IN THIS ISSUE:
• Student Internships:
Kiel Tietz
Noah Holzman
• Alumni Update:
Megan Nordquist
• Study Abroad:
Christina Basch
Keeping Applied Science Alumni Informed » Spring 2012
Dear Alums,
As another academic year draws to a close, I
look back at the accomplishments and progress
of the Applied Science program and can happily
report that growth continues to be a distinguishing
characteristic. For example, 28 students received
their APSC degrees on May 12th, bringing the total
number of graduates to 130. I’m sure some of you
can remember when that number was in single
digits. Many of these new graduates will be pursuing health-related careers to become pharmacists,
chiropractors, physician assistants, veterinary
assistants and histotechnologists. Others have
chosen graduate school for master’s or Ph.D level
programs while some are heading for careers in
labs, both indoor and outdoor.
Current students are distinguishing themselves through participation in research as evidenced by selection for the annual Posters in the
Rotunda event, and the UW System Symposium
for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity.
Students continue to actively participate in professional organizations such as the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association and the Materials
Research society, with the addition of the vibrant
new Pharmacy Club.
Trying to keep up with alumni careers and activities has been one of my favorite pursuits though
there’s never enough time. Now that my role as
program director is coming to an end, hopefully I
won’t lose touch, though I won’t be bugging you as
much about coming back to give a presentation
at a seminar. That will be Dr. Ann Parsons’ role as
she becomes program director. Dr. Parsons brings
a wealth of experience and passion for teaching
science to the position and will be an asset as the
program continues to develop. Please support her
efforts to maintain a quality program, especially if
she contacts you for advice or information about
your respective careers.
It’s been fun!
B.S. in Applied Science Program
Dear Applied Science Alumni,
I am looking forward to
taking up the role of Applied Science program
director and hope to
continue developing the
program so ably handled by Dr. Bomar over
the past seven years.
He leaves a legacy of
commitment to our students that has been the
guiding principle for all Applied Science faculty
and staff.
I hope to help carry that commitment forward as we face new challenges and opportunities. Please don’t be surprised if I call on you
for input and suggestions to help us keep the
program moving forward!
Sincerely,
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsas
Kiel Tietz
Student Internship: Ohio State REU
My name is Kiel Tietz and I am currently a senior in the
Applied Science program at UW–Stout. Over the 2011
summer, I participated in Ohio State University’s Molecular Genetics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), funded by the National Science Foundation
(NSF). The program was nine weeks long and was critical to my growth as an independent researcher. From
my involvement, I became knowledgeable in many valuable practices such as laboratory presentations and
article interpretation.
My research was conducted in Dr. Andrea Doseff’s laboratory and focused on cellular death through
apoptosis. My project was titled Mapping Peptides
Responsible for the Interaction between Heat Shock
Protein 27 and Caspase-3. It had recently been discovered that heat shock proteins (Hsps) have the ability to
chaperone caspases and ultimately regulate apoptosis.
The small heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) specifically
holds control of apoptosis through halting the autocatalytic cleavage of caspase-3. My lab had previously
researched Hsp27’s capacity to inhibit apoptosis and
discovered peptides of the C-terminal domain were
responsible for preventing the autocatalytic cleavage.
To further investigate the interaction between Hsp27
and caspase-3, I generated five serial deletions of the
C-terminal domain, each omitting a successively larger
peptide sequence. The Hsp27 deletion constructs were
transfected into HeLa cells and through immunoprecipitation, association with caspase-3 was determined.
This research was significant to further understand
mechanisms regulating apoptosis through caspase
interactions.
I learned much about myself from this summer
REU. I absolutely now know I want to pursue a Ph.D.
degree and I have narrowed my interests down to cellular and developmental biology. I now feel much more
comfortable in a laboratory setting and can foresee my
career within one. The REU program at Ohio State was
an amazing experience that was well paid and operat-
“I now feel much more comfortable
in a laboratory setting and can foresee
my career within one. ... I believe any
rising scientist should take advantage
of these research opportunities
and apply to as many as possible.”
