Ursinus Magazine Spring 2024

Thought School of

U R S I N U S M A G A Z I N E Spring 2024

Our neuroscientists are answering the big questions about the brain and nervous system.

FUTURE 50 A Scholarship Initiative

URSINUS CHANGES LIVES.

BY CONTRIBUTING TO SCHOLARSHIPS, YOU CAN, TOO. In today’s complex and ever-changing world, financing a college education can be daunting. With the help of donors who are supporting Future50: A Scholarship Initiative, Ursinus students can worry less about how they will pay for their education and focus instead on the opportunities that await. Through this initiative, we aim to secure new funding for 50 no-loan scholarships of $5,000 for students before the start of the 2024-25 academic year.

You can help! Gifts of all amounts add up to make a difference.

Snap the QR code or visit ursinus.edu/future50 to support our students today.

KACEY LA ’25 “Ursinus has provided me with many opportunities to become the best version of myself. To receive a scholarship means I can devote my time to doing the things I love and being engaged with the tight-knit community of the college.”

Kacey La, Class of 2025, is a computer science major, with minors in Japanese and mathematics. La has completed summer research investigating how a neural network can be used in remote healthcare monitoring and exploring the use of machine learning in the identification of bowhead whales. Additionally, he is an Andrews Family Fellow, a UCARE service fellow, a Digital Studies Fellow, a Goldwater Scholar, and a computer science tutor. He participates in the Japanese club, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the running club, and is a hobbyist game developer.

U R S I N U S M A G A Z I N E

VOLUME #142 SPRING 2024

PRESIDENT Robyn Hannigan

Dear Readers, At Ursinus, when we say anything is possible, we truly mean it. This issue

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS Michelle Yurko

of Ursinus Magazine showcases how our alumni and students are turning possibilities into realities.

Take Jules LaRosa Espenhorst ’19, whose passion for public health was ignited at Ursinus. Now a project manager at the Children’s Hospital of

MANAGING EDITOR Ed Moorhouse

Philadelphia, Jules is pivotal to groundbreaking in vivo gene therapy work, recently featured in The New York Times. Her career trajectory exemplifies how Ursinus propels graduates towards significant, impactful work on

DESIGN TEAM Steve Thomas Lexi Macht

behalf of the common good.

Our current students and faculty mirror this spirit. In this issue, you will learn about research in our neuroscience labs, where faculty and student teams explore fundamental questions about how the brain works—and find

CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Photography: Jack Hopey,

answers that could have far-reaching effects for researchers everywhere.

And within these pages, you will be introduced to inspiring individuals

David Morgan, and Margo Reed

like a visionary young playwright, a steward of our environment, and

Editorial: Jacqueline D’Ercole,

exemplary business students honoring a mentor. This year, we also

David Eberle, and Ben Seal

celebrate our national scholarship awardees, which include a Fulbright Fellow, a Watson Scholar, a St. Andrews Scholar, and two Goldwater

ONLINE MAGAZINE Erin Hovey ’96

Scholars.

These achievements are not just milestones, but steppingstones to greater future accomplishments. They exemplify what I mean when I say

Ursinus Magazine is published two times a

that Ursinus is a beacon of intellectual curiosity and academic excellence.

year. Update your contact information at

We’re a place where students are encouraged to challenge the status quo and

ursinus.edu/updatecontact.

empowered to uncover new frontiers of knowledge. As we reflect on these

Copyright © 2024 by Ursinus College.

stories of achievement and recognition, our excitement for the future grows.

Given these remarkable examples of our community’s achievements, I am thrilled about what lies ahead for Ursinus. We are on a trajectory of growth

Editorial correspondence and submissions:

and discovery. Join us as we continue to push the boundaries of knowledge

Ursinus Magazine

and creativity.

601 E. Main Street

Go Bears!

Collegeville, PA 19426 610-409-3000

Sincerely,

ucmag@ursinus.edu ON THE COVER: Illustration by Katy Lemay, whose intuitive and surreal collages have been featured in various publications, including TIME magazine, across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

President Robyn Hannigan

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 3

THE GATEWAY 6 News in Brief 8 Bear Bites: Talia Argondezzi 10 What Will I Do? Molly Serfass-Carr ’14

THE WELL 14

U R S I N U S M A G A Z I N E

School of Thought

Ursinus’s neuroscience program is replete with respected faculty researchers who cover the brain and nervous system from a range of perspectives. They work closely with undergraduates eager to develop their own research skills.

20 Wall Street Dreams Ursinus’s new Bloomberg trading lab in the Myrin Library honors the legacy of the late Prof. Scott Deacle, who dreamed of bringing the technology to the classroom to enhance students’ undergraduate experience.

24

A Source of Hope

Jules LaRosa Espenhorst ’19, whose academic interests foregrounded Ursinus’s public health major, helps to lead gamechanging in vivo gene therapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

LIFE IN PIXELS 28 During our most revered tradition, Ursinus celebrates the Class of 2024 on the lawn in front of the Berman Museum of Art.

THE BEARS’ DEN

34

and flip head-over-heels at the Division III gymnastics nationals.

Class Notes

The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible, and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world.

4 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

PHOTO: DAVID MORGAN

30 Go behind the scenes of Captain Darling

SETTING THE BAR Kylie Ruggiero ’26 (pictured) and Erin Roe ’27 represented Ursinus at the 2024 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships, held at the Floy Lewis Bakes Center.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 5

The Gateway

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PHILLIES

ROCKETS’ RED GLARE

On Wednesday, April 17, Voices of Ursinus—under the direction of Nicole Snodgrass—sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Citizens Bank Park prior to the Philadelphia Phillies’ home game against the Colorado Rockies.

NEWS IN BRIEF: RESEARCH FRONTIERS

OUT OF THIS WORLD Assistant Professor of Physics Kassie

Admittance into the fellowship grants Schmid Henson unique mentorship and

STANDOUT STUDENTS This spring, Ursinus College students

Martin-Wells was granted a Research

development opportunities, along with the

have been recognized with some of the

Initiation Award (RIA) from NASA to

publishing of her poem, “The Boatman.”

nation’s most prestigious scholarships

support her work with students in creating a crater classification tool, a significant step forward in planetary science study.

NASA’s RIA program supports and

TEACHERS MENTORING TEACHERS Professor of Biology Rebecca Roberts

and fellowships. Joey Nolan ’24 was named to the 56th class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows and will study the intersection of theater and environmental

enhances science at smaller institutions,

is leading a multi-institutional effort to

crises. Cassie Denning ’26 was awarded

and it makes it possible for undergraduate

directly support the development of 24

the McFarland Scholarship by the St.

students to perform cutting-edge research.

faculty from minority-serving institutions

Andrews Society of Philadelphia and will

and two-year community colleges. A

attend the University of Edinburgh for a

National Science Foundation grant funded

full year. Tia Alan ’24 was selected as a

Assistant Professor of English and

a workshop, led by Roberts, on building

Fulbright Scholar and will be a standalone

Creative Writing Katie Schmid Henson

active learning communities in molecular

professor at a university in Morocco for

was selected by Haymarket Books and the

life science. It was held in conjunction with

10 months. Grace DeCostanza ’25 and

Mellon Foundation as a member of the

the DiscoverBMB meeting of the American

Kacey La ’25 have earned Barry Goldwater

inaugural Writing Freedom Fellowship

Society for Biochemistry and Molecular

Scholarships, awarded to college

cohort, an initiative that supports the

Biology in March.

sophomores and juniors who intend to

FREEDOM FELLOW

literary work of authors whose lives have

pursue research careers in the natural

been touched by the criminal legal system.

sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

6 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

NEWS IN BRIEF: URSINUS IN THE COMMUNITY

ABOVE AND BEYOND Ursinus President Robyn Hannigan was

TOP BEAR

REIMAGINING MAIN STREET

Ursinus Director of Athletics Erin Stroble ’02

Ursinus was awarded $1 million in

honored among the 50 most influential

was named 2023-24 Division III Administrator

funding through the U.S. Congress’s

and thought-provoking women in

of the Year by the Women’s Collegiate

Congressionally Directed Spending

Pennsylvania at City & State PA’s Above &

Gymnastics Association (WCGA), and

(CDS) request program. It will support

Beyond Gala on March 26 in Philadelphia.

