students

A Break for Microbial Evolution

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Kalamazoo College sophomore Tanush Jagdish
A monument to experimental success in microbial evolution (and a pretty dandy learning experience)

Talk about making the most of an opportunity! Sophomore Tanush Jagdish took the initiative to contact microbiologist Richard Lenski (Michigan State University), who had visited Kalamazoo College last spring as the biology department’s Diebold Symposium keynote speaker. Tanush inquired about research possibilities in Lenski’s lab over the December break. Tanush has been working in Assistant Professor of Biology Michael Wollenberg’s microbiology research lab at K since his first year, so he was already familiar with techniques he would need to work in Lenski’s lab.   Lenski graciously extended an offer to Tanush and paired him up with a postdoctoral fellow to work on microbial evolution. Tanush loved the work (that’s probably an understatement).

“This experience becomes the most intensive and profound one in my (extremely short) research career,” he wrote. “Through a very fortunate set of events, I got to work on the strain of E-coli that famously learned to eat citrate after 20 years of evolution. Essentially, in order to trace the potentiating mutations back through time, I was trying to figure out the set of genes that are required for citrate consumption in the evolved strain.

“Everything went amazingly well–my experiments worked, the yields were great! I transformed and scanned through more than 1,600 strains from a mutant library, consuming over 3,500 agar plates. As is Lenski lab tradition with large experiments, I got to build my own tower from the plates.” (see photo). Tanush also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to work with the post-doc with whom he was paired, Dr. Zachary Blount.

“Dr. Blount was extremely kind and generous with his time when he mentored me,” said Tanush. “He is very well regarded in the evolutionary biology community (he characterized the citrate consuming bacteria after conducting what is still the largest genetic screen in academic history).”

Congratulations, Tanush, a beautiful example of leveraging the opportunity of a break between terms.

“Princess, Prisoner, Queen” is Original Research by a Liberal Arts Agent

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Sara Stack on study abroad in Strasbourg, France
Sara Stack on study abroad in Strasbourg, France

This week Sara Stack ’15 will break from her study of insects (she is working on a master’s degree in entomology at Purdue University) to travel to San Francisco and present a classics paper at the 2016 annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). From insects to classics!? Therein hangs a liberal arts tale, vintage Kalamazoo College.

Stack’s paper–“Princess, Prisoner, Queen: Searching for Identity and Agency in the Life of Kleopatra Selene”–is one of only four undergraduate research projects selected for presentation at the AIA meeting.

Selection was nation wide and very competitive,” said Senior Instructor in Classics Anne Haeckl. Stack wrote the paper for Professor Haeckl’s Junior Classics Seminar, which provided, said Stack, “an amazing opportunity to explore Selene’s life through the lens of intersectional feminism.”

Kleopatra Selene is one of history’s forgotten women, mentioned only marginally (if at all) in the history- and world-changing story of her famous parents, the Roman general Mark Antony and the last queen of Egypt, Kleopatra VII. Theirs was a story that crowded the stage of the entire Mediterranean world of their time, a story that has inspired countless historical and literary interpretations from Plutarch to Shakespeare to a recent bestseller biography by Stacy Schiff.

“I’ve always been very interested in history, particularly dynamic historical women,” said Stack, who majored in biology and religion.  “Kleopatra VII  has been a particular favorite of mine since childhood; my favorite book is a 1000-page novel called The Memoirs of Cleopatra. Because I’m so familiar with her mother, I’ve been aware of Selene for a long time, but I started to wonder about her as a historical figure in her own right.

“The most interesting part of my research was how strongly Selene’s political agenda and identity were influenced by the events of her childhood.”

After her parents’ defeat by Octavian (later the Roman emperor Augustus), Selene became Augustus’ prisoner and political pawn. He marched the 10-year-old girl in his Egyptian triumph through the streets of Rome as a symbol of her fallen dynasty and conquered nation. He gave her to his sister to raise and later arranged her marriage to Juba, king of Mauretania (today’s Algeria). “As the queen of Mauretania she very clearly identified herself as a Ptolemy (her mother’s royal house) and a Hellenized Egyptian queen,” said Stack. “She commissioned coins in her own right, not just in conjunction with her husband, and portrayed herself with the imagery and titles of her mother, Kleopatra VII. To me this indicates that she never forgot her heritage or her family, and used her power to maintain their legacy.”

