Lawrence University News

Final Week of “Here’s Looking at LU” Photo Contest; Congrats to Arielle Steinberg ’11

Photo contest image no. 9. Good luck! (click to enlarge.)

This is it…your last chance to win a prize as we wrap up our summer “Here’s Looking at LU Photo Contest.” We’re going to try to end things with a “toughie.”  If you can identify this week’s mystery photo, send us your guess and you could win a weekly prize and qualify for the $50 grand prize prize package from KK’s Apparel and Gifts in the Warch Campus Center.

Last week’s “caged book” photo generated a bumper crop of submissions. Numerous respondents were in the right church but the wrong pew, mistaking the Milwaukee-Downer Room with the Lincoln Reading Room. Congratulations to Arielle Steinberg ’11 of Bartlett, Ill., who knew last week’s photo was of the locked book cases in the Milwaukee Downer Room of the Mudd Library that house some of Lawrence’s rare book collection. Arielle  was randomly selected from among 34 correct answers this week and will receive a Lawrence University spirit tumbler for her winning entry.

The contest concludes on Labor Day. Submit your guess by midnight, Sept. 5 to be eligible. In addition to awarding our final weekly prize, we also will announce our $50 grand prize from among all of the correct weekly entries. Good luck!

How the contest works:

Study the photo carefully and, if you can identify the item pictured, send an email to communications@lawrence.edu (see link below), telling us what it is. Be sure to include your name and mailing address. (Limit one entry per week per email address.)

Win this LU Spirit Tumbler!

A prize each week:

All entrants with correct answers will be entered in a random drawing for a cool blue, 16 oz. Lawrence University “spirit tumbler.” The correct answer and the weekly prize winner will be announced the following Monday. (If no one correctly identifies the photo, two winners will be chosen the following week.)

On Sept.6, 2011, at the conclusion of the contest, one entry from among all correct contest entries will be chosen as the “Here’s Looking at LU!” grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $50 prize package from KK’s in the Warch Campus Center. The more weeks you enter, the better your chance of winning!

Official Contest Rules:

One photo will be posted on Lawrence’s website each Monday for the eight-week duration of the contest. Following the posting of each photo, entries may be submitted to communications@lawrence.edu until 12 midnight CDT (Central Daylight Time) the following Sunday. A weekly winner will be randomly selected by Lawrence University from among each week’s correct entries and all correct entries will be eligible for the grand prize drawing on August 29. By entering, you agree to have your name published on Lawrence University’s website and in other university communications. Lawrence University is not responsible for lost or misdirected entries.

Getting “Greener”: Lawrence’s Second Solar Array Installed on Hiett Hall

Lawrence’s utility bill and carbon footprint both will  get a little smaller thanks to the recent installation of a 20-kilowatt solar panel on the roof of Hiett Hall. Through the efforts of Green Roots to secure funding for the project, approximately $65,000 of the solar panel array’s $77,000 cost was covered by grants and rebates from WE Energies, Wisconsin Focus on Energy and Solar Innovations Inc.

Solar panel on Hiett Hall

The estimated payback on the project’s initial investment is approximately six years with an expected useful life span of the panels of 30-40 years.

The Hiett Hall installation is the second solar panel array on campus. Lawrence first tapped the sun’s rays in 2010 with a 2.92-kilowatt solar unit on the roof of Youngchild Hall. That panel, which was installed primarily as an educational tool for environmental studies courses, already has generated more than 4,700 kilowatt hours of electricity while reducing the college’s carbon dioxide production by nearly five tons.

Lawrence University Awarded $552,000 NSF Grant for Advanced Research Instrumentation

The largest instrumentation grant in Lawrence University’s history — $552,666 from the National Science Foundation — will fund the purchase of a confocal microscope system to support biological research and strengthen hands-on research training.

Confocal microscopy is a cutting edge technique that provides the best available resolution of microscopic images and allows the reconstruction of three-dimensional structures from images obtained through the microscope. Seven teams of faculty mentors and student researchers — six from Lawrence and one from the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley — will use the microscope to advance understanding in developmental biology, cell biology, physiology and biochemistry.

Current research projects the microscope will aid include age-related synaptic decline found in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the role a particular protein may play in ALS and some kinds of
tumors and how protein signals in a developing embryo help properly position various parts of the body.

The instrument also will provide Lawrence students opportunities to gain valuable experience through summer research with faculty members as well as upper-level lab courses and Senior Experience projects.  As many as 32 students a year are expected to assist with research involving the confocal microscope.

