Residence
Supervisors for The Jackson Laboratory's 88th annual Summer Student Research Program in Bar Harbor, ME.
The Jackson Lab is an independent organization focusing on mammalian genetics research as well as breeding
and managing mouse colonies to supply mice to research laboratories around the world. Jon Oldham (‘11);
currently in the Master’s of Public Health Program at MSU) assisted the Isolas’ as a Resident Assistant and
worked on research there in the lab of Dr. Patsy Nishina. Part of the Isolas’ job as RS was to supervise the
residential part of the summer program----what the almost 40 high school and college students do outside of
their time in the lab. They did a lot of exploring of coastal Maine!
The research work of Biology alum Dr. Colleen Iversen (‘01) and current student Jonathan Brooks
(‘12) Oak Ridge National Laboratory was featured in southeastern news media last summer: http://
www.wbir.com/news/article/177585/2/ORNL-interns-taking-advantage-of-chance-of-a-lifetime. Jonathan
assisted Dr. Iversen as a research intern in summer 2011 and is returning to ORNL to work full-time starting
in 2012.
Hilary Bultman ('12) has been accepted to the program of the Michigan Academy of Science Arts and
Letters annual meeting (Environmental Science and Ecology Section) in March 2012. She will be presenting
her work on insects called “July Highflyers” and their response to seasonal nutrient pulses in Iceland.
Hope Biology majors Nickolas Davros (‘12) and Kalli Shades (‘12) were selected by the Michigan State
University Trevor Nichols Research Complex in Fennville, MI to conduct research-related work at the
Berry Crops Entomology lab during the summer of 2011.
Emily VanWieren (‘12) was selected by the Van Andel undergraduate research program to assist in
conducting research in the lab of Dr. Bart Williams during the summer of 2011.
Kelsey Moore (‘12) (pictured left) presented a poster at the
International C. elegans meeting at UCLA in June 2011. The poster was
regarding her work examining how the loss of FRK-1 kinase arrests
development by inhibiting a stem cell-like population of cells in the
hypodermis of the larva.
Steven Lewis ('11) a Biochem Molecular Biology major, is currently working at Van Andel Institute.
Congratulations to the following authors on their recent publications:
Aaron P. Putzke, A. P. Ventura, J. M. Bailey, C. Akture, J. Opoku-Ansah, M. Çeliktas, M. S. Hwang, D. S.
Darling, I. M. Coleman, P. S. Nelson, H. M. Nguyen, E. Corey, M. Tewari, C. Morrissey, R. L. Vessella, and B.
S. Knudsen. 2011. Metastatic Progression of Prostate Cancer and E-Cadherin. The American Journal of
Pathology. 179: 400-410.
S. P. Lewis, A. N. Willis, A. E. Johnson, J. Resau, and Maria A. Burnatowska-Hledin. 2011. Mutational
Analysis of VACM-1/cul5 Exons in Cancer Cell Lines. Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica
Scandinavica. 119: 421-430.
Christopher C. Barney. 2011. Restrained Rats and the Observer Effect in Physiology. Experimental
Physiology. 96: 1253-1254.
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Professional Congratulations!
Hope interdisciplinary research (including Biology, of course!) being carried out by Dr. Aaron Best
(Biology), Dr. Matt DeJongh (Computer Science) and Dr. Nathan Tintle (Mathematics) was highlighted
by the National Science foundation in an electronic newsletter “Research.gov” – follow the link to: http://
www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/
desktop;jsessionid=ldGVT6JTLDSgnTlS0vTSsyB2F5jXpGBnhRLGdGkK32cwqMhx4pRp!-866708689!1290466574?
_nfpb=true&_windowLabel=researchAreas_11&_urlType=action&researchAreas_11_action=selectAwardDetail&researchAreas_
11_id=%2FresearchGov%2FAwardHighlight%2FPublicAffairs%2F21827_MetabolicPredictionsMoveintotheFastLane.html.
