As global cyber threats target U.S. businesses and the government, organizations such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace respond, and so will Natalie Thompson ’19.
Natalie Thompson ’19 will help the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace respond to global cyber threats.
Thompson, a math and political science double major from West Olive, Michigan, is the first Kalamazoo College student to earn a James C. Gaither Junior Fellowship. Each year, Carnegie chooses about a dozen graduating seniors or recent grads from a pool of several hundred nominees to serve as junior fellows. The junior fellows work with Carnegie’s senior scholars for one year in Washington, D.C., to conduct research for books, co-author journal articles and policy papers, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists and government officials.
An ‘Unparalleled Opportunity’
Beginning Aug. 1, Thompson will work in Carnegie’s Cyber Policy Initiative, run through its Technology and International Affairs Program, to promote technology while reducing or eliminating cyber threats that could harm the country’s financial stability, data and transaction integrity, and communication chains.
Students applying for the fellowship are first nominated by their institution and prepare statements of interest and issue-specific essays for their program of interest. Carnegie selects about three or four students to interview for each position and must demonstrate some knowledge of and passion for their focus topic. Plus, according to its website, Carnegie selects only the top 5 percent of its applicants each year for junior fellowships with students.
“I think it’s an unparalleled opportunity,” said Thompson, who added this is just the second year K has been a nominating institution for the fellowship. “Think tanks and nonprofits in Washington, D.C., like Carnegie often prefer employees with several years of work experience or a master’s degree in their field in research positions like these. I hope to take my undergraduate degree and the great writing and research skills I learned at K and transfer them into policy expertise. It’s difficult to describe how exciting it is for me and I hope it’s exciting for the College.”
Before they graduate from K, students including Thompson complete a senior individualized project (SIP), serving as a capstone to their educations in the liberal arts and sciences. Anne Dueweke, K’s director of grants, fellowships and research, who serves as the College’s nominating official for the fellowship, said Thompson’s SIP, about media technologies and their impact on public deliberation, probably factored into Carnegie’s decision to select her.
“I think her SIP certainly had something to do with it along with other experiences in which she has been able to develop her research skills,” Dueweke said. “But Natalie really stands out in her intellectual curiosity. She is incredibly well read and engaged in the topic of cybersecurity, and on many related topics as well. She is also a very sophisticated thinker and writer. The Gaither Fellowship is a perfect fit for her.”
Global Cyber Threats on the Rise
As an example of the cyber threats she might address as a fellow, Thompson described “deepfakes.” Deepfakes are an artificial intelligence-based technology that produce or alter video or audio to convincingly present something that didn’t occur. Video and audio manipulation techniques are not new, but technological advances have made the manipulations more convincing. Usually this means criminals or hackers fool the public into believing a famous influencer, business executive or politician said something they never did. She could explore what such a tactic means for government intelligence connections, diplomatic relations and state-to-state hacking.
State-to-state hacking concerns also have escalated in recent weeks because of China’s government and how it allegedly spies on U.S. businesses. National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Department officials brought to light some of those issues this month at a cybersecurity conference, as reported through the Washington Post.
As a result, “what policies will we need to consider?” Thompson asked. “Could there be diplomatic, legal or military responses? Right now, we don’t have clear policy standards or regulations for what to do in these situations.”
Thompson said she’s comfortable in Washington, D.C., as she was among K’s first students to study away there through an internship with Whitmer & Worrall, a bipartisan government relations and strategic consulting firm. However, several K faculty and staff members were instrumental in encouraging her to seek the fellowship. Those influencers included Dueweke, Luce Professor of Complex Systems Studies Peter Erdi, and Kalamazoo College’s Political Science Department.
“Dr. [Jennifer] Einsphar especially has been a tireless mentor for me during my time at K,” said Thompson of the associate professor of political science. “We’ve had so many conversations. She’s an incredible scholar and I’ve loved her courses. Dr. Erdi has also been a tireless advocate for me. He encouraged me to combine hard science and social science, and helped me think from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
Learn more about the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the James C. Gaither Junior Fellowship through the organization’s website.
For Amanda Moss ’19, the route to her prestigious internship this summer at National Basketball Association (NBA) headquarters in New York City began, improbably, with getting kicked out of a gym.
Economics and business major Amanda Moss applied for a highly competitive NBA internship and was one of 50 students chosen from a pool of 6,000.
She says that while she was a basketball player in high school, she went to the community gym in her Detroit suburb daily during the summer to practice her jump shot. One day, however, an employee of the Detroit Pistons NBA team told her she would have to leave because the courts were reserved for a team-run youth basketball program.
“I started to pack up but then I looked around and saw they were way understaffed for the event they were going to hold,” she recalls. “So I went back up to the guy and I offered my assistance. He took me up on the offer and I helped set up chairs, run the scoreboard, that sort of thing, and helped to clean up when it was over.”
After the event, she says, the employee chatted with her and ended up offering her a summer job at the Pistons’ youth basketball camp.
Amanda Moss, who plays on Kalamazoo College’s women’s basketball team, is working in an NBA internship this summer.
“I did that every summer for four years,” says Moss, who plays women’s basketball and lacrosse and was just named to the Jewish Sports Review Women’s College Lacrosse All-America Team for the second year in a row.
Along the way, she got to meet Pistons players including Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and people in the team’s corporate office. So when it came time to seek an internship in summer 2017, she was well-situated to apply to the Pistons. She worked in community relations and marketing for the team, conceiving a career forum for girls 9 to 16 and then running every aspect of the event, which included presenting a panel of college basketball players and women business leaders.