National Collegiate Gymnastics Association

revitalization of the 400 block of the

Honorees included women who have

(NCGA) East Region Administrator of the

Main Street corridor, planned with the

demonstrated exemplary leadership

Year. A standout student-athlete and coach

Borough of Collegeville. This is the first

in their fields and made significant

at Ursinus, Stroble led planning for the

time in Ursinus history that the college has

contributions to society. Hannigan was

2024 NCGA Championship meet hosted by

received federal CDS funding.

selected from a field of more than 500

Ursinus and has served as meet director for

nominees.

numerous Centennial Conference events, most recently the 2023 Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

WISMER’S NEW LOOK

This summer, Lower Wismer is getting a major upgrade. With leveled flooring, brighter lighting, brand-new midcentury modern furniture, and à la carte menu options, it’s sure to become a favorite hangout among students. The food items will include several different concepts rotating through the space, along with mobile ordering and an Amazon walk-out store.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 7

The Gateway

BEAR BITES TALIA ARGONDEZZI is Ursinus College’s word-slinging scribe. An English professor and Center for Writing and Speaking director, her humor and satire work can often be found in McSweeney’s and The New Yorker, among other outlets. Her book, Lean the F— Out, prompts readers to find their happiness. Meet Talia.

8 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

Ursinus Magazine: What’s the last book

In by Sheryl Sandberg comes from a

I also love tv comedies, which have

you read (for fun, not for work)?

good place: If we want a better society,

gotten so funny I hesitate to call them

we need more women in leadership

“sitcoms” because that label evokes

professor, I don’t know if any books

positions, and if we want women in

that formulaic laugh-track comedy

count as “not for work,” but I just read

leadership positions, we need women to

of yesteryear. Recently I’ve enjoyed

Why Did I Get a B? And Other Mysteries

be brave and strong and assertive in the

Girls5Eva, Broad City, Only Murders in

We’re Discussing in the Faculty Lounge

workplace. My book questions the idea

the Building, Killing It, Insecure, Fleabag,

by Shannon Reed, a collection of

that the burden should be on women to

and Catastrophe. I probably laugh the

memoir essays and short satire pieces

hustle this better society into existence,

most, on a daily basis, around the lunch

about being a teacher in both K-12 and

at the expense of their own joy. But

table with my colleagues in the English

college settings. I read it as research

really, this makes my book sound more

and history departments on the third

about how humor writers extend their

serious than it actually is—a humorous

floor of Olin Hall.

satire to book length. It was excellent!

book of advice. At its core, it’s a bunch

UM: You described your book as “a

of jokes about how it’s okay for your

about working with students and

house to be messy.

colleagues at the Center for Writing and

TALIA ARGONDEZZI: As an English

satirical push-back against runaway hustle culture.” Do people take themselves too seriously nowadays?

What value do you see in “leaning out?”

UM: What makes an effective piece of satire?

TA: The best satire writers take a

UM: What do you find rewarding

Speaking?

TA: My favorite moments are with students who claim they are “bad

TA: To be honest, taking yourself

ridicule-worthy aspect of the human

writers.” We find they’re not so bad after

seriously is exactly what I encourage in

experience and turn up the volume

all. The so-called “badness” is rarely

my book. We (everyone, but especially

on it, just a little bit, so that we can

lack of skill, but it comes from lack of

women) spend so much time and energy

see how silly it is, or sometimes, in the

engagement with the material, lack of

making sure we’re fulfilling everyone

case of satire about flawed institutions,

understanding of the conventions of the

else’s expectations that we forget to

how reprehensible it is. Satire has

genre, or fear of criticism (from self or

ask ourselves how we actually want to

the ability to defamiliarize our own

others). Students are often surprised to

spend that time and energy. I’m guilty of

experience through exaggeration, then

find out that people who are considered

it myself: Some weeks I’ll wake up in the

hand back its recognizable flaws in a

“good writers” almost always write

morning, get everyone ready for school,

funny package. When I see good satire

terrible first drafts and then keep

spend all day at work; then go home,

in fiction, it’s usually small satirical

revising until it’s good.

cook dinner, clean the house, check

moments embedded in a more dramatic

work email again, and grade papers or

or tragic narrative, and I love Lorrie

overcoming writer’s block? What do

lesson plan, or respond to emails, until I

Moore, Miranda July, Sam Lipsyte, and

you like to do to find inspiration for

fall asleep, only to do it all over again the

Elif Batuman for that satire-within-

what you write, whether it’s satire or

next day. It’s no way to live.

serious brilliance. I also love short satire

not?

Leaning out doesn’t (necessarily) mean giving up or doing nothing; it

of the sort you read in McSweeney’s and The New Yorker’s “Shouts.”

UM: Do you have any advice for

TA: Overcoming writer’s block requires faith that even if what you write

means accepting imperfection in the

UM: What makes you laugh?

down at first isn’t good, you can write

aspects of your life that don’t give you

TA: The authors and websites

your way to something better. People

meaning or fulfillment.

The idea of the self-help book Lean

mentioned above, of course. My kids and spouse are an endless source of hilarity.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

PHOTO: JACK HOPEY

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 9

The Gateway

CAPE CRUSADER Molly Serfass-Carr ’14 discovers Delaware parks’ true treasures.

10 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

What Will I Do?

By David Eberle

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 11

The Gateway

12 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

I

f Molly Serfass-Carr ’14, youth program manager for Delaware State Parks, could take a group of students on just one experience throughout the state’s 17 parks and related natural preserves, they’d go seining.

Ursinus did more than provide a foundation of knowledge. It gave Serfass-Carr the tools to cast her curiosity into the future.

“Seining the Bay” is a popular interactive educational program

offered at Cape Henlopen State Park, where Serfass-Carr once worked as a park interpreter. A mesh seine net is stretched between two handheld wood poles, and volunteers lower the net into the

water and drag it back toward the shore.

The students then roll up their sleeves and sift through the net’s contents to

discover what they reveal about the bay.

“Seining is my favorite program because it provides a snapshot of the health of the Delaware Bay ecosystem, an important nursery ground for a wide variety of organisms,” Serfass-Carr said.

It’s home to blue crabs, horseshoe crabs, mud snails, hermit crabs, various species of bony fish, and even sharks and dolphins. Everything caught in the seine net is quite tiny, of course, and each plays an important ecological role in the habitat.

