ARCS- NEWSLETTER www.arcsfoundation.org/pittsburgh Summer 2014

ARCS Members See Restored Stream and Wetlands Advancing Science in America ® A lively group of ARCS members and guests assembled in Frick Park accidents, like the one that took the The ARCS Foundation advances science and to learn about one of the largest, most lives of a mother and two daughters on technology in the United successful urban stream and wetland Washington Boulevard in Highland Park, States by providing financial restorations in the United States. During is currently underway. awards to academically an hour-long walking tour along Nine Mile Executive Director of The Nine outstanding U.S. citizens Run, on a brilliantly clear April afternoon, Mile Run Watershed Association, a 501(c) studying to complete our guide demonstrated why storm water degrees in science, control projects are necessary and how of the association’s current goals and engineering and medical much worse our storm water systems achievements. research. The Pittsburgh Chapter has the additional used to be. focus of increasing the For example, before the Army number of doctoral scholars Corps of Engineers project ended in pursuing advanced scientific study and research in the along the entire Nine Mile Run stream. western Pennsylvania region. swim in these waters. The City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works The Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Chapter stewarded the restoration. The Pittsburgh Chapter, An ALCOSAN project to prevent ARCS members assemble in Frick Park. chartered in 2003 is one of the newest of the 17 chapters. In a very short February Program: Media and Health time, the Chapter has already made a sizable This past February 12, fourteen ARCS Director, Central Development, Medical and financial commitment to its members and six guests gathered at the Health Sciences Foundation, University of first two partner universities, University Club in Oakland to hear Pitt’s Dr. Pittsburgh and UPMC, and to Dr. Primack Carnegie Mellon University Brian Primack discuss the impact of media himself, who boasts both an MD and a PhD and the . A third on human health. and is an extraordinarily good speaker. partnership with Penn State University is now underway After enjoying refreshments, listeners with funding that began in soaked up fascinating information about the fall of 2010. how media affects our daily lives. Still- developing young people are especially Additional information on the impacted. Dr. Primack peppered his talk ARCS Foundation: www.arcs- with slides to illustrate his points. foundation.org/national or www. arcsfoundation.org/pittsburgh Many thanks to ARCS Program Committee Please address questions to: ARCS Foundation, Inc. Chair, Lourdes Castellanos, to Marisa Pittsburgh Chapter Bell-Metereau, Corporate & Foundation Dr. Primack illustrates how media affects us P.O. Box 9117 Relations Manager, UPMC Medical and Pittsburgh, PA 15224 (Photo by Maren Cooke) or email Health Sciences Foundation, with the [email protected] support of Kellie S. Anderson, Executive Letter from the President

Every time I attend an ARCS Finally, on a beautiful day in program, I am pleased and April, we walked along Nine Mile amazed by the excellent Run to see a major urban water questions that our members ask. restoration project. Again and again, I hear from our presenters: “What a wonderful So thanks to all of you who came group! It’s such fun to speak to to our programs and asked such such an engaged group.” great questions. I hope you enjoyed the programs as much This year was no exception. We as I did. beginning last fall with a trip We also owe a big thank you to Range Resources to tour a this summer to our third year producing well and an active students for the excellent rig in the Marcellus Shale presentations they gave at the formation. This trip was repeated Scholar Showcase. It is time in the spring, because so many now to bid them a fond farewell members wanted to attend it. as they join the ranks of ARCS Alums. We very much hope that In November, our very own they will stay in touch with us, ARCS scholar, Peter Chapman because we know that they have at CMU, gave a talk on computer important work ahead of them. security. He answered many It’s these students who will invent questions, helping us to learn future medical devices which will how to keep our systems secure. new ways of growing food and On a cold evening in February, so help prevent hunger; who will in competition with a major develop new sources of energy to basketball game at the Petersen help the world in so many ways; Events Center, Dr. Brian Primack or who will teach future students entertained us with a wonderful to become the scientists of talk about the media and its effect tomorrow. on health. —Missy Unkovic talk at the Mt. Lebanon Library on the science of Marcellus drilling as well as information on carbon sequestering given by two scientists at the National Energy Technology Lab. We are so fortunate to have this lab located just outside of Pittsburgh. Farewell To Our Third Year Scholars We wish them continued success as they complete their studies, and we look forward to staying in touch with them.

