Gnat™s Eye Gnus -...

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Chair�s CornerA message from Julian Adams

Department of Biology

Gnat�s Eye GnusAlumni Newsletter

1998

Chair's Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Faculty Highlights . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

New Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 4

Biology on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Introductory Biology . . . . . . . . . . 5

Erich E. Steiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Faculty Awards Profiles . . . . . . 6-9

Faculty in the News . . . . . . . . 9-10

Plant Molecular Biology . . . . . . 10

Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Fundraising Update . . . . . . . . . . 11

Faculty Research Profile . . . . 12, 13

Fellowship News . . . . . . . . . 15-16

Graduate Student News . . . . 16-17

Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-22

Alumni Reply Form . . . . . . . . . . 24

Contents

Although a year has elapsed since Iwrote to you, it seems like only yester-day. So much has happened in Biologyover that last year - and all of it good -that I feel I scarcely had time to take abreath.

At the faculty level, we had an out-standing recruiting year. Drs. JesseHay and Jianming Li joined the Depart-ment this fall, along with Dr. KenCadigan, who was recruited a year ear-lier. Thumbnail sketches of their re-search interests appear on pages 2, 3and 4. Dr. James Bardwell, who joinedthe faculty in January a couple of yearsago, was awarded a Pew Fellowship.This is a highly prestigious and com-petitive award in the biomedical sci-ences, and Jim is the first faculty mem-ber at the UM to have received such anhonor in the last eight years. I shouldnot forget our senior faculty - who con-tinue to win accolades from studentsand their peers alike. This year twofaculty, Steve Easter and CharlieYocum, were awarded Collegiate Pro-fessorships, the highest honor the Col-lege of L.S.&A. can bestow on faculty.This year also, three of our senior fac-ulty retired from active duty at the Uni-versity of Michigan, Sally Allen, CarlGans and Peter Kaufman. Together,they had 108 years of service at theUniversity of Michigan! Carl hasmoved to Austin, where he was givenan adjunct professor position at theUniversity of Texas-Austin, but Sallyand Peter are still active, are seen al-most every day in the building. Hap-

pily we continue to reap the benefits oftheir fellowship.

I am also happy to report that thisyear we have one of the best enteringclasses of graduate students in recentyears. Forty two Masters and Doctoralstudents from all over the country, Eu-rope and Asia, have joined our graduatestudent community this year. Severalof our continuing graduate students re-ceived prestigious honors. KatherineSuding and Jihong Wang were awardedRackham predoctoral fellowships, dur-ing a year when competition was par-ticularly stiff, and Chris Baraloto andChris O�Neal were selected by theGraduate School as outstanding Gradu-ate Student Instructors.

Big changes are under way in ourteaching of Introductory Biology thisyear. Our undergraduate curriculum inBiology is presently founded on a two-semester sequence which has remainedessentially unchanged for 15 years orso. About 18 months ago, naggingworries about our introductory biologycurriculum prompted us to initiate awide reaching analysis. As a result ofthe hard work of a dedicated group offaculty and students, major changes areplanned. The first phase of the changeswill be inaugurated this coming Janu-ary, when we will teach for the firsttime, the new one-semester course inintroductory biology, Biology 162. Inthe coming academic year we will in-troduce a new suite of courses at the200-level, which will be logical succes-

sors to our new foundation course. Weare all enthusiastic (the faculty votedunanimously to enact the changes!)about these new development in our un-dergraduate curriculum; our curriculumis now at the �cutting edge� for the newmillenium. (Further details of thesechanges can be found on page 5).

I end this letter on a more sombernote. Early in September, Prof. ErichSteiner passed away at his home after alengthy illness (see the obituary onpage 6). As many of you alreadyknow, Prof. Steiner had a long and

Continued on page 11


New Faculty - Ken Cadigan

Faculty HighlightsDepartmental notes and news

Julian Adams was elected a SeniorFellow in the Michigan Society of Fel-lows.

Richard Alexander was invited togive the keynote address at the Orthop-terists Society meeting in Queensland,Australia.

Jim Bardwell was elected a PewScholar. This is a highly competitivenational program which recognizes thetop cellular/molecular biologists in thecountry. He was a Convener andSpeaker at the Protein Folding SessionASM General Meeting in Miami. Jimreceived a new NIH grant for his project�Functional Analysis of a Protein Fold-ing Catalyst.�

Rolf Bodmer carried out research atthe Institute of Molecular Development(IBDM) in Marseille, France during hissabbatical. He was Chair and Speakerof the Session �Molecular Mechanismsof Cellular Autonomy� at the meeting ofthe French Society for Cell Biology inMarseilles. Rolf also received two newgrants, one from NIH for his project�Genetic Control of Cardiac Cell-Typesand Lineages,� and one from the Ameri-can Heart Association for his proposal�Genetic Mechanisms of SpecifyingCardiac Competence and Differentia-tion.�

Wesley Brown received new fundingfor two years from NSF for his proposal,�A phylogeny of major metazoan radia-tions.�

Lisa Curran served on PresidentClinton�s State Department Delegationto Asia before the Kyoto ClimateChange Meetings. Lisa received twonew grants this year: one from the Na-ture Conservatory and Programme forBelize entitled �Rio Bravo Carbon Se-questration Pilot Project: A Case Studyin Implementation,� and one from theCenter for Clean Air Policy for �GlobalClimate Change Policy in Central andEastern Europe: An Institutional Analy-sis.�

Robert Denver received three newgrants; from NIH for �Thyroid HormoneAction in Brain Development,� fromNSF for �Molecular Basis of ThyroidHormone Action in Brain Develop-ment,� and from the American ThyroidAssociation for �Physiopathology ofBrain Dysfunctions in Congenital Hy-pothyroidism.� Bob also received anLS&A Excellence in Research Award.

Cunming Duan was the chair of asession at the Society for Integrative andComparative Biology Annual Meeting.Cunming received two new grants, onefrom NSF for �Molecular Mechanism ofIGF Action in Fish Growth: Role ofIGFBP-3,� and one from NIH via theMichigan Diabetes Research and Train-ing Center for his proposal �Structuraland Functional Analysis of Insuline-likeGrowth Facot Binding Protein-3.�

Steve Easter carried out research atthe University of Murcia, Spain, theEcole Normale in Paris, France, and theUniversity of Western Australia in Perthduring his sabbatical. He received fel-lowships and support in all these coun-tries. He also received the Margaret andHerman Sokol Faculty Award in the Sci-ences (see page 6).

Ron Ellis received grants from theAmerican Cancer Society for �The regu-lation of Germ Cell Fate inCaenorhabditis elegans� and from theMarch of Dimes for �Does repression offog-3 by TRA-1A control sex-determina-tion in germ cells?�

William Fink consulted with educa-tors, law enforcement officials, and tele-vision and radio producers on piranhabiology used in a Discovery Channelspecial on piranhas and a National Geo-graphic Explorer show on captive pira-nhas.

Robert Fogel�s Herbarium web site(http://www.herb.lsa.umich.edu/) haswon numerous awards including: TheLearning Kingdom World Wide WebSite of the Day, Digital Dozen selectionof World Wide Web sites for August bythe Eisenhower National Clearinghousefor math and science educators, NewScientist�s Plant Science World WideWeb Site of the Day, Editor�s ChoiceBonus.com World Wide Web Supersitefor Kids, and the University ofMichigan�s Research Web Site of theWeek.

Dr. Ken Cadigan comes to us fromStanford University, where he was apostdoctoral fellow. He also held apostdoctoral position at Basel, Switzer-land, after receiving his Ph.D. degreefrom Dartmouth University in 1989. Dr.Cadigan is interested in how cell-cell sig-naling in growing embryos occurs, and isfocusing on a particular signaling proteinin the fruit fly, Drosophila. This singleprotein is responsible for specifying theultimate fates of many cells, e.g. heartcells and brain neurons. His experimen-

tal approach takes advantage of the powerful genetics, and extensive physiologi-cal and biochemical information available for Drosophila. Dr. Cadigan will beteaching courses in both cell and developmental biology.

Page 2 Gnat's Eye Gnus - 1998

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Department of Biology Page 3

Deborah Goldberg continues asEEOB group leader and was promotedto Professor.

Rich Hume completed a term as As-sociate Chair for Curriculum for the de-partment. He is the new director of theUniversity�s Neuroscience Program.

Santha Jeyabalan received the Uni-versity of Michigan Ruth M. SinclairMemorial Award for undergraduatecounseling.

George Kling was elected as a Fel-low of the American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS). Healso received a five-year award fromMBL/NSF for a project, �Arctic LongTerm Ecological Research.�

John Kuwada received two newgrants; from NIH for �Role of netrinsand semaphorins in axonal guidance,�and from the Muscular Dystrophy Asso-ciation for �Molecular analysis of out-growth and sprouting by motor axons.�

Janine Maddock was the SessionChair at the Gordon Conference on Sig-nal Transduction in Microorganisms.She received NSF funding for three yearsfor her project �Functional characteriza-tion of a Caulobacter GTPase effector do-main,� and a four-year award from NIHfor her project �Biochemical and geneticanalysis of cgtA in Caulobacter.�

Michael Martin served as the InterimDirector of the Honors Program and alsochaired the committee that reviewed theintroductory biology curriculum. He re-ceived a new grant from NSF for hisproject entitled �The Gut as Arbiter ofOxidative Stress in Insect Herbivores.�

David Mindell was off campus duringApril, May and June 1998 as VisitingProfessor at The Institute of StatisticalMathematics, Interdisciplinary StudiesDepartment, of the Japanese Ministry ofScience in Tokyo. David received twonew grants this year: one from NSF for�Avian ordinal phylogeny based on mito-chondrial DNA sequences� and the otherfrom the Peregrine Foundation for �Ge-netic diversity and systematics of HarpyEagles.�

Thomas Moore received a grant fromDARPA/DNR for his project �Computa-tional Neuromechanics: ProgrammingWork in Biological Systems.�

Phil Myers� Animal Diversity Website contains several thousand pages ofinformation on the natural history ofanimals and the structure of mammals.It is visited by over 2000 people a day.Phil won a nomination forComputerWorld Smithsonian award forinnovative use of technology in educa-tion.

Barry OConnor was recentlyelected Chair of the Systematics, Mor-phology and Evolution, EntomologicalSociety of America. He also received agrant from NSF to modernize the facili-ties for the ectoparasite collections ofthe University of Michigan Museum ofZoology.

Diarmaid Ó Foighil serves as the As-sociate Editor of the Malacological Re-view. He also held a symposium semi-nar (Refining Molluscan Characters) atthe World Congress of Malacology meet-ing in Washington, D.C.

Laura Olsen was recently namedChair of the Midwest Society of PlantPhysiologists. She received a new grantfrom USDA this year for �Signals,Chaperones, and Receptors Required forPeroxisomal Protein Transport.�

Eran Pichersky was promoted toProfessor this year. He continues hisrole as Associate Chair for Research andFacilities. Eran also received a USDAgrant this year for his project �Biotech-nology of Flavor Improvement.�

John Schiefelbein completed histerm as the MCDB group leader and be-came Associate Chair for Curriculum.He received two new grants this year:from NSF for �Molecular Genetics ofCell Fate Specification in Arabidopsis�and from USDA for �Molecular Genet-ics of Root Hair Initiation inArabidopsis.�

Mark Siddall, a Michigan SocietyFellow and an Assistant Professor of Bi-ology, was awarded the 1998 SokolPostdoctoral Award from the Universityof Michigan.