That, in turn, set her up for this summer’s internship. With the help of K’s Center for Career and Professional Development and with advice from her professors, the economics and business major applied for the highly competitive program and was one of 50 students chosen from a pool of 6,000. She’s working in the retail division of the NBA’s Global Partnerships Department, which manages all aspects of the league’s relationship with companies including Nike, New Era, Foot Locker and Amazon.
That relationship includes activities such as licensing the sale of NBA-branded merchandise, arranging for advertising on NBA TV, approving the use of the NBA logo in social media messages and arranging player appearances at partner businesses, she says. Her role has been mainly in research. One assignment tasked her with finding out everything she could about how the NBA could work with Target Corp., and she says she discovered a natural fit in both organizations’ emphasis on supporting community voluntarism—a synergy around which her boss now is building a partnership program.
She says her K education has given her a real advantage in her role, especially a business research methods course that prepares students for their Senior Individualized Project (SIP). Business and economics professor Timothy Moffit ’80 put a heavy emphasis on identifying information sources in research papers, so in a PowerPoint presentation to NBA professionals, she says, she included a final slide listing all of her sources—about 30, and many of them recognizable names.
She says it helped cement the credibility and validity of her proposal. “They were really impressed. It’s not something that they were expecting.”
A Chinese minor who studied abroad in China during the 2017-18 school year, Moss also has had a chance to use her language skills, aiding her boss in a conference call with the NBA office in China, she says. And content- and video-editing skills she learned in a documentary filmmaking course have turned out to be in high demand, as well.
“Every day is a new day at the league,” she says. “You have to be very multidimensional. Part of the Kalamazoo College liberal arts experience is being able to study multiple subjects because the K-Plan is so flexible.”
With the experience gained in her internships, and a planned SIP contrasting consumer perceptions of professional sports in the United States and China, she hopes to land a corporate job in international sports after graduation. Her ultimate goal—“really just a dream” at this point, she says—would be to start a nonprofit venture that uses sports to connect with and empower Chinese girls.
“I was adopted from China, and when I went to my study abroad in China, I got to volunteer coach in some of the schools, and there was a huge absence of girls in all of the basketball programs,” she says, adding that Chinese girls get little encouragement to participate in team sports in general.
In another effort to help people achieve their goals, she is teaming with fellow Kalamazoo College athletes Alex Dupree ’21 and Jordan Wiley ’19 to form a sports business club for K students that will aid them in charting their way to careers in sports-oriented businesses and link them with alumni in the field.
Her effort to create what she calls “new channels and opportunities” for her classmates echoes what she says is her goal on the lacrosse field and basketball court: “to play for my teammates and make great memories.”
Moss’ enthusiasm and cooperative yet competitive spirit wins high praise from K physical education professor and coach Jeanne Hess.
“Amanda is one of the most committed players and teammates I’ve seen come through Kalamazoo College,” Hess says. “She plays with passion and ferocity and she’s fun to watch. She’s going to do great things.”
Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students who received awards during the 2018 Senior Awards Ceremony on June 16 at Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships and special non-departmental awards. Again, congratulations to all graduates and members of the class of 2018.
Senior Aunye Scott-Anderson is the recipient of the first Charles Lewis Williams Jr. Award, awarded for oratory excellence at the English SIP Symposium. Scott-Anderson was among the students honored Saturday, June 16, at the 2018 Senior Awards Ceremony.
George Acker Award, awarded annually to a male athlete who in his participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Jonathan Nord
Alpha Lambda Delta Dr. Helen Clark Graduate Fellowship, given to the Alpha Lambda Delta member graduating with the highest GPA.
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
American Chemical Society Certified Degree in Chemistry
Maria Elva Fujii
Sarah Marie Harnish
Phuong Nguyet Ha Le
Omar León Ruiz
Madeleine Grace Roberts
Caleb Sherwood
Kathryn Doral Thamann
James Bird Balch Prize in American History, for showing academic excellence in American history.
Angel Caranna
Lillian Pringle Baldauf Prize in Music, awarded to an outstanding music student
Lauren Landman
Lewis Batts Prize, awarded to seniors who have done the most to support the activities of the Biology Department and to further the spirit of collegiality among students and faculty.
Manbir Singh
Erika Kelly Waalkes
Bruce Baxter Memorial Award, awarded to a senior showing outstanding development in the field of political science.
Anselm Scheck
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award, awarded to students who display qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern and willingness to help others as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont.
Rumsha Sajid
Cindy Xiao
Beeler Senior Projects Abroad Fellows
Lotte Louise Dunnell
Oluchi Amarachi Ebere
Alicia Gaitan
Jasmine Khin
Connor Webb
Larry Bell Scholar
Lee Ray Carter
Biology in Liberal Arts Prize
Rosemarie Nocita
Kathleen Elizabeth Brannan Russell
Marshall Hallock Brenner Prize, awarded to an outstanding student for excellence in the field of psychology.
Justin Thad Roop
Henry and Inez Brown Award, awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community.
Alexandrea Esther Ambs
Emily Good
David Vanderkloot
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the Romans.
Clayton James Meldrum
Mary Long Burch Award, for a senior woman who has manifested interest in sports activities and excelled in scholarship.
Christina Dandar
Robert Bzdyl Prize in Marine Biology, awarded to one or more students with demonstrated interest and ability in marine biology or related fields.
Claire Eleanor Howland
Annual Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry, to an undergraduate student planning on pursuing graduate studies in chemistry.
Clay Wilkey
Annual Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry, to an undergraduate student planning on pursuing graduate studies in chemistry.