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Scholar Alumni: Scholar Alumni

David Bamman Denver Faulk Pittsburgh Chapter Award Stockman-Paul Award Computer Science/Language Bioengineering-Swanson School of Technologies Institute Engineering Research: Language technologies Research: Tissue Engineering for classical Latin and Greek for digital libraries. Adam Large Pittsburgh Chapter Award Shawn Burton Center for Neuroscience, University The Fleischner Award of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Biological Sciences Research: Computational and Research: Neuroscience cognitive neuroscience

Samantha Finkelstein Robert Matthew Miller The Fleischner Award The Burke-Harter Award Human Computer Interaction Bioengineering – Swanson School Institute, School of Computer of Engineering Science Research: Bone biomechanics Research: Virtual reality and psychology Austin Nuschke Pittsburgh Chapter Award Rachel Jackson Interdisciplinary Biomedical The Berdik-Elliott Award Graduate Program, University of Mechanical Engineering-Swanson Pittsburgh School of Medicine School of Engineering Research: Stem cell therapies for Research: Controls with wound healing applications to biomedical engineering and robotics PENN STATE UNIVERSITY Scholar Alumnus Amy Dale Pittsburgh Chapter Award Christopher Thawley Engineering and Public Policy, Pittsburgh Chapter Award College of Engineering Ecology intercollege Graduate Research: Water quality and public Degree Program, Huck Institutes of health and risk-based regulatory the Life Sciences policy Research: Biological Invasions Charting the War: Fire Ants versus Fence Lizards

“My research focuses on invasive spe- the lodging would have been out of reach “A lot has to happen for the invader in a cies,” said Christopher [Chris] Thawley, without the ARCS help.” different climate,” Chris notes. “It has a 3rd year ARCS scholar at Penn State. new ecology, new predators, new dis- “And what happens to native species as eases. A lot happens for the native spe- a result of the invaders?” cies, too. We have more questions than answers with the lizards. It’s a wonderful Researchers like Chris can’t design ex- chance to study evolutionary adaptation periments to import an unknown foreign as it continues.” species into the U.S. to see what hap- pens; instead, they study what is already Chris hails from outside Philadelphia, happening because new species have where his parents still live; he is closer to arrived, perhaps by boat or plane, from home now than he was in Davidson, North another country. To that end, Chris is Carolina, where he did his undergradu- ate work, or at the University of Alabama a stinging ant that works with its colony when he earned his Master’s Degree. He to sting, paralyze and kill its prey.These has one younger brother, who “took the ants had already arrived in Mobile, Ala- straight path,” Chris says. “He became bama in the 1930s from warm, wet areas Chris Thawley do a teacher in New York in a pubic high in South America, which researchers know school. I took the long and winding path.” from research before the invasion. Chris wondered how existing species adapted and his team, under their advisor Dr. Tracy Langkilde, learned that fence lizards work at Penn State and potentially done one particular species native to Alabama, change their behavior in order to adapt to post doctoral work, Chris hopes to join the fence lizard or Sceloporus undulatus, the faculty of a small liberal arts school. Chris and his team could watch evolution when threatened by a predator. Fire ants, There, he can combine teaching with his occur. which spray a pheromone that summons own research. lizard. But now, the lizard twitches and “I love to discover new things,” he said. up to a centimeter long. They have well- runs away. They’ve adapted to have lon- “And students need to know facts. But the organized jobs: some stay in the nest and fun part is asking questions – using your guard larvae, others help build or guard than they did before. the mound. Just three or four ants can those facts. Science can be engaging and paralyze a young fence lizard. As few as “That’s the big story for my advisor,” said fun if everyone learns it like that.” 12 attacking ants can kill an eight-inch Chris, “learning how the lizards evolved. long adult fence lizard. The fence liz- We’ve since been able to demonstrate dif- ards even have scales, ordinarily a good ferent aspects of red ant behavior.” Penn State about 50 hours a week, ex- As the rate of invasive species in our periments with cooking, and plays ultimate pry under the scales and send venomous country continues to grow, Chris’s re- Frisbee when the weather cooperates. stingers from their abdomen into the liz- search grows in urgency. Are we evolv- ard’s vulnerable skin beneath the scales. ing in response to invasive species? In now,” he said, smiling. “I did get to Austria Chris spent sometimes four to four and a response to climate change? Because once with my family.” half months in the summers doing exten- of humans, habi- We thank Christopher for tat destruction is his hard work and wish changed or evolved to defend themselves happening more him well in the future. quickly now. Can To read more about his to a site in southern Alabama run by Au- native species adapt work, check out http:// burn University, partly funded by his ARCS quickly enough to be thelizardlog.wordpress. award. “I’m hugely grateful for my ARCS able to survive? Are com, subtitled “The award,” he interjects. “It’s also helped adaptations like the Langkilde Lab in Action.” me travel to conferences. As a graduate lizards’ heritable? student, you can get a little funding; but Are they related to conferences are expensive. There was stress? —Ann Fromm one in San Francisco recently where even Fire ant stalks fence lizard Annual Meeting Highlights ARCS Light Award, Conservative Chapter Finances

