Lawrence University News

Lawrence Molecular Biologist Named to Genetics Society of America Board of Directors

Beth De Stasio, professor of biology and Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Genetics Society of America.

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In announcing her appointment, the GSA cited De Stasio’s commitment to “training undergraduate students — both majors and non-majors in science — to become more conversant and comfortable in understanding recent advances in biology.”

A 1983 graduate of Lawrence, De Stasio joined the Lawrence faculty in 1992 under the auspices of a $700,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to establish the college’s first program in molecular biology. Her research interests focus on muscle function and the maintenance of nerve function during aging. She was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Fellowship in 2009 to conduct research at the Karolinska Institutet near Stockholm, Sweden.

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America is the professional membership organization for geneticists and science educators. With more than 4,000 members, the GSA works to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. It promotes research in genetics and facilitates communication among geneticists worldwide on current and cutting-edge topics in genetics research.

“Mary & Max” Opens Lawrence University Term II Independent Film Series

Lawrence University continues its independent film series with 10-movie line-up during Winter Term. All films are shown at 8 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema, 711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 920-832-6837.

• January 6 — “Mary & Max” (2009): A claymated tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and Max, a 44-year old, severely obese man living in New York City.

• January 13 — “Paper Heart” (2009): Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand: love.

• January 20 — “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” (2008): Award-winning documentary that chronicles the inspirational story of courageous women of Liberia, whose efforts played a critical role in bringing an end to a long and bloody civil war and restored peace to their shattered country. A panel of Lawrence faculty and students will lead a discussion of some of the issues raised in the film following the screening.

• January 27 — “It Might Get Loud” (2009): A documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White.

• February 3 — “Food Inc.” (2008): Robert Kenner uncovers the large corporation-controlled underbelly of our nation’s food industry and the effect it has on our country.

• February 10 — “No Impact Man” (2009): A man attempts to eliminate his personal impact on the environment for one year — all while living in Manhattan with his wife and two-year old daughter.

• February 17 — “Fuel” (2008): An award-winning journey through a history and drama of America’s oil use and abuse and the potential of other wide-ranging energy solutions.

• February 24 — “The Cove” (2009): The amazing true story of a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, revealing a dark and deadly secret.

• March 3 — “Taking Woodstock” (2009): Interior designer Elliot Tibner moves back home to help save his parents’ hotel and inadvertently plays a role in making the Woodstock music festival the huge event it was.

• March 10 — “Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (2009): Set in 1987 Harlem, the story follows Clareece “Precious” Jones, a 16-year-old overweight, illiterate African-American teen pregnant for the second time by her absent father, who is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes her life can head in a new direction.

Memorial Service Celebrates the Life of Lawrence Professor Bertrand Goldgar

A celebration of the life of Professor of English and John N. Bergstrom Professor of Humanities Bertrand A. Goldgar will be held Jan. 9 at 2 p.m in Stansbury Theatre, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Everyone is welcome and a reception will follow in the Music-Drama Center lobby.

Professor Goldgar, the longest-serving full-time member of the faculty in Lawrence history (1957-2009), passed away Oct. 14, 2009 at the age of 81.

Lawrence University Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Richard Long

I write to share with you today the sad news of the death of Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Richard Long. Professor Long passed away Dec. 21, 2009 in Sun City, Ariz., after a lengthy illness. He was 78 years old.

Richard-Long_web.jpg Professor Long joined the Lawrence faculty in 1969 and taught in the mathematics department until his retirement in 1993. Described by colleagues as a quiet, gentle, generous, unassuming person, he was one of the founding fathers of Lawrence’s computer science program, was among the first to teach Lawrence’s statistics course, and was particularly encouraging of mathematics students in the actuarial sciences.

He was respected for his extraordinary patience, support, and nurturing of students as well as his innovative efforts to introduce the application of mathematics across the curriculum. In the 1970s, he established math workshops for Lawrentians and worked with minority students in summer enrichment programs. He was well-known for his extraordinary ability to connect with diverse personalities and nontraditional learners.