James Teeri was re-appointed as Di-rector of the Matthaei Botanical Gar-dens and continues as the Director of theBiological Station in Pellston. He re-ceived a grant from the Department ofEnergy for �Mass and Energy Exchangein a Northern Hardwoods Ecosystem.�

New Faculty - Jesse C. Hay

Dr. Jesse Hay joins us after a postdoctoralfellowship at Stanford University. He re-ceived his Ph.D. degree from the University ofWisconsin-Madison in 1994. Dr. Hay�s re-search concerns intracellular trafficking, or inother words, �how things get to their properplace within cells�. The life and function ofcells depends upon individual compartmentsthat carry out specialized tasks. To carry outits particular function, each compartment hasto have its own special mixture of cellularproducts such as proteins and lipids. Dr. Haystudies the process by which newly synthesized cellular products, packaged incontainers called vesicles, are delivered to their appropriate destination com-partment�a process which involves special proteins called �SNAREs� thatfunction as intracellular traffic cops. He will be teaching an undergraduatecourse in cellular biology, and a graduate course specializing in intracellulartrafficking.


Kathryn Tosney was the Chair of aPlenary Session titled �Pattern Forma-tion in Development and Evolution� atthe 13th International Congress of De-velopmental Biology in Salt Lake City.She was also the Organizer of the Edu-cation Session for the Society for Devel-opmental Biology in Stanford, Califor-nia.

W.H. (Herb) and Florence Wagnercontinued their research and travels, andcelebrated their 50th wedding anniver-sary in August.

Paul Webb was an invited speaker atthe Tenth International Symposium onUnmanned Untethered SubmersibleTechnology at the University of NewHampshire.

Earl Werner was on sabbatical thisyear. He was an Invited Instructor forthe Animal Behavior Graduate GroupWorkshop at the University of Califor-nia, Davis. Earl also received a newgrant from NSF for his proposal �ALong Term Study of an Amphibian As-semblage at the Landscape Scale.�

Mark Wilson gave numerous presen-tations this year including talks inMartinique, Washington D.C., Chicago,Boston, and Bordeaux, France. He re-ceived two new grants: one from NIHfor �Training Medical School Faculty to

Tackle Malaria in Malawi,� and onefrom the CDC for �Use of Partner Histo-ries to focus HIV and STD Prevention.�

Michael Wynne was awarded the�Distinguished Lecturer� at the 37th an-nual meeting of the Northeast Algal So-ciety in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Healso served as the Chairman of theNominations Committee for the Interna-tional Phycological Society.

Charles Yocum is the new MCDBgroup Leader. He received a new grantfrom NSF for his project �Site-directedmutagenesis of a photosystem II extrin-sic protein.�

New Faculty - Jianming LiDr. Jianming Li joins the Biology

Faculty after completing a three-yearpostdoctoral position at the Salk Insti-tute. He received his Ph.D. in 1995from the University of Virginia. Hestudies �brassinosteroids� - a uniqueclass of plant hormones that are essen-tial for normal plant development.This class of molecules is very similarto steroids - well known to be crucialfor human development and health.His research will use a combination ofbiochemical, genetic and molecularbiological approaches to analyze themechanism of action of these plant

hormones in Arabidopsis - the �Drosophila� of plant biology. He will beteaching cellular and molecular biology.

Biologyon the Web

The World Wide Web is becoming anincreasingly important means of con-veying information, and is being usedmore and more as a teaching tool. Staffin Biology at Michigan have been work-ing diligently all summer to redesignthe Biology Web Page. We hope to haveour "new look" up and running this aca-demic year. Please check us out atwww.biology.Isa.umich.edu.

Biology Faculty have also beenspending time creating Web resourcesfor their classes and their research. Inthe summer of 1997, Phil Myersworked on a system for using theWWW to make materials from the col-lection of the Museum of Zoology avail-able to students taking Biology 451. Hehas also developed materials for Biol-ogy 108, which has been included in hisAnimal Diversity Web page. You canfind this Web site at http:/www.oit.itd.umich.edu:80/bio108/. The website was nominatedfor a prestigious Computer World-Smithsonian Award for innovative useof technology in education. It has alsobeen incorporated into an archive main-tained by the Smithsonian to documentthe growth of technology in education.

Bob Fogel has designed and main-tained a website, Fun Facts about Fungi,and has received numerous accoladesfor his efforts. The website has beennamed The Learning Kingdom WWWSite of the Day, Editors Choice,Bonus,com WWW Supersite for Kids,and the University of Michigan researchWeb Site of the Week, among others.Check it out at http://www.herb.lsa.umich.edu/Kidpage/factindx2.htm.

The Regents ofThe University of Michigan

Laurence B. Deitch, Daniel D. Horning, OliviaP. Maynard, Shirley M. McFee, Rebecca

McGowan, Andrea Fischer Newman, Philip H.Power, S. Martin

Taylor, Lee C. Bollinger (ex officio).




Major Revisions inIntroductory Biology Planned

Over the last year and a half a smallgroup of faculty, lecturers and graduatestudents has been working diligently tocritically examine our introductory biologyofferings and to suggest changes. The re-sult of their efforts will be sweepingchanges in the way in which we teach bi-ology during the first two years, as well aswhat we teach. Starting in Winter 1999,the current two-term Introductory Biologysequence of Bio 152 & Bio 154 will be re-placed by a single new course, Bio 162.An expanded and extensively revised pal-ette of courses at the sophomore (200)level will round out this change.

First and foremost, the committee setitself the task of deciding on goals for theintroductory sequence and determininghow well our current courses were meet-ing those objectives The committee alsowanted to identify the shortcomings ofthe present introductory biology courses.

The committee established the follow-ing aims for our Introductory sequence: i)to serve as a transition from high schoolbiology to college biology for a heteroge-neous student population; ii) to stimulateand sustain student interest in biology;iii) to introduce students to content that isessential background for higher-levelcourses; iv) to introduce students to keyconcepts in biology; and v) to illustratethe process by which the field of biologyprogresses.

Based on these aims, the committee useda variety of sources to evaluate the successof Biology 152/154. Course evaluationsfrom previous years identified broad areas ofstudent dissatisfaction and helped shape aquestionnaire distributed to students in ourmiddle- and upper-level biology courses(those who could tell us how well the intro-ductory courses had prepared them forhigher work). Focus groups, conductedseparately with undergraduate students,graduate student instructors and faculty, al-lowed some of these issues to be explored atgreater length, and offered differing perspec-tives.

The results showed that Bio 152/154was best described as a mediocre experi-ence. While not a disaster, it fell far shortof our intentions and the students� expec-

tations. The main complaints were aboutthe impersonal nature of the class, thenumber and choice of topics, multiple-choice exams that seem to reward memo-rization over understanding, and the lackof integration between lecture and lab.

A number of options were presented tothe faculty, who quickly and decisivelysettled on the one-term model. The newcourse, Bio 162, will add a discussionsection to three hours of lecture and threehours of lab each week. The discussionsection will be critical, tying togetherlecture and lab, and letting students ex-plore lecture concepts from a differentangle. The discussion is designed to en-courage students into taking a more ac-tive role in the learning process, ratherthan passively recording facts thrown outin lecture. The same instructor will leadlab and discussion for a group of twentystudents, meeting with them twice aweek. This should foster greater conti-nuity for the students and allow the in-structors to assign more in-depth work.The restructuring of workloads shouldalso permit greater use of short-answerquestions on exams.

The syllabus for the new course willinclude both Cellular and Molecular Bi-ology as well as Ecology and Evolution-ary Biology. It will only superficially re-semble the current Bio 152 lecture se-quence. Thus, students will be able tomatch their coursework to their interests,and the department will get students intoits upper level courses more quickly.

Curiously, few other Biology depart-ments follow the one-term model. Of 17institutions surveyed, only two (Dukeand Harvey Mudd) take a similar ap-proach. In fact, Duke just switched froma two-term sequence in 1997, so thatmakes UM one of the leaders in thistrend!

Dr. Ammerlaan and Prof. Martin arescheduled as the instructors for the inau-gural term. �After two years of planning,it�ll feel good to actually get this courserunning,� says Dr. Ammerlaan. Prof.John Schiefelbein is also committed to ro-tate into the course. The dedication offewer faculty into a longer rotation in the

course should provide a greater sense of�ownership� and make it easier to improvethe course from term to term. After a firstrun-through in Winter 1999, the plan is tohave one person teach the whole course.From student comments, this may be themost appreciated change.

Prof. Martin has already written threenew labs for Bio 162, and is anxious tointegrate more investigative software intothe course. The biggest remaining job isto plan out the discussion activities foreach week. A number of senior graduatestudents have contributed their ideas�Lindsay Whitlow, a third-year graduatestudent, will work this Fall to write-updiscussion activities. �We�re expectingthe graduate students to carry a big partof the new course, and I�m grateful fortheir commitment to its success,� says Dr.Ammerlaan. �The new discussion shouldhelp tremendously, because it will let stu-dents find out if they really understand atopic before they get to the exam. It willgive them a chance to assimilate all theinformation presented in lecture and lab.Under the old system, the exam was thestudents� first and last chance to engagein any sort of �biological dialogue�. Nowonder they felt the course was imper-sonal.�

Over the next year the department willintroduce a selection of new and modifiedcourses that will be natural sequels to thenew introductory course. New courses inanimal physiology, embryology, animaldiversity and plant diversity will beimplemented over the next two years.Says Professor Rich Hume, the outgoingAssociate Chair for Curriculum, �Ourstudents will now be able to make mean-ingful choices of disciplines within biol-ogy to study, even before taking the corejunior-level courses in genetics and bio-chemistry. This should significantly en-rich their undergraduate experience.�


Erich E. Steiner1919-1998

Erich Ernst Steiner, Professor Emeritus of Biology died August 28, at his home. He was born on April 9, 1919 in ThunSwitzerland. His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1922 and Erich was raised in a suburb of Washington, D.C. In 1944 hemarried Dorothy White of Roanoke, VA. During World War II he served initially in the Army Signal Corps and later in theMedical Service Corps. He was discharged as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1946. Following his military service he was employedfor aperiod as a vocational counselor for the Veterans Administration before resuming an academic career.

Professor Steiner received his baccalaureate degree in Botany from the University of Michigan in 1940, and his Ph.D. in Ge-netics from Indiana University in 1950. Following completion of his doctoral work, he accepted a position on the faculty of theDepartment of Botany at the University of Michigan. During his tenure at Michigan he served as Departmental Chairman(1968-1971), as Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens (1971-77, 1989-91), as a member of the Editorial Board of the Uof M Press, and on numerous academic committees.

He was an active and respected teacher who introduced one of the first audio-tutorialteaching laboratories in botany. As a researcher, he was recognized internationally forhis work on the evolutionary genetics of Oenothera (Evening Primrose). He was invitedand served as a guest professor at the University of Cologne, Germany (1960-61), theUniversity of California at Davis (1967) and the University of Dusseldorf, Germany(1982, 1984). Dr. Steiner was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xiand numerous other professional societies (Botanical Society of America, Genetics Soci-ety of America, American Society of Naturalists, Society for the Study of Evolution, Eco-nomic Botany Society, American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, Ameri-can Horticultural Society, American Institute of Biological Science, Michigan BotanicalClub, and Torrey Botanical Club). He served as Secretary of the Michigan Academy ofScience, chair of the teaching section of the Botanical Society of America, member of theBoard of Directors of the Michigan Botanical Club, member of the Editorial Board of thePlant Society Bulletin, founding member of the Friends of the Nichols Arboretum, andas a consultant and examiner to the AIBS Office of Biology Education and the GRE Ad-

vanced Biology Test respectively.

Professor Steiner had a continuing interest in the development and utilization of botanical gardens and arboreta forteaching, research and public outreach. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Botanical Gar-dens and Arboreta. His avid interest in horticulture and the Matthaei Botanical Gardens continued throughout his retire-ment.

