REPORT TO DONORS 2011
Just as nature renews itself, alumni, students and faculty renew the College of Biological Sciences.
College of Biological Sciences
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Fall 2011 | Vol. 2 Robert Elde Dean Laurie Hennen Development Director Peggy Rinard Communications Director and Editor Martha Coventry Contributing Writer Emily Barger Graphic Design Tim Rummelhoff Photography Jean Marie Lindquist Administrative Assistant
Renew is published annually by the College of Biological Sciences for donors, alumni and friends. To change your address or request an alternative format, contact Jean Marie Lindquist at lindqu001@umn. edu or 612-625-7705. The College of Biological Sciences is committed to sustainability. This publication is printed on environmentally-friendly paper with an average of 100% recycled fiber and 50% post-consumer waste using soy-based inks.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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Copyright Š by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, 2010. | College of Biological Sciences
CONTENTS 4
From the Dean Help keep CBS affordable
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News Highlights Features
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Giving Means More Than Having
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Fourth Generation Gopher
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A Grateful Heart and a Generous Spirit
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Launching a Biotech Business From the Basement
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Down Payment on an Endowed Scholarship
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Laurie Hennen Reconnect with CBS
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The Value of Water CBS and Gray Freshwater Society offer lecture series on water issues
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Donor Honor Roll Making a Difference
FROM THE DEAN CBS needs your help to keep high quality public education affordable. This issue of Renew features stories of five remarkable alumni who are making a difference at the College of Biological Sciences. Darby and Geri Nelson, who met at Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories more than 40 years ago, have made a substantial gift to improve the Itasca campus so future generations can enjoy it. For the Nelsons, whose enjoyment of nature makes material possessions superfluous, giving is a joy. Mary Kemen is a fourth-generation University of Minnesota alumnus. When her great grandfather was a freshman here, tuition was only $5. Kemen and her husband, Brian Randall, are committed to helping keep this land-grant university accessible to all. Venkateswarlu Pothapragada, or Dr. V as friends and colleagues know him, came here from India in the 1950s. His family had fallen on hard times so his mother sold her jewelry to pay for his education. He gives to help families who are struggling like his did to provide an education for their children. Greg Buckley’s CBS education and training helped him launch a biotech business that he sold for $21 million a few years ago. He attributes his success to his experience at the University of Minnesota.
Jenna Racine, who graduated only two years ago, is so thankful for the scholarship support she received that she started her own scholarship fund with a check for $75. Jenna is a second-year medical student at Michigan State University. Like you, the Nelsons, Mary, Dr. V, Greg and Jenna began their lives as biologists at the College of Biological Sciences. They recognize the value of the CBS experience and they want to help others get the kind of education they had. Every year, the economy and dwindling state support make it harder for CBS to provide a quality education for our students. And yet somehow we do it. Our reputation is growing nationally and the number of applicants for each position continues to increase. But we can’t do it alone. We need your help to provide the high quality education for which we have become known. Every gift makes a difference. I hope you enjoy this issue of Renew and I hope to see your story in these pages one day.
Sincerely,
Bob Elde, Dean College of Biological Sciences
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Mississippi Metagenome Project The Minnesota Mississippi Metagenome Project (M3P) received $557,000 from the state in July, adding to the $1.5 million Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, which supports student involvement. Directed by Michael Sadowsky and Jane Phillips, M3P seeks to understand the microbial diversity of the Mississippi River, from Itasca to southeastern Minnesota, and the consequences of human impact on that diversity. Bacteria play a key role in nutrient cycling, degradation of pollutants, and other
aspects of ecosystem health. A new course offers undergraduates the opportunity to be involved in all phases of the research effort. An outreach component for students in grades 7-12 and exhibit materials for the general public are being developed.
Harris gets $10 million for HIV research Reuben Harris, associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics, was awarded $10 million over five years to direct a multi-institution effort to create a highresolution image of the antiviral protein APOBEC3G and learn how it interacts with cellular proteins and a key HIV accessory protein (Vif). The ultimate goal is to provide fundamental knowledge that will enable the development of novel treatments for HIV and other diseases. This is an innovative approach that focuses on the host rather than the
virus. Harris is leading a team of five principal investigators at the University of Minnesota and other universities.
earned her doctorate earlier this year, outlines a new method for using a protein to transform fatty acids produced by bacteria into ketones, which can be cracked to make hydrocarbon fuels. The research was funded under a $2.2 million United States Department of Energy grant.
Nobel laureate speaks at CBS Commencement Phillip Sharp, who won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, gave the CBS 2011 commencement address in May and accepted an honorary doctor of science degree. Sharp received the Nobel Prize for his 1977 discovery that genes contain “nonsense” segments that cells delete as they use genetic information. The discovery contributed to the rise of genetic engineering.
Bloomfield retires after 40 years at CBS Vic Bloomfield retired in June after 40 years of service to the university as a researcher, teacher and administrator, which included
leadership for the CBS Biochemistry Department, the Graduate School, and the Office for Public Engagement. Bloomfield was Nobel Laureate Phillip Sharp’s doctoral adviser at the University of Illinois.
Wackett lab closes in on ‘green’ gasoline Researchers in the lab of Larry Wackett, professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics, are a step closer to making renewable petroleum fuels using bacteria, sunlight and carbon dioxide. A recent project led by Janice Frias, who
Princess Kay of the Milky Way CBS freshman Mary Zahurones was crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the State Fair in August. Zahurones, who plans to be a physician, will serve as goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s 4,500 dairy farmers for the year. Zahurones grew up on a dairy farm in Pierz, Minnesota.