Haeckl had equal praise for Stack’s research paper and for the liberal arts ethos from which it took wing. “At K we value the breadth and depth of academic course work and the Senior Individualized Project. It’s hard to find a more dynamic example of that than Sara, with her curiosity and hard work in biology, religion and classics.”

Stack’s biology SIP studied the effect of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that kills ash trees, on the biodiversity of a family of beetles known as Carabidae. “I really enjoyed my SIP research, and it was ultimately what made me fall in love with entomology and got me into graduate school,” said Stack.

She obviously also enjoyed her classical research. “She unified and analyzed through a feminist lens the scattered corpus of ancient material culture and texts relating to Selene,” praised Haeckl, work that yielded a new and original understanding of Selene’s “increasingly empowered agency and self-identification as a North African queen.”

Haeckl also presented research at the AIA annual meeting. Her work posits a specific identity (the Emperor Caracella) of a painted limestone statuette depicting a falcon-headed human figure in the armor of a Roman imperator. Haeckl’s paper, “Caracalla as Birdman? Proposing an Imperial Identity for the British Museum’s ’Horus in Roman Military Costume,” explicates the iconography of the statue (Horus was the Egyptian falcon-god) in terms of both the public image Caracalla cultivated (as an ordinary Roman soldier and latter day Alexander the Great) and a specific visit Caracalla made to Alexandria in 215.

Dean’s List Fall Term 2015

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Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Fall 2015 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for Dean’s List upon receipt of the final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts.  Kudos to the entire group of nearly 350 students, and good luck in Winter Term, 2016.

Fall 2015

A  B   C  D  E  F   G   H   I   J  K   L   M  N   O  P   Q  R   S   T   U   V  W   X   Y   Z

A

Madison Adams
Tyler Allen
Allegra Allgeier
Steven Andrews
Lucas Arbulu
Elizabeth Arellano
Lauren Arquette
Meredith Ashton
Max Aulbach

B

Dalbyeol Bae
Zoe Barnes
William Bartz
Jade Beauregard
Grace Beck
Hayley Beltz
Christian Benedict
Katherine Bennett
Hannah Berger
Kevin Bhimani
Abhjeet Bhullar
Zoey Blake-Mark
Allison Bloomfield
Sean Bogue
Jacob Bonifacio
Maria Bonvicini
Riley Boyd
Chancellor Boyer
Emily Boyle
Allie Brodsky
Erin Brown
Sarena Brown
Molly Brueger
Thomas Bryant
Hayley Buckhout
Matthew Burczyk
Janice Burnett
Mary Burnett
Erin Butler

C

Alexander Cadigan
Mackenzie Callahan
Kalyn Campbell
Angel Caranna
Charles Carson
Lee Carter
Rachel Chang
Madeleine Chilcote
Emiline Chipman
Heeseong Cho
Qynce Chumley
Josefina Cibelli
Christopher Coburn
Kate Colebrook
MaryClare Colombo
Cody Colvin
Quinton Colwell
Dejah Crystal

D

Christina Dandar
Steven Davis
Sophia Davis-Rodak
Hadiya Deas-Richberg
Joanna Dell’Olio
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Lynette Desjarlais
Kaitey Dettmann
Mikayla Doepker
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Amelia Donohoe
Johanna Drentlaw

E

America Edwards
Meredith Edwards
Emma Eisenbeis
Tiffany Ellis
Anna Emenheiser
Rachel Epstein
Jonathon Ernest
McKinzie Ervin
Andriana Evangelista

F

Alex Fairhall
Jessie Fales
Mario Ferrini
Elizabeth Fiator
Stephanie Finnern
Emily Fletcher
Delaney Fordell
Monet Foster
Maria Franco
Rachel Frank
Ian Freshwater
Maria Fujii
Lydia Fyie

