This year we graduated 27 majors, including many who will going on to graduate or professional programs. The roster of faculty has been stable for more than 10 years, a factor that has enabled us to maintain a high-quality program of study and to develop strong leadership. Nancy Nekvasil was promoted to professor this past year. Mary Kerby (SMC '57), laboratory instructor, retired at the end of the academic year. We celebrated her many years of service and strong commitment to teaching. She promises to return often to visit not to work. Barbara Flynn (SMC '76) has been hired as a laboratory instructor on a full-time basis.

The highlight of the year was the receipt of a $1 million Lilly Program Grant, directed and cowritten by Nancy Nekvasil (see next article). The Lilly sponsored "COSTEP" project is a three year grant to fund precollege programs to teach 4-6 grade science (Eureka Science Academy), 7-12 hands-on/mind-on scientific investigations at Saint Mary's (SciencePower Laboratory Experience), and science teaching practice (Teacher Science

Institutes). Nancy's effort's expand her current program of pre-college laboratory courses for home schooled students. Next year, Nancy will be employed full time to direct the programs. We have hired Lisa Rania (SMC '94) for a one-year appointment to teach our physiology courses. In addition, Amy Altesleben (SMC '95) and Felicia Rice (SMC '93) have been hired as part-time laboratory instructors.

The Department of Biology, together with the Departments of Chemistry/Physics and Nursing, submitted a 2.5 million dollar grant for science equipment and renovations to Havican and the Science Building. Although we did not receive the funds, the planning process and grant writing was very useful in helping us define a vision for future science needs. This will be valuable for the Campus planning and strategic planning now under way at the College.

This past year we inaugurated the first students into our cooperative program with Midwestern University for students interested in occupational therapy. The articulation agreement was signed in March of 1998. Through the College, the Department also initiated an investigation on the development of an occupational therapy major. A consultant was hired and a feasibility study completed. At present the decision is the hands of the administration.

With the addition of a multi-media cart to the science building, we finally, we can do Powerpoint presentations in our classes. It is apparent that to move our teaching more fully into the digital age is going to require that all lecture spaces and some lab spaces have modern equipment for presentations.

We worked cooperatively with the Department of Mathematics and Susan Vanek of the Freshman Office to improve selection of appropriate math courses for incoming science students. We also met with the Department of Chemistry/Physics to discuss their proposed changes in introductory chemistry courses and integrate their proposal for student advising of incoming students into those courses.

Our assessment process is in full gear. Basically, it comprises three parts. First, we hold an annual exit interview with the senior biology majors. All majors are invited (this year we had approximately three-fourths attend). The exit interview is an opportunity to look back on the four year program and give us feedback on how to make it better. We also ask students for their views on the curriculum, advising, and on how the program integrates with other departments. Second, we have a day-long retreat each year, held during senior week, to overview issues of importance to our department. Third, we send out a questionaire each year to alumnae who have graduated 5, 10, and 15 years ago. The questionaire focuses on whether the student experience as a biology major was useful after graduation. We prepare a formal report based on the responses. Together, these efforts allow us to improve the progam from information provided by students present and past and to fold in changes to the program to make it better.

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In December of 1998, the Lilly Endowment, Inc. announced that Saint Mary's College had been awarded nearly a million dollars to fund a project centered around science outreach. The "CoSTEP Project", as it is named, is designed to establish partnerships among Saint Mary's College faculty, Saint Mary's College students, local K-12 teachers, and local K-12 students and their parents. It consists of three separate programs - Eureka Science Academy, SciencePower Labs, and Teacher Science Institutes - and involves faculty from the Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry/Physics, and the Education Department. Nancy Nekvasil will serve as Project Director for the three years of the grant.

The permeating theme of the CoSTEP Project is to model the teaching of science as a hands-on, minds-on inquiry-based endeavor that stimulates and encourages scientific curiosity. The overall goal of the project is to enhance science literacy in the precollege student as well as raise the standard for how science is taught and learned.

