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Heyl Scholars 2012

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2012 Heyl Scholars

The 2012 Heyl Scholars were honored with a dinner on the Kalamazoo College campus.

The F.W. and Elsie L. Heyl Scholarship awards full-tuition scholarships to graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools or the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC) for the study of nursing at Western Michigan University or science and math at Kalamazoo College. Benefits also include room and board and a book allowance. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years.

Since 1972, the Heyl Scholarship Fund has awarded more than 400 scholarships worth some $30 million.

The Heyl Scholars of 2012 are (l-r): front row—Kelsey Lankford, Kalamazoo Central High School; Yu-Chyn Chiang, Kalamazoo Central High School; Aya Abe, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School; second row—Riley Lundquist, Portage Northern High School/KAMSC;Sarah Manski, Vicksburg High School/KAMSC; Kyle Sunden, Gull Lake High School/KAMSC; back row—Paige Maguire, Kalamazoo Central High School/KAMSC;Robert Hudson, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School; and Reid Blanchett, Vicksburg High School/KAMSC. Chiang, Abe, Lundquist, Manski, Sunden, Maguire, Hudson, and Blanchett will attend Kalamazoo College. Lankford will attend the WMU School of Nursing. Photo by Anthony Dugal Photography.

The Magnificent Five

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Five women representing Kalamazoo College
(Left to right) Regina Stevens-Truss, Lindsey Gaston, Sandrine Zilikana, Laura Lowe Furge, and Mara Livezey

Majors Sandrine Zilikana ’12 and Mara Livezey ’13 and biology major Lindsey Gaston ’12  joined chemistry department faculty members Regina Stevens-Truss and Laura Lowe Furge at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Meeting in San Diego in late April. The students presented results of their summer research experiences (part of the Senior Individualized Projects for Sandrine and Lindsey) as part of both the Annual Undergraduate Poster Competition and the regular scientific sessions of the meeting.

More than 200 students from schools across the country were part of the undergraduate poster competition.  Zilikana’s research measured differences in reducing the potential of cancer cell types to affect drug delivery. She conducted this scientific work at the University of Michigan with Professor Kyung-Dall Lee.  Gaston’s showed that a specific hormone prevented nerve cell death after brain injury. Her research, conducted with Professor Vishal Bansal at the University of California-San Diego, will be included in a manuscript just accepted to the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. Livezey presented the results of a study she has worked on for the past two years in Furge’s lab modeling the interactions of inhibitors with human cytochrome P450 enzymes. That study was recently published in Drug Metabolism Letters. While in San Diego, Stevens-Truss directed a teaching workshop for middle school and high school science teachers in the San Diego area. Her innovation in development of the workshop has drawn increasing numbers of teachers to the workshop and provided a new platform for scientists to collaborate with and mentor the nation’s secondary school science teachers.

The workshop was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Next year’s meeting will be in Boston, and Stevens-Truss and Furge plan to attend with another group of students. Stevens-Truss will also lead another teaching workshop there.

Great Leaders

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They are great teammates, adept at leading and following. They speak articulately and they listen justly. They are athletic captains, student organization officers and participants. They may see what others see but often dream what few others do. They are the kind of people who believe that a significant piece of what it means to be human is developing and using that part of our soul which exists in relationship to others. Kalamazoo College recognized 31 seniors with the 2012 Senior Leadership Recognition Award this month.

31 seniors receive the 2012 Senior Leadership Recognition Award

Pictured are (l-r): front row—Tanjanequa McMeans, Ellen Murphy, Caitlyn Van Gelderen, Rachel Cohan, Meredith Quinlan, Paula Silverman; second row—Melba Sales-Griffin, Katy Grue, LaShawn Etheridge, Sandrene Zilikana; third row—Ben Ensroth, Heather Russon, Molly Waytes, Jennifer McCutchen, Katy Sly, Joanne Heppert, Obineche Nnebedum; fourth row—Jacob Arnett, Dalton Simancek, William Schlaack, Hannah Reischl, Anna Miller; back row—Max Wedding, David Pimentel, Daniel Pohanka, Dion Bullock, Jacob Price, and Mark Denenfeld. Not pictured are Zena Blake-Mark, Leonidas Caldwell, and Kelsey Hassevoort.

Student Receives Young Women of Achievement Award from Kalamazoo YWCA

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Breanna Dailey ’12 is among 26 recipients of a Young Women of Achievement award from the Kalamazoo YWCA. The awards are given to high school and college-aged women in the greater Kalamazoo area who have achieved high academic success while staying involved in extracurricular activities and contributing to the community.

Breanna is a double major in psychology and French who is also active in the Kalamazoo College band and serves on both the Senior Graduation and Student Activities committees. She is also active in AMIGOS, a bilingual mentoring program operated by the College’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service Learning that pairs K students with students at Kalamazoo Central High School.