G

Owen Galvin
Brett Garwood
Charlotte Gavin
Sarah George
Joseph Giacalone
Camille Giacobone
Sarah Glass
Samantha Gleason
Beau Godkin
Abhay Goel
Emily Good
Monica Gorgas
Natalie Gratsch
Claire Greening
Jena Groshek
In Hye Gu
Caleb Gurd
David Gurrola

H

Emary Hall
Nora Harris
Hadley Harrison
Kelly Haugland
Mara Hazen
Kyle Hernandez
Natalie Hershenson
Samantha Hicks
Sophie Higdon
Adelaide Hilarides
Louis Hochster
Shelby Hopper
Meghan Horal
Andrew Horton
Taylor Horton
Daniel Horwitz
Elise Houcek
Claire Howland
Jason Hugan
Briana Huisken

I

 

J

Sadie Jackson
Dongkeun Jeon
YanYan Jiang
Katherine Johnson

K

Claire Kalina
Kamalaldin Kamalaldin
Amira Kamoo
Kyle Kane
Elyse Kaplan
Gwendolen Keller
Samuel Kepes
Christina Keramidas
Benjamin Kileen
Sean Kill
Dahwi Kim
Min Soo Kim
Savannah Kinchen
Sai Klein
Hannah Kline
Julia Koreman
Katherine Kreiss
Julia Kresch

L

Lauren Landman
Mackenzie Landman
Gabriela Latta
Madeline Lauver
Zachary LeBlanc
Da Bin Lee
Omar Leon
Sarah Levett
Hyunyn Lim
Gordon Liu
Giovanni LoGrasso
Sara Lonsberry
Brandon Lopez
Francisco Lopez Jr.
Jordan Loredo
Nicholas Ludka
Cameron Lund
Liam Lundy

M

Andrea MacMichael
Alicia Madgwick
Eleftherios Manopoulos
Cydney Martell
Elizabeth Martin
Sophia Martin
Deziray Martinez
Takumi Matsuzawa
Kelsey Matthews
Madison McBarnes
Karly McCall
Belinda McCauley
Abigail McDonough
Ivy McKee
Daisy McLaughlin
Molly Meddock
Molly Merkel
Vanessa Merritt
Franklin Meyer
Hannah Meyers
Samuel Meyers
Shannon Milan
Taylor Miles
Sarafina Milianti
Myranda Miller
Sangtawun Miller
Suzanne Miller
Zach Miller
Jamie Misevich
Mallika Mitra
Ethel Mogilevsky
Jacob Mooradian
Alejandra Morales
Aidan Morley
Amanda Moss
Christopher Muir
Emma Mullenax
Justin Murshak
Nkatha Mwenda

N

Harsha Nand
Jacob Naranjo
Laetitia Ndiaye
Hung Nguyen
Phuong Nguyen
Viet Nguyen
Lionel Niyongabire
Rosemarie Nocita
Skyler Norgaard
Mackenzie Norman
Brooke Nosanchuk
Andrew Novetsky

O

Josiah Olah
Michael Oravetz
Eli Orenstein
Eli Orenstein
Colleen Orwin
Alexandria Oswalt
Ty Owens

P

Nirmita Palakodaty
Maxwell Palese
James Paprocki
Kayla Park
Andrew Parsons
Arju Patel
Khusbu Patel
Kaeli Peach
Elizabeth Penix
Marlisa Pennington
Jessica Penny
Lauren Perlaki
Emma Peters
Caroline Peterson
Bradley Popiel
Tulani Pryor

Q

Yilan Qiu

R

Arianna Raemont
Sydney Riddick
Cecilia Ringo
Skylar Rizzolo
Ramisa Rob
Scott Roberts
Lilia Robins
Megan Rochlitz
Katherine Rogers
Rebecca Rogers
Anna Roodbergen
Jeremy Roth
Timothy Rutledge
Keigan Ryckman

S

Rumsha Sajid
Amber Salome
William Sargent
Mason Sarosi
Anselm Scheck
Christa Scheck
Katharine Scheck
Austen Scheer
Maison Scheuer
Ashley Schmidt
Eleanor Schodowski
Aaron Schwark
Madalyn Seveska
Ruhma Shahid
Sharif Shaker
Chase Shelbourne
Tianqi Shen
Ke Sheng
Muneeb Siddiqui
Sharon Situ
Austin Smith
Bailey Smith
Benjamin Smith
Erin Smith
Grace Smith
Logan Smith
Margaret Smith
Kathleen Sorensen
Federico Spalletti
Maya Srkalovic
Petra Stoppel
Ellen Stormont
Thomas Stuut
Mengxi Sun