Madeleine Grace Roberts
Annual Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry, sponsored by the American Chemical Society and subcommittee for the Division of Physical Chemistry, to an undergraduate student who displays significant aptitude for a career in organic chemistry.
Joyce Nguyen
Outstanding Chemistry Student from Kalamazoo College, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society and is given to the graduating senior who has demonstrated leadership in the chemistry department and plans to pursue graduate studies in chemistry.
Madeleine Grace Roberts
Lilia Chen Award in Art, awarded to students in their junior or senior year who distinguish themselves through their work in ceramics, sculpture, or painting, and who exhibit strong progress in their understanding of art.
Carlos Enrique Arellano
Dorothy Carpenter
Alicia Gaitan
Kelly Marie Haugland
Julia Madeline Koreman
Erin Sidney Reilly
Amber Sims
Ruth Scott Chenery Award, given to graduating seniors who have excelled academically in theatre and who plan to continue the study of theatre arts following graduation.
Johanna Keller Flores
Samuel Meyers
Chinese Outstanding Achievement Award, which recognizes seniors who have excelled in the study of the Chinese language and China-related subjects on campus and abroad in China.
AJ Convertino
Sharon Situ
Lia Williams
Provost Prize in Classics
Leah Elizabeth Finelli
Clayton James Meldrum
Provost Prize in Computer Science
Skyler Norgaard
Sivhaun Sera
H.P. and Genevieve Connable Scholarship
Hayley Beltz
C.W. “Opie” Davis Award, awarded to the outstanding senior male athlete
Ryan Orr
Diebold Scholar Award, given to one or more seniors in recognition of excellence in the oral or poster presentation of the SIP at the Diebold Symposium.
Megan Elisabeth Hoinville
Emma Kristal
Matera Stuart
Marion H. Dunsmore Memorial Prize in Religion, awarded to graduating seniors for excellence in the major.
Hannah Bernice Berger
Emily Good
David Vanderkloot
Provost Prize in Economics
Thao Duong
Maria Franco
Logan Nicole Smith
George Eaton Errington Prize, awarded to outstanding senior art majors.
Charlotte Mary Gavin
Tulani Pryor
Alliance Francaise Prize in French, awarded for excellence in French by advanced students.
Laetitia Marie Ndiaye
Anselm Scheck
French Government Teaching Assistantships
Molly Elise Merkel
Zoe Johannsen
Joe Fugate Senior German Award, awarded to a senior for excellence in German.
Xarifa Greenquist Memorial Psychology Department Award, given in recognition of distinctive service to students and faculty in psychology by a student assistant.
Ethel Mogilevsky
Lorenzo Redmond
Gabrielle Alexis Shimko
Fred and Sarah Greer Endowed Scholarship/Lorinda Kay Sanford Memorial
Darryl Keyshaun Lewis
Sep’Tisha Starnika Riley
Austin Vance
Kierra Verdun
Griffin Prize, awarded to the senior English major who, like Professor Gail Griffin, demonstrates an exceptional ability to bridge his or her analytical and creative work in the English department.
Rumsha Sajid
Charles C. Hall Scholarship
Maria Elva Fujii
Ham Civic Engagement Scholar
Sep’Tisha Starnika Riley
W. and Elsie L. Heyl Scholars
Brice Calco
Rachel Sujin Chang
Emily Catherine Fletcher
Abhay Goel
Jacob Naranjo
Alexandria Kathleen Oswalt
Peter Rossi
Amber Salome
Anna Michele Roodbergen
The Raymond L. Hightower Award, given to a graduating senior for excellence in and commitment to the disciplines of sociology and anthropology and leadership in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.
Monet Foster
Alejandro Antonio Jaramillo
Savannah Julia Kinchen
Kiavanne Abelardo Javier Williams
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award, awarded to a deserving student who displays a deep concern for the well-being of children, as demonstrated through career goals in the field of child welfare.
Sarafina Jeanette Milianti
Sep’Tisha Starnika Riley
History Department Award, given for outstanding work in the major
Franklin Meyer
Hodge Prize in Philosophy, awarded to members of the graduating class who have the highest standing in the field.
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Jasmine Khin
Federico Spalletti
John Wesley Hornbeck Prize, awarded to seniors with the highest achievement for the year’s work in advanced physics toward a major.
Hayley Beltz
Megan Elisabeth Hoinville
Hornet Athletic Association Award, for a graduating senior who has most successfully combined high scholarship with athletic prowess.
David Vanderkloot
William G. Howard Memorial Prize, awarded to a senior for excellence in academic work in an economics or business major.
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Alex Sitner
Japanese National Honor Society, College Chapter, awarded in recognition of student achievement in their study of the Japanese language and their overall academic excellence.
Miles McDowall
Laetitia Marie Ndiaye
Yilan Qiu
Kurt Kaufman Fellows, given annually to seniors who receive Honors in the Senior Individualized Project (SIP) conducted with faculty in the Chemistry Department.
Maria Elva Fujii
Sarah Marie Harnish
Christina Keramidas
Madeleine Grace Roberts
Knoechel Family Award, awarded to a member of the swimming team in recognition of demonstrated excellence in both intercollegiate swimming and academic performance.
Alexandrea Esther Ambs
Irmgard Kowatzki Theatre Award, awarded to the senior who has excelled both in academic areas and in theatrical productions during the four years at the College.
Lauren Landman
LaPlante Civic Engagement Student Scholars, for outstanding dedication to civic engagement while designing and leading community programs that promote a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
Alexandrea Esther Ambs
Delaney Fordell
Sarafina Jeanette Milianti
Khusbu Patel
David Vanderkloot
Tish Loveless Award, given by the Department of Physical Education to the outstanding senior female athlete.