Professor Steiner is survived by his wife, Dottie, his three sons and their wives, and seven grandchildren.

Charles F. Yocum andStephen S. Easter Honored

This last year two of our faculty werehonored with two of the most prestigiousawards the University has to offer. Pro-fessor Charles F. Yocum and ProfessorStephen S. Easter were awarded LS&ACollegiate Professorships, and ProfessorEaster was named the 1998 recipient ofthe Margaret and Herman Sokol FacultyAward in the Sciences.

Collegiate Professorships in LS&Awere established in the early 1990�s, andhave been awarded to 19 professorssince their inception. When there is an

opening for a Collegiate Professorship,departments are asked to submit nomi-nations of faculty who have achievedhigh stature in their field of research,provide excellent mentoring to under-graduate and graduate students, excel inteaching, and provide exemplary serviceto their departments, the College, andthe University. Departments tender aone-page nominating letter, along withthe nominee�s curriculum vitae. TheLS&A Executive Committee reviews thepreliminary nomination, and narrowsthe pool of candidates to five or six. The

departments are then asked to create afull document, including documentationof teaching excellence and letters fromexternal referees and former students.

Collegiate Professorship awards in-clude a yearly salary stipend, and $5,000a year for five years in discretionaryfunds for research. Collegiate Professorsare asked to choose a former member ofthe College to name their professorshipafter. They are also invited to present alecture acknowledging receipt of thishonor.

Nominations for the Sokol FacultyAward are solicited by and submit




ted to the Horace H. Rackham Gradu-ate School. It is also a competitive pro-cess, and the award is presented to thenominee who best exemplifiesmentoring of graduate students andmaintains high standards in graduateeducation. The Margaret and HermanSokol Faculty Award in the Sciencesprovides a $25,000 award for discre-tionary use.

PROFILE - CHARLES F. YOCUM

The Collegiate Professorship is thelatest in a list of honors ProfessorYocum has received since he joined thefaculty at Michigan in 1973. He has re-ceived the Henry Russel Award, aFulbright Fellowship, and a Universityof Michigan Distinguished FacultyAchievement Award.

When Professor Yocum joined thefaculty in the Department of Botany,Division of Biological Sciences, his re-search focused on ATP Synthase, a cel-lular enzyme complex that can bothgenerate or consume ATP molecules,the �energy-carriers� of the cell. Sincethe process of photosynthesis also gen-erates ATP molecules by capturing radi-ant energy from the sun, he became in-terested in the components of the pho-tosynthetic apparatus that used this en-ergy to convert water into oxygen.However, he was unable to garner sup-port or funding for this interest. Seniorplant biologists said the work he pro-posed to do couldn�t be done. He perse-vered and formed a collaboration withProfessor G.T. Babcock at MichiganState University, and refined a methodfor isolation of the enzyme system,called Photosystem II, that producesoxygen in the atmosphere. An under-graduate, Deborah Berthold partici-pated in the experiments which led towhat has been called �one of the threemost cited papers on photosynthesis.�The article, which developed the meth-odology for the isolation of �water-splitting� photosystem II preparationsfrom plants, is known in the field bythe initials of the authors - the �BBYpaper.�

Professor Yocum�s preparation hasbeen a vehicle to many important discov-

eries in the field of photosynthetic wateroxidation. He and his collaborators havediscovered why calcium and chloride arenecessary for this reaction to occur, andhave produced a substantial body of dataon the structure and function of photosys-tem II. Although his work is predomi-nantly in the area of biochemistry, manyof his former graduate and undergraduatestudents have become molecular biolo-gists. Professor Yocum says �This is in-dicative of how broad this resesarch areais, how it has evolved over the last 25years, and how many different types oftechniques and methods are necessary toconduct the research in my laboratory.�

One of the more exciting recent devel-opments in the Yocum laboratory is thediscovery that a protein in Photosystem IIthat exhibits physical properties that arevery similar to a protein found inAlzheimer�s patients. He says, �althoughit is unlikely to lead to Medical Schoolfaculty to turn to plants as a model tostudy Alzheimer�s, it is an exciting dis-covery for people who are interested inbasic aspects of protein structure.�

Professor Yocum has devoted a largepart of his teaching obligations to intro-ductory courses in both Biology andChemistry. He sees the challenge inteaching introductory courses as one ofgetting students interested in sciences,and considers this to be important be-cause the current material covered insuch courses is the foundation of where21st century science is heading. He says,�I am always looking for the best ways topresent material in a clear and enthusias-tic way, to explain why science is impor-tant, and to get students excited about the

many possibilities in science.� He feels itis important for the best researchers todevote time to teaching introductorycourses.

Professor Yocum routinely excels inhis teaching efforts, as evidenced byconsistent high evaluations from stu-dents, the number of students who re-quest his time advice and support, andletters of support solicited by the Depart-ment for various nominations. His sup-porters say he devotes unlimitedamounts of energy to his teaching andmentoring. He says that �if the under-graduate experience is of high quality,then many students have a better oppor-tunity to start their career on the righttrack.� Humor is said to be an essentialingredient in Professor Yocum�s successas a teacher and a mentor, and he puts alot of energy into keeping humor in asituation.

Professor Yocum is equally dedicatedto training graduate students. His sup-port letters speak to his patience in thelab, his willingness to take the time tospend with laboratory personnel, and hiscontagious enthusiasm for ongoingprojects in his laboratory. His formerundergraduate, graduate students andpostdocs have gone on to their own pro-ductive careers in academia and busi-ness. Professor Yocum says �there havebeen a number of students in my labwho went on to obtain an MD degree,something that some people would con-sider strange after doing research inplant biochemistry. I try to ensure thatall students receive the proper trainingand mental outlook so they can do basicresearch in any field.� He feels thatwith the right type of experience andproper attitude his students are preparedto advance in their careers, no matterwhat path they choose.

Professor Yocum was Chair of the De-partment from 1985-1991. He has

Charles F. Yocum



served on numerous department andCollege and University committees. Hehas become a valuable mentor to juniorfaculty. He says the rewards of service isseeing the results of his time investmentreflected in the success of students andjunior faculty, and in the nationalrankings of the Department. He says �itis difficult to balance research, teaching,and service, but it is important to devoteyour best effort to each area to ensurequality education and productive andmeaningful research.�

Retirement is still some way off in thefuture for Charlie Yocum. He says �Re-search is still fun, teaching is still fun, and Istill have many ideas for future researchprojects. Junior faculty play an importantrole in my attitude. They keep bringing innew ideas and come to me for conversa-tion, advice and collaboration. I feel fortu-nate to be working on a research problemthat constantly surprises me and demands aconstant input of new ideas. I am alsolucky to still have the intuition for findingnew directions for my research.�

When he received the telephone callfrom Dean Goldenberg informing him ofhis selection as a Collegiate Professor, hewas very surprised. �I am honored to re-ceive this acknowledgment for my efforts.I know it is always difficult to choose arecipient for an honor such as this, and Iam grateful to the Department and myletter writers for their efforts.�

Professor Yocum chose to name hisCollegiate Professorship after Alfred S.Sussman. He says this was the onlychoice for him. �Professor Sussman wasthe faculty member who, scientifically,was the closest to my work when I joinedthe faculty. Professor Sussman was con-ducting research on metabolic biochemis-try, so I could easily talk to him about hisresearch. Mentoring junior faculty wasimportant to Professor Sussman, as it isto me. It was a natural choice for me tochoose to honor him in this way.�

Professor Yocum will present his Col-legiate Professorship Lecture March 22,1999 in the Rackham Amphitheatre.PROFILE - STEPHEN S. EASTER

The Collegiate Professorship and theSokol Award are the latest in a series of

awards that Professor Easter has re-ceived. Most recently, in 1994, he re-ceived the University�s DistinguishedFaculty Achievement Award. This pastwinter he returned from a year-long sab-batical during which he spent time inFrance, Spain and Australia. He was therecipient of two competitive professor-ships, and a distinguished visitor�saward from his host institutions (seeFaculty Highlights).

Prior to coming to Michigan in 1970,Professor Easter had studied almost no�biology,� have been trained as a bio-physicist at both the undergraduate andgraduate levels. Professor Easter says hehas been a neurobiologist throughout his

career, however there �wasn�t a term forit� when he began his research.

Professor Easter says �My introductionto biology came when I was in MedicalSchool at Harvard University, where Ifirst encountered the nervous system.This was a time (1961) when informationabout neural phenomena was exploding,and I was immediately hooked. I talkedwith two of my professors (who latershared the Nobel Prize) about leaving toenter graduate school, and they thought itmade sense. They recommended JohnsHopkins, and I went there. I quickly de-veloped an interest in the visual systemand have been working on it off and onever since. Initially, I studied function,how the retina codes and processes light,but over the years I turned to develop-mental problems, particularly how theretina makes connections with the brain.

I am now a developmental neurobiolo-gist, although I never took a course inembryology. This changing fields duringone�s career is not unusual these days.Most of us find that our current researchoften bears little resemblance to the workthat we began with as graduate students.

Many of Professor Easter�s former stu-dents and postdoctoral associates credithim with their success. They say he wasdemanding yet patient, and encouragedindependent thinking and high qualityresearch. Many have remarked on Pro-fessor Easter�s willingness to train stu-dents who were not working on a projectdirectly related to his own research. Pro-fessor Easter says, �I endeavor to haveeveryone in my laboratory leave with asingle-authored paper. I want to trainpeople to become independent thinkers,and to survive and in advance in theirfield.� He feels it can be counter-produc-tive to have laboratory personnel whowork on the same project. However, hesays his desire to have different types ofprojects ongoing in his lab is not entirelyaltruistic. He says �Students andpostdocs exploring different projects inmy lab have allowed me to expand myknowledge, they bring new techniquesand methods into my lab.�

Professor Easter says he tries to makehis laboratory a community, to encouragehis personnel to become colleagues, tochallenge each other, and to enrich eachother�s experiences. All indications fromformer students and postdocs are thatProfessor Easter is most successful in thisendeavor. Professor Easter�s former stu-dents and laboratory associates think sohighly of him that they gather togetherone evening every year during the Societyfor Neuroscience meeting for a dinner.The former Easter Laboratory progenyspend the evening reminiscing, and talk-ing about current research projects.

Stephen S. Easter



As for teaching, Professor Easter pre-fers to teach courses for Biology majors(rather than courses intended for socialscience and humanities majors), and toget students actively engaged in learningas opposed to the �sponge� method. Hesays that we should focus on teachinghow to reach conclusions as well as whatthe conclusions are. He believes in theimportance of writing assignments, andincludes them in even the lower levelcourses he teaches. Professor Easter hastaught Introductory Biology, Neurobiol-ogy, and Physiology. He says �I havetried to teach all of my courses with en-thusiasm, and endeavor to generate inter-est and enthusiasm in the students.�

Although internal and external col-leagues and former students credit Pro-fessor Easter for playing a key role in thesuccess of the Neuroscience Program atMichigan, he personally feels his rolewas a small one. He was Director of theprogram for four years, and says it beganto flourish because of consistent and ma-terial support from the University.

Professor Easter has served the De-partment on numerous standing and adhoc committees. He served as Chair ofthe Department of Zoology in the Divi-sion of Biological Sciences, and as Asso-ciate Chair for Curriculum in the Depart-ment of Biology. He has served on manyfaculty search committees, and has beeninstrumental in hiring and mentoringpromising junior faculty. Professor Eas-ter believes serving on search committeesis an important duty for senior faculty,and that it is important to ensure continu-ing quality and breadth of science withinthe Department.

