Here We Have
FALL 2015
UI Worldwide
Army veteran and Moscow Police Department Officer Jason House ’13, sociology and criminal justice
OPERATION EDUCATION: A SECOND CHANCE AT A DREAM
UI is ensuring that our country’s youngest veterans — those who leave home and travel the world, making it a safer place, but who sustain serious permanent disabilities while serving our nation — are given a second chance at fulfilling their career dreams. The UI Operation Education Scholarship Program provides assistance for costs beyond traditional scholarships, including academic and social support.
For more information: JIM ZUBA Director of Development jzuba@uidaho.edu 208-885-4142 uidaho.edu/giving
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University of Idaho magazine | Fall 2015
Here We Have
On the Cover:
Illustration by Emily Mowrer
Above: Nicole Case ’15, animal and veterinary sciences major, studied abroad in fall 2013 at Lincoln University in New Zealand
Departments
Features
3 4 29 32 40 49
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From the President Campus News Meet the New Staff Development News Class Notes Vandal Snapshot
Internationalizing UI's College of Law
Looking for Answers at the Top of the World
8 12 14 16 22
Fish Tales of the Amazon Sustainable Science Open Doors to China Study Abroad Offers Life-Changing Experiences
24 UI Around the World 26 Opportunities Add Up for Goldwater Scholar
27 Martin Institute International Studies Program
28 Securing the World 30 A Global Game 38 A Vandal Family Legacy
in Honduras
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Here We Have Idaho The University of Idaho Magazine Fall 2015 • Volume 32, Number 1 President
Chuck Staben
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Stefany Bales ’96
Alumni Association President Travis Thompson ’97
University of Idaho Foundation Chairman Richard W. Allen ’73
Editor
Savannah Tranchell ’08
Creative Director Emily Mowrer
Class Notes Editor Annis Shea ’86
Writers and Contributors Andrew Gauss Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka Brian Keenan Kate Keenan Joshua Nishimoto ’09 Maria Ortega Rob Patton Tara Roberts ’07 Jocelyn Stott Jodi Walker
Photography Spencer Farrin UI Photo Services Melissa Hartley Joe Pallen ’96 Right: This photo of the Northern Lights over Latah County was taken by Melissa Hartley in June 2015.
The University of Idaho is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and educational institution. © 2015, University of Idaho Here We Have Idaho magazine is published twice per year. The magazine is free to alumni and friends of the university. For address changes and subscription information, visit uidaho.edu/alumni. Contact the editor at UIdahoMagazine@uidaho.edu.
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www.uidaho.edu/magazine
From the President In a world that is increasingly interconnected, the University of Idaho is emerging as a leader on the global stage. The teaching, learning, research, discovery, outreach and engagement at which UI excels open doors of opportunity across our state, region and nation. More and more, those doors are open to the wider world — our excellence as an institution demands that we look beyond our own borders to engage a world of ideas. Faculty members take leadership roles in international engagement, bringing Vandal expertise to address complex problems far beyond Idaho. In this issue, you’ll read some of those stories: the College of Law professor analyzing water management in Australia; the UI researcher studying catfish eyes from the Amazon; the inroads we continue to make in our relationship with China. UI scholars are making discoveries, forging relationships and contributing to solutions that can find applications at home and abroad. Embodying international excellence also means opening our doors to scholars from abroad. UI annually plays host to hundreds of visiting scholars. They gain access to the expertise of UI faculty members, to resources and information unavailable in some countries, and to a network of colleagues and collaborative possibilities. Undergraduate and graduate students from abroad also access those opportunities, with the chance to participate in the active student life of a diverse and dynamic campus. Students from outside the United States are increasingly choosing UI, with international enrollment jumping 66 percent in the last five years. In 2014-15, more than 900 students came to UI from China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India
and 74 other countries. Those numbers signify UI’s role as a premier destination for higher education. Behind every number, though, is an opening toward a brighter future — for a student, for our university and for communities near and far. I’ve had the good fortune to meet a few of those students through participation in the “Friendship Families” program, where community members connect with international students to build relationships. Mary Beth and I have met students from Sweden, Burkina Faso and India, coming together to learn about each other’s countries over shared meals, attendance at UI events such as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and more. Our international students are bright, motivated young people who enrich our campus and provide all students a way to discover new worlds. UI also holds open the door for Idaho students to experience the cultures, perspectives and intellectual resources of the world. Our International Programs Office facilitates education abroad through study, internships, service-learning and research through 400 institutions in 70 countries across the globe. As recently as 2014, 12 percent of Vandal undergraduates had studied abroad during their UI careers. Competitive scholarships are also a path for international experience. In 2014-15, UI had two recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program award study in China, and in fall 2015, three more Gilman scholars will venture out to Peru and to Senegal. These opportunities combine to create an educational environment that prepares students for a 21st century that is ever more interconnected — collaboratively and competitively. They’re gaining marketable skills — not just in what they learn, but in how they are able to learn from others. They are the future of UI’s global presence, a commitment to worldwide excellence that grows stronger every year.
CHUCK STABEN, PRESIDENT
www.uidaho.edu/president
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CAMPUS NEWS Moscow
Geologists Uncover Patterns in Earth’s Copper Deposits BY TAR A ROBERTS
About 75 percent of the world’s copper comes from porphyry copper deposits. Now, a study from the University of Idaho and University of Michigan unearths how these economically valuable deposits are distributed around the world. The research, published in May in Nature Geosciences, indicates that climate helps drive the erosion process that exposes porphyry copper deposits, as well as helps determine where the deposits form. The study was conducted by Brian Yanites, an assistant professor in UI’s Department of Geological Sciences, and Stephen Kesler, an emeritus professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Michigan. Yanites is a geomorphologist, studying the Earth’s topography. “It’s exciting to think that erosion and the building of our mountain landscapes influences where society gets its resources from, and it’s another line of evidence of the importance of climate in the shape of the landscape,” Yanites said. Porphyry copper deposits initially form deep beneath volcanoes. Over millions or tens of millions of years, erosion exposes them. Yanites and Kesler examined data on the age, depth and number of exposed deposits around the world. They noticed the youngest deposits are found in areas of high rainfall, such as the tropics, indicating rapid erosion. Where erosion is rapid, there were relatively few deposits, but locations with low erosion rates contain a high density of deposits. Such regions include the Atacama Desert in the Andes Mountains and the American Southwest — both places where porphyry copper mining is important to the economy. www.uidaho.edu/sci/geology 4
Boise
Researchers Examine How Rivers Contribute to Global Warming BY MARIA ORTEGA
Rivers produce 10 percent of the human-caused nitrous oxide in the world. Over a 100-year period, nitrous oxide has 298 times more impact on global warming per unit mass than carbon dioxide. “It didn’t use to be that way, and the main culprit is the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers that end up in rivers and waterways from agricultural runoff,” said Jeff Reeder, a civil engineering graduate student in the University of Idaho’s College of Engineering. A key component of fertilizer, nitrate is transformed into nitrous oxide and di-nitrogen gas within the anaerobic zone of streambeds. Reeder, along with civil engineering professor Daniele Tonina, is using a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study rivers at the Center for Ecohydraulics Research at UI Boise, which houses a 20-meter flume that can simulate river flow. The project is in cooperation with researchers from Boise State University. At the flume, researchers have created two riverbeds with sandy dunes of different sizes and shapes populated with microorganisms to mirror natural ecosystems. Oxygen levels are monitored at the flume with over 200 optical sensors. “How the water is filtered through the dunes has an impact on the rates of nitrous oxide production in rivers and streams,” Tonina said. A better understanding of the role of riverbeds in nitrous oxide production will help create strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from natural and manmade water systems. “The results could potentially be used to determine the impact of fertilizer use in global warming,” Tonina said. www.uidaho.edu/boise
To learn more about how UI research is advancing the state, nation and world, visit uidaho.edu/research.
Idaho Falls
Coeur d'Alene
BY SAVANNAH TR ANCHELL
BY JOCELYN STOT T
LiDAR Technology Could Lead to Safer Air Travel
Visiting Professor Leaves Robotic Inspiration Behind in Coeur d’Alene
Photo by Shawn Gust, Coeur d’Alene Press
For several years, the University of Idaho has been using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to study whether human visitors touching the stalactites and stalagmites in Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave are damaging the cave’s natural wonders. It was during a demonstration of that effort that Lee Ostrom saw greater uses for the technology. Now, UI Idaho Falls is in the midst of a multi-year project testing how the technology can be used to detect damage in composite aircraft. The goal is to create a system that can identify even the smallest damage, making air travel safer around the world. The composite inspection effort began in 2004-05 as an offshoot of work the researchers were doing on fatigue crack growth as part of a $500,000 grant. It continued as part of a $36,000 feed grant from NASA. Now, UI Idaho Falls has applied for an $894,000 grant from NASA to continue the research on a commercial composite aircraft. “If you watch people do visual inspections of aircraft, they’re looking at the underside of the wings, the part of the fuselage that they can see, they’re really not inspecting the whole aircraft for damage,” said Ostrom, academic director and associate dean for UI Idaho Falls. “Using this technology, you could scan the complete aircraft relatively rapidly.” That ability could mean detecting surface damage — often indicative of a larger issue with the composite material — before it causes a problem at altitude. Partnering with UI Idaho Falls in the project is the Idaho National Laboratory, which allows the researchers to use its Computer Assisted Virtual Environment at the Center for Advanced Energy Studies to study the scanned data. www.uidaho.edu/idahofalls
Coeur d’Alene is often viewed as a lakeside playground for golf and nature lovers, but it’s also gaining momentum as a hub of technology and innovation, propelled in part by the University of Idaho. Thanks to a partnership forged during Innovation Collective’s (IC) Think Big Festival 2014, the university connected with Yoshikazu Kanamiya, professor of robotics for Tokyo City University. Kanamiya spent a sabbatical in Coeur d'Alene from March to June to help develop local interest in robotic technology. Kanamiya returned to Japan in July, but a team of developers continues to improve upon the prototype he helped create in Coeur d’Alene. The team works through IC: Code, a local technology start-up and robotics group sponsored in part by UI Coeur d’Alene. One of Kanamiya’s projects includes work on a robotic glove, in collaboration with UI students and instructors. The glove enables the wearer to type with two fingers and thumb using swipe technology. The finger sleeves transmit via sensors by a series of taps, like Morse code, to a computerized device. The end result: faster communication using only two fingers and a thumb. The intended use of the device is to assist those with limited use of their hands to communicate, whether that is the result of a stroke or injury, or in a unique situation such as under water.
www.uidaho.edu/cda 5
INTERNATIONALIZING
T
he University of Idaho College of Law is making a case for why international perspectives prove valuable in addressing conflicts at home and abroad.
EXHIBIT ONE
Take a look at recent newspaper headlines and there’s no denying that drought is wreaking havoc on the western United States. That’s why UI law professor Barbara Cosens, recipient of a visiting professorship from the Goyder Institute and Flinders University, spent three and a half months in South Australia examining how that country legally managed its 15-year Millennium Drought, from 1995-2011. Based on Barbara Cosens first-hand experience, Cosens saw that Photo by Joe Pallen Australia’s water management in the Murray-Darling Water Basin involved three main prongs: changes in infrastructure, increased efficiency in agricultural and municipal water consumption, and redefinition of water rights. Desalination plants sprung up to make seawater potable. They pump in salt water, desalinate it and then discharge leftover salt into the ocean. Wastewater was treated and reused in irrigation, crop types were reconsidered, and low-flow showerheads and toilets became the norm. “Looking at what another country is doing gets you to think outside the box,” said Cosens, whose research contributed to a project funded by the National Science Foundation. “There’s
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not just one way to approach water allocation during drought. The fact that Australia came through such a prolonged drought without huge economic dislocation sends the message that we can make these adjustments.”
JOINING FORCES TO FIND SOLUTIONS “I think we are living in an increasingly globalized world and have a lot of problems that cannot be solved as individual states,” said UI Law Professor Anastasia Telesetsky, who taught a 2015 summer course on environmental law at Beijing’s Renmin University, the No. 1 ranked law school in China. “Cooperation between states matters because we are operating increasingly across borders.” One such problem of growing international concern — as populations multiply and resources become strained — is over-fishing, typically by individuals from developed nations whose vessels are in developing states’ waters. In September 2014, Telesetsky, whose research focuses on the sustainability of marine fisheries, presented a brief as part of a pro-bono legal team to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, on state responsibility for illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. “Developing countries are losing billions of dollars a year of potential revenue in fishery resources that might be fished by their people for sustenance,” Telesetsky said. Now, based on Telesetsky’s work, there exists a legal decision requiring states to proactively supervise their distant water fishing fleets.