T

Lily Talmers
Abigail Taylor
Sophia Taylor-Havens
Ani Terterian
Audrey Thomas
Derek Thomas
Natalie Thompson
Noah Thornton
Carolyn Topper
Camila Trefftz
Kelly Treharne
Dakota Trinka
Sydney Troost
Lydia Turke
Elizabeth Tyburski

U

Eva Ugelow

V

Kaela Van Til
David Vanderkloot
Taylor VanWinkle
Travis Veenhuis
Elisia Venegas
Anh-Tu Vu

W

Raoul Wadhwa
Evelyn Wagner
Jacob Waier
Sidney Wall
Timothy Walsh
Jacob Wasko
Micheal Watson
Connor Webb
Ailih Weeldreyer
John Wehr
Cameron Werner
Caitlyn Whitcomb
Alex White
Zachary White
Joshua Whitney
Hans Wieland
Raphael Wieland
Jordan Wiley
Carolyn Williams
Kiavanne Williams
Natalia Wohletz
Madeline Woods

X

Mingyue Xu

Y

Kimberly Yang
Brent Yelton
Seo Ho Yi
Lily York
Adre Yusi

Z

K women show GISMO girls there’s no magic to learning computer science

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K students (l-r) Natalie Davenport ’16, Octavia Smith ’18 and Melany Diaz ’16 showed local 6th- and 7th-grade girls that there is no magic to learning computer science.
K students (l-r) Natalie Davenport ’16, Octavia Smith ’18 and Melany Diaz ’16 showed local 6th- and 7th-grade girls that there is no magic to learning computer science.

More Kalamazoo College Computer Science majors doing good things:

Recently, Natalie Davenport ’16, Octavia Smith ’18 and Melany Diaz ’16 (l-r in photo) led sessions on Android app creation for Kalamazoo-area sixth- and seventh-grade girls at GISMO (Girls Investigate Science and Math Opportunities), held at KAMSC (Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center).

In six separate sessions (with about 15 girls per session) titled “Magic 8-Ball with App Inventor” the K women guided the GISMO girls through steps to create an Android app that, when activated (by pressing a button or shaking the device), gives a random response just like the iconic fortune-telling “Magic 8-ball” toy.

They also shared their experiences and excitement about computing with the middle school girls and, according to Associate Professor of Computer Science Pam Cutter, “were excited in return to see how quickly these girls caught on to the programming ideas they presented and their desire to do more of this at home.”

Q: Magic 8-Ball, can women do computer science?
A: Our sources say, “Yes! Definitely!”

NAACP Cites Work of College, President

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Kalamazoo College President Eileen B. Wilson-OyelaranOn any given day you can find a Kalamazoo College student playing ping pong, shooting baskets or serving up a hot meal at the Douglass Community Association.

A center for social, recreational and community development activities in the city’s Northside neighborhood, the Douglass Community Association has served Kalamazoo residents for nearly 100 years.

“For decades, I’ve watched Kalamazoo College students come by the bus full to volunteer at the Douglass,” says Dr. Charles Warfield, president of the Metropolitan Kalamazoo branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). “As a more than 70-year resident of Kalamazoo, I have consistently seen Kalamazoo College support the efforts of the black community and be front runners in the area of social justice.”

Each week during the academic year, many of the more than 100 K students who work in the local community through service-learning courses or co-curricular programming coordinated by the College’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement head to Kalamazoo’s Northside Neighborhood, home to many members of the city’s black community. K students work with teachers and elementary age students at Woodward School and with families who are part of Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS), a grassroots organization that provides tutoring services to children residing in the Interfaith Neighborhood Housing community. Since its founding in 2001, K’s Center for Civic Engagement, through service-learning courses and student-led programs, has engaged more than 6,500 K students in long-term, reciprocal partnerships to foster academic learning, critical problem-solving, and a lifetime of civic engagement while strengthening the Kalamazoo community.