DARBY NELSON AND HIS WIFE, GERI, IN FRONT OF HIS “WRITING SHACK,” WHERE HE COMPOSED HIS NEW BOOK, FOR LOVE OF LAKES. DARBY BUILT THE STRUCTURE USING WOOD SALVAGED FROM AN OLD BARN.
Photographer: Tim Rummelhoff
DONOR PROFILE
Giving Means More Than Having Retired biology teachers Darby and Geri Nelson have lived frugally in order to make substantial gifts that will benefit education and the environment for years to come. Darby and Geri Nelson met at Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories in 1966. He was a graduate student and she was working on her undergraduate degree as a member of CBS’ first graduating class. They talked until midnight and knew they had found something special in each other. Their strong personal bond and shared values have been the foundation of their life together as teachers, parents, environmental advocates and now philanthropists. Although Darby (B.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’70) and Geri (B.S. ’68) haven’t been students for some time, they joke that they have lived on a grad student budget their entire adult lives. This choice, plus some wise investments, has enabled them to accumulate a substantial nest egg that they have begun donating for education and environmental causes. Not surprisingly, Itasca topped their gift list. The Nelsons recently
pledged significant funds for desperately needed renovations at the field station. They also pledged gifts for Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota Libraries and to scholarship funds. FOR THE NELSONS, MONEY AND POSSESSIONS ARE INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THE DEEP JOY THEY EXPERIENCE FROM HELPING OTHERS. “We benefited from the gifts of past generations,” Darby says. “We want to do the same for future students.” Adds Geri, “It’s a joy and a privilege to be able to give back to the University.” For the Nelsons, money and possessions are insignificant compared to the deep joy they experience from
helping others. On a camping trip in the Yukon soon after they were married, they shared a life-changing epiphany that material possessions are superfluous. The furnishings in their modest Champlin home are mostly hand-me-downs and garage sale finds. And by the time anything finds its way to the Goodwill bag, there isn’t much left of it, they joke. The Nelsons’ values are reflected in every aspect of their lives. He taught biology for 35 years at Anoka Ramsey Community College, is active in conservation groups, and served three terms (1983-88) in the Minnesota Legislature advancing environmental legislation. Geri spent her career as a K-12 teacher with a focus on getting girls engaged in math and science and has been active with the League of Women Voters. Several years ago, Darby retired from teaching to write a book. In-
spired by the works of Henry Thoreau and Sigurd Olson, the reflective book, called For Love of Lakes, will be released in December 2011 by Michigan State University Press. In the next year, he and Geri plan speaking engagements to encourage lake stewardship. The Nelsons hope all of their gifts will help make the world a better place for future generations, beginning with their own children, Per and Robin, and grandchildren, George, 3; Halle, 2; and Ingrid, 11 months. Coincidentally, George and Ingrid’s other grandparents are Regents Professor David Tilman and his wife, Cathie. The Nelson’s son, Per, is married to the Tilmans’ daughter, Margie. “Our lives have been richly blessed in part because of what others have given before us. It is with unbounded joy that we give back to the community in thanks.”
Editor’s Note: Darby Nelson will talk about his new book, For Love of Lakes, on December 6, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the St. Paul Student Center theater, located on Buford Ave. near the corner of Cleveland Ave. on the St. Paul campus. A reception and book signing will follow at 6:45 p.m. For registration details, see the events listing at www.cbs.umn.edu.
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Fourth-generation Gopher Mary Kemen’s support of Itasca’s ‘Nature of Life’ program shows her faith in how CBS nurtures the next generation of scientists. Exactly 100 years before Mary Kemen graduated with a botany degree from CBS, her great-grandfather had entered the University as a freshman. He wrote to his family, “I paid my $5 and interviewed the president.” Today, tuition and fees at the University add up to about $6,500 a semester, and tables have turned a bit on that interview process. To help defray the cost of a University education, Mary and her husband, Brian Randall, endowed the Douglas C. Pratt Undergraduate Scholarship at CBS, named for the former chairman of the botany department. “We feel it’s important to keep land grant institutions accessible to students and to provide them with what is essentially a continuation of public education,” says Mary, who had a scholarship herself as an undergraduate student. For CBS freshmen, that education begins with three days at the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories
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where they design and implement mini-research projects. When Mary read Dean Bob Elde’s description of what is called the “Nature of Life” program, she decided that she and Brian had to support Itasca, too. They have pledged $100,000 over five years to help renovate the campus, which is more than 100 years old. “WE FEEL IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP LAND GRANT INSTITUTIONS ACCESSIBLE TO STUDENTS AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.” “I like that CBS immediately introduces research in a very informal, friendly way that is completely exploratory, and in this beautiful setting,” she says. “I’m so happy to give money to promote this program.” Mary never got the chance to
really experience Itasca as a student. “It hasn’t been as special to me as I would have liked,” she says. She was only there for a few hours while doing research on using cattails as an energy source. That early interest in how to respectfully work with nature to meet current needs still drives her thinking. She believes Itasca can inspire students and give them the resources to tackle this enormous issue. “Itasca puts students in an environment where there isn’t a gas station around the corner, just lakes and woods,” she says. “As the next generation of scientists, they can explore this environment with an eye toward alternative energy sources and how Minnesota, and other states, can wisely use what nature provides.” Mary is among the fourth generation of her family to go to the University. Her great-grandfather and her grandfather were professors in what was then the Department of Agriculture. Mary chose medicine.
She practices as an anesthesiologist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Brian is a radiologist. They went to the Medical School together, and they fell in love at the University, just as Mary’s grandparents and parents did. Mary’s belief that we need to help those in financial need and be responsible toward the natural world finds a parallel in her sense of duty as a physician. She is part of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and works several weeks during the year in some of the world’s most troubled areas. In February and March, she was in northern Nigeria. In September, she returned to the new nation of South Sudan. “I chose MSF because they emphasize teaching and I believe that our efforts, no matter how small, will help make lives better now and in the future,” says Mary. “MSF does a remarkable job under difficult circumstances and it is very rewarding to work for them as an anesthesiologist.”