UI’S COLLEGE OF LAW BY K ATE KEENAN
Following in Telesetsky’s wake, but making her own waves, is recent UI law graduate Claire Freund, who completed a 10-week externship in the summer of 2014 with the Environmental Defenders Office in New South Wales, an Australian organization specializing in public interest environmental law. By first examining ocean policies implemented in other countries, Freund helped develop policies for marine protected areas for South Pacific islands victimized by over-fishing from developed countries’ vessels. Fellow law graduate Uriel Benichou, who chose UI’s law program from his home country of France, also credits Telesetsky’s encouragement in his successful application for a United Nations internship — he became one of 20 recipients among 1,800 applicants. Working within the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Benichou researched marine genetic resources, or the potentially valuable DNA from algae and fish, that developed countries have been attempting to patent to create new antiviral drugs and cosmetics. Benichou primarily studied how developing nations could benefit from the research done in their own waters.
involves three core initiatives: study and work abroad opportunities, exchange programs and a Master’s of Law (LLM) for foreign students. Students taking advantage of such opportunities develop what Dodge calls cultural competency skill sets, so that regardless of cultural differences, UI law graduates are equipped to serve the world. “We’re offering various international opportunities by either bringing the world to Idaho or giving students and faculty members the opportunity to travel and work abroad,” said Mark L. Adams, dean of UI’s College of Law. Adams emphasized that such opportunities “make you more aware of the commonalities we’re all dealing with, and by bringing people together, we can try to come up with solutions by looking at things through a different perspective.” “The study of law is intense for students,” Cosens said. “At the end of three years, they face the bar exam, which requires memorization of existing law. This can cause students to think there’s no new direction the law can take — it’s just a matter of knowing the statutes and cases that have come before, which can cause students to become constrained in their thinking about what the solutions might be. Looking at what arguments and innovations have been made in other countries can really help move them beyond that.”
COOPERATION BETWEEN STATES MATTERS BECAUSE WE ARE OPERATING INCREASINGLY ACROSS BORDERS.
THE FUTURE OF LAW Internationalization is certainly the new trajectory for the College of Law, according to Associate Dean of Students and Administration Jeffrey Dodge, and
www.uidaho.edu/law
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AT TH E
OF THE
BY SAVANNAH TR ANCHELL 8
N
o matter what the cause, the climate is changing. But some are not focusing on the debate about the amount of fossil fuel residues released into the atmosphere or rising temperatures — they’re looking at addressing the problem though resilient design and landscape architecture. As formerly rural areas urbanize and traditional industries struggle, we are faced with difficult choices to balance economies with ecosystem services. But what if, as humans change the environment with development, we also learn to adapt the development to be better? It’s with this foresight that the University of Idaho College of Art and Architecture hired its first scientist in the landscape architecture program. Lilian Alessa is a social-ecological systems practitioner with degrees in biology and perception and cognition. She joined the landscape architecture faculty at UI in 2014, teaching a graduate course called “The Emerging Landscape.” She uses the best available tools to draft the blueprints for resilient landscapes, and she has led the creation of models that are being used nationally and locally to anticipate and respond to global and environmental change. “We try to balance a knowledge of human actions that make landscapes more vulnerable or more resilient with the practice of managing them,” Alessa said. Alessa — a native of British Columbia, Canada — created UI’s Center for Resilient Communities, the CRC, which is devoted to working with communities to create the knowledge and tools they need to grow while remaining economically, socially and environmentally healthy. She works with longtime collaborator Andrew Kliskey, a professor in UI’s College of Natural Resources. Both Kliskey and Alessa came from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), where they co-led the Resilience and Adaptive Management Group, which Alessa founded in 2001. One major area of focus for Alessa is freshwater resources.
And in no area is water and landscape change more of an issue than in the Arctic. “Fresh water is really a testament to overall landscape health,” said Mark Hoversten, dean of UI’s College of Art and Architecture. In November 2014, Alessa was named the U.S. science lead for the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group project, the Arctic Adaptation Exchange Portal (AAEP). The AAEP serves as a central information hub for communities, researchers and decision-makers in both the public and private sectors. Alessa helps develop tools that can predict changes in the Arctic, help communities better manage water resources and aid agencies and communities in anticipating, preparing and responding to critical events, such as disasters. In addition, she leads the Community Based Observing Network for Adaptation and Security, an official project of the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Program. “We are living in the century of water,” Alessa told a group in 2009 at the Alaska World Affairs Council. “Of all the resources that we manage, we need particularly innovative tools to deal with water.” Alessa is the first faculty member in CAA offering this kind of approach to landscape design and sustainability and one of the few at UI who offers a portfolio that fully integrates the social and biophysical sciences. And her work is in demand. This summer she was invited to the Transatlantic Platform, a high level meeting to which only a handful of people globally are invited. “I think we’re doing something that really unique,” Hoversten said. “We’re looking at creating purposeful architecture.” That effort includes integrating indigenous science and design with Western engineering and the scientific models developed by Alessa to more effectively respond to global and environmental changes.
people think of the Arctic as a remote abstract, but few realize that what
happens there,
doesn’t stay there.
9
Lillian Alessa
Moses Point Fishing Camp in Alaska
Photo by Joe Pallen
Courtesy photo
“She brings a very important perspective to our students,” Hoversten said of Alessa’s work. “All landscapes are now heavily impacted by the human hand.” UI’s program is one of the few taking this combined approach, and it was part of what appealed to Alessa. “I saw the potential of the university, the setting, the state,” Alessa said about her decision to come to Moscow. “Our trajectory is growth and our position as a university has enormous potential to respond to a rapidly changing set of challenges.” Her research in the Arctic is part of that growth. She led the development of the Arctic Water Resources Vulnerability Index (AWRVI), which allows governments to assess water strengths and weaknesses at the watershed scale. AWRVI is unique because it not only includes environmental parameters, but also considers social indicators and their impact on a water system. It’s that kind of integrated, comprehensive tool development that’s been central to Alessa’s research and the college’s mission. Her ability to work across disciplines is one of the hallmarks of Alessa’s style, according to colleague Helena Wisniewski, executive director and principal investigator of the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) and vice provost for Research and dean of the Graduate School at UAA. “From a personal level, I really admire Lil’s dynamic personality,” Wisniewski said. “She has a good blend of intelligence and vision that she can really encourage collaboration. That’s a really nice blend, and very effective.” In the Arctic, the University of Idaho is one of 16 partners on the ADAC, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence and where Alessa is the Community Based Observing Networks lead. The center is focused on developing technological solutions and educational programs to improve awareness and crisis response capabilities in the changing Arctic environment.
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www.uidaho.edu/caa
Alessa’s ability to work across disciplines was key to developing the ADAC’s community-based observing networks, also known as CBONs, a term she introduced, Wisniewski said. The concept partners with indigenous residents in the Arctic to track and report environmental changes and increased maritime traffic to ADAC’s central system, which can use the data to create a more accurate picture of how the Arctic coasts are changing. The CBONs network is a unique factor of the center, Wisniewski said. “Having indigenous knowledge is really important,” she said. The people living in the community on a day-to-day basis are better able to track the changes occurring in the Arctic. “The Arctic is one of the few places on earth that’s really experiencing dynamic environmental changes,” Wisniewski said, such as the thinning of sea-ice. “These types of changes result in longer seasons, greater access, greater tourism — all of these are very positive outcomes, but they can generate challenges that need to be responded to. “Changes in the Arctic have worldwide implications,” she continued. “If you look at the Northwest Passage opening up and increasing shipping, that has an impact globally.” The models that Alessa has developed to integrate human factors into natural resource management — and develop communities and structures that can adapt and be resilient to those changes — are critical to creating a sustainable world. And the Arctic is part of everyone’s world. "Most people think of the Arctic as a remote abstract, but few realize that what happens there, doesn’t stay there," Alessa said. "It will affect our security, economy and overall patterns of climate." For example, changes in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, an ocean current that extends toward the Aleutians, can affect how much rain falls in Southern Idaho. “We have to have integrated, interdisciplinary, multicultural approaches to this science,” Alessa said. “There’s no time to approach things otherwise.”
quenching a thIrst
scientific discovery.
for
Today’s ice is tomorrow’s water. On the “Roof of the World” in Central Asia, UI researchers scour mountains, glaciers and high plateaus, learning how ice and snow in a changing climate impact a booming global population thirsty for water. Drought, hunger and disease lurk downstream in drier climates. In the future, will we be able to count on abundant clean water? Your planned gift helps find the answers through research and teaching. Support the search for solutions so that the water challenges of today don’t become the crises of tomorrow.
e?– r i p s n I u o ly – What wil Anyone can inspire the future through thoughtful estate planning. Learn more:
Estate, Trust and Gift Planning
Sharon Morgan, Senior Director of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning uidaho.edu/gift-planning | (866) 671-7041 or morgans@uidaho.edu 11
Amazon
FISH
TALES of the
BY JODI WALKER
F
rom the landlocked Palouse, researchers are using new technology to uncover details of one of the world’s longest and least understood migrations, which could aid the conservation of giant Amazonian fish. Doctoral student Jens Hegg’s interest in the Amazon and the catfish began when he visited Brazil a number of years ago. Since he has a limited research budget, instead of returning to Brazil for this project, he is collaborating with Tommaso Giarrizzo, a faculty member at Federal University of Pará in Brazil. Giarrizzo provides Hegg with samples of the South American fish donated by fishermen at the local markets in Brazil. Hegg studies the three most numerous species of catfish in the Amazon, all showing a much more complicated migration pattern than previously believed. The new information comes from studying the inner ear of the ancient fish.
STUDYING THE RINGS The view under Jens Hegg’s microscope looks like a task from any basic forestry class: count the rings of the tree and determine the age.
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By studying a stone-like structure called an otolith, which is taken from the inner ear of the catfish, Hegg is able to document the movement of the fish. Much like the rings of a tree show the tree’s age, the otolith builds in layers, each chemically different based on the environmental differences along the Amazon. The rings of the otolith tell the life story of these colossal fish, which migrate up to 3,400 miles through the diverse Amazon River basin. The research shows that each ring in the otolith records a change in location within the enormous Amazon basin. To reconstruct those records, the layers are compared to the unique chemical and isotopic signature of each river, indicated by the mix of rocks in each watershed. This technique gives details of the fish’s movements that are much finer than conventional tagging technologies. The technique of analyzing the layers of the otoliths was developed by Brian Kennedy, associate professor in UI’s College of Natural Resources. Kennedy uses it to track Northwest salmon species.
An illustration of a dourada, or Amazon catfish, (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii) by Francis de Laporte de Castelnau, a French naturalist who explored the Amazon in the 1850s. | Wikimedia Commons
COLLABORATION KEY TO SUCCESS It was Kennedy’s research, and Hegg’s desire to apply the technique to fish of the Amazon, that led Hegg, a Northwest native, to return to his roots for graduate school after studying and working in the Midwest. Hegg is a doctoral student in UI’s water resources program, studying within the Fish and Wildlife Sciences Department in the College of Natural Resources. “It has given me the opportunity to find my feet as a scientist,” Hegg said. “The Fish and Wildlife Sciences Department is a community you end up being heavily involved in. That has been good for me.” That academic family is important as Hegg continues toward his doctorate. He published his third article this summer in PLOS ONE, an online peer-reviewed scientific journal. He also hopes to obtain funding for additional Amazonian research. “We found the fish have a very complex migratory pattern, which is important for the future conservation of the species,” Hegg said. The native fish is under pressure from fishing and habitat loss from dams. “The catfish in the Amazon are where salmon were in the 1920s before the impact of human activity,” he said. In recent years, Brazil installed more than 150 hydroelectric dams, with another 300 in the planning stages. According to Giarrizzo, the effort to stimulate economic growth in Brazil may be coming at the expense of the Amazonian catfish, whose young cannot pass the reservoirs behind dams. “This research shows that the technology of otolith research does improve the understanding of the movement and ecology of this native fish,” Giarrizzo said. “The collaboration has proven successful and is the first step to creation of an Amazonian research network based on common objectives and standardized procedures.” Collaborating on an international project has been beneficial for everyone involved. “The more you interact with other scientists, the better,” Hegg said.
A thin section of a dourada otolith showing growth rings.