This long-standing community partnership, in addition to the work of Kalamazoo College President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, Warfield says, contributed to the recognition of both the College and its president with the Vanguard Award at the NAACP’s 35th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet.

The Vanguard Award honors an organization or group of people whose forward thinking has significantly affected the lives of all people, and specifically people of color in Kalamazoo. Past recipients include the City of Kalamazoo, Sid Ellis and the Black Arts and Cultural Center, and the philanthropists of the Kalamazoo Promise.

“We have outstanding people in our midst who make it their business to make a difference in the lives of those in need,” Warfield says. “We need to honor organizations and people who invest so unselfishly in our community to make this a better place to live now and for the future.”

During President Wilson-Oyelaran’s 10 years at the College, she has worked tirelessly, Warfield asserts, in the name of social justice.

“Kalamazoo College has always been one of the bright lights of social justice,” he says. “Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. I can’t think of anyone or anyplace more deserving of the Vanguard Award.”

During her tenure at the College, President Wilson-Oyelaran has helped the College make its campus and educational experience more diverse—increasing the number of first generation, low-income, international and domestic students of color who study here.

President Wilson-Oyelaran’s commitment to social justice and leadership development, however, may be most evident in the creation of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL), a formal program that integrates the academic experience with social justice activism geared toward helping students make communities and the world more equitable for all.

The ACSJL, opened in 2009, supports initiatives proposed by students, staff and faculty; provides forward-thinking programming; offers fellowships for emerging and veteran social justice leaders; and hosts annual signature events with global reach.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to receive the Vanguard Award and accept it on behalf of Kalamazoo College,” says President Wilson-Oyelaran. “It is really gratifying to have the community recognize the many years of investment in the Kalamazoo community by our faculty, staff and students and to take note of the College’s efforts to become a more diverse and inclusive community.”

The NAACP’s 35th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet was held November 7, 2015 at Western Michigan University’s Bernhard Center.

Article by Erin (Miller) Dominianni ’95; photo by Keith Mumma

K Students in France

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Students at the two Kalamazoo College study abroad centers in France (Strasbourg and Clermont-Ferrand) and in other countries are reported safe. K’s Center for International Programs continues to be in contact with students and with program directors in France and other countries. Students are being encouraged to check in with their families and program directors, they are being reminded about safety habits, and they are being advised about possible travel delays

The College is also addressing the well-being of students from France who are currently studying on campus.

The Kalamazoo College community sends its thoughts and prayers to the people of France.

K Computer Science Students Make Their Professor Proud

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Kalamazoo College representatives travel to ACM competitionTwo teams of Kalamazoo College students traveled to the ACM ECNA International Collegiate Programming Contest regional competition at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids recently — and “both teams did great,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Pam Cutter, Ph.D.

“It’s the first time we’ve placed in the top 5 at our site!”

The two K teams, made up of three students each, finished fourth and fifth among 26 teams participating at GVSU. Out of 130 teams competing at four separate eastern region sites, K teams finished 17th and 23rd.

“I’m feeling quite pleased that we beat three out of five teams from University of Michigan,” Cutter said.

With schools such as University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, and Notre Dame, Cutter said “Ours is known as a tough region. Because of this, our region gets to send three teams to the world finals, whereas most other regions only get to send two.”

Cutter said the top five teams at each site receive prizes, so each K student earned a backpack. Each K team also won a special award: the Black Hornets won the Jolly Jumpers award for highest jump in rank and the Orange Hornets tied for the Solid Programmers award for most problems solved with least penalties.

The “Black Hornets” team that finished fourth included Abhay Goel ’18, Raoul Wadha ’17, and Jacob Naranjo ’18. The “Orange Hornets” team that finished fifth included Sarah Manski ’16, Kyle Sunden ’16, and Kamal Kamalaldin ’17.

Left to right in the photo, they are Kamal, Kyle, Sarah, Raoul, Abhay, Jacob, and Professor Cutter.

Full results from the regional competition are here: https://ecna15.kattis.com/standings?filter=375.