Prior to joining the Lawrence faculty, Professor Long taught mathematics for eight years at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., and later spent four years in a variety of leadership roles with the Math Association of America, where he oversaw the production of a number of mathematics films.

A native of Dallas, Iowa, he attended Grand View Junior College in Des Moines, Iowa before earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Reed College and his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Washington.

In retirement, he split his time between a cottage on Lake Superior in Marquette, Mich., and Sun City, Ariz., pursuing his many and varied interests, among them bow hunting, golf, genealogy, gem cutting, pottery, and woodworking.

He is survived by his wife, Gretchen; sons Christopher, Albuquerque, N.M., and Timothy, ’83 Appleton; daughters Gillian Phelps, Albuquerque, and Hillary Long Villa, Thousands Oaks, Calif.; and stepchildren Tim Lutey, Christine Lutey, and Phil Lutey, all of Marquette, Mich.

Contributions in Professor Long’s memory can be made to the Hospice of the Valley, 10323 W. Olive Ave., Peoria, AZ 85345.

Sincerely,

David Burrows

LU’s Boyd Featured Guest on SistersTalk Radio Program

Helen-Boyd_web_II.jpgHelen Boyd, lecturer in Lawrence’s gender studies program, will be a guest of Genia Stevens on SistersTalk Radio Wednesday , Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. SistersTalk Radio is an online radio show that focuses on LGBT issues. Boyd is the author of the books “My Husband Betty” and “She’s Not the Man I Married.” Listen to a podcast of the 30-minute interview here.

Lawrence University Mourns the Death of Jane Koopman

I write with the sad news of the passing of Jane Koopman, a former lecturer in the Conservatory of Music. Jane began her time at Lawrence in 1990 and retired in June 2000. She was married to John Koopman, who retired as a Professor of Music in 1994 after 34 years of service to Lawrence University.

The words below express memories of Jane from some of her Conservatory colleagues.

“The Conservatory acquired Jane Koopman’s services in 1990 after her retirement from a highly successful career as an elementary music specialist in the Appleton Public Schools. She developed an outstanding sight-singing curriculum for the Conservatory, and for 7 of her 10 years at the Conservatory taught every music major for a 5-term sequence, and for the last 3 taught approximately 2/3 of the music majors in the same sequence – more than 700 students. The impact she had on the Conservatory was almost incalculable, in developing the musicianship of all students, instrumentalists and singers alike, and in being a superb role model for students and faculty as a music educator who truly loved teaching and communicated her subject at the highest level.

Before joining the Conservatory faculty, Jane contributed to Lawrence’s professional music education curriculum as an elementary specialist with particular reference to the Kodaly method, and frequently as a supervising teacher of choice for student teachers. Her experience with children and her success in enriching the creative experience of her pupils was well-known in the community and recognized throughout the state, and that experience translated well into her program at the Conservatory. She also taught effectively at every age-level, including graduate students in the Silver Lake College Kodaly certification and masters degree programs.”

Jane passed away peacefully with her family by her side on December 30, 2009. Memorial services are pending.

Sincerely,

David Burrows

Warch Campus Center Cited in Annual “Great Spaces Great Places” Contest

Lawrence University’s Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center has been cited by FOX CITIES Magazine in its annual “Great Spaces Great Places” contest. The Warch Campus Center, which graces the cover of the magazine’s December issue, was voted the winner from among eight nominees by a panel of five community judges in the “Best New Construction” category. The $35 million, 107,000-square-foot building, which opened in September, was recently awarded LEED-certified Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainability and environmentally friendly features.

Tom Miller, one of the Great Spaces Great Places judges, said the Warch Campus Center, “blows it out of the water. Eighty years from now, the building will look just how it looks now.”

The award was the second for a Lawrence building in the four-year history of the magazine’s contest. In 2007, venerable Alexander Gymnasium was named co-winner in the “Best Historic Landmark Building” category, which recognizes buildings at least 75 years old and considered “icons of the Fox Cities.”

