t h e h e r b e r t w. B o y e r S c h o o l o f N at u r a l S c i e n c e s , M at h e m at i c s a n d C o m p u t i n g
BOYERBULLETIN Vol. 4, No. 2
• spring 2013
The news media surround Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., Vatican astronomer and special guest speaker at the Threshold Series presentation in conjunction with the open house celebrating the completion of the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion on March 11. Br. Guy raved, “It’s a remarkable place. I am stunned by how beautiful it is and how great the facilities are. It really shows the commitment of the college to the teachings of science. It’s the sort of place where you can not only learn the science, but you can explore the Catholic aspect of it, questions of why are we doing the science.”
a p u b l i c at i o n o f s a i n t v i n c e n t c o l l e g e
INSIDE
Vatican Astronomer Br. Guy
Dean’s Message Chemistry Major Uses Electron Microscope To Analyze 18th-century Painting Open House Celebrates Completion Of Dupré Pavilion, LEED Certification Excela Health, SVC Announce Doctoral Program Dr. James Barnett Remains Committed to Teaching Applications for STEM Scholarships Invited
Environmental Science Major Presents Poster At Undergraduate Research Conference at Capitol Two Biology Majors Get Award for Research Poster at Tri-Beta Conference Senior Biologist Offered Multitude of Grad Study Options Eight Boyer School Students Named Emerging Research Scholars
dean’s MESSAGE
The Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing Advisory Council Members Mr. James F. Will, L.H.D., C’60, D’94 Chair, President Emeritus Saint Vincent College Dr. William E. Amatucci, C’86 Section Head, Space Experiments Section/Plasma Physics Division, Code 6755, Naval Research Laboratory Mr. Thomas Anderson Co-owner, Maritom Dr. Herbert W. Boyer, Sc.D., C’58, D’81 Co-Founder, Genentech Inc. Dr. Angelo DeMezza, C’69 Physician Dr. Umberto A. DeRienzo, C’88 Physician, DeRienzo Family Practice Dr. William A. DiCuccio, C’70 Physician Dr. David A. Dzombak, Ph.D., P.E., DEE, C’79 Walter J. Blenko Sr. University Professor of Environmental Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University Dr. Thomas P. Gessner, C’64 Physician Mr. Donald A. Haile, C’63 Venture Partner/Site General Manager Fidelity Investments Ms. Cheryl A. Harper, C’88 Physics and Mathematics Teacher Greensburg Salem High School Mr. Michael L. Keslar, C’80 Executive Vice President BNY Mellon Mr. Francis A. Marasco, C’64 Former President Eckerd Pharmacy Services Mr. Mark J. Pincus, C’96 sanofi-aventis U.S., Research Investigator Early to Candidate Distinct Project Unit Biochemistry and Cell Biology Tucson Research Center Dr. David M. Siwicki, C’80 Physician Ms. Shelley D. Sturdevant, C’88 Technical Director PPG Coil & Extrusion Coatings PPG Industries Inc. Mr. Stephen P. Yanek, C’68 Program Manager Applied Physics Laboratory The Johns Hopkins University Dr. Daniel J. Yaniro, C’79 Director, VoIP Program and Project Management, AT&T Laboratories
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Dear Friends,
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his is a wonderful time of year! The trees started to bloom this week and the tulips are showing their beautiful colors. It has been a long winter but one that was very productive and successful for our students and our faculty. In December we saw the successful completion of the renovation of the West Building of the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion. The faculty began to move into their offices the day after Christmas and the classrooms and labs were ready when the students returned in January for spring semester. This beautiful building is making a difference and I thank all of you who have been a part of making the renovation a reality. In March I participated in a recruiting effort with our admission staff in Maryland and was so pleased in talking to prospective science majors when family after family told me that Saint Vincent was one of their top choices. Each family that I spoke to that afternoon told me that they had visited campus earlier in the year and the Dupré Science Pavilion was one of the reasons Saint Vincent was on their final list of schools to attend. In this issue of the Boyer Bulletin we feature three of our students and the interesting paths that they have traveled recently. We learn about senior chemistry major Sean Murphy and his work with the new scanning electron microscope, acquired last spring, in conducting an analysis of an 18th-century oil painting in Alfred Hall. Benjamin Delle Donne, a senior environmental science major, is highlighted for his recent visit to Harrisburg, Pa., where he represented Saint Vincent College at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol. We hear of the busy spring that senior biology major Meredith McGuire has had in determining what graduate school will be next on her life path. A new program begins this fall, the doctor in nurse anesthesia practice, a collaborative that we are offering with our partner Excela Health. We also spotlight Dr. James Barnett, former chair of our biology department and current chair of our pre-professional health committee, who has recently announced that he will be entering gradual retirement. Please do read these stories as well as the announcement of our second class of emerging research scholars, the award given to two of our biology students for their poster at the regional Tri-Beta Conference and a new National Science Foundation award to a team of faculty led by Dr. Jen Koehl, Dr. James Kellam and Br. Albert Gahr, O.S.B., from our biology department. It has been a busy and exciting year! Lastly, I would like to mention to you one important upcoming date. On Friday, June 14, at 4 p.m. we will dedicate the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion. Dr. Herbert W. Boyer, C’58, D’81, will be our special guest speaker that day and will give a talk on “The Next 50 Years.” I hope that you will be able to attend.
