PURSUIT THE
2013
Official Magazine of the LSU College of Science
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E X C E L L E N C E
Science
ABROAD From South Africa to France, LSU science faculty and students are taking their research experiences global
Why
Science at LSU?
Exceptional academic programs Outstanding faculty
Research opportunities with some of the world’s most accomplished researchers Preparation for rewarding careers in medicine, education, industry, and research
The LSU College of Science offers students a world-class education through classroom and laboratory instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The college has a variety of scientific disciplines supported by a community of distinguished faculty and staff who are committed to providing an enriching and meaningful educational experience. The college consists of five academic departments: • Biological Sciences • Chemistry • Geology & Geophysics
• Mathematics • Physics & Astronomy
and the Museum of Natural Science. For more information about the LSU College of Science, e-mail science@lsu.edu.
Giving Priorities
The pursuit of academic achievement in the sciences is an LSU tradition, and our alumni and friends play a key role in upholding the college’s legacy of excellence. Be a part of our Formula for Excellence by making science education at LSU one of your philanthropic priorities. One hundred percent of gifts made through the LSU Foundation are designated for the sole benefit of the college and its departments. Below are the college's giving priorities for 2013. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Dean’s Circle Membership GeauxTeach Science Boot Camps Science Honors Scholarships Science Residential College Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
For more information on these priorities and how to make a donation, please contact: Ann Marie Marmande (annmarie@lsu.edu)
http://science.lsu.edu
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DEAN’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, I am very honored to be serving the LSU College of Science during this period of transition. I have been a part of the LSU family since 1983 as a professor of mathematics and previously as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences from 2004 to 2009. Dean Kevin Carman built a solid foundation for the college during his tenure, and I look forward to working with you to continue that legacy of research, scholarship and academic excellence. I invite you to enjoy a sampling of the many exciting activities underway in the college. This has been a remarkable year for our distinguished faculty and students. Several of our faculty were recognized by international societies and organizations for their research. Our students, which are among the nation's finest, have been working alongside our faculty making significant contributions to research at LSU, and at national laboratories and research facilities across the globe. In 2012, the college achieved a major milestone as we raised a $2 million endowment to support the GeauxTeach Math/Science teacher preparation program. I would like to personally thank all of the LSU alumni, corporate partners and private foundations who made gifts to support GeauxTeach. Your donations will allow us to graduate more quality math and science teachers who are prepared to grow the next generation of scientists. On behalf of all of the students, faculty, and staff of the College of Science, I thank you for your continued support. Sincerely,
Guillermo Ferreyra Interim Dean
Contents College News................................................................................. 6 Cover Story ................................................................................... 10 Departmental News Biology ..................................................................................... 14 Chemistry ................................................................................ 14 Geology & Geophysics ............................................................ 15 Mathematics ............................................................................ 16 Physics ...................................................................................... 16 Museum of Natural Science .................................................... 17 Alumni & Development News ..................................................... 18
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Cover ON THE
Science
ABROAD
From the forests of Panama to the laboratories of the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France, College of Science faculty and students are crossing land and sea to explore research opportunities across the globe. Our faculty and student researchers are gaining new perspectives on their respective fields as they collaborate with world experts to study, explain, and eventually solve the biological, economic, and ecological challenges of the 21st century.
Administration Guillermo Ferreyra, interim dean Richard Kurtz, associate dean John Lynn, associate dean Martha Cedotal, sr. assistant dean Sara Marchiafava, sr. assistant dean
Editor Dawn Jenkins
Contributors Ashley Berthelot Leeann Borne Emilia Gilbert Zac Lemoine Lauren Manuel Ann Marie Marmande Adrian Owen Frances Watson
Photography April Buffington Rachel Saltzberg Eddy Perez Jim Zietz
Dean’s Circle Executive Committee Dr. Terry J. Latiolais, chair Michelle K. Holoubek, vice chair Dr. Halvor G. Aaslestad Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite Patricia H. Bodin Dr. George L. Boudreaux Dr. Brad A. Broussard Peter D. Burland Gregg A. DeMar Dr. Bill O. Hamilton Dr. Bryan T. Kansas Dr. Arlo Landolt Dr. James V. Lange Dr. Mary E. Neal Dr. Beverly W. Ogden COVER PHOTO: Photo of Cape Point in South Africa taken by Jacob Cooper, graduating senior in biological sciences. INSIDE COVER PHOTO: Tropical forest in the lowlands of Peru taken by former Ph.D. student Jonathan Myers. Myers is currently an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Edward B. Picou, Jr. Charles C. Pinckney Angela LaGrange Scott Dr. Charles M. Smith Dr. Melvin L. Triay III
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College of Science
Biology graduate and former LSU supplemental instruction leader Hunter Chapman (middle) bested SI leaders from across the globe to receive the International Award for Supplemental Instruction during the 7th Annual International Conference on Supplemental Instruction.
Year
eview R 2012
Sophie Warney, curator of palynology, and Prosanta Chackrabarty, curator of fishes in the LSU Museum of Natural Science, received a $125,000 teaching grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents to develop Making a Splash with Louisiana Fishes, a new exhibit that opened summer 2012.
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in
Newly appointed LSU System Boyd Professor James Oxley (fourth from left) is joined by fellow Boyd Professors: (l to r) Meredith Blackwell (biological sciences), H. Jesse Walker (geography and antrhopology), Thomas Klei (parasitology), Robert O'Connell (physics and astronomy) and C. Dinos Constantinides (music). Oxley is the 45th Boyd Professor to be named on the LSU campus and the fourth in mathematics. Other mathematics Boyd Professors are Richard Anderson (1959), Pasquale Porcelli (1965), and Jimmi Lawson (1999).
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Approximately 15 graduate students traveled to Washington, DC, to attend the annual meeting of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), September 25-28, 2012. The students were accompanied by Isiah Warner, LSU System Boyd Professor and vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, and Zakiya Wilson, assistant director of graduate studies, and executive assistant and director for STEM Education in the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
Arlo Landolt, Ball Family Professor Emeritus of Physics & Astronomy, was featured in the August 29, 2012, edition of The Morning Advocate. The article, titled Physicist Made Mark Early, detailed Landolt’s experiences in Antarctica in 1957 recording data on Aurora Astralis, the Southern Lights, and the airglow.
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More than 1,600 children and parents packed the outer ring of the Maravich Assembly Center for Super Science Saturday, sponsored by the LSU Department of Chemistry, the LSU Athletic Department, and the American Chemical Society on Oct. 27. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., kids and their families moved from station to station participating in hands-on activities that taught some of the basics of science. Activities included making brass pennies, shrinking balloons in liquid nitrogen, and learning about the minerals present in everyday items.
Peyton Adkins, pre-med/English literature major, embarked on an exciting journey to Antarctica with the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling Project, or WISSARD, funded in part by NSF. Adkins provided details about his experience studying the microbiological aspects of subglacial streams and lakes found hundreds of meters below Antarctica’s ice sheet through his blog on the LSU Research News website.
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Carl Sabottke, chemistry major and La-STEM scholar, is the 2012-13 Goldwater Scholar. He is currently studying neuroscience and hopes to one day indentify causes of neurological disorders. ‹‹
Jeffrey Nunn, Ernest and Alice Neal Professor of Geology & Geophysics, discussed the factors leading to the Bayou Corne sinkhole Friday, December 14, during a luncheon talk at Mike Anderson’s restaurant in Baton Rouge.
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Heather Bass, 2012 GeauxTeach math graduate, was selected to participate in the Mathematics Design Collaborative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bass was videotaped as part of an MDC educational video series.
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More than 50 students and faculty were honored during the College of Science’s annual Dean Arthur R. Choppin Honors Convocation, held Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
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May 2012 biology graduate Stewart Humble was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s most celebrated international fellowship award.
Two teams of math majors competed in the Mathematical Association of America’s Student Team Competition held during the MAA LouisianaMississippi meeting. LSU took home first and third place.
College of Science NEWS | 5
Advancing
Research
Colleges of Science and Engineering Celebrate Opening of Chemistry and Materials Building
The LSU Colleges of Science and Engineering celebrated the completion of the Chemistry and Materials Building during a ribbon-cutting celebration October 11. This facility expands the university’s research capacity in synthetic chemistry and provides critical infrastructure for interdisciplinary research in materials science and engineering. "The state has invested in LSU with the responsibility to be an academic, research, and economic leader, and we are committed to excellence in those areas," said LSU Interim System President and Interim Chancellor William Jenkins. "With this state-of-the-art facility, LSU will be able to recruit great faculty and students." Gov. Bobby Jindal, along with LSU administrators, faculty, and students, officially cut the ribbon on the five-story, state-of-the-art facility. The building provides more than 85,000 gross square feet of research laboratory space and support facilities, and increases research space for the Department of Chemistry by 50 percent.
"This new facility will play a critical role in helping our chemical and engineering students get the world-class skills they need to find great jobs. That in turn will make Louisiana even more attractive to companies looking to invest, expand, and create jobs here in Louisiana," Jindal said. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kevin Carman, former dean of the College of Science, recognized all of the people involved in the planning and the ultimate construction of the new facility, including the important collaboration between the College of Science and the College of Engineering, to be able to share the research space. "I'm confident that this new building will allow us to achieve even greater research accomplishments, which will in turn further stimulate the economy of Louisiana," Carman said. Research conducted in this facility will have significant economic implications for applications in manufacturing techniques, healthcare, and energy production. Louisiana's chemical industry employs more than 30,000 people and generates almost $1 billion annually in tax revenues. New Orleans architectural firm Lyons & Hudson completed the primary building design with scientific lab expertise provided by Karlsberger Inc. The State of Louisiana provided funding for the building, enough to erect the structure and complete the first four floors. The fifth floor will be completed in 2013.
Left to right: Jordan Favret, engineering student; Carlos Chavez, chemistry graduate student; Kevin Carman, former College of Science dean; Governor Bobby Jindal; William Jenkins, interim president and chancellor; Stuart Bell, provost; Thomas Klei, interim vice chancellor of research and economic development; Rick Koubek, College of Engineering dean; and Luigi Marzilli, chemistry department chair.
The first floor of the building, dedicated to a materialscharacterization facility, will provide a centralized resource for electron microscopes and other sophisticated instruments. The second through fourth floors house laboratories specifically designed for synthetic chemistry and materials science, as well as faculty and staff offices and instrumentation rooms. The fifth floor will contain 2,500 square-feet of class 1000 clean rooms for microfabrication and four additional labs specifically designated for collaborative interdisciplinary research programs.
Distinguished
Faculty
College Salutes 2012 Rainmakers
College of Science Faculty Named Fellows of AAAS, AMS, and APS
Several College of Science faculty were named fellows of three prestigious organizations in 2012: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS; the American Mathematical Society, or AMS; and the American Physical Society, or APS.
Top Row: Susanne Brenner, Marcia Newcomer, James Oxley; Second Row: Kenneth Schafer, Rongying Jin and Prosanta Chakrabarty; Left: Jeffrey Blackmon
Four researchers from LSU’s College of Science have been honored with the rank of “Fellow” by the AAAS, the world’s largest scientific organization. LSU’s newest AAAS Fellows are: •
Susanne Brenner, Michael F. and Roberta Nesbit McDonald Professor of Mathematics - For advances in finite element, multi-grid and domain decomposition methods, and for service to the computational and applied mathematics community
•
Rongying Jin, Professor of Physics & Astronomy - For significant contributions to materials physics, including sciencedriven materials development and pioneering studies of their underlying physics
•
•
Marcia Newcomer, George C. Kent Professor of Biological Sciences- For distinguished contributions to the field of structural biology, particularly for her recent elucidation of the structure of human 5-lipoxygenase Kenneth Schafer, Ball Family Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy - For seminal contributions in the field of laser-matter interactions through extensive theoretical studies of high quality and great innovation
Four LSU faculty members were also recognized as inaugural Fellows of the American Mathematical Society, or AMS: •
Professor Sue Brenner has published more than 75 papers on computational mathematics, is the managing editor of Mathematics of Computation, and sits on the editorial board of 12 other journals. Brenner received the Humboldt
Forschungspreis in 2005, and became a SIAM fellow in 2010. •
Boyd Professor James Oxley has published more than 140 papers in matroid and graph theory, and is the author of Matroid Theory. He also serves on the editorial board of Combinatorics, Probability and Computing, the SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics and the Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series B. Oxley was recently awarded the rank of Boyd Professor, the highest professorial rank awarded by the LSU System.
