HUGH INVITES PROPOSAL

Howard Hughes Medical Institute recently invited Andrews University to submit a proposal for funds to strengthen its undergraduate education in biology and related scientific fields.

The Institute, a private funding agency, hopes to enhance basic biomedical research and education nationwide through its funding program.

Among the other 100 institutions invited to participate are California Institute of Technology, Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, M.I.T., Duke and Yale.

Last year 99 of the nation’s colleges and universities were invited to submit proposals. Of these institutions, 44 were selected t receive awards. Awards for this year are expected to range from $500,000 to $2,000,000 and are to be used over a 5-year period.

“One of the Institute’s principle goals is to support education related to biology and medicine in the broadest sense, to insure that the next generation of medical researchers has the best possible training,” said Purnell W. Choppin, M.D., president of the Institute.

“The Institute’s objectives for these grants are to strengthen the biological and related sciences in outstanding liberal arts colleges and to increase the number of persons from minority groups entering biomedical research careers.”

“Just being selected to apply for a Hughes Medical Institute grant is an honor,” said John F. Stout, AU biology department chairman. Stout will be writing the proposal with help from several other staff members and the university office of development. The proposal is due January 5, 1989, and the Institute will announce awards next spring.

WOODLAND GOES TO CHINA

Dennis Woodland, professor of botany, was one of 33 botanist from around the world selected to participate in a three-week information exchange in the People’s Republic of China this spring. The international group visited universities, botanical research centers and botanical gardens where participants exchanged ideas and information with Chinese colleagues.

“From this interaction have come new professional contacts [and interest in] how we can work together in a cooperative way,” Woodland said.

“Our group was unanimous that China is developing very rapidly to a much freer, more open society, and that if events in the world remain the same, within 25 to 50 years the economic and political center of the world will no longer be in Europe or in North America, but in eastern Asia. That’s a very sobering prospect.”

BIOLOGY ALUMNI GIVING STRONG

A measure of the strength of any educational institution is its level of alumni support, and AU biology alumni and friends have once again demonstrated the strength of the biology program. A total of $6,945 was donated to the department over the past fiscal year.

These funds will help replace aging lab equipment such as microscopes and polygraph recorders, and purchase computers which are now in heavy use by students and staff.

The Biology Department is most grateful to its alumni and friends for continued strong support. Contributed dollars will allow the department to not only maintain its traditionally strong program, but expand into newer areas such as molecular genetics, tissue culture and immunology.

Such expansion is crucial if the department is to remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing scientific and technological environment.

BIOLOGY RESEARCH AT AU

The leadership and success enjoyed by AU’s biology department derives from its long-standing commitment to excellence not only in teaching, but also in research. Immersed within an active research environment, both graduate and undergraduate students benefit from participation in cutting-edge science.

Each of the department’s seven faculty members is a published scientist and maintains an active research program. In fact, during the past 10 years over 60 papers have been published by AU biologists in refereed journals, and excellent record for a relatively small department.

The following is a brief summary of biology faculty research at AU.

Bill Chobotar, a parasitologist, uses the tools of histology, immunology and electron microscopy to study mechanisms of pathogenesis, development and immunity in a variety of host-parasite relationships.

By learning about the structural details of parasites, Chobotar hopes to provide information that will reduce infection among humans and domestic animals. He is especially interested in the biology of Coccidia, a group of parasites that live within the cells of their hosts.

James Hayward has interests in both behavioral ecology and paleobiology. One of his project involves examining how body size correlates with the tempo of behavior in gulls.

It appears that the larger the gull, the more slowly it behaves. Hayward hopes to model this relationship using dimensional analysis.

He and his students also study the processes by which birds and their eggs become fossils. This relatively new area of paleontology, called avian taphonomy, has developed in response to some rather spectacular fossil finds of late.

With an interest in marine biology and paleobiology, Bill Hughes and colleagues from Loma Linda and Indiana universities are attempting to solve some mysteries about the growth characteristics of brachiopods.

Brachiopods, live bivalve mollusks, produce shell features that correlate with environmental changes. Hughes hopes to determine which such changes are significant.

If he succeeds, he will be able to apply his understanding of shell structure to fossil brachiopods in order to understand the nature of ancient habitats.

David Steen is a plant physiologist who would like to understand the mechanism of cell wall formation in plants. Virtually all plant cells produce cell walls through a process not well understood.

For his study Steen grows modified plant cells called protoplasts which have had their walls stripped away. These cells are extremely delicate and must be propagated in tissue culture.

Once he has a good supply of protoplasts, Steen can watch the process of wall formation in these initially walless cells. He has evidence to suggest that rod-like structures known as microtubules are involved in this process.

A behavioral physiologist with a long-standing interest in animal communication, John Stout first worked with fish, then birds, and now crickets. Male crickets, by rubbing their wings together, emit a familiar calling song that attracts females for mating.

Using neurophysiological techniques, Stout and his students are working out the details of calling song reception by females. In the course of their work they hope to further our understanding of how nervous systems process information. Stout’s research is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.

Asa Thoresen, an ornithologist, spent many seasons studying the breeding biology of alcids, a group of seabirds including puffins, auklets and murres. Interest in electron microscopy and histology, however, have recently led Thoresen to examine the fine structure of the inner ears of birds.