Serfass-Carr currently works in the Dover, Del., central office of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).

Several times a week, she travels to parks around the state, including Cape Henlopen, to support educational programs and organizations like the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), which provides summer conservation jobs for students ages 14 to 21.

For Serfass-Carr, working with the YCC is particularly rewarding.

“Members in the program conduct meaningful environmental and parkfocused work as a means of achieving personal growth,” she said. “Through service, members gain skills, confidence, and see first-hand the benefit hard work makes in providing a lasting impact on public lands and communities.”

She has seen several YCC members go on to pursue further education in environmental studies. As an Ursinus alumna, Serfass-Carr is aware of the positive impact that real-world experience can have on a young person. Her own career path began while she was still a student, with experiential learning opportunities and a dedicated faculty mentor.

She came to Ursinus with a focused interest in marine biology, having loved sharks since childhood. In pursuing that passion in college, and with the help of a mentor, Serfass-Carr discovered a broader interest in conservation biology.

Former professor Rich Wallace, who now works for the Ecological Society of America, helped connect her to two key internships: first with the Philadelphia Zoo observing polar bear behavior, and then in the summer following her graduation with the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., where she worked with manatees.

With these two internships in her pocket, Serfass-Carr landed a position at the National Aquarium in Baltimore as an interpretive aide. In 2019, she started the job at Cape Henlopen State Park and then earned a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio (studying sharks!).

PHOTOS: JACK HOPEY

Serfass-Carr’s favorite experiences include leading the park’s “first day hikes,” which are guided hikes that take place on January 1 and typically draw a few dozen bundled-up adventurers for a trek around the tip of the cape.

For Serfass-Carr, Ursinus did more than provide a foundation of knowledge.

Her experiences, in and out of the classroom, gave her the tools to cast her curiosity into the future, and, like those students in the bay, roll up her sleeves and discover the opportunities and possibilities life has to offer.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 13

The Well

Thought School of

Student and faculty researchers from across academic disciplines advance our knowledge of the brain.

E

rica Gorenberg’s fascination

the interdisciplinary nature of studying the

with the brain developed early.

brain. Ursinus now has 63 neuroscience majors.

At a young age, she watched a

at Ursinus and part of a diverse and growing

potential of puzzles to improve

cohort of neuroscience faculty. As a student in

memory and brain function in

the fall of 2013, she took a course called Protein

people with Alzheimer’s disease. The death of

Biogenesis with Dale Cameron, professor of

a family friend who had amyotrophic lateral

biology, during which she learned how proteins

sclerosis, or ALS, pushed her curiosity about

in the brain can misfold under stress.

neurodegenerative disease further. When

Gorenberg uses yeast as her model to study

information throughout the nervous system—

how chaperone proteins, which keep other

in a high school psychology class, she knew she

proteins from getting out of alignment, might

wanted to find a college where she could study

help reduce the likelihood or severity of

neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease in

neurodegenerative disease.

Gorenberg landed at Ursinus, where a

“I’m not trying to cure the disease,” Gorenberg said. “I’m trying to understand

neuroscience program was taking shape under

what’s happening so when somebody goes to

Joel Bish, associate professor of psychology,

cure the disease, they have a better idea of how

who had joined the faculty in 2005 following

to fix it.”

a stint as a research fellow at the Children’s

Like her faculty colleagues, whose home

Hospital of Philadelphia. Bish was the

departments are in psychology or biology, she’s

burgeoning program’s coordinator for the first

contributing her narrow focus to a broad body of

decade of its existence, building it up from just

research that aims to better understand the brain

a small handful of majors as he investigated his

and its many components that shape our reality.

own questions about cognitive neuroscience

“I’m trying to write the instruction manual

and neurological development, including the

for the engine, not be the one who goes in and

impacts of concussion.

fixes it,” she said. “And not even the whole

By the time Gorenberg, who graduated in

14 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

Now—just as she did in that class—

she studied neurons—the cells that transmit

greater detail.

By Ben Seal

Gorenberg is an assistant professor of biology

documentary that explored the

engine—I’m trying to fix one little piece of the

2015, returned to her alma mater to teach,

engine so that one day somebody has enough

interest had surged among students drawn to

information to actually fix the whole thing.”

PHOTOS: MARGO REED

A “PROSPEROUS REALM” OF RESEARCH

and how those processes influence our lives.

“As humans, it’s our brain that is responsible

Ursinus isn’t an R1 research institution, but

for how we move, how we breathe, how we

it has a neuroscience program with respected

think, and how we interact with the world, so

faculty researchers who cover the brain and

trying to understand what’s happening at that

nervous system from a range of perspectives.

level gives us a more complete picture for the

They work closely with undergraduates eager to

questions we’re interested in,” said Jennifer

develop their own research skills.

Frymiare, associate professor of psychology,

With four biology professors and three in

whose research focuses on measuring autistic

psychology, the group considers the brain’s

traits and understanding autistic cognition.

function at all levels, from the molecular to the

In this “prosperous realm of research,” as Bish

cellular, expanding out to the entire organism

calls it, each Ursinus neuroscience professor

and the way we function in society.

occupies their own niche. For example:

“Neuroscience is the basis of the human

Macey Hoffman ’26 (seated) and Erin Dychdala ’26 use equipment in Prof.

Joel Bish’s lab to monitor brain activity.

■ Bish uses electroencephalogram (EEG) and

condition,” Bish said, and approaching it from

functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)

a variety of angles allows faculty to search for

to measure electrical activity and oxygenation

answers about the development, breakdown,

in the frontal lobes of college students, seeking

and repair of the brain’s fundamental structures

to better understand the effects of traumatic

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 15

The Well

Prof. Carlita Favero (left) and Allia Proctor ’25 view a portion of the brain through a microscope.

brain injuries. He’s found that evidence of

fetal alcohol spectrum disorders alter a person’s

a concussion lingers in the brain years after

behavior.

symptoms have faded away, offering support

■ Like Gorenberg, Jennifer King, associate

for more careful and cautious return-to-

professor of biology, explores neurodegeneration.

play approaches for injured athletes.

Her research centers on microglia, which she

■ Frymiare contemplates development

calls the “garbage collectors of the brain” because

through another lens, focusing on

of their ability to clear cellular debris. Using

autism—and disability more broadly—

mouse models, her work explores the role of

to develop a clearer sense of how

microglia in the inflammatory process and their

differently developed brains process

connection to neurodegenerative diseases.

and store information. Her work

■ Ellen Dawley, professor of biology, brings

carries implications for education by

an evolutionary perspective to questions about

interrogating questions around verbal and

the nervous system, studying neural stem cells

visual-spatial processing. It has also influenced

in amphibians with regenerative capabilities.

conversations about autism by exploring the

She marvels at the incredible neuroplasticity her

potential harm of representing it with puzzle

subjects exhibit—operating at the other end of

piece imagery, as well as the media’s tendency to

the spectrum from Bish’s research subjects, who

focus primarily on autism in children.

may lack some of the plasticity they once had.

■ Carlita Favero, professor of biology and the

The methods and motivations of the researchers

neuroscience program’s current coordinator,

run the gamut, but their work is united by a

takes a more microscopic approach to questions

curiosity about how development and experience

about the brain’s development. Using mice, she

affect the functions of the nervous system.

studies how casual drinking during pregnancy

“You’re not going to find many small liberal

affects different cell types and the interactions

arts schools that have all the different kinds of

between them, seeking to understand how

neuroscience research we have,” Bish said.