Two other recipients, Pierre Conner and Robert Koch, are retired faculty members. The university also had one faculty member named an American Physical Society Fellow, bringing the total number of LSU APS fellows to 17. The APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academic, national laboratories and industry throughout the world: •
Jeffrey Blackmon, Professor of Physics & Astronomy – For his vision and innovation in exploiting radioactive nuclear beams to advance our understanding of nuclear processes that govern astrophysical phenomena
“Recognition by prestigious scientific organizations such as these drive home the success our faculty have earned through their work here at LSU,” said Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost Stuart Bell. “These men and women are operating at the top of their respective fields, and we are lucky to count them as part of our LSU family.”
Prosanta Chakrabarty, assistant professor of biological sciences and curator of fishes in the Museum of Natural Science; and Rongying Jin, professor of physics & astronomy, were among the distinguished faculty honored during the 2012 Rainmakers Awards ceremony and reception, March 13. Chackrabarty received the Emerging Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM), which recognizes a junior faculty member who has accomplished outstanding research or creative productivity and scholarship in his or her field. Jin was presented with the Mid-Career Scholar Award in in STEM, which recognizes an associate professor or recently promoted professor, who exhibits a sustained program of excellence, has typically eight to 15 years of research or creative activities and scholarship, and has strong name recognition in his or her field. The 2012 Rainmakers Awards is the fifth in a series sponsored by Campus Federal Credit Union. Other LSU faculty recognized during the ceremony were Julia Buckner, Emerging Scholar Award; Ashok Mishra, Mid-Career Scholar Award; Rudolph Hirschheim, Senior Scholar Award; and Kam-biu Liu, Senior Scholar Award. College of Science NEWS | 7
Meeting of
Minds
of the
International Conferences Bring Renowned Scientists to the Big Easy By Lauren Manuel
New Orleans welcomed some of the world's most distinguished scientific HITES honoree and minds during two major international LSU Distinguished conferences held summer 2012. The Research Professor International Particle Accelerator Jerry Draayer Conference (IPAC) and Horizons of Innovative Theories, Experiments, and Supercomputing in Nuclear Physics (HITES) brought scientists from across the globe to the historic French Quarter. LSU’s Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) secured the location of IPAC’12 and served as the event’s conference organizer. Less than two weeks later, LSU’s Distinguished Research Master Professor Jerry Draayer was honored for his outstanding research during the HITES 2012 conference.
IPAC Speaker and CERN Director General Rolf-Dieter Heuer
IPAC’12 was held at the Morial Convention Center in downtown New Orleans, May 20-25. This was the first IPAC conference to take place in the United States. With more than 1,000 conference participants, the majority coming from the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, the conference provided accelerator scientists, engineers, students, and industrial vendors the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas across the broad spectrum of accelerator science and technology. Many scientific efforts were reported including dramatic performance figures at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, incredible short pulse X-ray laser outputs from Linac Coherent Light Source at Stanford and successful attempts in Japan to repair accelerators damaged by earthquake. Though poster presentations are ever present at scientific conferences, CAMD wanted to introduce something new. The Electronic Poster, or ePoster, was a novel concept introduced to enhance visualization and attract interest of attendees. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE,
Tracy Morris, Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, presents during Women in Science session.
the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society, and the American Physical Society sponsored IPAC’12, while LSU hosted through CAMD, its synchotron light facility. Roy P. Daniels Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Distinguished Research Master Jerry Draayer was honored at the HITES 2012 conference, June 4-7. Conference attendees included some of the most prominent scientists from the United States and abroad, who came to pay tribute to Draayer’s internationally recognized research and academic achievements. Multiple members of the LSU College of Science community spoke in his honor, including a closing a speech by Kevin Carman, former dean of the LSU College of Science. The conference also welcomed many young emerging scientists, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in theoretical and experimental nuclear physics. HITES 2012 presented a unique synergy of topics related to Draayer’s outstanding research in theoretical and experimental nuclear physics, fundamental physics, and high-performance computing. Presentations focused on the quest to further understand fundamental properties of nature, physics of quarks/gluons and neutrinos, structure and reactions of nuclei, further studies of exotic nuclei and evolution of the universe, and the latest advances in computer science. On June 4, Draayer offered a public lecture titled, What A Wonderful World – Simplicity within Complexity. The lecture was an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to hear about a fascinating era of exceptional achievements. Other conference guests included Professor Akito Ariima, former president of the University of Tokyo and now head of the Japan Science Foundation, and Amy Flatten, American Physical Society director of international affairs, and many other accomplished scientists.
May 2012 College of Science University Medalists: (First Row, l to r) Lyndsey Nicole Bruno, Christine Elizabeth Taylor, Thu A. Thi Nguyen, Hannah Manuel, Sarah McBride; (Second Row, l to r) Breanne Hughes, Erin Heimbach, Mary Evelyn White, Donald A. Mullen Jr., Mytrang Do, Baylet Elizabeth Eck; (Third Row, l to r) Brandon Thomas Finnorn, Alexander Frederick Leder, Matthew Michael Darce, Stewart Wynn Humble, Brian Kurtz, Sarah Amacker
High
Achievers
More than 400 College of Science students completed their studies to receive bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees during the college’s May 2012 ceremony. The college is also proud to announce that 20 of LSU’s 42 University Medalists were graduates of the College of Science. These students were recognized among the university's highest achievers, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. SPRING GRADUATION STATS • 24 earned doctoral degrees • 43 earned master's degrees • 362 earned bachelor's degrees • Of the 362 bachelor's degree recipients, • 114 earned Latin honors • Eight earned the Distinguished Communicators Award • Two earned Upper Division Honors • Nine earned College Honors During the college’s diploma ceremony, LSU System Interim President William Jenkins made some brief remarks to the graduates. “Never, never, give in," affirmed Jenkins. “You are LSU graduates and LSU graduates never give up. You have everything you need to pursue your goals.” Jenkins also encouraged the graduates to “accept the mantle of leadership,” adding that each graduate has the gifts needed to lead.
Philanthropist and active supporter of LSU Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the university’s 277th commencement ceremony on May 18, 2012. The degree was conferred upon Dr. Applewhite for substantial contributions to her profession, dedicated advocacy of higher education, and generous support of LSU and the College of Science. Known throughout the university as the “first lady” of the College of Science, Dr. Applewhite is a founding member of the college’s Dean’s Circle Executive Committee and served as the College of Science chair during the successful Forever LSU campaign. Among her many contributions, Dr. Applewhite has supported the Top 100 Scholarship Program, established two Mary Lou Applewhite Professorships in biological sciences, five George Kent Professorships in zoology, and created an endowment to support graduate students in biological sciences.
College of Science NEWS | 9
e c D n e ic OA R
With more than seven million researchers across the globe, SCIENCE is increasingly becoming a more
SB A
GLOBAL
ENTERPRISE.
The U.S. is moving toward a more international workforce where scientific innovation is fueled by a globally engaged group of experts who aspire to collaborate with the best in their fields, at the finest institutions, using first-class equipment. Whether this collaboration occurs across campus or across the ocean, 21st century scientists at LSU are crossing land, air, and sea to discover the latest species, uncover new innovations in healthcare, and improve our understanding of the building blocks of matter.
Vive
TIFFANY |
France
la
Tiffany Lemon Lemon, a LA-STEM biochemistry major and Honors College student, traded the familiar comforts of Louisiana for Lille, France, as she ventured to the Pasteur Institute as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Scholars Program. During her 16-week stay, Lemon worked with Dr. Camille Locht, research director at the institute’s facility, near the border of Belgium. Within the last decade, Locht discovered a protein on the cellular membrane of tuberculosis, or TB, called HBHA, which was found to be essential to the dissemination of the bacterium into the bloodstream. Once entered the bloodstream, TB could cause septic shock and other potentially fatal symptoms. Lemon worked with Locht and his research team to examine the factors that cause TB to be more severe and characterize the surface protein to uncover ways to inhibit the dissemination of the disease. Lemon enrolled in Microbial Pathogens and Disease and Molecular Genetics courses at LSU to help prepare for her research at the Institute. “My classes at LSU gave me a better understanding of the research,” said Lemon. A high point of Lemon’s experience abroad was attending an international HIV/AIDS conference where she presented previous research work from her experience at Harvard University’s Ragon Institute investigating CD8+T cell functions in HIV Controllers. A number of notable physicians on the front lines of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment attended the conference, but it was a chance meeting with Timothy Ray Brown that profoundly impacted Lemon. Brown, internationally known as the “Berlin Patient,” is reportedly the first person to be functionally cured of HIV.
Top left: Tiffany Lemon takes a gondala ride through Venice; middle left: Jacob Cooper takes a high flying leap at South Africa's Cape coast where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet; and bottom left, Tiffany Lemon in the research lab at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France.
“Meeting the Berlin patient made the purpose of my research come alive, it gave a face to why I do what I do,” said Lemon. Though research was paramount during her stay in France, there was also some time to take in the sites. Lemon connected with other HHMI students and toured Venice, the French Alps, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Lemon will be graduating in May and plans to enroll in a biomedical program focusing on infectious disease. “I would encourage science students to explore a study abroad experience. It is never what you would expect it to be, but it will be so much more,” said Lemon.
Siya Namkela JACOB |
N onke
("Welcome" in xhosa)
Thousands of miles away from the metropolitan area of Lille, France, biology major Jacob Cooper was taking in the rich culture and landscape of the Cape of South Africa. Cooper chose South Africa for his study abroad experience hoping to gain a new perspective on conservation. “I realized how different South Africa was from the U.S. as soon as the plane landed. The landscape, the currency, everything was different,” said Cooper. The Grand Junction, Colorado, native spent six months in South Africa taking high-level conservation courses at the University of Stellenbosch. Unlike four-year colleges and universities in the U.S., it takes three years to earn a bachelor's degree in South Africa. Since Cooper was a graduating senior, he had to be given special permission to take what is considered fourth year honors courses at Stellenbosch. While there, Cooper was enrolled in GIS, Introduction to Conservation, and Conservation Management. As part of his Conservation Management course, Cooper spent two days on Robben Island, located west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town. The island formerly served as a place of isolation and banishment for political prisoners, including Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. Today, the island is a safe haven for African penguins, a wide variety of seabirds and marine mammals, small herds of fallow deer and eland, ostriches, and European rabbits.
ecosystems. Cooper asserts that South Africa’s conservation principles can even be seen on its currency. “If you look at the images on our money, there are pictures of former presidents and American landmarks, but if you look at South African currency you see pictures of the country’s majestic animals and landscape,” said Cooper. “When you ask the locals about things to do in South Africa they don’t direct you to the cities, they send you to the national parks and animal reserves.”
