CAMPUS NEWS
BIOCHEM MAJOR NAMED LINCOLN LAUREATE
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obhi kazmouz, a senior biochemistry major originally from Syria, has been named Monmouth College’s 2018 Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, joining an elite group of Illinois college students honored for overall excellence.
Kazmouz is congratulated by President Wyatt.
Selected to work last summer at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, where he was matched with Dr. Jerome Ritz’s lab at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Kazmouz worked on a project to monitor the immune profiles of bone marrow transplant patients with chronic graftversus-host disease. “He is incredible at research and eloquent in his explanations of his research,” said chemistry professor Laura Moore, who has collaborated with Kazmouz on site-directed mutagenesis and protein assays as well as studied the
effect of different interactions on protein structure of the E. coli FNR transcription factor. Kazmouz said he hopes to become a medical doctor, working in immunology or oncology. “I really love the process of scientific discovery and research,” he said. “Even before coming to Monmouth, I was inspired to pursue that path by my parents. My mother is a dentist, and my father is a doctor.” Outside of the classroom, Kazmouz has served in many leadership roles on campus, including co-president of the Pre-Health Society, supplemental instructor for general chemistry and organic chemistry, member of the editorial board for the Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research, and international student orientation leader. A resident assistant for two years, Kazmouz is a member of two honor societies—Alpha Lambda Delta and Mortar Board—and has volunteered at Monmouth’s OSF Holy Family Hospital.
Farmers Can Wear Kilts
60 YEARS and still going strong
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arlow blum, emeritus professor of art, retired from teaching in 1999 after a 40-year career, but he may never retire as an artist.
A major retrospective of Blum’s lifetime of work, spanning more than six decades, opened in October at Monmouth’s Buchanan Center for the Arts and ran through early January. Wide-ranging themes in the exhibit included the effects of global warming, the cycles of nature in volcano eruptions and lava flows, the majestic forms of mountains and canyons, and the serene calm of Japanese landscapes and gardens. A distinctive feature of the exhibit was his acrylic collage paintings, which make use of sand, resins, bird gravel, Japanese handmade papers and cedar boards, and rusted metals. His “Fire and Ice” works are constructed using expandable foam.
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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE
Eight Monmouth students represented the College in the famous Blue Room at the 2018 National Future Farmers of America Convention & Expo in Indianapolis in October. Wearing pins proclaiming “Farmers Can Wear Kilts,” the team showed a video and performed demonstrations to FFA high school attendees. From left are Esther Hubbard, Morgan Abraham, Noah Applegate, Brie Stumbo, Bridgette Davey, Riley Criddle, Declan Crego and Colton Willhardt. They were accompanied by physics professor Chris Fasano.