Lawrence University Recognizing Film Producer, Philanthropist Abigail Disney with Honorary Degree

Award-winning film producer, activist, and philanthropist Abigail Disney will be recognized Thursday, January 28, 2010 by Lawrence University with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Abigail-Disney_web.jpg As part of the degree-granting ceremony in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Disney will deliver the convocation “Peace is Loud,” an address based on her award-winning 2008 documentary film “Pray the Devil Back to Hell.”

“Lawrence University is proud to be welcoming a woman of Abigail Disney’s passion, abilities and stature to campus and presenting her with an honorary degree,” said Lawrence President Jill Beck. “As we prepare our students for lives of achievement and meaningful citizenship, Ms. Disney epitomizes the ideals to which we hope they will aspire.”

In conjunction with Disney’s address, multiple showings of the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” will be held in the Warch Campus Center cinema in January: 1/7, 12 noon; 1/12, 7 p.m.; 1/20, 8 p.m., 1/28, 1 p.m. A special panel of Lawrence faculty and students will discuss issues raised in the film following the 8 p.m. screening on Jan. 20. All events are free and open to the public.

“I am so thrilled and honored to have been chosen for this honorary degree,” said Disney. “It was a bolt from the blue and a shot in the arm, to mix a couple of metaphors and I am so happy that it came from a wonderful and vibrant institution like Lawrence.”

praythedevilbacktohell_poster.jpgDisney’s film chronicles the inspirational story of the courageous women of Liberia, whose efforts played a critical role in bringing an end to a long and bloody civil war and restored peace to their shattered country.

She served as the producer of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which earned critical praise and collected more than 15 awards, including the Best Documentary Award at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival, the Cowboy Award Winner – Audience Choice Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, the Social Justice Award for Documentary Film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Golden Butterfly Award at the Movies that Matter Festival.

Disney founded and serves as president of the New York City-based Daphne Foundation, which supports grassroots and emerging organizations that deal with the causes and consequences of poverty, focusing on the creation and implementation of long-term solutions to intractable social problems.

She also has played a leadership role in a number of other social and political organizations, among them the New York Women’s Foundation, from which she recently retired as chair, the Roy Disney Family Foundation, the White House Project, the Global Fund for Women, the Fund for the City of New York and the Ms. Foundation for Women. In 1998, when the foundation’s namesake publication, Ms. Magazine, faced financial hardship, Disney joined with magazine founder Gloria Steinem and a group of other investors to form Liberty Media for Women, which secured the magazine’s future.

The grandniece of Walt Disney, founder of the Disney media and entertainment empire, she is the vice chair of the board of Shamrock Holdings Incorporated, a professional investment company that manages more than $1.5 billion in assets.

Disney earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from Stanford University, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Lawrence University Researcher Finds Support for Supreme Court Decision Arguing Diversity Benefits College Academic Discussions

A visiting professor at Lawrence University will present his research into the benefit of ethnic and racial diversity in college academic discussion groups at the Posse Foundation, 14 Wall St., New York City, December 2, 2009, at 11:30 a.m.

Robert J. Beck, visiting professor of educational psychology at Lawrence, completed analysis of 16 transcripts of academic discussions involving 61 students in the college’s Freshman Studies program. Two classes with 25 percent diverse students were compared to two non-diverse classes. Beck’s research resulted in a paper, The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number: An Experimental Study of the Effects of Racial and Ethnic Diversity on Liberal Arts College Discussions.

“We were able to do a carefully controlled quantitative study in undergraduate classrooms where all students were reading and discussing the same works,” Beck said. “All the students took part in interpretive discussions intended to voice meanings about “Great Books” including Plato’s “Republic”, Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry, works by a scientist (Einstein) and a composer (Messiaen).”