JEFF |
研究
("Kenkyuu," which means "Research" in Japanese)
College of Science faculty are also trekking the globe working at some of the world’s leading research facilities. LSU Professor of Physics & Astronomy Jeff Blackmon is a part of an international collaboration including faculty from Texas A&M University; Washington University; Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, or IFIN HH, in Romania; the Universite de Caen in France; the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Italy; Oxford University; and Kyushu University and the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science in Japan. Blackmon and colleagues are conducting a series of experiments using rare isotope beams at the Radioactive Ion Beam, or RIBF, in Japan, the most power radioactive beam facility in the world.
While on the island, Cooper examined the animals and vegetation to quantify the habitat by noting the tortoises, insects, and vegetation. He also surveyed visitors to the island in an effort to gauge their perception of the island, including the habitat and its cultural significance.
As part of a project funded in 2009 by the American Recovery Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, Blackmon is studying how stars produce energy and elements. Scientists believe that a large fraction of the elements that make up the Earth were not made in the form that we find them today. They were originally made as short-lived atoms that have transformed into the stable atoms that make up the Earth. The transformation is attributed to a star explosion, or supernova, that caused the short-lived atoms to form stable isotopes.
Cooper was intrigued by South Africa’s view on conservation. “Conserving South Africa’s wilderness and animals was not a matter of personal ideals, but a part of the country’s constitution,” said Cooper. Each district is required to have a conservation plan, but in spite of the country’s many conservation efforts, the growth of commercial and residential construction and the conversion of untouched ecologies to farmland still threaten the country's fragile
“We don’t really understand that process because the atoms don’t exist today in the form in which they were originally created,” said Blackmon.
The facility allows Blackmon and his colleagues to create the atoms in their original form, so that they can better understand how and eventually why the transformation took place.
The RIBF, located within the RIKEN Nishina Center in Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, Japan is part of an accelerator complex with three cyclotrons. Due to the limited beam time at RIKEN, the collaboration is testing their approach at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, or NIRS, in Tokyo, one of the leading cancer treatment facilities in the world. The group is only allowed short periods of time at the facility for what Blackmon describes as the “organized chaos” of a full week of around the clock experimentation. Collaborating with institutions in the states and abroad has been a fascinating experience for Blackmon. “It is really interesting to have a lot of different experiences and different people bringing that expertise together to pull off such a big experiment,” said Blackmon. The physicist admits that the Japanese research environment is quite different from its U.S. counterparts. “The large accelerator complex is carefully controlled. They have a certain way that they do things, which is quite different from the facilities in the states,” said Blackmon. One difference is that scientists are asked to remove their shoes and wear slippers in certain areas of the complex to prevent radiation contamination. The slippers are even color-coded according to the scientist’s location in the complex. “I have never seen this at a U.S. lab,” said Blackmon. “People in the U.S. are more concerned about getting their toes crushed, so we normally wear closed toe shoes. It was quite strange to see everyone wearing slippers.” Blackmon plans to return to the RIBF this summer to continue his research.
KYLE |
ama
los
´arboles
(love the trees)
Kyle Harms, associate professor of biological sciences, began his tropical research abroad experience as a graduate student studying forest diversity and dynamics in Panama. To date, he has helped to establish long-term projects in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica Panama, Peru, and the U.S. Harms and colleagues from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Cornell University have been
Top left: Kyle Harms and former Ph.D. student Jane Carlson in Panama. Carlson is now an assistant professor at Nicholls State University; bottom left: Jeff Blackmon pictured at the front gate of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan; and bottom right are African penguins diving off rocks in the Cape of South Africa.
fertilizing plots of old-growth forest in the Republic of Panama since 1998. These plots are being used to test a variety of predictions concerning nutrient limitation within “green” and “brown” food webs of lowland tropical forests. Harms and his research group examine the different tree species to understand what causes and maintains the types of biodiversity that exist across the globe. Studying the processes that create forest diversity is a long-term endeavor. Some trees can live 100 years and others 1,000 years, so quite often these studies continue for decades and may outlive the researchers themselves. Celebrated ecologist Joseph Connell began such a study in Australia in the 1960s. His project is one of the longest running tropical forest dynamics projects in the world. Harms, along with an Australian collaborator, will be conducting the 50th year census this year. “This forest community includes all the different size classes and now we will have a 50-year record of those plants,” said Harms. “It’s really exciting, and I am fortunate to be a part of it.” Studying such diverse tree communities is a laborious and detailed operation. The trees to be examined are tagged with unique numbers and the scientists must maintain meticulous records of map coordinates, species identification, and hosts of other characteristics to analyze and understand the dynamics and demography of the forest. Harms is also collaborating with colleagues at the University of Illinois to set up forest dynamics projects in western Panama to complement
what is happening in the lowlands plot. He also continues to work with colleagues from his dissertation group analyzing data from a research plot established in the early 1980s. “Sometimes the answers to questions about how the real world works may require more time than what is allotted for dissertation research or a federal grant,” said Harms. “Having freedom to do this kind of research at LSU is a wonderful opportunity.” “For the kinds of research that interest me, the overarching question is what are the important processes in nature that cause patterns in natural communities. To truly understand what is going on, it is hard to do that in isolation. To truly understand the forest, you have to get out into the forest," said Harms. “The forest is my laboratory.” Harms' research team includes three to four graduate students who work with Harms to design their research projects. The students’ research efforts take them to tropical locales like Peru and Costa Rica offering them a more global view of their research. “It can not be overstated just how useful it is to get out and see the world. People have equally valid and different ways of doing things. Being open minded to those differences is easier to do if you are thrown into situations where your view is the minority,” said Harms. “When students get experiences outside of their home state and their home country, the better it is for all of us. If students have one good experience outside of their comfort zone, they are on their way to being better global citizens.”
One
D E PA RT M E N TA L
Biological SCIENCES
Cell at a
CHEMISTRY
NEWS
Left to right: Postdoctoral researcher Vinson Doyle, Assistant Professor Jeremy Brown, and Research Associate Sarah Davis in the Phyleaux Lab
Phyleauxgenetics
LSU Phyleaux Lab Tracks Transmission of HIV with Evolution
Phylogenies, or the historical relationships among organisms, form the backbone of many biological advancements, including the ability to identify the source of a pathogen used to commit a crime. Over the last decade, cases of persons intentionally transmitting HIV have made national headlines. An important piece of these cases has been the admission of phylogenetic analysis, a type of evolutionary analysis that has helped determine the source of transmission in criminal cases in Louisiana, Texas, and Washington. Jeremy Brown, assistant professor of biological sciences and head of LSU’s Computational Phylogenetics, Phylogeography and Molecular Evolution Lab, or Phyleaux Lab, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Justice, or NIJ, titled “Extending the Microbial Forensic Toolkit Through WholeGenome Sequencing and Statistical Phylogenomics.” In collaboration with Mike Metzker at Baylor College of Medicine, Brown’s 14 | The PURSUIT
Phyleaux team proposes to expand the existing scientific work on HIV forensic studies and develop a “pathogen toolkit” for source identification using whole genome sequences. The toolkit will improve the process of identifying the source of transmitted pathogens using their evolutionary relationships, and provide a foundation for the criminal justice system when attempting to prosecute people who knowingly spread HIV and other deadly diseases. The application of phylogenetic methods is important from both forensic and medical perspectives. "From a forensic standpoint, the phylogenies must be accurate since the outcome of a case may be affected by the genetic evidence," said Brown. “The ability to rapidly evolve is HIV’s greatest weapon,” he said. “If we ever hope to eradicate the disease, we must understand how the virus evolves and use its evolutionary tendencies against it.” Phyleaux continued on page 17
Time
Chemist Secures NIH Grant for Single-Cell Analysis Research Kermit Murray, LSU professor of chemistry, was awarded $350,844 to develop new methods for single-cell analysis. The goal of Murray’s project, titled "Nanoscale Laser Ablation Capture Mass Spectrometry for Single Cell Proteomics," is to create nanometer-scale sampling for mass spectrometry using near-field optics and laser ablation. “An ensemble of cells does not give us a detailed look at cells,” said Murray. “You may have 100 cells and only a few of them will be in a particular disease state. The use of mass spectrometry will give us a high-resolution view of cells at a sub-cellular level.” Single cell analysis emerged as an important field of research after new technologies with improved sensitivity made it possible to measure cell-to-cell differences in living organisms and correlate the variation with changes in biological function and disease. Murray’s project was one of only 15 high-risk/ high-impact projects funded nationally to develop new tools to enhance measurement parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, spatiotemporal resolution, scalability, and/ or non-destructive measures that preserve the integrity of the cell. Advancements in single-cell analysis will allow personalized health care at the cellular level. Research could lead to the development of techniques to identify genomic lesions in individual cancer cells, which would improve the early detection of rare tumor cells, allow better monitoring of circulating tumor cells and guide chemotherapy treatments. “This was an extremely competitive grant program. I was really surprised that we scored as well as we did,” said Murray. “It is a very prestigious award and I am glad to bring such quality research to LSU and the state of Louisiana.”
D E PA RT M E N TA L
NEWS
Geology & GEOPHYSICS
Digging
into DEEP Antarctica's Past
LSU Geologist Helps to Reconstruct Future Climate Forecasts By Lauren Manuel
Today, Antarctica is considered to be the driest and coldest place on Earth, completely depleted of water with 98 percent of it covered by a thick sheet of ice. However, what many may not know is that there was a period of global warmth during the Miocene period, 15 to 20 million years ago. Sophie Warny, LSU assistant professor of geology and geophysics and AASP Professor in the Center for Excellence in Palynology, recently contributed to research proving that coastal margins of Antarctica were much warmer than expected during that time period, and that much more vegetation existed than originally thought. Pollen grains and leaf waxes record this vegetation during a time when greenhouse gas concentrations may have been similar to projections for the end of the 21st century. Warm periods of Earth’s history can represent an analogue for where our climate is headed, and Warny’s research allows scientists to reconstruct future climate forecasts. Scientists began to suspect that high-altitude temperatures during the middle Miocene epoch were warmer than previously believed when Warny discovered large quantities of pollen and algae in sediments cores taken around Antarctica. In 2009, Warny contributed to a paper published in Geology magazine on her research in Antarctica. Funded by NSF, Antarctic geology drilling, ANDRILL, recovered pollen grains in sediments deep below the ice shelf of the Ross Sea. By analyzing ancient pollen grains, Warny found evidence of the existence of vegetation during the Miocene period. Through her research of the pollen grains, Warny identified plants that today grow at the tree limit of Chile and New Zealand, which allows researchers to compare climates. The research revealed that climate during that time period may have been warmer than initially reported. The evidence then posed another question, why and how did this vegetation occur? Shortly after, Warny received a phone call from Sarah Feakins, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, who researches hydrogen isotopes in sediments. Feakins took the same samples and looked at the hydrogen isotopes in the plant leaf waxes. “It’s a good compliment to the palynological research,” noted Warny on her partner’s research. The duo searched for the leaf waxes in the sediments recovered by ANDRILL, similar to the pollen grains. This involved using solvents to extract the organic matter out of the sediments, then chemically measuring the hydrogen isotopic composition of the molecules. Using this technique allows researchers to reconstruct
the composition of the water that plants drank during that time, which then in turn allows them to use climate models to determine means of temperature and just how wet it was. Warny, Feakins and their colleagues were surprised by the results. Based on the species Warny discovered and isotopic evidence for temperature, the margins of Antarctica were much warmer and wetter than present, and that warming was amplified at the poles causing the ice to retreat or melt very quickly. The study also revealed that during the Miocene time period the planet on average was only about three degrees Celsius warmer than it is today. Carbon dioxide levels were higher as well.
