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Professors Evans, Whitman Honored for 78 Years of Service at June 5 Commencement

James Evans left graduate school as a chemist, but has worn numerous hats during his 45-year Lawrence University teaching career, among the longest tenures in the college’s history.

Evans, professor of chemistry and computer science, along with Professor of Music Ernestine Whitman, will be recognized Sunday, June 5 as retiring faculty with professor emeritus status at Lawrence’s 162nd commencement. Both will receive honorary master of arts degrees, ad eundem, as part of the graduation ceremonies that begin at 10:30 a.m. on the Main Hall green.

Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science James Evans

A native of Bridgton, Maine, Evans joined the Lawrence faculty in 1966 as a 25-year-old with a Ph.D. from Princeton University. Unbeknownst to him, his first-year roommate from graduate school had turned down a two-year appointment at Lawrence, but Evans wound up with a three-year tenure track offer from then-President Curtis Tarr.

Blaming an inability “to convincingly say no,” Evans began multitasking in 1979 when he traded some of his chemistry teaching duties for responsibilities as part-time director of Lawrence’s small computer services group, a dual role he juggled for more than 15 years.

He was a natural choice as computer services director having already helped usher in the first computer-related teaching to the Lawrence curriculum by collaborating with members of the physics department on a laboratory computing course.

An interest in using computers beyond numerical work or signal processing also led Evans to write a text formatting program. With a physics colleague he co-directed a multi-year (1978-82) National Science Foundation-funded project that helped established today’s interdisciplinary mathematics-computer science major.

“Things happen to us as we go along,” Evans said of his evolving role.

Associate Professor of Computer Science Kurt Krebsbach has known Evans from the perspective of former student and current faculty colleague. He fondly remembers Evans’ gentle guidance when he spent two summers as a student working in Lawrence’s new computer lab.

“He instilled in me a sense that the moments of most rewarding insight came as a result of careful, thorough and unhurried thought,” said Krebsbach, a 1985 Lawrence graduate and member of the faculty since 2002.  “Jim always exemplified the patient, deep thinker, confident that time and focused attention would produce the spark needed to solve the present problem.”

Beyond teaching chemistry and computer science, Evan served as an institutional “sidewalk superintendent,” assisting with the planning and execution of a variety of campus building projects, including the construction of Thomas Steitz Hall of Science and Hiett Hall and major remodeling projects in Main Hall and Youngchild Hall.

“You find yourself asking how do you get your head wrapped around all of these different things,” said Evans, reflecting upon his various responsibilities and the breadth of his scholarship, from nuclear science at Princeton to the biosciences during sabbaticals at England’s Oxford and Birmingham universities to two books he’s written on computer architecture.

Like all dedicated teachers, Evans points to what he calls “the assortment of students who pass by” as the thing he will miss the most as he leaves the classroom.

“They don’t know what’s impossible yet,” he says of the students, “so if you ask them to try hard, they may accomplish more than they or you intended. It’s always nice to see ‘the light’ turn on. Sometimes it’s subtle and not a blaze of glory, but it does happen.”

Near-term plans have Evans splitting time between Appleton and Maine, where he wants a generations-old family homestead near idyllic Moose Pond to be rescued from deterioration.

“Moveover, I just may join a Maine historical society because I’m historic,” said Evans.

Whitman might be the only person on the planet with custom-made nunchucks crafted from two piccolos. And there is nothing more appropriate to represent two of the things that have meant the most to her — music and the martial arts.

Professor of Music Ernestine Whitman

Among her professional and personal accomplishments are 33 years leading the Lawrence Conservatory of Music flute studio and earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at age 62. The nunchucks, a gift from a student, serve as tangible proof that the bonds Whitman formed with her students included life lessons as well as musical ones.

“She offered to her students that great Lawrence faculty model of artist/scholar/teacher; a dedicated musician, a brilliant mind, and a compassionate and caring person and teacher,” said Terri Sundberg, a 1983 Lawrence graduate. “She was my first real mentor in terms of how to approach the instrument and even more importantly how to approach being a true musician.”

Former students also praise Whitman’s willingness to go the extra mile, pushing them to be their best. She championed “practice buddies,” pairing a freshman with an upper-class student to play together and encourage camaraderie among the different classes.

“Because of her encouragement of a supportive studio atmosphere, the Lawrence flute studio became my best friends and second family,” said 2009 Lawrence graduate Sheri Muneno. “In fact, current studio members call themselves a ‘flamily’ — flute+family.”