Among the findings:

  • Students in the diverse classes spoke nearly twice as much as students in the non-diverse classes.
  • Students in the diverse classes contributed nearly 70 percent of the total number of words in the discussion, while in the non-diverse classes students spoke a little less than half the time.
  • The diverse classes had a significantly larger average number of students who spoke in the development of themes of the discussions.
  • About three times as many students in the diverse classes interacted with each other than in the non-diverse classes.
  • Students in the non-diverse classes referred more often to the works in providing evidence and used more complex arguments, but only four students contributed one-third of all arguments.
  • Students in the diverse classes expressed more opinions and referred to personal experiences in making their claims.
  • Diverse class students were more responsive to other discussants’ statements: they followed up with proportionally more high-level questions, re-phrasings, and agreements and a greater number of elaborations/clarifications.
  • Approximately 25 percent of the students in the diverse classes also included evidence backing their opinions, whereas less than 10 percent of the students in the non-diverse classes did so.
  • There were no differences in participation between diverse and non-diverse students in the diverse classes.

“As measured by several criteria, we concluded that the diverse classes provided more value –the “greatest good to the greatest number” — to students than the non-diverse classes,” Beck said. It is more effective to facilitate wide participation and let everyone into the discussion and then support increased levels of critical thinking, rather than to let a few students dominate at a high level and pretty much freeze everyone else out. We will need to do research with larger samples to see if these patterns hold up.”

Funded by the Spencer Foundation, Chicago, the research project was organized to test Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s majority opinion in Grutter vs. Bollinger, 2003, that diversity contributes to the benefit of all students. The associate justice argued that diversity leads to educational benefits for all because of a “robust exchange of ideas” (U. S. 539, 17). These benefits are “important and laudable,” because “classroom discussion is livelier, more spirited, and simply more enlightening and interesting” when the students have “the greatest possible variety of backgrounds” (U.S. 539, 17).

Lawrence University Campus Center Awarded LEED “Gold” Certification

Lawrence University’s newly opened Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center is so “green” it’s gold.

So says the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which has awarded the 107,000-square-foot building LEED®-certified Gold status, the second highest designation on the green building four-level certification system.

“This is the news we were hoping for,” said Lawrence University President Jill Beck. “Lawrence is committed to the goal of sustainability and this building is evidence of that commitment. Responsible citizenship is one of the goals of a liberal education and in reducing our impact on the planet we are setting an example for our campus and our community.”

LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings and offers four levels of certification for new construction: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Each level corresponds to the number of points or credits accrued in five green and construction categories that positively impact the project itself and the broader community as verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

After an extensive review, USGBC determined the Warch Campus Center earned 43 points or credits on its certification scale. A minimum of 39 points is required to reach Gold certification.

“On behalf of the entire design and construction team, we extend our congratulations to Lawrence University on this remarkable achievement,” said Nat Stein, LEED accredited professional and the Warch Campus Center’s project architect for Uihlein-Wilson Architects, Inc., of Milwaukee. “We especially commend the students of Lawrence University who inspired and challenged us to create a building that is environmentally responsible, respectful and beautiful. We are thrilled to be a part of such a meaningful project.”

The $35 million Warch Campus Center is Uihlein-Wilson’s first Gold-certified project. The building’s environmentally friendly features include:

• a partially vegetated roof system of soil and green plants to absorb rainfall and decrease storm water runoff.

• low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent by standards mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

• heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems designed to be 21 percent more energy efficient than industry standards require.

• wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council that has been harvested with environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.

• more than 20 percent of all materials used in the building were extracted regionally (within a 500-mile radius)

• adoption of a Green Cleaning program which involves the use of LEED-certified cleaning products and recyclable paper products

• formaldehyde-free interior building materials to ensure healthful indoor air quality.

In addition, more than 96 percent of construction waste for the building — seven million pounds worth — was recycled and saved from being deposited in a landfill.

KSS Architects of Princeton, N.J. was the design architect of the campus center and Uihlein-Wilson Architects, Inc., the architect of record. The Boldt Company of Appleton served as the project’s general contractor.

Work on the center began in June, 2007. The building was officially opened Sept. 18, 2009.