COLLEGE of LETTERS and SCIENCE ALUMNI: KNOWLEDGE in ACTION COLLEGE of LETTERS and SCIENCE Dear Friends and Colleagues, Dean, Nicol C
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THE COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE • MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY • 2016-2017 • VOLUME 13 COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE ALUMNI: KNOWLEDGE IN ACTION COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE Dear friends and colleagues, Dean, Nicol C. Rae Associate Dean, David Cherry In 2016, Montana State University Associate Dean, Bridget Kevane celebrated and honored the legacy of Director of Finance and Administration, Mindy Brown Assistant to the Dean, Sarah Miller Maurice Hilleman, the College of Letters Administrative and Student Support Coordinator, and Science’s—and arguably MSU’s— Nicol Rae. Jennifer Storment most world-changing alumnus. Communications Director, Jody Sanford Advising Coordinator, Erica Dungan Hillman graduated from MSU in 1941 with degrees in chemistry and Accounting Operations Manager, Cassandra Balent microbiology. He pursued a career as a microbiologist, specializing in vaccinology Information Technology Director, Michael Wright and developing over 40 vaccines, an unparalleled record of productivity. Of the COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE 14 vaccines routinely recommended in current vaccine schedules, he developed ADVISORY COUNCIL eight: those for measles, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chickenpox, meningitis, Michael Beehler Betsy Quammen pneumonia and Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. He also played a role in the Julianne Bye Peter Roos discovery of the cold-producing adenoviruses, the hepatitis viruses and the cancer- Ingrid Degreef Peter Sadowski Marshall Gingery Bradley Snow causing virus SV40. He is credited with saving more lives than any other medical Ariana Paliobagis Gary Stoner scientist of the 20th century. Gary Popiel William Yellowtail Jr. In April of this year, MSU held the Maurice Hilleman Vaccine Symposium, DEPARTMENTS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS featuring some of the nation’s most noted experts in vaccine. At the symposium, Agricultural Economics and Economics, Gregory Gilpin which was free and open to the public, internationally recognized experts gave Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Roger Bradley research updates on vaccine work for worldwide problems, such as HIV and Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mary Cloninger Earth Sciences, Mary Hubbard Ebola, as well as updates on vaccine efforts of particular relevance to Montana, Ecology, David Roberts such as brucellosis. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the English, Kirk Branch Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor History and Philosophy, Susan Cohen of Vaccinology and a professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine Mathematical Sciences, Elizabeth Burroughs Microbiology and Immunology, Mark Jutila at the University of Pennsylvania, delivered the keynote lecture on “Maurice Modern Languages and Literatures, Galen Brokaw Hilleman: The Perilous Quest to Save the World’s Children.” Native American Studies, Walter Fleming Physics, Yves Idzerda Also in 2016, MSU inaugurated the Hilleman Scholars Program and selected 51 Political Science, Linda Young of Montana’s best and brightest high school seniors for the first class of scholars. Psychology, Keith Hutchison Hilleman Scholars are selected based on personal essays, nomination letters, Sociology and Anthropology, Michael Neeley grades and financial need, as well as evidence of significant academic, leadership AFFILIATED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION and career potential. The program provides these worthy graduates from Montana CENTERS, INSTITUTES AND PROGRAMS high schools with exceptional financial and academic support throughout their Astrobiology Biogeocatalysis Research Center four years at MSU so that they, like Maurice Hilleman, can realize their full Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity potential and actively contribute to their communities. Center for Biofilm Engineering Center for Mental Health Research and Recovery In this issue of Confluence, you’ll read about other, more recent graduates from Institute on Ecosystems Local Government Center the College of Letters and Science whose lives were equally transformed, and their Montana INBRE career paths launched, by the education they received in the college. We hope Montana Space Grant Consortium you’ll enjoy reading their inspiring stories. Optical Technology Center (OpTeC) Spatial Sciences Center (formerly GIAC) We invite you to learn more about what’s happening across the college. You can Spectrum Lab visit our website at www.montana.edu/lettersandscience for frequently updated Thermal Biology Institute Wheeler Center for Public Policy news. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/ WWAMI Medical Education Program letters.science and twitter.com/LettersScience. Best regards, Nicol C. Rae Dean WESTERN LANDS AND PEOPLES TABLE OF CONTENTS COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE ALUMNI DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS ....................26 A RACE AGAINST TIME: CLS ALUMNI WIN PRESTIGIOUS CELL BIOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE ............................................27 PRIZE FOR ICE PATCH ARCHEAOLOGY .............................................2 CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY ..................................................27 AIMING FOR THE MOON: TWO WOMEN AFTER EARTH SCIENCES........................................................................28 GRADUATING THREE TIMES FROM MSU ..........................................4 ECOLOGY ...................................................................................29 BEING HUMAN: ANTHROPOLOGY ALUM RECEIVES FELLOWSHIP ECONOMICS ...............................................................................29 TO PURSUE DOCTORAL STUDIES AT HARVARD .................................6 ENGLISH ....................................................................................30 A KEEPER OF KNOWLEDGE: A VOICE FOR THE LAND AND PEOPLE .....8 HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY ..........................................................31 BRINGING VALUE TO SOCIETY: CHEMISTRY ALUM PART OF A TEAM WORKING ON A LOW-COST LUNG CANCER SCREENING TOOL .........10 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES ...........................................................31 STAYING IN THE TREASURE STATE: LIBERAL STUDIES MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY..............................................32 GRADUATE OPENS HOSTEL ..........................................................11 MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES .....................................32 EAST MEETS WEST: AMERICAN WEST SCHOLAR EARNS PRESTIGIOUS NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES .........................................................33 POSTDOCTORAL ENVIRONMENTAL FELLOWSHIP AT HARVARD .........12 PHYSICS ....................................................................................33 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS .........................14 POLITICAL SCIENCE ....................................................................34 FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS ..........................16 PSYCHOLOGY .............................................................................34 RESEARCH ........................................18 SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY ................................................35 OUTREACH ........................................24 PHILANTHROPY ..................................36 COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE Editor, Jody Sanford THIS PAGE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Assistant Editor, Sarah Miller In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, ice patches exist at or above treeline and can P.O. Box 172360 Design, MSU Creative Services 2-205 Wilson Hall contain ancient biological and cultural materials. Photography, Kelly Gorham, MSU News, Bozeman, Montana 59717-2360 Photo courtesy of INSTAAR/Craig Lee. unless otherwise stated 406-994-4288 Printing, Thomas Printing BACK COVER 406-994-7580 (fax) Nathan Chellman, a doctoral student with the [email protected] Thank you to MSU News Service. Desert Research Institute at the University of www.montana.edu/lettersandscience Nevada-Reno, carries ice cores packed in dry ice facebook.com/letters.science COVER across the alpine tundra from a coring location to a waiting vehicle. Photo courtesy of INSTAAR/ twitter.com/LettersScience Mike Jayred (left), Greg Pederson (right) and Danny Stahle (hidden) bear down on the Matt Stirn Photography. CONFLUENCE is published annually “Prairie Dog” ice drill at a Greater Yellowstone by the College of Letters and Science, Ecosystem ice patch in August 2016. Photo Montana State University. courtesy of INSTAAR/Matt Stirn Photography. www.montana.edu/lettersandscience 1 A RACE AGAINST TIME: CLS ALUMNI WIN PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE FOR ICE PATCH ARCHEAOLOGY Top: His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco, left, presented the Camp Monaco Prize to (from left) Craig M. Lee, Gregory Pederson and David McWethy at ceremonies held June 30 at the Salle des Etoiles in Monaco. Photo by FPA2, JC Vinaj. Used with permission. Middle: Scott Dersam and Sari Breitenfeldt, both MSU undergraduates majoring in anthropology, log an ice patch in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Photo courtesy of Craig Lee. Bottom: Spirally fractured long bones from bighorn sheep suggest that hunters may have eaten the nutritious, high fat marrow after the hunt. Photo courtesy of INSTAAR/Tara Hornung. Background: Chronologically stratified ice recovered from ice cores provides context for archaeological and paleobiological materials exposed by current melting. Photo courtesy of INSTAAR/Matt Stirn Photography. 2 Confluence College of Letters and Science 2016–2017 “ Ice-patch research provides a unique opportunity to discoverWESTERN the timingLANDS and AND PEOPLES scope of human use in the region’s most fragile