Department of Philosophy Prize, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in philosophy.
Lee Ray Carter
Emiline Noel Chipman
Federico Spalletti
William E. Praeger Prize in Biology, established by the faculty in the Biology Department and awarded to the most outstanding senior majors in biology, based on academic achievement in the discipline.
Megan Elisabeth Hoinville
Khusbu Patel
Robert and Karen Rhoa Prize in Business
Thomas Bryant
Phuong Nguyen
Jake Wasko
Robert and Karen Rhoa Prize for Outstanding SIP
Tuan Do
Monica Gorgas
Katherine Elizabeth Johnson
Elwood H. and Elizabeth H. Schneider Prize in English, awarded for outstanding and creative work in English done by a student who is not an English major.
Rosemarie Nocita
Tulani Pryor
Senior Leadership Recognition Award, awarded to students who have provided key elements of leadership in their organizations, athletic teams, academic departments, employment, and the wider Kalamazoo community. Students were nominated by faculty and staff members in January. Seniors eligible for this award also had to meet a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average requirement and be in good academic and social standing at the College.
Alexandrea Esther Ambs
Hannah Bernice Berger
Mary Elizabeth Burnett
Erin Elizabeth Butler
Elan Dantus
Leah Elizabeth Finelli
Emily Good
Andre Grayson
Griffin D. Hamel
Emily Marlies Kozal
Laetitia Marie Ndiaye
Alexandria Kathleen Oswalt
Khusbu Patel
Sean Peterkin
Sep’Tisha Starnika Riley
Benjamin Rivera
Rumsha Sajid
Sivhaun Sera
Elyse Tuennerman
David Vanderkloot
Kiavanne Abelardo Javier Williams
Lia Williams
Cindy Xiao
Fan E. Sherwood Memorial Prize
Jacqueline Mills
Sherwood Prize in Fine Arts, awarded for outstanding progress and ability on the violin, viola, cello or bass.
Cody Colvin
Catherine A. Smith Prize in Human Rights, awarded to a senior who has been active on campus in promoting human rights, furthering progressive social and cultural change, and combating violence, repression and bigotry.
Emiline Noel Chipman
Catherine A. Smith Prize in Women’s Athletics, awarded to a woman athlete who in her participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Danielle Louise Simon
Lemuel F. Smith Award, given to a student majoring in chemistry pursuing the American Chemical Society approved curriculum and having at the end of the junior year the highest average standing in courses taken in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
Maria Elva Fujii
Senior Spanish Award, given by the Department of Romance Languages for outstanding achievement in Spanish.
Emily Marlies Kozal
Claire Schertzing
Mary Clifford Stetson Prize, awarded for excellence in English essay writing by a senior.
David Vanderkloot
Dwight and Leola Stocker Prize, awarded for excellence in English writing, prose or poetry.
Margaret Doele
Elise Renée Houcek
Kate Liska
Ian Zigterman
Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Prize in Women’s Studies
Angel Caranna
Stowe Scholarship
Clay Wilkey
David Strauss Prize in American Studies, awarded for the best paper written by a graduating senior in his or her junior or senior year in any field of American Studies.
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
TowerPinkster Sustainability Scholarship
Emiline Noel Chipman
Babette Trader Campus Citizenship and Leadership Award, awarded to members of the graduating class, who have most successfully combined campus citizenship and leadership with scholarship.
Emiline Noel Chipman
Maria Elva Fujii
Alexandria Kathleen Oswalt
Charles Tully Design Award, given annually to a senior who has achieved excellence in some aspect of theatre design.
Carlos Enrique Arellano
Stina Taylor
Donald W. VanLiere Prize Psychology in Coursework
Christina Dandar
Lia Williams
Cindy Xiao
Donald W. VanLiere Prize Psychology in Research
Christina Dandar
Ethel Mogilevsky
Gabrielle Alexis Shimko
Mariam Souweidane
Vibbert Civic Engagement Scholar, students who honor and exemplify the life and spirit of Stephanie Vibbert – scholar, activist, poet, feminist and artist – by leading programs that promote equity and justice through the arts and feminist organizing.
Rumsha Sajid
Voynovich Competitive Scholarship
Elise Renée Houcek
Michael Waskowsky Prize, awarded to outstanding junior or senior art majors.
Zoe Johannsen
Miranda Petersen
Charles Lewis Williams Jr. Award, awarded for oratory at the English SIP Symposium
Aunye Scott-Anderson
Clarke Benedict Williams Prize, awarded to that member of the graduating class who has the best record in mathematics and the allied sciences.
Hayley Beltz
Abhay Goel
Jacob Naranjo
Skyler Norgaard
Maynard Owen Williams Memorial Award, for the best student entry in the form of an essay, poetry, paintings, sketches, photographs or films derived from study abroad.
Though Kalamazoo College chemistry professor Tom Smith has had 40 years to devise just the right formula for ensuring the success of his students, they’ll tell you that he had it from the very start. Alumni — led by two who were part of the first class Smith taught in the 1978-79 school year, Chris Bodurow and Bob Weinstein, both ’79 — are in the midst of a fundraising effort that has endowed the Thomas J. Smith Student Research Fellowship in Chemistry. The fund honors the retiring Smith, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, by supporting an initiative he chose, and which is close to his heart: independent summer research.
As Tom Smith, the Kalamazoo College Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, retires after 40 years as a student favorite, some of his former students are honoring him by endowing an independent summer student research fellowship in his name.
With Min Soo Kim ’19 designated as the first recipient, the endowment drive is entering its second phase. Bodurow is personally pledging a match of up to $20,000 in contributions with the goal of expanding the number of students who receive the fellowship each summer, a priority for the College as its new strategic plan re-emphasizes the K-Plan tenets of experiential education and independent scholarship.
