Faces of MAC

Some might be satisfied with the athletic accomplishment of competing for Team U.S.A., but not club member Elizabeth Wiita. The former MAC Synchro star developed an even deeper passion while traveling abroad as an ambassador for artistic swimming: Eradicating global health disparities.

“At Barnard College of Columbia University, I worked in an electrochemistry lab for three years investigating kidney stones that form from buildups of cystine, an amino acid found in the human body, and designed a tool to sense them,” she recounts. Wiita would go on to earn her degree in chemistry, yet another step toward her most recent milestone, being named one of the 24 recipients of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

As the old saying goes, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” and the road to this honor was paved with research designed to improve global health at every step. “After college, I collaborated on an ongoing geochemistry project in Cambodia to engineer sensors for arsenic levels in rice and drinking water. High levels of arsenic are poisonous to humans. Cambodia’s groundwater welling system has steadily increased in levels of the tasteless toxin in the past few decades.

“Then, as a Fulbright Scholar in Romania, I engineered renewable energy sources, called biofuels, to mitigate the health consequences of climate change,” she continues. “I am now pursuing a master’s in chemical engineering at Columbia University as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, exploring how proteins and synthetic materials can alter cellular structures.”

Wiita is looking forward to enacting change as a part of the Gates-Cambridge community in October. “At the University of Cambridge, I will investigate the transportation of nucleic acids into cells to find better ways of targeting human health issues, such as viruses and cancers, found in those environments. This research will improve therapeutics and vaccines.”

All of these good works sprang from a combination of factors in Wiita’s upbringing here in Portland. Her teachers and mentors at the Catlin Gabel School inspired her to pursue passions in a variety of subjects, and attending a liberal arts college allowed her to explore humanities and social sciences alongside chemistry. Wiita says this interdisciplinary education taught her crucial perspectives on how research could improve the world.

“My experience balancing MAC, Team U.S.A., and school taught me the importance of discipline, determination, and time management in achieving a long-term goal,” she adds. “I still frequent pools around the globe and return to MAC whenever possible to reconnect with athletes and coaches. I am forever grateful for the mentorship I received and would not be where I am today without these incredible people. In particular, Lucie Svrcinova, who continues to inspire me.”

The newest member of the club community might not be addressing issues of international importance, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t give a hoot. He’s a barred owl, so that’s kind of his thing.

Dubbed Hooty by MAC’s maintenance staff, the tiny trespasser was leaving pellets all over the pavement outside the Athletic Entrance, puzzling employees as to the proper course of action. He’d been camping out roughly 40 feet above the nearby deck, which made curbing his habits or politely suggesting he find a new home both tricky propositions.

Fortunately for Hooty, and bird watchers, MAC decided to not just let him stay, but to roll out the welcome mat. Maintenance Manager Pat Fetsch stepped in and offered to procure an owl box, which his team attached to an adjacent tree and filled with cedar chips.

“He has become our de facto mascot not for his tell-tale droppings, but his skill for controlling the ground rodents in the adjoining hillside,” Fetsch explains. “So, we hope we made a good deal with Hooty that he can continue to manage the rodent population as long as we provide a cozy new red cedar box home on the hillside conifer. We like our chances he will settle into his new digs.”

“We are making lemonade!” says Housekeeping and Laundry Services Manager Elaine O’Flynn. “Housing the homeless owl, finding ways to work with nature, and using his hunting skills to our advantage. It’s a win-win. Now, we just need to train him to not poop on the bricks. Even if he is endangered.” When asked for a response to Fetsch and O’Flynn’s comments, Hooty looked thoughtfully into the distance before turning his head and responding with a simple, “Who?”