The inner ear is an especially critical structure in birds, given their extensive use of sound during courtship, feeding and territoriality. Thoresen is especially interested in the structures of the inner ears of birds like starlings that mimic the songs of other birds.

Dennis Woodland, a plant systematist, has a special love for a generally unappreciated group of organisms, the stinging nettles. Woodland studies the biogeography and systematics of this interesting group.

In addition to the classical collecting techniques employed by botanists for centuries, Woodland analyzes chromosome numbers as well as biochemistry to characterize nettles. His experience with nettle classification has encouraged him to write a systematic botany textbook soon to be published by Alyn and Bacon.

ALUMNI NEWS

We greatly appreciate the hearty response from our alumni to the first issue of BioFeedback. The following is a summary of information returned by those who completed our information request, “Calling Songs.” For those who wrote, thank you, and continue to keep in touch. We hope that those who have not written, will do so for future issues of BioFeedback. We are all interested in what you are doing!

1950’s

Paul W. Anderson B.A. ’50, M.D., M.P.H., is Director of Public Health, Humboldt-Del Norte County, CA. He serves on several boards and is president of the Eureka Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.

Herluf Jensen B.A. ’52, M.S. (Michigan State University), is currently living in Loma Linda, CA. He serves as a volunteer for Mission Church Builders.

Gordon L. Byrd B.A. ’58, D.D.S. (Loma Linda University ’60), is a general dentist in Stevensville, MI.

Donald R. Borg B.S. ’59, M.D., is a self-employed physician in Los Angeles, and is head of the Family Practice Department at Glendale Adventist Hospital. He enjoys both snow and water skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving and travel.

1960’s

Philip A. Lewis B.A. ’61 M.A., is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Biologist doing research on water pollution detection methods using aquatic organisms as indicators of stress. He is an internationally known expert on mayfly. (genus Stenonema) taxonomy.

David E. Love B.A. ’61, M.D., is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He enjoys travel, photography and racquet sports.

Charles A. Cutting B.A. ’62, D.D.S. (Loma Linda University ’68), M.P.H. (University of Michigan, ’72), is a general dentist in San Bernardino, CA. He enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and marathon running, and is a member of the T.V. production crew at University Church, Loma Linda, CA.

Dave Lounsberry B.A. ’64, M.D., is a physician in Simi Valley, CA. He enjoys alpine and Nordic skiing, windsurfing, jogging, backpacking, cycling and looking for wildflowers in the back-country.

Tom Mullen B.A. ’68, M.P.H., M.D., is a physician at Weimar Institute, CA. He, his wife, Bethany (Westermeyer) AU ’69, and children Jonathon, 15, Amy, 12, and Melissa, 9, are readjusting to U.S. life after more than ten year’s service in Nepal and Pakistan.

Peter J. Trepper B.A. ’69, M.A., ’73, D.D.S. (Temple University ’81), M.H.A. (Loma Linda University ’87), is Dental Director at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital. After three years in private practice, he has spent five years in mission service. He and his wife, Janis (Banks), have two children, Jennifer, 12, and Rebecca, 11.

1970’s

Abbigail Marlene Steinhart (formerly Seinhart) B.A. ’71, B.A. in psychology (University of California), resides in Riverside, CA, where she writes poetry and prose. She plans to pursue graduate education in biology of psychology. She reads widely and has diverse interests.

David Wohlers B.A. ’72, M.A. ’74, doctorate in zoology (University of Munich, ’80), is manager of the family-owned and operated Hafner farms in Baldwinsville, NY.

Dwight Scarborough B.S. ’75 M.D., is a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon in Worthington, OH. His current interests include parenting three boys, flying and church growth.

Larry Habenicht B.A. ’76, M.D., is a surgeon at Bella Vista Hospital, Puerto Rico. He enjoys butterfly collecting and participated n insect survey studies of the Dominican Republic in 1986 and 1987.

Ken Colburn B.A. ’77, M.D., is a staff physician at Okinawa Adventist Medical Center, Japan. He and his wife, Sandy (Bartlett B.A. ’75 in Interior Design), spend their free time raising their two children. Ken hopes to begin an insect collection with his five-year-old son soon.

Schubert Parlmer B.A. ’77, M.D. (Loma Linda University), is a staff physician in cardiology at the White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angelos, CA. His current interests and activities include writing, music and paying bills!

Bryce A. Bray B.S. ’79, D.D.S. (Loma Linda University, ’83), is a self-employed dentist in Thief River Falls, Montana.

1980’s

Cheryl A. Emoto (Muskett) ’80, M.D. (Loma Linda University, ’84), works part-time as a pediatrician in Grand Terrace, CA. Her remaining time is spent enjoying her recently-born son.

Malinda White Walker B.S. ’82, works as a mother of two children on their small farm in Baroda, MI. Their family grows grapes, corn a small garden and has lots of pets. She enjoys watching, feeding and photographing birds.

Obed Bashora Rutebuka M.S. ’83, M.S.P.H., is an assistant professor at the Adventist University of Central Africa. He has been translating a book from English to French in collaboration with OXFAM.

Akira Chiba M.S. ’86, is a full-time student in the Ph.D. program at the State University of New York at Albany. His research interests are related to developmental neurobiology.

Scott M. Hanson B.S. ’86, is a graduate student at Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN. he has interests in insect physiology and ecology.