Sixty students from grades 4-6 will attend the Eureka Science Academy for three weeks in the summer with the first Academy beginning in July of 1999. These young scientists will spend each day at Saint Mary's College studying the environment particular to Indiana, participating in field trips and journaling their experiences through writing and photography. The Education Department is in charge of this program and will utilize a number of education majors and minors as instructors and mentors in the Academy.

SciencePower Labs will involve faculty from the Department of Biology and the Department of Chemistry/Physics. Students from grades 7-12 from public, private, or home-school situations will be invited to participate in a course of 12 different lab sessions lasting approximately 2.5-3 hours each at Saint Mary's College. Thus, these students will have the opportunity to engage in scientific study in a true laboratory setting with academic/research scientists as teachers. Four separate lab groups will participate in 1999, five in 2000, and another 5 in 2001. Saint Mary's College students will serve as Laboratory Assistants and mentors during each lab experience. One lab group of home-schoolers completed their science study in the spring semester of 1999; three additional groups of students from area Catholic and public schools will be attending the SciencePower Labs this fall.

The Teacher Science Institutes will take place in the summer and will be week-long sessions for K-1 2 teachers from the local area. While the particular subject of each workshop will vary, the overall focus will be to encourage/model/instruct K-1 2 teachers in the teaching of science as an active, inquiry-based endeavor rather than a passive, teacher-knows-all subject. The basic philosophy behind this approach to science education is that the teacher will not always have all the answers and, in fact, should serve more as a support for students in their asking questions, digging for answers, and striving for ownership in learning. Faculty from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry/Physics will be serving as facilitators of these Institute sessions.

The CoSTEP Project was designed both in response to the Lilly Endowment's desire to raise the educational standard in Indiana and as a result of an ongoing Interest in science education by a number of faculty at Saint Mary's College. We who are involved in this project welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them to Nancy Nekvasil, Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College or e-mail me <nekvasil@saintmarys.edu>.

I have an idea! Often our current students would greatly enjoy spending time with a practicing dentist, optometrist, physician, physician's assistant...... you get the idea. Or maybe they just want the chance to see if they really want to enter that field of physical therapy or occupational therapy. Anyway, I thought it would be great if I could pair a current student up with you for the summer. She could shadow you for several weeks, see what you do, experience your profession. You could pay her or not as your situation would allow.

Please let me know if you would be willing to be a Summer Mentor! I need:

I will be putting together a list of those who respond and will let you know how this idea blossoms.

Send this information to Nancy Nekvasil, Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Or you may contact me via e-mail at <nekvasil@saintmarys.edu>.

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Kristen Ciofani ('99) presented a paper, "A Morphometric Study of Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Their Hybrid," based on her senior research, on October 30 at the annual meeting of the Indiana Academy of Science.

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During the spring semester (1999) several Saint Mary's College alumnae returned to speak to the first-year Lecture Series class. Sarah Sullivan ('97) and Amy Altesleben ('95) both gave presentations in March on their experiences in pharmaceutical sales, with Merck and Parke-Davis, respectively. In April, JoAnne Pavin ('95) returned to tell the students about massage therapy, a little known but increasingly important therapy field. JoAnne runs her own company, Healthy Solutions, in the Chicago area, and stimulated (no pun intended) us all with her demonstrations of several techniques.

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Tom Fogle attended the Board meeting and coordinated mini-workshops for the annual conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, held June 8-14, at Florida State University.

Nancy Nekvasil attended the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, May 23-27, and presented a paper on "Using Situational Labs to Complement Lectures and Experimental Labs." She also attended the National Association for Advisors for the Health Professions meeting in Washington, DC June 23-28 and was selected to participate in a NSF workshop titled "Case Studies in the Sciences" in Syracuse, NY June 1-5. In addition, she published a paper in Am. J. Physiol./Advances in Physiology Education, June "Using Round Table Labs to Complement Didactic Lectures and Experimental Labs." She also attended the Lilly Forum, 20 November in Indianapolis, and was named the program director of the CoStep grant awarded to Saint Mary's by the Lilly Foundation (see above).