Dragging Out Conversation

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Six Kalamazoo College representatives at Stetson Chapel
(Left to right, top row) Candido ’00, Finan ’14, Stutz ’14, Wedding ’12 (bottom), Isser ’13, and Epperson ’13. Photo Credit: Elaine Ezekiel ’13

By Elaine Ezekiel ’13

“Reclaiming Crystal Ball: What Drag Means for Us” was the theme of the Week Eight (May 18) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Sponsored by Kaleidoscope, members of the campus’ LGBT organization offered perspectives on drag and the annual Crystal Ball dance.

Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00 recalled her experiences attending Crystal Ball as a student, when the event was much smaller and more private.

Elinor Epperson ’13 discussed her experience filming a documentary about Crystal Ball 2011 and the status quo of male attire: “Women have fought hard to earn the right to wear pants, but men wearing skirts is considered abhorrent.”

Caitlin Finan ’14 spoke about choosing her first Crystal Ball costume: a surprisingly comfortable men’s suit. Kaleidoscope co-president Max Wedding ’12 described reclaiming his feminine side through drag. Craig Isser ’13, dressed in rainbow suspenders and matching platform wedges, described his pre-Crystal Ball routine: “Drag shows us how much fun, how different, how okay life can be when we start to lose the limitation of gender.”

Kaleidoscope co-president Hailey Stutz ’14 spoke about her daily struggle with identity though clothing, not just preparing for Crystal Ball.

Finally, Candido offered the audience advice on how to react to the anti-gay protester on campus throughout the week. “The protester is here not to reason with you,” she said, “Don’t allow your anger or your emotions to amplify his voice.”

Following the reflection, attendees signed a poster with an inclusive religious message, which now hangs in Biggby’s coffee shop.

Community Reflection offers a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM (refreshments at 10:30) in Stetson Chapel. The entire campus community and general public are invited. The Week 10 (May 25) and final Reflection of the 2011-12 academic year will be devoted to Student Commission Community Awards, in which the K Student Commission honors the accomplishments of students, faculty, and staff. The new Stu-Com Executive Board will also take the oath of office.

“K” Rates High for Study Abroad

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Kalamazoo College has again been recognized as a leader in study abroad programs for U.S. college students. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Kalamazoo ranks #12 among U.S. colleges that offer baccalaureate degrees in terms of the percentage of its graduates that studied abroad. IIE reports that 83.2 percent (238 out of 311) Kalamazoo graduates in 2010 had studied abroad during their “K” experience. Last year’s IIE report ranked Kalamazoo #16.

“Kalamazoo College is a pioneer in providing quality education abroad programs for students,” said Associate Provost for International Programs Joe Brockington. “We’ve been doing it for more than 50 years and continue to be a model for other colleges and universities.”

Kalamazoo operates 48 programs in 24 countries on six continents. During the past four years, an average of 51 percent of “K” students traveled to Europe, 22 percent to Austral-Asia, 16 percent to Latin America and the Caribbean, and 11 percent to Africa and the Middle East. Popular programs are in China, Ecuador, Scotland, and Thailand.

Kalamazoo’s program is distinctive, said Brockington, “because it’s integral (i.e. part of the ‘K’ curriculum), intentional (i.e. supported by learning outcomes that are assessed regularly), and integrative (i.e. striving to connect our students with local communities abroad).”

He said Kalamazoo stands out even from other institutions because “K” students engage in long-term study abroad programs that last from one quarter to a full academic year. Many schools that send a high percentage of students abroad (including schools on the IIE list) only do so for three to four weeks in the summer.

Kalamazoo students in all majors participate on study abroad, including a majority of student athletes even if it means they miss all or part of a competitive season. Many “K” students continue their major course of study while abroad, including science and math majors.

Most students take advantage of the Fall-Winter program and reside with host families. An Integrative Cultural Research Project, or ICRP, is a required component of selected programs. Bearing an academic credit, ICRP projects place great emphasis on participation, informed by observation and more traditional research activities.

“Study abroad remains a signature element of the K-Plan, said Brockington. “And it will for years to come.”

Read more about Kalamazoo College’s study abroad program, including blogs by “K” students currently studying abroad, at www.kzoo.edu/international.

IIE is the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. Its annual census is based on a survey of approximately 3,000 accredited U.S. institutions and draws support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Calvin College (28) and Alma College (35) are the only other baccalaureate institutions in Michigan included on the 2011 IIE report.

Biochemistry Beats Biceps

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A beefcake pose doesn’t always a great male model make. Sometimes it takes a yeast two-hybrid trap for proteins. Two photos of Tanav Popli ’11 are featured on the video advertisement for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting (Tanav is pictured in slides 18 and 19, wearing a gray sweater with an argyle pattern).

The photos are from last year’s meeting in Washington, D.C., at which Tanav presented the results of his Senior Individualized Project work completed at University of California-San Francisco. His poster was titled: “Tmtc4 interacts with C3G, Wntless, and Zfhx4: a yeast two-hybrid trap for proteins associated with development of the corpus callosum.”