DONOR PROFILE
MARY KEMEN AND HER HUSBAND, BRIAN RANDALL, BOTH PHYSICIANS, HAVE PLEDGED $100,000 FOR NEW ITASCA FACILITIES AND ENDOWED AN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP.
Photographer: Tim Rummelhoff
DR. V, AS HE IS KNOWN TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, CAME TO THE UNIVERSITY FROM INDIA IN 1955 TO GAIN RESEARCH EXPERIENCE.
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| College of Biological Sciences Photographer: Tim Rummelhoff
DONOR PROFILE
A Grateful Heart and a Generous Spirit A family tradition of gratitude and giving inspires Dr. Venkateswarlu Pothapragada to support CBS students. During the early 1930s, Venkateswarlu Pothapragada’s family lived comfortably on his father’s salary. But as World War II geared up in Asia, inflation in India ran wild and the family’s income fell drastically short of its needs. To pay Venkateswarlu’s high school and college fees, the family pledged his mother’s jewelry against bank loans, later selling some of it, and borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates. Venkateswarlu Pothapragada, D.Sc., Ph.D., does not want other families to have to sacrifice so much. Along with making substantial contributions to other University graduate and undergraduate funds, he established the Dr. Venkateswarlu Pothapragada and Family Undergraduate Scholarship Fund for CBS students in 2004. “I did not want to do this as a bequest,” he says. “Students are in need right now, so I told my family we had better share what we can.”
Venkateswarlu—known by most of his friends and colleagues as Dr. V— made his connection to the University of Minnesota in 1949 when, as a young doctoral candidate in India, he wrote to scientists around the world. He was beginning his research on a crippling disease called fluorosis and wanted to learn more from the experts. One of those experts was Wallace Armstrong, CBS biochemistry professor and a pioneer in the study of fluoride. Armstrong wrote back, and the two men began a five-year correspondence. Armstrong was determined to bring Dr. V to Minnesota to work in his lab and, in 1955, he succeeded. In 1961, Dr. V returned to India to teach, but came back to Armstrong’s lab in 1967. For the next six years, he conducted his own research as well as investigating a method Armstrong had published for determining fluoride in the blood. A fellow scientist
was disputing the technique and Armstrong wanted Dr. V to re-verify the original results. Although Dr. V established that the method was incorrect, Armstrong saw to it that the results were published, earning Dr. V’s unwavering respect for his integrity. “Dr. Armstrong was the most wonderful, generous man,” says Dr. V. “A true scientist.” To honor him, Dr. V established another fund at CBS in 2006, the Wallace Armstrong/Venkateswarlu Pothapragada Graduate Fellowship. “STUDENTS ARE IN NEED RIGHT NOW, SO I TOLD MY FAMILY WE HAD BETTER SHARE WHAT WE CAN.” When Dr. Armstrong retired, Dr. V left the University and struggled to raise his two children by himself after his wife’s death. Unable to find a po-
sition as a biochemist, he worked as a realtor until finally landing a job at 3M. He remained with the company for 32 years, contributing to R & D related to fluorochemicals and earning the 3M Innovator award for research that enhanced productivity and industrial hygiene. During their hardest years in India, Dr. V’s father asked his children to look at their good fortune and think about how they could help others in need. As well as the CBS funds he established, Dr. V has created a family endowment that his children and grandson manage and use to make contributions to organizations they choose to support. “By looking at their choices, I can learn a little more about what matters to my children and my grandson,” he says. “And with this fund, I can be sure that the family tradition of giving will continue.”
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Launching a Biotech Business from the Basement Biotech entrepreneur Greg Buckley saw a need and took a risk. He credits his CBS education. Greg Buckley admits that he got a college education without learning a thing about economics. “I had to take Econ 101 for my liberal arts requirement,” he says. “I remember sitting in one of those big lecture halls on the West Bank and basically sleeping through class.” Greg did fine in life without that class. But he recommends that CBS grads learn enough economics to understand basic supply and demand and to manipulate a ledger sheet, because you never know what you’ll do with your degree. In 1984, Greg got his B.S. in genetics, the first year CBS offered that degree. While going to school, he did cell culture work at the Medical School. “It’s where I got my working knowledge of cell culture and that led me to my first real job out of college,” he says. An up-and-coming company hired
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Greg to play a technical support role for their products, which used hollow fiber technology to grow cells. In a scenario nearly unheard of today for a recent grad, the company trained Greg for two months and sent him to Tokyo. From Japan, Greg went to Europe and worked for various corporations. After nearly 10 years abroad, he decided it was time to come home to Minnesota. He wanted to start his own company.
AFTER 12 YEARS IN BUSINESS, GREG AND HIS PARTNER SOLD THEIR COMPANY, TC TECH, FOR $21 MILLION. Greg paired up with Tom Murphy (who had his Ph.D. in cell biology from CBS) and in 1994, after “scrounging up enough money to
get going,” they started TC Tech—the TC standing for “tissue culture.” Their goal was to manufacture and sell the sterile, single-use plastic products they had designed to grow cells. “Traditionally, cells were grown in big stainless steel vats through a very time consuming process,” says Greg. “People wanted something quicker.” While his wife worked, Greg ran the business from their basement and took care of their young son, piling him into the car along with the boxes when he made a UPS run. When their second child arrived, it was time to get TC Tech out of the Buckley’s house. The company then began a series of moves, gathering more customers and paying strict attention to its bottom line. In 2006, after 12 years in business, Greg and Tom sold TC Tech to Thermo Fisher Scientific for more than $21 million.