Dr. Stephen Jodis Dean, Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing
FEATURE
Senior Chemistry Major Uses Electron Microscope To Analyze 18th-century Oil Painting
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future for anyone who wants to analyze other paintings,” Murphy aint Vincent College chemistry major Sean Murphy’s added. senior research project started with a rumor. “This project Murphy’s research supervisor, Dr. Stephen Gravelle, had asked actually started with something I overheard in the chemistry last semester if he wanted to spend some time learning how to use lab when I was a teaching assistant for an organic chemistry course,” the SEM. “Dr. Gravelle and Dr. Paul Follansbee were very generous Murphy explained. “Students were claiming that a very large 18thin teaching me how to use this very expensive and sophisticated century painting that hangs in the second floor hallway of Alfred instrument,” Murphy related. “I wanted to do something in appreciaHall showed evidence that a portion of a woman’s chest had been tion for their time so I wrote a manual on standard operating procepainted over to reveal less of it,” Murphy shared. “I was thinking that dures that will be useful to other student users.” it was just another Saint Vincent tale so I took at look at it myself and While conducting his research and learning to use the SEM, sure enough it seemed that there were brushstrokes that did not Murphy decided he may want to get into technical sales of SEMs match the original.” after he graduates. “I would enjoy teaching people how to use these The 18th-century painting – Queen Esther before King Ahasuerus instruments and interacting with them,” he said. In the meantime, – by an unknown artist, was a gift from King Ludwig I of Bavaria to he is completing his student teaching in chemistry at Greensburg Boniface Wimmer more than 167 years ago. “I decided to make it the Salem Senior High School in preparation for receiving teaching object of my senior research and to chemically and spectrally invescertification. tigate if any overpainting may have occurred, when the defacement Murphy has been active in other areas happened and to prove that the painting of campus as well, serving as chairperson itself was actually 18th century,” Murphy of the Council of Presidents, and serving explained. as residence life chairperson for the Stu To implement his research, Murphy utident Government Association, heading up lized Saint Vincent College’s Hitachi variable a capital development project to install a pressure scanning electron microscope or kitchen in Alcuin Hall, and serving as presiSEM in the instrument lab of the Sis and dent of the mixed martial arts club. He also Herman Dupré Science Pavilion. The sophishas worked in the athletic department, in ticated instrument has the ability to provide the chemistry department and giving tours clear viewing of samples at magnification of to prospective students as an admissions up to 35,000 times the original – far beyond ambassador. the capabilities of an optical microscope. Murphy said that he has really enjoyed “I arranged with Saint Vincent art colhis educational experience at Saint Vincent. lection curator Br. Nathan Cochran, O.S.B., “I remember coming here to visit on a beauto take some tiny samples from the painttiful fall day while I was still in high school ing,” Murphy explained, “though my first and sat in on some chemistry classes. Later, attempt was to use reflectance spectroscoI asked how to get back to the admission py through the aid of a Xenon lamp to study office and the teacher, Dr. Jason Vohs, perthe different spectra collected. With the sonally walked me back and discussed my SEM I was able to chemically analyze various interest in chemistry. That was a deciding samples to discover which elements were A tiny sample was taken from the 18thfactor for me and it’s been like that through present. I was able to find certain elements century painting which is part of the Saint my entire four years. The professors really that weren’t used in paints until the 19th Vincent Archabbey Collection. care about your education.” century. That confirmed right away that the “Sean has learned a lot,” Gravelle comoverpainting wasn’t original. Further analymented. “He has learned what he wants to do with his future career. sis confirmed that the original paint was primarily lead, showing eviIt has really helped that he learned how to use the scanning electron dence of pigments which aren’t used too much anymore. The fact microscope and about data analysis. This is not a simple instrument