Jens Hegg in his lab. Photo by Joe Pallen
www.uidaho.edu/cnr
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SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE
Environmental chemist's research, teaching strive for sustainability by quenching global thirst for clean water, knowledge BY BILL LOF TUS
|
PHOTOS BY JOE PALLEN
U
niversity of Idaho environmental chemist Greg Möller’s lifelong interest in solving environmental challenges globally includes helping students and the public understand the need for sustainability worldwide. Möller’s latest environmental chemistry project — capturing plant nutrients from wastewater — puts a modern twist on sophisticated Mayan farming practices at least 2,000 years old. Water ranks as one of Möller’s most consistent interests during his 25 years on UI’s faculty. It is one of life’s elemental necessities and presents technological challenges close to home and around the world.
LOCAL PROBLEM CREATES GLOBAL SOLUTION
The challenge began nearly 20 years ago with an intriguing problem: The drinking water in Fruitland, Idaho, contained unacceptable concentrations of arsenic. Möller and then-graduate student Remy Newcombe set out to devise a new approach to strip the arsenic from the water using rust-coated grains of sand. The test succeeded. Fifteen years later, the Fruitland effort has evolved into a process that effectively removes polluting nutrients from wastewater.
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That research has made a difference worldwide: A system of six water treatment plants in South Korea employ the reactive filtration technology in that nation’s Four Great Rivers cleanup initiative. A new wastewater treatment plant in Horwich, England — a Manchester suburb — is also piloting the process. Along the way, Möller’s discovery led to six patents issued to UI. All of them are licensed by Blue Water Technologies based in Hayden. Systems have been installed in communities nationwide. Earlier this year, the council that oversees the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) initiative funded a new Möller project: N-E-W Tech. He believes its ability to remove phosphorus from wastewater and capture it on biochar can help agricultural operations worldwide. This summer, he put the IGEM funding and a trio of young engineers to work on the Moscow campus. The team is building a pilot-scale N-E-W Tech plant that will work at the nutrient-energy-water nexus to transform conventional wastewater treatment technology. Biochar is a new word for a substance older than mankind and as familiar as a campfire: charcoal.
DIRTY WATER
DECREASE CARBON IN ATMOSPHERE
BIOMASS
FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE WASTE
BIOCHAR
BIOENERGY
FERTILIZER
CARBON + NITROGEN + PHOSPHORUS
FOOD SECURITY
PREVENT POLLUTION
Thousands of years ago, Mayan farmworkers added biochar to the soil by regulating fires. Today’s farmers still prize the fertility of the “terra preta de indio” (Amazon dark earths) they created. Agricultural researchers want to find ways to use biochar in modern fields to ensure long-term productivity. Others hope biochar can slow the rapid rise of carbon in the atmosphere by depositing it in the soil in a form that can last for centuries. Möller’s wastewater treatment technology can do both. It inexpensively and efficiently removes nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, from wastewater. It prevents them from fouling lakes and streams with choking algal blooms. By capturing those nutrients on bits of charcoal, farmers can add the nutrients to their fields as fertilizer.
COMMITTED TO EDUCATION
In addition to research, Möller is active in teaching students and the public about the science. His goal is to use the brightly painted 18,000-pound water treatment system loaded on a 40-foot trailer for science show-and-tell to promote sustainability. The mobile lab can provide field-scale water treatment testing at sites ranging from dairy farm lagoons to city wastewater treatment plants. That mobility can translate into opportunities for school children or dairy operators to better understand an essential technology and the value of water. Möller has a passion for teaching; he received a Fulbright fellowship to travel to Greece to explore the origins of teaching. In 2014, he was one of two recipients of the USDA National Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Award. That award in part honored his new approach to online
CLEAN WATER
teaching through his “Principles of Sustainability” course (available at www.webpages.uidaho.edu/sustainability/). Möller tapped into an emerging doculecture-style that teaches concepts by showing them in action. Möller welcomes the public to watch the entire course for free. In five years, the course has drawn more than 500 students from around the country, undergrads and graduate students alike. “I recognized early that in digital education, I will rarely, if ever, be in the same time zone as my students,” Möller said. He is among those pioneering doculectures — documentarystyle videos that use media techniques to engage students and deliver information. The People’s Weather TV Channel in Africa celebrated June as “Environment Month” and broadcast some of Möller’s doculectures across the continent. The mobile lab offers the ultimate reality show set: real life. The development of the mobile lab itself is generating international interest. In July, French engineer Pierre Rasson from Suez Environment, a $20 billion-plus French water treatment company with 80,000 employees worldwide, joined the project team as a no-cost industrial intern. Rasson worked with Martin Baker, a six-year U.S. Air Force veteran and lead systems integration engineer. Baker directs new UI engineering graduates Gene Staggs, himself a 12-year Army vet, and Tim Hammer. Chemistry undergraduate Amber LaVigne and soil science professor Dan Strawn conducted laboratory-based molecular studies that will guide field tests. “The idea is we’ll be able to pull up to a dairy lagoon, conduct our tests and show dairy farmers that this can help them solve water treatment issues, capture nitrogen and phosphorus to grow more crops and generate water clean enough to reuse in their normal operations,” Möller said.
www.uidaho.edu/cals
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UI’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA BY BRIAN KEENAN
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or Li Ang, the writing was on the wall. It was August 2011. He’d just traveled for nearly a full day, a journey that started from his home in Jinan, a bustling city of 6 million people in China’s coastal Shandong province. From Seattle, he’d get his first real look at the United States through the window of a propeller plane taking him to a new life on the Palouse at the University of Idaho. Moscow, Idaho, was … different. Small town. New faces. Different food. Tricky language. So after a night at a local hotel — the dormitories hadn’t opened yet for the fall term — it was with some unsettled feelings that he visited the International
Programs Office on campus. There, on the wall, in Chinese characters, was a simple, reassuring message: Welcome. “I had flown 14 to 16 hours — alone,” Li said. “No one had talked to me. I’m the foreigner. When I came here, and I saw those characters on the wall, I thought that this place was warm and comfortable.” Four years later, Li graduated with his bachelor’s in marketing and a new proficiency in English, with plans to stay on and complete a statistics minor before launching a career, he hopes, in international trade. He’s one of a new generation of students, scholars and graduates who participated in UI’s increased engagement with a rapidly developing China.
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A TWO-WAY STREET
Now a Beijing resident, Connie Boyer urges students to take advantage of international opportunities. "Always step out of your comfort zone." Boyer in Tiananmen Square (above) and at the Great Wall of China.
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In the past decade, China has tripled the number of international students it hosts, becoming a top international destination for UI students, and the first choice among Asian countries. The College of Art and Architecture (CAA) is one of the many UI colleges and departments with robust study abroad and other opportunities in China. Connie Boyer, a native of Lewiston, joined a CAA summer program in China in 2013, touring the country while discussing readings, meeting Chinese academics and even teaming up with a group of student designers at a Chinese university to plan the redesign of a rural village. That immersion led Boyer to an internship with a leading Beijing architectural firm, applying her skills and creativity to the country’s building boom. “The chance to be immersed in this tidal wave was something I could not pass up,” Boyer said. “I was a part of projects that I would never get the opportunity to work on in the states, not this early at least.” Boyer is continuing her career as a graphic designer with a Chinese travel company and enjoying expatriate life in Beijing, a city she describes as “vast, loud, wild and full of thoughtful life.” “China is an undeniable force in this world,” she said, “and the better we understand that, the better we can forge good and lasting relationships with them. I am a firm believer that this world is small, and getting smaller. We all need to work together as a team if we can ever consider making important changes.” Boyer is one of many Vandal graduates making a mark in China. In 2008, Jacob Parker graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He was selected as a Martin Scholar in UI's Martin Institute, located in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, and his senior research project examined China’s policy of sovereignty in response to health crises. Parker landed a role with the USA Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Now, he is the director and chief representative for the U.S.-China Business Council based in Shanghai, a job that puts him near the center of China’s bustling export climate. “China is a place that’s extremely exciting right now,” Parker said. “There’s an enormous amount of opportunity here.”
That growth and opportunity is opening doors for Chinese students across the Pacific as well. Li is one of hundreds of thousands of Chinese students who choose to study in the United States, and one of the more than 200 students who found their way to the University of Idaho for 201415. Nationwide, Idaho has the fastest rate of growth for international student enrollment. That growth is partly fueled by a caring community and academic opportunities. Li volunteers with the Chinese Student Association, a group of students who organize social outings, find study and tutoring support and put together annual celebrations such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and a Chinese New Year Gala. Meanwhile, the Integrated Business Curriculum at the College of Business and Economics has him work closely with U.S.-born students on real-world projects. Li compares that cross-cultural experience — sharing different perspectives while completing a project — to the two sides of a single coin: When you work together, you get a view of both sides. “It’s kind of common sense,” he said. Cooperation is very important, and people need to work together — you finish your part, and I finish my part. Business school teaches you how to join a team. That’s very important for the future.”
GROWING PARTNERSHIPS The trans-Pacific exchange is successful for students like Boyer, Parker and Li in part because UI continues to deepen its network of partnerships with Chinese institutions. Throughout China, recruiters spread the word about UI. Transfer and articulation agreements with five major universities offer Chinese students the chance to complete two or three years of a UI degree in China — often with UI curriculum — then complete their degree in Idaho as Vandals. More and more Chinese students are taking advantage of those opportunities. “China is an important source of international enrollment for us,” UI President Chuck Staben said. “They’ve prioritized internationalizing their students and their curriculum, and their students have great intellect and energy. That enrollment is positive for our American-born students, too, as they’re exposed to different worldviews and the opportunities that may be created out of personal relationships.” Increasingly, graduate and post-graduate scholars from China have found the University of Idaho a place to shine. In
International studies prepared Jacob Parker '08, the 2008 Chapman Award winner at the Martin Institute, to work with multinational corporations and trade in the world's secondlargest economy.
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The Confucius Institute teaches the Moscow community about Chinese culture through cooking classes (pictured here at the 1912 Center this summer) and through performances like the Binghamton Chinese Opera, pictured right. Photos by Melissa Hartley
fall 2014, China was UI’s second-leading country of origin for international faculty, after India. Professor Scott Slovic, chair of the English Department and a Fulbright Scholar who taught in China, is one UI faculty member who has built connections in his field with Chinese institutions and scholars. He travels to China often, including a six-week trip in 2014, and has witnessed an upsurge in the study of literature and the environment, or ecocriticism, in that country. Since 2012, he’s helped bring more than 15 visiting scholars from China to UI to study ecocriticism and related fields. These scholars are often supported by the Chinese government — usually through China Scholarship Council funding — or by their home universities. “International engagement helps create a vibrant university,” Slovic said. “It gives students and faculty members professional opportunities and connections. Meeting people from other parts of the world is exciting and enriching. I see only advantages to increasing the number of international scholars on our campus.”
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE In April 2013, after several years of discussion and relationship building, the Confucius Institute opened its doors at UI. One of fewer than 100 nationwide, the Confucius Institute is a joint venture between the University of Idaho, the South China University of Technology and Hanban, a Chinese organization that promotes Chinese language and cultural learning.
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With a mission to promote the teaching and learning of Chinese culture and language, the Confucius Institute offers a broad array of programming at UI and in the community. Often working with the Chinese Student Association, the institute holds cultural performances and major celebrations every year, including the Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival and Global Confucius Institute Day on Sept. 27. Frequent Chinese movie nights in downtown Moscow showcase the country’s cinema. A Chinese food club provides tasty ways to learn more about cuisine. On some Saturday mornings at the Moscow Farmer’s Market, community members can experience tai chi, the martial art of self-defense and wellness, taught by institute staff. Those cultural and language opportunities are available for the entire university community and beyond. For the institute’s co-director, Matt Wappett, exposing students and community members to Chinese culture, and especially to the Chinese language, is critical for success in a rapidly globalizing world. “I think Asian languages, especially Chinese, are going to open up so many opportunities for people,” he said. “Having a basic understanding of Chinese cultures and the Chinese language gives you a very marketable skill. You’d be surprised where you can go if you speak Chinese.” The institute’s teaching staff — five full-time Chinese teachers and two martial arts instructors — offer universitylevel language classes and cultural instruction to UI students and community members. A major in the language may be ready as early as next year. The institute also offers classes to younger students at Moscow High School and two other
President Chuck Staben visited China in December 2014, meeting leaders, learning about opportunities and forging increased connections with UI partners in the country. Courtesy photo
area schools. The classes are packed — no small feat for a language with a reputation for difficulty, according to Jing Tian, who came from China via the South China University of Technology in fall 2014 to teach in Moscow. “The biggest challenge is its reputation as a difficult language, so even before people start to learn it they say, ‘It’s so difficult,’” Tian said. “But once they follow the courses and do the exercises, they start to get a sense of what’s going on, and it’s not so difficult. Chinese is a language that gets easier once you get into it.” As it ramps up its efforts, the Confucius Institute has also evolved to offer robust, year-round programming. In June, 17 students from Moscow High School and the university joined a two-week Confucius Institute tour to Guangzhou and Beijing — an eye-opening trip, and a chance to deploy emerging language skills and be immersed in the culture they’d studied. Community-based summer camps also teach children some basics of Chinese language and culture, and the institute reaches out to Upward Bound high school students, including many would-be first-generation college attendees. The Confucius Institute is also initiating faculty programs in China; the first UI scholar will visit China through the institute in summer 2016. This past summer, Wappett and his co-director, Hexian Xue, traveled to Boise to meet with the Idaho Department of Commerce and examine how the institute could support businesses and economic development in Idaho. China is Idaho’s third-largest trading partner, the recipient of $481 million worth of goods in 2014. The institute is expanding language and cultural instruction across Idaho – two teachers will be based in Boise in January 2016.