Sophie Warny pictured in her lab in Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex
“So that’s why it’s a time period of such great interest, because carbon dioxide levels were only a little higher than they are today. It’s a really good analogue for where we’re headed and paints a fairly alarming picture I’d say,” said Feakins during a radio interview. With contributing research and experiments from Jung-Eun Lee at NASA, Feakins and Warny published their findings in Nature Digging Deep continued on page 17
Kate Griener, a Ph.D. student funded by the Marathon GeoDE Fellowship, works alongside Warny and has won several awards. Employing a technique that has only been used in two other labs, Griener picks up pollen grains one by one and conducts isotopic analysis within the grain, which is all very time consuming. “She is a very dedicated student,” said Warny. Griener is currently waiting for results of a paper that she recently submitted to Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS | 15
D E PA RT M E N TA L
NEWS
MATHEMATICS
Engineering
New Metamaterials Math Professor Receives MURI Grant for Transformational Electromagnetics Research
Mathematics Professor Robert Lipton
LSU Mathematics Professor Robert Lipton is the recipient and principal investigator for the LSU component of the recent Air Force Office of Scientific Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) on Transformational Electromagnetics. This $7.5 million grant is intended for the innovative use of metamaterials in confining, controlling, and radiating intense microwave pulses. LSU is approved for $615,000 in funding for the first three years with an anticipated total of $1.025 million over five years. The grant, awarded to a consortium of universities led by the University of New Mexico Electrical Engineering Department, will support the design of new generation microwave sources and particle accelerators using novel properties of metamaterials, a new form of man-made materials with novel electromagnetic properties not found in nature.
Lipton’s research team includes postdoc Anthony Polizzi and math graduate student Lokendra Singh Thakur. Together, the LSU group will develop theory and numerical approaches for engineering new metamaterials for use in microwave sources and particle accelerators. "The award provides our research group with a special opportunity to solve cutting edge problems of national importance," said Lipton. "It furthers LSU’s role as a nationally recognized center for applied and interdisciplinary mathematics research.” Lipton is excited about LSU’s involvement in this high profile scientific endeavor and anticipates new scientific developments with applications ranging from compact water purification systems to super long-range communications capabilities.
Physics & ASTRONOMY
Fastest LASERS in the
Gulf South
Louis Haber, assistant professor of chemistry at LSU, has established the fastest and most powerful pulsed laser system in the Gulf South. He will use this state-of-the art system to study chemical reactions that occur on the surface of nanoparticles. “Having a fast laser is analogous to having a camera with a very fast shutter speed that allows these chemical and physical dynamics to be captured and studied on this ultrafast time scale,” said Haber. “If the laser pulse is not shorter than the process you are studying, you can't hope to see it and you'll just get averaged and blurred out results that lack the interesting and important information.” The laser in Haber’s laboratory produces 75 femtosecond pulses with 4 millijoules per pulse at 1,000 pulses per second, equaling roughly 5 x 1010 Watts per laser pulse. A typical light bulb is only 100 watts or 500,000,000 times dimmer. Chemical and physical processes such as bonds breaking and rearranging, molecules vibrating and rotating, and electrons getting excited and then relaxing back down to the ground-state all occur on very short time scales, on the order of femtoseconds (10^-15 s), 16 | The PURSUIT
picoseconds (10^-12 s), and in some cases, nanoseconds (10^-9 s). Secondly, having a short laser pulse also allows us to have a very intense beam of light during the pulse, which allows for nonlinear optical effects to occur, such as photons adding together in the sample. “The goal of my research is to learn how molecules interact with different materials on the nanoscale,” said Haber. “By focusing extremely short pulses of intense light to nanomaterial samples, we can investigate the properties of molecular absorption and surface charge densities at nanoparticle surfaces. We can also study energy transfer between molecules and nanoparticles for developing better sensors, catalysts and photovoltaics.” Haber received his bachelor’s and Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkley and conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University before joining LSU’s Department of Chemistry in August 2012.
D E PA RT M E N TA L
Birds
NEWS
Feather of a
LSU Tigrisomas Take First Place in Birding Rally Challenge Four LSU graduate students took top honors in the first ever world birding competition in Madre de Dios and Cusco, Peru. The LSU Tigrisomas registered 493 bird species during six days and five nights of non-stop Amazon and Andes birding. The team followed a route that began at Tambopata, continued through the high Andes, over the South Interoceanic Highway, and finished at the biodiverse cloud forests of Machu Pichu. The Tigrisomas bested five teams including the Ararajuba from Brazil, the Forest-Falcons from Great Britain, the e-Birders from the U.S., the Zululanders from South Africa, and the Tramuntana from Spain.
Photo by Fernando Angulo -- Ryan Terrill, Paul Van Elis, Michael Harvey and Glenn Seeholzer, from left
Taking first place in the competition was even more significant to the LSU team because the first place trophy, known as "The O'Neill Trophy," is named for legendary ornithologist
Museum of NATURAL SCIENCE
and former curator and director of the LSU Museum of Natural Science John P. O'Neill. O'Neill discovered the bird depicted on the trophy, the Black-faced Cotinga, also known as the Conioptilon mcilhennyi, named for John "Jack" S. McIlhenney of the McIlhenny family of Avery Island. The McIlhenny family have been avid supporters of LSU bird research for many years. Team Tigrisomas, which consisted of Ph.D. candidates Glenn Seeholzer, Michael Harvey, Paul van Elis, and Ryan Terrill, noted that this birding adventure was unlike previous birding trips to South America. Instead of sleeping in tents on the floors of the Peruvian jungle, this trip had more plush accomodations. "We were staying in some of the nicest hotels," said Seeholzer in an article printed in The Advocate. “In the Amazon, it’s hard to see birds,” Harvey said. "So it’s a big advantage if people are really knowledgeable on what birdsong they expect to hear. If you can hear a bird calling in the distance, you don’t have to spend 10 minutes chasing it down.” The birding event was organized by Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism and other partners to help raise awareness about eco-tourism opportunities available in Peru.
Phyleaux continued from page 14 At the culmination of this project, Brown and his team will be able to provide specific guidelines to forensic scientists regarding which HIV genes to sequence and which statistical methods to apply to effectively test hypotheses about HIV transmission. In addition to the virus’ extremely high mutation rate, HIV transmission is a perfect test case for microbial forensics due to its rapid response to selection and strict dependence on human hosts. While phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide variation in specific genes has been used in past forensic studies to
assess relationships among pathogens, a large fraction of those genomes remain uncharacterized, ignoring useful information. Additionally, complex evolutionary processes that generate variation in phylogenetic signal across genomes have not been taken into account. These processes include host-specific responses, recombination, and convergent selection. The Phyleaux team plans to use this neglected information to create the “toolkit,” making identification of pathogen sources easier and more accurate.
Digging Deep continued from page 15 GeoScience titled Hydrologic Cycling Over Antarctica During Middle Miocene Warming, in June 2012. The three researchers wrote that Antarctic climate was much more moderate during the Miocene period, and with heavy amounts of precipitation near by, a substantial amount of vegetation grew along the margins. Warny’s research further constructs a better understanding of the kind of conditions that are needed for the Antarctic ice to retreat
quickly. “It’s important for the future because you don’t need that much ice melting in Antarctica to raise the sea level here, and one meter could drastically change Louisiana,” said Warny. Only six meters of sea level change would put Baton Rouge underwater. Warny is continuing research on Antarctic vegetation growth, as well as attempting to figure out how the ice retreated so quickly. DEPARTMENTAL NEWS | 17
Alumni & Development
NEWS
LSU Alum Leaves
egacy L
Remarkable
Frank Steldt photographed in Granada, Nicaragua, with a merchant wearing an LSU t-shirt while selling cashews in the town square.
LSU alumnus Frank Richard "Rick" Steldt recently visited campus after more than 30 years since completing a doctorate in physics. During his trip, Steldt enjoyed going back to many familiar places including his former graduate student office and laboratories in Nicholson Hall. One of the highlights of his trip was to share with Dean Kevin Carman that he is leaving a trust to the LSU Foundation valued at more than $1 million for the benefit of the Department of Physics & Astronomy. A retired physics professor at Indiana University, Steldt fully credits LSU for his successful career as an educator. "When I first started at LSU, I did not have any financial aid. I'd like to have a fund in part to service incoming graduate students who don't have any kind of assistance themselves," Steldt said. Steldt was born in Indianapolis where he lived for the first 15 years of his life. Following his freshman year of high school, his father took a job in St. Paul, Minnesota. After high school, he went to the University of Minnesota where he majored in physics and mathematics. When asked why he chose LSU for his graduate studies, he explained, "When I was finished, I was so tired of the bitter cold winters. I mean Indiana is cold, but Minnesota is unbelievably cold." While researching graduate schools in the South, he heard many great things about the physics department at LSU. "I was very happy," Steldt remarked. "The graduate school was very hard and demanding, which is what you'd expect. But it was an excellent educational experience, and I gained a great deal of knowledge that I used in my career." One of Steldt's favorite LSU memories was when he made an accidental discovery while using a research technique called positron annihilation. In one particular sample he had prepared, Steldt discovered the formation of positronium had occurred which had never been observed in this material. Seeing a 18 | The PURSUIT
surprisingly unusual pattern in the graph from this sample, Steldt rushed to his major professor, Paul G. Varlashkin, who explained how positronium did form in that sample. Positronium is a hydrogen atom that has a positron in the nucleus rather than a proton. "So it's a positron and an electron. That little critter was so interesting, and finding it was an accident. I mean the research just happened and there it was in the sample! I can still remember making those samples." It was an odd situation for Steldt; his sample produced positronium, an atom made up of matter and antimatter. When they annihilate, the masses are gone and pure energy is formed.
In December 1971, Steldt received his Ph.D. in physics, with an electrical engineering minor. He then became a research associate and taught a semester of sophomore physics to undergraduate students in Nicholson Hall. When a position opened up at Indiana University, he was hired. "I became the one person that had all these things," Steldt explained. "That was my career. Everything that happened as a result of that job shaped my life, and the one reason why I got that job was because what I did at LSU was unique." During his time at IU, he became interested in astronomy, particularly in solar eclipses. Steldt began traveling around the world photographing them. He would host "star parties" on the campus lawn, which later grew into introductory astronomy classes that routinely filled up just after registration started. He also became interested in lasers and holography and these interests led to the building of the IU Kokomo Observatory/Lecture Hall, which also contained a laser laboratory. This building is still used today by students in astronomy, physics, and physical science courses. Now, Steldt spends his days traveling the world with his family, still attempting to capture solar eclipses. His current goal is to join the Traveler's Century Club, a group of people who have each traveled to over 100 countries. Steldt has travelled to 100 countries which include recent trips to Tibet, Mainland China, Macau, Chile, and Easter Island. Though he is retired, Steldt still keeps up with the field of physics. "Physics is the world around us; it's how things work. You can't have anything more important than how things work in the world in which you live," he said. Steldt has always felt indebted to LSU. He is leaving a generous gift to the physics department, and in return, he gets to leave a legacy, something he has wanted to do for a long time.
Alumni & Development
NEWS
Alumni
COLLABORATIONS Science Alums Link HPV to Neck Cancers By Lauren Manuel
High-risk human papillomaviruses, or HPVs, are usually associated with cervical cancers. However, Dr. Karen Adler-Storthz, professor emerita of the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas School of Dentistry, and Dr. Erich Sturgis, professor of surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, are furthering HPV research by showing the possible genetic and epigenetic factors that predispose an individual to develop HPV-associated cancers of the oropharynx, or middle part of the throat. “Collaboration is the key to success in today’s research world,” says Storthz. The progress of her research on HPV and its connection to cancer would not have been successful without the help of her colleague and fellow LSU alum Dr. Erich Sturgis. Sturgis first met Storthz in the mid 1990s at the Texas Medical Center where he sought her out as a collaborator. Sturgis was interested in HPV as it related to head and neck cancer while Storthz had been studying the virus for many years in both the oral cavity and in the cervix with the intention of developing a test for antibodies to the virus. Together, the alums confirmed the association of HPV (type 16) with cancers of the oropharynx using a “Collaboration is the key to test for antibodies to success in today’s research world” the virus. They began to answer questions about possible co-factors in the development of this cancer, which ruled out smoking as a co-factor in the population that they studied. The team then extended their work to show that genetic differences in one gene (p53) might be one of the many factors that increased the propensity to develop HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer in non-smokers.