Today, Greg volunteers in the Minnetonka School District as a math tutor and tennis coach. He plays golf, skis, and spends time with his family, as well as mentoring his younger brother as he begins his own company. As a successful biotech entrepreneur, Greg has been invited to upcoming CBS career panels so students can learn from his experience. And as “payback” for his own good education, he contributes to the CBS scholarship fund. Greg’s non-compete agreement recently expired, giving him the option to start another business. But would he try a second time? “With TC Tech, I used what I’d learned at CBS, in the Med School labs, and in the field,” he says. “Credit was easy to get. All the stars aligned nicely. Perhaps with a little luck, they may do that again.”
DONOR PROFILE
GREG BUCKLEY USED HIS GENETICS B.S. FROM CBS TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BIOTECH COMPANY.
Photographer: Tim Rummelhoff
JENNA RACINE, B.S. 2010, DIDN’T WAIT TO GRADUATE BEFORE SHE STARTED GIVING BACK. A CBS SCHOLARSHIP HELPED HER TRAVEL TO TANZANIA, WHERE SHE PROVIDED VOLUNTEER HEALTH SERVICES.
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DONOR PROFILE
Down Payment on an Endowed Scholarship Jenna Racine took her jump-into-life attitude abroad as a volunteer. Now in medical school, she funds a scholarship to give others the same opportunity. “Don’t sell yourself short, don’t take the easy route. If being a doctor is what you want to be and someone tells you it’s eight years of school? Who cares? You only have one shot in life, and everything that’s worth doing takes hard work.” Jenna Racine is talking to a hypothetical CBS freshman here, but her philosophy resonates with anyone, at any age. Follow your heart. Embrace opportunities. Don’t shy away from challenges. It’s advice her parents have always given her, so when she came to CBS, she felt right at home. “CBS pushes you to be involved in multiple things,” Jenna says. “I had lots on my plate, plus my school work—and it was rigorous—but I got involved with several volunteer organizations. Lots of students did. “ For three summers, Jenna went to Tanzania with the CBS chapter of Biology Without Borders. The last two years, she led the group in building a house, working in hospitals,
and constructing a water system for a girl’s school. She considers those summers the best times of her life. In 2009 and 2010, the University awarded Jenna the President’s Student Leadership and Service Award. “I have been so fortunate to be able to travel abroad and some of the money that allowed the group to go to Tanzania was from CBS scholarships,“ Jenna says. “I CAN’T PROMISE THAT I’LL BE ABLE TO FUND 10 PEOPLE’S TRIPS, BUT I HOPE TO AT LEAST EASE THE BURDEN OF TRAVEL EXPENSES.” That support came from the college’s Murray and Pearl Rosenberg Memorial Fund, which provides assistance for humanitarian service in the United States and other countries. But Jenna knows how hard it is to get grants for international volunteer
work, so in the spring of 2010, she walked into the CBS development office and put a $75 check on the desk—the beginning of a fund that will help other students contribute their skills to those in need. “As an undergrad, there are so many opportunities, so many programs to choose from, and in so many different places,” she says. “The number one thing that keeps you from doing things is money. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to fund 10 people’s trips, but I hope to at least ease the burden of travel expenses.” The time it takes to become a doctor did not scare Jenna away. She’s a second-year medical student now at Michigan State University (MSU) and she’s jumping into her education the way she did at CBS, and with the skills she learned there. Among them are how to multitask successfully and how to collaborate with professors on research projects. Her hope is to
become an obstetrician/gynecologist. “I really like that specialty because I can apply it internationally,” she says. “I’d like to work nine or ten months in the United States, then volunteer abroad to help women have safer deliveries. Maternal health and childbirth are two of the biggest health challenges in the developing world.” In the meantime, Jenna is putting together a program at MSU to help overweight children create healthier habits. And she’s building up her scholarship fund little by little. “Having an investment in a student’s future is the best thing I can think of to do with my extra money,” she says. “CBS is not creating cookie-cutter students, instead it’s creating students who are doing many things and having extraordinary experiences.”
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MAKING CONNECTIONS When members of the CBS family get together, magic happens.
The best part of this past year for me was the Summer Science Series. Dean Elde invited small groups of alumni to his home for informal presentations by CBS faculty who are doing cutting edge research. Animal communication expert Mark Bee talked about his research on how a female frog chooses a mate from a chorus of males. It’s the same kind of mechanism that allows humans to distinguish individual voices at, say, a cocktail party. Bee’s research is providing clues that
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could lead to better hearing aids for humans. Plant biologist George Weiblen shared stories about his travels to Papua, New Guinea, where he engages tribal members to help him with his research on tropical species and helps them understand the value of the land they own and importance of preserving rain forests. And molecular biologist Reuben Harris explained how mechanisms that generate mutations can be harnessed to destroy pathogens—including HIV. Harris and his colleagues are studying a group of proteins that have the potential to block the AIDS virus. The fascinating presentations were well received by the audience, most of whom were lifelong biologists of one kind or another. But there was more going on in the room than science. It was a feeling of connectedness. The feeling that everyone began their formative years in the same place and were shaped by many of the same people and experiences. It’s the magic that happens when
friends and family get together. You’ve probably had this experience: You run into an old friend from high school or college and you pick up where you left off, as though you’d seen each other 20 minutes ago instead of 20 years ago. Maybe a biologist somewhere has an explanation for that. Who says you can’t go home again? If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll think about reconnecting with CBS. There are lots of ways to get involved, from attending educational programs like the Summer Science Series to serving on the board of the Biological Sciences Alumni Society. Or, if you have other ideas, call or send me an e-mail. Check out the alumni section of the CBS website (www.cbs.umn.edu) and click on Opportunities for Alumni. You’re on your way back. Hope to see you soon!