Whitman, who joined the Lawrence faculty in 1978, began her flute career at age 20 when she won an audition for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, with which she performed at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Her performing career was put on hold in 1986 when she developed the neurological condition focal dystonia, which affected the muscles in her left hand. After years of rehabilitation, she returned to performing in 1992, but developed focal dystonia in her lip in 2006, ending her career as a performer. Despite that setback, her passion never wavered.

“She taught me to listen to myself and learn from my mistakes,” said Ruth Washington Mayhew, a 1984 graduate. “Basically, she taught me how to teach myself. And that lesson has proved more valuable than I can say. It made me more introspective and aware — and has certainly helped me to become a much better teacher in the process.”

Regarding her 33-year teaching career at Lawrence, Whitman said she relished a job that was always interesting, challenging and rewarding.

“One of the things I will miss most is the thrilling moment when, after months of working on tonal exercises, a student produces a sound of great depth and beauty,” said Whitman, who was recognized with Lawrence’s Young Teacher Award in 1984. “That ‘aha’ moment never failed to make my skin tingle. The relationship between studio teacher and student is a very close one, and I shall dearly miss getting to know these wonderful students.”

Whitman’s plans for next year include volunteer work for various organizations, further martial arts trading, teaching Freshman Studies at Lawrence and several writing projects.

Showing Their Compassionate Side: Lawrence Sculpture Students Turn Manhole Covers into Public Art

Pedestrians in downtown Appleton need look no further than the sidewalk to find examples of compassion these days.

A dozen, newly cast, custom-made manhole covers that feature designs depicting some aspect of compassion are adding a bit of humanity to the otherwise lifeless sidewalks running up and down College Ave.

The project is the latest brainchild of public art specialist Rob Neilson, the Frederick R. Layton Professor of Art at Lawrence University, who challenged students in his sculpture class this spring to come up with their own personal definition of compassion.

"Answered Prayers" by J.R. Vanko '13

The manhole cover assignment was inspired by the community-wide Compassion Project, in which 10,000 Appleton school children used 6-by-6-inch ceramic tiles to create drawings and paintings of what compassion means to them.

Using manhole covers as a medium was a welcomed return to Neilson’s Detroit roots and his foundry background. His father worked for Kasle Steel and he spent a good part of his youth rummaging through scrap yards in search of discarded metals he could repurpose into art.

“This project was great fun and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Neilson, who contributed one of the 12 new manholes. Titled “Mandela Mandala,” Neilson’s creation features eight images of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela arranged into a design bordering on the abstract.

Student covers include a thumbprint, representing an individual responsibility to show compassion; a hand grasping a human liver that honors a friend who underwent an organ transplant and a series of intersecting ripples of water to illustrate the far-reaching effects of each person’s actions.

After creating their designs, Neilson and his students visited the company synonymous with manhole covers — Neenah Foundry — which made molds of each design and created new cast iron covers.  The covers will be installed by crews from the city of Appleton.

“This was a great opportunity for my sculpture students and Lawrence to collaborate with the world famous Neenah Foundry and the city of Appleton on a project that benefits the community, the college and the industry,” said Neilson.  “It was a chance for my students to stop and think about what manhole covers are, what their purpose is and how to use them to actually create a functional piece of public art.”

The manhole cover designs, which are essentially relief sculptures, were chosen for installation in the sidewalk rather than the street, so that people would be able to stop, view and admire them.

In addition to the set of 12 manhole covers for the sidewalks, two complete extra sets of covers were made for Lawrence and the Trout Museum of Art by Neenah Foundry, which underwrote the cost of the project.

Lawrence University Musicians Earn Top Honors in National, State Competitions

James Maverick earned first-place honors in the national finals of the piano division of the recently completed 2011 National Federation of Music Clubs Student/Collegiate Auditions while senior Daniel O’Connor received second-place honors in the organ division of the same competition. Both advanced to the national finals after winning the Wisconsin state competition in March.

Maverick, a junior from of Baton Rouge, La., received the Agnes Fowler/Marie V. Thiesen Award, which includes a prize of $1,100. In recognition of his outstanding performance, the judges also awarded Maverick two supplemental prizes: the Annie Lou Ellis Award of $1,000 and the Janice Clarkson Cleworth Scholarship for $400. Maverick is a student in the studio of Michael Mizrahi.

O’Connor, a senior from Dallas, Texas, who studies with university organist Kathrine Handford, was awarded the $1,000 Ruby S. Vought Scholarship for his second-place performance.

Lawrence was the only school in the country with two award winners among the finalists in the National Federation of Music Clubs competition.

Conducted via submitted audition tape, the competition is open to musicians 19-26 years of age in 13 categories. Students are required to perform a repertoire from memory covering a challenging range of 4-5 musical styles, depending upon the category.

