July 5, 2008
News Briefs
Biochemistry Students Receive Honorable Mention
Two of Joe Beckman’s biochemistry students attended the annual
Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego this spring. David Lapham of
Greenville and Jane Macdonald of Granville, Ohio, both received
honorable mentions for their work, which was presented at the
Undergraduate Poster competition sponsored by the American Society of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. This placed them in the top 10
percent of the entries, which was generally populated by work from
major research universities. David’s research was titled, “Zinc
Inhibition of Bovine Phenol Sulfotransferase (bSULT1A1).” Jane’s
research was titled, “Characterization of Trinitrophenylated Adenosine
Nucleotide Binding to Bovine Phenol Sulfotransferase (bSULT1A1).” Read more.
Audrey Williams “Hangs Up Her Spurs’
Audrey Williams, office associate in the Physical Plant, is retiring
after 21 years at Alma College and 15 years in the Physical Plant.
“Audrey has worked with many of you on Motor Pool requests, which she
has coordinated very well over the years,” says Jan Pratt. “In addition
to this service and the many other tasks she has been responsible for,
she also organized the Adopt-a-Flowerbed program for campus. You may
have received a signed card from the Physical Plant staff; this was
Audrey, making sure our expressions of congratulations, concerns or
condolences were shared with others.” A campus reception for Audrey
took place June 19.
Collaboration Receives Carter Partnership Award
Alma College and the Pine River Superfund Citizen Task Force are the
2008 recipients of the Carter Partnership Award, the premier community
service award for higher education and community collaboration. Read more.
Wellness Challenge Surpasses 35 Million Steps
The College’s “Stepping Up for Spring” wellness challenge for faculty
and staff achieved 35,090,191 steps, surpassing the 35 million step
goal. The winning team in the Open Division was Spic N Span, totaling
2,357,675 steps. Team members were Karen Lake, Shirley Rice, Judy
Bigelow and Karen Fisk. The winning team in the Novice Division was
Rails to Trails with 1,142,825 steps. Team members were Kathy Doran,
Sue Deel, Ellen Wertz and Norma Edgar. Participants celebrated their
achievements at a wellness gathering June 16.
Mexican Farmers Visit Alma for Common Table Forum
A contingent of 15 farmers, indigenous leaders and agricultural
representatives from Mexico visited Alma June 15-21 as part of the
second annual Common Table Forum. Read more.
Continued Use of DDT Is a Global Health Concern
Scholars who attended the Eugene Kenaga International DDT Conference on
Health and the Environmental at Alma College are drafting a consensus
statement urging global policymakers to reconsider the future use of
the synthetic pesticide DDT. Read more.
Candidates Must Focus on Deficit, Spending Policy
This year’s candidates for president must focus on reducing the federal
deficit and attracting international business, says Ron Lemmon,
assistant professor for business administration. Read more.
Compassion, Unity Demonstrated in China Rescue Efforts
Liping Bu, professor of history, offers her perspective on China’s
relationship with the United States, societal change in China, and the
Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Read more.
Pinecone Publishes Monthly in the Summer
The next issue of The Pinecone will be published Friday, July 25. The deadline for submitting information to The Pinecone is noon Wednesday, July 23. Submit information to Mike Silverthorn at silverthorn@alma.edu.
Posted: Thu, June 26th, 2008 at 8:58AM