that I found barium so prominently in the suspect area compared to to learn or use. But I think that everyone has benefited from Sean’s the undercoat of lead is pretty significant as well.” research. It’s been a model research project for us and that’s what “I also utilized ultraviolet or black light to analyze the painting,” we want students to do, to take off on their own and discover what Murphy continued, “and you can see clearly that there was a portion they enjoy. Sean has definitely done that and I think he has definitely of the painting that was covered up – the portion on the woman’s discovered what he enjoys doing.” breast – by the fact that the suspect area fluoresced splotchy and Murphy, who in addition to his major in chemistry has a double dark, while the original paint fluoresced much brighter.” minor in education and philosophy, is the son of Tom and Effie Thus, the research confirmed that the painting was painted over Murphy of Marlton, N.J. and a graduate of Cherokee High School in sometime during or after the 19th century. “This is the subject of my Marlton. senior research and I am hoping this research will be useful in the
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science pavilion
Open House Celebrates Completion of Dupré Pavilion by D O N O R L A N D O
Dr. Jason Vohs, associate professor of chemistry, entertained visitors with some demonstrations from his chemistry of cooking class in the chemical and physical sciences laboratory.
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laboratories were designed by Research everal hundred persons toured Facilities Design Laboratory Consultants the new $39 million Sis and of San Diego. General contractor was Herman Dupré Science Pavilion Jendoco of Pittsburgh. at Saint Vincent College at an In keeping with the Benedictine teopen house celebrating completion of net of stewardship, the Sis and Herman the project and its LEED gold certificaDupré Science Pavilion incorporates tion on March 11. sustainable design. The project was The state-of-the-art educational awarded Leadership in Energy and Enfacility was completed in December vironmental Design (LEED) gold certi2012 after eight years of planning, fication, a prestigious recognition of its design and construction. It provides improvements to the quality of the site, classrooms, laboratories and offices Dr. Daniel Vanden Berk, assistant professor of reductions in water and energy confor the Herbert W. Boyer School of physics, captivated visitors with his demonstration sumption, use of materials that reduced Natural Sciences, Mathematics and of high-voltage electric fields using a Van de Graaff the impact on the environment and Computing. generator and foam packing peanuts. providing a healthy and safe place for The public open house included faculty members and students to work. demonstrations of the facility’s digital In May 2007 Saint Vincent named its School of Natural Sciences, imaging laboratory, planetarium, environmental education center and Mathematics and Computing after Herb Boyer, a 1958 graduate and greenhouse, scanning electron microscope and other special features. Derry native who became the co-founder of Genentech Incorporated, The pavilion is named in recognition of a major gift from the family considered the world’s pioneer in the biotechnology industry. The Boyand friends of Mr. and Mrs. Dupré. Mrs. Dupré was a teacher in the Pittser School offers undergraduate programs in biochemistry, bioinforburgh Public Schools and Mr. Dupré is a graduate of the Saint Vincent matics, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computing and information College Class of 1953 who is renowned for his patents in snow making science, environmental chemistry, environmental science, mathematand legendary ownership of Seven Springs Mountain Resort. ics, mathematics/engineering (3/2) and physics. A Master of Science The structure, encompasing 60,000 square feet of new construction degree in health science for nurse anesthetists and a Doctor of Nurse and 50,000 square feet of renovated space, was designed by the arAnesthesia Practice are offered in collaboration with Excela Health. chitects at MacLachlan Cornelius and Filoni Inc. of Pittsburgh, and the
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Excela Health, SVC Announce Doctoral Program in Nurse Anesthesia
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xcela Health School of Anesthesia and Saint Vincent College jointly announced the initiation of a new professional graduate education doctoral completion program that will award the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) beginning in the fall of 2013. The new program, one of only a handful in the United States to accommodate the needs of working nurse anesthetists, will prepare Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) within Excela Health and its affiliates as well as those at other health care facilities nationwide to earn a DNAP and become leaders in this rapidly developing field of medicine. “Excela Health is pleased and proud to add a new dimension to its graduate educational programs for clinicians,” said Carol J. Fox, M.D., interim chief medical officer at Excela Health. “The DNAP program graduates will provide a complement to our existing family medicine residency graduates as we strive to provide highly trained clinicians who will improve the health and well-being of every life they touch in our community and beyond.” Saint Vincent College’s traditional commitment to providing a high-quality educational experience is being extended to this new program. “Our goals are to develop motivational leaders who are ready to meet the challenges needed to advance anesthesia practice, to develop CRNAs with superior levels of knowledge in anesthesia theory and practice and to educate CRNAs who are proficient in evidence-based practice and lead
