Brain teaser
The neurohormone melatonin, which Colgate researchers had been investigating as a possible way to decrease the clinical severity of multiple sclerosis in mice, has actually been shown to have the opposite effect, found Marvee Gay Espiritu ’12. Since her first year at Colgate, Espiritu has been one of the student researchers led by psychology professor Jun Yoshino in the study of mice with the Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis model of MS.

In her research with Professor Jun Yoshino on the effects of melatonin on multiple sclerosis in mice, Marvee Gay Espiritu ’12 made a surprising discovery. (Photo by Andrew Daddio)

    Secreted primarily by the pineal gland, melatonin regulates the circadian rhythm and has antioxidant properties. “So, our theory was that melatonin was going to help the animals get better — because one of the pathological hallmarks in MS is the production of free radicals, and we know that antioxidants can counteract free radicals,” Espiritu explained.
    That hypothesis had been proven in the past by other students on Yoshino’s research team, but when Espiritu took over the research for her senior thesis, her findings turned the whole study on its head. “The melatonin actually made the animal in my study sicker,” she explained. Now, a new crop of students has taken over the study, and they’re trying to replicate her findings. So far, so good. Although she has graduated (with honors in neuroscience), Espiritu still gets updates from the current research group, which is getting the same results.
    All of those hours spent in the lab (she estimates that she spent at least 48 hours a week) have paved the way for Espiritu to meet her career goal of becoming a neurosurgical physician’s assistant. In the fall, she will begin the Physician’s Assistant Program at Le Moyne College in Syracuse.

Not the end of the world as we know it
Hollywood films and sensationalists have been prophesizing about the predicted day of humanity’s demise on December 21, 2012, which is alleged to be based on the Mayan calendar. But Tony Aveni, professor of astronomy and anthropology and Native American studies, has become the voice of reason with a recent discovery.

Mayan calendar (iStock photo)

    A paper co-authored by Aveni and published in the May issue of Science has drawn much media attention. It highlights the excavation of an area in Xultún, Guatemala, that has a “wall painting accompanied by a numerical table and a series of long numbers that appear to have functioned like those found in astronomical tables in the codices discovered in the earliest known Mayan calendar.” This wall painting, the oldest Mayan calendar to be found by scientists, foresaw another 7,000 years beyond December 2012, giving humanity a generous several thousand years longer than previous calendars. “Why would they go into those numbers if the world is going to come to an end this year?” Aveni recently pointed out to ABC News. “You could say a number that big at least suggests that time marches on.”
    The outpouring of concern over the sensationalized Mayan Doomsday prophecy has roots in misunderstood Mayan time-keeping methods, which, unlike modern-day calendars, worked cyclically. The ancient people never actually calculated a definitive end; rather, they used the stars to chart cycles that ended in rebirth, or renewal. December 21, 2012, is not the end, but a new beginning. “It’s like the odometer of a car, with the Mayan calendar rolling over from the 120,000s to 130,000,” explained Aveni. “The car gets a step closer to the junkyard as the numbers turn over; the Maya just start over.”

Prized professors
From a university teaching award to the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, spring was a notable season for Colgate professors both present and past.
    The late Manning Marable, founding director of the Africana and Latin American Studies Program at Colgate, was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his book Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. The Pulitzer was awarded in April, a year after Marable passed away at age 60. He died right before the release of Malcolm X, which he had been working on for years. At nearly 600 pages, the biography has been characterized in media accounts as a re-evaluation of Malcolm X’s life that challenges long-held beliefs about the civil rights leader.
    Another Colgate scholar honored for penning important historical works was Professor Peter Balakian, who received the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance. Balakian, who directs the creative writing program, has authored numerous books on the Armenian Genocide.
    Back on campus, Tony Aveni, Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of astronomy and anthropology and Native American studies, was given the third annual Balmuth Teaching Award. Colleagues, friends, and alumni gathered in the Hall of Presidents at a ceremony with award founder Mark Siegel ’73 and the prize’s namesake, Jerry Balmuth, Harry Emerson Fosdick Professor of philosophy and religion emeritus.
    Also in the sciences, Ken Belanger, Raab Family Chair and associate professor of biology, received an Academic Research Enhancement Award from the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health. The $325,282 grant over three years will help pay for expensive fluorescent microscopy equipment and molecular biology supplies that are needed for his research that studies how cancer develops and spreads. The grant also funds students in Belanger’s lab this summer, in a research tutorial next spring, and beyond.

Venus in transit
More than 60 stargazers, amateur astronomers, and interested observers gathered at Colgate’s Observatory on June 5 to see the rare phenomenon of Venus crossing in front of the sun.

Solar-viewing glasses were handed out to observers watching Venus‘s June 5 transit across the sun. (Photo by Tom Balonek)

    Beforehand, Jonathan Levine, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, delivered a lecture in the Ho Science Center. Levine discussed the science and history of Venus transits, including why they occur when they do and the role they played in helping us understand the size of the solar system.