Tom Platt spent two weeks, during the summer of 1998, in Costa Rica conducting a survey of turtle parasites as part of a project supported by an SMC Research Grant.

Dick Jensen attended the American Society of Plant Taxonomists annual meeting in Baltimore, 1-5 August, where he presented a paper, "Relationships Among Populations of Myrceugenia fernandeziana (Myrtaceae) on Masatiera Island," co-authored with Maryann Schwoyer (SMC '98), Gregory Anderson, Marcelo Baeza, Daniel Crawford, and Tod Stuessy. He also attended the Indiana Academy of Science meeting at Park Tudor School, in Indianapolis, on Friday, 30 October, 1998, during which he chaired the Plant Systematics and Biodiversity Section meeting. Dick presented a paper, "Seed Source Relationship to Seedling Quality in Red Oak," co-authored with Patricia Tomlinson and James Hancock and co-authored a paper presented by Kristen Ciofani (SMC '99).

Dave Sever presented two invited papers, "Sperm Storage in Plethodontid Salamanders" at the Fourth Plethodontid Conference, Highlands, NC, in June, and "Sperm Storage in Female Smooth Newts (Triturus vulgaris) During the Breeding Season" at the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists meetings at the University of Guelph, Canada, in July. He was named an Associate Editor for the Journal of Morphology, was named to the external review committee for self-study by the Department of Biology, Smith College, and attended a meeting on " The Frontiers of the Biology of Amphibia" 16-21 March at Hiroshima University, during which he presented a paper, "Specialized Glands in Amphibian Skin" co-authored with B. Alvarez, R. Brizzi, G. Delfino, and S. Jantra.

Doris Watt was on sabbatical leave for the Fall, 1998 semester. Her time was invested in completing work and several manuscripts that were in various stages of completion as well as visiting two other campuses to discuss teaching introductory biology with colleagues there. She attended the annual meeting of the Cooper Ornithological Society 30 March - 5 April in Portland, Oregon, during which she presented a paper, "Effect of Social Dominance Measures on Breeding Success of American Goldfinches." In addition, Doris was appointed Assistant Editor of the Wilson Bulletin.

Susan Duff attended the National Audubon Society Conference in Estes Park, Colorado, July, 1998. She also participated in the development of "Audubon Indiana" - a strategic plan for the establishment of a National Audubon State office in Indiana.

Kara Eberly attended the American Society for Microbiology meeting May 19-23 in Atlanta, Georgia. She presented a poster titled "Species Specific Macrophage Activation by Flavone Acetic Acid," co-authored with V. Viggiano, and H. Young. She also wrote a lab manual for her Biology 317 course. She attended the annual IBASM conference 9-11 April 1999 at McCormick's Creek State Park, Spencer, Indiana.

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DIANNE BYRNE ('65) works in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air office in Research Triangle Park, NC and since 1989, has managed the risk assessment program. In 1997-98, she was a member of the U.S. delegation in Geneva, Switzerland that negotiated two international air pollution treaties. She now resides in Chapel Hill, NC.

PATRICIA SHEPERD WICKS ('74) is a registered nurse at Community Hospitals of Williams County in Bryan, OH where she works in oncology, obstetrical, transitional care and medical-surgical units. She is also a licensed realtor and owner of a small wine specialty shop, both in Bryan, OH.

ELLEN CONNOLLY ARENS ('75) is the Director of Human Resources at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, IL, a position she has held for the past eight years.

DEBORAH VALENTINO LEACH ('78) lives in Westerville, OH and volunteers her time to manage the computer lab in the elementary school that her younger two boys attend. She purchases and installs software. She also teaches the students and trains the staff and parents in how to use the software equipment. Deborah is the swim program manager at the Westerville Athletic Club where she teaches swimming and aquacizing.