 

Honors Day 2015

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Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who received awards during the Honors Day Convocation, October 30, 2015, in Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships, and special non-departmental awards. The Honors Day Convocation occurs annually, during the Friday community gathering of Family Weekend.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

THE BRIAN GOUGEON PRIZE IN ART, awarded to a sophomore student who, during his or her first year, exhibited outstanding achievement and potential in art.
Carlos Arellano

THE LILLIAN PRINGLE BALDAUF PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded to an outstanding music student.
Thaddeus Buttrey
Lauren Landman

THE FAN E. SHERWOOD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for outstanding progress and ability on the violin, viola, cello or bass.
Elina Choi

THE MARGARET UPTON PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded each year to a student designated by the Music Department Faculty as having made significant achievement in music.
Lindsay Worthingon

THE COOPER AWARD, for a junior or senior showing excellence in a piece of creative work in a theatre arts class: film, acting, design, stagecraft, puppetry, speech.
Cameron Schneberger

THE SHERWOOD PRIZE, given for the best oral presentation in a speech-oriented class.
Esprit Autenreith

THE THEATRE ARTS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT AWARD, given to a sophomore for outstanding departmental efforts during the first year.
Lauren Landman
Samuel Meyers
Stina Taylor

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

THE LEGRAND COPLEY PRIZE IN FRENCH, awarded to the sophomore who, as a first-year student, demonstrated the greatest achievement in French.
Molly Merkel

THE HARDY FUCHS AWARD, given for excellence in first-year German.
Camila Trefftz

THE MARGO LIGHT AWARD, given for excellence in second-or third-year German.
Anne Nielsen

THE ROMANCE LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN SPANISH, awarded for excellence in the first year in Spanish.
Georgetta Booker
Emily Kozal

THE CLARA H. BUCKLEY PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN LATIN, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans.
Danielle Gin

THE CLASSICS DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN GREEK, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans.
Brittany Jones

THE PROVOST’S PRIZE IN CLASSICS, awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject.
Elisia Venegas

HUMANITIES DIVISION

THE O. M. ALLEN PRIZE IN ENGLISH, given for the best essay written by a member of the first-year class.
Elisse Houcek

THE JOHN B. WICKSTROM PRIZE IN HISTORY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in history.
Frank Meyer
Kierra Verdun

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in philosophy.
Gabriel Klotz
Federico Spalletti

THE L.J. AND EVA (“GIBBIE”) HEMMES MEMORIAL PRIZE IN PHILOSOPHY, awarded to that sophomore who, in the first year, showed the greatest promise for continuing studies in philosophy
Benjamin Baldwin
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Ian Engstrom
Jasmine Khin Oo Khin

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

THE WINIFRED PEAKE JONES PRIZE IN BIOLOGY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in biology.
Megan Hoinville
Gwendolen Keller
Connor Webb

THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in chemistry.
Omar Leon

THE FIRST-YEAR CHEMISTRY AWARD, awarded to a sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated great achievement in chemistry.
Gwendolen Keller
Gabriel Rice

THE 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.
Marie Fiori

THE COMPUTER SCIENCE PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in computer science.
Elizabeth Fiatorz
Miles McDowall

THE FIRST-YEAR MATHEMATICS AWARD, given annually to the sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated the greatest achievement in mathematics.
Abhay Goel

THE THOMAS O. WALTON PRIZE IN MATHEMATICS, awarded to a member of the junior class for excellence in the work of the first two years in mathematics.
Yicong Guo
Raoul Wadhwa

THE COOPER PRIZE IN PHYSICS, given for excellence in the first year’s work in physics.
Zach Miller
Jeremy Roth
Keigan Ryckman

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

THE DEPARTMENTAL PRIZE IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, awarded for excellence during the first and/or second year’s work.
Erin Butler
Alicia Gaitan
Carmen Nogueron
Madeline Woods

THE C. WALLACE LAWRENCE PRIZE IN ECONOMICS, awarded annually to a pre-business student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year.
Olivia Cares
Christopher Monsour

THE IRENE AND S. KYLE MORRIS PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s courses in the Department of Economics and Business.
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Phuong Nguyen
Jacob Wasko