Professor Easter plans to continue inhis present area of research. He says �Ilike what I do.� He benefits immenselyfrom the University�s sabbatical program.He believes it is important for faculty totake advantage of the sabbatical program,�to take the time to stay current in theirfield of research, and to spend time dedi-cating oneself to their research. The de-mands on faculty members to teach, pro-duce research, and serve is very heavy,and they must learn to balance the de-mands on their time.�

Professor Easter chose the name forhis Collegiate Professorship afterMathew Alpern because he was a pri-mary factor in Professor Easter�s deci-sion to come to Michigan. He says,�Professor Alpern was an eminent scien-tist working on the visual system, andwas the person I had the most intellec-tual scientific interactions with duringmy first fifteen years at Michigan. Pro-fessor Alpern was tough, critical and attimes irascible, but he was at least ashard on himself as he was on others. Heinspired and influenced me to hold highstandards for myself and others withwhom I work.�

Professor Easter will present only onelecture for both awards (November 2,4:10 p.m., in Rackham Amphitheatre),and he plans to focus on his current re-search. He intends for the lecture to becomprehensible to lay-people.

Professor Easter presented one lecturefor both the Sokol Faculty Award andthe Collegiate Professorship on Novem-ber 2nd.

Biology Facultyin the News

Local and national press often contactUM Biology faculty for comments intheir area of expertise, and to profiletheir research. Here are tidbits of whatpublications are contacting our faculty.

The Seattle Times, New Scientist,GEO, the Daily News of Midland,Michigan, the Times Herald of Port Hu-ron, Michigan, The Detroit News, theAnn Arbor News, Science News, andScience Scope all profiled the work ofAssistant Professor Robert J. Denver,which identified a stress hormone in theWestern spade-foot tadpole, corti-cotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH,

which triggers the tadpole�s metamor-phosis to a toad.

The Houston Chronicle, the Archi-tectural Record, The New York Times,The Arizona Republic, Geotimes, andthe Features page of the London Sun-day Times all cited Associate ProfessorGeorge Kling�s work on carbon in theatmosphere in the northern tundra.

The Detroit Free Press profiled Pro-fessor James Teeri last December, inan article that reported on his researchon the changing levels of carbon diox-ide, and how plants, bugs and animalsmay grow more slowly in the future asa result of an increase.

The Detroit News, the Ann ArborNews, the Zeeland Record in Zeeland,Michigan, and The Oakland Press inPontiac, Michigan all cited AssociateProfessor Mark Wilson (Alumni GEG�97, New Faculty, page 4) on thespread of rabies in raccoons in Michi-gan. Mark was also interviewed forcomment in a Science article regard-ing global warming and its possibleeffect on infectious diseases.

The San Francisco Chronicle citedProfessor Richard Alexander in an ar-ticle entitled �Human Nature, Sexual-ity, and the Funny Bone.�

Professor Wesley Brown was cited inScience for his and former postdocGavin Naylor�s research on molecularphylogenetic relations among the majorgroups of vertebrates and their closeevolutionary relatives.

Professor Arnold Kluge was quotedin a Detroit News article about virginconceptions in snakes.

Assistant Professor David Mindellwas mentioned in a Science article re-garding the extinction of ancestral birds.

Associate Professor Barry OConnorwas cited by the Gazette News Serviceon the early arrival of mosquitoes thispast spring.

Those of you in the Ann Arbor areamay have seen the Ann Arbor



Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory

News article regarding the E.S.George Reserve, where many Biologyfaculty and students conduct research.Associate Professor Beverly Rathckeand Professor Earl Werner were inter-viewed for the article entitled �Walk onthe Wild Side: Biologists have plenty ofelbow room at UM�s George Reserve.�Reporters from the Brighton Argus andother local newspapers were also onhand to visit the Reserve and speak

with researchers. Professor Rathckewas also cited in The Grand RapidsPress for her knowledge on white-taileddeer and how they help spread the spot-ted knapweed. (See page 12 for an indepth article on Professor Werner�s re-search.)

The Minneapolis Star Tribune men-tioned Professor Emeritus W.H. (Herb)

Wagner as the recipient of ferns fromMinnesota for identification.

We would be happy to furnish alumniwith a copy of any of the articles men-tioned in this feature. Please [email protected], or call (734)764-7427. We would also appreciatereceipt of any articles from your areathat mention or feature Biology faculty.

In the last two editions of the Off-Campus Edition of the Gnat�s EyeGnus, we told you about the Microbi-ology Project Lab, and the Neurobiol-ogy Project Lab. These courses weremade possible from a competitivegrant for improving undergraduateeducation awarded to the Departmentby of the Howard Hughes Foundation.

During Winter Term 1998, we wereable to offer for the first time a thirdProject Laboratory course, Plant Mo-lecular Biology Lab, Biology 413.Professor Eran Pichersky designedand taught the course with the assis-tance of graduate student Ms. JihongWang. Thirteen students were en-rolled. Professor Pichersky says that�the goals of the are course to famil-iarize students with state-of-the-artmolecular biology techniques as theyare applied to plants, and to giventhem extensive laboratory experi-ence.�

The class met twice a week from1:00 - 5:00 p.m. In addition to theeight hours the students were requiredto spend in the lab for coursework, thelaboratory was available to themthroughout the rest of the week andthe weekend. The pairs of studentstook turns coming into the lab duringoff-hours to prepare cultures andmonitor experiments in progress.Professor Pichersky made himselfavailable as much as possible, andcould usually be found in the ProjectLab at the end of most work days.

Each class session began with ahalf-hour presentation by ProfessorPichersky, explaining that day�sprojects. He says teaching the ProjectLab was more interesting for him thana regular lecture class because it waseasier for students to understand prin-ciples when they carried out the ex-periments from which the principleswere deduced. Students worked inpairs to conduct experiments, whichincluded isolating, cloning and se-quencing DNA, isolation of PlantRNA, and localization of plant genesby such techniques as �southern� blothybridization.

Professor Pichersky feels the pur-pose of the course is to get studentsinterested and excited about conduct-ing basic scientific research. He saysthat book and lecture knowledge isnot enough to provide quality scienceeducation, that students need to learntechniques, and gain facility withthem in order to advance in scientificresearch careers. He says that al-though the course is not intended totrain students to be laboratory techni-cians, he believes a number of stu-dents would be able to go into indus-try and become laboratory technicianswith the experience they gained in Bi-ology 413. Professor Pichersky esti-mates that out of the 13 students, twoor three have already been accepted tomedical school and another three orfour have been accepted to graduateprograms. He also believes that a fewstudents who had no firm intentions

prior to taking this class are now se-riously considering graduate school.

The course, which will be offeredevery winter term, produced positivefeedback from the students. One stu-dent reported that �the size of theclass was ideal for the nature of thecourse.� Another said that the �envi-ronment was very conducive to learn-ing.� Professor Pichersky�s intendedpurpose of the class was acknowl-edged by the students, including onewho said, �the class taught [me] awide variety of subjects and gave[me] a general understanding of Mo-lecular Biology techniques.�

Professor Pichersky feels Biology413�s first offering was a success.Students appeared to have fully ab-sorbed the information presentedand learned more than he couldhave possibly hoped. A pair of stu-dents even identified a new gene inthe plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Theentire class authored a report afterthey sequenced the gene as part of aclass project. The sequence can befound in PubMed in the GeneBankdatabase on the World Wide Web.



distinguished career as an evolution-ary geneticist. He worked on theevening primrose, Oenothera, known togeneticists as having a fascinating ge-netic system. As well as being as very

distinguished scientist, he was a man ofgreat humanity and compassion. Hewas admired by everyone in the Depart-ment, both as a scientist and as an indi-vidual. We all miss him - I particularlyso; as Chair of the Botany Department

many years ago, he was responsible forhiring me, and bringing me to Ann Ar-bor.

Donations to the Biology Alumni En-dowment Fund have increased everyyear since its inception. This year�s to-tal was $13,990, an increase of morethan $2,500 over last year�s total. TheDepartment is deeply gratified by yourcontinued generosity. We appreciate thegifts you, our alumni, have given overthe years and know your participation inour efforts is a key to our continued suc-cess. A listing of this year�s donors canbe found on the page 14. In addition,we would like to express sincere appre-ciation to those of you who faithfullysend your donations and wish to remainanonymous.

All donations, from the smallest tothe largest, are greatly appreciated andwill be used to support the area of inter-est designated in your gift response.You may remember that you were askedto contribute to the MCDB graduate stu-dent support, and/or to undergraduateresearch support. Many of you chose tosplit your contributions, while somechose one area to support over the other.The result of the different distributionswas $6,352 to MCDB graduate studentsupport and $7,638 to undergraduate re-search. When contacted by theUniversity�s Telefund campaign, manyof you also chose to designate your giftto the Biology Alumni Endowmentwhen contacted by the University, andwe are grateful for those contributions aswell.

The Department also received largergifts from individual benefactors thispast year. We are extremely grateful forthe generosity of Mr. Paul Connell, whohas made two generous contributions in

memory of his wife, Priscilla, whopassed away this past year. The firstgift, made shortly after her passing, willbe used for fellowships for undergradu-ates. Funds generated from the accountof the second and most recent gift fromMr. Connell are earmarked �for the en-richment of the faculty, graduate stu-dents, and undergraduate students in theDepartment of Biology.� Students andfaculty who receive funding from thisaccount will receive a Priscilla H.Connell Memorial Award.

A bequest from Elizabeth Youngman,a Biology friend, established an endow-ment for the �benefit of students study-ing the areas of plant physiology andmolecular biology.�

The Department received a generousgift from Dr. Nelda Alger. Funds fromher gift were used to establish theUnderwood-Alger Scholarship Fund.With the income generated from this ac-count, scholarships will be establishedfor full-time students majoring in thebiological sciences in the LS&A. Ninetypercent of the income will be used forscholarships for one or more under-graduate students and the remainingamount will be used for scholarships forgraduate students.

In each issue of the Alumni Newslet-ter, we profile the recipients of the HelenOlson Brower Memorial Fellowship.We look forward to bringing you moreprofiles of faculty and students who willreceive awards from these new gifts.

On page 9 you�ll see a new feature toyour newsletter, Biology Faculty in the

News. The University has a clippingservice that searches for and sends thedepartment copies of articles in whichBiology at Michigan is profiled or men-tioned. If you see something mention-ing faculty or students in Biology atMichigan, will you please send it to us?

We also feel it is important to main-tain contact and receive feedback fromour alumni. This newsletter goes out toover 9,000 alumni annually. We wouldespecially like to hear from those whohave not returned the Alumni ReplyForm in the last few years. We wouldlove to hear about your accomplishmentsand activities, and to share them withour readers next year. What can we doto make the newsletter more informa-tive, more attractive to you, our audi-ence? What do you want to see more of?Less of? You can return the Reply Formvia FAX (734-647-0884), regular mail,or you can e-mail your thoughts to us [email protected]. We are waitingto hear from you.

Fundraising, Gifts and Newsletter Updates

Chair�s CornerContinued from page 1



Faculty Research Profile �Earl Werner

Professor Earl E. Werner is one of theDepartment�s senior faculty members inthe Ecology, Evolution, and OrganismalBiology (EEOB) interest group. He at-tended undergraduate school at Colum-bia University, where he received a fullscholarship for his studies there. He re-ceived his Ph.D. in 1972 in Zoology-Ecology from Michigan State University.After a year as an Assistant Professor ofZoology at the University of Iowa, he re-turned to MSU as a faculty member for13 years. He joined the University ofMichigan faculty in 1986 as full Profes-sor.

GEG: Why did you choose Biologyand academia as a profession?