Kiel Tietz
ed. I believe any rising scientist should take advantage
of these research opportunities and apply to as many
as possible. They look great on the resume and more
importantly give you priceless connections. Overall the
hours were long but I had great enjoyment doing something I’ve desired for years!
Noah Holzman
Student Internship: Coe College REU
I am Noah Holzman, and I’m a sophomore here at
Stout. I am an Applied Science major with a concentration in Materials Science. This summer I was allowed the opportunity to live and work at Coe College
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa through the NSF REU program.
Although Coe’s population is a mere 1,300 students,
it has a world-renowned glass research lab, thanks to
S. Donald Stookey, the inventor of CorningWare, who
did his undergraduate studies there. I never imagined
that I would be working in a research lab the summer
after my freshman year, but I applied anyway, and I am
certainly glad that I did!
My research last summer was focused on the
structure of binary (two component) glasses. Since
the molecules in glasses are much more disorganized
than other solids, they are more difficult to classify and
explain. This makes them very interesting to research.
I made glasses by mixing powdered chemicals
together in various ratios, heating them in a very
hot furnace and cooling the liquid. Next, the glass is
crushed into a powder. The main instrument I used for
analysis hits the powdered glass sample with a powerful laser beam, which ejects ions from the surface of
the glass. These ions fly down a tube and hit a detector,
and the data can be interpreted to show what kinds of
molecules make up the glass. Knowing what makes up
the sample helps in explaining why the glass has the
physical properties that it does. Making glasses with
different ratios of the starting chemicals can change
the abundance of certain molecules, thus changing
the physical properties. This information is useful when
making “engineered glasses” where a glass is designed with physical properties to meet a certain need
or application.
My time at Coe was more than just a learning experience. I made many friends and invaluable connections with professors. Living on my own in a new city in
a different state was a lot of fun, and I can easily say
Noah Holzman
“Overall, the REU experience has
helped me learn a lot about the research
environment. What I have learned and
experienced last summer has made me
even more confident that working in a
research laboratory is right for me.”
that it has been the best summer of my life thus far.
Overall, the REU experience has helped me learn
a lot about the research environment. What I have
learned and experienced last summer has made me
even more confident that working in a research laboratory is right for me. I encourage all undergraduate students in STEM programs to look into the REU program
if they are interested in laboratory work or research.
Not only does the program pay well, they usually also
provide housing with opportunities all around the country. It is a great opportunity to not only advance your
career in science, but also make money, have fun and
gain knowledge!
Megan Zemke Nordquist
Alumni Update
Hello to all the past and present Applied Scientists!
Since graduating in May of 2009, my life has changed
in numerous exciting ways. During my time at Stout I
always planned to go on to earn my Masters of Physician Assistant degree after graduating from Stout. After
graduation I worked for a year as a Certified Nursing
Assistant at Dove Health Care–South in Eau Claire, and
became a certified Basic Emergency Medical Technician. In the summer of 2010 I began classes for the
Physician Assistant Program at the University of Mount
Union in Alliance, Ohio. If any of you guys out there
watch football, you would know that Mount Union has
played UW-Whitewater in the Division III football championship game every year for about the last seven
years.
My professors would always tell us that no one
would understand what you go through in the PA program besides people that are in the program, and that
is 100% true. The program is 27 months long and is
continuous year round. Each semester had on average
17 credit hours.
The amount of material we had to consume during our didactic year was insane. I read more during
that year than I ever did before in my life! I even slept
with my “current” book next to my bed at night in case
I woke up during the night unable to fall back asleep
until I knew the correct treatment plan or gold standard
diagnostic study for the patient scenario I was dreaming about.
I was elected as the student representative for the
Ohio Association of Physician Assistant Board. I served
on the board for a year and was able to meet some
amazing people. I helped plan a student PA conference in Columbus Ohio for all the PA programs in Ohio
and was also able to attend the American Academy of
Physician Assistants annual conference in Las Vegas.