Hope College was also highlighted in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Bulletin http://
www.hhmi.org/bulletin/aug2011/chronicle/sea_phage_course.html in a feature article describing the success
of the phage genomics research in training undergraduates.
Where is The Twinkie?
As we went to press, we learned the shocking
news that Hostess@, the company that has made
Twinkies and kin for many years, has filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It seems prudent to keep
the Biology Department Twinkie under close wraps
at this time; the whereabouts of The Twinkie will
remain undisclosed indefinitely. However, if you
remain alert, as with the Snowy Owl that recently
graced the rooftops of Nykerk Hall, you may be
fortunate to catch a quick glimpse. Shown here is a
recent and very rare sighting of The Twinkie
making a snow angel outside of the science building.
The Twinkie, now an endangered species; 16 January 2012.
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Student Happenings!
Biology students traveled to St. Louis, MO for the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the
Biological Sciences at Washington University on October 29-29, 2011. Sixteen students and two
faculty members went along to present: Joseph Adamson, Elizabeth Billquist, Kristen Bosch, Cassondra
Cramer, Christopher Davis, Guillermo Flores, Danielle Goodman, David Grossens, Erica Jansen, Megan
Ludwig, Kelsey Moore, Caitlin Peirce, Caitlin Ploch, Ingrid Slette, Holly Vander Stel, Marshall Willey and
faculty members Drs. Jianhua Li and Karen Nordell Pearson.
On November 12, 2011, Drs. Aaron Putzke, Greg Fraley, Joe Stukey, Tom Bultman, Kim Brien, Dean Lee,
and Provost Ray attended the Van Andel Institute’s West Michigan Regional Undergraduate
Scientific Research conference with 24 Hope students: Abigail Lindberg, Allyson Dreger, Andrew Cook,
Ariana Cappuccitti, Caitlin Peirce, Caitlin Ploch, Danielle Goodman, Danielle Mila, David Grossens, Elizabeth
Gerometta, Erika Coombs, Erin Hildebrandt, Heather Stiff, Jessica Kozack, Marshall Willey, Matthew Gregory,
Mia Savagian, Michael Bowerman, Rachel Cho, Robert Sjoholm, Sara Gallemore, Sarah Colton, Sasha Balcazar,
Thomas Endean, and Zachary DeBruine.
Several members of the Dr. Leah Chase lab attended the Annual
Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington D.C.
during fall semester 2011. Each of the three students, as well as
Dr. Chase's lab technician, NaTasha Schiller, presented a
poster. The Hope students pictured here are from L to R, Anne
Georges ('12), Daniel Smith ('11) and Matthew Hartwell ('12).
Hope College chapter of TriBeta (BBB) inducts new
members! The national honor society for biology at Hope
inducted 23 members and 4 associate members on April 7, 2011:
Daniel Ackert, Annalise Almdale, Jonathan Brooks, Hilary Bultman,
Amber Chapel, James DelBene, Jacie Fielder, Bethany Fox, Ryan
Greene, Erin Hildebrandt, Erica Jansen, Rachel Jantz, Cecilia Kovach,
Jessica Kozack, Jennifer LaRoche, Dan Meyer, Kelsey Moore, Caitlin
Peirce, Amanda Schuiling, Sioned Sitkiewicz, Ingrid Slette, Emily
VanWieren, Regina O’Brien. Associate Members: Nichole
Harpham, Catie Gammon, Jennifer Hielkema, and Danielle Mila.
TriBeta’s Faculty Advisor is Dr. Jianhua Li.
Two of our students, Danielle Goodman (‘12) and Bryan Kunkler (‘12) had articles printed in the Fall
2011 ASBMB undergraduate magazine “Enzymatic” about their UAN Undergraduate Research Award projects
from last summer. Their awards were judged based on the quality of their research proposals and their
academic success. Danielle’s research project was “Investigating the cytotoxic effects of mycobacteriophage Vix
Gene 75.” Bryan Kunkler’s research project was “Regulation of VACM-1 expression in endothelial cells by thalidomide.” Congratulations to Danielle and Bryan for a job well done!
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