“Having the Confucius Institute at UI is the perfect match,” Wappett said. “We have the name recognition and the statewide impact to really leverage the opportunities that the Confucius Institute provides. We’re the state’s leading university, and the Confucius Institute is China’s face to the world.” Tian is also optimistic. “We are reaching out to more people, and that means we can influence more people. By teaching language and culture we are opening the door for more people to the bigger world.”
UI TRIP TO CHINA Last December, Staben and other UI leaders went to China to open that door wider. They visited Harbin, site of the new Nestle Dairy Farming Institute. In Guangzhou, they toured the education “megacenter” at the South China University of Technology, which hosts UI’s Confucius Institute partnership. At the international Confucius Institute conference in Xiamen, Staben gave a presentation to the conference on the role of the Confucius Institute in Idaho. His message focused on the abundant opportunities the institute is positioned to deliver for Idaho and beyond — for students, for scholarship and for shared prosperity. “The academic, economic and cultural landscape of the U.S. is increasingly connected to China,” Staben said. “The opportunities for UI to be a leader are almost endless. That’s going to open doors for a lot of progress in our state and our world.”
www.uidaho.edu
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A student trip to Ecuador in 2013.
Study
ABROAD Offers Life-Changing Experiences
BY SAVANNAH TR ANCHELL
A
s an undergraduate psychology major at the University of Idaho, Jill Kellogg-Serna didn’t think she was particularly good at learning languages. The range of her international travel didn’t extend beyond Nelson, British Columbia. But then her Spanish instructor, Irina Kappler-Crookston, caught her imagination. “Every time we finished a unit in class she would show us photos of Spanish-speaking countries she had traveled to and tell us about the different cultural traditions and events we were seeing in the photos,” Kellogg-Serna said. “I knew I had to go somewhere.” So in 1996, for a semester of her junior year at UI, Kellogg-Serna traveled to San Sebastian, Spain. The trip gave her new confidence in her language-learning abilities and developed a passion for international travel that KelloggSerna was able to turn into a career. “When I returned from studying abroad, I added Spanish
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as a major. I knew that I wanted to do something with my life that helped others have the same kinds of experiences I had,” she said. Today, Kellogg-Serna is the study abroad/exchange director for UI’s International Programs Office (IPO), where she helps connect students with international experiences in more than 400 universities in 70 countries. For the 2014-15 academic year, more than 250 UI students traveled abroad. UI has joined Generation Study Abroad, a national initiative run by the Institute of International Education. The goal is to double the amount of U.S. students having an international experience in the next five years. “It is an ambitious goal but we have a good start. We applied and received a grant that will provide six $2,500 scholarships to students who would not otherwise be able to go abroad,” Kellogg-Serna said. “Working with a task force of representatives from across campus, we have come up with
Myths
of Studying Abroad Many students have misconceptions about studying abroad, says Jill Kellogg-Serna, the director of Study Abroad. Here are a few common myths, and the truth about them: 1. I have to speak a foreign language: UI partners with 400 universities in 70 countries, including 22 partner universities, and is affiliated with four study abroad program providers. This includes English-speaking programs and programs in English-speaking countries. 2. It’s too expensive: There are a number of study abroad options that will cost about the same as tuition and fees at UI. There are also many scholarships available to help cover the costs. Students can also use any existing financial aid and scholarships toward their study abroad experience. 3. It will delay graduation: The International Programs Office (IPO) has study abroad advisors to help students choose a program that is right for them academically, offers courses that apply toward their degree and will allow them to graduate on time. 4. There isn’t a program in my field: IPO can help students find an international experience in any field. Top fields of study include international studies, foreign languages, social sciences, architecture, biology, food and nutrition, exercise science and business management and human resources.
various ways to get students who don’t normally think about studying abroad to go.” For the 2015-16 academic year, IPO is planning special outreach programs to first-generation students, incoming freshmen and Pell Grant-eligible students to encourage them to study abroad. The office is also encouraging UI faculty and staff to lead international trips.
Global Reach IPO’s work doesn’t end with encouraging students to go abroad. It includes assisting all international students, faculty and researchers who want to come to UI. The international students at UI represented 78 nations last year; many of those students are enrolled in the American Language and Culture Program (ALCP), which has seen incredible growth in its eight-week, non-degree intensive English language study program. In the past five years, enrollment has increased by 244 percent. The majority of the students who enter
the ALCP later matriculate into degree programs at UI, according to Susan Bender, executive director of International Engagement and Programs. IPO promotes comprehensive internationalization — attracting more international students to campus, encouraging more faculty and staff to go abroad and adapting the curriculum to include global and cultural content. With the increasingly global workforce, knowledge of other cultural perspectives is vital for all students. “It is essential that we prepare all students, faculty and staff with intercultural competencies so they are more likely to succeed in today’s world,” said Bender. Kellogg-Serna agreed. “In today’s global marketplace, most employers value an international experience and are looking for candidates with cross-cultural skills and adaptability,” she said. “Even if you’re not working for a multinational company, chances are that you’ll be serving or working with or for people from other countries.”
www.uidaho.edu/ipo
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UI Around the
world 24
International students (Fall 2015) Study abroad locations (All years) Alumni currently living overseas Alternative Service Break International Trips Faculty-Staff Led International Trips Visited by Faculty Fulbrights
www.uidaho.edu
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Sophomore Ben Anzis was one of two UI students selected as a Goldwater Scholar last spring. This fall he is studying abroad through the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in Hungary. Photo by Joe Pallen
Opportunities Add Up for Goldwater Scholar Math, computer science major studying in Budapest this fall BY TAR A ROBERTS
U
niversity of Idaho junior Ben Anzis has already taken almost every math class available at UI. Now, the mathematics and computer science double-major has his sights on Europe. Anzis, 19, from Marshalltown, Iowa, was one of two UI students to receive the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship last spring, awarded annually through the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Anzis is using the scholarship to fund another incredible opportunity — attending the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in Budapest, Hungary. He left for Hungary in mid-August and will return in December. There, he is studying advanced topics alongside some of North America’s other top math students. A fellow UI mathematics student, Krista Stanley, 20, of Idaho Falls, is also attending the program. “They have an elite group of professors from universities in Budapest,” Anzis said. “Hungary produces some of the best mathematicians in Europe.” Before he left, Anzis said he was excited for the opportunity to explore Europe’s cities and culture — but equally excited for the academic experience. In Budapest, he is digging into esoteric mathematical areas such as number theory, which explores the relationships among whole numbers. “It incorporates lots of different types of mathematics, so you get to learn everything,” he said. “Plus I like learning everything, so having something that combines it all is really nice.” Anzis’ passion for all things mathematical connected him to UI when he was still in high school. His school ran out of math classes for him to take, so he began taking courses
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www.uidaho.edu/sci
through UI’s Engineering Outreach program. As a sophomore, he took graduate-level classes and immersed himself in research. He studies a variety of topics under the guidance of assistant professor Stefan Tohaneanu, and he won the UI College of Science Hill Research Fellowship as a freshman for his work. Tohaneanu praised Anzis for his vast knowledge of math and his efforts to learn more. “Ben has an extraordinary skill in absorbing, understanding and therefore working with new and difficult mathematical concepts. He has a brilliant mind shaped especially to answer math questions,” Tohaneanu said. “And above all, he is very passionate about mathematics and performing research in this field. He does not give up until he solves the problem, all the time looking at different, and often original, ways to approach it.” Anzis said he’s appreciated the mentorship and friendship of Tohaneanu and other professors at UI. “It’s very personable. You get to know the professors. I can do research with just about anyone, or just ask them a question,” he said. “It’s super easy to get as much out of it as I want.” Anzis hopes to join his mentors’ ranks. After he graduates from UI, he plans to attend graduate school — preferably somewhere such as Princeton or MIT — and become a math professor. The opportunity to teach, he said, gives him yet another way to delve even deeper into the world of math. “It helps solidify my perspective on things,” he said. “You get to the point where you just don’t get much out of just reading — you have to go out and teach and interact with it in other ways.”
Martin Institute
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PROGRAM BY SAVANNAH TR ANCHELL
I
n China, it’s traditional to give an apple as a gift In addition, each student in the International Studies at the New Year. The round red fruit symbolizes Program is required to spend 10 consecutive weeks studying fortune. abroad, though many spend at least a semester or two abroad, If you are an apple grower in Washington Smith said. The experience doesn’t have to be academic as dependent on exports to China, you probably ought long as it is immersive. It can include internships, volunteer to know that. And you ought to know which type of opportunities, even mission trips. apple is most popular, which pesticides are regulated by the “The spirit of the requirement is to be involved in the Chinese government and, in general, the state of U.S.-China community and culture,” he said. trade relations. The program’s international Seems like you can’t even grow focus isn’t limited to U.S. students. produce these days without having some About the Martin Institute International students have received the amount of knowledge about international Founded by Boyd and Grace degree, with the U.S. and English as their politics. Martin in 1979 and housed in the focus. That’s why the University of Idaho’s College of Letters, Arts and Social The career opportunities for students international studies degree offers crossSciences, the Martin Institute is with an international studies degree are disciplinary courses and the opportunity dedicated to understanding the broad, Smith said, and vary depending for students to craft a degree that meets causes of war, conditions necessary on what the student focused on. Many the needs of their individual career paths. for peace and the international remain in the Pacific Northwest, Housed inside UI’s Martin Institute system. It complements UI’s Borah working for regional organizations with in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Foundation and annual symposium, international presences — including Sciences, the International Studies which began in 1929. In 1997, the Microsoft and Boeing, but also nonprofits Program can accommodate about 200 International Studies Program and small businesses. students a year, each with a specialized became part of the institute. “Companies with an international degree. Each student selects a country The institute provides additional presence are all over the place,” Smith or language to study and an issue opportunities and some scholarships said. “Even in the Palouse — it’s very emphasis. For example, a student might through its Martin Scholars program, possible to do international studies stuff study China and how politics impacts teaching assistants for the Model here.” agricultural trade. Students may choose U.N. and editors for its annual Many graduates also live overseas, of any country, but most center around UI’s academic publication, the Journal course, working for both U.S. and foreign language offerings in order to meet the of the Martin Institute. Read more companies or governments. The degree is six-semester language requirement. about the 2015 Martin Scholars very flexible. The program has seen amazing growth graduates and their unique research “The skillset scales,” Smith said. since it became part of the Martin projects at www.uidaho.edu/class/ Training in understanding government Institute in 1997, said director Bill Smith. internationalstudies/resources/ systems can help someone in the local In 2000, when Smith came to UI, it had martin-scholars-2015. level — working with local government 70 students. Now, with only two faculty groups and nonprofits — or on the members teaching international studies national or global scale, such as working curriculum, it’s maxed out at 200. in the United Nations. The Martin Institute and International Studies Program Regardless of what a student wants to do in the future, offer the spine of the curriculum for students: A foundation Smith said the International Studies Program can offer the of international relations coursework and cultural training. cultural competencies and global knowledge that is becoming Then students take other classes related to their interest area more and more crucial in today’s world. — which could include history, political science, language and “I think you’ll be better at what you do because you come other discipline-specific courses. through our program,” he said.