Dr. Michael DeBroeck (second from left), assistant director of the Excela Health School of Anesthesia, instructs nurse anesthetists, from left, Amber Schaus, William Lewis and Mathew Coddington in the simulation laboratory at Excela Latrobe Hospital. The students are enrolled in the master’s in health sciences degree program at Saint Vincent College. The new doctoral degree program in nurse anesthesia practice being offered by Saint Vincent in collaboration with Excela Health will enable these students to advance beyond clinical practice to the highest level of health care leadership.
the field in establishing new standards of quality and care,” commented Dr. John Smetanka, vice president for academic affairs at Saint Vincent. “We will prepare CRNA leaders of the future with the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a rapidly changing health care system.” “As the areas of expertise within our field of practice become more specialized, the need arises to have an advanced level of educational knowledge,” added Dr. Beverly Silvis, director of the Excela Health School of Anesthesia. “We are pleased that Saint Vincent College shares our vision for preparing tomorrow’s health care leaders.” This program extends the cooperation that Excela Health and Saint Vincent College began in 2005 with the establishment of a joint graduate-level program leading to a master of science in health science degree. Each year several hundred applications are received from around the country for approximately 30 spaces in this program. “The focus of the program is on leadership management and continuous improvement,” Smetanka added. “We look forward to offering nurse anesthetists the opportunity to become leaders in the field and helping to advance the development of a new standard in health care excellence.” For additional information, visit www.stvincent.edu/dnap or contact the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education at 724-805-2933 or gradadmission@stvincent.edu
faculty spotlight
Dr. James Barnett Remains Committed to Teaching by D O N O R L A N D O
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hen Dr. James Barnett joined the faculty to teach biology at Saint Vincent College in the fall of 1985, the primary attraction was the opportunity to teach. Now, 28 years and thousands of students later, he remains clearly focused on teaching. “I truly have had the opportunity to teach,” Barnett commented. “I enjoy that the most! I have worked closely with students in a number of roles – in the classroom, as a senior research mentor, as an adviser and as chair of the Pre-professional Health Committee. There are many ways to teach both inside and outside the classroom, both personal and educational.” Barnett has supervised more than 100 senior research projects over the years, though he hasn’t done any since he began teaching in the nurse anesthesia graduate program six years ago. He has also chaired the committee that advises and guides students seeking admission to medical and other health profession schools. “The Pre-professional Health Committee is something I have enjoyed in recent years. Earlier, I served as chair of the biology department. The opportunity to do different things at different times has kept my work interesting.” During his long career, Barnett has taught introductory biology for science majors and non-majors, exercise and sports physiology, mammalian physiology, and for the graduate program, advanced anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. While he admits that some students have stood out over the years, he hesitates to identify them because there are so many. “A number have gone on to health professional schools and have
kept in contact with me, which I greatly appreciate,” he added. “Their success is in part attributable to what they brought to the College – the values their parents taught them, their beliefs, work ethic and interest in science. We contribute to their preparation and they move on. I hesitate to take any credit for their success.” Barnett said that one of the fundamental things that has changed is that he used to teach by example but now overtly teaches students how to think. “When I work through a problem, I don’t do it as an example. I think out loud and share what is going through my mind as I solve the problem. I spend time explaining how to think about science.” Barnett praised his colleagues in the Boyer School and commented that the environment in which he worked has always been positive due to the people he worked with. “The faculty is great. We have a very collegial, respectful, open department which has made it wonderful to work here. The new Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion has enhanced