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in political science.
Gabriel Klotz

THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY FIRST-YEAR STUDENT PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in psychology.
Ellie Grossman
Carolyn Williams

THE MARSHALL HALLOCK BRENNER PRIZE, given by family and friends in memory of Marshall Hallock Brenner (class of 1955), to be awarded to an outstanding junior for excellence in the study of psychology.
Molly Meddock

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

THE DIVISION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION PRIZE, awarded to those students who, as first-year students, best combined leadership and scholarship in promoting athletics, physical education, and recreation.
Charles Carson
Alexandria Oswalt

THE MAGGIE WARDLE PRIZE, awarded to that sophomore woman whose activities at the College reflect the values that Maggie Wardle demonstrated in her own life. The recipient will show a breadth of involvement in the College through her commitment to athletics and to the social sciences and/or community service.
Alexandrea Ambs

SPECIAL COLLEGE AWARDS

THE GORDON BEAUMONT MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to the deserving student who displays qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern, and willingness to help others, as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont.
Natalie Davenport
Audra Hudson

THE HENRY AND INEZ BROWN PRIZE, awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community.
Olivia Cares
Kevin Ewing
Mallory McClure

THE 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.
Yessica Hernandez
Elizabeth Lenning

 

Choreopoem Ready to Move

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Students rehearsing for a Festival Playhouse production
Rehearsal for the Festival Playhouse production of “for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf.” Photo by Emma Franzel ’17

Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College will present Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. The play opens Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. Additional evening performances occur Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14, at 8 p.m., and a matinee concludes the run on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens, and $15 for other adults. For reservations call 269.337.7333. For more information, visit the Festival Playhouse website.

Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Karen Berthel, Shange’s “choreopoem” is an award-winning landmark in American theatre. It has been described as “a dramatic elegy for black women” and noted for poetry “that gives you chills and makes you tremble” and its thematic treatment of courage. The play recently has been made into an award-winning film.

“Through storytelling and dance For Colored Girls depicts authentic renditions of Black women’s experiences,” according to Omari Oliver ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Red.

“Shange addresses issues that women of color have dealt with for centuries,” adds Nakeya Boyles ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Yellow and serves as the production’s dramaturg. “In the face of these issues, the women have found a way to prosper and defy the odds set against them.,”

Unlike traditional scripts built upon a sequence of scenes, For Colored Girls… is a series of poems infused with movement and music. “It is important for the audience to have an open heart and mind,” Boyles says.

Movement Coach Bianca Washington has remained true to the spirit of the original show and at the same time provided creative space for individual growth and expression. “It is important for me to help guide the cast into finding their own shape with the piece.”

College Breaks Ground on New Wellness Center

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Rendering of Fitness and Wellness CenterKalamazoo College celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony the beginning of construction of its new fitness and wellness center. The ceremony took place at the building site at 4 p.m. (September 24). The approximately $9 million project is funded by gifts made to K’s recently completed fundraising drive, The Campaign for Kalamazoo College.

President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran said that the center is germane to the College’s liberal arts mission. “We focus on the whole student; we focus on the balance of mind, spirit and body.” The center, she added, would be “a common space in which the entire campus community–faculty, staff, students and retirees–can develop healthy life styles through participation in fitness and wellness programs.”

Grace Smith at a podium
Grace Smith ’17 explains what the fitness and wellness center will mean to students.

The 30,000 square foot, two-story center will house the following:

– a weight room and cardio fitness area of sufficient capacity to meet the needs of all students and employees;

– five multi-purpose rooms, as flexible in function as the liberal arts to which they are dedicated;

– two racquetball courts;

– expanded lockers for both the Hornet tennis teams and for general use;

– an office and health assessment room for the campus wellness director; and

– space for the George Acker Tennis Hall of Champions.

The building provides an example of excellence in sustainability. “Our building is designed and will be constructed to the high standards of energy efficiency and resource conservation explicit in a LEED silver rating,” said Wilson-Oyelaran. “And our efforts in this area will be audited by two students who have been hired and trained in LEED certification.”

(Photo by Jessie Fales ’18)