Laurie Hennen Development Director
How to make a gift:
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Contact Laurie Hennen at 612-624-9460 or hennen@ umn.edu to discuss a gift. Make out a check and send it to the University of Minnesota Foundation, 200 Oak Street SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 551552010. Make a donation online by going to www.giving.umn. edu and clicking on Giving Opportunities. If you send a check to the Foundation or make a gift online, be sure to note that your gift is for College of Biological Sciences scholarships. You may specify the scholarship if you like.
THE VALUE OF WATER CBS teams up with Freshwater Society for lecture series on water issues. Overuse of groundwater. Pollution of Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and all the waters in between. Sexually stunted alligators deformed by birth defects linked to pesticides. Farming practices and policies that reduce erosion and pollution. And saving the environment by putting a price on it. Since early 2010, the Freshwater Society and the College of Biological Sciences have jointly sponsored a popular lecture series focusing on the challenges facing water in the 21st century. The lecture series, which continues in the 2011-2012 academic year, is funded by an endowment created in
memory of the late Malcolm Moos, president of the University of Minnesota from 1967 to 1974. The lectures, presented in the St. Paul Student Center theater, have each drawn enthusiastic crowds of 150 or so people—faculty, students, environmentalists and a cross-section of state agency staff. Each of the nationally prominent lecturers has been paired with a panel of Minnesota experts to answer audience questions. Dean Elde has moderated the panel discussions. Lectures have been presented by: •Robert Glennon, a University of Arizona professor of law and public policy who has written two recent
books about how Americans overuse and under-value water. •Hedrick Smith, a Pulitzer Prizeand Emmy-winning reporter and filmmaker who produced Poisoned Waters, a PBS Frontline documentary on agricultural and urban pollution on both coasts. •Louis J. Guillette Jr., a reproductive biologist from the Medical University of South Carolina who is widely known for his research on birth defects in alligators and their implications for human health. •Craig A. Cox, a senior vice president for the Environmental Working Group, who spoke on agricultural conservation strategies that can
prevent erosion and water pollution from the runoff of fertilizer and pesticides. •Gretchen C. Daily, a Stanford University ecologist who spoke on ecosystem valuation, the emerging effort to protect the environment by quantifying and putting a monetary value on all the services humans receive from water and environmental systems. Reaction to the lectures has been very favorable. Video of the lectures and panel discussions are archived at www.freshwater.org. Information on the 2012 lectures, as they are scheduled, is available there and on the CBS website, www.cbs.umn.edu. —Patrick Sweeney
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE CBS Donor Honor Roll 2010-2011 The College of Biological Sciences gratefully acknowledges the following donors, who have generously provided support for Itasca, Cedar Creek, scholarships and fellowships, research and a variety of initiatives. Every gift makes a difference.
$5,000 + 3M Company 3M Foundation, Inc. Ajinomoto Company, Inc. Lenore B. Danielson M Denneth C. and Joan L. Dvergsten M Alan R. Flory Charles M. Goethe Estate* Richard A. and Judi Huempfner Mary C. Kemen and Brian C. Randall M Wayne W. Luchsinger M S P Corporation Whitney and Betty MacMillan Robert O. and Roberta A. Megard M Darby M. and Geraldine M. Nelson
Howard V. O’Connell, Jr. M Thomas E. Oland C. J. Rapp Pittman Research and Diagnostic Systems, Inc. Clare and Jerome Ritter Torsti P. Salo Estate* Jocelyn E. Shaw Catherine E. and G. David Tilman Two Blades Foundation University of Oslo WEM Foundation
$1,000-$4,999 Carl V. Barnes Pearl Lam Bergad M
David A. Bernlohr M Marcia F. Birney Clark R. Burbee M Eric W. Burton Cargill, Inc. Choi-Chiu and King-Wo Lam Family Fund-Mpls. Foundation Bradley J. Dupre Charyl M. Dutton Gibbs M Robert P. Elde Rosemary and David Good Susan C. and John R. Jungck M Pamela H. Lewis Johng K. Lim M Mary E. and David W. Loveless John S. and Theresa R. McKeon J. Emory Morris Patrice A. Morrow Bradly J. Narr M Claudia M. Neuhauser Feng Yi Peng Amy Wynn Pratt and Steven E. Pratt James R. and Patricia M. Pray M Kenneth R. Skjegstad Thomson P. Soule Joyce M. Stout Steven J. Thompson Edward M. Welch M Robin L. Wright M