www.uidaho.edu/class/martin-institute
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SECURING
the
UI COMPUTER SCIENTISTS IN THE RUNNING FOR $2 MILLION CYBER GR AND CHALLENGE PRIZE
A
s electronic devices and people are becoming more and more connected, cybercrime — and in turn, cybersecurity — are growth industries. Cybercrime impacts all levels of society, from individuals to businesses to governments. Recent high-profile data breaches at Sony Entertainment, Target and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the recall of 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler Automobile vehicles susceptible to cyberattacks underscore the breadth and seriousness of the problem. Intel Security subsidiary McAfee estimates that the annual cost to the global economy from cybercrime is more than $400 billion. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), together with input from an international group of leading technological thinkers, has identified “securing cyberspace” as one of the 14 Grand Challenges facing engineers in the 21st century. The NAE notes that the “critical challenge is engineering more secure software. One way to do this may be through better programming languages that have security protection built into the ways programs are written. And technology is needed that would be able to detect vulnerable features before software is installed, rather than waiting for an attack after it is put into use." The UI College of Engineering announced earlier this spring in conjunction with the White House that it will join 122 U.S. engineering schools leading a transformative movement in engineering education preparing students to address the 14 Grand Challenges facing society. Two researchers at the UI’s Center for Secure and Dependable Systems (CSDS) are leading that charge. For more than a
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www.uidaho.edu/engr
BY ROB PAT TON
year, CSDS Director Jim Alves-Foss and postdoctoral research fellow Jia Song have been engaged in a complex, large-scale digital capture the flag tournament. Sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Cyber Grand Challenge began with over 100 teams of hackers, IT security professionals and computer scientists from around the world vying to create an automated cybersecurity system to detect and stop threats without human assistance. Alves-Foss and Song are among the top seven finalists. They will compete for a grand prize of $2 million at DEF CON 2016, one of the world's largest hacker conventions, in Las Vegas. Second place receives a $1 million prize and third place $750,000. Alves-Foss and Song have been described as an “unlikely” finalist in a crowd that includes academic and industry heavyweights such as University of California, Berkeley and Raytheon Company. This has not deterred Alves-Foss — while he recognizes his team is an underdog and does not have the same resources of his competitors, he believes his team’s approach toward automating defenses against cyber-attacks is its greatest strength. "We have extensive experience developing tools and techniques that simplify the design, analysis and development of secure software,” he said. “Our approach takes those lessons learned and uses them to guide the development of our tools, to focus on security vulnerability analysis and patching where it most matters.” Alves-Foss and Song will use this next year to devote more time and effort to prepare for the DEF CON competition. “As a small team we are able to be agile and adapt,” said Alves-Foss, noting that in the earlier challenge rounds they left “a lot on the table” and have several innovative ideas still to implement.
Meet the New Staff
The University of Idaho community has welcomed several new faces. The following are those who were appointed to senior leadership in the past year.
BRIAN FOISY
“I’m very excited to join the team at UI.
Vice President for Finance
President Staben has a bold vision for the
JOHN WIENCEK
"I look forward to serving UI and working
Provost and Executive Vice President
future of the institution, and I’m honored to
with the excellent leadership team that
serve the university in this role. I look forward
President Staben is assembling to effectively
to building on the successes of the Division of
grow the university’s impact and excellence
Finance, and furthering our efforts to support
through strategic increases in enrollment and
the mission of the institution.”
scholarly work.”
DAN EWART
MARY KAY McFADDEN ’80
“I am excited about the opportunity to work
“I am delighted to be returning to my alma
Vice President for Infrastructure
Vice President for Advancement
with such a committed group of UI staff in
mater and look forward to this opportunity to
Infrastructure as well as leaders across UI. I
serve the university and the people of Idaho.
look forward to hearing new ideas, developing
Building support for education, especially
a comprehensive strategy and helping focus
for Idaho citizens, is an important passion of
our efforts to achieve our goals.”
mine. I can’t wait to get started.”
MARC SKINNER ’93, ’95, ’10
JEAN KIM
Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Executive Officer, Southeast Region
“Since joining the Vandal family in January,
“The Idaho Falls center has an important
I’ve had a great time getting to know the
role to play in meeting the strategic goals
students and working with administrative
of the university. We have great opportunity
colleagues and faculty. I am energized
to grow enrollment in nuclear engineering,
by the challenges I discover and the
industrial technology, computer science,
opportunities they represent to improve
environmental science and the core
students’ experience and their development, increase organizational
areas we already have in place. We want to build and strengthen
effectiveness and strengthen the UI brand. I am very grateful for the
relationships of trust with industry and continue our ongoing
support and encouragement I’ve received from the Vandal community,
collaboration with key partners, including the great work that is
and I am happy to be here.”
happening at the INL.”
BLAINE ECKLES ’11 Dean of Students
“As an alum, I am proud of the tradition and history associated with the university and the
STEFANY BALES ’96
“As a proud UI graduate, I can think of
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
strong reputation it has. I believe our students
nothing better than to use the skills I learned
have the capacity to change the world, and
while I was a student here to help effectively
I look forward to working with them as they
grow the university’s impact and excellence
develop their ability to live and lead with
through strategic communications and
integrity.”
marketing practice.”
www.uidaho.edu
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A Global Game
International student-athletes contribute to success of UI’s athletic programs BY CAR A HAWKINS-JEDLICK A
T
he University of Idaho has a history of recruiting international student-athletes — including Patrick Venzke ’01, the first German player in the NFL, and more recently Australian Stacey Barr ’15, who signed a contract with the Women’s National Basketball League’s Perth Lynx in Australia last spring. These international student-athletes have contributed to the global culture of UI. “On a university campus, one of the beautiful things is how students can learn from one another. I find it fascinating in the fall when I am teaching my life skills class that I’ll have student-athletes from Spain, from Germany, from Mexico, from Australia, from a small town in Idaho, from inner-city L.A., and totally different cultures,” said Rob Spear, UI’s athletic director. “What an opportunity to advance their knowledge of the world because we truly live in a global society. It really aids in the overall development of a student- athlete and I think it is so important to have our student-athletes exposed to different cultures.” Arkadiy Mkrtychyan, a sophomore basketball player, is one of those students looking to contribute to UI. Mkrtychyan spent his early life in Turkmenistan before moving to Moscow, Russia, where his father, Suren, became a coach for the Russian national judo team. Mkrtychyan’s athletic career began in judo, but by age 12, Mkrtychyan decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Allen, and play basketball. Mkrtychyan played for the junior Armenian national team (his father’s home country), but realized there was little opportunity to move forward with the sport beyond high school. “My brother gave me the idea that here (in America) you have college basketball, you have a lot of chances to improve abilities, skills and to move into professional basketball,” Mkrtychyan said. So Mkrtychyan took the opportunity to move to Hawaii prior to his sophomore year of high school. His brother 30
was playing for Hawaii Pacific University. It was not an easy transition, with language being the biggest barrier. “After I moved to Hawaii, it was four or five months before I started to understand people, no problem. It was six or seven months before I started talking,” Mkrtychyan said. Language was not the only adjustment — he also had to learn to play a more physical style of basketball compared to the Russian style, which is more about finesse. Luckily, his brother was able teach him the skills needed to adjust his style of play. Mkrtychyan’s school, Academy of the Pacific, closed after the 2011-12 school year. Mkrtychyan then moved to Portland, where he attended Columbia Christian Schools. After he sat out his junior year because of his transfer, his team went on to win a state tournament. Mkrtychyan was recruited heavily, but chose UI. “I liked the composition between teammates and coaches,” he said. “They respect each other — not just as coach to player, but more like a family. You could talk to the coaches as a friend.” Mkrtychyan contributed to the team’s success last year, playing in all 30 games and starting in five. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer, with an average of 8.8 points per game, and was second in rebounding with an average of 4.8 per game. Mkrtychyan is looking forward to a successful sophomore season and believes the team has a chance at the Big Sky title. “I am working on being the best player I can be. I expect myself to be the best player in the league next year,” Mkrtychyan said. At UI, Mkrtychyan is a psychology major, which he hopes will contribute to his success in basketball. “I want to learn more about people — how they think and act in different situations,” he said. "I think it will help me to communicate with them better. Plus it will help my further career as a basketball coach, after I finish playing basketball professionally of course.”
Vandal studentathletes come to UI from across the globe. Since 201011, countries represented by Vandal players include:
Arkadiy Mkrtychyan moved from Russia in order to extend his basketball career. He is a sophomore with the Vandals.
Australia Bahamas Belgium Bosnia Brazil Canada Croatia Dominican Republic France Germany Hungary Indonesia Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Portugal Romania Russia Samoa Senegal Serbia Slovania South Africa Spain Taiwan Turkmenistan Ukraine United Kingdom
Photo by Spencer Farrin
www.uidaho.edu/athletics
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BRIAN JOHNSON NAMED SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES CHAIR IN POWER ENGINEERING BY ANDREW GAUSS AND ROB PAT TON
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Chair Brian Johnson, left, and Dr. Ed Schweitzer, SEL founder and president.
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U
Professor Brian Johnson with electrical engineering student and current SEL employee Michael West.
niversity of Idaho engineering professor Brian Johnson has been named the first Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Chair in Power Engineering in the College of Engineering. The position was made possible by a $2 million gift from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). The gift from SEL came in August when the Pullman-based international electrical power systems company announced its support of the UI endowed chair within the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We are delighted that Brian Johnson is the first SEL Chair in Power Engineering,” said Ed Schweitzer, SEL founder and president. “He’s already made such a big impact on so many students, and we hope this growing partnership between SEL and the University of Idaho will further amplify and expand his influence and work.” An endowed chair is a distinguished university professorship that is used to attract a preeminent scholar in a specific academic field, in this case power engineering. The enhanced financial support and prestige generated by the endowment will dramatically fuel future innovation in electric power research and teaching. Endowed chair positions are supported by earnings from invested funds. Proceeds from the endowment will support the research program of the endowed faculty member by funding students, staff, travel and equipment. Johnson is internationally recognized in the field of power engineering and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, where he holds officer positions on several technical committees. He is former chair of the UI Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has served as the primary investigator on over 50 research projects totaling more than $7 million in external funding. Most notable about Johnson’s career is his dedication to students and power engineering education. Over the course of the past 23 years, Johnson has advised 170 graduate students in Moscow and globally through the College of Engineering’s Engineering Outreach online education program. He has also successfully mentored 44 students to receive their certificate in Power Systems Protection and Relaying. "I’m honored to be selected as the first Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Chair in Power Engineering,” Johnson said. “I’m excited about the possibilities the new step in our relationship with SEL offers to increase opportunities to excite students about power engineering and strengthen their understanding through courses, design projects and research." SEL and UI’s College of Engineering have long enjoyed a valuable local partnership that benefits both organizations, as well as students and employees. “This gift and the creation of the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Endowed Chair in Power Engineering forever links the future of SEL and the UI College of Engineering,” College of Engineering Dean Larry Stauffer said. “We are excited about the increased reputation that comes with this partnership and our increased ability in educating future engineers for the entire power industry.” SEL currently employs over 250 UI alumni across the globe. Twenty-five SEL employees are currently enrolled at the UI and SEL provides internships for 58 UI students. “In order for SEL to continue its rich tradition of innovation, we need highly educated engineers who really understand the fundamentals of electric power systems,” said Dave Whitehead, SEL’s vice president of Research and Development. “The students coming out of UI are able to begin contributing at a high level on day one. “We believe this partnership will not only benefit the university and SEL, but it will also help us solve the tough problems related to protecting, monitoring and controlling electric power — which will help make the world a better place.”
www.uidaho.edu/giving 33
SCHOLAR, RESEARCHER AND FUTURE PROFESSOR
W
hile some ambitious students may get involved in lab research their freshman year of college, few have what it takes to jump into fieldwork. But when Elyce N. Gosselin came to the University of Idaho, she found not only the opportunities to do that research, but also faculty members willing to mentor her and bring her into their projects. “They’re just so receptive to students,” Gosselin said of the faculty at UI. “There are just endless opportunities to get involved.” Now the junior, first-generation student and Boise native is part of an elite group of undergraduate scholars who are recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, given annually through the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Gosselin, who is double-majoring in ecology and conservation biology and mathematical biology, with a minor in Spanish, was one of two UI students to receive the honor this year, and one of about a dozen in the past decade. She has been active in departmental research since she came to campus, hoping to earn her doctorate and one day teach. “It’d be really cool to do that for a future generation of students,” she said. “It’s a cool feeling to be able to expand knowledge; to delve deeper and find answers to questions that haven’t been answered before, or haven’t been answered sufficiently.”
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www.uidaho.edu/giving
For more information on supporting students like Gosselin, contact: ERIC BENNETT Director of Development College of Science ebennett@uidaho.edu 208-885-9106 uidaho.edu/giving
Over 400,000 students, faculty and visitors cross the threshold of the UI Library’s front doors every year in search of that special study spot. To ensure we offer inviting spaces for all types of learners, we rely on your philanthropic support. Your investment in the UI Library’s renovation will help create a vibrant learning place with fresh technologies, improved library classrooms and a new Special Collections reading room. Here students will be able to launch their personal voyages of discovery.
