Development priorities: scholarships, fellowships, and facilities improvements

I’d like to introduce myself to you--the people who care about the College of Biological Sciences, because I hope to have contact with as many of you as possible in the coming months and years. I began my job as director of development at CBS last July, and while I have worked in development for 24 years (starting at the Sierra Club in San Francisco), I am new to the University of Minnesota and to raising funds for the biological disciplines. Therefore, I have spent my first months here learning about the college and its history.

As a newcomer to CBS, I’m struck by the convergence of talent in our faculty and students, the visionary leadership, and the quality of the experience that our students find here. I’m also impressed by the breadth of research conducted here and the extent to which this knowledge will make a real difference to improving the health of both people and the environment. This is a very exciting place.

The University has made investments to strengthen programs in the biological sciences. These investments are beginning to pay off, but we need to go farther by raising private funds to continue CBS’s outstanding work. The College’s priorities for fund-raising are for
scholarships and fellowships as well as improvements in the facilities at the Cedar Creek Natural History Area and at the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. We will also seek funds to endow a chair in bioremediation and biocatalysis, one in quantitative analysis of ecosystems, and another in zoonotic diseases. These chairs will enable us to attract and retain faculty at the forefront of these fields. We will soon ask you to consider supporting priorities that matter most to you.

I look forward to meeting you. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at sheld057@umn.edu or 612-624-9460 with any questions or ideas.

Thank you for your support.
Ames Sheldon

Class Notes

Arne Skytt Andersen (M.S. in Botany, 1959) is an active retiree after working for more than 40 years at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark. Formally a professor of floriculture and physiology, Andersen is an author of articles and books on that subject. He visits Minnesota on a regular basis with his wife, Lorna, a St. Paul native.

Jan Marie Lundgren (B.S. in Biology, 1974) is working for the University’s School of Nursing as administrator for both the Center for Gerontological Nursing and the Center for Child
and Family Health Promotion Research. Previously, she worked in research grants implementation for the University’s Health Computer Sciences for 11 years. Recently accepted to graduate school, Lundgren is pursuing a master of liberal studies degree, focusing on connections between healthy aging, dance-movement, and spirituality.

Mazen I. Abbas (B.S. in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, 1996) finished a doctor of
osteopathic medicine degree in 2003 from Ohio University, completed an internship at DeWitt Army Community Hospital, and started a pediatric residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2004. He also has an M.P.H. from Emory University and served as a fellow at the Centers for Disease Control. Abbas is a captain in the U.S. Army, stationed in Mililani, Hawaii, with his wife, Corrie, and their two children.

Marianne Trcka Scherzer (B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, 1996) is co-owner, with
her husband, of a landscaping business near Bagley, Minnesota. Paul D. Rooprai (B.S. in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, 1997) is a business development consultant at the University of Louisville. Over the past four years, he has also been developing curriculum and lecturing to students at both the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine and Bellarmine University’s graduate nursing program on topics related to the business of medicine in the U.S. His lectures are designed to help nursing and medical students and residents prepare their business minds for the practice of medicine.

Nick Bhagroo (B.S. in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, 1998) is working in Robert Sorenson’s lab in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development. Nick and his wife, Gwen, enjoy spending time with their four children.

Stephen Lines (B.S. in Biochemistry, 1998) is a program manager at AstraZeneca, L.P. He specializes in new product development and postmarketing activities. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Stephen was director of finance for a consulting subsidiary of First Hospital Corporation, a firm specializing in broadband consulting in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and device industries, and he held positions at Monsanto and Abbott
Laboratories. Stephen also holds an M.B.A. from the Keller School of Management in Chicago and is currently enrolled in the executive education program at Wharton School of Business.

Max McLaughlin (B.S. in Microbiology, 1998) is production manager for Wisconsin BioProducts, a contract fermentation company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WBP produces animal feed additives, food flavorings, and a variety of cosmetic additives.

Jim Wilkinson (Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, 1999) is in his third year with Amgen Inc. and is currently a manager in the medical affairs department. After postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, he has thoroughly enjoyed his switch to the business side of the biotech industry.

Brian Kaneshiro (B.S. in Biology, 2001) is in his third year as a middle school science teacher in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended a national convention for middle school faculty and administrators last fall in Minneapolis.

Send your news to CBS Alumni Relations, john5091@umn.edu.
—CBS Alumni Relations