Founded in 1898, the National Federation of Music Clubs is among the world’s largest music organizations, providing opportunities for musical study, performance and appreciation to more than 200,000 senior, student and junior members nationwide.

Leonard Hayes, also a senior from Dallas, added to his growing body of achievements by winning the 2011 Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Collegiate Badger competition held Sunday, May 22 at UW-Eau Claire. A student in the studio of Catherine Kautsky, Hayes received a first-place prize of $200.

Julian Delfino, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif., and a student of Anthony Padilla, earned honorable mention honors at the WMTA competition.

A total of 12 pianists from three schools — Lawrence, UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse — competed in this year’s WMTA Collegeiate Badger competition finals.

Junior Meghan Hickey Awarded Critical Language Scholarship to Study in Russia

Lawrence University’s Meghan Hickey has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Russian this summer at the Kazan Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in Kazan, Russia.

Meghan Hickey '12

A junior from Naperville, Ill., majoring in Russian Studies and French Studies, Hickey was among 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students awarded one of the state department’s critical language scholarships. She was selected from among more than 5,200 applications.

Beginning June 5, Hickey will spend eight weeks living with a host family in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. The program features four hours a day of personalized, intensive language study as well as literature and political science courses and various cultural activities. The scholarship covers all expenses during the eight-week-long program and includes a $1,400 stipend.

Hickey, who first began studying Russian as a Lawrence sophomore, said she speaks the language “well enough to get into the CLS program, but not well enough to not be a little nervous, too.”

“I’m very excited about spending a summer in Russia,” she added.  “I know I’ll be challenged, but I can’t wait to get there.”

She sees the CLS program as an important step toward her career goals of working for the United Nations or becoming a professional translator.

The CLS program was launched in 2006 to increase opportunities for American students to study critical-need languages overseas and expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical-need languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Indic (Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu) and Turkic (Turkish and Azerbaijani).

Research Discovery Earns Senior Katy Cummings Geology Award

A potential breakthrough discovery helped Lawrence University senior Katy Cummings earn the “Most Promising Undergraduate Student Award” at the 2011 meeting of the Institute on Lake Superior Geology May 18-21 in Ashland.

Katy Cummings ’11 at the 2011 Institute on Lake Superior Geology meeting.

Cummings, a geology and biology double major from Dousman, was honored for her poster “Possible eukaryotic macrofossils in the 1.1 Ga Copper Harbor Formation, Michigan,” which she co-authored with Marcia Bjornerud, professor of geology and Walter Schober Professor of Environmental Studies.

The poster presentation was based on research Cummings conducted last fall during a field trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Cummings discovered what may be some of the oldest non-bacterial life forms yet documented in non-marine rocks.

The Institute on Lake Superior Geology is a non-profit professional society that provides a forum for the exchange of geological ideas and scientific data and promoting better understanding of the geology of the Lake Superior region. Its annual meeting draws geologists from the United States, Canada and throughout the world.

Rachel Young Awarded Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship for Study in Taiwan

Lawrence University student Rachel Young has had a passion for words since she first learned to read. And her early discovery of the power of the spoken word helped foster a strong interest in languages.

The junior from Minneapolis, Minn., has pursued her love of languages at Lawrence with majors in both Spanish and Chinese, an academic track she hopes eventually leads to a position with the United Nations.

Young will take another step toward that dream job as the recipient of a $27,000 Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. She plans to spend the 2012-13 academic year at National Taiwan University in Taipei studying international relations with an emphasis on conflict resolution and peace building.

This is the third straight year a Lawrence student has been awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship through the Appleton Rotary Club and Rotary District 6220.

Rachel Young '12

“It’s an amazing gift,” said Young, a member of the board of Lawrence’s Chinese Student Association, a Spanish tutor as well as an ELS tutor for Japanese students in the Waseda Program.

“Winning the Rotary Scholarship felt like an affirmation of a lot of hard work, but it also presents an opportunity for me to give back to the community.”

In addition to study opportunities around the world where Rotary clubs are active, the Ambassadorial Scholarship comes with the expectation recipients serve as “goodwill ambassadors” for their home countries, participating in community service projects and speaking at local Rotary club events, civic organizations and other forums. It is a role Young embraces.

“By representing Rotary abroad, I hope to build a relationship of mutual understanding between the respective Rotary clubs and present an example for international cooperation on a grassroots level,” said Young, a member of the board of Lawrence’s Chinese Student Association.  “I truly believe that international and cross-cultural communication between peoples, even on a small scale, can make a huge difference in the future. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship will be an excellent opportunity for me to be a part of this difference.