“It’s incredibly exciting to have a sophisticated instrument like this. We have recognized for several years the critical need for this particular type of microscope if we want to continue providing our students and ourselves with the tools needed for modern biological research,” said Nancy Wall, associate professor of biology. “We’ll finally be able to undertake research projects we have wanted and needed to undertake but couldn’t without a confocal microscope. This is a major boost for faculty research programs and an essential tool for undergraduate training. Professor Beth De Stasio’s hard work and leadership were instrumental in securing the grant funding for this microscope.”

In recommending the grant, NSF reviewers said Lawrence should be considered “a leader and model for undergraduate engagement in research. They have invested significant efforts to move toward inquiry-based learning approaches in their curriculum, with early experiences that feed different but similarly intensive and research based experiences in the summers or during senior years.”

Another reviewer praised the Lawrence faculty for “an impressive track record in successful research collaborations with undergraduate students” while a third mentioned “a culture of “engaging undergraduates in meaningful ways with active research.”

Lawrence faculty researchers incorporating the confocal microscope into their research include Wall; Beth De Stasio, professor of biology and Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science; Kimberly Dickson, assistant professor of biology; Judith Humphries, assistant professor of biology; Nicholas Maravolo, professor of biology; and Brian Piasecki, postdoctoral fellow in biology.

Strengthening an existing partnership with UW-Fox Valley, the microscope also will be used for research training by Dubear Kroenig, associate professor of biological sciences at the two-year college.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.

Sierra Club Ranks Lawrence University Among America’s “Greenest” Colleges

Concerted sustainability efforts landed Lawrence University 44th on the Sierra Club’s fifth annual “cool school” rankings of the country’s top “green” colleges in the September/October edition of the environmental organization’s magazine. The ranking was an improvement of 62 places over 2010’s 106th ranking.

Lawrence was one of only three Wisconsin colleges — Northland College was 22nd and the University of Wisconsin-Madison 77th — to be included in the magazine’s list of 118 institutions. According to the magazine, surveys were distributed to 940 schools nationally.

In compiling its ranking, Sierra Club used a maximum 100-point scoring system based on goals and achievements in 10 categories: energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments, and a catch-all called “other initiatives.” With a maximum score of 10 points in each category, Lawrence finished with a composite score of 61.91, up from 57.5 a year ago.

Assisting Lawrence’s jump in the rankings:

• A five percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the past year — and a 41 percent reduction since 2002 — through energy efficiency changes.

• A 100 percent use of recycled paper on campus for photocopying and letterhead.

• A 15 percent commitment of the campus food budget on locally (within 100 miles) produced foodstuffs.

• The diversion of 30 tons of kitchen waste to the student-run sustainable garden on campus for composting.

• A total of 12,000 pounds of electronic waste collected and recycled in the campus’ first “e-sweep” last May.

• A first-place finish in the 2011 Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability’s “Campus Energy Challenge” with an overall energy reduction of 12.86 percent.

• A 10th-place finish in the 2011 Recyclemania national recycling competition (per capita category) with an average of 39.15 pounds per person.

“We should all be incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made this year, but we’re not planning to rest in 44th place,” said Jason Brozek, assistant professor of government and Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs and current chair of Lawrence’s Green Roots initiative. “We have some really exciting projects in store for 2011-12, including wind power at Bjorklunden and outdoor recycling on campus. I’d like to see us take over the top spot for Wisconsin schools in next year’s rankings and continue to move toward the top of the national list.”

The University of Washington jumped from fourth in 2010 to first in the 2011 rankings, edging Green Mountain College, last year’s top-ranked school, with total scores of 81.2 and 81.1, respectively.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.

Only Two Weeks Remain in Lawrence Photo Contest; Congrats to Chris Dorn ’10 Week No. 7 Winner

Photo contest image no. 8. Good luck! (click to enlarge.)

Only two weeks remain in our summer “Here’s Looking at LU Photo Contest.” If you think you know what/where this week’s mystery photo is, send us your guess. A correct answer qualifies you for a random drawing for a weekly prize. It also qualifies you for the $50 grand prize prize package from KK’s Apparel and Gifts at the end of the contest.

Congratulations to Chris Dorn ’10, who knew last week’s photo was the sculpture “Vecino II” by Christopher Davis-Benavides in the lobby of the Wriston Art Center. Chris was randomly selected from among five correct answers this week and will receive a Lawrence University spirit tumbler for his winning entry.

How the contest works:

Each Monday from now through the end of August, we’ll post a photo on the Lawrence website news page, and the headline “Here’s Looking at LU! Contest” on the website home page.

Study the photo carefully and, if you can identify the item or location pictured, send an email to communications@lawrence.edu (see link below), telling us what is in the photograph! Be sure to include your name and mailing address. (Limit one entry per week per email address.)