“I think he has returned to that USCF lab as a technician while he applies to medical school,” says Laura Furge, associate professor of chemistry. “There are three students that have just this week submitted abstracts to attend the 2012 meeting in San Diego,” she added.

They are: Mara Livezey ’13, Sandrine Zilikana ’12, and Lindsey Gaston ’12. Travel for students to this meeting is provided by a grant to Kalamazoo College from the Howard Hughes Medical Foundation.

Kalamazoo Kicks Byte

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Six Kalamazoo College students
“K” students Will Guedes ’15, Tibin John ’15, Chris Clerville ’13, Jiakan Wang ’13, Lucas Kushner ’14, and Trung Hoang ’12.

Students from Kalamazoo College worked together to build their mental endurance and speed in anticipation of a big test held Oct. 21-22. No, not mid-terms—the 36th annual Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest sponsored by IBM. Regional competitions for the so-called “Battle of the Brains” attracted tens of thousands of students from schools in about 90 countries on six continents, all with the same dream to walk away with prizes, scholarships, job opportunities, and a coveted spot among the top 100 teams invited to the World Finals in Poland in May 2012.

Two Kalamazoo teams competed against the smartest collegiate IT talent from 122 colleges and universities in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, including teams from MSU, UM, Purdue, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Each three-student team applied its programming skills to solve complex real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline huddled around a single computer.

“The two ‘K’ teams did great,” said Pam Cutter, associate professor of computer science. “We had seniors through freshmen participating.”

The “Black Hornets” finished tied for 48th, and the “Orange Hornets” finishing 53rd.

“We’re proud of their effort and for standing up to the ‘big schools.’ It was time well spent and a great learning experience for all.”

Check out the final results!

Students Create Cardboard Chapel

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Cardboard Stetson Chapel
Students stand with their cardboard recreation of Stetson Chapel

Stetson Chapel received another life recently when K students erected a new and recyclable cardboard version of the building on the Quad, breaking a collegiate environmental record along the way.

Sustainability intern Scott Beal ’12 asked EnvOrg (Environmental Organization) to help him break the world’s record for the largest cardboard castle. The group considered several ideas for using boxes bound for recycling and decided to build a cardboard version of Stetson Chapel.

Construction day was April 27. With the assistance of Recycling Coordinator Rob Townsend, students built the Chapel replica on the quad using 760 boxes, which eclipsed Brigham Young University’s then-record 734-box castle.

Harvard University set the original record with a 566-box structure on their campus.

Engaged Citizens

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Civic engagement scholars at Kalamazoo College

In academic year 2011-12, some 28 Civic Engagement Scholars (CES) are leading 20 different service-learning programs in collaboration with some 17 community partners. According to Breigh Montgomery, Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning, Institute programming this year will focus on food justice – with CES for MiRA (Migrant Rights Action), Farms to K, El Sol Elementary School Garden, Community Garden/Nutrition Liaison, and Club Grub at Woodward Elementary School.

Other programs use creative expression for empowerment among incarcerated youth and returning citizens; promote health (including provision of Spanish interpreter services in clinical settings and reproductive health education to young women); educate public school children about nutrition and gardening; encourage critical dialogue about access to arts; advocate for fair and local food; foster adult literacy; and reduce educational disparities and promote college access by working with hundreds of Kalamazoo Public School students in schools, community-based organizations, and on our campus.

This year’s civic engagement scholars and programs are:

  • Luis Basurto-Jimenez (Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies Medical Spanish Interpreter Program),
  • Zena Blake Mark (Keeping the Doors Open Math Enrichment Program ),
  • Ebony Brown (KDO),
  • Fanny Cruz (Helping Youth Through Personal Empowerment),
  • Faiza Fayyaz (Autism Awareness/Young Adult Program),
  • Raven Fisher(Community Advocates for Parents and Students),
  • Angela Frakes (Partners in Art),
  • Paul Garza(El Sol Elementary School Parent Liaison),
  • Alexander Griffin (Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative),
  • Amy Jimenez (El Sol Elementary School Tutoring Program),
  • Emily Katz(Woodward Elementary School Tutoring Program),
  • Komal Khan (KDO),
  • Colin Lauderdale(Farmworker Legal Services/Migrant Rights Action),
  • Roxann Lawrence (CAPS),
  • Jack Massion(HYPE),
  • Jay McMillan (Goodwill Adult Literacy Tutoring),
  • Anna Miller (Razas),
  • Ellen Murphy(Nutrition/Garden Liaison),
  • Catherine Oldershaw (Heartbeat),
  • Jamie Patton (Woodward Elementary School Tutoring Program),
  • Ian Powell (El Sol Elementary School Garden),
  • Meredith Quinlan (Women & Gender),
  • Dana Robinson (KCMS Medical Spanish Interpreter Program),
  • Chelsey Shannon (Rising Up),
  • Taylor Stamm (Partners in Art),
  • Charlotte Steele (Farms to K), and
  • Anna Witte (Woodward Club Grub).