“I hope to return to the United States with a whole new perspective on cultural relations, humanitarian action and academics,” she added.

Young began studying Spanish as a six-year-old and took up Chinese language study as a Lawrence freshman in 2008. Last year she spent six months studying at Capital University in Beijing on the Associated Colleges in China Program. Following her year of study in Taiwan, Young hopes to put her language skills to work by pursuing graduate studies in interpreting and translating.

“My ultimate goal would be working for the United Nations. I would find that fascinating,” said Young. “But if the U.S. State Department offered me a position, let’s just say I wouldn’t turn it down.”

Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy and academic excellence, the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships program is one of the world’s largest privately sponsored international scholarship programs. Established in 1947, the program has sponsored more than 40,000 scholars and counts among its alumni former U.S. Ambassador to India and 1959 Lawrence graduate David Mulford, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker Jr. and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert.

Professor Emeritus Arthur Thrall Recognized with Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Emeritus of Art and former Charles S. Farrar-Laura Norcross Marrs Professor of Fine Arts Arthur Thrall will be among six state artists recognized Sunday, May 22 by the Museum of Wisconsin Art with the Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Award. The Milwaukee Institute Of Art & Design also will be honored.

Thrall joined the Lawrence art department in 1964 following the consolidation with Milwaukee Downer College, where he had been a member of the faculty since 1956.  He retired from Lawrence  in 1990, but has remained an active artist in retirement in Milwaukee.

A painter and printmaker with an international reputation, Thrall has been the recipient of more than 75 awards, including “Artist of the Year” honors in 1984 by the Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Fellowship in Printmaking.

His works have appeared in more than 500 exhibitions as well as the White House and are included in the permanent collections of the British Museum, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Gallery in England, the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress and the Chicago Art Institute, among others.

Founded in 2004, the WVALAA is essentially the state “Hall of Fame” for those who have supported the visual arts with distinction. The honor is presented to both individuals and organizations in recognition of extraordinary contributions to the creation, support and growth of visual arts in and of Wisconsin.

The awards ceremony, which is free and open to the public, begins at 1:30 p.m. and will be held at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend.

The Rabbit Gallery: Lawrence University Student Entrepreneurial Initiative Offers New Venue for Local Artists

Sydney Pertl just wanted to help…her fellow student art majors, Fox Valley artists and the downtown Appleton business district. Becoming a budding entrepreneur in the process was just a side benefit.

After a year-long gestation and a fair share of sweat equity, the Lawrence University junior from Seattle, Wash., is looking forward to unveiling Appleton’s first “pop-up” art gallery in the gift shop half of the former Conkey’s Bookstore on College Ave.

Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and digital works of more than 25 community artists, including Lawrence students and faculty, the Rabbit Gallery holds its official opening Tuesday, May 17 from 4:30-8:30 p.m.

As a “pop-up” gallery, the Rabbit Gallery is by nature a temporary venue that will utilize empty storefronts in downtown Appleton that are for sale or lease. Its goal is twofold: market the vacant properties to potential buyers and provide professional space for local artists to showcase their work.

“No business district wants to see empty stores, so the gallery acts as a transitional storefront that we hope generates increased foot traffic downtown and eventually leads to a local business owner taking over the property,” said Pertl. “I hope the community takes advantage of the opportunity this presents.”

The Rabbit Gallery concept was conceived more than a year ago in the class “Entrepreneurship in the Arts and Society,” part of Lawrence’s new Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Studio art major Krissy Rhyme, a senior from Green Bay, and junior Ranga Wimalasuriya, an economics major from Sri Lanka, were instrumental in bringing the project to fruition. Rhyme, one of the project’s founding members, oversaw the design of the gallery’s web site, while Wimalasuriya handled all of the project’s finances as its business manager.

The students were guided by an advisory board that includes three Lawrence faculty members, former Jansport CEO and community advocate Mike Cisler and representatives from Appleton Downtown Inc. and the Trout Museum of Art.

Adam Galambos, assistant professor of economics, said the Rabbit Gallery is breaking new ground in realizing one of the primary goals of the innovation and entrepreneurship program: to create student ventures that function as experiential learning labs.

“These students are using their unique skills and what they have learned at Lawrence to create something that has not existed in this community before,” said Galambos. “It is a great example of how liberal education can be translated into action to create positive change in the world.”

Jennifer Stephany, executive director of Appleton Downtown Inc., says the arts can be an economic driver in a city’s downtown district. She cited a 2007 plan adopted by the city of Appleton that called for maintaining the vitality of the arts and entertainment district as a key initiative by creating new venues for arts activities and pursuing opportunities to attract artists and arts-related businesses to the district.