$500-$999 Abbott Laboratories Fund Jeffrey J. Anderson John S. Anderson M
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Franklin H. Barnwell Allan Baumgarten and Marilyn Levi-Baumgarten M Marc D. Berg M Carter Henderson Brown Richard W. Brown and Dori Henderson M Greg and Bridget Buckley Richard S. Caldecott M Jeanette C. and Paul P. Cleary Alan J. Craig Deanna L. Croes M Carol J. and J. David Cumming M Linda L. Eells Maxine A. Enfield M ExxonMobil Foundation Jonathan A. Foley Freshwater Society C. Allison and James R. Gaasedelen M Frederick E. Goetz David W. and Donna N. Hamilton James C. Underhill Scholarship-Study Natural History Fund Martha K. and Arthur A. Johnson Stephen F. Johnson Julia A. Kelly and Renee Van Gorp M Max A. and Erika E. Lauffer M Patricia R. Lewis John A. Mayo M David J. and Esther G. Mc Laughlin Cheryl L. and George G. I. Moore Fred K. Pamer Jean S. Phinney A. Stephen Polasky Sandra Rosenberg and James Liston, Jr. M
HONOR ROLL Gloria and Orlando R. Ruschmeyer M Lolly J. Schiffman M Susan E. Senogles Jeffrey A. Simon and Ann E. Rougvie Andrew M. Simons Kipling Thacker and Kevyn K. Riley M Peter Torgerson and Pamela Anderson M Katherine M. Walstrom M
$250-$499 Ona E. Alpert Christine M. Ambrose Lynne F. Anderson Monica M. Arroyo M La Vonne M. and Paul B. Batalden Biogen Idec Foundation, Inc. D. Gordon Brown Con Edison Gary L. Dillehay M Kathleen G. Fahey M Dale W. Fishbeck Stuart F. Goldstein David I. and Jennifer Greenstein James P. Grover Kathryn L. Hanna Mich Hein and Elizabeth Bray Robert K. Herman Marshall A. Howe M Jennifer W. Humphrey M George L. Jacobson M Thorkil Jensen Theodore Kennedy and Nora D. Dunbar M Brenda K. Kihl M David T. and Catherine A. R. Kirkpatrick Richard J. and Patricia L. Kirschner Donna M. Klockeman David A. Lee M Nachiappa Madhavan and Anusooya Subramanian Andrew J. Mc Cullough M Kevin Nepsund and Karen Ta Thomas P. Neufeld M David L. Nieland Harry T. Orr Craig Packer Hong Pan and Charlie Jing
David L. Peterson M Lon Phan and Nancy Oswald The Pharmacia Foundation, Inc. Jennifer S. Powers and Peter Tiffin Gregory C. Pratt M Timothy D. L. and Kara L. L. Pratt Timothy I. Richardson M Gerald A. and Joyce O. Roust M Edwin H. and Jennifer B. Ryan, Jr. M Jon E. Sanger Mark A. Schoenbeck M Gary B. Schwochau M Virginia and Robert Seybold John L. Sharp Naoko Shima Robert S. Sikes, Jr. Gary B. Silberstein M Andre Silvanovich Jonathan M. W. Slack Heidi L. Thorson M Kevin J. Viken M Jeanette A. Wiltse M Mary C. and Merle G. Wovcha M Jennifer York-Barr and Dean D. Barr M
$100-$249 Gregory J. Abler Susan J. Allen Thomas and Paula Andrzejewski Elizabeth A. Angermeyr Michele E. Armstrong M Davi and Bridget Axelson Gary N. Back Taeok Bae M Dale W. Bargsten Niles H. Batdorf Daniel and Patricia Benson Lyle L. Bergman M Bryce C. Beverlin Jerome I. Birch M Clayton E. Birney Julie A. Bjoraker Frank A. Blocki Simba L. Blood Alfred L. Bogle Michael R. Bourne M
Mike Simmons, professor of genetics, cell biology and development, was mace bearer for Commencement 2011.
Terrie L. Brandt M Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Inc. William Brown and Caroline M. Wilmot Cindy J. Brunner M Laura S. Brunner M Leah A. Brus M Jack T. Buss Janus D. Butcher M David G. Butler M C. L. Fairbanks Consulting Nancy L. Carlson Sheila M. Close Vera E. Cooke Daniel E. Cox Jean M. and Scott J. Crow Donald E. and Janet Y. Dahlstrom Anath and Archana Das Robert F. Denison and Cindy B. S. Tong Anthony G. Dodge M David N. Douglas M William K. Drehmel M William K. Durfee Ecolab Foundation Themis P. Economou M
Mark B. Edlund Eli Lilly and Co. Foundation Mark S. and Patricia J. Ellinger Mary Kay Elnes Bradley E. Enerson James E. Erickson Mark K. Erickson Robert V. Erickson M Roger H. Erickson Sharon and Ronald Faanes M Caroline L. Fairbanks M Bruce A. and Susan H. Fall M Colleen M. Fitzpatrick William R. Fraser John E. and Janet M. Fredell M Brigitte I. Frohnert James A. and Sandra K. Fuchs Jeffrey and Sandra Gabe M Robb M. Garni M Nancy J. Gassman GE Foundation Geoffrey M. Ghose Norman R. Gould Great Basin Ecology, Inc.