A WORLD OF INFORMATION
For more information on how to support the UI Library, contact: JIM ZUBA Director of Development jzuba@uidaho.edu 208-885-4142 uidaho.edu/giving
www.uidaho.edu/giving
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EXPANDING THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD
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hen students are able to travel and experience other cultures while learning about community development, agriculture and other life skills, the experience enhances their knowledge of how collectively we solve many global issues, including education and sustainability of our food sources. To ensure this shared knowledge and experience continues, longtime UI supporters Tom and Jo Ann Trail recently established the Tom and Jo Ann Trail International 4-H Endowment with the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences. The endowment will help support UI Extension 4-H Youth Development international efforts, including travel expenses, and growing the 4-H international network while forever transforming the lives of students. Both Tom and Jo Ann were members of the
UI students David Haylett, College of Natural Resources, and Amber Bucknell, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, in the Netherlands on a 4-H International Exchange trip in 2013.
4-H International Farm Youth Exchange Program (IFYE) as young adults. The couple met through their connection to the exchange program and went on to work in multiple countries before returning to Idaho. “4-H is what brought us together, and we continue to support 4-H because it is the youth experience that opened the door to the world for us,” Jo Ann said. “We have dear friends around the nation and world because of our lifelong involvement in 4-H and IFYE.” Today, families in Idaho can host 4-H youth from other countries, and college students with 4-H experience are able to pursue exchange programs due to the support of Tom and Jo Ann and others whose generosity helps them broaden their cultural understandings of the world through UI Extension 4-H Youth Development programs. For more information, contact: SHEA M. SARALECOS 4-H Development Coordinator College of Agricultural & Life Science sheas@uidaho.edu 208-885-9056 uidaho.edu/giving
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www.uidaho.edu/giving
Vic and Sandra Storhok have supported UI through their generous gifts for 30 years.
ALUMNI PARENTS, LOYAL DONORS Vic and Sandra Storhok, Idaho Falls, started giving to the University of Idaho because their children, Eric ’90 and Victor “Chris” ’88 attended UI. Now 30 years later, they continue to support their sons’ alma mater with an annual gift because a belief that access to higher education for all is a worthy investment. “We started to give because our kids attended the university, but even before that, I had a special connection with the university,” Vic said. A program manager with the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in the ‘80s, Vic worked with UI researchers on special projects, noting at the time UI produced quality research, with little funding for the lab equipment needed.
Learn more about the University of Idaho’s Loyal Donor Program by visiting uidaho.edu/loyaldonors.
“There’s really nothing more we can do than give what we can… and hope others do the same,” he said. “If 30,000 people gave a little bit, that would be something.” The Storhoks have continuously approached their donations with open hands and hearts. They continue to give because they believe in higher education for Idaho citizens and would like to see more support for faculty and facilities so UI can gain more national recognition for being a great university. “UI is really the premiere university in the state, which delivers a quality education for students and should be treated as such,” Sandra said.
Loyal Donor www.uidaho.edu/giving
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A
Vandal Family Legacy in Honduras BY JOCELYN STOT T
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It looks like the circus has come to town when we get off the bus in each village.
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he Dirks family legacy in Honduras started in 2005, when teenage son Derek asked his father, Bret, a Coeur d’Alene neurosurgeon, to go on a medical mission to the impoverished country through Lake City Community Church. Ten years later, Bret ’84 and Michele Dirks ’83 have led more than 15 teams and 400 people from the Northwest and served about 20,000 Hondurans. Their children — son Derek and his wife, Samantha; daughter Erika and her husband, Ryan Lewis — are also Vandal alumni who have contributed in multiple outreaches. Bret was initially reluctant to make the trip — he knew his medical abilities would be compromised by the lack of proper healthcare and poor conditions of the developing country. But he eventually agreed. As a high school student at the time, Derek was hoping that first trip would help him improve his Spanish. But it did much more: Derek says his time in Honduras gave him a passion for medicine. After completing his bachelor’s in biology at UI in 2009, he completed medical school at the University of Iowa and is now in general surgery residency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His wife, Samantha ’09, has also accompanied him on the trips. “It only took a couple of days on that first trip to realize how much we could do to help,” Bret said. “It was also clear we could develop relationships and build trust with the Hondurans we partner with.” The trips — which they call brigades — include medical and dental specialists, but are mostly comprised of people ages 9 to 85, who simply want to serve. Michele Dirks’ mother, Alverna Thomas ’61, has gone on six trips. Each outreach focuses on medical and dental care with pharmacy services, but groups provide much more. “It looks like the circus has come to town when we get off the bus in each village,” Michele said. Each day of the multi-day brigade, the group gives away over 200 pairs of gently used shoes and provides reading glasses. Under the cook tent, volunteers prepare lunch for up to 500 people. Others entertain the village children. “We encourage anyone to bring their skills — even providing a haircut can be a blessing,” Michele said. The Dirks family saw an opportunity for expansion a few years into their adventure when they realized the local pastors in each village were instrumental in bringing the medical and dental clinics to their communities.
Michele Dirks “If we educated these leaders in the area of health, hygiene, safety, sanitation and the improvement of their economy through education, we could empower them to pursue a greater quality of life,” Michele said. The family also saw that bringing these community leaders into one place to educate them would expand their influence further. They found a Honduran partner with a similar vision, and the Learning Center in the capitol city of Tegucigalpa began. More than three years, six work teams and $150,000 later, the school is almost finished. The cinder block building — complete with six classrooms, six dorm rooms, a kitchen, dining area, library, lab and office space — will host up to 20 people at a time. An Expanding Mission Near the Learning Center is the Amor Fe Esperanza (AFE) School (Love, Faith and Hope), which serves the children who live and work in the Tegucigalpa dump. The Americans visited the 30-acre dump to assist in a lesson at a dumpsite classroom comprised of students sitting on scavenged tires and boards. “When the class finished, these beautiful garbage-stained children hugged us with wide grins,” Michele said. “Then they scurried back to continue sorting garbage, earning pennies to help their families barely survive.” That experience prompted Erika Lewis, a 2011 education graduate, and her husband Ryan ’09, who has his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from UI, to help expand AFE School. Erika and Ryan lived at the school from 2011 to 2013 to help develop curriculum, set up labs and teach upper-division math and science to prepare students for the difficult secondary school admission exams that lay ahead. The school has since graduated three classes and has 10 students attending pre-university training. In the beginning, the highest student aspirations were to drive the dump truck because they would get first pick of the garbage. Now, students have dreams of being doctors, nurses, engineers and attorneys. Since their time in Honduras, Erika, now a math teacher at Coeur d’Alene High School, has been motivated to mentor young girls, and serves as director for Distinguished Young Women of Coeur d’Alene. In 2011, the Dirks family formed the nonprofit Honduras Impact, which partners with AFE by providing university scholarships, supplies and equipment for the school and funds adult education.
http://hondurasimpact.org
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
uidaho.edu/alumni
Class Notes ’80s
’60s Gene Allen ’61 has been honored by the University of Minnesota by establishing the C. Eugene Allen Award for Innovative International Initiatives for faculty and staff. Gene retired from UM in 2009 and served as a distinguished professor, dean, vice president and provost. Gary Crandall ’65 is a registered professional engineer in the state of Washington. Francine Park Ogden ’69, ’91, ’92 retired after teaching for 44 years (39 in Council, Idaho). She also worked for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare as a community resource worker. She now is the owner of Idaho Heartland Quilting Loft near Council.
’70s Branton Holmberg ’71 retired in 1997. He has authored 55 adventure books in two series: The Sam ’n Me Adventures and the Archeo’s Adventures. They are available worldwide on Amazon.com books and Kindle books.
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Dale Sain ’73 retired after 20 years with the Air Force/ ANG and 30 years with American Airlines. Except the B-747, he flew every Boeing airliner and several others. He also used his landscape architecture degree for several years. Randy Roget ’74 retired in 2014 after 40 years of sales and management in the lumber and building materials industry working in Idaho, Nevada and California. He and his wife, Jennifer, now live in Las Vegas. Penney Sperry Wiley ’78 was named the Teacher of the Year for the Montana Family and Consumer Sciences in April 2014. Her ProStart Culinary team took state and traveled to Anahiem, Calif., for the National ProStart Culinary Competition in April 2015. She has been asked to sit on the IEFA/ FCS leadership team for the state of Montana. Ed Button ’79, ’89, ’96 has retired as fire chief of the Moscow Fire Department after 31 years of service in public safety/fire service.
Michael Gibbons ’80 was appointed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval to the newly created Court of Appeals. Gibbons was also selected as chief judge. He previously served for 20 years as a district judge. Randy Henderson ’83 is owner/ head photographer of Henderson Images, an architectural photography firm in Springfield, Mo. Henderson Images photographs approximately 800 properties a year over a wide area, and Henderson’s work was also featured on the podcast Jpeg2Raw. Lolita (Lita) Hartl Romanick ’83 has been appointed by North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to serve as district court judge for the Northeast Central Judicial District, Grand Forks, N.D. She began serving in January 2015.
Cydney VanBuskirk ’83 is president of the Washington School Counselor Association for the 2015-16 school year. In 2009 she received board certification (NBCT) in school counseling. She currently works as a middle school counselor at Toppenish Middle School in Toppenish, Wash. Erin Fanning ’84 has woven together a magical tale about a family who can knit magic in her novella, “Blood Stitches” (Kensington Publishing, May 2015). She’s also the author of “The Curse of Blackhawk Bay” (Sam’s Dot Publishing), “Mountain Biking Michigan” (Globe Pequot Press), and numerous short stories, articles and essays. Angie Hasenoehrl Heasley ’89 is a new associate broker for Group One Real Estate, Boise office. She has been in the real estate industry for over 25 years, specializing in residential and investment sales.
To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Annis Shea, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format. Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.
’00s
’90s Kristine Peterson Walter ’90 became research coordinator for Dr. David Antezana of The Oregon Clinic in 2013. Her team has garnered over $100,000 in research grants and co-written four science abstracts that have been presented at neurosurgical conferences around the globe. She was accepted as an affiliate member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Craig Richey ’91 has been promoted to vice president of Human Resources for Thomas Cuisine Management based in Meridian. Eric Trapp ’91 is a new member of the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term. Mauricio Amado ’92, a conceptual designer and project manager, has practiced architecture in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He has also served on the design faculty at universities of the countries where he has practiced.
Gordon Hinckley ’92, ’15 obtained a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on industrial safety. He plans on changing careers from a health physics technician to be a safety engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory. Greg Hardin ’93 was appointed associate librarian and information literacy coordinator at the University of North Texas Libraries in Denton, Texas. Jill Kurtz ’93 has been promoted to associate architect in NAC Architecture’s Spokane office. Shawn Larson ’93 has published his first book with Addison-Wesley, titled “iOS Internationalization: The Complete Guide.” This book allows iOS developers to ensure their applications will display correctly regardless of the customer’s country or language setting. Greg Friese ’94 applies the writing and ruthless editing skills he learned in the Wilderness Research Center every day as the editorin-chief of EMS1.com, the leading news and information website for paramedics.
Hart Gilchrist ’94 has been named vice president of operations for Intermountain Gas. Sean Wilson ’96 is a new member of the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term. Amber Anderson Gilroy ’97 has been named vice president of oncology patient services at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Atlanta, Ga. She oversees all of the clinical operations for the hospital. John Eckert ’98 has been promoted to associate principal architect in NAC Architecture’s Spokane office.
Ryan White ’01 has been hired as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He came to the committee after serving for five years as an intelligence officer at the Central Intelligence Agency. Previously he served as legislative director for Idaho Sen. Jim Risch in Washington, D.C. Abbie Quesnell ’02, ’07 has been promoted to grower accountant (agriculture specialist) for McCain Foods USA in Burley. Abbie recently marked her 11-year anniversary with McCain Foods USA. Nick Weber ’02 is a new member of the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term. Heidi Kopp Hobbs ’04 has been named to the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list for 2015 in recognition of achievements in the medical laboratory field. Sean Prentiss ’05 has released a creative nonfiction book, “Finding Abbey: A Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave,” from University of New Mexico Press. Prentiss is a professor at Norwich University in Vermont.
