Science Initiative Newsletter :: November 2009

November 2009 Science, Math & Nursing AQDAY Well Attended More than 200 prospective students filled the Wege Center ballroom on Friday, November 13, 2009 to begin a day-long exploration of the academic programs offered by the Natural Science Nursing and Mathematics (NSNM) division of the college.

Coming from high schools spread across the state of Michigan as well as states as close as Illinois and as distant as Tennessee, these college-bound students, many accompanied by parents, were introduced to the college’s programs and courses of study by faculty representing all of the departments in the NSNM division.

After breaking into small groups for walking tours of campus on a picture-perfect fall day, the visitors selected from amongst a variety of hands-on, small-group experiences created by divisional faculty from the biology, chemistry, and mathematics departments.

The nursing program presentation was a destination for many student visitors, supporting the impression that careers in the health sciences are of interest to a large number of high school students.

Spotlight on . . .

DR. MIKE MCDANIEL earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1997 at George Washington University and came to Aquinas College in 1998. His research is in knot theory and geometry. McDaniel’s Mohler-Thompson summer research has led to two student papers accepted at refereed math journals, a role as national councilor with the Council for Undergraduate Research, and several talks regionally and nationally. The most recent paper, Hyperbolic Polygonal Spirals, with Jillian Russo, will appear in the Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal (spring 2010) and was presented at the Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference at Wayne State University this past October.

NICOLE CASWELL (’10) is a senior at Aquinas double majoring in Geography and French. Her Mohler-Thompson summer research project with advisor Dr. Richard McCluskey was presented at the East Lakes American Association of Geographers Conference in Dayton, Ohio, on October 24. The research focused on the ethnic history of Grand Rapids, with a geographic perspective on how different groups were dispersed throughout the city in 1920.

This Science Initiative Newsletter is distributed in November, March and June

www.aquinas.edu

Volume 2, Issue 1

National Chemistry Week at AQ: A Celebration — Another Award SCIENCE INITIATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Co-Chair Robert C. Boguslaski ’62, Ph.D. Co-Chair Thomas Zwier ’76, Ph.D. Director Charles R. Frydrych ’63 Robert Ampulski ’64, Ph.D. David Baumgartner ’79, M.D. Ronald Carlotti ’95, Ph.D. Sandy Cook ’93 Larry Erhardt E. Jane Freer Mark Meijer ’80 Robert Niedzielski ’58, Ph.D. James Resau, Ph.D. Phyllis Saganski ’62 Darrell Thompson ’52 Luis Tomatis, M.D. Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D. Jeroen Wagendorp ’82, Ph.D.

FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCE, NURSING AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION Thomas Bahl, Ph.D. Robb Bajema, Ph.D. Kathy Bashore Sheri Bertolone Paul Bieneman, Ph.D. Melissa Bouws Karen Burritt Li-Heng Chen, Ph.D. Yashowanto Ghosh, Ph.D. Sr. Katrina Hartman, O.P. ’64, Ph.D. Jennifer Hess, Ph.D. Elizabeth Jensen, Ph.D. Suzanne Keep Eugene Kozminski ’72 Shari Lewis Sr. Ann Mason, O.P. ’61 Richard McCluskey, Ph.D. Michael McDaniel ’72, Ph.D. Jeffrey McKelvey, Ph.D. Summer Silvieus, Ph.D. Joseph Spencer, Ph.D. Sr. Linda M. Thiel, O.P., Ph.D. Robi Thomas, Ph.D.

Did you celebrate the 140 th anniversary of the formulation of Mendeleev’s periodic table of the elements? If you did, the odds are that it’s because you visited Albertus Hall or the Grace Hauenstein Library piazza sometime during the week of October 26-30, 2009.

The Aquinas Chemistry Society (ACS), the student chapter of the American Chemical Society, hosted a series of activities during the week that included repainting the campus spirit rock, eating cookies decorated with symbols of the elements, sponsoring the annual Benzene Banquet and showing a special exhibit that finished in the top 50 of the recent Grand Rapids ArtPrize 2009.

The dynamic exhibit “A Ferro-fluid Magnetoscope” was created by Grand Rapids-born artist Michael Flynn. Ferro fluid is a magnetic liquid containing nanosized magnetite particles suspended in an oil solution.

By manipulating external magnets, a viewer can levitate the particles to produce threedimensional dynamic forms.

A week such as this is one reason that the ACS has received a Commendable Chapter Award for its 2008-09 activities. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the chapter has been recognized, and it will be profiled in the November/December issue of In Chemistry magazine and at the 239th ACS National Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco in March 2010. The AQ ACS Chapter’s advisors are Dr. Beth Jensen and Dr. Li-Heng Chen. www.aquinas.edu/research/current.html www.vai.org/News/Events/2009/10_31_UndergraduateConference.aspx

Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Program Update The summer program concluded this year with two opportunities for student and faculty participants to present the results of their efforts to the West Michigan community.

On September 30, a poster session was held in Albertus Hall at Aquinas.

Visitors included Ted Thompson, the originator of the Thompson Endowment, and Rich Vissar ( L to R) Dr. Jenn Hess shows a representing the summer program T-shirt to Ted Mohler Family Thompson and Rich Vissar.

Endowment.

A second opportunity to showcase this summer’s research efforts was sponsored by the Van Andel Institute’s West Michigan Regional

Undergraduate Research Conference held on October 31, 2009.

The 2009 Mohler-Thompson faculty/student research teams are…

Dr. Rich McCluskey/Nicole Caswell The Ethno-geography of Grand Rapids-1920 Dr. Jennifer Hess/Rebecca Hyatt The Cleaving Effects of the Streptococcal Enzyme, IdeZ, on Human IgG, Dr. Mike McDaniel/Jillian Russo Hyperbolic Polygons Dr. Tom Bahl/James Carrow Is Sexual Behavior in the American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana) Innate or Modified by Experience?

Sr. Katrina Hartman, O.P./Caylee Fias The Non-fuel Layers Formed from Biodiesel Fuels Dr. Joe Spencer/Ember Clark k-step Domination in Select Families of Graphs.

The Science Initiative Newsletter is produced electronically three times a year as a joint effort of the College’s Natural Science, Nursing and Mathematics (NSNM) Division and To find out how you can help the SI by the Advancement Department at Aquinas College (www.aquinas.edu) in Grand Rapids, making a donation, contact Greg Meyer, Michigan. It is distributed to NSNM faculty, advisory committee members, donors associate vice president for advancement, and supportors of the Science Initiative (SI). Send inquiries, e-mail address changes (616) 632-2802, greg.meyer@aquinas.edu. and comments to the editor, Chuck Frydrych ’63, Director of S.I., (616) 632-2173, frydrcha@aquinas.edu.