MARY JO SMITH WINTERING ('81) is a stay-at-home mom after being a microbiology supervisor at Southgate Medical Lab for eight years and lab manager at Sea World of Ohio for four years.

BETSY CRONAN MALKUS ('83) earned a second Bachelor Degree in Physical Therapy and a Master Degree in Health Science. She lives in St. Louis, MO.

MARY JANE HART-WEINTRAUB ('83) is an emergency room veterinarian in Iowa City, IA, in addition to being a researcher in the cardiovascular division at the University of Iowa.

ELIZABETH KENTRA-GOREY ('83) is an otolaryngologist at Carrollton Ear, Nose and Throat in Carrollton, GA. After practicing in Atlanta for four years, she now works with two other physicians in private practice. She obtained her MD Degree from Loyola School of Medicine in Chicago and did her internship and residency at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

JEAN MYLER BEAUDET ('83) is a stay-at-home mom in Birmingham, MI, after working for twelve years in clinical microbiology, most recently at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI.

NANCY SAMBERG ('83) received a Ph.D. in Immunology from Rush University in 1987. She did a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular immunology at the University of Pennsylvania followed by a second fellowship in molecular tumor immunology at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, England. Nancy is now Technical Director for a start-up health care service company and is developing analytical methodologies to apply to at-home and off-site medical diagnostics.

ANNE MARIE O'MELIA ('84) earned a Master Degree in Counseling Psychology in 1988 from the University of Kentucky and a Medical Degree from the same school in 1995. She is currently in a combined residency program in General Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry at the University of Utah.

KATHLEEN BILLINGS ('85) is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

KATHLEEN MILLER HOYER ('86) is the Director of Biology at Celsis Laboratory Group, Scientific Associates Division in St. Louis, MO.

MARY LUEHRS-MASEL ('88) is an occupational therapist working in rehab with patients with head injuries, strokes and spinal cord injuries.

LORETTA RAYCROFT ('88) is a biology and chemistry teacher in Whiting, IN.

ELAINE ZEVKOVICH ROWZEE ('88) works for an oil and gas exploration company in Texas where she does planning and cost control/budgeting/financial reporting.

MARTI BLAD ('90) finished her Master's Degree in Environmental Toxicology from Louisiana State University in 1994. She is currently in a Ph.D program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the same school. Her research area involves contaminant transport from soil into water and then biologically degrading the contaminant. Contaminants include TNT, RDX, HMX and chlorobenzene.

GINA CLEMENTZ ('91) completed her M.D. degree at Northwestern University and will be interning at Cook County Hospital.

SUSAN GRIFFING ('91) works for the bio-tech company, Genentech, Inc. in San Francisco, CA. She is Clinical Project Manager working on a productfor the relief of diabetic-associated neuropathy.

CAROL GROBNER ('92) graduated in 1998 from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA. She completed a family practice residency at Travis Air Force Base in CA.

JANET LIBBING PRENDERGAST ('92) graduated from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA in 1999. She completed a fellowship in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and will begin an internship in Sandusky, OH.

SUSANNE LARGURA BENEDICT ('92) received her DDS Degree from Indiana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis, IN in May, 1998. In 1997, she spent two weeks at the dental school in Lille, France and presented a synopsis of her trip at the annual meeting of the International College of Dentistry in Indianapolis.

TRACY WICK ('92) is in her second year of residency in Pediatrics at Children's Medical Center in Dayton, OH.

JENNIFER FAHEY CHIRHART ('93) worked for the National Park Service for three years as a biological technician/forest firefighter. Since relocating to Rochester Hills, MI, she is a manager of electronic information for American Isuzu Motors.

ANGELA GALLO ('93) earned her Master's Degree in Biology and is a molecular biologist doing gene therapy research for a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company.

