• Honors and promotion for Paul Sotherland
• Vivien Pybus awarded tenure
• Just For Grins: alumni return to celebrate Sotherland's 20th
• Collaborative NSF grant will probe "mystery of mysteries"

Spring 2006

Honors and promotion for Paul Sotherland

Congratulations to Dr. Paul Sotherland, who was this year's recipient of the Frances Diebold Award for outstanding contributions to the Kalamazoo College community. This award was presented by Student Commission on behalf of the college student body. Sotherland also had the honor of addressing the Class of 2006 at the June Commencement ceremony.

Sotherland is also to be congratulated for his recent promotion to the rank of full Professor. In addition to his demonstrated excellence in teaching and mentoring students, Paul maintains an active research program in animal physiology and works tirelessly to promote and further the college's mission. He is currently a co-PI on a three year collaborative grant from the Teagle Foundation to assess how and what students learn.

March 2006

Vivien Pybus awarded tenure

Dr. Vivien Pybus was awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor this spring. Since joining the Kalamazoo College faculty in 2000, Dr. Pybus has actively involved students in her NIH-funded research program on microbe-microbe interactions and their significance to the pathogenesis of a syndrome known as bacterial vaginosis (BV). Her teaching includes introductory and advanced courses for science majors, as well as a non-majors course entitled "Biology of Disease." In addition to her teaching and research at the college, Pybus serves on the Health Science Professions Committee and the Institutional Review Board.

November, 2005

Just For Grins: alumni return to celebrate Sotherland's 20th

Throughout his 20 years of teaching at Kalamazoo College, Dr. Paul Sotherland has endeavored to engage his students in the process of science and with the wonders of nature. On November 5th, a group of twelve alumni and two current students paid tribute to Paul and the lasting impression he has made upon them. Organized by alumnus Mike Finkler, the day of celebration included a series of short seminars in which participants spoke about their time at K and their current work. Through this event many current students also met and talked with alumni about their post-graduate experiences and careers.

Participants, with their current affiliations, included (front row, L to R):

• David Marcinek, K 93; Department of Radiology, University of Washington Medical Center
• Karen Carney, K 93; AAAS Fellow and US Agency for International Development
• Brock Selbo, K 06; Department of Biology, Kalamazoo College
• Michael Finkler, K 91; Dept. Natural, Information, and Mathematical Sciences, Indiana Univ. Kokomo
• Tess Killpack, K 06; Department of Biology, Kalamazoo College
• Tara Darcy-Hall, K 97; W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University
• Michael Glista, K 06, Department of Biology, Kalamazoo College

(back row, L to R):

• Mairi Noverr, K 96; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University
• Wendy Reed, K 92; Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University
• Edward Dzialowski, K 93; Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas
• Paul Sotherland, Department of Biology, Kalamazoo College
• Jeffrey Wilson, K 91; Dept. Geological Sciences and Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan
• Timothy Muir, K 03; Graduate Program, Department of Zoology, Miami University
• Sarah Bouchard, K 95; Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Otterbein College
• Markus Boos, K 00; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago
• Aaron Bommarito, K 97; Humanities and Fine Arts Department, Saint Paul College

July 2005

Collaborative NSF grant will probe "mystery of mysteries"

How new species arise is an enduring question in biology. Referred to as the "mystery of mysteries" by Charles Darwin, it continues to stimulate research at all levels of biology. Dr. Ann Fraser of Kalamazoo College, and Dr. John Hofferberth of Kenyon College hope to provide some pieces to this puzzle with the help of their recent collaborative research award from the National Science Foundation. The grant provides over $175,000 to Fraser, and over $60,000 to Hofferberth. The two researchers, together with their students, will use chemical, electrophysiological and behavioral approaches to study the chemosensory basis of host selection in ant-associated butterflies. Using the Australian lycaenid butterfly genus Jalmenus and their attendant Iridomyrmex ants as a model, this collaborative research project aims to elucidate the olfactory cues used by butterflies to locate and identify appropriate ant partners, and to characterize the degree to which butterfly populations exhibit local adaptation with respect to host ant selection. The results of this research will provide insights into how host recognition mechanisms and host selection behavior influence the speciation process in organisms that have close associations with other species. Through this research, students will have the opportunity to integrate biological and chemical approaches to address broad evolutionary questions.