I have been fascinated with biologysince I was a child, though I never enter-tained the possibility that I could make aliving at it until I was in college. Aftertrying geology and the humanities as anundergraduate, I finally settled where Ibelonged in biology. I did not decide tobecome an ecologist until taking my firstcourse in ecology in graduate schoolwhen I realized that it was ecology that Ihad always been interested in. Pursuing acareer in academia followed naturally,there simply appeared to be no other ca-reer that offered the freedom to pursuethe research that I had come to enjoy somuch.

GEG: How has your research inter-est changed over the years?

Seemingly mainly by accretion of newinterests without losing the old. I beganmy research career examining the adap-tive strategies of food selection in fishand this developed into a study of howthese strategies differed among closelyrelated species and what the implica-tions were for coexistence of species inmore complex communities. As I exam-ined these interactions, at the time in thelocal sunfishes, I became intrigued withthe question of how the large range inbody size within a species population af-fected these interactions. This questiongenerated an abiding interest in the roleof development in ecology and the scal-ing of ecological phenomena withchanges in body size. One importantoutgrowth of that problem was the dis-covery of the tradeoff between foragingreturn and predation risk mediated bybody size. We developed some theoryalong the way to predict habitat shifts infish as a function of body size which Ithen discovered laid over onto the ques-tion of optimal size at metamorphosis inamphibians. This work ultimately led toa more global hypothesis concerning theorigins of complex life cycles in ani-mals, a problem that still engages me. Iswitched from working on fish to am-phibians at that point and added a suiteof new interests including phenotypicplasticity in morphological responses oftadpoles to presence of predators,higher-order effects of adaptive re-sponses of species in food webs to othercomponents of the web, andmetapopulation phenomena. I guess ageneral theme that has remained con-stant is an interest in building up froman understanding of individual biologythrough species interactions to patternsin ecological communities.

GEG: Geographically, where hasyour research been focused?

The majority of my work has beenbased in freshwater systems in Michigan,specifically on fish and amphibian com-munities. However, I have conductedsome work on the community ecology ofthe cichlid species flock of Lake Malawi,Africa and on the foraging behavior ofpomocentrid fishes on the Great BarrierReef, Australia. I have also done somecomparative work on the fish communi-ties of Michigan lakes with those of theCentral Highlands of Florida.

GEG: Do you work on freshwater or-ganisms only?

Well, I have for some years now. I amattracted to these systems not only be-cause they hold an inherent fascinationfor me, but also because of their tracta-bility as a model experimental system.Aquatic systems have relatively definedboundaries and are eminently manipu-lable. For example, in our work we rou-tinely address questions in communityecology by conducting experiments on agradient from small laboratory aquariathrough wading pools and cattle tanks,pens in natural ponds, and experimentsin whole ponds. This capability is im-portant because of the tradeoff betweencontrol and reality: as we move towardthe laboratory we gain control and canmore readily study mechanism, but welose context. As we move toward thefield we lose control but the system bet-ter reflects the natural one and we areprovided an opportunity to see what hasbeen left out of the explanatory frame-work. The art form, of course, is to inte-grate such studies in a way that their ad-vantages mutually strengthen our infer-ences.

GEG: Do you conduct all of your Mich-igan studies at the E.S. George Reserve?

Earl E. Werner



Yes, the great majority of our work isnow focused on the George Reserve whichis a spectacular facility for ecological re-search. As I recall well over 350 journal ar-ticles and 65 doctoral theses have resultedfrom work on the area and this research of-ten provides a critical long-term perspectivefor our current studies. The Reserve is abouttwo square miles and located 30 milesnorthwest of Ann Arbor. It has been fencedand maintained as a research area by theUniversity since 1930. Thus one can set upexperiments, even long-term experiments,without fear of disturbance or vandalism.There are about 50 distinct aquatic habitatson the Reserve from small temporary pondsto large permanent marshes. One of the ad-vantages of the Reserve for our program isthat we can study the dynamics of the natu-ral amphibian communities juxtaposed withthe experimental capabilities of the researchfacility that I built with University supportwhen I arrived in 1986. This facility con-sists of 21 experimental ponds that can bedrained and filled individually as well as a40x60 fully winterized laboratory building.

GEG: Is some of the work you�vebeen doing at the Reserve long-term?

Yes, and the long-term studies are un-covering some very interesting patterns.For example, in 1988 we reinitiated asurvey of the amphibians in 37 ponds onthe Reserve that had been surveyed in thelate 60�s and early 70�s. Comparisons ofthese surveys indicated some extraordi-narily interesting dynamics on larger spa-tial and temporal scales than we had ad-dressed before. These data turned out tobe so interesting that we applied for, andrecently received, funding from a pro-gram at NSF for long-term studies inecology. This funding will enable us tocontinue the studies in a more formalway and archive the data so that they areavailable to the broader scientific com-munity. These sorts of data are invaluablein light of questions such as the currentconcern with global declines in amphib-ian populations or global climate change,as well as sources of inspiration for ourexperimental work.

GEG: How have personnel from yourlaboratory benefited from this surveyand the E.S. George Reserve?

The patterns uncovered in the surveyhave provide many ideas for the studies thathave been conducted in my lab. And, as Imentioned the juxtaposition of the experi-mental capabilities of the pond facility withthe study of the natural ponds has a syner-gistic effect on our research. This permitsan integration of lab and field studies that israrely accomplished. Ideas or phenomenadiscovered in the laboratory often quicklyprompt a study on the field populations and

vice versa. Several former students, in fact,come back to the Reserve annually for thesurvey and remain involved in that aspectof the work. For example, Dave Skelly whois now at Yale, is an investigator on thelong-term grant and comes back for severalweeks annually during the survey.

GEG: What is your research focus-ing on now?

There are several main foci of thework that we are presently conducting.First, we are interested in how we cancharacterize and predict the adaptive re-sponses of organisms under conflictingdemands. For example, we are examiningphenotypic plasticity, both behavioral andmorphological, in amphibian larvae ex-pressed in relation to the tradeoff betweenforaging ability and predation risk. Asso-ciated with the differences in species re-sponses that we see across the gradient ofpond types on the Reserve, we have be-gun to examine population differentiationin some of these species and how thesedifferences relate to local ecological con-ditions in the ponds. A second major fo-cus is to understand and again predict theconsequences of species interactions tocommunity structure. We are interested inhow we can mechanistically characterizespecies interactions from an understand-

ing of the functional significance of spe-cies traits such as behavior and morphol-ogy. This interest in part motivates thework on individual responses mentionedabove as it is these traits that determine aspecies performance in interactions withother species and the environment. Forexample, we have shown that merely cag-ing a predator in the environment canchange the per capita competitive effectof an anuran larva on another by 50%, or

adding a competitor to asystem can alter the percapita predation rates by apredator on the focal spe-cies by 35%. In both cases,these higher-order effectsare caused by the focal spe-cies altering its activitylevel to balance the gainsand risks as predators andresources change in the en-vironment. We are also de-veloping research programsin several new areas. Thesurvey work on the Reserve

has prompted an interest in the processesthat affect species composition and abun-dance on larger spatial and temporalscales, that is on scales of many squarekilometers and decades. The survey dataindicate that amphibian species composi-tion of virtually all of the ponds haschanged dramatically since the late 60�s,yet most species exhibit the same totalnumber of populations on the Reservenow as then.

GEG: How big is your researchgroup?

Over the last five or six years I havehad 6-8 graduate students and 1-2postdoctoral students. This is a littlelarger lab that I prefer and it sometimesputs a strain on resources at the Reservepond facility. But with a group that sizeit also means that a diverse array of ex-citing work is ongoing and I am im-mensely enjoying the research rightnow.



Mrs. Sylvia SchwabDr. Gerald SchwartzMr. Michael SepanskiMs. Elvera ShappirioDr. A.W. & Mrs. Ann SharerDr. Mark ShifferMs. Rowena R. SimDr. Stanford H. SmithMr. Stephen F. SmithMrs. Nancy Foster SmithMs. Dorothy SolbrigMrs. Stephanie SpiegelMr. Jay C. StarkeyDr. William E. & Dr. Constance SteinDr. Judith Van HoornDr. Lesley VannersonMr. Chris VargasDr. Norman VogelDr. W.H. & Dr. Florence WagnerDr. William J. WalterMr. Mark D. WeberDr. Stanley C. WeckerMr. Daniel WeilDr. Richard E. WendtMrs. Margaret L. WhileMs. Mary L. Brown WhitingMr. James WiersMr. Thomas YoungMany anonymous donors

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Thank You to Our Donors

The Gnat's Eye Gnus is published bythe Department of Biology at the

University of Michigan,Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048

Editor: Pam Baker

Photographer: David Bay

© 1998 The Regents of theUniversity of Michigan



Brower Fellowship Presented toTwo Graduate Students

Katherine (Katie) Nash Suding andBruce Ferguson each received fellow-ships from the Helen Olsen Brower Fel-lowship in Environmental Studies. Thefellowship, which was established fouryears ago by Mr. and Mrs. Casper Offut,has generated sufficient expendable dol-lars so the selection committee was ableto make two awards this year. They de-cided the outstanding proposals by Katieand Bruce were both worthy of the$5,000 award.

Katie works in a tallgrass prairieplant community off Lake Erie in Ohio.In 1996, she began a study to determinewhat aspects of soil disturbances arenecessary to support fugitive plant spe-cies in this community - species that are

unable to grow in the undisturbed prai-rie and rely on gaps in the vegetation forestablishment. Because disturbancesmay also increase the susceptibility toinvasion by problematic exotic species,her work focuses on methods to conservethe native integrity of the tallgrass prai-rie.

Katie says, �Because we have drasti-cally altered disturbance regimes overthe last two centuries, natural processesmay no longer be in place to foster na-tive species diversity in many plant com-munities.� By combining field andgreenhouse experiments, she aims todistinguish among the mechanisms thatallow native fugitive species to persistand those that allow exotic species to in-vade, thereby determining effective

management strategies for the few re-maining prairie remnants.

Since any disturbance simultaneouslychanges a complex suite of biotic andabiotic factors, Katie�s experimentalwork takes apart the effects of individualmechanisms of change from the overalleffect of gap creation. By analyzing howdifferent species respond to separatecomponents of disturbance, her work al-lows her to assess which aspects of a dis-turbance benefit what types of species.

The Brower Fellowship will supportKatie�s efforts to continue her work toassess which aspects of a disturbancebenefit prairie diversity and which as-pects should be avoided. Her goals dur-ing the 1998 field season are to 1) docu-ment patterns of species compositionalchange due to disturbance at the prairie;2) continue to determine how a species�competitive ability changes due to indi-vidual aspects of disturbance; 3) assesshow nutrient availability is affected bydifferent aspects of disturbance; and 4)compare the responses of additional spe-cies under greenhouse conditions. Shehopes that this work will help in our un-derstanding of the processes affected bydisturbance, and which of these pro-cesses influence species compositionalchange.

Bruce Ferguson says �The BrowerFellowship is key to continuation of mydissertation work in El Petén, northernlowland Guatemala. El PetÉn containsone of the two large remaining forestpatches in Central America, and about athird of the territory is protected by theMaya Biosphere Reserve (MBR).While agriculture is the most extensiveand fastest-growing mode of land use inthe Petén, relatively little effort has beeninvested in understanding the contribu-tion of agriculture to conservation.�

Due to the soil erosion, loss of fertil-ity, secondary pest outbreaks and dra-matic fluctuations in international mar-kets associated with modern agriculture,

these lands are more subject to abandon-ment than ever. In the Petén, 111,000hectares of crop land were abandonedbetween 1987 and 1993, even as the to-tal area of land devoted to agricultureincreased (Lara 1994). Rain forestplants, adapted to frequent natural dis-turbance, recover rapidly from agricul-ture if their propagules and a suitable

microhabitat are preserved. High-inputmonocultural agriculture, however,seeks to minimize biological diversityand halt ecological succession.