Professor Roger Rowlett explained how he took this photo of Venus crossing the sun: “Taken 7:06 p.m. with a Nikon S-600 camera, using a 3-inch refracting telescope fitted with an H-alpha filter.”

    Then, a crowd formed at the Observatory to view the astrological event that won’t be seen again until 2117. Tom Balonek, professor of physics and astronomy, coordinated the details to help people safely watch the small dot float across the blazing sun. There were three viewing options: through solar-viewing glasses (with aluminum-coated mylar) that were handed out, telescopes equipped with special filters, and the image was projected from a telescope onto a screen. Over the approximately seven hours that it took Venus to make its transit, the planet could be seen in Hamilton for about two hours, before the sun set.
      Roger Rowlett, Gordon and Dorothy Kline Professor of chemistry, took photos with his handheld camera over a telescope’s eyepiece. Of his picture (left), he said, “Sunspots are just visible through the clouds on the center left of the sun’s disk. They look like dust smudges, but are probably the actual size of whole continents.”

Four accepted as National Geographic interns
Four geography majors from Colgate were nominated for competitive internships at the National Geographic Society (NGS), and, in a clean sweep, all four were accepted for assignments this year.
    This newest group of interns builds on the relationship Colgate has with the NGS, which goes back some two decades. One or two geography majors have been awarded an internship nearly every year and, in many cases, the internship leads to full-time employment. In fact, one of the latest recipients, Cassie Lawson ’12, will be working with Samantha Zuhlke ’10, who majored in geography at Colgate, interned at NGS, and now works there.
    Another alumna, Meg Hanley ’11, has just accepted a job at National Geographic after working there as an intern. She, too, was a geography major.
    “We’re delighted that all four of our nominees were accepted into this wonderful program,” said Maureen Hays-Mitchell, chair of the geography department. “We have a strong track record with the NGS internship program, and this certainly solidifies the relationship.”
    Hays-Mitchell pointed out that Colgate students compete against graduate students during the rigorous selection process, and the fact that they do so well speaks highly about their undergraduate preparation.
    In addition to Lawson, who will be working in the oceans program, the other recent grads who received internships are Allison Gramolini ’12, who will be working in the FieldScope program, which uses GIS to teach about environmental issues in schools; Dayne Weber ’12, who will be focusing on global media standards and practices; and Eric Spencer ’12,
who will be part of the education program.
    “I have wanted to work for National Geographic ever since I decided to be a geography major, so I am so happy to have been selected for this internship,” said Weber. “This is the perfect way to start my career.”
    Lawson said she thinks her internship will provide some clarity in terms of her career goals. Right now, she is considering working for a nonprofit environmental organization or in environmental education.

Colgaters receive top NSF grant
When Weston Testo ’12 arrived at Colgate in 2008, little did he know that he would form a strong professional bond with James “Eddie” Watkins, an assistant professor of biology hired that same year. But, thanks in part to their research and publication partnership, Testo has received the single-most prestigious early career accomplishment for a young biologist: a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Weston Testo ’12

    The award provides Testo with a three-year $30,000 annual stipend, a generous cost-of-education allowance to his graduate institution, and other resources. Next year, Testo will begin a PhD program at the University of Vermont, where he will work with David Barrington, one of the world’s leading authorities on fern evolutionary biology.
    Remarkably, three recent Colgate biology majors received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships this year. Testo, however, was the only one to receive the award as an undergraduate.
    “I’ve never put up an undergraduate student for this because it is hypercompetitive, with most awards going to early career graduate students,” Watkins said. He added, “Wes is unique. I have watched him grow into a creative, critical-thinking, engaged scientist.”
    Testo has worked in Watkins’s lab since his first year, studying many aspects of fern biology. They spent two summers together in Costa Rica and traveled widely while engaged in their research. One of the hallmarks of this collaboration has been Testo’s primary research on an endangered fern that grows in that region.
    Testo is lead author on two of the three peer-reviewed journal papers he worked on with Watkins. A fourth is now under review, with two more papers to be submitted. He has received many other honors, including an undergraduate student research award from the Botanical Society of America and a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship honorable mention.
    Colgate’s other 2012 NSF grant recipients are: Adam Pellegrini ’10, a PhD candidate in ecology at Princeton, and Peter Minchella ’08, who entered the doctoral program in international nutrition at Cornell in 2011.
    Pellegrini is currently in South Africa studying the long-term effects of fire treatment on ecosystems of the savanna, thanks to a Mellon Foundation grant. He’ll work on a comparative study in the Brazilian cerrado (tropical savanna).
    Minchella’s current research focuses on the protective effects provided by the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine against tuberculosis.
    