Win this LU Spirit Tumbler!

A prize each week:

Each week, all entrants with correct answers will be entered in a random drawing for a cool blue, 16 oz. Lawrence University “spirit tumbler.” The correct answer and the weekly prize winner will be announced the following Monday. (If no one correctly identifies the photo, two winners will be chosen the following week.)

On September 6, 2011, at the conclusion of the contest, one entry from among all correct contest entries will be chosen as the “Here’s Looking at LU!” grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $50 prize package from KK’s in the Warch Campus Center. The more weeks you enter, the better your chance of winning!

Official Contest Rules:

One photo will be posted on Lawrence’s website each Monday for the eight-week duration of the contest. Following the posting of each photo, entries may be submitted to communications@lawrence.edu until 12 midnight CDT (Central Daylight Time) the following Sunday. A weekly winner will be randomly selected by Lawrence University from among each week’s correct entries and all correct entries will be eligible for the grand prize drawing on August 29. By entering, you agree to have your name published on Lawrence University’s website and in other university communications. Lawrence University is not responsible for lost or misdirected entries.

New AmeriCorps VISTA Position to Address Local Poverty Issues

Lawrence University, in partnership with the Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities, will begin combining resources and talent to help combat poverty issues in the Fox Valley community under the direction of a new full-time AmeriCorps VISTA position.

Chuck Demler '11

Chuck Demler, a 2011 Lawrence graduate with a major in government, will serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA until Aug. 1, 2012 through Lawrence’s Volunteer and Community Service Center. The position is funded by a grant from Wisconsin Campus Compact. Demler spent two years with the VCSC as a student, including serving as student organization liaison as a senior. He also volunteered with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter and Amnesty International.

“Working with Lisa Schneider, the executive director of Housing Partnership, we will co-mentor Chuck and help him identify valuable community resources that can contribute to community-engaged learning at Lawrence,” said Monica Rico, Pieper Family Chair of Servant Leadership, director of engaged learning and associate professor of history.  “Chuck, in turn, will help raise awareness on the Lawrence campus about issues related to housing affordability in the Appleton area.”

AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded in 1965 as Volunteers in Service to America, the program has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America with VISTA members serving full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses and strengthen community groups.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.

Here’s Looking at LU Photo Contest Enters Week 7; Michael Beaupre Chosen Week 6 Winner

Photo contest image no. 7. Good luck! (click to enlarge.)

We’re in the home stretch of our summer “Here’s Looking at LU Photo Contest” and things don’t get any easier with week no. 7’s photo. If it looks familiar and you think you know what/where it is, send us your guess. A correct answer qualifies you for a random drawing for a weekly prize as well as gets your name in the drawing for the $50 grand prize prize package from KK’s Apparel and Gifts at the end of the contest.

Congratulations to campus security officer Michael Beaupre, who correctly identified last week’s mystery photo as the decorative fins that adorn the northeast and northwest corner skylights of the Wriston Art Center. Michael  was one of only 14 entrants with the correct answer last week, earning a Lawrence University spirit tumbler for his winning entry.

How the contest works:

Each Monday from now through the end of August, we’ll post a photo on the Lawrence website news page, and the headline “Here’s Looking at LU! Contest” on the website home page.

Study the photo carefully and, if you can identify the item or location pictured, send an email to communications@lawrence.edu (see link below), telling us what is in the photograph! Be sure to include your name and mailing address. (Limit one entry per week per email address.)

Win this LU Spirit Tumbler!

A prize each week:

Each week, all entrants with correct answers will be entered in a random drawing for a cool blue, 16 oz. Lawrence University “spirit tumbler.” The correct answer and the weekly prize winner will be announced the following Monday. (If no one correctly identifies the photo, two winners will be chosen the following week.)

On August 29, 2011, at the conclusion of the contest, one entry from among all correct contest entries will be chosen as the “Here’s Looking at LU!” grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $50 prize package from KK’s in the Warch Campus Center. The more weeks you enter, the better your chance of winning!

Official Contest Rules:

One photo will be posted on Lawrence’s website each Monday for the eight-week duration of the contest. Following the posting of each photo, entries may be submitted to communications@lawrence.edu until 12 midnight CDT (Central Daylight Time) the following Sunday. A weekly winner will be randomly selected by Lawrence University from among each week’s correct entries and all correct entries will be eligible for the grand prize drawing on August 29. By entering, you agree to have your name published on Lawrence University’s website and in other university communications. Lawrence University is not responsible for lost or misdirected entries.