Bruce is following forest developmenton land in and near the buffer zone ofthe MBR that was subjected to a spec-trum of agricultural management. Thisarea is home to Itz· and Yucatec Mayaand their descendants, who employ a so-phisticated system of agroforestry thatincludes over 140 species of crops andtrees (Atran 1993) and represents awealth of knowledge of rain forest suc-cession. Shifting, or slash-and-burn cul-tivation, is another component of tradi-tional agriculture in the Petén.

Bruce Ferguson

Katie Nash-Suding



Over the last forty years, however,cattle pastures and input-intensive mo-nocultures have occupied huge tracts inthe region, to some extent displacingmore traditional forms of land manage-ment.

In addition to documenting contrast-ing successional patterns on these sites,Bruce is exploring the contribution tosuccession of an important subset of eco-logical relationships, plant-plant facili-tation (positive interactions among indi-viduals). A broad array of facilitativeinteractions in early and intermediatestages of succession leads to formationof regeneration �nuclei,� patches of re-generation that expand from a remnanttree or early colonizer. Two facilitativemechanisms seem particularly likely toinfluence succession in the humid trop-ics: attraction of seed dispersing ani-mals (mostly birds and bats), and indi-rect facilitation through suppression of amutual competitor (in this case, com-petitive networks of herbs, vines, pio-neer trees, and mid-successional trees).He anticipates that species and structuraldiversity and thus the pace of successionwill be greatest in agroforestry andslash-and-burn systems, and least inhigh-input monocultures and pastures.

After completing his doctorate, Bruceplans to return to the PetÉn to continuehis research and to focus on applying hisfindings to alleviating the region�s con-servation crisis. He will further test hisideas about the contribution of facilita-tion to succession by applying them todesign of agroecosystems that initiateecological restoration. For example, hisresults should point toward targets forstructural diversity levels that increaseseed dispersal by animals and optimizethe light environment for tree seedlings.His results will also suggest at whichstages of succession and in which lightenvironments to remove vines or pioneertrees to allow other tree seedlings to de-velop, or when to leave those plants inplace to prevent erosion and leaching ofnutrients from the system. He hopes tocontinue working with localagroforesters to combine their knowl-edge of farming and silviculture with his

understanding of ecological theory andscientific method to design and testagroforestry-for-restoration systems. Heis hopeful that his results will help con-vince conservationists that instead ofwriting off agricultural land as lost totheir cause, they must recognize the ex-tent to which agroecosystems can harborboth biodiversity and the beginnings offorest regeneration.

Both Katie and Bruce would like toexpress their gratitude to the Offutts fortheir fellowships which contribute toconservation and ecological theory.

Graduate StudentNews

Recent PhDsAugust 1997

Jan Louise Cassin completed her dis-sertation entitled �Balancing Costs andBenefits in a Mutualism: Conditionalityin the Interaction Between the Grass,Hystrix patula Moench (Poaceae;Triticeae), and its Fungal Endophyte,�under the direction of Michael Martin.

Erik S. Jules completed his disserta-tion entitled �History and BiologicalConsequences of Forest Fragmentation:A Study of Trillium Ovatum in South-western Oregon,� under the direction ofBeverly Rathcke.

Troy Allen Keller completed his dis-sertation entitled �Influence of an Omni-vore, Nutrients, and Site Heterogeneityon Stream Algal and Invertebrate Com-munities,� under the direction of BrianHazlett.

Jennifer Blair McCormick com-pleted her dissertation entitled �Mo-lecular Characterization of Drosophila

melanogaster RFamide Peptides,� underthe direction of Ruthann Nichols.

Pablo J. Pomposiello completed hisdissertation entitled �Promoter Architec-ture and Transcriptional Regulation bythe NAC Protien of Klebsiellaaerogenes,� under the direction of Rob-ert Bender.

David Paul Warners completed hisdissertation entitled �Plant Diversity inSedge Meadows: Effects of Groundwaterand Fire,� under the direction of BeverlyRathcke.

Peder M. Yurista completed his dis-sertation entitled �The Effect of Tem-perature on the Biology of Two Cla-docerans,� under the direction of GeorgeW. Kling.

December 1997

Hui Liu completed his dissertationentitled � Cloning and Expression of aP2X Receptor from the Chick Embryo,�under the direction of Richard I. Hume.

Gerald Ross Urquhart Jr. completedhis dissertation entitled �Disturbanceand Regeneration of Swamp Forests inNicaragua: Evidence from Ecology andPaleoecology,� under the direction ofJohn H. Vandermeer.

Qun Zeng completed his dissertationentitled �p53, Bax, and Nedd-2: Compo-nents of Mouse Taste Cell Death Path-ways,� under the direction of BruceOakley.

May 1998

Dae-Gwon Ahn completed his disser-tation entitled �Factors ControllingAxial Variation in the Threespine Stick-leback, Gasterosteus Aculeatus,(Teleostei: Gasterosteidae): Patterns ofNatural Variation and Their Genetic/De-velopmental Mechanisms,� under thedirection of Gregory C. Gibson.

Maiyon Park completed her disserta-tion entitled �Inductive and LineageMechanisms During Heart De



velopment of Drosophila,� under thedirection of Rolf Andre Bodmer.

Haiyang Wang completed his disser-tation entitled �Molecular and Func-tional Studies of Genes Involved in Con-trolling Cell Morphogenesis inArabidopsis thaliana,� under the direc-tion of John W. Schiefelbein, Jr.

Zhen Zhou completed her disserta-tion entitled �Molecular Determinants ofRectification and Desensitization in theP2X2-Class of ATP-Gated Channels,�under the direction of Richard I. Hume.

August 1998

Leland James Cseke completed hisdissertation entitled �Molelcular Biologyof Floral Scent Evolution: Characteriza-tion of Linalool Synthase (LIS) in Di-verse Species,� under the direction ofEran Pichersky.

Sharon Angela Jansa completed herdissertation entitled �Molecular Phylog-eny and Biogeography of Madagascar�sNative Rodents (Muridae:Nesomyinae),� under the direction ofPhilip Myers and Priscilla K. Tucker.

Rick A. Relya completed his disser-tation entitled �Phenotypic plasticity inlarval anurans,� under the direction ofEarl E. Werner.

Recent MastersDegrees

August 1997

Matthew BookerPhilippe CasgrainAnn GulleyYan LinKatherine TeeterLita Yu

December 1997

James HoytNopporn KichananthaJamie BenderKaren Jo RisingPinglang WangMichael Koch

April 1998Winfried Elis

Zhe HanKirsten JuddJennifer KerkerMatthew LewandowskiChristian Teh-Ping LiangKerry PaisleyValerie Richter

Awards andRecognitions

One Term Dissertation Fellowshipswere awarded to Sharon Jansa (Myersand Tucker), Shane Webb (Smith and �Foighil), Leland Cseke (Pichersky),David Treves (Adams), Joseph Scanio(Werner and Bodmer), Lena Nicolai(Myers), and Timothy Howard(Goldberg) from the Rackham School ofGraduate Studies.

A Sokol International Summer Re-search Fellowship was awarded toHeather Heying (Kluge).

Salvatore Cerchio (Payne) received aNational Science Foundation Disserta-tion Improvement Grant.

Jihong Wang (Pichersky) andKatharine Nash Suding (Goldberg)were awarded Predoctoral Fellowshipsfrom the Rackham School of GraduateStudies.

Departmental dissertation/thesisgrants were awarded in the Fall to Jen-nifer Ast (Kluge), Thomas Bridgeman(Kling), Jacqueline Courteau(Rathcke), Dunrie Greiling (Rathcke),Amber Peters (Smith), SalvatoreCerchio (Payne), and Bruce Ferguson(Vandermeer).

Helen Olson Brower Memorial Fel-lowships were awarded to BruceFerguson (Vandermeer) and KatharineNash Suding (Goldberg).

The Emma J. Cole Award for Distin-guished Graduate Student in Plant Biol-ogy was awarded to Wendy Crookes(Olsen). Runner up for the award wasJay West. Both students received mon-etary awards.

Wendy Crookes (Olsen) received afellowship for the Cellular Biotechnol-ogy Training Program.

Derek Dimcheff (Wilson) received afellowship from the Cancer BiologyTraining Program at the University ofMichigan Medical School.

Pei-Jiun Chen (Ellis) won first prizefor her poster at the 1998 OrganogenesisSymposium.

Thomas Bridgeman (Kling) receivedthe National Security Education Pro-gram Graduate International Fellow-ship.

Daniel DeJoode (Curran) received afellowship for his dissertation researchfrom the Charles A. and Anne MorrowLindbergh Foundation.

Christopher O�Neal (Rathcke) wasselected as an Outstanding GraduateStudent Instructor by Rackham Schoolof Graduate Studies.

Christopher Baraloto (Goldberg) wasalso selected as an Outstanding GraduateStudent Instructor by Rackham School ofGraduate Studies.

(Advisers names in parentheses)

Nondiscrimination Policy StatementThe University of Michigan, as an equal op-portunity/affirmative action employer, com-plies with all applicable federal and state lawsregarding nondiscrimination and affirmativeaction, including Title IX of the EducationAmendments of 1972 and Section 504 of theRehabilitation Act of 1973. The University ofMichigan is committed to a policy of nondis-crimination and equal opportunity for all per-sons regardless of race, sex, color, religion,creed, national origin or ancestry, age, maritalstatus, sexual orientation, disability, or Viet-nam-era veteran status in employment, educa-tional programs and activities, and admissions.Inquiries or complaints may be addressed tothe University's Director of Affirmative Action& Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, 4005Wolverine Tower, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1281, (734) 763-0235, TDD (734) 647-1388.



Alumni NewsNotes from around the world

The Twenties

Florence Anderson Kiskey (BS �27,MS �28 University of Chicago) was anassistant in Astronomy at U of M in1926-27. She worked as a Math andSciences instructor in Muskegon HighSchool and Muskegon Community Col-lege from 1927 to 1934 when she mar-ried Fred S. Kiskey. She is now 91years old and living in Muskegon.

The Thirties

Donald B. O�Brien (BA �39, MS�40) retired in 1981 from his position asAssociate Superintendent of ThorntonTownship High Schools for Harvey,Dolton and South Holland, Illinois. Hetaught Biology for 25 years after his na-val service in WWII. He currently re-sides in Glenview, Illinois.

Aino W. Osterberg (BS �30, MS�47) taught Biology in Junior and SeniorHigh School from 1930 to 1940 in bothHancock and Big Rapids, Michigan. Hewas an intern for a year in the ClinicalLaboratory at the Grace Hospital in De-troit, followed by employment in thesame lab for 30 years. Aino retired in1971 and traveled extensively for 20years. He is now living in a retirementapartment in Dearborn.

The Forties

William G. Haag (BS �32 Universityof Kentucky, MS �33 Kentucky, PhD�48) first came to Ann Arbor in 1934 tostudy Vertebrate Paleontology with E.C.Case. He returned in 1941 as an assis-tant in Mammalogy for a year. He wasalso an active archeologist for TVA from1935 to 1941. When the war was over,William received a PhD inEthnozoology in a special arrangementbetween the Zoology and Anthropologydepartments. He is an Professor Emeri-tus of Anthropology at Louisiana StateUniversity where worked from 1952-

1978. He currently resides in NewRoads, Louisiana.

The Fifties

Alfred M. Beeton (BS �52, MS �54,PhD �58) retired August 31st from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-ministration where he served as ChiefScientist (acting). From 1986-1996Alfred was Director of the Great LakesEnvironmental Research Laboratory/NOAA. From 1976 to 1986 he servedas Director of the Great Lakes and Ma-rine Waters Center at U of M. He was aProfessor at the U of M School of Natu-ral Resources as well as a Professor ofEngineering in the Atmospheric, Oce-anic and Space Sciences department.He is currently living in Ann Arbor.