NATALIE KLOEPFER HILL ('93) graduated from the Saint Mary's College Accelerated Nursing Program and is currently a maternity nurse. She also teaches prenatal classes and coordinates an outreach genetics clinic.

ELIZABETH KRUPICKA PLAS ('93) is a licensed dentist in Alton, IL.

TRICIA PENNY ('93) received her Doctor of Optometry Degree from Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1998. She is now participating in a residency program at the VA Boston Hospital.

ELIZABETH GRAY VOGEL ('93) is a lieutenant and a staff registered nurse in the United States Navy. She works in a thirty-six bed surgical unit at the Bethesda Navy Hospital.

MARGARET (PEG) ZAINEA ('93) is teaching in the Coopersville Area Schools in Michigan.

MEGAN HURLEY NADZAM ('94) is currently a registered nurse at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX, where she works in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She is also working for a Master's Degree in Education at Texas Women's University.

KRISTIN JOHNSON KIRSCH ('94) received her MD Degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1999.

TARA BELDEN ('95) received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan in June, 1999. She has accepted a position at the Duke University Medical Center as a Pharmacy Practice Resident and will also be a pharmacology lecturer for the Physical Therapy program.

ELIZABETH BROGHAMMER ('95) received her MD Degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City, IA in 1999. Next year, she will be working on the immunotherapy of genital-urinary cancer at the University of Iowa and applying for a urology residency program for 2000.

HILARY HUMM ('95) has accepted a veterinary position in Anchorage, Alaska.

MEGHAN MALONEY ('96) lives in Manhattan, NY, and is working at New York University Hospital as a registered nurse on an OB/GYN surgical floor.

CHRISTINA ORSINELLI ('96) will complete her M.S. in Physical Therapy at Chatham College, Pittsburgh, PA in August, 1999.

NAOMI UNGER KUCIKAS ('96) is still teaching at St. Joseph's High School in South Bend, IN, where she has been since the Fall of 1996.

MEAGHAN DRISCOLL ('97) lives in Chigago, IL where she is a computer programmer for Anderson Consulting.

JENNIFER GREEN ('97) is a third year medical student at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, PA. During her first year, she was co-founder of the first official note service at the college and is working to establish it as a permanent entity to assist future students in their learning processes. Jennifer is also Chapter President and Governing Council Member for the College Chapter of the American Medical Association - Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS). She attended the Annual Meeting in Chicago in June, 1998.

ERIN LUEDECKING ('97) is in the Human Genetics graduate program at the University of Pittsburgh where she is doing Alzheimer's research. She presented her work at the American Society of Human Genetics Conference in Denver, CO in October.

KARA MASUCCI ('97) has a position in the Liver and Transplant Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital.

JILL RITTER ('97) is a QA consultant at Tap Pharmaceuticals (a joint venture between Abbott and Takeda Laboratories) in IL. She is currently working on a drug called Apomorphine that may be a competitor with Viagra. She has also worked on gastrointestinal and cancer drugs.

GENIFER TARKOWSKI ('97) received a Master of Science Degree in Biology at New York University in NY in 1999. She will further her graduate studies at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY where she will be pursuing a Ph.D. Degree in Resource Policy and Management. Concurrently, she will be attending Syracuse University for a Master Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in environmental policy.

SARAH GILLEN ('98) is in Haiti where she began working in a hospital pharmacy and currently works at an orphanage where she is in charge of fourteen toddlers.

AMANDA HOWERTON ('98) is attending Lakeview College of Nursing in Danville, IL.

MARGARET KELLY-TEMP ('98) works for Genentech where she maintains, breeds, phenotypes and groups mice for research in genetics and oncology.

SARAH MULLEN ('98) has an environmental position at Envirocorps (a branch of Americorps) in Elkhart, IN. She is involved with the effects of water pollution, river monitoring and clean-up in regard to construction in wetlands.