BOLD names – Membership in the University of Minnesota Presidents Club | M – Membership in the University of Minnesota Alumni Association/Biological Sciences Alumni Society | * Deceased If your name is missing or incorrect, please call 612-625-7705 or email lindq011@umn.edu
Louise and Donald Grothe Rebecca J. Haack-Deetz Larry D. Hall Edgar E. Hanna, Jr. M David A. Hanych M Gordon J. Harvieux Diane E. Hasz Steven H. Hefeneider Charles K. Heinrich Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger and Chuck Jaeger Kim and Michael Herman Stephanie R. Hill Katherine E. Himes and Mark W. Lescher Sarah Hobbie and Jacques C. Finlay Robert C. Hodson Robert J. Hofman Kristin Hogquist and Stephen Jameson Steven V. Inman Colleen M. Jacks M Bruce W. Jarvis, III M Wayne H. Jarvis Keith R. Johnson M Myron L. Johnson Susan D. Jones Thomas A. Jones M Sally B. and Charles R. Jorgensen M Susan M. Juedes Andrea M. Kabourek Richard G. Karlen Olakunle O. Kassim Mark R. Kaster
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College of Biological Sciences
Ann E. and James F. Kelley M Philip E. Kerr David L. Kinnear M Elroy C. Klaviter Gaylord J. Knutson Tyler J. Kohlmetz Kraft Foods Foundation Patricia A. and Eugene W. Krebsbach, Jr. Jeffrey R. Krueger Carrell J. Kucera Pamela J. Lachowitzer Scott M. Lanyon Kimberly A. LaPlante M Mara M. LaRock M Timothy J. Lauer Phillip A. Lawonn M Bryan K. Lee David A. and Carol Lee M Stephen K. Leenay M Leo G. Lehmicke Jane S. Levy Lana Lew Min-Gang Li Dezhi Liao Jean Marie Lindquist Clifford S. Lofgren Rebecca Lyman Michael M. Martinson John and Clemencia Mazuski Richard Mc Gee, Jr. M Myra and Robert McCormack Haile Mehansho and Azieb Mehreteab M
Carl M. Melling Lauren M. F. Merlo Fredrick C. Meyer Deborah K. Mielke Elizabeth A. Mindrup Kelly J. Morgan John H. Nelson M Thomas D. Nelson M Lai P. Nguyen Kevin J. Niemi M Kenneth E. and Emily A. Nietering Lance D. and Trudy L. Olson M Christine E. and David R. Ostendorf Deborah I. Oswald Eric R. Overby David A. Palmer Henry W. Park M Ann M. Parsons Joan J. and James J. Pearson M Ernest M. and Dawn Peaslee M Patti J. Petty Martha M. Phillips Margaret J. and William P. Pilacinski Gerald A. Pitzl M Nancy J. Poindexter Melvin M. Prantner M Lawrence C. Pratt Kathleen F. Probst
Procter and Gamble Fund Anne E. Pusey M Gregory T. Quinlan M Jenna L. Racine M Victoria A. Ranua M Susan K. Rathe M James Reynhout Harold G. Richman M Peggy J. Rinard Barbara A. Roach Mark G. and Helene P. Roback M John and Gail Rogers Julie A. Ross M Doris S. Rubenstein Angela R. Ruzicka Christopher J. and Brittany J. Sabol M Erin A. Satterwhite M Suzanne Savanick Hansen Jeffery T. Schaub Alison E. and Kurt T. Schini Peter M. Schmitt M Fang-Miin Sheen Laura A. Sikkink M Alexander M. Simon Murray D. Smith John G. and Paula S. Steiert M Dwayne L. Stenlund M Robert W. and Joan A. Sterner Michael K. and Mary L. Stock Sandra A. Stoller Erika B. Stout-Kirck Andrew J. and Barbara J. Streifel M Amy M. Suiter Jack T. Surek M Amy L. Swanson Amy J. Symstad Michael J. Thomas Paul C. Thompson Joseph R. Thurn Rick D. and Kim D. Timmers Daniel and Angie Tix Charles I. Tollefson Margaret A. Torreano Timothy J. and Kelley Tripp M Antonia M. Turner M Joseph S. Villa M Timothy F. Voller M Kenneth F. Walz Yexun Wang and Ding Wu M
Thomas R. Warren Phyllis M. Webb M Michael J. Wethern Michael R. Wilcox M Mark S. and Cheryl Wilke M Winnebago United Fund Jimmy D. Winter Lucile E. Wrenshall Clifford D. Wright M Stephanie Wright W. Patrick Yang and Lili Kuo Thomas H. Zytkovicz
$1-$99 Valerie J. Aas James R. Ackerman Dane C. Allen James E. Almendinger Christopher R. Anderson Janet M. and Bruce A. Anderson Joan E. Anderson Kent K. Anderson M Lorraine B. Anderson M Diane and Ivan Arenson David J. Beers Christopher B. Benfield M Bopaiah A. Biddanda Suzanne M. Bissonnette David S. Blehert Suzanne R. Bloberger M Alice M. Bonnen Jeffrey A. and Jill Boogren Wyatt N. Bordewyk M Patricia L. and Del Bosacker Patricia L. Bourgoin Derek R. Brandt Anna K. Bredsten Louanne S. Brooks M Ione V. Brown Maclean R. Brown, Jr. Lakshmi and Jagadish Buddhavarapu M Diane E. Bundlie Keith D. and Monika R. Burau M Kelly R. Burke Michele Z. Burtness M Dale and Beverly Cameron Jean A. Carraher M Bradley E. Carter M
Winston Cavert and Carol Witte M Michael J. Chanen Karen A. Check Shin Lin Chen Gretchen K. Clevenger Claudia B. and Henry M. Colvin, Jr. Commerford Agronomics, Inc. Steven P. Commerford Jean R. Conklin Denise J. Connor Julie L. Constable Paul E. Cunnien Catherine M. Dahl Marshall N. Dahl M Matthew De Lois Margaret E. Dewhurst Stephanie N. DiPrima M Maria S. Dlott Rhonda Fay Doll Roger F. Drong M. I. Dyer David J. Eagan Deren A. Eaton M Bruce B. Edinger Lavina A. M. Eich M David G. Einzig Sandra J. Elsen M Jerome and Beth Fahrmann