The range of approaches is an integral part of

based on one class that blew her away.

capturing neuroscience in its totality, he said.

At Ursinus, Favero and her

The variety offers opportunities for Ursinus

colleagues are trying to give that

researchers to encounter new ideas that push

same experience to students in

their own work forward, even when a colleague’s

the classroom and in the lab. All

work might seem distinct.

of the research at Ursinus is

“If somebody put me into Carlita’s lab and said,

student-focused, King said,

‘Can you pipette this fluid?’—I haven’t done that

in the sense that the school’s

since I was in 11th grade,” Bish said. “The training is

undergraduates have a

very different, but we’re all approaching the same

hand in both conducting

fundamental question: How does the nervous

and shaping the direction of the

system create this amazing function we have?”

work. As an example, she points to a question

Lauren Makuch, visiting assistant professor of

raised early in the pandemic by a student

neuroscience and psychology, said the balance of

who wanted to know how microglial cells

biology and psychology perspectives is necessary

were affected by COVID-19. The ensuing

to answering the important

research led to a paper

questions that persist in

demonstrating that

neuroscience—not to

the inflammatory

mention using those answers to find ways to treat the brain.

“If you want to develop a new drug for Alzheimer’s, you need to understand Alzheimer’s at the cellular and molecular level, not just how it impacts an individual’s behavior or their

You’re not going to find many small liberal arts schools that have all the different kinds of neuroscience research we have.”

social circle,” Makuch said.

— Joel Bish

“But you also need the psych

response within the brain could begin within one hour of infection, offering answers to a basic science question in an urgent new area of research, she said. Neuroscience faculty say they’re often surprised and impressed by the

perspective to relate it to real life and how it impacts human behavior and the

perspective and knowledge students bring

way we go about our everyday lives.”

to the questions they have spent their careers seeking to answer.

TURNING EDUCATION ON ITS HEAD

“Because we’re at a liberal arts institution and we’re very balanced as scientists, we

When Favero was a senior studying biology

think about things with a lot of different

at the College of William & Mary, in Virginia,

viewpoints and we encourage our students

she took her first neuroscience class. At the

to do the same,” Favero said.

time, it was the only one offered; now, the school

Several members of the faculty

offers an entire major, like Ursinus. Between

have directed some of their

biochemistry and neuroscience, she felt like

research attention to better

she could explore the seamless ways the body

understanding how to

and brain work together. She was hooked and

teach neuroscience to

went on to earn a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the

undergraduates, publishing papers in the Journal of

University of

Undergraduate Neuroscience

Virginia, all

Education, among others. Time

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 17

The Well

Because we’re at a liberal arts institution and we’re very balanced as scientists, we think about things with a lot of different viewpoints and we encourage our students to do the same.”

— Carlita Favero

in the lab greatly enriches the process of

how the brain works, focusing her attention

learning about neuroscience, Bish said.

on neuropharmacology. It wasn’t until she

“When they get in there and start tinkering

conducted her first study with an animal

around and realize they can make mistakes

model that she knew she was in the right

and it’s not going to hurt anything, that turns

place. After administering a drug to the

the education on its head,” he said. “It makes

mice in her study, she could see the tangible

them responsible for their own education.”

improvements in their memory.

In some ways, the greatest contribution to

“It just amazed me that in the lab we could

research from Ursinus faculty, then, may be

create something or make changes in an

the students who get to participate in the act

animal model that could be beneficial and

itself and carry what they learn forward in

possibly help people outside of the laboratory

search of answers of their own.

setting,” she said.

“I find a lot of joy and accomplishment

Now, as she pours her time and attention

thinking about the students that I’ve sent

into microglia and the brain’s inflammatory

out into the world and into their own

processes, she’s working toward that goal.

careers,” Dawley said. “All of us are really

She wants her research to help build an

united in the importance of being a mentor

understanding about neurodegenerative

for young scientists.”

disease that can make therapeutic development possible.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT Jennifer King wasn’t always sure that

Gorenberg, her counterpart in neurodegeneration research, acknowledges

research was right for her. Like so many

that it will require the work of scientists

others, she had long sought to understand

across the neuroscience spectrum, many of

18 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

Undergraduate research for students like Christie Cianciulli ’24 enriches the process of learning about neuroscience.

whom are at much larger institutions with

is driven by a desire to lend clarity to the

far greater resources, to reach that point. But

once-murky machinations of the brain, so all

Ursinus’s researchers still have an important

our accumulated knowledge might lead us

role to play, chipping away at the parts of the

toward better, healthier lives.

problem they can reach so their contributions might ripple forward in time.

“I’m doing this work now and in 100

“From my perspective, the human condition is defined by all of our nervous systems and how we interact with them,”

years somebody’s going to cure Alzheimer’s

he said. “The better we understand how

disease and a paper they cite will have cited a

our nervous systems react in different

paper that cited another paper that cited my

environmental contexts, the better we can

work,” Gorenberg said.

shape our world in a way that is actually

For his part, Bish’s search for answers

beneficial.”

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 19

The Well

Wall Street

DREAMS The late Professor Scott Deacle wanted a real-time trading lab on campus.

One year after his passing, his vision has become a reality.

aela Frenchman ’24 drinks coffee every day. She

By Ed Moorhouse

own morning cup of coffee—brought an unbridled

thinks it’s one of the most boring, run-of-the-mill,

enthusiasm to work every day that was reflected in

nondescript facts about herself (someone who

each of his students. He was the Hawaiian shirt-clad,

also happens to be a Centennial Conference

meticulously organized, ice-cream loving, numbers-

Academic Honor Roll student-athlete).

crunching economics expert belovingly referred to by

But to her business and economics professor, Frenchman’s java ritual was a way to break the ice.

his last name.

And he had a dream.

Deacle unexpectedly passed away at age 47 on May

“Every time I came to class, he would ask me about

5, 2023. One year later, his legacy is being cemented at

my coffee,” Frenchman said. “That’s how he got to know

Ursinus through the establishment of a new “trading

us. He asked us to tell him the most boring fact about us

lab” on the second floor of the Myrin Library. The

and it was his way of connecting to us. He was a listener,

space is adorned with 12 Bloomberg terminals, which

and I really valued that about him.”

are interactive workstations that allow students to

Scott Deacle was anything but boring. The late

receive and analyze real-time financial data and earn

Ursinus College professor—known to treasure his

Bloomberg finance certifications that give them an

20 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

unparalleled advantage in graduate school and in the workforce.

While Ursinus joins more than 1,000 academic institutions across the globe outfitted with Bloomberg

Wall Street on Main Street.

terminals, there are few liberal arts colleges among

Deacle was instrumental in bringing a finance major

them.

to Ursinus. He helped establish the student-run Ursinus

“It gives our students a leg up, and when they

College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO)

graduate, they’ll have Ursinus credentials and

and the college’s women’s investment club. But he had

Bloomberg credentials. It will only make their

long envisioned a trading lab on campus to complement

experience here more powerful,” said Jennifer

and enhance his students’ undergraduate education.

VanGilder, professor and chair of business and

“I think there was an aura around that old-school Wall Street for him,” said Evan Coffey ’24, the inaugural

economics.