Testifying to the devotion Smith inspires: He has been designated an Alpha Lambda Delta National Honorary Society Favorite Teacher by first-year students 13 times since 2003. In addition, he has directed the Senior Individualized Projects of 70 students, was named a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Scholar and was awarded the Florence J. Lucasse Fellowship for Excellence in Scholarship or Creative Work and the Dr. Winthrop S. and Lois A. Hudson Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research at Kalamazoo College.
It doesn’t take a list of awards, however, to understand the influence Smith has had on students, and the profound sense of appreciation it has engendered in the more than a dozen alumni who have contributed some $130,000 for the endowment.
Bodurow and Weinstein were seniors when Smith arrived at the College, fresh from post-doctoral work at Caltech. They said Smith immediately took on a role that went far beyond just teaching chemistry.
“He really had a very strong propensity to encourage us in our studies and in our post-Kalamazoo College strategies in our lives. He quickly identified students he thought ought to pursue graduate degrees and encouraged us,” said Bodurow, who went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and has had a distinguished career in drug research. Now retired from Eli Lilly and Company, where she was senior research director, external sourcing, for the Medicines Development Unit, she is a member of the board of the American Chemical Society and is president of PharmaDOQS, a consultancy.
“Tom was very deliberate about understanding our strengths and passions and directing us,” said Bodurow. “It was all because of his strong commitment to launching us, and he made sure we had a strong post-Kalamazoo plan. It was quite extraordinary. If you talk to anyone who has had Tom as a professor, they will tell you a similar story.”
Weinstein does.
“He helped us understand what it meant to go to grad school and how to get to grad school. He was telling us what it was like and challenging us with projects,” said Weinstein, who earned his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is president and CEO of Robertet USA, an arm of the French-owned maker of flavors, fragrances and natural raw materials. “It didn’t take Tom Smith very long to say, ‘This is what the College is about: I will prepare these students for graduate school or medical school and really dedicate myself to helping them.’ ”
Smith, he said, “was the engine behind me. To be able to contribute to his legacy at K is a privilege that I am proud to be able to do. I honestly believe that nothing I have accomplished would have been possible without Tom Smith and K.”
Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said few things are more meaningful to professors than to have former students credit them for their successes. To have them go a step further and fund an endowment in their name, he said, “is both an honor and an affirmation that you have achieved the goal motivating every educator, and that is to make a real difference in your students’ lives.”
Smith called it “humbling.”
“You think you’re getting your job done and then you discover decades later that the impact has lasted,” said Smith, an aficionado of hiking and movies, who described the honor as a fitting capstone for his career.
“So often when I say goodbye to students, I tell them, ‘Go out and make the world a better place,’ ” he said. “It becomes a lifelong interaction. That’s why we do this.”
To contribute to the Thomas J. Smith Student Research Fellowship in Chemistry, or to discuss creating an endowment in the name of another favorite faculty or staff member, contact Kalamazoo College Vice President for Advancement Al J. DeSimone at 269.337.7292 or Al.DeSimone@kzoo.edu.
Hoop house sounds like a nickname for a basketball arena.
In the field of agriculture, however, it’s a term for a kind of light yet sturdy, metal-framed greenhouse with a clear polyvinyl cover that can be erected anywhere it’s needed. A hoop house provides a year-round environment for growing vegetables, flowers and other cold-sensitive plants.
Kalamazoo College’s Just Food Collective collaborated on a proposal for a “hoop house” greenhouse that, with contributions from alumni and friends of the College, will greatly expand the year-round gardening space at the College. Gathering in the College greenhouse the group currently uses are some of the Just Food Collective members involved in the proposal (from left): Maya Gurfinkel ’20, Aiden Voss ’20, Natalie Thompson ’19, Elliott Boinais ’21 and Lee Carter ’18.
It will be several times the size of the College’s existing greenhouse behind Hoben Hall. And unlike that structure, where potted plants are grown on tables, the crops in the hoop house will be planted in ground-level boxes, making them easier to tend, sustain and harvest.
Ultimately, say student organizers such as Lee Carter ’18, a CCE Civic Engagement Scholar, the food produced in the hoop house could become part of the supply chain for the College’s Dining Services and perhaps for other food programs in the Kalamazoo community. It’s part of a wider goal of the Just Food Collective to increase the use of locally sourced food, easing nutritional inequities, bringing more transparency to the food supply system and reducing the College’s carbon footprint.
The idea has been around for over a decade. CCE Director Alison Geist says it got its start with a group called Farms to K, a program that grew from the service-learningfirst-year seminars Cultivating Community, first taught in 2008 by English professor Amelia Katanski ’92, and Roots in the Earth, led by College Writing Center Director Amy Newday, that focus on food justice and sustainable agriculture. Katanski and Newday serve as advisors to the group and Larry Bell ’80, founder of Bell’s Brewery, has provided support.
An artist’s depiction of the College’s new 1,800-square-foot hoop house, which will be erected in a corner of the intramurals field north of the Fitness and Wellness Center.
The CCE, students and faculty revived and expanded the mission of Farms to K in spring 2016 as the Just Food Collective, whose mission includes policy work on food insecurity. The students involved included Carter, who says he grew up in a “back to the land, homesteader” household in rural New Hampshire that always had a vegetable garden. With Newday, an owner of Shelbyville, Michigan’s, Harvest of Joy Farm, as mentor, they drew up a simple proposal for a hoop house, and Anika Sproull ’17, wrote a senior individualized project (SIP) advocating that K invest in sustainable agriculture.