On a sunny afternoon president for two years, she has also served as ARCS last May, Kathy Testoni Communications co-chair and Fund Development chair. opened her lovely home near Chatham University for one of our most supporting their third ARCS scholar. She has also popular events of the year, served on the National ARCS Board as chair of the annual meeting of Evaluation. Boasting a PhD in economics from the the Pittsburgh chapter of University of Pittsburgh, Carol is an adjunct faculty ARCS. member at California University of Pennsylvania.

In an informal talk after Congratulations, Carol, and special thanks to Kathy drinks and pastries, Testoni and chapter president, Missy Unkovic. President Missy Unkovic mentioned the Karen Auclair and others conservative way in which enjoy meeting offerings. are handled, and that we promise a new scholar award only when we have existing funds to support that scholar the three full years. Happily, Missy was able to announce that this coming year, we are even able to fund an additional scholar.

In another highlight of the meeting, Missy announced that Carol Stockman has won this year’s annual ARCS Light Award, an honor bestowed on an ARCS Missy Unkovic (left) with Carol Stockman, member who has provided outstanding service to our ARCS Light Award honoree organization. A member of ARCS Pittsburgh since 2007, Carol will

Donate Tickets to our Scholars!

If you can’t use your tickets to any sports or cultural event, please email Kathy Dee at [email protected], or telephone her at 412-243-5333. Include your telephone number and the event name and date. Kathy will then contact the scholars via email to ask if he/she can use your tickets.

Scholars love it! Thank you. Pittsburgh Chapter Scholars Inform, Keynote Speaker Dazzles Board of Directors 2013-2014 In the much-anticipated fourth annual Scholar Showcase at the 20th Century Club last March, third-year ARCS scholars presented posters of PhD work Missy Unkovic President done during their recent three years at CMU, Karen Auclair Penn State, or Pitt. After a Linda Burke reception, ARCS members Lourdes Castellanos and their guests circulated Gez Ebbert Kate Freed among the posters, viewing Ann Fromm them and questioning Ruth Garfunkel the scholars. Scholars Julia Gleason answered those questions Cristy Gookin courteously and in Carol Heppner informative language Natalie Hoffman even lay people could Sara Jones understand. Angie Maher Karen Meck Jolie Schroeder Scholar Adam Large answers a question Karen Slevin from co-chair Sarah Jones and her husband Craig Carol Stockman about his neuroscience research. Kathy Testoni Jan Wagner Dr. Victor Sparrow, professor Jeannette Wholey in the Penn State Graduate Janet Wood Program in Acoustics since Lise Woodard behind noise conduction. Professor Sparrow has also served as an executive Communications committee member and vice- Committee president of the Acoustical 2013-2014 Society of America, and Ann Fromm, Chair worked with the International Julia Gleason Civil Aviation Organization’s Debbie Scully Committee on Aviation Debra Alward Susan Moreland Environmental Protection’s Carol Heppner Noise Working Group and Supersonic Task Group.