The new trading lab isn’t just for finance majors.

recipient of the Scott Deacle Memorial Endowed

Capturing the spirit of an Ursinus education, it truly

Scholarship. “Complete with the ticker tape. He was

is a multidisciplinary venture, and students from any

always in the weeds, crunching the numbers. And he

major can use the lab to gain one of three Bloomberg

wanted us to have a home base.”

certifications. The e-learning courses expose students to

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 21

The Well

[Deacle] was always in the weeds, crunching the numbers. And he wanted us to have a home base.”

— Evan Coffey ’24

Prof. Scott Deacle (far left) annually brought students to New York City. His dream was to bring Bloomberg terminals to Ursinus.

22 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

PHOTOS: MARGO REED

From l-r, Kieran MacDonough ’24, Evan Coffey ’24, and Kaela Frenchman ’24 don Hawaiian shirts to honor their late professor, Scott Deacle. financial markets, related career paths, and principles of sustainable investing.

“It allows, for example, an English major who

It was amazing to always have him in my corner.”

Like Frenchman and Coffey, Kieran MacDonough ’24 has already benefitted from the Bloomberg technology,

might one day write about the industry become more

completing certifications this spring. It was the

well-versed in the finance world,” VanGilder said.

culmination of semesters of hard work inspired by

“We have the opportunity to integrate this into all

Deacle’s mentorship.

academic disciplines so that any student who wants

“He took the time to bring me into it and he

to be Bloomberg certified can gain this experience.

challenged me,” MacDonough said. “And everything we

Understanding the market is important no matter what

did together just felt more special because he pushed

you’re studying.”

you to that higher level.”

It’s exactly what Deacle had envisioned.

Johnny Myers ’19, who worked with Deacle on building UCIMCO, said it wasn’t uncommon for Deacle

Coffey added, “He had this great way of guiding students to find their niche. He made us feel like we belonged in this space as much as anyone else.”

to work “under the radar” on these passion projects.

Ultimately, the Bloomberg terminals will move

“Everyone I spoke to knew how much Dr. Deacle

to another existing space on campus that will be

worked on getting these terminals on campus,” Myers

reimagined as a trading floor, complete with a

said. “He would speak to anyone he could about … how

stock market ticker. And through partnerships and

much they would impact the student experience.”

sponsorships, there is an opportunity to gain more

When it came to his students, Deacle was fully invested (no pun intended). Sure, he wanted to

terminals.

“I want it to be called the Deacle Trading Lab,”

connect by learning a “boring” fact about each of his

VanGilder said. “A collaborative learning space where

students on the first day of classes, but that merely

students can work together and do research—a space

scratched the surface on exemplifying his level

where you can really feel the energy. I think that would

of commitment to helping students realize their

speak to how passionate he was.”

potential and become comfortable in a challenging field of study.

“He was thoughtful,” Frenchman said. “He really

A space to enjoy a cup of coffee, talk shop, and seek out mentorship opportunities for which Deacle was known.

“And we could frame a Hawaiian shirt and put it on

pushed me to become involved, first in UCIMCO and then

the wall,” Coffey said. “Just like hanging a sports jersey

also with the women’s fund, and he vouched for me as a

in the rafters.”

leader because it is a male-dominated major and industry.

A dream fulfilled. One that is anything but boring.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 23

The Well

HOPE A Source of

Jules LaRosa Espenhorst ’19 helped pave the way to a health and society major at Ursinus, and now she’s applying that experience to game-changing in vivo gene therapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

24 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

A

issam Dam’s deafness could

Each positive result—whether a black-

be traced to a single gene. His

and-white measure like Aissam’s newfound

otoferlin mutation destroyed

hearing or a more modest improvement from

the protein used by the inner

a child with muscular dystrophy—keeps

ear’s hair cells to transmit sound to the brain,

her going, pushing forward to help develop

and so he heard nothing.

therapies that can someday give more

He grew up in Morocco and moved

“[Aissam’s] dad said he feels safer now that

everything changed. At age 11, he was the

his kid can hear again, because if he calls his

first person in the United States to receive in

name when he’s riding his bike, he’ll be able

vivo gene therapy for congenital deafness,

to hear him. That really means everything,”

at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

LaRosa said. “That makes it all worth it on the

(CHOP). More importantly, for Aissam

hard days.”

and his family, he was the first person on



whom the therapy worked. One month after

LaRosa first learned about gene therapy in

researchers administered a harmless adeno-

a bioethics course taught by Kelly Sorensen,

associated virus to stealthily carry healthy

associate dean of academic affairs and

otoferlin genes into his cochlea, Aissam could

professor of philosophy and religious studies

hear the children’s voices announcing each

at Ursinus. With Sorensen, LaRosa and her

floor on the hospital’s elevator. He could

classmates tangled with a wide range of ethical

hear the scissors snipping past his ear as he

quandaries in medicine, covering everything

received a haircut. He could hear music—and

from gestational surrogacy and medically

everything else the world of sound has to

assisted dying to human enhancement and

offer—for the first time.

medical experimentation.

Learning that the procedure was successful

In conversations about gene therapy,

was a powerful experience for an Ursinus

they contemplated the 1999 death of Jesse

alumna. Jules LaRosa Espenhorst ’19 is a

Gelsinger, a teenager participating in a trial

project manager in CHOP’s clinical in vivo

at the University of Pennsylvania aimed

gene therapy group. There, she builds close

at curing a rare metabolic disorder that let

relationships with the children and families

dangerous amounts of ammonia amass in

participating in the team’s growing roster

his blood. Gene therapy is “high-risk, high-

of trials.

reward,” LaRosa said, but questions swirled

“There’s nothing like it,” LaRosa said. “It gives you chills.”

As someone intimately involved in the

after Gelsinger’s death, particularly around failures in the informed-consent process.

Sorensen recalls seeing LaRosa gripped

screening and informed-consent process

by conversations that cut to the heart of

that brings patients into one of the 16 trials

medical ethics, eager for medical advances

her group manages across seven hospital

that could change lives but determined not

divisions, LaRosa gets to see the highs and the

to sacrifice moral and ethical standards

lows of clinical gene therapy research. She’s

at the altar of progress. Even as an

there with families when they’re accepted

undergraduate, she was “fully empathic,

into a trial that might be their only hope to

fully ready to take seriously the gravity of

slow the effects of diseases like Duchenne

everything she was hearing,” he said.

muscular dystrophy, a gene mutation that

By Ben Seal

children a brighter future.

to Spain, but it was in Philadelphia that

When The New York Times wrote about

causes muscular degeneration. And, perhaps

Aissam’s successful procedure, LaRosa shared

more meaningfully, she’s there to offer

the story with Sorensen, pointing out the

comfort and support when a child and their

questions it raised about whether deafness is

family receive the devastating news that they

actually a condition in need of a cure—just

won’t be part of a trial because of a failed test

the type of ethical debate she might have

in the screening process.

engaged in during that bioethics class.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 25

The Well

“Dr. Sorensen really instilled in us that there are two sides to every story and everyone’s

University to earn a master’s in public health to learn how she could contribute to the cause.

opinion should be valued,” LaRosa said.

“I had no idea I was going to end up in

At Ursinus, LaRosa was drawn toward

a rare disease field,” LaRosa said, “but I

public health, searching for ways she could

think Ursinus really fostered my interest in

make a difference in as many lives as possible.

research.”

