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over 150 varieties of herbs throughout the continental United States. They use biologically sound principles in growing and in all aspects of the business, from packaging to the choice of shippers, reflecting a business model that they refer to as “grown right.” Both Briscoe and Kenan White have been involved with numerous environmental organizations, including Delta Waterfowl, The James River Association and The Nature Conservancy of Virginia, the country’s leading conservation organization that protects ecologically impor-
tant land and water globally. Dr. Gail Steehler, who coordinates Roanoke College’s Environmental Studies Program, believes the Good Shepherd Fund will have a huge impact on the program. “It will help us to realize some things we’ve wanted to do,” she said. “Now, we will be able to implement them on a larger scale. We are seeing significant student growth in the program, so it’s perfect timing for additional resources.” Steehler expects the Good Shepherd Fund
to support student projects, such as those connected to a class project as well as ideas suggested by students. The fund also will provide support for projects in the environmental practicum, a capstone course for environmental studies majors. “It will also help strengthen ties with the community,” Steehler said. “We plan to name a faculty member as the experiential project coordinator, and the Good Shepherd Fund will help the coordinator to make connections in the community.”
STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENCE
Henretta gift establishes microscopy facility n incredibly generous gift from the estate of Dr. Thomas Ross Henretta ’58 has allowed the Roanoke College biology department to establish a state-of-the-art microscopy facility in the College’s science complex. Dr. Henretta, who died in 2012, practiced general surgery in the Roanoke Valley for 42 years. Known for his dedication to his profession and for his devotion to his patients, he remained a lifelong and contributing member of the Roanoke College family for nearly 50 years. For his consistent and Henretta long-standing devotion to his alma mater, Henretta was named a Sesquicentennial Distinguished Alumnus by the College and designated a member of its Honor Guard. The centerpiece of the new microscopy facility is a confocal microscope — one of two microscopes purchased with the Henretta gift. A confocal instrument is a special kind of fluorescent microscope. Fluorescence microscopy takes advantage of the fact that when certain substances, called fluorophores, are illuminated by a specific color of light, they will emit fluorescent light that can be detected, digitized and displayed on a high-resolution computer screen. A cell or tissue sample
BEN WALKER ’15/DR. CHRIS LASSITER
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Transgenic zebrafish embryos glow green in nerve cells that extend from the brain into the face in this photo taken with the confocal microscope. (The head of the fish is to the right.) These fish can be used as the basis for student projects involving environmental pollutants and their effects on developing organ systems.
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As students look on, Dr. Dar Jorgensen traces the developing circulatory system of a zebrafish embryo heart in an image taken with the confocal microscope.
can be “stained” with a fluorphore to localize structures or molecules of interest inside an observed object. A confocal microscope operates on the same principle but has the added advantage of being able to image relatively thick specimens. A computer incorporated with the microscope allows for multiple, thin optical sections to be made of the object. The computer software then reconstructs a group of these sections, providing stunning, threedimensional, full-color views of the object that can be rotated in all directions on the computer screen. Projects already under way in the biology department are allowing Roanoke undergraduate students to view the developing zebrafish nervous system and localize bacteria trapped in the gills of blue crabs and lobsters. “The acquisition of this instrument allows us to provide exciting new opportunities in a number of our faculty research laboratories,” said Dr. Darwin Jorgensen, Brian H. Thornhill Professor of Biology at Roanoke. “It affords Roanoke undergraduate students access to equipment usually available only at graduate institutions. While it will provide many exciting research enhancements, it will also be important as a teaching tool in our cell and molecular biology courses and as such, will have a broad impact on our student population.”
Roanoke College Magazine