Professor Vic Bloomfield, Nobel Laureate Phillip Sharp (guest speaker) and Dean Elde at Commencement 2011. Bloomfield was Sharp’s doctoral advisor at the University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana. Barbara J. Fealy M Mary J. Fenske and Thomas G. Hinze James B. Ferrari M Kristina L. Fey Gerald S. Finer Ellen J. Fisher Kin C. Fong Jesse M. Ford Carl E. Frasch Chris D. Frethem Eileen F. Furlong Aparna and Mukul Ganguli M Sarah C. and Stefan T. Gantert M Julianne E. Geiser Elizabeth A. Gemo M Morris O. Gjessing M Vicki L. Glasgow Sarah B. Golon Tara Shawntel Gottsacker Robert M. Gottschalk Andrew J. Green M Eric C. Grimm Erin L. and Richard W. Gross Kris M. Hagen M Edward K. Hall Timothy J. Halloran M Susan A. Hart-Anderson and Kenneth S. Anderson Edward F. Haskins Stephen M. Hatfield William J. Haun Ellen M. Heath
Susan B. Heffron William C. Henke M Laurie M. Hennen Daniel L. Hernandez Jonathan R. Herseth M Donald R. Hickman M Leanne C. Hobbs Ronald H. Hoess M Sarah J. Holmen Dean A. and Mary Ann Honetschlager John O. Hui Frederick and Kathryn Hund M Ronald D. Hungerford IBM International Foundation Robyn M. and Theodore P. Jacobsen Geraldine L. Jensen M Stephen F. and Karen E. Jensen Holly J. Jessen Johnson and Johnson Carrie E. Johnson Emilia P. Johnson Jeffrey S. Johnson and Stephanie J. Decker M Jerome L. Johnson Kelsey L. Johnson Ross M. Jorenby Jacki R. Just M Eileen M. Karl M Jane Witon Keith Paul M. Kietzmann M Julie L. Kinn-Sanftner Todd R. Klaenhammer M renew
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Kathleen S. Knight M Julie A. Knott Donna J. and Ralph C. Kolbeck Leslie A. Kopietz Amy Suzanne Kost Richard V. Kowles M Michael P. Kowski Thomas P. Krick M Matthew M. Kuehl Rodney L. Kuehn M George A. and Mary E. Kuhlmann Karen D. Kurvink Dale L. LaCroix Gerald LaForest Roberta K. Lammers-Campbell Natalie T. Le Anthony L. Leblanc Louie Leblanc Laura M. Lien Stephen R. and Heather H. Lines Brian P. Livermore Amina C. Lobban M Timothy A. Lundahl Daniel O. Lynch M Sheldon W. and Beverly A. Mains M Justine A. Malinski M Robert L. Marcaccini Jeffrey A. Marcus M Cathleen A. Marquardt James A. Mayer M Paul M. Mayer Thomas Mayo and Amber Dallmann Sara C. Mc Farlan Judy L. Mc Gee S. McCormack and J. Hockenberry McCormack Lisa M. McKenzie Medtronic Foundation Christopher D. Mentz Howard H. Meyer Beth A. Middleton Joanne M. Miller Joseph B. Miller Susan S. Miller Howard A. Milstein M Bruce K. Mobarry James R. Moldenhauer M John Moore and Ruth Silversmith Kathleen K. and Steven B. Moore
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College of Biological Sciences
Edwin B. and Ellie Morrison Steven F. Mullen M Robert E. Muller James W. Munger Nardina L. Nash M Deepak Joseph Neduvelil Elissa M. Nelson Raymond D. Nelson Barbara J. Noeldner Carolyn J. O’Brien M Amy Oganeku Christy M. Olson M Richard F. O’Neill M Donna R. Onstott Christopher and Jane Otto Gulin Oz Karen M. Palin Otto J. Palmer M Gary R. Paulu Mary E. and Tim Pauza Karen S. Pawlowski Nanette J. Pazdernik Alma V. Pedeliski Pfizer Foundation Ann M. Pierce Robert L. Pierce M Nora S. Plesofsky Robert E. Pohlman Shirley J. Pratt M Kristen H. Pritchard Marcia A. Raley and Christopher W. Kvale M Christopher S. Raymond
John J. Reiners, Jr. Annette L. Robinson Michael B. Robinson James S. Rochford Charles F. Rodell Robert D. and Lori G. Roettger Carla C. Rohwedder Louise A. Rollins-Smith H. Gerritt Rosenthal Lesley A. Rusterholz Steven D. Salt Kristin R. and Michael J. Scanlan Karen K. Schlentz M Andrew M. and Lori L. Schmidt Virginia Schneider Sonya L. Schober-Johnson Janet L. and Christopher L. Schottel Lisa M. Schweizer M Meldon Seeland Sandra H. Seilheimer Michelle I. Setterholm Alicia M. Shams Catherine M. Shannon Paul J. Sheldon Gregg D. Simonson James M. Skuzeski Reed J. Sloss D. Peter Snustad M Arnold W. Sodergren Rex L. Solomon Dustin R. Sperr M Sandra L. Spier Anthony J. Spychalla M
John D. and Joyce Stamm Timothy K. Starr Matt and Linda Stenzel Diane R. Storvick Gary A. Strand Jerry L. Stumpf John J. and Barbara C. Sullivan M Ryan M. Sunderman M Edward B. Swain and Mary E. Keirstead M Paul N. Swenson Jean E. Takekawa Jason M. Tennessen M James M. Thares Jeffrey J. Thomas Samuel R. Tift Ilya B. Tikh Anne and William Tisel M Peter D. Tomascak Dong-Kha V. Tran Genevieve M. Tvrdik David M. Vanderheyden Robert S. Veit M Robert C. Venette William Voedisch and Laurie Carlson M Mary S. and Donald J. Wagner James Walker and Randi Nordstrom M Margaret M. Walker Bradley J. Ward Cecilia A. Warner and Colin R. Campbell Karen M. Waterfield Mitchell R. Watson Ann G. and Robert M. Wattson M Melissa L. Weber-Sanders David A. Wedin and Nancy G. Engen-Wedin Dana P. Wegener Wells Fargo Foundation Jane I. Wenger M Mark J. Wenner James F. Weygand M Richard J. White Susan L. Wichlacz M David and Julie Wicklund M Charlotte E. and Donald J. Wiley Robert C. Wong Gary M. Wood M Judith L. Wulff Xcel Energy Foundation Jeannette M. Zinggeler Berg M
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