The public health program hadn’t yet been

In turn, she helped foster the future of public

established, so she took as many related

health at Ursinus. She had considered creating

courses as she could on the way toward a

her own major while in college, but not enough

bachelor’s in health sciences. An education

courses had yet been established to make it

centered on public health “reprograms your

feasible. Encouraged by the interest shown by

brain to consider the economic or social

LaRosa and other students, the college added a

conditions that may be negatively impacting a

health and society major in 2021.

person’s health,” she said.

LaRosa dug deeper, learning to look at

Across the country, undergraduate interest in public health has exploded in recent years,

public health from different angles to better

with degree conferrals growing by more

understand how shortcomings could be

than 13 percent per year since 2001. LaRosa

addressed.

was “filled with pride” when she heard that

“Jules was swinging for the fences,”

Ursinus had added the major to its roster.

Sorensen said. “She was really interested

LaRosa saw the puzzle pieces of a public

in the health system as a whole and helping

health major waiting to be put together so

people in even greater numbers by systemic

other students could find their own way into

change.”

the rapidly growing field, Sorensen said. 

Ten students are now enrolled in the major.

During her junior year at Ursinus, LaRosa

Sorensen calls LaRosa a “founding mother”

took a public health course with Catherine van

of public health at Ursinus and the type of

de Ruit, an associate professor of sociology,

student the program aims to produce.

then joined her research work group. She spent

“She’s the kind of person we want to grapple

two years analyzing patient safety information

with moral questions at the cutting edge of

from an expansive qualitative dataset van de

medical discovery,” Sorensen said.

Ruit had helped create while on a postdoctoral assignment at Johns Hopkins University.

Digging through mountains of information

 At CHOP, LaRosa brings it all together— her moral and ethical conviction, her love of

from interviews with healthcare workers at

research, her drive to improve the health and

all levels of the medical system, LaRosa was

well-being of as many people as possible.

struck by the flaws that persisted. She came

The clinical in vivo gene therapy group

face-to-face with the hierarchical structure of

was established in 2021, creating centralized

hospitals and the ways it can create obstacles

support for divisions across the hospital to

to patient safety and care.

conduct gene therapy research safely and

“We’re all about engaging students’ central

effectively. LaRosa was the first research

set of values, not just their analytical minds,”

coordinator hired to the team. Today, she

van de Ruit said. “That’s what I feel this

trains and develops the group’s cohort of

project does for students. It fires up their sense

research coordinators and assistants, ensuring

of what the social world is like.”

the group meets regulatory requirements and

For LaRosa, it helped clarify the flaws of

patients and their families always have the

the medical system—and the need to change

information and support they need. Given

things for the better. After graduating from

the circumstances in which families find

Ursinus, she went to Thomas Jefferson

themselves enrolling in a gene therapy trial,

26 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

Jules LaRosa Espenhorst ’19 sees the highs and lows of clinical gene therapy research.

[Jules is] the kind of person we want to grapple with moral questions at the cutting edge of medical discovery.”

— Kelly Sorensen

the last part is especially important.

“For a lot of parents, this is their only

about working with sick kids,” LaRosa said.

the daily challenges of caring for a child

“It can definitely take a toll on you.”

with a rare disease. When the family

That doesn’t stop her from building

visited in December for a follow-up visit,

connections, though. On her desk she

just a few days before Christmas, the boy

rewarding. Outcome measures are rarely as

keeps an ornament given to her by a

gave her an ornament he had painted to

concrete as Aissam’s hearing. More often, a

child who participated in a trial to treat

show his appreciation.

trial is aimed at extending a child’s life, not

GM1 gangliosidosis, a genetic disorder

“It’s the little things that make this

curing them completely.

that destroys nerve cells in the brain and

job worth it,” LaRosa said. “I keep the

“One of the questions I always ask

spinal cord. She listened as the boy’s

ornament in my office to remind me to

anyone we’re hiring is how they’ll feel

mother shared his entire life story and

keep going even when times are tough.”

hope,” LaRosa said.

The work is challenging but deeply

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 27

CONGRATS, CLASS OF ’24

Ursinus’s 151st commencement ceremony was held on the lawn in front of the Berman Museum on Saturday, May 11. Honorary degree recipient Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, delivered the keynote address. In speaking to the graduates, Ursinus President Robyn Hannigan said, “Today, I remind you that, to lead, you must listen. Remember, real change comes from understanding the nuances and the gray areas. And to understand, you must listen.

A leader fights the allure of simple narratives and instead engages deeply with our world’s messy, complicated truths.”

PHOTOS: MARGO REED

Life in Pixels

life in p i x e l s

28 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 29

THE

The Bears’ Den

arts. digitizing

GILOT Françoise Gilot is one of the most prevailing artists from the post-WWII School of Paris, and the Berman Museum of Art is an international center for the study of Gilot’s works. Now, they’ll live in digital format.

Student archivist Mairead McDermott ’24 spent her senior year organizing, cataloging, and digitizing hundreds of pieces of personal correspondence, exhibition-related documents, newspaper clippings, and photographs. McDermott’s work guarantees the preservation of the Berman’s Gilot archive and allows the museum to support greater access to and research on the artist’s significant contributions to the development of modern art.

Visit ursinus.edu/GilotDigital for the full story.

QR code

Captain Darling Annie Zulick ’25.

30 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

NEVERLAND reimagined

ON VIEW AT THE BERMAN

What if Peter Pan isn’t the hero and Captain Hook isn’t the villain? That’s the premise behind Captain Darling, a dark, feminist adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic story of Peter Pan written by Ursinus College graduate Kate Isabel Foley ’23.

ENRIQUE BOSTELMANN: APERTURES AND BORDERSCAPES takes boundaries—

It made its world premiere on the

literal, figurative, and fluid—as the organizing

Lenfest Theater stage in April and was

principle for an exhibition of selected works by

the first-ever student-authored play

the genre-bending photographer. Over his 40-

directed by Associate Professor and Chair

year career, Bostelmann (b. Guadalajara, 1939,

of Theater Meghan Brodie ’00.

d. Mexico City, 2003) fused modernist formal

Foley, a novelist and playwright from Lebanon, Pa., who is currently pursuing

elegance, social documentary, conceptualism, and humor with experimental vision.

a master’s degree in playwriting, wrote Captain Darling as a distinguished honors project in theater and English

to us all that, too often, heroes and

FRANÇOISE GILOT: SHAPING FREEDOM THROUGH ABSTRACTION features a selection

villains are not the people we expect

of Gilot’s works alongside archival materials

them to be, and that we should never stop

dated from the 1970s through 1990s from the

asking questions,” Foley said.

Berman Museum’s permanent collection and

while she was an Ursinus student.

“I hope this story serves as a reminder

For more about Captain Darling, scan the QR code to watch a video.

Françoise Gilot Archival Collection. Gilot (1921-2023) established a life-long career as a painter and printmaker through a distinct, intuitive style inspired by her memories and the subconscious.

PHOTO: JACK HOPEY

EXHIBITIONS OPENING JUNE 18

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 31

The Bears’ Den

THE NATIONAL STAGE In March, Ursinus College hosted the 2024 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships for the first time since 2006 at Helfferich Gymnasium in the

meets she competed in on the vault. She set a school record of 9.825 at Temple University in February.