Over the next two years, more than a dozen students devised a detailed, illustrated proposal and prepared a presentation that, Geist says, “just bowled over” President’s Staff. The proposal lays out the plan and explains how it would provide learning opportunities for existing classes and connect to campus programs such as a composting initiative. It also details the involvement of paid and volunteer student workers, tells how it would fulfill existing College policies concerning environmental justice and sustainability, looks at what other colleges and universities are doing and even includes the results of an informal survey demonstrating K student support for the idea.
Alumni and other supporters of the College, impressed by the plan, contributed the $26,200 needed to fund it.
“I was personally blown away by how quickly [the College] raised the money,” says Just Food Collective Civic Engagement Scholar Natalie Thompson ’19, who participated in the presentation.
Geist says she believes the donors were enthusiastic because they saw it as “a really K kind of thing,” where students used the freedom inherent in the K-Plan to take the lead and work outside of traditional structures. It’s the sort of student-led initiative, with one foot in the classroom and the other in contemporary social issues, that will spread throughout K’s curriculum under the new strategic plan. The plan calls for the College to “become the definitive leader in integrating academic rigor with life-changing experiential education in a values-driven community.”
“This is a really good example” of what the plan envisions, Geist says. “We’re not educating leaders of tomorrow, we’re educating leaders of today.”
As a 2018-19 Civic Engagement Scholar, Just Food Collective member Elliott Boinais ’21 will be in charge of the project, advised by Newday.
Geist cites it as a “fellowship in learning” — a principle that has illuminated the College’s approach to education for almost a century and which defines the CCE’s mission.
“It provides a prototype for what this kind of collaborative learning community can look like and achieve in the future,” she says.
“I hope it’s going to outlast our time here,” says Just Food Civic Engagement Scholar Aiden Voss ’20.
The graduating Carter regrets he won’t be around for the completion of the hoop house, which the philosophy major says he has dreamed about since he was a sophomore in a nearby Living-Learning Housing Unit, gazing at the intramural field as he drank his morning coffee while sitting on a sofa he dragged onto the porch.
Still, his K-Plan has revolved around food, with a SIP on food and philosophy and his experience helping lead a sustainable agriculture initiative. And his next step demonstrates the value of the education he received when, he says, he chose K over culinary school: This fall, he will begin work as a line chef at Canlis, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant widely acclaimed as Seattle’s finest.
The Kalamazoo College English Department will conduct its annual Hilberry Symposium, which honors English majors and their Senior Individualized Projects, this Friday and Saturday.
Lauren Trager ’07, an investigative journalist for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, will kick off the annual Hilberry Symposium with a keynote at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Olmsted Room.
Lauren Trager ’07, an investigative journalist for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, will kick off the event with a keynote at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Olmsted Room. Trager has spent most of her career as a reporter and anchor through the newspaper, radio and television industries, and has also worked in government. She worked as an anchor and reporter at KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, before arriving in St. Louis in 2013.
SIP presentation panels will run concurrently from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday after an opening session at 1 p.m. at 103 Dewing Hall. A reception at the Arcus Center will follow.
The Hilberry Symposium was named for late Professor Emeritus Conrad Hilberry, who was the founder of the creative writing program at K. The event resembles a professional conference, where scholars and writers share their work and acknowledge each other’s achievements. Alumni, nominated through English Department faculty, have served as keynote speakers for the event since 2001.
Since the first Hilberry Symposium in 2000, the event has been an important collective experience for the graduating class as a ritual of remembrance and celebration. With English Department faculty members, family and friends also attending, English majors have developed a community through the symposium that has evolved over time, with the love of language as its enduring center.
Visit its website for more information on the English Department and the Hilberry Symposium.
Two Kalamazoo College events coming soon will give students new experiences and learning opportunities in the sciences.
First, Brendan Bohannan – a professor of environmental studies and biology at the University of Oregon – will present a keynote address titled “Host-Microbe Systems: a Rediscovered Frontier in the Life Sciences” in the annual Diebold Symposium from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday at 226 Dow Science Center.
J.A. Scott Kelso will provide the Tourtellotte Lecture at 5:30 p.m. May 7 in 103 Dewing Hall.
The Diebold Symposium offers senior biology majors a chance to present their Senior Individualized Projects (SIP), regardless of their SIP discipline. The event is dedicated to the memory of Frances “Dieb” Diebold, who was a member of the Kalamazoo College Biology Department for 44 years.
Bohannon focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of microbial biodiversity. He began his research career studying microbes in non-host environments such as soil, water, air and built environments. However, over the past 12 years, his group has focused more on the microbiomes of humans and other animals including fish, birds and primates.
Then, the Kalamazoo College Physics Department will welcome J.A. Scott Kelso, of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University and the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, for the Tourtellotte Lecture at 5:30 p.m. May 7 in 103 Dewing Hall.
The lecture will explain some fundamental governing laws behind the behavior of complex physical, biological and social systems.
For most of his scientific career, Kelso has studied human beings and human brains, individually and together, and how they coordinate their behavior from cells to cognition to social settings.
Since the late 1970s, his approach has been grounded in the concepts, methods and tools of self-organizing dynamical systems tailored to living things, a theoretical and empirical framework called Coordination Dynamics.
From 1978 to 1985 Kelso was the senior research scientist at Yale University’s Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut. Since then, he has held the Glenwood and Martha Creech Eminent Scholar Chair in Science at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida, where he founded The Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences.
Kelso has held visiting appointments in Moscow, Stuttgart, Lyons and Marseille, and is an emeritus professor of computational neuroscience at Ulster University in Northern Ireland.