Dr. Erich Sturgis and Dr. Karen Adler-Storthz
Dr. Storthz earned her Bachelor of Science in microbiology from LSU in 1976. Content with her family roots in Louisiana, she remained in Louisiana and earned a Master of Science in 1978 and a Ph.D. in 1981 from the LSU School of Graduate Studies in New Orleans. She is also a member of the College of Science Dean's Circle. Dr. Sturgis graduated from LSU in biochemistry in December of 1985. He later earned an M.D. from Georgetown School of Medicine, followed by a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Sturgis is also a member of the Dean's Circle. When asked why they decided to attend LSU, both admitted that the choice was obvious. Dr. Sturgis’ grandfather, Madison B. Sturgis, was an agronomy professor at LSU for many years. Sturgis Hall is named in his honor. Storthz grew up in Alexandria and never considered any other school. “LSU is in my blood,” replied Storthz. Both researchers reside in Houston and remain good friends. “As our interests coincide, I am sure we will work together again,” said Storthz. Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Storthz pictured holding a digital rendering of the HPV virus.
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT | 19
Alumni & Development
NEWS LSU Foundation secures $2 million endowment to enhance math, science teacher education at LSU The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) presented a check for $1 million to the LSU Foundation for the GeauxTeach Math/Science NMSI presents check for $1 million to the LSU Foundation. L to R: Guillermo Ferreyra, interim dean, teacher preparation program during a reception College of Science; William Jenkins, interim president and chancellor, Laura Lindsay, dean, College of Human Sciences & Education; Patty Pickard, NMSI CFO, Stuart Bell, provost; Bill Wischusen, March 12 at LSU Memorial Tower. The donation associate professor, biological sciences; Heather Bass, GeauxTeach graduate; and Jeff McLain, vice was a result of a challenge issued by NMSI to raise president for development, LSU Foundation $1 million in endowment to grow the GeauxTeach program. LSU alumni, corporate partners, and a private foundation made gifts to support students, Prior to receiving the NMSI grant, GeauxTeach graduated 14 faculty and programmatic needs. The NMSI match has resulted in students per year. With the added funding, the program increased a total endowment of $2 million. its number of graduates to 27 in 2012. The program is slated for further growth with projections of 30 to 35 graduates per year. “We are extremely excited about this endowment and the positive impact that it will have on math and science education in LSU leads its peer NMSI institutions in recruitment drawing Louisiana,” says Guillermo Ferreyra, interim dean, LSU College of an average of 125 GeauxTeach Math/Science recruits annually Science. “This endowment will allow us to accept more students compared to 80 at other NMSI universities. A replication of the into the GeauxTeach Math/Science program and to graduate highly regarded UTeach program at the University of Texas at more math and science teachers who will positively impact the Austin, GeauxTeach has become a blueprint for effective science children of Louisiana.” and mathematics teacher preparation across the nation. In 2007, LSU was one of 13 institutions awarded a $2.4 million grant from NMSI to expand the already successful math and science component of the teacher preparation program. Today, GeauxTeach students can pursue a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, or physics while concurrently pursuing a concentration in the theories and methods of teaching. The program places students in K-12 classrooms as early as their freshman year and provides more intense field experiences in their junior and senior years.
“GeauxTeach is a transformational way to recruit, prepare, and support science and math teachers. This fundraising effort was successful because of the generosity of LSU’s alumni and friends. Ron and I were proud to join other donors in support of this program that is critical to inspiring the next generations of leaders in energy, healthcare, national security, technology, our environment and beyond,” said Dr. Mary Neal, LSU zoology and medical school alumna and development chair of the College of Science’s Executive Committee.
We would like to acknowledge all of the donors who gave to the GeauxTeach Math/Science Program Pat Bodin Clarence and Ann Cazalot Frank and Pat Harrison Jr. 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge Sharon A. Besson Hardy and Jeanette Coon Jamie and Jane Egasti
Harry Martin Scott and Espe Moran Ron and Dr. Mary Neal Dr. William M. Girard Dr. William and Mary Helen Hamilton Dr. George and Mary Helmer Jr. Interact for Change
Lancelot and Maggie Olinde Sr. Mike and Carol Stamatedes Dr. Marvin E. Stuckey
Mike and Lee Ann van den Bold
Dr. James J. Madden Charles and Andrea McMakin Mariner Energy Inc. Joshua T. Moulton Dr. Frank M. Neubrander
Edward B. Picou Jr. Shell Oil Company Foundation Dr. Danny and Kay Williamson Dr. Letah Yang
ank u h T Yo
Alumni & Development
Development
BRIEFS
‹‹
NEWS
Dean's Circle 2012 LSU alum and NASA Mars Rover Flight Director Keith Comeaux gave Dean's Circle (DC) members a glimpse into the Mars Rover Landing during the College of Science annual DC dinner. Comeaux served as the guest speaker where he detailed the excitement surrounding the historic event. Comeaux is pictured (middle) with former College of Science Dean Kevin Carman (far left) and chair of Physics & Astronomy Mike Cherry (far right). This year's dinner was well-attended with more than 100 attendees including DC members; faculty, staff, and students; and friends of the college. The evening's activities included poster presentations by some of the college's undergraduate and graduate students giving dinner guests an inside view of some of the research that our students are involved in.
Hall of
Distinction 2013
‹‹ Far left: DC member Dr. Terren Klein talks with one of our student presenters. Right: DC members Gen. Jasper Welch and his wife and former LSU Darling Jane Ann Welch.
The College of Science will officially induct five new members during its 2013 Hall of Disctinction ceremony on April 26, at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. This year's inductees are:
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Patricia Bodin | Bodin, a native of Hammond, Louisiana, earned a BS in mathematics from LSU in 1972. She began her career at Humble Oil, which was eventually acquired by ExxonMobil. Bodin was appointed chief information officer and vice president of ExxonMobil's global information services organization. She is a member of the College of Science Dean's Circle Executive Committee where she serves on the Outreach Committee. Bodin has established the Patricia Hewlett Bodin Distinguished Professorship for the GeauxTeach Program and the James E. Curtis Professorship of Entrepreneurial Management in honor of her late father.
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George Boudreaux | Boudreaux, a native of Covington, Louisiana, earned a BS in microbiology from LSU in 1971 and a pharmacy degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Boudreaux opened Boudreaux's Family Pharmacy in 1978 and is known throughout the nation as the creator of Boudreaux's Butt Paste, an ointment to treat infant diaper rash and other ailments. Boudreaux is a member of our Dean’s Circle and serves on the Executive Committee as chair of the Outreach subcommittee.
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John Franks (1925-2003) | Franks, a native of Haughton, Louisiana, earned a BS degree in geology from LSU in 1949. After graduation, he joined Midstates Oil Corporation in Shreveport as a geologist. Franks founded Franks Petroleum Inc. in 1957 and is recognized as one of the first oilmen to realize the benefits and potential of the tighter gas sands in the Houston and Cotton Valley trends of north Louisiana. Prior to his death, he established the John Franks Chair in Geology. The chairship was doubled in 2010 by the John and Alta Franks Foundation, making it the first $2 million chair in that department.
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Gary Grest | Grest earned a BS degree, an MS and a Ph.D. in physics in 1971, 1973, and 1974 from LSU. After graduation, he worked for Rutgers University and the University of Chicago before accepting the position of assistant professor at Purdue University in 1979. Grest is employed as a scientist for the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a department within Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He works in the Science Thrust: Theory and Simulation of Nanoscale Phenomena research unit that studies the assembly, interfacial interactions, and emergent properties of nanoscale systems.
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Michael Griffith | Griffith, a native of Mansfield, Louisiana, earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1963. In 1968, he earned his Ph.D. in physical-organic chemistry from LSU as Boyd Professor William Pryor’s first student. Griffith worked for 30 years in industrial research and development. In 1990, he joined ARCO Chemical as vice president of R&D worldwide where he led a major effort to develop a new process to make polyether polyols. He and his wife, Donna, have funded two chemistry professorships named in honor of Dr. William A. Pryor, one of which has grown into an endowed chair.
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT | 21
Alumni & Development
NEWS GIVING in
Action
Dean's Circle supports boot camp students
The College of Science welcomed more than 300 future scientists to the LSU campus this summer as they prepared for life as college students. Of the 300 participants, 86 were supported by more than $25,000 in scholarships provided by Dean's Circle (DC) members. The DC and the new DC Outreach Committee sponsored the boot camp's opening and closing ceremonies, and a number of the committee members were on hand to interact with the students and their families. Throughout the week-long boot camps, participants listened to a variety of lectures by College of Science professors. These lectures consisted of educational content, as well as learning strategy discussions, academic scheduling and structure, healthy sleeping and eating habits, and managing finances responsibly. Study time, research presentations, and lab tours were also incorporated into the week's agenda. The students stayed in campus housing, and were tested on the content presented in the lectures. Sheri Wischusen, one of the creators of the boot camps, said, “We want it to feel like finals week. Incoming students get a taste of college, and the boot camp is more for preparing purposes, not actual education.” During the closing ceremony, participants were recognized with “best group” honors and “most improved group.” Following the ceremony, a small banquet was held in the student union where participants and their families enjoyed refreshments, networked with college alumni
George Boudreaux and Terry Latiolais, members of the Dean's Circle Outreach Committee, attended the closing awards ceremony for the 2012 boot camp program.
and faculty, and listened to talks given by DC Outreach Committee members. Dean’s Circle members continue to play a pivotal role in the success of the boot camps. Students who participate in these programs are better prepared for college work, have higher retention rates, and usually graduate within four years. "I have followed the implementation and success of the boot camp since its inception. However, I did not fully appreciate this program until I was given the opportunity to attend dinner with the actual students. They are an amazing group of very motivated and intelligent students," says DC member, Neil Kestner. "I urge you as alumni, friends, and retired faculty of the College of Science to join Arlene and me and visit personally with this unique group. You too will be impressed by the students and the program." The Kestners have created a scholarship endowment at the LSU Foundation to support students attending the boot camps. In addition to their generous financial support, the Kestners hope that other alumni, friends, and retired faculty of the College of Science will donate to the boot camps. "Through our personal experience, we are absolutely convinced that the Science Boot Camp Programs help ensure a successful academic career in science at LSU. We view our support as an investment in the future of science students, and we hope you will consider donating to this program."
The Dean's Circle is a loyal group of alumni and friends who share a passion for advancing scientific scholarship and research at LSU. Dean's Circle membership recognizes
# the | The PURSUIT generosity of alumni and friends who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more to the Science Development Fund. If you would like to give to the pre-college boot camps and/or become a member of the Dean's Circle, email annmarie@lsu.edu.
