on his eighth solo CD, Little Vigils, inspired by the nature walks he takes with his eldest son. “I’m a biologist by training,” said Mark, who has a master’s degree in evolutionary biology, “and I’ve always spent a lot of time in the woods, but I had really gotten away from that as a touring songwriter.” After buying a house in a rural area of Melrose, Mass., he’s “reconnected with that part of myself” through his oldest son, who loves to take nature walks. For Little Vigils, Mark and the band headed to Parsonsfield, Maine, to a 1700s-era Maine farmhouse that’s now a recording studio. “This project is the first time I ever holed up somewhere away from my family to make a record,” he said. “Having little kids now, it was just easier and more fair to all involved to truly immerse myself in the record for a few days, and then go home and be totally focused on my duties there.”... Brandy Gibbs-Riley, assistant professor of graphic design and design history at Colby-Sawyer College, returned to Bates to speak about a career in graphic design and teaching.... Loren Hayes is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Louisiana–Monroe, where his research focuses on the evolutionary significance and neural mechanisms influencing rodent sociality and mating systems. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Loren does summer research in Chile on a rodent endemic to the country’s central and northern regions. This summer his student researchers include recent biology graduate Andrew Bernard ’11, whose Bates adviser was Will Ambrose, same as Loren’s.... The Korea JoongAng Daily profiled Hwaseung Group, which has grown from a small shoe manufacturer into a diverse corporation and South Korea’s leading manufacturer of automotive parts and fine chemicals. Jiho Hyun is the group’s vice chairman; he is the oldest son of co-chairman Hyun Seunghoon and the grandson of the Hwaseung Group founder.... The Burlington Free Press caught up with musician Jay Terrien just before he performed at the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles, playing viola in Rihanna’s string section as part of the half-time show. He is a session player in LA, where he gets jobs on electric bass or acoustic viola; he studied the latter at Bates. He also plays electric bass guitar. “My musical skill set, playing both instruments, I have to be responsible for every genre of music. I do everything, and I like doing it all: pop jobs, rock jobs, orchestra jobs, country gigs.”
97 l reunion 2012, June 8–10 l
Class Co-Secretaries: Christopher J. Gailey and Leah Wiedmann Gailey, 8 Deerfield Rd., Freeport ME 04032, thegaileys@myfairpoint.net, leah.gailey@ gmail.com Class President: Lawrence L. Ackerman, 48 Sunrise St., Plainview NY 11803, larryack@hotmail.com Bates squash coach Pat Cosquer and wife Olivia bought a house in Portland’s Back Cove. They went to France and Holland in 2010 for squash, and he’s leading another squash tour to New Zealand this summer. Pat’s men’s team at Bates finished 15th in the nation with an 18-11 record; the women’s team was 15-11 and 11th in the nation.... Heather Davies Bernard enjoys her work as assistant general counsel at the Texas Department of Agriculture where she administers federal food and nutrition programs. She and Durel welcomed their first child, John “Jack” Bernard, in March 2010. She’s happy that Kyle and Regan Flaherty live in Austin now too.... Sharleen Davis-Ruiz left her job as a commercial litigator to take a breather, refocus her career, and help her husband grow his acupuncture clinic. Shayla Isabel Ruiz is now 1. Sharleen got a real-estate license to keep busy.... Billy Hayes was named director of customer and sales satisfaction for Nissan’s Americas region, based in Franklin, Tenn.... William Innis enjoys working at Boston ENT Associates. He and Anne, who celebrate their 10th anniversary this summer, are the parents of Maddie (2) and Katherine Skye, born
William DePaolo ’99
Gut Instincts Hundreds of trillions of bacteria make their home in the gut, outnumbering human cells in the body. Generally, these microbes go about their business quietly — digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and helping immune cells recognize invaders. But everyday factors such as stress, illness, or even a chance encounter with a normally benign food or substance can perturb the system, causing detrimental health effects. William DePaolo ’99 knows about such encounters. He recently directed a study showing how vitamin A can cause changes in intestinal bacteria, triggering an inflammatory response to gluten in those who are genetically susceptible. Previously, vitamin A was thought to help suppress inflammation in the intestine. DePaolo’s interest in the regulatory mechanisms of the gut was, itself, sparked by chance encounters. At Bates, his passion for science led him to apply for a Bates-sponsored Ladd Internship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. There, he studied solid tumor immunology under cancer doctor Howard Scher ’72, becoming mesmerized by bacteria’s sway over the human body. He went on to study mucosal biology at Northwestern University Medical School, where, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, he joined other U.S. researchers in investigating countermeasures and vaccines for potential biological weapons.