An organization of professional astronomers is honoring Kalamazoo College senior Hayley Beltz for her Senior Individualized Project and summer research, which Beltz presented to the group’s members.
Hayley Beltz was one of five undergraduates from across the country to earn a Chambliss medal from the American Astronomical Society, a group of professional astronomers.The American Astronomical Society, a professional astronomers group, is honoring Kalamazoo College senior Hayley Beltz for her research in quasar spectroscopy.
The Astronomy Achievement Student Awards, which were bestowed in January through the American Astronomical Society (AAS), recognize exemplary student presentations offered at its organizational meetings. Beltz’s research involved quasar spectroscopy, meaning she analyzed light that is billions of years old to find and measure the large concentrations of hydrogen that develop as stars form.
The highest AAS honorees, including Beltz – a double major in physics and math from St. Joseph, Michigan – are given a Chambliss medal. Beltz was one of five undergraduate medal winners, who included students from the University of Colorado, the University of Louisville, California State Polytechnic University and Rollins College.
Beltz said she is very excited about the award and it feels validating to win it considering she wants to attend graduate school in astronomy after graduating from K.
The AAS, established in 1899 and based in Washington, D.C., has about 7,000 members including physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers and other researchers from the broad spectrum of astronomy-related fields. Its mission is to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe.
Already widely known on campus for their invaluable contributions to the community, 25 seniors have been honored with Kalamazoo College Senior Leadership Recognition Awards. They include talented athletes, outstanding students, dedicated resident assistants, members of the President’s Student Ambassadors and leaders of student organizations. In many cases, they fall into more than one of these categories. Senior leadership nominations came from faculty, coaches and staff throughout the College.
Senior Leadership Award winners Friday were (front row, from left) Sean Peterkin, Elyse Tuennerman, Erin Butler, Emily Good, Lia Williams and Sep’tisha Riley; (second row, from left) Cindy Xiao, Sivhaun Sera, Hannah Berger, Laetitia Ndiaye and Skyler Norgaard; (third row, from left) Leah Finelli, Khusbu Patel, Danielle Simon, Mary Burnett and Alexandrea Ambs; and (back row, from left) Andre Grayson, David Vanderkloot, Emily Kozal and Griffin Hamel. Not pictured: Elan Dantus, Alexandria Oswalt, Benjamin Rivera, Rumsha Sajid and Kiavanne Williams.
“Kalamazoo College students are, by definition, outstanding,” said President Jorge G. Gonzalez, who hosted the senior leadership awards dinner Friday for the honored students and their parents. “To be chosen for a Senior Leadership Recognition Award is to achieve a superlative distinction.”
Here are the senior leadership honorees and statements from their nominators:
Alexandrea Ambs (nominated for a senior leadership award by Jay Daniels ’13, swimming and diving coach)
“Lexi is a great teammate and leader … Almost everyone younger than her on the team were hosted by Lexi or she played a role in them choosing to swim at K … Always leads the team by positive example and has been committed.”
Hannah Berger (nominated by the Rev. Elizabeth Candido ’00, chaplain and director of Religious and Spiritual Life)
“I’ve watched Hannah grow and develop into someone who is articulate, confident and able to work across difference to bring about a great result. … She is an ego-less, diligent servant leader who moves the job forward.”
Mary Burnett (nominated by Ashley Knapp, Residential Life area coordinator)
“Mary has worn many hats as an RA, peer leader, orientation program assistant, Index writer and more. … She truly cares for her community invests in developing fellow students and creating a positive experience for all.”
Erin Butler (nominated by Sandy Dugal, associate director, Kalamazoo College Fund)
“Erin has been a president’s student ambassador since her sophomore year. … She has been actively involved in issues of student representation and student voice. …She strives to make K a richer community where everyone has a voice.”
Elan Dantus (nominated by Mark Riley ’82, men’s tennis coach)
“Elan is a co-captain of our tennis program and a two-time first-team All-MIAA selection. … Also a departmental student adviser and has earned many academic awards. … Kind, thoughtful and successful on and off the court.”
Leah Finelli (nominated by Knapp)
“Leah serves as a senior resident assistant and is an exemplary role model who has always been considered a go-to person. …There is no one I know better who lives their life in such a way that I believe exhibits enlightened leadership.”
Emily Good (nominated by Candido)
“Emily has been a dedicated participant and volunteer in Religious and Spiritual Life all four years and now is an intern. …I never hesitate to leave her in charge of a program, meeting or group. … Diligent, responsible and thorough.”
Andre Grayson (nominated by Amy MacMillan, L. Lee Stryker professor of business management)
“Andre is in the top 5 to 10 percent of students I have taught. … He stands out for internal drive, analytical skills and the ability to get people to see things from a different perspective. … He has an inner fire that drives him to go above and beyond.”
Griffin Hamel (nominated by MacMillan)
“Griffin has really stepped up as a leader in the classroom who takes initiative. …In any project he will work hard and dig in extensively to learn and share credit with those around him. … He remains positive even after tough feedback.”
Emily Kozal (nominated by Katie Miller, assistant athletic director and women’s basketball coach; and Dugal)
“Emily is a dedicated leader in the classroom, on the court, in the community and as a President’s Student Ambassador. … A force on the basketball team and in the MIAA. … Amazing role model, brings a tremendous work ethic.”
Laetitia Ndiaye (nominated by Brittany Lemke, Residential Life area coordinator)
“Laetitia has done wonderful work in the K community as a senior RA, as well as in Model UN, Latinx Student Organization and Kalama-Africa. … She is a fun, energetic, caring, inspiring and extremely kind person who takes great pride in her work.”
