biology

“K” Alum Travels to Japan Following Natural Disasters

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Ethan Segal ’90, professor of Japanese history at Michigan State University, made two trips to Japan following the March 11, 2011, earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that continues to dramatically affect the northeastern part of the country.

Segal earned his B.A. in biology and did his study abroad in Japan (Waseda University in Tokyo). He earned advanced degrees from the University of Washington (M.A.) and Stanford University (Ph.D.). He is currently the 2011-12 Visiting Scholar at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. You can read his impressions from his recent visits to Japan here.

SIPs into Published Works: Alumni Collaborate in Research

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When alumni mentor seniors doing their Senior Individualized Projects it can lead to co-authorship of published papers. The proof: Rebecca (Becky) Tonietto ’05 and Katherine (Katie) Ellis ’09. The two are coauthors of the paper “A comparison of bee communities of Chicago green roofs, parks and prairies,” which appeared in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning 103 (2011) 102-108.

Tonietto was a mentor for Ellis during the latter’s SIP, and the published article includes results from Katie’s senior research. Tonietto is working on a Ph.D. in plant biology and conservation at Northwestern University. According to Associate Professor of Biology Ann Fraser, the biology department has many examples of alumni serving as SIP mentors for seniors, “and entomology has been an especially fruitful area for this kind of collaboration,” she added.