BSAS Has a New President

Jane Johnson is the new Biological Sciences Alumni Society board president. She received her degree in biology from CBS in 1976 and a degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 1986. She is now in the Transcultural Nursing and Community Health masters program at Augsburg, which she hopes to complete in May 2005.

Johnson currently serves as the care coordinator at HealthPartners Medical Group & Clinics where her primary focus is working with Somali, Oromo, Latino, and Vietnamese patients. She is also a nursing supervisor for First Minnesota Care, Inc., an agency that provides personal care assistance for elderly and disabled people in their homes.

Her vision for the Alumni Society is to identify more opportunities for alumni to connect with undergraduate students, to continue to refine and strengthen the mentor program, to explore alumni participation in the "Nature of Life" course for freshmen, and provide alumni input in relation to the curriculum review that's currently taking place.

Ames Sheldon Joins CBS

Ames Sheldon

Ames Sheldon joined the College of Biological Sciences in July as director of development. In this role, she will work closely with the U of M Foundation and CBS executive staff to strategically position the college for acquiring major gifts and building prospects for future donor relationships with individuals and corporations. Most recently, she served in a similar role for the Minnesota Historical Society.

Fall Fest

Join College of Biological Sciences alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends at Fall Fest 2004: Connecting U. On Sunday, October 17 we'll gather on the St. Paul campus for a day filled with fun activities for all ages. This event is free and open to the public. You'll be able to tour the new Cargill building, learn how researchers can generate electricity from mud and how they can turn microbial cells into chemical factories. Attendees may also enjoy the Harvest Bowl Brunch for 50 cents, tour the large and small animal hospitals and the Raptor Center, and enjoy wagon rides around campus.

CBS Needs You

Volunteers are needed to help support alumni programs that benefit students such as the Mentor Program, Speakers Bureau, and Career Network. Time commitment varies and depends on the program. If you have not volunteered for a CBS program this year, please consider giving some of your time to our current students.

Class Notes

John Jungck (M.S. in Genetics and Microbiology, 1968) received the University of Minnesota’s honorary doctor of science degree at the College of Biological Sciences Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2004. He is currently Mead Chair of Sciences and Professor of Biology at Beloit College in Wisconsin.

Paul Kalina (B.S. in Biology, 1983) and his family moved back to Minnesota this past spring after living in Arizona.

Mary Jo Lockbaum (B.S. in Biology, 1990) joined Corporate Express at the company’s North American headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. Mary Jo oversees environmental initiatives such as environmentally friendly office product sales, energy conservation, and
alternative fuel implementation.

Paul Savereide (Ph. D. in Cell and Developmental Biology and J.D. in 1991) left Cargill, Inc. and is now working for Patterson, Thuente, Skaar and Christensen, P.A. in Minneapolis.

Stacy Sjoberg (B.S. in Microbiology, 1993) moved to Iowa City to begin a fellowship in
ophthalmology at the University of Iowa.

Cynthia Mattan (M.S. in Microbial Engineering, 1998) and Benjamin Stading (B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, 2003) were among 80 students chosen to begin the doctor of veterinary medicine program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Kelly Pawlenty (B.S. in Biology, 1998) received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in May. Kelly will be practicing small animal medicine, surgery, and dentistry at Apache Animal Hospital in Minneapolis.

Leiha Johnson (B.S. in Genetics and Cell Biology, 1999) is in her third year of teaching science in Tracy, California. Leiha recently received the “Teacher of Character” award for the Sacramento area. She enjoys teaching biology, physics, art, and senior seminar.

Tara Kirby (Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, 2002) started her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in November, 2003. She works with Dr. Susan Buchanan on X-ray crystallography of bacterial outer membrane iron transporters.

Arman H. Nadershahi (M.S. in Biology and J.D., 2002) is practicing patent law in Los Angeles and is the executive director for the Biotech Education Center, Inc. which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching college students about various aspects of biotechnology.

Dan Wepplo (B.S. in Biochemistry, 2004) is a research assistant in the Department of Cell Biology in the Center for Integrative Molecular Biosciences at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. His move to the west coast has allowed him to take advantage of the warm climate and become a proficient surfer.