Forbes Says Lawrence University is One of “America’s Top Colleges”

Lawrence University is once again prominently featured in Forbes’ annual ranking of “America’s Top Colleges.” The 2012 Forbes report, prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, lists Lawrence as 63rd among 650 of the nation’s leading undergraduate colleges, 57th among private colleges, and 8th among Midwestern colleges.  For the fourth straight year, Forbes ranked Lawrence University first among 13 Wisconsin colleges included on the list.

The rankings are based on five categories, including post graduate career success, student satisfaction and retention rate, student debt, four year graduation rate, and competitive awards.

Earlier this week, The Princeton Review also named Lawrence University as one of the nation’s best, including Lawrence in its 2012 edition of “The 376 Best Colleges.”

Want to know more?  Read this story from the Appleton Post-Crescent.

Send Us Your Guess for this Week’s Lawrence Photo Contest Entry; Peter Boyle ’12 Wins Week 5

Photo contest image no. 6. Good luck! (click to enlarge.)

We’ve passed the midpoint of our summer “Here’s Looking at LU Photo Contest.” If you think you know what and where this week’s photo is, send us your guess. A correct answer qualifies you for a random drawing for a weekly prize as well as gets your name in the drawing for the $50 grand prize package from KK’s Apparel and Gifts at the end of the contest.

Congratulations to Peter Boyle ’12 of Belle Mead, N.J., who correctly identified last week’s mystery photo as one of the streetlights out in front of the Seeley G. Mudd library…shot from directly underneath the light fixture. Peter was one of only 17 entrants who correctly identified that photo and he will receive a genuine Lawrence University spirit tumbler for his keen eye.

How the contest works:

Each Monday from now through the end of August, we’ll post a photo on the Lawrence website news page, and the headline “Here’s Looking at LU! Contest” on the website home page.

Study the photo carefully and, if you can identify the item or location pictured, send an email to communications@lawrence.edu (see link below), telling us what is in the photograph! Be sure to include your name and mailing address. (Limit one entry per week per email address.)

Win this LU Spirit Tumbler!

 

 

 

 

A prize each week:

Each week, all entrants with correct answers will be entered in a random drawing for a cool blue, 16 oz. Lawrence University “spirit tumbler.” The correct answer and the weekly prize winner will be announced the following Monday. (If no one correctly identifies the photo, two winners will be chosen the following week.)

On August 29, 2011, at the conclusion of the contest, one entry from among all correct contest entries will be chosen as the “Here’s Looking at LU!” grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $50 prize package from KK’s in the Warch Campus Center. The more weeks you enter, the better your chance of winning!

Official Contest Rules:

One photo will be posted on Lawrence’s website each Monday for the eight-week duration of the contest. Following the posting of each photo, entries may be submitted to communications@lawrence.edu until 12 midnight CDT (Central Daylight Time) the following Sunday. A weekly winner will be randomly selected by Lawrence University from among each week’s correct entries and all correct entries will be eligible for the grand prize drawing on August 29. By entering, you agree to have your name published on Lawrence University’s website and in other university communications. Lawrence University is not responsible for lost or misdirected entries.

Princeton Review says Lawrence University is One of the Nation’s Best Colleges

Lawrence University is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review.  The education services company features Lawrence in its new 2012 edition of  “The Best 376 Colleges.”

Approximately 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and three colleges outside the United States are profiled in the book.  Colleges chosen for the list are rated in eight categories including academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, campus quality of life and environmental awareness and responsibility.

Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s publisher and author of “The Best 376 Colleges,” “We commend Lawrence University for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book.”

Lawrence received a rating of 92 (the highest possible score for all colleges was 99) for academics.

“We are especially pleased to be recognized for the high quality of Lawrence’s academic programs,” said David Burrows, provost and dean of the faculty. “We are proud of our emphasis on individualized learning and preparation for a life of effective, ethical action in the contemporary world, and it is wonderful that Princeton Review shares our enthusiasm for this form of education.”

The Princeton Review’s ratings are based on institutional data, visits to schools over the years, feedback from students attending the schools, and the opinions of its staff and a 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board.  The Princeton Review does not rank colleges in the book from 1 to 376 in any category.

In a “Survey Says ” sidebar in the book’s profile on Lawrence, The Princeton Review lists topics that students surveyed for the book were in most agreement about.  The Lawrence list includes:

  • No one cheats
  • Lab facilities are great
  • Students are friendly
  • Campus feels safe
  • Low cost of living
  • Students are happy
  • Musical organizations are popular
  • Theater is popular

Lawrence joins just four other Wisconsin colleges for the “best colleges” distinction: Beloit College, Marquette University, Ripon College and UW-Madison.  “The Best 376 Colleges” is the 20th edition of The Princeton Review’s annual best colleges book.  For details visit www.PrincetonReview.com.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience.  Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.