Many thanks to chair Kate Freed and co-chair Sarah Jones for organizing such a multi-faceted A special thanks to event. Krista Campbell and Professor Sparrow demonstrates an Carnegie Mellon for printing amazing way to produce sound. this newsletter. Café Scientifique: Pittsburgh’s (and ARCS’) Best-Kept Secret ARCS Foundation Pittsburgh Donors Originally founded in England as a salon, Examples of speakers include: CORPORATIONS and seller about Henrietta Lacks, whose genes the Carnegie Science Center in order for FOUNDATIONS were used in research ordinary people to gather and learn about FULL SCHOLAR AWARDS cutting-edge advances in the sciences. The BNY Mellon Charitable Foundation Formerly held at the Penn Brewery, eve- groundbreaking research in the Arctic Fine Foundation nings at the Science Center usually begin Circle PPG Industries now at 7 p.m. with a talk by an invited guest, followed by a break, and then a - question-and-answer session. sistence of Memory: How Experience INDIVIDUALS Changes the Brain” FULL SCHOLAR AWARDS ARCS member Carol Heppner and incom- Roy and Susie Dorrance ing ARCS program chair Jennifer Martin For more information or to RSVP for one Leslie and Hans Fleischner John T. Ryan III & Catharine M. Ryan have kept ARCS members informed, and of the Cafes, call 412-237-3400, or go to in honor of Jeanne Berdik members have informally gathered for http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org dinner at the Science Center before the HALF AWARDS programs. Jeanne and Dick Berdik Linda Beerbower Burke and Timothy F. Burke, Jr. Bev and Steve Elliott Curious ARCS Members Question Fracking Lecturers Cristy Gookin Susan M. and R. Michael Harter “Why doesn’t Pennsylvania impose ‘best outgoing ARCS program chair Lourdes Susan and Chris Pappas practices’ on drilling companies?” asked Castellanos. Mary Anne and John Paul Carol and Paul Stockman an audience member after a fascinating Missy and John Unkovic ARCS-sponsored lecture about fracking Dr. Brian Strazisar, who has a PhD Lise Woodard & John Reilly, MD this past March 20 at the Mt. Lebanon in physical chemistry from Cornell, Library. has recently been researching carbon ONE-THIRD AWARDS capture, utilization and storage. Dr. Ale Francine Abraham Karen Auclair The answer: because imposed Hakala’s team tries to predict potential Mary Lou Bennett mandates could be out of date within two changes to water quality due to fossil Charlotte and Henry Beukema Sue and Mark Breedlove years, and the shale gas industry itself energy development. Mimi Barash Coppersmith tries to study and improve its own best Ann Fromm practices. This past year, Lourdes also organized Carol and Richard Heppner Erika Kirwin two tours of a Range Resources natural Janice Leckey This back and forth between lecturer gas drilling site for ARCS members in Jennifer and James Martin Barbara R. Palmer and audience is typical of informative order to accommodate curious ARCS Margaret V. Ragni, MD and ARCS-organized women and their Frederick L. Porkolab, MD lectures and talks. guests. Millie and Gary Ryan Thea and Dick Stover Two prominent Kathleen M. and Louis Testoni scientists, Drs. Drs. Strazisar and Elizabeth T. Wainwright Janet Wood Strazisar and Hakala expressed Maureen Young appreciation for the these and questions, stemming ARCS Foundation greatly other questions from the tours and appreciates the generosity of after their talk, other reports abundant these donors toward our scholars. organized by in the media today. Drs. Brian Strazisar and Ale Hakala, with ARCS member Michalina Pendzich With Thanks to Pitt’s Chancellor Nordenberg, Welcome to Patrick Gallagher

For many years, we appreciated the 17th University of Pittsburgh Chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, an effective and affable man who supported ARCS work and generously appeared at our events to present interesting news of the University of Pittsburgh and scholars there.

After serving at Pitt for more than two decades, Chancellor Nordenberg will step down on August 1 of this year.

Patrick D. Gallagher, elected unanimously by University of Pittsburgh trustees as the 18th chancellor, promises to be equally cordial. According to the Post Gazette, his colleagues describe him as an excellent manager and strong collaborator. A University of Pittsburgh alum, Mr. Gallagher is acting Deputy Secretary at the Department of Commerce and has also been director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology since 2009. A scientist himself, he spent more than twenty years at that institute before serving as its director.

We welcome Dr. Gallagher and look forward to working with him as congenially and effectively as we did with Chancellor Nordenberg.

Save the Dates!

“All members are invited to the National ARCS Meeting in Salt Lake City, September 17 – 20,” said President Missy Unkovic at the recent annual chapter meeting. “It’s a chance for great science and wonderful camaraderie.”

For more information, go to arcsfoundation.org and check “Members” in black letters on the home page. You do not have to log in.

Also Upcoming: Al Fresco luncheons in June, July, August: dates TBD Donor Appreciation Event at CMU in September: date TBD

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