During this time I was also planning a wedding! I
got married in August 2010 to Eric Nordquist, who is
also a Stout Alumni. It was very common for my classmates to see me with our medical books on one side of
me and invitations on the other side. Just some friendly
advice: don’t make your own invitations — it’s a lesser
hassle to put someone else in charge of that and the
price is worth it!
After the 15 months of our didactic year, we had a
white coat ceremony, celebrating our accomplishment
of the didactic year and entering into the clinical year.
We had to complete 10 rotations that were each four
Eric and Megan Nordquist
“The amount of material we had to
consume during our didactic year was insane.
I read more during that year
than I ever did before in my life!”
weeks in duration. Each rotation resolved a different
area of medicine. It was exciting to be in the rotations;
however it brought on a new type of stressor every four
weeks. It felt like a new semester with each rotation
and with that a new type of professor to get to know
and understand their expectations. By the time you
would understand the rotation it was your last day and
the new one started in a couple days.
Finally, I walked the graduation stage on May 2012
and will have my official graduation ceremony from the
program this August! I am currently ending my general
surgery rotation and have my Emergency Medicine rotation left to complete, along with my Senior Capstone
Project. I plan to work around the Eau Claire area when
I move back in with my husband at the end of July.
I couldn’t be happier for the things I have been able
to complete in my life thus far. I am excited to start a
brand new chapter of my life as a working Physician Assistant!
Christina Basch
Study Abroad: New Zealand Calling
Kia Ora! My name is Christina and I am a third year
biotechnology student. This past year I decided to
study in New Zealand. I left during one of the snowiest
winters in Minnesota, to arrive in a lush paradise. After
traveling for 46 hours I finally made it to Dunedin, New
Zealand, my home for 2011.
The countryside was covered with the greenest
grass, and littered with sheep. Sheep outnumbered
humans seven to one! I enrolled for papers (courses)
such as biochemistry, chemistry, nautical studies,
archeology, and biology of marine vertebrates. Living
a half kilometer away from the ocean allowed me to
experience so many different academic opportunities such as dolphin dissections and field trips out on
the ocean. Classes were different in that a majority of
marks were based on the final exam with little credit
for lab and class work. I was also involved with a trace
metal research project with the number one Oceanography lab in the world.
Dunedin is a university town, with students making
up one fifth of the population. There is a rich student
culture known as Scarfies, named for the scarves they
wear in the winter because houses are not insulated.
The university arranged housing complexes for international students that mixed us with New Zealanders so
we would get the entire ‘Scarfie’ experience. I lived with
people from New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Turkey,
Austria, Colombia, among many other countries, and
made lifelong friendships.
New Zealand is small enough that it is possible to
take road trips every weekend. I got to experience the
jaw-dropping beauty of Milford Sound, driving on the
left side of the road, bungee jumping 134m over the
Nevis Gorge, kayaking through the turquoise waters
“Living a half kilometer away from
the ocean allowed me to experience
so many different academic opportunities
such as dolphin dissections and
field trips out on the ocean.”
Christina
(second from left) and friends
of Abel Tasman, snowboarding in the Southern Alps,
hiking the nature reserve Stewart Island, marching into
Mordor and climbing atop Mount Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe), and experiencing the 2011 Rugby World Cup
(which the All Blacks won for the first time in 13 years)!
This country is the perfect place for nature lovers
and adrenalin junkies. If I had the opportunity to go
back, I wouldn’t hesitate. I met many amazing people,
learned many things, and tried new experiences that I
never thought I could do. This truly was a life changing
trip and I hope one day to return.
UW-STOUTKeeping Applied Science Alumni Informed
.
The goal of this newsletter is to keep alumni in touch
with the Applied Science program. Please update your
contact information so that we can keep in touch with
you in upcoming newsletters. Share this with your other
Applied Science alumni that you are in contact with, we
would love to keep them informed also. Please mail
these contacts to the address on the below or send
your updated information at apsc@uwstout.edu. We
would love to hear from you!
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UW-Stout Applied Science Alumni Informed
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