KELLY BROGDON ('99) will enter the Master of Science Program in occupational therapy at Tufts University, Boston School of Occupational Therapy.

NICOLE HUFF ('99) will attend the Indiana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis, IN.

AMANDA JONES ('99) will begin graduate school for physical therapy at Chatham College in Pittsburgh, PA.

KAREN KELLNER ('99) will be in the Physician Assistant Program at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.

RITA KLEIN ('99) will attend Eastern Illinois University to earn a Master's Degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in fisheries. She has also been awarded a teaching assistantship.

JENNIFER LEMLER ('99) is working in the Resource Management Division (wetland and environmental) at J. F. New and Associates, Walkerton, IN.

TERASA MORRIS ('99) will attend the Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH) to obtain a Master of Science Degree in Education.

ANGELA POMPILI ('99) will attend Case Western Reserve University - School of Dentistry in Cleveland, OH.

JOANNE WAGNER ('99) will take part in the ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) program at the University of Notre Dame. She will teach 7th and 8th grade science.

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Platt, T.R. and D. Blair. 1998. Redescription of Hapalotrema mistroides (Monticelli,1896) and Hapalotrema synorchis Luhman, 1935 (Digenea: Spirorchidae), with comments on other species in the genus. Journal of Parasitology 84: 594-600.

Jue Sue, L. and T.R. Platt. 1998. Redescription and life-cycle of Sigmapera cincta Nicoll, 1918 (Digenea: Plagiorchiidae) a parasite of Australian freshwater turtles. Systematic Parasitology 39: 223-235.

Sue, J. L. and Platt, T.R. 1998. Description and life-cycle of two new species of Choanocotylen.g. (Trematoda: Plagiorchiida), parasites of Australian freshwater turtles, and the erection of the family Choanocotylidae. Systematic Parasitology 41: 47-61.

Sever, D.M., and W.C. Hamlett. 1998. Sperm aggregations in the spermatheca of female Desmognathine salamanders. Journal of Morphology 238:143-156.

Sever, D.M., and R. Brizzi. 1998. Comparative biology of sperm storage in female salamanders. Journal of Experimental Zoology 282: 460-467.

Sever, D.M. 1998. Esophageal papillae in pelomedusid turtles. J. Herpetology 32: 279-282.

Sever, D.M., T. Halliday, V. Waights, J. Brown, H.A. Davies and E.C. Moriarity [SMC 2000].1999. Sperm Storage in Females of the Smooth Newt (Triturus v. vulgaris L.):I. Ultrastructure of the Spermathecae during the Breeding Season. J. Exper. Zool. 283:51-70.

Stuessy, T.F., D.J. Crawford, G.J. Anderson and R.J. Jensen. 1998. Systematics, biogeography and conservation of Lactoridaceae. Persp. in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 1: 267-290.

Watt, D. J. and E.J. Willoughby. 1999. Lesser goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria). In The Birds of North America, no. 392 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

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AWARDS & HONORS

Each year the Department of Biology recognizes students who have made outstanding contributions to the Department or who have performed exceptionally well in certain areas. Awardees for 1999 are

Jennifer Lemler

Rita Marie Klein

Kelly Brogdon

In addition, two graduating seniors were selected as recipients of a Sigma Xi Prize for Undergraduate Research:

The prize consists of a certificate of Associate Membership in Sigma Xi and a one-year subscription to The American Scientist.

Dave Sever has been appointed to a 3-year term on the Dean's Advisory Committee at Ohio University.

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One of the things that is most enjoyable about preparing this Newsletter is learning what our alumnae have been doing. Please keep us updated on events and changes in your life. Use the form below to provide material for a future Newsletter.

Name ____________________________________________________________

(first) (maiden) (married)

Saint Mary's College Class of ___________________________________

News for a future SMC Biology Newsletter:________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Please return to: Dr. Anne A. Susalla
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

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