Alumni-student entrepreneurship venture
“One can be an entrepreneur at any age,” said Dr. Mark Mandel ’60 who, at age 73, has tapped Colgate students to help him launch a new philanthropic endeavor. Through the sales of high-end hair care products, Mandel will grow a college scholarship fund called the Foundation for the Advancement of College Education. Its acronym, F.A.C.E., is aptly named for Mandel’s lifework — he’s a longtime Beverly Hills–based plastic surgeon.

Dr. Mark Mandel ’60

    Calling himself “a neophyte in the business arena,” Mandel pitched his concept to the university’s Entrepreneurs Club in spring 2011. Club founder Bharadwaj Obula Reddy ’12 accepted the challenge.
    “I’m on financial aid, so when Dr. Mandel initially talked about how he was going to help someone else go to college, I really loved that idea,” Reddy said. “And once I got into the process, it was amazing to have the experience of launching a new product.”
    Mandel commissioned two chemists who had developed all of Paul Mitchell’s formulations to create his trio of sulfate-, paraben-, and formaldehyde-free shampoo, conditioner, and glossing serum. Reddy was tasked with developing the marketing — relying partly on social media — and strategizing distribution.
    Another member of the Entrepreneurs Club, Julia Won ’15, researched marketing to young adults. Although the line is for everyone, the team believes that young adults will have an interest in supporting a cause that benefits their own generation. Reddy has reached out to representatives at other college campuses to spread the word.
    Art student Abi Conklin ’13 was brought on board to design the logos and branding. In addition, Conklin has been working with Reddy on a commercial as well as social media outreach. “As an artist, it’s awesome real-world experience,” Conklin said. Noting that Mandel has been open-minded and flexible to work with, Conklin said she thinks “it’s really nice to see somebody from another generation looking out for us.”
    Reddy expects to fully roll out their marketing efforts by the end of summer, but the products are currently for sale in the Colgate Bookstore, campus C-Store, JJ’s Salon in Hamilton, and online. A basket of Dr. Mandel Beauty Products was also auctioned off at the Konosioni auction in April.
    A minimum of three $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to eligible high school seniors this fall, and additional scholarships will be given as proceeds grow. Showing his commitment to the endeavor, Mandel will supplement any scholarship funds that the product sales do not cover. For more information, visit http://facescholarship.org and http://getmandel.com.

Fostering fellowship
From the Ukraine to Taiwan, young Colgate alumni will be spanning the globe as they embark on new adventures through the Fulbright Program.  
    Kathryn David ’12 will conduct a research project in Ukraine titled “Rebuilding Jewish Community in Odessa.” Through immersion within the community, contacts at the Odessa Literary Museum and Moria archives, and a formal affiliation with I.I. Menchikov Odessa National University, David will examine how the Jewish community is rebuilding itself after the fall of the Soviet Union.
    Andrew Lorraine ’12 will serve as an English teaching assistant in Slovakia at the secondary level, helping students develop their writing and conversational skills as well as an understanding of American culture. Lorraine also plans to explore his own Slovakian heritage while learning about the history and geography of the Slovak Republic.
    Lauren Shively ’11 will teach English language and American Studies in Taiwan, and in turn gain a greater understanding of Taiwan’s educational system and culture.
    Josh Smeltzer ’12 will teach English at a German high school using experiential learning to add an interactive dimension in the classroom.
    Catherine Murray ’12 plans to serve as a resource to students in the French Caribbean as they advance their English language skills and learn about American culture. Murray is a French Ministry of Education Teaching Program Grantee for 2012–2013 through a Fulbright recommendation.

Academic symposia
On March 17, Colgate’s geology department hosted 10 academics for an interdisciplinary dialogue about the destabilization of ecosystems in the northeastern United States due to human-induced habitat destruction, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Participants in the Mass Extinction workshop brought perspectives of philosophy and ethics, as well as ecology, biology, paleontology, and, of course, geology to the discussion.
    “Without a doubt, the workshop turned out to be the most sustained intellectual effort that I have ever engaged in,” said Paul Pinet, professor of geology and environmental studies at Colgate, who organized the meeting along with Jeremy Bendik-Keymer, a philosophy professor from Case Western Reserve University. “The interactions and the queries that emerged from those intellectual couplings were continually deep, complex, innovative, and dynamic,” said Pinet.
    Pinet said the group outlined two papers for future publication and discussed meeting again as their ideas evolve. “If we do, we plan to engage other specialists with the complex ecological, geological, and moral issues that are embedded in the elevated extinction rates of the present,” he said.
    Colgate also hosted “Wars beyond war: Mass violence in an age of terror, catastrophe, and the responsibility to protect.” Coordinated by the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, the symposium brought intellectuals from China, Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and prominent universities across the United States to engage in two days of presentations and discourse.