the physical environment. The facilities enable us to do some things better and to do new things. However, the people are the most important dimension of our school.” In the future, Barnett predicts more collaborative learning and student-centered classrooms, rather than teacher-centered classrooms. “I think educational methods will move toward more collaboration,” he added. During the next few years, he plans to begin to transition from full-time to half-time teaching. “I want to devote more time to my wife, Ginny, and our family. And I want to spend more time with my hobbies – building wooden models of 17th- and 18th-century sailing ships, machining historic brass locomotives and back-road bicycling.” A native of Boston, Barnett grew up in San Francisco and earned a bachelor of science and a Ph.D. in animal physiology from the University of California at Davis. He was a National Research Council research associate in NASA’s biomedical research division before he came to Saint Vincent. He is the author of journal articles in various aspects of biomedical research. He has been recognized several times for excellence in teaching by the Pennsylvania Academy for the Profession of Teaching, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and Saint Vincent College’s Boniface Wimmer Faculty Award.
Dr. James Barnett
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Boyer School News Meredith McGuire Preparing for Graduate Study in Biology Many Saint Vincent College seniors focus on gaining acceptance to graduate or professional school after they complete their undergraduate education. But for Meredith McGuire, the process of applying, interviewing and deciding on graduate school has been multiplied nearly a dozen times!
Saint Vincent College senior biology major Meredith McGuire prepares for graduate study in cellular and molecular biology in the digital imaging laboratory of the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion.
McGuire, who will graduate with a major in biology with concentration in cell and molecular biology and minors in biotechnology and mathematics, wants to pursue graduate study in cellular and molecular biology. She applied to 11 programs at nine prestigious universities including Case Western Reserve University, University of Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, University of Texas-Southwestern, Baylor College of Medicine, Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After she received offers of interviews with 10 of the programs and was offered admission to six and fellowships by three, she has decided to attend Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. “They have a high level of research, high-impact research and an excellent learning
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environment,” she commented. “I am planning to go into biomedical research so my Ph.D. will be in cellular and molecular biology. One day I hope to be part of a team researching a disease and be able to intervene in therapeutics and add to the general body of knowledge in my field. I hope to work in the laboratory of a major research university.” McGuire speaks highly of the education she received at Saint Vincent. “I think Saint Vincent gave me an excellent education in biology,” she said, “in all of the contemporary biological techniques and a firm understanding of the concepts behind them. She is a graduate of St. Joseph Academy in Cleveland and the daughter of Thomas and Rosanne McGuire of Strongsville, Ohio. Environmental Science Major Attends Undergraduate Research Conference Benjamin Delle Donne, left, a senior environmental science major and politics minor at Saint Vincent College from North Huntingdon, participated in the annual Undergraduate Research Conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg on March 19. He was accompanied at the conference by Dr. Stephen Jodis, right, dean of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. Welcoming them to
the East Wing Rotunda was Senator Kim Ward, center, of Pennsylvania’s 39th District. The conference is an educational event allowing undergraduate students enrolled in Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities to showcase their research talents to the Commonwealth’s key decision-makers. The title of the research poster that Delle Donne presented was “A Study of Terrestrial and Aquatic Contamination from Solubilized Metals Associated with Abandoned Bituminous Coal Mine Lands.” His research adviser is Dr. Cynthia Walter. Two Biology Majors Receive Award for Research Poster Melissa Mason, left, a senior biology major from Sarver, and Karalyn Hillebrecht, right, a senior biology major from Pittsburgh, won the John C. Johnson Award for outstanding poster presentation at the recent Tri-Beta regional biology conference. In addition to a certificate and plaque, they received a travel grant of $750 to
enable them to present their poster at the Biennial National Conference in June. They are the first students to represent Saint Vincent College’s Upsilon Gamma chapter of Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society. Their research project focused on in vitro hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis responses to the Alzheimer’s disease drug donepezil. Both are students of Dr. Michael Rhodes.