Ted C. Michaud (BS �51 Purdue,MS �54, PhD �59 University of Texas) isa Professor Emeritus at Carroll Collegeand lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Robert A. Paterson (BA �49 Nevada,MA �52 Stanford, PhD �57) held manypositions until his retirement in 1994from the Biology Department at VirginiaTech. He served as Head of the BiologyDepartment, Associate Dean for Admin-istration, Associate Dean for Researchand Graduate Studies, Interim Dean, Di-rector of the Center for the Study of Sci-ence in Society and Science and Tech-nology Studies Graduate Program. Heperformed research in Taxonomy, Ecol-ogy and distribution of aquatic fungi atthe U of M Biological Station. He alsodid research in Maryland, Virginia,Alaska and Antarctica. He was ateacher of freshman Biology, under-graduate and graduate courses inBotany. He currently lives inBlacksburg, Virginia and is enjoying re-tirement�especially when he�s travel-ing to visit his three children and threegrandchildren.

David Ramsey (BS �53, MS �54,MHA �72) After receiving his MS in

Microbiology, David Ramsey worked for4 years as a Research Assistant at theDetroit Institute of Cancer Research. Hethen joined the Administrative staff atHarper Hospital in Detroit where heworked his way up to the position of As-sociate Administrator. Upon completinghis MHA, he was hired as Administratorfor the Iowa Methodist Medical Center.In 1983, David became their Presidentand Chief Executive Officer. From 1993to 1995 he served as President and CEOof the Iowa Health System in DesMoines. During his 23 year career atIowa Methodist, he was named IowaHealth Citizen of the Year by the Com-bined Health Appeal. After his retire-ment in 1995, David and his wifeElinor moved to Arizona where they en-joy golfing and traveling. The couplehave three sons and three grandchildren.David has received numerous prizes forhis photography and works of his latestavocation, wood turning, have been in-cluded in various art shows.

Elvera Shappirio (BA Botany �53)Ellie is co-owner, with 12 other indi-viduals of the cooperative Clay Galleryin Ann Arbor,. She is also co-owner ofthe cooperative Potters Guild with 42others.

Peter Stettenheim (PhD �59) is liv-ing in Plainfield, New Hampshire.From 1958-1969, Peter worked as a

Alum Elvera Shappirio with her pottery



Research Zoologist at the USDAAvian Anatomy Project at MichiganState University, doing research on thefeathers and integument of birds. In1969 he and his family moved to NewHampshire. Since then, he has held aseries of ornithological editing jobs, firstas editor of The Condor, a quarterlyjournal, and then as the organizer of anew series of life history accounts for allthe breeding species of North Americanbirds. Currently Peter is the coordinat-

ing editor for Recent Ornithological Lit-erature, a compilation of abstracts fromthe worldwide scientific literature aboutbirds. This bibliographic tool has beenpublished for over 20 years and Internetavailability is now in the works. Peterbelieves it is a logical extension of a no-tion that he learned in grad school -while it�s essential to have a basic coreof knowledge for research or teaching, itis equally important to know where tolook it up when you need it.

Adrian M. Wenner (BS �51Gustavus Adolphus College, MA �55Chico State University, MS �58, PhD�61) �retired� from the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara in January of1993 but has maintained his office andlab on campus ever since. The topics ofhoney bee communication, monarch but-terfly migration, island biogeography,environmental conservation and restora-tion, as well as studies about the phi-losophy and process of science, continueto occupy his time. In addition, Adriantakes time tending to the figs, persim-mons, avocados, bananas, macadamianuts, cherimoya, lemons, limes, orangesand grapefruit he grows in his garden.

The Sixties

Margaret E. Beard (BA �63Wellesley, MS, PhD �67) is a ResearchScientist at the Nathan Kline Institute inOrangeburg, New York. She lives inPearl River, New York.

Thomas W. Brink (BS �68, MD �72University of Minnesota) is a Physicianspecializing in Internal Medicine inGrand Rapids. He is a new employee ofButterworth Hospital, after 22 years ofprivate practice. He is also a ClinicalAssociate Professor of Internal Medicineat Michigan State University, College ofHuman Medicine. Thomas has twodaughters, one a sophomore at CarletonCollege and another a freshman in highschool.

Earl Creutzburg (BS �67, MS �68)was appointed to the Board of Commis-sioners of the Champaign County (Illi-nois) Forest Preserve District on June17th, 1997. Earl is a Professor of Biol-ogy at Parkland College and has beenactive in local environmental organiza-tions for several years. He is steward ofPatton Woods Nature Preserve inChampaign County.

Alden B. Glidden (BS �65, MD �69Wayne State) is a Family Physician withhis own practice in Klamath Falls, Or-egon.

Michael D. Rohrer (BS �66, DDS�70, MS �78) is the Assistant Dean ofResearch at the University of Oklahoma,College of Dentistry. He is a Professorof Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology andPathology in the Colleges of Dentistryand Medicine there. Michael wasnamed to a four year term as a Presiden-tial Professor�an honor which carries a$40,000 prize. He was also elected to aseven year term as a director of theAmerican Board of Oral and Maxillofa-cial Pathology. In 1997, Michael re-ceived an award from the graduatingdental class as their outstanding instruc-tor for their four years of Dental School.

Randall E. Williams (BS �66, DDS�73) is a dentist in private practice inValparaiso, Indiana. He is the lay leaderof the New Life Wesleyan Church in

Chesterton, Indiana. On October 4th,1997, Randall attended the PromiseKeepers �Stand in the Gap� rally inWashington, D.C.

Edwin F. VanderHeuvel (BA �59Central Michigan, MA �63 CentralMichigan, MA �67) retired in Decemberof 1996 from St. Clair County Commu-nity College. He was a Biology Profes-sor there for 28 years.

The Seventies

Marilyn K. Bland (PhD �72) is liv-ing in Boulder, Colorado. She fondlyremembers Ed Voss, the Biological Sta-tion and the legendary botanical adven-tures of Herb and Florence Wagner.

Lynn H. Boyd (BS �73) currentlylives in Crestwood, Kentucky and is anAssistant Professor of Operations Man-agement at the University of Louisville.

John M. Cilluffo (BS �72, MD �77Wayne State University, MS �83 Univer-sity of Minnesota) After receiving hismedical degree from Wayne State, Johncompleted a residency at the MayoClinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He iscurrently a practicing Neurosurgeon andChief of Neurosurgery at the MunsonMedical Center in Traverse City. He isalso the former President of the Michi-gan Association of Neurological Sur-geons.

Forrest C. Dunaetz (BS �74) Whiletraveling around the world working oncruise ships ten years ago, Forrest con-tracted the HIV virus. He is living inReno, Nevada but happily remainshealthy thanks to new medications.Forrest is the Coordinator of Frontline,the largest AIDS prevention programwith HIV/AIDS speakers putting a faceon the disease. Last year Frontlinespoke to over

Alum David Ramsey with his woodworking



16,000 people�mostly teens innorthern Nevada. Frontline targetsteens because they have one of the fast-est growing rates of infection with theAIDS virus in the country. He wouldlove to hear from ëold� friends at U ofM.

Donald B. Heckenlively (BA �63University of Denver, MS �65 NewMexico State University, PhD �74) Afterspending 5 years as Vice President forAcademic Affairs at Hillsdale College,Donald has returned full time to teach-ing Biology at the College.

Arch Hopkins (PhD �73) lives on hisfamily�s farm in Granville, Illinois. Hemanages the 163 year old farm, operateshis public accounting firm and keeps ac-tive in things botanical by gardeningand leading wildflower walks at the lo-cal conservation area.

Tracy Kahn (BS �77, PhD �87 Uni-versity of California) is Curator of Uni-versity of California Riverside�s CitrusVariety Collection. It is one of theworld�s most extensive collections of cit-rus and citrus relatives. With over 800accessions, the fruits come in a varietyof colors (including blue and brown) andsizes�from the size of one�s fingernailto the size of one�s head! Tracy attendedthe 1997 International Congress of Cit-rus Nurserymen, where she was inter-viewed by the French Press and had theopportunity to visit the large citrus col-lection of Corsica.

Lawrence R. Kupferschmidt (BS�68 Central Michigan University, MS�72) is the Chief Executive Officer ofThe Biotech Marketing Group, Inc. inAudubon, PA.

Cyndie Warbelow-Tack (BS �69Alaska, MS �70) lives with her husbandStephen in Two Rivers, Alaska, thirtymiles east of Fairbanks. Together theyown and operate a general store, cafÉand commercial greenhouses. She ex-plains that the long daylight hours andlack of intense heat make interiorAlaska an outstanding place to growvegetables and flowers�the green-houses are breathtaking in May andJune! Their café is known for its piesand their greenhouses are known for its

containers�especially hanging baskets.The couple have two children, Kaarinand Brett.

Frank A. Weir, II (BS �76, DDS �81,MBA & MSHA �97 University of Colo-rado) is President and Owner ofMedicomm Consulting, Inc. in Colo-rado Springs, Colorado. He doeshealthcare consulting for Physicians,Dentists and Attorneys.

The Eighties

Ronald Allen (BA �72 Concordia IL,MS �74 Chicago State University, MS�84, PhD �93) is currently a Professor atConcordia College in Ann Arbor.

Heidi Babbitt-Cameron (BS �86,DC �90 Life College of Chiropractic) isworking as a Chiropractor at GreggChiropractic in Garden City, Michigan.

Charles A. Crotteau (BS �88, MD�94 Wayne State University) wed wifeLori in 1997. He has recently finishedresidency in Family Medicine/GeneralPractice and plans to practice in Chi-cago.

Cheryl Lynn Cushman (BS �83,DDS �88 Case Western Reserve, Peri-odontics Certificate �93 Medical Col-lege of Georgia) lives in Newnan, Geor-gia and is a Periodontist in nearbyAustell.

Peter L. Fine (BS �89, MS �89, MD�93 New York University) is an Assis-tant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiol-ogy at the University of Medicine andDentistry of New Jersey in Newark. Heresides in East Orange.

Adam Goldsmith (BS �87, PhD �97)Adam recently received his PhD in Phar-macology and has accepted apostdoctoral position in the InternalMedicine Department/Hematology-On-cology division at the University ofMichigan with Michael Clarke, MD.

Casey R. Lu (BS �80, MS �87, PhD�93) is now an Assistant Professor ofBiology at Humboldt State University inArcata, California.

Kevin S. Packman (BS �87, MD �91Wayne State University) After receivinghis degrees, Kevin pursued a general sur-gery residency at the Medical College ofFrank H. Ryan (BS �82) is a PlasticSurgeon in Beverly Hills, California.

David Tellner (BS �86) is doing clini-cal research at Quintiles BRI, Inc. of Ar-lington , Virginia. He lives inUrbandale, Iowa. David was a captain inthe US Marine Corps from 1989-1993.

Arnold Yasher (BS �86, MD �90Northwestern) lives in Louisville, Ken-tucky with his wife Catheryn and sonsWilliam, four, and Jacob, two. Davidstarted practice in 1996 after completinga fellowship in Joint Replacement Sur-gery in La Jolla, California and residencyat the University of Michigan Hospitals.He is a Clinical Instructor of OrthopedicSurgery at the University of Louisville.His wife is a fellow in Gynecologic On-cology there.

Marlene Zuk (BA �77 University ofCalifornia-Santa Barbara, PhD �86) is aBiology Professor at the University ofCalifornia-Riverside.