She sees the Rabbit Gallery as “an exciting and progressive project that brings positive momentum to several economic development efforts surrounding the arts in downtown Appleton.

“By hosting the gallery in a vacant available space it will generate traffic to the central businesses district and bring awareness to opportunity for entrepreneurial business development,” said Stephany. “The Rabbit has brought synergy to the efforts of Appleton Downtown Inc., The Trout Museum of Art and Lawrence University to highlight downtown as the Fox Cities cultural core for the visual arts.”

One of Pertl’s strongest motivations in pursuing the gallery project was the potential benefit it has for her classmates.

“Networking is very important if you’re going to survive as an artist,” said Pertl. “Having the opportunity to showcase your work in a professional gallery while you’re still a student is invaluable. There is a lot to be gained by connecting Lawrence student artists with the working professional arts community in the Fox Valley. The Rabbit Gallery should help open doors for art students after they graduate.”

According to Pertl, the Rabbit Gallery will benefit local artists as well by charging a lower-than-normal commission for any sold artwork.

“Our gallery is designed to have the artists receive the majority of the value for their work.”

Following the grand opening, the gallery, which will be staffed by student and community volunteers, will be open May 20, 5-8 p.m., May 21-22 and May 27-28 noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

After May 28, the gallery will close for the summer, with plans to reopen next fall in a new downtown location.

Calling All Unwanted “Gadgets”: Electronic Recycling Drive Scheduled Friday at Warch Campus Center

Lawrence University students will conduct a community-wide electronics recycling drive Friday, May 20 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.  in front of the Warch Campus Center, 711 E. Boldt Way.

The electronics drive will collect and properly recycle broken, obsolete, or unwanted electronics. Among the items that will be accepted free of charge include televisions, MP3 players/iPods, cellular and hard wire phones, circuit boards, wire and cabling, laptops, printer/toner cartridges, copy and FAX machines, printers, DVD/VHS players, stereo equipment, CPUs, GPS units, keyboards, monitors and terminals.

Large items such as refrigerators, stoves, air conditioners and dehumidifiers will not be accepted. Lawrence students can recycling mini-fridges for free on a first-come, first-served basis.  Computer hard drives can be cleared for $10 fee.

All collected electronics will be responsibly recycled by 5R Processors of Ladysmith.

The electronics recycling drive grew out of a student-led environmental studies research project that determined Lawrence students have approximately 9,600 electronic devices on campus, an average of 6.4 electronic items per student. The results of the e-recycling event will be used to help determine student support for implementing a permanent electronics drop-off site on campus.

Medical Anthropologist Sara Quandt ’73 Examines U.S. Health Disparities in Honors Convocation

Sara Quandt, a professor in the department of epidemiology and prevention at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine, examines the health inequities and social justice challenges faced by rural and minority populations in Lawrence University’s final convocation of the 2010-11 academic year.

Sara Quandt '73

A 1973 Lawrence graduate, Quandt presents “It Takes a Community: Collaborating to Reduce Health Disparities in the U.S.” Tuesday, May 17 at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. She also will conduct a question-and-answer session at 2 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema. Both events are free and open to the public.

The annual honors convocation publicly recognizes students and faculty recipients of awards and prizes for excellence in the arts, athletics, humanities, sciences, social sciences, languages and music as well as service to others. Students elected to honor societies also will be recognized. Students and faculty members cited were presented their awards at a banquet May 12.

An applied medical anthropologist, Quandt works on programs to correct the health disparities experienced by rural and minority populations. Her research has focused on occupational health concerns of Latino immigrant farm workers and poultry processing workers, particularly pesticide exposure, green tobacco sickness and occupational injuries and illnesses. The findings have been used for education and policy change interventions to reduce health disparities.

Quandt also has investigated issues related to food and nutrition among older rural residents, including self-management of diabetes and the impact of oral health deficits on diet and social interaction.

She joined Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s department of public health in 1994 after spending 11 years on the faculty of the University of Kentucky.

Her efforts have been recognized with the National Rural Health Association’s  2007 Outstanding Rural Health Researcher Award, the National Occupational Research Agenda Innovative Research Award for Worker Health and Safety and the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists’  2003 Praxis Award.

Quandt earned a bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude in anthropology from Lawrence before completing her master’s and doctorate degrees in anthropology with a minor in human nutrition at Michigan State University. She conducted post-doctoral training at the National Science Foundation Summer Institute on Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Florida.