Ruggiero scored 9.575 on the bars in the championship,

Floy Lewis Bakes Center. Erin Roe ’27 and Kylie Ruggiero ’26

which tied for 23rd overall in a field of 48. Like Roe, she set

(pictured) represented the Bears during the competition.

an Ursinus record in 2024 with a 9.825 mark at the NCGA

Roe recorded a score of 9.675 on the vault to tie for 12th overall among a field of 52. She capped a breakout collegiate debut season that saw her record at least a 9.5 in all eight

East Regionals.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh won their third-straight NCGA Championship behind a team score of 194.975.

UC

athletics.

32 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

ROLLING OUT THE RED AND GOLD CARPET On Sunday, April 28, Ursinus College student-athletes were honored for their prowess on and off the field during the annual URSPY Awards.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Women: Erin Roe ’27, Gymnastics Men: Max Borton ’27, Wrestling

MOST OUTSTANDING ATHLETE Women: Rainah Dunham ’25, Track & Field Men: Ryan Bodolus ’24, Football

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Women: Maeve Montgomery ’25, Field Hockey Men: Ryan Bodolus ’24, Football

SENIOR MVP Women: Melissa Leonard ’24, Swimming

PHOTO: DAVID MORGAN

Men: Daniel Tabor ’23, Track & Field

INTRODUCING THE ATHLETICS ADVISORY COUNCIL Launched in fall 2023, the Athletics Advisory Council is composed of alumni and parent volunteers who are key contributors to the current and future vision for athletics at the college. The council is led by alumnus Frank Hennessey ’88 and currently has 11 members. They have been central to the promotion of ongoing athletics facilities improvements, the establishment of the Bears Athletics Club, and advancing a new initiative around team/alumni connections. For information on how you can become involved with the group, please contact John Bernat, associate vice president for advancement, at jbernat@ursinus.edu or 610-409-3070.

LINDA MCINTYRE AWARD Stephanie Donato ’26, Women’s Basketball

OLIVE SERGEANT HAMM AWARD Brooke Adams ’24, Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country

BEST BEAR AWARD Jill Fazzini P’26, Administrative Coordinator

TEAM COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD Women’s Volleyball

PLAY OF THE YEAR Joshua Coster ’25, men’s soccer, game-winning goal against Centennial Champion Johns Hopkins

MOST OUTSTANDING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE Aiden Tobin ’26, 2024 Centennial Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AWARD Madison Vinovrski ’24, Women’s Volleyball Evan Coffey ’24, Men’s Golf

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 33

The Bears’ Den

CLASS 1950s Ernest M. Tassoni ’50 reports that he’s “still brisk” and “enjoying life.”

Gary McAneney ’87 hosted a reunion of 50 football and Alpha Phi Epsilon alumni at the Trappe Tavern in February.

1960s Craig Zaehring ’63 published the first edition of his book, Living Well Together When We Don’t Agree About God (Or Much Else), in paperback. A kindle edition is expected this year.

Jerry Gorman ’65 has retired from practicing admiralty and maritime law in San Diego, Calif. He lives in Oceanside, Calif., with his wife, Mary.

Jack Addicks ’69 retired in 2020 as founder and president of Keystone Consulting Associates.

1970s Ursinus alumni attend the fall presentation of the

John Hadley ’74 partially retired after more than

Ursinus College Investment Management Company.

40 years of battery R&D engineering management

Pictured: Becca Lewis ’22, Ben Sjosten ’23, Kevin

for Energizer/Rayovac. He now serves as chair of

Travis ’22, Kareem Elghawy ’22, Mike Fleming ’97,

the International Electrotechnical Commission

Eleisha Smith ’99, Johnny Myers ’19, Mike Magargee ’23,

(IEC) Technical Committee #35 on battery

Mike Buck ’22, Clay Hall ’12, Keith Aleardi ’89,

standards for Europe. He has three children and

Tommy Reinhart ’22, and Erich Pingel ’11.

six grandchildren.

Jan Smith ’74 retired from Firstrust Bank in March after a 15-year career. She is still in touch with Jill Marsteller ’78, P’18, Dave Spitko ’75, and Drew Nagele ’76. “Ursinus friends are the best!”

1980s Leo McCormick ’83, P’12, P’16 and Christine McCormick ’83, P’12, P’16 are the owners of three successful chiropractic clinics in Berwyn, Elverson, Ursinus alumni attended a holiday reception in conjunction with the Voices of Ursinus holiday concert. Pictured: Chuck Fryer ’68, Jeff Jowett ’77, Rosa Abrahams, Andy Davis, Rickie Lee Sands ’68, Jenn Kintner ’91, Lesley Katz ’87, Holly Hubbs, J. Lawrence Geist ’73, Susan Zeager ’68, Rebecca Stackhouse ’72, and Louis Angelo ’73.

and Pottstown, Pa. They are joined in practice by son, Connor McCormick ’12, and daughter, Shannan McCormick. Skyler McCormick ’16 is associating with McCormick Chiropractic in Limerick, Pa., with his aunt and uncle.

Kathy Rocklein Sontag ’89 was nominated for a 2023 Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction or Reality Series as executive producer for The Last of Us: Inside the Episode.

34 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

NOTES 1990s

2020s

Deborah Kriebel Haynes ’91 is the executive director of Food

William McCoy ’22 was elected as a second-district

for Others, the largest food bank in Northern Virginia.

councilman for Norristown, Pa.

2000s

Marriages

Jill Alspach ’08, managing partner for Spock Logistics, was

Kara Raiguel ’94 and Juan Espadas were married on

awarded a 2023 Women of Influence Award by the Philadelphia

Sept. 9, 2023.

Business Journal.

Cynthia K. Ritter ’06 and Scott M. Lussier were married June

2010s Joy Oakman ’15 is a podiatric surgeon currently practicing in

19, 2022. They welcomed a daughter, Isabelle Anne Lussier, on August 4, 2023.

northern New Jersey. She welcomed a son, Ares Dante Barra, on May 8, 2023.

HONORING OUR ALUMNI Each year, Ursinus celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding alumni and standout graduating students with the annual presentation of the Alumni Awards. Ursinus Magazine proudly salutes this year’s winners: (Pictured, from l-r): Jeevan S. Sekhar ’99 (Alumni Humanitarian Award); Gail L. Heinemeyer ’72 (Alumni Service Award); Sophie K. Louis ’24 (Senior Alumni Award); Arlene A. McLean ’62 (Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award); Esther Akande ’24 (Senior Alumni Award); Judith A. Rippert ’86 (Alumni Professional Achievement Award).

Not pictured: Caroline Yodice ’15 (Alumni Rising Star Award).

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 35

The Bears’ Den

In Memoriam Life and Emeritus Trustees Robert L. Brant Jr. ’77, P’10 died October 23, 2023.

Paul L. Doughty ’52, H’90 died September 27, 2023.

Donald E. Parlee ’55 died March 21, 2024.

Former Faculty and Staff Gayle K. Byerly, professor emeritus of English, died January 12, 2024.

Patricia Keebler died December 29, 2023.

Martha Mann died February 10, 2024.

Jane A. McLaughlin died January 31, 2024.

Robert Shoudt Sr. P’88 died October 26, 2023.