The Nineties

Manuel Alsina (BS �95) currently at-tends Baylor College of Medicine inHouston, Texas.

Anil V. Asgaonkar (BS �96) is aMedical Student at Wayne State Univer-sity.

Rusty Brand (BS �90, MD �94) iscurrently serving in the US Navy as aflight surgeon for Carrier Air Wing Oneaboard the USS George Washington. Heis on a deployment to the Mediterranean.



David Casimir (BS �93, MS �95 Uni-versity of Wisconsin, PhD �96 Universityof Wisconsin) is living in MountainView, California and expects to finish hisJD at Stanford in 1999.

Gretchen Ann Champion (BS �95)attends the medical school at Washing-ton University in St. Louis, Missouri.She expects her degree in the year 2000.

David Chesler (BS �97) is a GraduateStudent at New York University pursu-ing a PhD in Molecular Biology/Genet-ics.

Patti Crowley-Harpenau (BS �90,MS �95 Bowling Green State University)was married in August of 1997 to hus-band Chris. She is the Manager ofChemical Management Programs atHoughton International in Valley Forge,Pennsylvania.

Bryan R. Harvey (BS �92, DDS �97Columbia University) is serving his firstyear as an oral and maxillofacial surgeryresident at Ohio State University.

Jason Hoeksema (BS �95) is attend-ing graduate school at the University ofCalifornia-Davis. He is working on aPhD in Ecology.

Dria Howlett (MS �96) worked forthe US Fish and Wildlife Service inIdaho at Grays Lake National WildlifeRefuge the summer after she graduated.She conducted a census of birds, smallmammals and vegetation in an effort tolay a baseline for an experiment regard-ing land usage. For most of 1997 Driaworked at the Purple Martin Conserva-tion Association: during the winter as anAssistant Office Manager, and duringthe summer observing Banded PurpleMartins for conservation research andgiving lectures at the Chautauqua Insti-tute in New York for public education.Last September, Dria couldn�t stand be-ing away from Ann Arbor any longer, soshe moved back to town. She workedbriefly at the Humane Society of HuronValley but can now be found back at theUniversity, working at the Undergradu-ate Admissions Office.

Steven L. Jessup (PhD �94) spentthree years as a postdoc at the Universityof California Berkeley, living aboard a�41 sloop in San Francisco Bay, and

sailing the California coastal waters. In1997, Steven married wife, Laura, andmoved to Ashland, Oregon. He is anAssistant Professor at Southern OregonUniversity. His current research is in�systematics and evolution of alpine en-demic plant species�, mostly in the HighSierra and Cascade Peaks, but also Kla-math Mountains and Nevada ranges.

Kristie Keeton (BS �94, MD �98) isattending the University of Illinois. Sheis pursuing a Master of Public Health inthe Department of Maternal and ChildHealth before starting her residency inOB/Gyn.

Emmanuel S. King (BS �97) is cur-rently a Medical Student at the Univer-sity of Medicine and Dentistry of NewJersey�Robert Wood Johnson MedicalSchool, Piscataway.

Karen Krajewski (BS �95, MS �97Indiana University) is a Genetic Counse-lor living in Sterling Heights. Aftergraduating from Indiana University,Karen was hired by the department ofNeurology at Harper Hospital in the De-troit Medical Center. She provides ge-netic counseling for patients and familieswho have or are at risk for various neuro-logical disorders.

John LaGorio (BS �90, MD �94) livesin Howell and recently completed resi-dency in Anesthesiology at U of M.

Howard C. Larky (BS �96) lives inOak Park, Michigan. He is a second-year Medical Student at the MichiganState University College of OsteopathicMedicine.

Jennifer Lay (BS �95) now attendsthe University of Tennessee. She is aGraduate Student in their Department ofMicrobiology.

Brian Long (BS �96) is a second-yearMedical Student at Vanderbilt Univer-sity.

Baiju Malde (BS �95) is currently aMedical Student at the University ofPittsburgh.

Kevin E. McCarthy (BS �92, MD�97 Tufts University) is a General Sur-gery Resident at the Maine MedicalCenter in Portland, Maine.

Vikas Mehta (BS �95) lives in Man-hattan and attends Cornell UniversityMedical School. He plans on a career inNeurosurgery. He fondly remembers Dr.David Shappirio and Dr. KathrynTosney in the Biology Department. Heexplains that the two were instrumentalin shaping his career and personalgrowth.

Maggie Morris (BS �95) lives inDallas and is a Graduate Student at theUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medi-cal Center.

James R. Morales (BS �92) was avarsity wrestler all four years at Michi-gan (1988-92). After completing his un-dergraduate studies, James attendedRobert Wood Johnson Medical School�formerly Rutgers�in Piscataway, NewJersey. He is currently doing his resi-dency in family medicine and sportsmedicine at Robert Wood Johnson Uni-versity Hospital in New Brunswick, NewJersey.

Gil Padula (BS �91, MD �97 Michi-gan State University) was an intern atSt. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arborfrom1997-98 and recently began a resi-dency in Radiation Oncology at Memo-rial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center inNew York City.

Adam T. Ross (BS �93, MD �97Johns Hopkins University) did one yearof research in the Hearing Center atJohns Hopkins after graduation. He isnow a Surgical Resident at the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania specializing in oto-laryngology.

Edmund P. Russell III (PhD �93) isan Assistant Professor in the Division ofTechnology, Culture and Communica-tion in the Engineering School at theUniversity of Virginia. He recently wonthe University of Virginia�s prestigiousAlumni Board of Trustees TeachingAward. He is also the recipient of theRachel Carson Prize for Best PhD Dis-sertation in Environmental History, aUni


In MemoriamBURTON T. OSTENSON

1912-1996

versity of Virginia Teaching FellowsAward and the National Science Foun-dation CAREER Award. In his work,Edmund builds bridges from science andtechnology to the humanities and socialsciences. He continually strives tostimulate innovative and creative think-ing about society and technology.

Haining Shao (PhD �95) is a Der-matology Resident at Case Western Re-serve University Hospitals in Cleve-land, Ohio.

Eleanor Slater (BS �97) lives inNatrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Sheworks as a Chemist for PPG Industriesin nearby Springdale.

Sarah Sloane (PhD �92) lives in asmall town in west-central Maine withher husband Drew and childrenHannah, eight, and Ellie, three. She isan Assistant Professor at the Universityof Maine, Farmington. Previously, Sa-rah was a visiting Professor at Franklin& Marshall College. She is continuingresearch on behavior and ecology ofBushtits in southeast Arizona and be-ginning research on Black-cappedChickadee winter social behavior inMaine as well as comparative studieson thermal properties of nests.

Nina Damali Abubakari Smith (BS�97, BA �97) is a Masters of PublicHealth Student in the EpidemiologyDepartment the University of Minne-sota. Nina also serves as a research as-sistant with the Family Planning Grantat Community University Health CareCenter/Variety Children�s Clinic.

Adam Smooke (BS �97) will startDental School at the University of Pitts-burgh in the Fall of 1998.

Jose J. Terrasa-Soler (BS �90Mount Saint Mary�s College, MS �92,MES �97 Yale) is an EnvironmentalScientist . He works for CSA Archi-tects & Engineers in San Juan, PuertoRico.

Adam Weissman (BS �92, MD �96New York Medical College) is a sec-ond-year Emergency Room Resident atthe University of Connecticut Emer-

gency Medical Residency. He lives inNew Briton, Connecticut.

Meredith Williams (BS �97) is aMedical Student at Johns Hopkins Uni-versity in Baltimore.

Kevin Winer (BS �97) Lives in Kan-sas City, Missouri with wife, Lisa.Kevin is a Criminalist with the KansasCity Police Department, RegionalCriminalistics Laboratory. There hedoes training in the recovery, identifi-cation, and processing of DNA andtrace evidence. He examines andanalyses crime scene evidence includ-ing hair, fiber and DNA

Burt passed away on September 27th,1996. He received his MS (�38) andPhD in Zoology (�48) from Michigan.He married Nancy �Betty� Winchesterin Ann Arbor in 1937. Burt served inthe South Pacific during World War IIas a communications officer in theUnited States Navy and continued hisservice for 23 years in the Naval Re-serves, retiring as a Lieutenant Com-mander. After the War, he taught atMichigan State University. In 1947 hemoved to Parkland, Washington andjoined the faculty of Pacific LutheranCollege. During his 42 years atParkland, he developed curricula inField Biology and Ecology, as well asinstructing a wide variety of Biologycourses. During his tenure, Burt servedas Chairman of Biology, General Sci-ence, and Earth Science Departments.He is well remembered for his popularclass on the Natural History of the Pa-cific Northwest. Burt participated in avariety of biology research projects atmultiple institutions including: Michi-gan, Stanford, Harvard, Cape Thomp-son Project Chariot in Alaska, and theUniversity of Washington NSF Projectin the Antarctic.

In MemoriamANDREW S. WATSON, M.D.

1912-1996

Andrew S. Watson, M.D., (B.S. Zool-ogy, �42) a pioneer in the field of Law andPsychiatry died in his home in Ann Arboron April 2, 1998; he was 77. At the timeof his death, Dr. Watson was ProfessorEmeritus of Law in the Law School andProfessor Emeritus of Medicine in theMedical School at the University ofMichigan where he taught since 1959.He served in the US Army in Europe dur-ing WWII as a member of the MedicalService Corps. Dr. Watson earned his MDDegree from Temple University in 1950.He did his Post Graduate training at theUniversity of Pennsylvania Graduate Hos-pital and his psychiatric residency atTemple University. Concurrently, he be-gan his training as a psychoanalyst at thePhiladelphia Psychoanalytic Institute,completing that work in 1959. At theUM law school, Dr. Watson taught acourse in Law and Psychiatry and regu-larly collaborated with his colleagues inteaching Criminal Law and Family Law.He also taught Negotiation and workedactively in legal clinical training. He hada particular interest in the lawyer-clientrelationship. A book, �The Lawyer in theInterviewing and Counseling Process,�grew out of that work. His Psychiatry forLawyers has been a standard text formany years. In 1978 Dr. Watson receivedthe Isaac Ray Award from the AmericanPsychiatric Association and the SeymourPollack Distinguished AchievementAward from the American Academy ofPsychiatry and Law in 1989. In theMedical School, Dr. Watson taught stu-dents and psychiatric residents. He was asupervisor in family conjoint therapy, andin his private practice he frequentlytreated couples. He was also a prominentforensic psychiatrist. Surviving are Joyce,his wife of thirty years; four sons, Andrewand David Watson and John and StevenSpiesberger. A memorial service was heldon April 19, 1998 at the Lawyer�s Club atthe University of Michigan.




Have you thought of making theBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT ALUMNI ENDOWMENTpart of your estate plan?

A deferred gift to the Biology Department in the form of a charitable remainder trust or partici-pation in the University�s Donor Pooled Income Fund can provide many benefits to you andyour family:

� Income for life

� No capital gains tax on appreciated property

� A charitable deduction

� Expert management with little or no fuss

Ultimately your gift will help ensure the continued excellence of Biological Sciences at Michi-gan and will be used, at your instruction, for faculty, student or program support.

A bequest is yet another way to provide for the Biology Department Alumni Endowment. Be-quests to the University of Michigan have traditionally been a major source of support, and abequest also provides your estate with a charitable tax deduction.

If you would like more information on deferred giving options to benefit the Biology Depart-ment Alumni Endowment, please call the Biology Department at (734) 764-7427. If you pre-fer, you may call or write directly to the University�s Office of Trusts and Bequests:

DirectorThe Office of Trusts and BequestsWolverine Tower3003 S. State StreetAnn Arbor, Michigan 48109-1288

Telephone: (734) 647-6085FAX: (734) 998-6100

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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