in September 2010.... Erin Matlack loves working as a nanny in Charlestown, Mass. She and her fiancé bought and rehabbed an antique cape in Holbrook. She sings with the Braintree Choral Society.... Katie McQuilkin Garnett and William welcomed Henry on Feb. 16, 2011. He joins Callie (6) and Liam (4). Katie planned to return part time to her pediatric practice in Lexington, Mass.... Anne-Marie Miller Treat and Ben ’98 welcomed Samuel Whittier Miller Treat on Nov. 2, 2010. He joins Rachel (9) and Adam (6). Anne-Marie works part time as a clinical social worker.... Maine news outlets highlighted the leadership of women’s advocate Sarah Standiford. In her capacity as executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, she wrote an op-ed for the Portland Press Herald commenting on right-to-work proposals before the Maine Legislature. Criticizing the bills, which in Maine would make paying for union benefits voluntary, she says that “there are two proven ways for women to increase their earnings. One is access to higher education.... The second way is to be part of a collective bargaining agreement,
By Susan Gaidos
Doctorate in hand, DePaolo headed to the University of Chicago (where he sponsored his own Ladd intern) to study Yersinia pestis, the agent of bubonic plague. There, “in full garb and a protective suit” he helped direct studies showing how Y. pestis alters the immune system to make the plague so deadly. The findings made front-page news and were published in the journal Science. His interest in the complexities of bacteriahost relationships fully piqued, DePaolo then looked at how such relationships contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. Celiac disease, for example, is triggered by the ingestion of gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Yet only a small percentage of susceptible people get the disease. “That means there has to be an environmental trigger,” DePaolo says. Studies offered a clue: Celiac sufferers carry high amounts of an immune protein called interleukin-15 in their gut. DePaolo’s team genetically engineered a mouse to express high levels of IL-15. When the scientists fed gluten to these mice, they developed intestinal inflammation and antibodies against gluten, just as celiac patients do. When vitamin A was added to the mix, the symptoms got worse. These latest findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature, could lead to new treatments for celiac disease. Already, researchers are testing ways to neutralize IL-15 in those susceptible to the disease. DePaolo, a newly hired assistant professor at the University of Southern California, plans to take his studies a step further. With a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, he’s investigating how infections that come into the intestine affect long-term health. “These microbes contribute so much to our health and day-to-day living,” he says. “If you’re someone with a genetic susceptibility, the pathogens you encounter in life are important in determining how healthy you may be.”
which levels the playing field for everyone.”... Jen Van Gelder is an account director at Baldwin/Clancy/ Rogan, a small ad agency near Boston. She and Greg, who live in Hingham, welcomed a son, Tucker James, in February.
98 l reunion 2013, June 7–9 l
Class Committee: Robert R. Curtis, 960 MacArthur Dr., Ballston Spa NY 12020, robcurtis@eatonvance .com; Douglas R. Beers, 14 Prescott Ct., Basking Ridge NJ 07920, douglas.beers@gmail.com; Liam Leduc Clarke and Renee Leduc Clarke, 639 Lamont St. N.W., Washington DC 20010, ldlc639@yahoo .com, rleducclarke@yahoo.com; Tyler W. Munoz, Unit 3, 24 Upton St., Boston MA 02118, tylermunoz@gmail.com Jon Allen, an assistant professor of biology at William & Mary, returned to Bates to give a talk on “Complex Life Cycles and the Evolution of Larval Form in Marine Invertebrates.”... By two minutes, defending
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