Cheryl L. Wager died September 5, 2023.

SAVE THE DATE OCTOBER 26, 2024 No matter where you roam, you’re always welcome home!

36 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

1940s

Janet E. (Haines) Dunn ’54

Martha J. “Jane”

1970s

Winifred “Winnie” C.

died September 24, 2023.

(Gilinger) Schultz ’60

Kathleen G. (Gliwa) Everett ’70

died February 2, 2024.

died September 3, 2023.

Judith (Drenguba) Foltz ’61

Edward J. Lyons Jr. ’71 (Evening)

died November 22, 2023.

died January 25, 2024.

David B. Regar ’61

Barbara A. Marshall ’74

died November 23, 2023.

died January 7, 2024.

Zimmerman ’55

Suzanne (Knowles) Short ’62

J. Arlen R. Nyce ’75 (Evening)

died March 7, 2024.

died December 28, 2023.

died October 24, 2023.

David Hudnut ’56

Donald L. DuDeVoire ’63

John G. Berzins ’76

died December 10, 2023.

died September 21, 2023.

died March 3, 2024.

George R. Briner ’57

W. Dennis “Denny” Krauss ’63

died June 11, 2023.

died January 8, 2024.

1980s

William C. Fraser ’57

Susan “Sue” D. (Peiffer)

died March 14, 2024.

Fernandez ’64

(Kapp) Baldys ’41 died October 20, 2023.

Wallace S. Brey Jr., Ph.D. ’42 died July 13, 2023.

Frances (Tisdale) Dreisbach ’45

died September 19, 2023.

Evelyn V. (Ruth) Hartshorne ’47

died March 22, 2024.

Hilda “Andy” (Anderson) Daley ’48

died July 21, 2023.

Helen (Derewianka) Ross ’48 died December 4, 2023.

Randolph A. Warden ’48 died December 18, 2023.

Priscilla A. (Shinehouse) Cook ’55 died March 16, 2024.

Mary (Faust) Heavner ’55 died November 19, 2023.

Elizabeth “Beth” M. (Dolde)

Barbara “Bobbe” (Hunt)

1950s

Millward ’57 died November 9, 2023.

Estelle “Honey”

John H. Scofield ’57

(Marcon) Boyer ’50

died December 16, 2023.

died September 26, 2023 Virginia C. (Smith) Buchanan ’50

died November 4, 2023.

Norman “Norm” Harberger ’50 died August 6, 2023.

Marie S. (Schauder) Kehs ’50 died August 9, 2023.

Richard C. Winchester ’57 died January 25, 2024.

Charles W. Reid Jr. ’58 died March 10, 2024.

Warren A. Rybak ’58 died February 7, 2024.

Mildred “Millie” L.

R. Karlton Smith ’50

(Hartzell) Bankert ’59

died February 16, 2024.

died March 29, 2024.

Nancy (Mattson) Trinkle ’50

V. Miller Preston Jr. ’59

died October 4, 2023.

died December 30, 2023.

died March 12, 2024.

Mary Ann A. Rozsas ’64 died March 19, 2024.

Charles R. Shank ’65 died September 21, 2023.

Walter P. Smith ’66 died March 27, 2024.

Gwendolyn F. (Faust) Punchard ’67 died March 3, 2024.

Cheryl A. Stoneback ’67 died December 25, 2023.

Jim W. Twentyman ’67 died February 14, 2024.

Don G. Bartell ’69 died January 9, 2024.

Edward J. Daly ’80 died November 17, 2023.

Patricia (Laloup) Guernsey ’80 (Evening) died November 26, 2023.

Robert J. Oscovitch ’81 died November 18, 2023.

Roselyn M. Kubasik ’82 (Evening) died December 6, 2023.

Roland B. Desilets Jr. ’83 died December 18, 2023.

John L. Sullivan ’85 died December 13, 2023.

Tobi L. Timko ’85 died October 16, 2023.

1990s Heidi L. (Miller) Fagan ’96 died March 1, 2024.

William C. Bookheimer ’51

Rosalie H. (Bellairs)

died November 30, 2023.

Thompson ’59

Edward J. Cole ’69 (Evening)

2000s

died October 11, 2023.

died March 13, 2023.

Angela (Interrante) Filer ’05

1960s

Pat (Nissley) Ellis ’69

Nancy W. (Carver) Zimmerman ’51 died March 9, 2024.

Martha “Marty” (Daniels) Scheirer ’52 died December 23, 2023.

William C. Faltermayer ’53 died September 24, 2023.

Carol Ann (Gingery) Achilles ’60 died January 8, 2024.

Carolyn H. Dearnaley ’60 died August 20, 2023.

John N. Forrest Jr. ’60

died February 12, 2024.

died March 1, 2023.

Friends of the College

Rocco Iachini Jr. ’69

C. Hopeton Clennon H’15, P’15

died December 6, 2023.

died January 7, 2024.

Robert N. Reid ’69

Nancy (Irion) Leiser P’93, P’96

died January 25, 2024.

died January 5, 2024.

died March 19, 2024.

Genevieve (Tiedeken) Haines ’53 died May 28, 2023.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 37

BE A PART OF TOMORROW… AND TOMORROWS STILL TO COME. Find out how your legacy gift can help open the future for generations of Ursinus students. Visit plannedgiving.ursinus.edu

BEAR BITES | CONT. FROM PAGE 9

All that writing and all that interpreting requires many of the same kinds of skills

experience writer’s block because they

writing has always needed, of audience

don’t think their ideas are worth writing

awareness, rhetoric, careful vocabulary,

down. Try writing “I don’t have any ideas.

and style. What seems to be changing is

The closest thing I have to an idea at this

our capacity to read and write long works

moment is…” and see where it takes you.

on a sustained topic. That would be a sad

I’m a fan of freewriting—setting a timer

art to lose, so let’s all put our phones on

and writing continuously until the timer

the charger and ignore our screens for an

goes off, with no concern about quality.

hour or two a day. I’m hereby resolving to

Writing satire has become a reflex for

Talia Argondezzi describes her new book as “a humorous book of advice—at its core, a bunch of jokes about how it’s okay for your house to be messy.”

38 | URSINUS MAGAZINE

do that myself, starting tonight!

me, so I see and hear a hundred funny

UM: Do you have a favorite word,

things a day. I fill my notes app with first

punctuation mark, or rule of grammar?

lines and titles and topic ideas. What

How about something that people often

holds me back from writing is time: I need

misuse that drives you crazy?

to make appointments with myself to

TA: People often assume that as a writer

write, or else I’ll let every other priority

and a writing professor, I must be a stickler

come first.

for grammar, but I’m not—I know grammar

UM: Is writing a lost art? Why or why not?

rules really well, but it doesn’t grate my

TA: No, it’s not a lost art (yet). People

ear when they’re violated. I believe in

are writing and consuming an incredibly

language’s capacity to communicate

high volume of words each day. Think

meaning both with and without adherence

about your group chats, your posts,

to conventions. As for favorite punctuation,

your emails, your text messages, your

I tend to overuse parentheses (I probably

scrolling—we’re a highly textual society.

did in this interview).

A Last Look

Shine a Light Sadie Walker ’25 and Eric Bennett ’27 work behind the scenes on the Ursinus College Dance Company’s spring dance concert.

URSINUS MAGAZINE | 39

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