Bootcamp Success
LaSHANDRA ADAMS 2012 Bootcamp Participant Freshman, Biological Sciences
Houma native, LaShandra Adams graduated from H.L. Bourgeois High School May 2012. As most high school graduates, she was excited about starting a new chapter in her academic career and was happy to find that she was eligible for a full boot camp scholarship. "If I would have not received a scholarship, I may not have been able to attend BIOS," says Adams. "I would have really missed out on a big opportunity." Adams finished her first semester with a 4.0 GPA and credits the boot camps for giving her the preparation she needed to be successful her first semester. "Participating in BIOS really helped me to prepare for my first semester. I was able to meet the teachers, take practice exams, and familiarize myself with the campus," says Adams. "I would recommend all incoming science majors to participate in the camps. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it really benefits you in the end."
National
Recognition
LSU Biology Boot Camp, Center for Academic Success Receive National Award
The LSU Biology Boot Camp (BIOS) and the Center for Academic Success (CAS) have been selected to receive the 2013 Promising Practices Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). The award is in recognition of the successful collaboration between the Department of Biological Sciences and the CAS in the nationally successful BIOS Program. The Promising Practices award recognizes programs and services that contribute to collaborative and/or integration of student and academic affairs in a college or university setting. The Center for Academic Success, nationally known for its academically transformative programs, helps students perform at their highest potential by delivering practical learning strategies through workshops, presentations, and individual consultations. While CAS works with many campus organizations and programs, the BIOS collaboration is a unique experience. Sheri Wischusen, director of undergraduate research, along with her husband William, associate chair in biological sciences, created the BIOS program in 2005 to give incoming first year science majors a realistic idea of college academic life. Many of these students may have been among the highest ranking students in their high schools, but to be successful in college these students needed to refine their strategies and time
management tools, as well as develop coping mechanisms to meet the academic demands of college. Academic Affairs and Student Life and Enrollment have developed a cooperative effort that gives students a holistic approach to meeting their developmental needs. As CAS teaches an array of learning strategies customized for science majors, faculty and staff reinforce these concepts in the academic arena. BIOS receives significant support from faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Biology, in addition to support from the College of Science Dean’s Circle. As a result, BIOS participants are more successful in their course work, have higher retention rates, and usually graduate within four years. This transformation has a positive impact on the departments and colleges through fewer students repeating courses and a greater number of students retained within the major. “The BIOS program, in collaboration with the Center for Academic Success, has helped prepare hundreds of first-time freshmen to make a successful transition to college,” said Wischusen. “We are honored that NASPA is recognizing our efforts to ensure that students are aware and equipped with the tools they need to succeed in college.” National Recognition continued on page 25
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT | 23
Alumni & Development
NEWS
Memory In
Alumni Professor Emeritus Marion "Soc" Socolofsky
On November 2, 2012, the LSU College of Science lost a legendary figure in the former Department of Microbiology and in the current Department of Biological Sciences, Marion "Soc" Socolofsky. Known for his leadership in establishing electron microscopy as a facility at LSU, Soc is also remembered for his role in the proposal that funded the construction of the Life Sciences Building, and his perpetual commitment as a mentor and instructor to both colleagues and students. Soc and his wife, Esther, were avid supporters of the college, members of the Dean's Circle, and would be seen at various College of Science events throughout the year. In his career, Socolofsky taught introductory biology to over 12,700 students, including 113 doctoral students and 150 master’s students. Many of the working physicians in Louisiana today have been taught by Soc. His students and peers are a testament to his character and dedication, describing him as a professor who enjoyed teaching and truly cared about his students, their welfare, and their education. He was admired and beloved by former students, faculty colleagues, and all who knew him. Marion "Soc" Socolofsky and his wife Esther photographed during the 2011 College of Science Hall of Distinction Induction Ceremony.
Meeting a
PRYOR
Commitment
College celebrates endowment of Dr. William A. Pryor Chair
The Dr. William A. Pryor professorships were initiated in 2004 by Michael Griffith (Ph.D., 1968, chemistry), who was Dr. Pryor's first doctoral student. Griffith began the professorship as tribute to his friend and mentor. Friends, family, and Dr. and Mrs. Pryor themselves have generously contributed to the fund with the goal of honoring Dr. Pryor's legacy by reaching an endowed chair level of funding.
Left to right: Dr. William A. Pryor and Dr. Michael Griffith, 1966
Boyd Professor Emeritus William A. Pryor is a pioneer in the field of free radical research. In the early part of his career, Pryor studied the role of free radicals in a variety of organic reactions. He showed early on that several kinds of free radicals are important in biochemistry as well, and also that similar reactive species in smog can enter the body through the lungs and damage cells. Pryor was also the founding director of both the Biodynamics Institute and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. His research group has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Foundation for Cancer Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Health Effects Institute, and a substantial number of national and international corporations. Research grants awarded to Dr. Pryor exceed $50 million. The Dr. William A. Pryor Chair will be used to recruit and support eminent scholars in the Department of Chemistry.
Alumni & Development
Mathematics Professor Named Roy Paul Daniels Professor Michael Malisoff is the third LSU faculty member to be named a Roy Paul Daniels Professor. A member of the mathematics faculty since 2001, Malisoff has made many significant contributions to mathematics education and research. He is currently on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control and Systems and Control Letters. He has been awarded more than $1 million in federal research grants as principal investigator, including two, three-year grants from the NSF Mathematical Sciences Priority Area Program. Malisoff received his Ph.D. in 2000 from Rutgers University with doctoral research in optimal control and Hamilton-Jacobi theory. He was a DARPA Research Associate in the Department of Systems Science and Mathematics at Washington University in Saint Louis as part of the Joint Force Air Component Commander Project. His main research involves controller design combined with analysis for nonlinear control systems with time delays and uncertainty and their applications in engineering. Malisoff has contributed more than 70 publications to control theory and its applicants while his first book, Constructions of Strict Lyapunov Functions, emerged in 2009.
NEWS
"I am very thankful to receive this distinguished professorship," said Malisoff. "Exploring interdisciplinary mathematics, and working with colleagues and students from engineering and mathematics, has always been a great pleasure and a privilege for me." One of Malisoff's current projects involves the development of controllers for marine robots that can be used to search for residual pollution from oil spills. After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Malisoff partnered with a colleague at Georgia Tech, Fumin Zhang, and Mark Patterson from the College of William and Mary, to design marine robotic methods for conducting surveys on the weathered crude oil off the coast of Louisiana. The project's long-term objectives are to develop marine survey methods that are adaptive, fault tolerant, repeatable and robust to uncertainty. Marine robots are useful due to the high costs and hazards involved with human-based surveys. The robots can retrieve water and sediment samples, making it possible to monitor the long-term impacts of environmental disasters, hazards, and stresses. Malisoff's team spent three weeks conducting fieldwork at Grand Isle during the summer of 2011. Currently, their work aims to better understand how to compensate for communication delays, which result from unfriendly sea conditions.
College Welcomes New Associate Director of Donor Relations Adrian Annette Owen is the new associate director of donor relations for the College of Science. She will be working with Senior Director of Development Ann Marie Marmande and other development staff to create and implement new strategies for stewarding donors, while creating meaningful opportunities to engage alumni. Owen comes to LSU from the state of Oklahoma, where she worked with grant-makers in the area to provide funding for nonprofits. Adrian Owen
"I am very excited to be at LSU and I look forward to working with the development team to strengthen and grow the College's resources," said Owen.
National Recognition continued from page 23 NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. The organization serves a full range of professionals who provide programs, experiences, and services that cultivate student learning and success in concert with the mission of our colleges and universities. Founded in 1919, NASPA comprises more than 13,000 members in all 50 states, 29 countries, and 8 U.S. Territories. Through high-quality professional development, strong policy advocacy, and substantive research to inform practice, NASPA meets the diverse needs and invests in realizing the potential of all its members under the guiding principles of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry. The award was presented to Melissa Brocato, CAS director, during the NASPA 2013 Annual Conference in Orlando, March 18.
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT | 25
Thank you
for supporting the LSU College of Science
1860
Society
The College of Science 1860 Society recognizes alumni and friends who have made a planned gift to the college that will enrich the college with resources in the future. For more information on the 1860 Society and other planned giving opportunities, go to http://lsu.giftlegacy.com.
Hal & Peggy Aaslestad Anonymous Mary Lou Applewhite Kenneth C. Corkum Eileen Skelly Frame & George Frame II
Dean's
Circle
Bill & Gail Pryor James W. Robinson Sr. John & Toni Sardisco Gene St. Martin Rick Steldt
James R. Stewart Jr. Marvin E. Stuckey Janet N. Younathan
Since 2007, members of the Dean’s Circle have provided the working capital needed to fund many pursuits of the College, including student organizations and educational travel expenses, faculty recruitment and recognition activities, and development initiatives to build alumni and community relations. To learn more about the College of Science Dean’s Circle , e-mail annmarie@lsu.edu.
Hal & Peggy Aaslestad Eric & Patty Abraham Samuel & Camille Abshire Bruce A. Adams, Jr. Ronnie & Denise Alvarez Mary Lou Applewhite * Larry & Alice Arthur Frank & Dianne Auer Byrd & Alice Ball Jeremy & Lu Ellen Bariola Charles & Mary Barré * Peggy A. Battalora Mark Batzer & Pam Richard * Allen & Susan Berlin Charles & Jo Black Pat Hewlett Bodin & Eric Bodin Sid * & Peggy Bonner George & Debbie Boudreaux Scott & Susan Brodie Brad A. Broussard Robert & Linda Brousse Stephen L. & Cynthia Brown Stephen T. & Catherine Brown * Jon & Jonell Brubaker Bill & Glenda Brundage Peter & Alice Burland Gary Byerly & Maud Walsh Sybil Callaway & Elias Bou-Waked Kevin Carman & Susan Welsh * Clarence & Ann Cazalot * Mike & Julie Cherry Purnell & Joan Choppin *
26 | The PURSUIT
Neil & Arlene Kestner Terry & Cheryl Latiolais Virginia L. Mouw James H. Painter Edward Picou & Dan Armstrong
Carlo & Beverly Christina * Hardy & Jeanette Coon * Bill & Janet Daly Gaston & Mimi Daumy Gregg & Hyacinth DeMar * Yagnesh and Hemaliben Desai L. J. & Chee Chee Gielen Darrin & Felicia Gipson Linda A. Goodrum Beverly Greenwell * Bill & Mary Hamilton * Reinosuke & Kuni Hara * Thomas & Brenda Harrington Frank & Patricia Harrison * Billy & Ann Harrison * George & Deborah Harrison John & Terri Havens Dicky & Judy Haydel * George & Ann Hearne George & Mary Helmer Stewart & Lauren Henry * Robert L. Herman Ken & Janet Hogstrom Robert & Joanne Holladay * Michelle & B. B. Holoubek Daniel & Rosemary Hoolihan Sue & Thorndike Howe Dana & Barbara Hutchison Leonard & Patricia Jordan Bryan & Kerri Lynn Kansas Neil & Arlene Kestner Rosa Kim & Linus Ho
Terren & Maria Klein Amanda Barré Kogos & Philip Kogos Rich & Helene Kurtz Arlo & Eunice Landolt Jim & Neilanne Lange Terry & Cheryl Latiolais John & Diane Leglue Bill & Marilyn Lovell * Barbara J. Lowery-Yilmaz & Recep Yilmaz Robert & Mary MacGregor Gordon P. Marshall Mary & Dennis McKinley Fred & Misty Meendsen Lawrence & Linda Messina Ron & Mary Neal * Stuart & Kim Oden Beverly Ogden & Bayne Dickinson Pamela & Rodney Ott James & Linda Painter * Jimmie & Ann Peltier * Ed Picou & Dan Armstrong * Charles & Pamela Pinckney Chad Prather & Camile Silva Joe & Kim Reid Rachel & Jason Reina Gil & Susan Rew Keith Rhynes & Susan Futayyeh Martin & Delores Richard David & Jennifer Rincon Xiulu Ruan & Ling Cui* Roland & Susan Samson
John & Toni Sardisco Carl & Schmulen Erik & Angela Scott Fred Sheldon & Jody Kennard Wayne & Anne Simpson Jeffrey & Shelly Sketchler Charles M. Smith * Soc * & Esther Socolofsky George & Karin Sonnier Steven & Christine Sotile Lehrue & Betty Stevens Karen Adler Storthz & Joseph Storthz Marvin E. Stuckey Erich & Shannon Sturgis Mancheol Suh James Sullivan Phyllis M. Taylor Estes & Brenda Thomas Jim Traynham & Gresdna Doty * Mel & Diane Triay * Harold M. Voss Mac & Ann Wallace Jan B. Wampold Earl H. Weidner Jasper & Jane Welch Keith & Katie White Danny & Kay Williamson * Armour C. Winslow Winnie Wong-Ng * charter members
The College of Science is grateful to all of our alumni and friends who have made the college one of their philanthropic priorities. Your contributions have helped us to maintain our top tier status among the nation's colleges and universities, and provide a world-class education to our students. The names listed in this publication reflect donations given to the College of Science or one of its departments through the LSU Foundation from January 1 to December 31, 2012.