ALUMNI class notes
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
uidaho.edu/alumni
’10s Cady McGovern ’06 has accepted the position of internal communication resource manager with the global communication and marketing department at Micron. Mark Anderson ’07 is a faculty member at Blackfeet Community College (BFCC) in Browning, Mont. He was named the 2014 American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) National Chess Coach of the Year and coached the BFCC chess team to the national AIHEC title. For the summer of 2015, Mark has received a National Institute of Health grant to teach chess for Browning Public Schools.
Savannah (Cummings) Tranchell ’08 is the new editor of the University of Idaho’s magazine, Here We Have Idaho. Savannah is the internal communications manager/editor for University Communications and Marketing. She returned to Moscow in February 2015 after working for seven years in the newspaper industry in South Dakota and Washington. Nick Button ’09 is attending Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s Master of Business Administration program in logistics, materials and supply chain management.
Nathan Rosenau ’11 has accepted a promotion to grain merchant with Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Grain, Inc. and relocated to Great Falls, Mont., with his wife, Jerica Rosenau ’11. Sheralynn Bauder ’14 has joined the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center Education Team as an AmeriCorps member. The center is an environmental education center operated by Boise Parks and Recreation. Kassandra McCamment ’14 is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cajamarca, Peru. She has had a great experience and hopes to influence others to join.
James Blakely ’08 joined with Greenpeace USA activists to challenge Shell and its Arctic drilling plans. Daniel Neuenfeldt ’08 has started a new career as a financial advisor with Waddell and Reed in Spokane, Wash.
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IDAHO Fall 2015
Cynthia Repp ’14 was named Rookie Teacher of the Year for Gregg Middle School in Summerville, S.C., as well as one of the district’s Honor Rookie Teachers of the Year.
Marriages Laura Graden ’11, ’12 to Nathaniel Cotts ‘11
uidaho.edu/alumni @uidahoalumni uidahoalumni
KEEP UP WITH OTHER VANDALS AND UI ALUMNI ACTIVITES!
University of Idaho Alumni Office Subscribe to the Vandal Vibe alumni newsletter: vandalvibe@uidaho.edu
To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Annis Shea, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format. Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.
Future Vandals 1. MacKenzie Leigh, daughter of Tiffany and Chad Cruickshank ’06 2. Tess Marguerite, daughter of Shane ’07 and Marie (Fabricius) Duncan ’09 3. Jackson Paul, son of James ’97 and Suzanne (Pinard) Fullmer ’97, grandson of Paul Pinard ’68 1
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4. Kyan Macall, son of Stefan ’09, ’11 and Michelle (Meredith) Hovik ’09, ’11 * Caleb Ryan, son of Daniel ’05 and Andrea Hubbard 5. Julia and Jackson, twin children of Richard and Saundra (Wright) Hunt ’95
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6. Franklin Gannon, son of Matt ’03 and Annie (Gannon) McCoy ’03
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7. Braxton Hideyoshi, son of Jayne and Jeff Pankratz ’98, grandson of Susan ’73, ’80 and Jerry Inouye ’74, and nephew of Todd Pankratz ’03, ’08 8. Hayden Thomas, son of Evan ’07, ’14 and Mary Jo Penberthy ’08 9. Elliette Albina and Quinn Harvey, children of Matthew Michael ’97 and Abbie (Severa) Quesnell ’02, ’07
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10. Paige Elizabeth, daughter of Adam ’09 and Jill (Bishop) Robertson ’08 11. Daniel David, younger brother of Stephen, and son of Michael ’09, ’11 and Mary (Skidmore) Sasala ’11 12. Lincoln John, son of Mark ’05 and Brittany (Oliver) Sawyer ’07, grandson to John and Betty (Helm) Sawyer ’71
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13. Nathan Alexander, son of Matthew ’04 and Sarah Switzer ’06 14. Elizabeth Kristine, daughter of Bret ’09 and Kara (Riordan) Uhrich ’10 15. Errick Thomas (baby), son of Sarah and Nick Weber ’02
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To update your email and mailing addresses and submit career success, birth announcements or marriages, visit: uidaho.edu/alumni/update-info ALUMNI class notes
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES In Memory The University of Idaho extends its condolences to the family and friends of Vandals listed below.
’30s Margaret Pence Casanova ’37, Eugene, Ore., Feb. 26, 2015 Rosanna Davis ’37, Hacienda Heights, Calif., Jan. 7, 2015 F. Paul Sutton ’38, ’41, Midvale, May 6, 2015
’40s
Walter Vedder ’41, Vancouver, Wash., March 4, 2015 Robert Hobba ’42, Frederick, Maryland, June 17, 2014 Helen Campbell Hopkins ’42, Oregon City, Ore., March 20, 2015 Dale Norton Jr. ’42, Valencia, Calif., Feb. 22, 2015 Eugene Taylor ’42, Portland, Ore., Jan. 15, 2014 Joe Berenter ’43, Boise, May 4, 2015
uidaho.edu/alumni
Lucy Taysom Stucki ’45, Boise, Feb. 11, 2015
Gerald Pederson ’48, Twin Falls, April 11, 2015
William Raymond ’46, Carson City, Nev., April 25, 2015
Culver Ross ’48, Eugene, Ore., June 21, 2015
Betsy Bernhard Rullman ’46, Wallace, March 1, 2015 Eva Clinger Davidson ’47, Sandy, Utah, May 7, 2015 Mary Flynn Handy ’47, Las Cruces, N.M., June 20, 2015 Robert Hendren Jr. ’47, Boise, May 19, 2015 Anne Johnston ’47, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 1, 2015
Eugene Senften ’48, ’49, Petaluma, Calif., June 16, 2015 Craig Anneberg ’49, Aberdeen, Wash., April 27, 2015 James Black ’49, ’53, Lewiston, July 2, 2015 Edward Buel ’49, ’51, Novato, Calif., May 2, 2015 Harry Hurless ’49, Vancouver, Wash., May 30, 2015
Virginia Anderson ’40, Tacoma, Wash., Oct. 31, 2014
Carmelita Guernsey Spencer ’43, Grangeville, Feb. 25, 2015
Mark Calnon ’40, Meridian, May 11, 2015
Marjorie Ross Bean ’44, Portland, Ore., May 2, 2015
Robert Frazier ’40, Washington, D.C., June 23, 2015
Irma Morrall Bodily ’44, Winnemucca, Nev., May 16, 2015
Margaret Boyle Jorgensen ’40, Santa Cruz, Calif., Dec. 12, 2014
Donald Kennedy ’44, Lafayette, Calif., March 1, 2015
Marjorie Johnson Barnes ’48, Spokane, Wash., June 19, 2015
Jack Love ’40, San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 7, 2015
Leonard Patton ’44, Payette, Feb. 21, 2015
Charles Bigelow ’48, Bend, Ore., Feb. 3, 2015
Lesba Ellis Riddle ’40, Meridian, March 16, 2015
Donald Brudie ’50, Moscow, April 20, 2015
Barbara Ballenger Pence ’44, Payette, March 14, 2015
Frank Henderson ’48, Post Falls, April 27, 2015
Margaret Dunlap Stevens ’44, Corvallis, Ore., June 25, 2015
Myron Milder ’48, Omaha, Neb., April 12, 2015
Elizabeth Siddoway Fiedler ’50, Valencia, Calif., Jan. 31, 2015
Marvin Chouinard ’41, Oakville, Wash., March 30, 2015 Kirk Rush ’41, ’57, Boise, April 21, 2015 Neyva Erickson Summerside ’41, Temple, Texas, May 23, 2015
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IDAHO Fall 2015
Bonnie Brown ’45, ’69, Post Falls, June 25, 2015 Alfred Robinson ’45, Spokane, Wash., March 17, 2015
Naedene Carlson Machacek ’47, Page, Ariz., March 11, 2015 Robert Ryan ’47, San Jose, Calif., Dec. 1, 2014 Paul Thome ’47, Winter Park, Florida, Oct. 17, 2012
Gene Mowrey ’48, Meridian, Feb. 24, 2015 Cecil Olson ’48, Boise, April 1, 2015
Harold Jaussi ’49, ’51, Fort Worth, Texas, Feb. 5, 2015 Rex Zobell ’49, Orem, Utah, April 25, 2015
’50s Louis Boyle ’50, Idaho Falls, March 6, 2015
Virgel Larson ’50, ’51, Lewiston, Feb. 5, 2015 Lorenzo Olsen ’50, Milwaukee, Wis., April 27, 2014 Ronald Peck ’50, Carey, May 11, 2015
To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Annis Shea, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format. Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.
Joan Korter Simpson ’50, Boise, June 13, 2015
Stanley Ellsworth ’52, Lodi, Calif., Jan. 30, 2015
Roger Styner ’53, Lewiston, Feb. 10, 2015
Theron Smith ’50, Walla Walla, Wash., April 30, 2015
Donald Fritts ’52, ’55, Sun City, Ariz.., Feb. 13, 2015
Arthur Andraitis ’54, Vallejo, Calif., April 2, 2015
Shirley Smith Tarallo ’50, Hayden, June 8, 2015
Verden Hockett Jr. ’52, Surprise, Ariz., June 19, 2014
Wilford Overgaard ’50, Roseville, Calif., May 20, 2015
Joan Raymer Holmes ’52, Henderson, Nev., Feb. 21, 2014
Thomas Haskett ’54, Brownsburg, Ind., Jan. 1, 2014
Burton Van Epps ’50, Huntington Beach, Calif., March 31, 2015 Merle “Del” Snowberger Beebe ’51, Blackfoot, June 1, 2015 Richard Davey ’51, Boise, May 14, 2014 Raynold Davis ’51, ’82, Sandpoint, April 26, 2015 Bobby Demott ’51, Knoxville, Tenn., March 6, 2015 Normand Green ’51, Hendersonville, N.C., May 8, 2015
John Long ’52, Marysville, Ohio, April 1, 2015 Richard Maslow ’52, Stockton, Calif., Jan. 27, 2015 Richard Moore ’52, Underwood, Wash., Dec. 7, 2014 Mary Sundeen Nelson ’52, Foresthill, Calif., April 14, 2015
Noreen Ruen Rouse ’51, Longview, Wash., June 9, 2015 William Barnes ’52, Mountain Green, Utah, May 13, 2015 Harry Dennis ’52, Boise, May 24, 2015
Walter Thomas ’56, San Francisco, Calif., Jan. 27, 2014
Lois Scott ’54, Walla Walla, Wash., Dec. 20, 2014
Milan Tresnit ’56, ’67, Carson City, Nev., Feb. 1, 2015
Marilyn Pearson Sharp ’54, Boise, April 22, 2015
Kenneth Anderson ’57, Spokane, Wash., April 11, 2015
Martha “Jean” Frahm Woods ’54, Boise, June 25, 2015
Warren Cloninger ’53, Lewiston, Feb. 26, 2015
Mary Anderson Pence ’56, Buhl, May 28, 2015
Fedor Salva ’54, Canonsburg, Penn., March 28, 2015
Charles Batten ’53, Grand Junction, Colo., April 1, 2015
James Kuechmann ’51, Kalispell, Mont., March 7, 2015
Esther Andersen Hopkins ’56, Shoshone, Feb. 9, 2015
Elaine Hyland Sutherland ’56, Sandy, Ore., March 31, 2015
Charles Waller ’54, Coeur d’Alene, July 4, 2015
Roger Bay ’53, Ogden, Utah, April 3, 2015
Ralph Conant Jr. ’56, Twin Falls, June 14, 2014
Helen Murphey Moehrle ’54, Lewiston, March 6, 2015
William Olesen Jr. ’52, Moscow, April 27, 2015
Jack Hoag ’51, Orinda, Calif., Oct. 23, 2014
Margaret Faust Reis ’51, Selah, Wash., April 19, 2015
Floy Hutchinson Johnson ’54, Klamath Falls, Ore., May 22, 2015
Janice Foedish Wallace ’55, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 11, 2015
Theresa Thorpe Akmal ’55, Pullman, Wash., Dec. 21, 2014
William Bailey ’57, Payette, Jan. 31, 2015 Peter Bakken ’57, Glendive, Mont., Feb. 25, 2015 Clayton Cochrane ’57, Martinez, Calif., April 23, 2015
Fredrick Cockrill ’55, Great Falls, Mont., May 17, 2015
JoAnn Schumacher Gombar ’57, Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 9, 2015
Don Dehalas ’55, Divide, Colo., April 30, 2014
Dan Hudson ’57, Boise, Dec. 15, 2014
Larry Hart ’53, ’56, Tucson, Ariz., March 1, 2015