SVC Invites Applications for Biology Scholarships
aint Vincent College’s Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing has announced that high school seniors may apply for 18 scholarships (six per year for three years) valued up to $40,000 each over four years. Funded by National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM), the scholarships are offered for students considering enrollment in Saint Vincent College’s Biology Scholars: Literature, Laboratory and Leadership Program. Applicants must reside in the Pennsylvania counties of Mercer, Venango, Butler, Jefferson, Carbon, Monroe or Schuylkill, one of the Beaver County school districts of Blackhawk, Riverside Beaver, South Side Area or Western Beaver, or one of the Erie County school districts of Corry, Fairview, Fort LeBoeuf, General McLane, North East, Northwestern, Union City or Wattsburg. Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Jennifer Koehl at 724-805-2357 or jennifer.koehl@stvincent.edu.
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Eight Boyer School Students Named Emerging Research Scholars
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ight top students in Saint Vincent College’s Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing have been named Emerging Research Scholars to introduce them to research early in their academic careers and to encourage participation in the College’s Collaborative Learning Program. Dr. Stephen Jodis, dean of the Boyer School, announced the second group of scholars at a program and reception at the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion Atrium on Feb. 26. “Three of our Boyer School departments – biology, chemistry and computing and information science – are again involved in this exciting initiative,” Jodis explained. “In fall 2011, our Collaborative Learning Program launched a new Emerging Research Scholar program which encourages underclassmen to get involved in scientific research early in their careers as an incentive for continuing on in their science majors. Research scholars are recognized by their departments as leaders in their class and will be given opportunities to work one-on-one with faculty members, helping them with their research. The Emerging Research Scholar initiative gives students an opportunity to build strong relationships with departmental faculty.” The program is administered by Dr. Mandy Raab, director of the biotechnology program and a member of the bioinformatics program in the Boyer School.
TOP PHOTO: Biology Department Emerging Research Scholars – Dr. Stephen Jodis, left, dean of the Boyer School, Dr. Bruce Bethke, second from right, associate professor and chair of the Biology Department, and Dr. Jen Koehl, right, associate professor of biology, congratulate, from left, Candace Scanga, a freshman from Gibsonia; Bruce Stropko, a freshman from Sayre; and Natalie Nakles, a freshman from Latrobe. MIDDLE PHOTO: Chemistry Department Emerging Research Scholars – Dr. Stephen Jodis, left, dean of the Boyer School, Dr. Steve Gravelle, second from right, associate professor of chemistry; and Dr. Matthew Fisher, right, associate professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, congratulate, from left, Alexis Oropallo, a freshman from Friedens; Vincent Centore, a freshman from Canonsburg; Conor Sterling, a freshman from York; and Ellen Boller, a freshman from Latrobe. BOTTOM PHOTO: Computing and Information Science Department Emerging Research Scholar – Dr. Stephen Jodis, left, dean of the Boyer School; Dr. Cynthia Martincic, second from left, associate professor and chair of the Computing and Information Science Department; and Br. David Carlson, O.S.B., right, associate professor of computing and information science, congratulate Julian Whalen, a freshman from New Brighton.