Organizations $25,000 and above Chevron Coypu Foundation Trust Entergy Hubert Charitable Foundation J P Morgan & Company Inc. Marathon Oil Corporation Shell Oil Company $5,000 to $24,999 Albemarle Corporation BP America Inc.
COG Operating LLC Devon Energy Corporation ExxonMobil Corporation Halliburton Lion Copolymer LLC Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Newfield Exploration Company Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Roy Kiesel Ford Doody & Thurmon APLC Schlumberger Technology Corporation Taylor Porter Brooks and Phillips LLP The Boo Grigsby Foundation The Jack Webster Grigsby Foundation
$1,000 to $4,999 Encana Oil & Gas International HPC Initiative for Advanced Research Marathon Petroleum Company Nuttall Ornithological Club Welcome Host Company Up to $999 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Baton Rouge A.M. Barbe High School Baton Rouge Audubon Society
Baton Rouge Magnet High School Belle Rive Corporation Ben Franklin Senior High School Bolton High School Buckeye High School Central High School Erath High School GRSA Consultants and Engineers Hageman Family Foundation Louisiana School Club Activity Natural Resource Professionals, LLC Northshore High School St. Amant High School West Ouachita High School
Individuals $250,000 and above Billy & Ann Harrison $100,000 to $249,999 Frank & Patricia Harrison Ron & Mary Neal James & Linda Painter $25,000 to $99,999 Mary Lou Applewhite Byrd & Alice Ball Patricia Hewlett Bodin Christian & Anne Boussert James Coleman & Elizabeth Swiger Anonymous Neil & Arlene Kestner Jay & Laura Moffitt F. Scott & Esperanza Moran James W. Robinson Sr. Carolyn S. Rovee-Collier Estate of Mary S. Tobin Armour C. Winslow $10,000 to $24,999 Mark Batzer & Pamela Richard Scott & Susan Brodie
David J. Clark Hardy & Jeanette Coon Ronnie Johnson & Candace Hays Estate of George C. Kent Jr. Carolyn B. Mattax Fred & Misty Meendsen $2,500 to $9,999 Stephen & Janet Abernathy A. K. & Shirley Barton George Belchic Jr. Allen & Susan Berlin Stephen & Catherine Brown Clarence & Ann Cazalot Joanne J. Clark Charles & Arleen Goldberg Gary S. Grest Reinosuke & Kuni Hara Thorndike & Sue Howe Stephen & Karen Katz James & Neilanne Lange Terry & Cheryl Latiolais Betsey Mellor Josephine W. Nixon Stuart & Kim Oden Lancelot & Maggie Olinde James & Judith Oxley Edward Picou & Dan Armstrong Joe & Kim Reid Michael & Cille Ribaudo
Erik & Angela Scott Charles M. Smith William & Versa Stickle Karen & Troy Sullivan Tom & Judy Taylor Estes & Brenda Thomas Mel & Diane Triay Harold M. Voss Danny & Kay Williamson $1,000 to $2,499 Halvor & Peggy Aaslestad Samuel & Camille Abshire Bruce A. Adams Jr. Ronnie & Denise Alvarez Larry & Alice Arthur Frank & Dianne Auer Jeremy Bariola & Ellen Lu Charles & Mary BarrĂŠ Peggy A. Battalora Charles & Jo Black Sid * & Peggy Bonner George & Debbie Boudreaux Brad & Julie Broussard Robert & Linda Brousse Stephen L. & Cynthia Brown Jon & Jonell Brubaker Bill & Janet Daly Peter & Alice Burland Kevin Carman & Susan Welsh
J. Harman & Renae Chandler Mike & Julie Cherry Purnell & Joan Choppin Carlo & Beverly Christina Frank & Diann Cornish Bill & Janet Daly Gregg & Hyacinth DeMar Yagnesh & Hemaliben Desai Harold A. Dundee Lisa & Scott Dunn Gary & Sophit Ewing Walter O. Ford Jr. Robert & Paula Gerdes L. J. & Chee Chee Gielen Darrin & Felicia Gipson Linda A. Goodrum Beverly Greenwell Bill & Mary Helen Hamilton Thomas & Brenda Harrington Jocelyn & William Hewitt John & Terri Havens Dicky & Judy Haydel George & Deborah Hearne George & Mary Helmer Stewart & Lauren Henry Robert & Paula Herman George & Deborah Harrison Julie L. Hill Ken & Janet Hogstrom Robert & Joanne Holladay Michelle & B. B. Holoubek
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT | 27
Individuals Daniel & Rosemary Hoolihan Kai Huang Greg & Joan Hussey Dana & Barbara Hutchison Leonard & Patricia Jordan Bryan & Kerri Lynn Kansas Rosa Kim & Linus Ho Terren & Maria Klein Amanda BarrĂŠ Kogos & Philip Kogos Richard & Helene Kurtz Arlo & Eunice Landolt John & Diane Legleu Bill & Marilyn Lovell Barbara Lowery-Yilmaz & Recep Yilmaz Robert & Mary MacGregor Gordon P. Marshall Jarrod & Emily McGehee Lawrence & Linda Messina Kyle M. Metz Frank & Kristy Neubrander Beverly Ogden & Bayne Dickin Stephen L. Pagans Dale & Susan Poulter Chad Prather & Camile Silva Frederick Rainey & Alanna Small Rachel & Jason Reina Gil & Susan Rew Keith Rhynes & Susan Futayyeh Martin & Delores Richard Theodore & Dina Robinson Xiulu Ruan & Ling Cui Roland & Susan Samson John & Toni Sardisco Carl & Lyn Schmulen Fred Sheldon & Jody Kennard Wayne & Anne Simpson Jeffrey & Shelly Sketchler Marion * & Esther Socolofsky George & Karin Sonnier Curtis & Helen Sorrells Lehrue & Betty Stevens Karen Adler Storthz & Joe Storthz Erich & Shannon Sturgis James G. Sullivan Jr. Phyllis M. Taylor Jim Traynham & Gresdna Doty Mac & Anne Wallace Gary Byerly & Maud Walsh Jan Wampold & Brian Petit Richard P. Zingula Jasper & Jane Ann Welch Keith & Katie White Winnie K. Wong-Ng Janet N. Younathan Earl H. Weidner $100 to $999 Aurora Fernandez de Castro Phillip & Laurie Allen Gary W. Allen Larry Allain Michael L. Andries Marguerite F. Brown Paul Antolik & Barbara Bone M. Patrick Ardoin II
28 | The PURSUIT
continued:
William D. Baccich Diola & Ella Bagayoko Champ L. Baker Jr. Brent & Kelli Bankston Kirk & Jody Banquer Brian & Mary Barkemeyer Rodney Barlow & Patricia Fithian Cody & Kendra Barnett Deana J. Beckham Paul & Charmaine Berggreen Clay C. Bernard Sharon & Thomas Besson James Bishop & Virginia Bunker Bradley & Cynthia Black Meredith Blackwell Gregory P. Bodin Daniel & Tena Bonnet R. William & Dorothy Bowdon Matthew L. Brady Jay & Sherry Breaux Laura M. Breaux Len & Jennifer Brignac Charles P. Brocato Aminthe & Patrick Broussard Charles E. Brown Paul & Karen Buras Marguerite F. Brown Shawn S. Brown Paul A. Bruce Robb & Tiffanie Brumfield Jeffrey M. Burford Kay L. Burnell Edward & Maria Butler Michael J. Caire James & Elizabeth Caldwell Stephen & Christine Caldwell Peggy Capell Carol O. Caplan Angelo & Gretchen Capparella Roberta G. Carlisle Monika J. Carpenter Kathleen & Paul Castellanos Charles & Gloria Chapman Ye C. Choi Weizhe & Zui Chu Harold Clausen Jr. & Robin Kilpatrick Brian Hales & Catherine Coates Frank M. Coates Jr. John & Lois Cole James & Travis Coleman Leon & Carol Combs Dinos & Judith Constantinides Monroe Courtney Elizabeth J. Crandall Gretchen S. Crawford Glen L. Daigre James & Dorothy Dake Doris Darden Frank & Ellen Daspit Gaston & Mimi Daumy Frances B. Davis Terry R. David William & Peggy Davis Robert M. de Bellevue Deborah A. DeBram Ronald J. Deck Anthony J. DeLucca II
Thomas & Elizabeth Demars Patrick & Carmen Dessauer Kevin J. Dileo Alonzo * & Jeanelle Diodene William J. Donnaway Jr. M. Patricia Doody James & Kathleen Duke Sherry L. Dunn Harold P. Dupuy Jerry & Linda Edwards Jamie & Jane Egasti Michael & Rosemarie Eger Russell B. Faucett Darryl & Jennifer Felder Yu X. Feng Joseph E. Fitzgibbon Bill & Jane Flores William & Avril Font Mary L. Ford Gerald & Jan Foret Ann T. Forster Charles B. Foy Jr. Juhan Frank Alfred L. Gardner Claude & Sally Garon Mary C. Garvin Keith R. Gibson John R. Gilmore William M. Girard Anura U. Goonewardene Stewart & Clarice Gordon James D. Graham Clint B. Griffin Robert T. Grissom Joseph D. Guillory Jr. Carolyn H. Hargrave Marshall & Marie Harper Janice Harvey & David Shannon Gerard L. Hawkins Edward & Janice Haye James Hebert & Christin Lott Robert & Barbara Helmkamp William & Frances Hines Virginia G. Hodge Mark & Rhonda Hollier Tamra Humes & Collin Johnston Jay & Judith Huner Brett A. Hutchinson Morton & Phyllis Isler Robert & Jane Jemison Tim & Laura Johnson Alphonse & Ann Jolissaint Marilyn & Kenneth Jones Robert & Masoumeh Jordan Daniel M. Judy Richard J. Keller Ann T. Kessel Walter P. Kessinger Jr. Kenneth G. Kneipp William & Mary Koederitz Robert J. Kramer Jason P. Kreher Luke & Sonja Laborde John & Patsy Laker Daniel F. Lane Donald & Cheryl Langenbeck Richard & Elaine LeBlanc Jim & Kathryn Lee
Lawrence Lenay Jim & Doris Lewis Robert & Betty Lingle David Longstreth & Sue Barlett Yvonne M. Louviere Tiansheng S. Lu Bing-Hao Luo Duncan & Sandy MacKenzie Susan & Duncan MacLean James J. Madden James M. Maley Mary & Jim Maley Mary & A. G. Malliaris Charmaine B. Mamantov Jonathan & Emily Marcantel Ann C. Marchok Ann Marie Marmande Keith & Stephanie Martin Andrew & Anne Maverick Roger & Karen May William & Renee McAlister Patrick J. McCormick Donald J. McGarey Jr. Wally & Andrea McMakin Brad & Kay McPherson Lawrence & Lynnette Menconi Cynthia A. Menzel Tammy M. Messer Mark & Freda Montgomery Walter & Jennifer Morales Jim & Patricia Moroney Maury & Elizabeth Morrison Douglass & Elizabeth Morse Virginia L. Mouw David & Wendy Muth Charles R. Neatrour Ruby R. Neely Scott & Aline Nelson Joyce Nichols James & Karen Nickerson Charles & Nicole Noble Willette Y. Norman Alva & Anne O'Brien Judith L. O'Neale Charles & Diana O'Niell Rodney & Pamela Ott Shangli Ou Glenn & Mildred Ousset Brian & Jaimee Pangburn Timothy J. Pardue Paul & Beth Paskoff Dave Patton Amanda C. Pearson John & Elizabeth Pisa Richard W. Pitcher Donald & Connie Posner William & Mary Lou Potter Robert & Erika Rabalais Meghan G. Radtke Richard T. Rauch Larry & Ann Raymond Robert & Barbara Reese James & Lea Reeves Harold C. Rider III Harry & Mary Roberts James & Diane Roberts Randall & Charlene Robinson Charlene H. Ross
Timothy M. Ross Douglas & Sharon Rossman Joan B. Ruetschle John H. Runnels Stephen M. Russell Dianna G. Samuelson Eugene & Eileen Schermer James & Carol Schnabel Scott & Heather Schuber Thomas & Minh Tho Schulenberg Michael H. Schurtz Peter Scott & Diana Hews Terilyn Scott-Winful & Joel Winful John & Faye Seaberg Lynn Seeholzer Eun-Suk Seo Terence & Kristine Sillett Joel & Marla Silverberg Harold & Edna Silverman Quinn A. Simien Edward D. Sledge Wayne & Marian Slocum Charles & Margaret Smith Stacy & Kelly Smith Lawrence & Peggy Stanley Paul & Eileen Stanley Charles & Mary Steele Carl & Lisa Steinkamp Raymond W. Stephens Jr. Emily Stewart & J. M. Coleman Lawrence & Sara Stewart Keith G. Stolzle Cynthia & Jon Strohmeyer Frederick & Margaret Sullivan Michael & Julia Svoren Erick M. Swenson Amanda L. Talbot Scott & Linda Terrill Kerry & Elizabeth Thibodeaux Bruce & Colette Thomas William H. Thomason Karen A. Threlkeld Sarah C. Thyre Robert & Betty Toups Khanh C. Tran Robert & Ellise Turner John & Cynthia Tyler Hatcher Tynes Kathy Vail Steven & Renee Vidrine Harold & Kimberly Voss Clarice T. Wadsworth Clay & Augusta Waggenspack Alan M. Warren Guy H. Watkins IV Sara & Joseph Watters Jerry Wermund James & Joan Wharton James & Sue White Lawrence E. Wilkinson Brian & Sharon Williams Michael & Carla Williams Sartor O. Williams III Bruce Williamson Billy J. Wilson Gary W. Winston Chris & Gay Winters Loretta C. Witt Jack & Anna Woods Letah Yang Liangang & Lei Ye George J. Young Jr.