Forrest Goodman ’55, Spokane, Wash., Nov 17, 2014
Lois Boyce Klunder ’57, Billings, Mont., Feb. 19, 2015
David Murphy ’53, Memphis, Tenn., May 19, 2015
Stephen Jordan ’55, Lincoln City, Ore., May 1, 2015
Charles Golding ’53, Boulder City, Nev., Nov 8, 2014 Barbara Hale Harris ’53, Pocatello, Feb. 14, 2015
John Beeder ’58, Albuquerque, N.M., May 29, 2015
ALUMNI class notes
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES Darrell Hanks ’58, Tacoma, Wash., May 13, 2015 Donald Hirst ’58, Billings, Mont., April 4, 2015 Benning Jenness ’58, Moscow, June 1, 2015 Dennes Jensen ’58, Flagstaff, Ariz., April 7, 2015 Peggy Schwartz Lemon ’58, Albuquerque, N.M., May 26, 2015 Jack Little ’58, Boise, March 13, 2015 Deana Dykstra Rogers ’58, Arvada, Colo., May 21, 2015 Abb Taylor ’58, Nampa, Jan. 26, 2015 Richard Wilde ’58, Idaho Falls, April 2, 2015 Paul Winborg ’58, Kennewick, Wash., Feb. 9, 2015
’60s Donald Baldridge ’60, Moscow, April 13, 2015 James Berry Jr. ’60, ’62, Boise, May 8, 2015 Ann Berry Kemp ’60, Tarpon Springs, Fla, Feb. 20, 2015 Reed Bowen Sr ’61, Idaho Falls, March 11, 2015 Helen Gregory Clark ’61, ’71, Boise, April 15, 2015 Donald Conley ’61, Wallace, July 5, 2015 Robert Dahl ’61, San Francisco, Calif., May 2, 2015 Raymond Hatton ’61, ’66, Eugene, Ore., March 4, 2015 Lois Proctor Pence ’61, Butte, Mont., Feb. 4, 2015 Mack Redford ’61, ’67, Boise, June 30, 2015
Douglas Farrow ’59, Idaho Falls, May 8, 2015
Roger Schroeder ’61, Ogden, Utah, April 11, 2015
Robert Hansen ’59, SedroWooley, Wash., Oct. 24, 2014
John Wanamaker ’61, Antalya, Turkey, Oct. 26, 2014
Delores York Harrah ’59, Spokane, Wash., June 16, 2015
Arvin White ’61, Albuquerque, N.M., May 15, 2015
James Mercer ’59, ’71, Apple Valley, Calif., March 9, 2014
Larry Brady ’62, Portland, Ore., Feb. 7, 2015
Ramon Ross ’59, San Diego, Calif., March 23, 2015
Victor Brewer ’62, Bremerton, Wash., May 24, 2015 Marian Lay Eier ’62, ’69, Pullman, Wash., Feb. 8, 2015
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IDAHO Fall 2015
Richard Hartley ’62, Nampa, June 18, 2015 Billy Legler ’62, Sun City, Ariz., May 16, 2015 William Tiger ’62, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 2, 2015 Mary MacDonald Williams ’62, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 15, 2015 Willis Reynolds ’63, College Place, Wash., Feb. 3, 2015 Helen Pontesso Simon ’63, Bonners Ferry, March 2, 2015 Frank Erickson ’65, The Dalles, Ore., March 28, 2015 James Kelly ’65, Klamath Falls, Ore., May 11, 2015 Thomas Myklebust ’65, Spokane, Wash., May 9, 2015 Jerry Nelson ’65, Saint Maries, June 30, 2015 Jimmy Olson ’65, Caldwell, Texas, July 2, 2015 Richard Sanders ’65, Riverside, April 19, 2015 Sharon Parriott Weller ’66, Missoula, Mont., June 6, 2015 Robert Allen ’67, Callaway, Md., April 19, 2015 Elfreda Stoltz Anderson ’67, Spokane, Wash., March 4, 2015 Dennis Burnside ’67, McCall, June 10, 2015
uidaho.edu/alumni
Courtney Chamberlain ’67, ’69, Melbourne, Australia, April 20, 2015 Irwin Dalke ’67, Turner, Ore., Feb. 10, 2015 David Kries ’67, ’71, Kamiah, Feb. 6, 2015 Jack MacDonald ’67, ’70, Great Falls, Va., June 22, 2015 Kenneth Agenbroad ’68, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Feb. 12, 2015 Robert Bailey ’68, Boise, June 6, 2015 Raymond Keibler ’68, Lima, Mont., Nov 20, 2014 Diane Graham Sack ’68, Boise, Feb. 4, 2015 Jean Lamoreux Snyder ’68, Kamiah, June 30, 2015 Paul Follette ’69, Casper, Wyo., April 11, 2015 Donald Shriner ’69, Coeur d’Alene, May 7, 2015
’70s Theodore Creason ’70, ’73, Lewiston, April 8, 2015 Steven Meshishnek ’70, Asotin, Wash., March 16, 2015 Vauna Pruett Oliason ’70, Eagle, April 30, 2015 Gary Smith ’70, Provo, Utah, April 17, 2015
To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Annis Shea, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format. Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.
Douglas Ferrier ’71, Auburn, Calif., Feb. 27, 2015
Dennis Pytel Sr. ’76, Davis, Calif., Feb. 25, 2015
Shirley Williamson Wentz ’71, Caldwell, May 15, 2015
Steven Westberg ’76, Pullman, Wash., May 26, 2015
Stephan Batchelder ’73, Suzhou, China, June 11, 2015
Jackson Berger ’77, Post Falls, April 12, 2015
James Gibson ’73, Pocatello, May 10, 2015
Christiane Driskell ’77, Spokane, Wash., May 20, 2015
George Linney ’73, ’79, Boise, May 1, 2015 Scott Stimpson ’73, St Anthony, March 27, 2015 Joe Willingham ’73, El Centro, Calif., April 23, 2015 Joyce Hindman Ayers ’74, Idaho Falls, May 19, 2015 Reid Larsen ’74, Meridian, April 21, 2015
Andrew Ferguson ’77, Baker, Nev., May 11, 2015 William Frye ’77, Los Osos, Calif., May 28, 2015 Brian Goates ’77, Pocatello, April 15, 2015 Darlene Pincock MossFareti ’77, Rexburg, April 10, 2014
John Lyden ’74, Clarkston, Wash., March 18, 2015
Laverne Shjeflo ’77, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Dec. 29, 2014
Richard Rahl ’74, Idaho Falls, June 14, 2015
Roger Ward ’77, Kamiah, Feb. 6, 2015
Kenneth Korn ’75, Boise, March 7, 2015
Kenneth Anderson ’78, Clarkston, Wash., May 15, 2015
Irvin Roesch ’75, San Andreas, Calif., Jan. 7, 2015 Larry Timblin ’75, Colburn, April 23, 2015 Jens Andersen III ’76, Eugene, Ore., March 8, 2015 Gary Dickerson ’76, Missoula, Mont, April 17, 2015 Nellie Ramsey Garrison ’76, Sandpoint, March 2, 2015
Donna Barnett ’78, Idaho Falls, May 27, 2015 Randolph Lee ’78, Meridian, May 7, 2015 Renee DesJardins Main ’78, Abington, Md., Nov 13, 2014 Frances Reichow Mathison ’78, Clarkston, Wash., April 1, 2015 William Sander Sr. ’79, Rathdrum, April 15, 2015
’80s Ronald Baldner ’81, ’83, Boise, May 21, 2015 Kalvyn Hinatsu ’81, Tukwila, Wash., March 1, 2015 David Logan ’81, Salmon, March 3, 2014 Joyce Schulze Larsen ’82, Twin Falls, July 3, 2015
Jamie Dougherty Miller ’93, Portland, Ore., June 2, 2015 Kellie Morgan Schenck ’93, Glenwood Springs, Colo., May 20, 2015 Greg Moore ’97, Coeur d’Alene, May 5, 2015 Gerald Spreen ’97, Post Falls, Feb. 13, 2015
Roy Bell ’83, Aurora, Colo., March 7, 2015
Alexander Hart ’98, Missoula, Mont., Nov 25, 2007
Shawn Telin ’85, Kenmore, Wash., April 16, 2015
Michael Hughes ’99, Boise, March 30, 2015
James Owen ’86, Bellevue, Wash., Feb. 11, 2015 Clyde Alan Grider III ’87, Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 27, 2014
’00s Chad Campos ’00, Driggs, April 22, 2015
Scott Ketchum ’87, Meridian, Feb. 9, 2015
Bruce Christopherson ’00, ’04, Boise, May 27, 2015
Wayne Price ’89, Moscow, May 22, 2015
August “Gus” Leavitt ’03, ’07, Moscow, June 25, 2015
Herman Ronnenberg ’89, Troy, June 2, 2015
Joshua Reed ’03, Seattle, Wash., April 10, 2015
Jeffrey Vansickle ’89, Seattle, Wash., March 21, 2015
Savona Beaudoin Holmes ’08, Lewiston, May 22, 2015
’90s Victor Buisman ’91, North Branch, Minn., May 16, 2015 Richard Suckel ’91, Idaho Falls, March 29, 2015
’10s James Massie ’12, Twin Falls, Sep 15, 2014 Levi Marthis ’14, Idaho Falls, Feb. 15, 2015
Nancie Burns McCoy ’93, ’98, Moscow, March 26, 2015
ALUMNI class notes
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
uidaho.edu/alumni
SAVE THE DATES: Spring Campus Celebrations MOMS' WEEKEND 2016
APRIL 15 - 17
Do you know a potential student who would be a great fit with the University of Idaho? Nominate him or her to become a future Vandal. Your nomination could encourage their future and set them on a path for a lifetime of success.
MOSCOW COMMENCEMENT
MAY 14
Learn more: Office of Alumni Relations uidaho.edu/alumni
www.uidaho.edu/growthegold (208) 885-7957
ANNUAL MEETING
& 19TH ANNUAL IDAHO TREASURE AWARD LUNCHEON NOVEMBER 19, 2015 MOSCOW For additional information: University of Idaho Office of Alumni Relations Phone (208) 885-6154 uira@uidaho.edu
Serving and representing 100,000 alumni worldwide.
2015-16 OFFICERS Travis Thompson ’97 President
Ben Rae ’83
Vice President/President Elect
Whitney Johnson ’80 Treasurer
Pat Sullivan ’73 Past President
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IDAHO Fall 2015
Vandal Snapshot Jan. 1, 2015
In December 2014, a group of students and staff from the University of Idaho visited El Balsamo, Nicaragua, where the team installed solar panels and improved patio gardens and latrines. During the trip, the students kept a journal about their experience. To the right is one of those entries. To read the entire journal and see more photos and a video from Nicaragua, go to www.uidaho.edu/magazine.
We’re only three days in, but so far this trip and El Balsamo have been incredible. For the first time in a long time, I feel present, connected with what I am doing and whom I’m with. Nicaragua is a beautiful country, and the people of El Balsamo are amazing. They are so kind and knowledgeable. It makes me realize how ignorant I was. I expected to teach the people of El Balsamo, but really they are teaching us. I like the way of life here, it has its positives and its negatives, but I really like the sense of community. Everyone is constantly interacting and socializing. In the states, people tend to be disconnected, always in a rush, separated by doors, smartphones and computers. I like working hard and feeling satisfied and accomplished at the end of the day. I love the children, their eyes and smiles, how interested they are. They are constantly running around, and they want to help, work and learn. They have such an amazing energy. I honestly wish I could play with them all day. I really like my group. I feel like it is a rare thing in our society anymore to see people do good without expecting attention or a reward in return. To do good things simply to do good is a very beautiful thing. The members of my group humble me. Today our house mom, Dahlia, asked if we would return to El Balsamo to visit them, and I realized I was already planning on it. I feel very grateful, thankful and blessed. ~Jessica Dexter
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Moscow, ID 83844-3232
College of Law students Jeremy Tamsen ’16, Katy Jippen ’15, and Ammon Judy ’16 in front of the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center in Boise. The new facility opened to classes this fall.
PREPARING GLOBAL LEADERS IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW UI College of Law graduates are practicing around the globe in areas including business, environmental and natural resources law; litigation; and Native American law. Thanks to the generous support of alumni and friends, the College of Law Scholarship Fund allows us to recruit the best and the brightest students to attend classes at our Moscow and Boise campuses. Scholarships help students cover the cost of attending law school, which keeps student debt to a minimum.
For more information on supporting the UI College of Law Scholarship Fund, contact: TERRI MUSE Assistant Dean for External Relations tmuse@uidaho.edu 208-364-4044 uidaho.edu/giving