Skyler Norgaard (nominated by Riley)
“Skyler has been a responsible, independent and motivated person as he leads our team. … As a co-captain, he is positive, respectful and an excellent listener while also challenging his teammates with his thoughtful intellect.”
Alex Oswalt (nominated by Mark Murphy, women’s tennis head coach)
“Alex is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached. … Highly accomplished academically. … As a captain, she is a great communicator. … Upon graduation she will be sorely missed for her leadership, humility, kindness and heart.”
Khusbu Patel (nominated by Bruce Mills, professor of English; and Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez ’17, Emily Kowey ’17 and Paulette Rieger, Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement)
“Khusbu possesses exceptional abilities to convene, guide and enrich fellow students, classrooms and/or civic engagement settings. … Biology major involved in Sisters in Science as well as on the Frisbee team and Frelon.”
Sean Peterkin (nominated by Lemke)
“Sean is a senior RA and such a motivating, goal seeking and respectful individual. … He pays attention to detail, always has a smile and never stops trying his best. …Everyone around him, including me, learns so much from him.”
Sep’Tisha Riley (nominated by Geist, Denton, Hernandez, Kowey and Rieger)
“Sep’Tisha has demonstrated leadership, deep dedication and skill as she has worked to promote educational equity and youth empowerment … also a student worker for the Registrar’s Office and very active in the Theatre Department.”
Benjamin Rivera (nominated by Amy Newday, director, Writing Center)
“Ben serves as a mentor for my students and has inspired them with his work at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum. … He dedicates himself to following his passions, sharing those passions generously and quietly making a difference in his community.”
Rumsha Sajid (nominated by Marin Heinritz ’99, assistant professor of English and journalism; and Geist, Denton, Hernandez, Kowey and Rieger)
“Rumsha is one who has made an impact since day one and not only grown exponentially since then, but has also catalyzed the growth and education of everyone around her…passion for social justice and civic engagement.”
Sivhaun Sera (nominated by Dugal)
“Sivhaun is a president’s student ambassador and a ball of energy. … She is a founding member of the computer science leadership team and serves as a TA and a departmental student adviser. … She is mature beyond her years.”
Danielle Simon (nominated by Miller)
“Dani is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. …This amazing work ethic allows her to succeed and have a positive impact in the classroom, on the basketball team and in the community. …She always strives for excellence.”
Elyse Tuennerman (nominated by Dugal)
“Elyse is warm, poised and authentic. … Her leadership is evident on campus and in the broader community. … Co-editor-in-chief of The Index, a tour guide for Admission, peer leader and active in the Student Funding Board.”
David Vanderkloot (nominated by Deia Sportel, academic office coordinator)
“David is dependable, efficient, responsible and has a great positive attitude. … He is well liked by his peers and highly respected by the faculty. … Serves as a Departmental Student Adviser and a valuable source of assistance for students.”
Kiavanne Williams (nominated by Aman Luthra, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology; and Knapp)
“Kiavanne was among the brightest and highest performing students in my class. … Very impressive SIP research that I have encouraged Kiavanne to publish. … An incredibly mindful and compassionate senior RA who cares deeply.”
Lia Williams (nominated by Dugal)
“Lia is highly involved as a presidential student ambassador and also as a career associate, psychology research and teaching assistant, and interfaith student leader. …Outstanding ability to relate to differing perspectives.”
Cindy Xiao (nominated by Lemke)
“Cindy is such an intelligent, dedicated, respectful and jovial individual. … As a senior RA, she is full of energy, has a positive disposition and is always willing to help. …Her drive and incredible talent are powerful forces to her success.”
Kalamazoo College’s efforts to get science majors experience in student research, one of the most important factors in providing them an exceptional start in their post-college careers, just got a big boost.
A $247,500 grant from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation will boost the availability of summer student research experiences for K biology, chemistry and physics majors.
The Sherman Fairchild Foundation will provide $247,500 to fund stipends of $4,000 apiece for students in biology, chemistry and physics to conduct research in summer. The three-year grant will also provide up to $1,500 apiece for students to attend scientific conferences to present their findings and to offset the cost of supplies, said Associate Professor of Physics Arthur Cole, who will serve as director of the project.
The student research beneficiaries, 15 each summer, will include both rising seniors working on their Senior Individualized Projects (SIPs) and younger students, allowing them to get early exposure to life in the lab before deciding whether to pursue science as a career, Cole said. He worked with Assistant Professor of Biology Santiago Salinas, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dwight Williams and Anne Dueweke, director of grants, fellowships and research, to conceptualize and develop the grant proposal.
“It gives students an earlier chance to seek out research experiences,” Cole said. “A lot of times you think you want to go into the sciences and you don’t know what research is like until you get to try it.”
He said the grant also will make it possible for those who support themselves while attending the College to concentrate on student research, rather than having to seek summer jobs, and could open doors for members of groups who are underrepresented in the sciences.
Salinas said summer research as an undergraduate played a major role in his own decision to become a scientist and professor.
“It’s more than what’s in the textbook,” he said. “They start to see the bigger picture. And they get to try things. It’s how they learn. And it’s fun.”
For those who do decide to pursue scientific careers, Williams said, the opportunity to get early research experience can give them a “leg up” on getting further grants and research opportunities.
“It’s a great way for us to get more students involved in research, particularly with an emphasis on first- and second-year students, instead of waiting until they’re seniors working on their SIPs” he said.
Though most of the research that the grant funds will involve students working with professors on the College’s campus, it will also provide support for up to three K students a year to participate in research at other institutions, Cole said.