Yi Zhang Up to $99 Lloyd & Carolyn Aguillard Joan C. Alford Lester & Jacquelyn Ancelet Aida & Sidney Anderson Jane & Tom Anderson Robert & Linda Ardoin Johnny Armstrong Bill & Virginia Baltosser Sharon Barrell & Robert Hetes Samir & Sampa Bhattacharya Steven Bishop William & Mary Bisland Allen & Claudia Black Homer & Dianne Black Andrey & Larisa Blokhin Louis & Diane Blouse Nancy & William Boddie Nell T. Boersma John & Laura Bosnak Kevin A. Boudreaux Andre L. Boutte Kailyn P. Brabham Donald M. Bradburn Joe & Elaine Bradley Harold & Priscilla Breaux Roger & Barbara Breedlove Billy & Jaclyn Brizzard Elsie C. Brochu Latisia & Johnny Brooks James A. Brown Joan H. Brown Melody Bruce & David Ray Wendell & Dawn Brumfield
Resa F. Burke Thomas W. Byrd Joseph & Sharey Caire Sabra M. Caldwell Margaret W. Campbell Hendrik & Mary Carleton Roberta A. Carpenter Leila Causbie Victor & Carolyn Cavaroc Kelvin Y. Chang Milton C. Chapman Michael & Crystal Chatelain Kerry A Chelette Win-Yeu W. Chen Craig & Patricia Clifford Cynthia L. Coco Vernon D. Coffman Jr. Marcia & Neal Colonius Janene Crosby Samuel & Donna Cunningham Benny & Sandra Daigle Kenneth & Marcia Daigle Clifford E. D'Angelo June A. D'Angelo Bob & Barbara Danos Jerome A. Darsey Christopher P. Davis Margaret Deitrich Dennis Demcheck & Kay Radlauer Herbert Derman Brian & E. Maria Despinasse Philip & Catherine Disalvo Carl & Coretta Douglas Peter Drop Lewis T. Duffie
Gregory J. Dugas Tammy R. Dugas Anton & Julia DuMars Robert & Mary Dunnell Jennifer & Randy Duplechain Michael T. Duplechain Allen & Deborah Dupre Fannie & Robert Easterly Susan M. Eaton Carol E. Edwards Mary L. Eggart John E. Erffmeyer John S. Everett Jr. Philip D. Moses John & Susan Exnicios Kyle & Catherine Farrar Joan & Mark Faust Carolyn H. Feinberg Sue A. Field Joelle J. Finley Catherine A. Fletcher Jeri A. Flynn Peter & Alice Fogg Carol B. Foster Andrea P. Fournet Bobby R. Fowler Joseph L. Gato Craig & Cathy Gauthier Eugene & Ginger Gomes Michael & Virginia Gremillion Trula & James Gross Kurt & Wendy Gust Kevin C. Haaga Louise Haas Jene & Maxine Hall Gerald V. Hannan
Individuals
Kyle Harms & Jessica Eberhard David P. Harper Susan L. Harrington Douglas & Kay Harrison Robert N. Harvey Jacque Havelka Fareed T. Hawwa Stuart Head Phillip & Sybil Hebert Torrie A. Hebert Wallis & Lydia Hines Joseph M. Hochheiser Charles & Ruth Horne Karen Houters Gaylord M. Holt Ming-Shan & Ming-Yuan Hsieh Dorothy & John Hudson James M. Iles Satya S. Indukuri Barbara M. Jackson Ann & Herman Jarobe Gregory & Susan Jeansonne Cecil C. Jemison David & Connie Johnson Beverly M. Keiser Beverly & Clifford Keiser Jerome & Holly Keister George E. Keller Roy & Margaret Kelly Ralph & Melanie Kenning Fred A. Kent Edward & Nancy Khoury Karrie & Kerry Kilgore Charlotte Kimball David & Hillary Kinchen George A. Knesel Gail J Kreher Brian R. Kurtz
continued:
Sterling S. Lacy Donald & Dorothy Lantz Paul & Rebecca Larose Karla & Robert Lemoine James A. Lloyd Bruce H. Lobitz Leopold Loeb * James & Grace Lutschg Michael Maddox & Mary Camille Lynn S. Maheu Stephen B. Maley Ernest & Barbara Martin Troy M. Martin Phyllis L. Mayo Doug McMurry Thomas L. McNeely Jr. Tracie T. Meeks Charles R. Mestayer Anne N. Middleton Abdul & Monsurat Mohammed Marian D. Moore David & Chaleo Morais Cathy & Donald Mueller Jesse & Charlina Mulkey Daniel E. Mulligan Michael G. Murphy Buford M. Myers III Nancy & Paul Newfield Khue D. Nguyen Susan J. Nichols William A. Noble Heber R. Norckauer Jr. Hope J. Norman Isabel & Roberto Nunez Elizabeth A. Oszewski Michael & Rebecca Patin Robert & Jane Patterson Robin & Lynn Philippe
Allen & Elizabeth Phillips Alvin M. Phillips Jr. Eileen Pilcher John & Suzanna Politz Harriett Pooler Julie & Bruce Press Richard & Angela Provensal Jordyn Pruett Robert & Jeanette Rackley Narsing G. Rao Kent & Karen Rhodes Jude A. Ricard Leonard & Joan Richardson Bert & Suellen Riemenschneider Scott E. Robbins Jeanette & Wayne Robideaux James & Krista Roche Manley & Yvonne Roe Gwen Rota Kenneth & F. C. Roussel Alyson E. Saadi Virginia E. Sanders Michael & Pamela Schonefeld Ambar N. Sengupta Richard C. Sheldon John & Lisa Simpson Beverly C. Smiley Barbara A. Smith Janna & Ivan Smith Suzanne B. Smith Jerome K. Snyder Russell S. Sobel Eric S. Socolofsky Hester & Thomas Sofranko Donald M. Soignet Timothy L. Sorrells Dale K. St. Amant Kenneth & Desiree St. Romain
Sharon B. Staffel Julie & Jody Stagg Ruth & Alden Stockinger A. Lloyd & Pamela Stoessell Troye & Olga Svendson Jay C. Svoboda Phyllis & Richard Talluto Clarence R. Teagle Dana L. Thomas Jenny & Kenneth Thomas Mack F. Thompson Patricia & Kenneth Tipton Ramy J. Toma Sallye J. Toniette Jeffrey & Alice Trahan Gregory & Margaret Trahan Barbara S. Turner Krishna M. Uppuluri Udayabharathi Vallalar Joseph G. Vallee Cheryl J. Vanis John & Alice Wade Patricia G. Watermeier Philip L. Waterworth Frederick & Anna Wehle Robert & Susan Weller Sidney & Elizabeth White Robert & Yvonne Whitmarsh Duane J. Williams Jacqueline B. Williams Vicki H. Williams Charles R. Wilson Walker B. Wilson Rebecca J. Wolhart Carol M. Younathan
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GIVING Potential
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science.lsu.edu
LSU College of Science
Mission Statement The mission of the College of Science is to provide the highest quality educational programs and to create and disseminate new knowledge through scientific research. Through fulfillment of this mission, our students become scientifically literate citizens and our graduates have the opportunity to pursue successful careers in science and related disciplines. We are committed to being the primary scientific intellectual resource for Louisiana and a leader in the nation, promoting economic development by the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice.
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Join the
LSU College of Science
DEAN'S CIRCLE
The Dean's Circle (DC) is a loyal group of alumni and friends who share a passion for advancing scholarship and research at LSU. Our DC provides the working capital needed to fund pursuits of the College, including scholarships for first-time freshmen, student organizations and educational travel expenses, faculty recruitment and recognition activities, and development initiatives that build alumni and community relations. Dean's Circle membership recognizes the generosity of alumni and friends who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more to the Science Development Fund. Members enjoy invitations to events hosted by the college, including the annual Dean's Circle dinner and Hall of Distinction Ceremony, special communications from the dean throughout the year, and opportunities to meet and network with college leadership and other members. To join by mail, make your check payable to "LSU Foundation-Science Dean's Circle" and mail your check to: LSU Foundation, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 To donate online, go to "lsufoundation.org/contribute" and complete the information on the online form. Select the "College of Science" as your gift designation and then select "Science Development Fund." CONTACT US: For more information on the Dean's Circle, please contact Ann Marie Marmande, annmarie@lsu.edu., 225.578.4906