science
October 6, 2010
Obama appointee and GC alumnus speaks on biotechnology
Roger Beachy, Ph.D., spoke to students, faculty and alumni Saturday afternoon over homecoming weekend with a new, Obama-appointed title. Beachy, a 1966 Goshen College alumnus, is the new director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and has done significant research in biotechnology throughout his career. Beachy began his lecture by recalling his time at GC. “I remember when you’re a freshman or sophomore, thinking, ‘How can I make a difference?’” Despite his admitted C in microbiology and worries about his career as an undergraduate, Beachy has now focused his study and research on biotechnology and agricultural practices from...
March 18, 2010
Religion and Science Conference to discuss complexity of the world
People from across the country will be meeting at Goshen College this weekend to discuss “rethinking humanity and ethics in light of the science-religion partnership” in the 10th annual Religion and Science Conference. This year’s lecturer, Philip Clayton, is the professor of religion and philosophy at Claremont Graduate University. He wrote in summarizing his presentations that his three lectures will “use evolutionary theory, together with insights from the religious traditions, in order to better understand what humanity is and how we should act in the world.” His opening lecture, Friday at 7:30 p.m., is entitled “Starting with the Big Picture:...
November 19, 2009
GC Student Learns with Lizards in Dominican Republic
Raising rhinoceros iguanas for an eco-tourism organization isn’t the first thing that pops to mind upon hearing the word “internship,” but for Hannah W. Miller, a senior in Goshen College’s environmental science program, that’s just what it meant. In the summer of 2009, Miller spent six weeks at El Iguanario, an organization in the Dominican Republic that raises Cyclura cornuta (rhinoceros iguanas) with the hopes of releasing them into the wild sometime in the future. El Iguanario is operated out of a single small house in the village of Los Tocones, on the Samaná peninsula of Hispañola, the Caribbean island...
October 14, 2009
Ecology students present water quality project aims
Clean water was the topic of the Sound of the Environment meeting for October, which took place last Wednesday as ecology students from Goshen College proposed a project to continuously monitor the water quality in Elkhart County. Sound of the Environment is a monthly gathering, open to the public and business people of Elkhart. It is designed to provide an opportunity for people to come together and discuss environmental problems as well as sustainable solutions. Ryan Sensenig, assistant biology professor, teamed up with Melisssa Kinsey, coordinator of the Rieth Interpretive Center, to start the Community Clean Water project, eventually bringing...
September 30, 2009
The rise of the vaccines
Goshen College is continuing precautions against the H1N1 virus by offering the H1N1 vaccine. The vaccine will be available at the Wellness and Health Center in mid-October for students, faculty, and staff. “In terms of getting the [H1N1] shot, the sooner the better,” said Diane White, director of the Wellness and Health Center. The amount of vaccines that will be available on campus is still unknown, although first priority will be offered to children and young people through the age of 24. The FDA will be distributing the H1N1 vaccine to each state, and the states will divide the vaccines...
March 18, 2009
The fury of nature unleashed
For many of us the idea of a tornado sends chills down our spines. For Josh Hofer, a sophomore, tornadoes bring different emotions. Hofer does not fear tornadoes. He chases them. Hofer has been chasing tornadoes with his father, Todd, since his elementary school days. “It was an inherited interest and originated as a kind of father-to-son bonding experience,” Hofer said. His interest began at age eight when his father and uncle took a young Hofer to see the movie Twister. “From then on, the vortex has called to me–even in my dreams,” Hofer said with a far-off gaze. Tornado...
February 18, 2009
Local students compete in science olympiad
On Saturday, 12 middle school students put aside any Valentine's Day plans to solve a horrific crime: Theodore M. Banannas, the star monkey of the Happy Dappy Circus, was stolen! Possible suspects: Bob the Builder, Papa John and Cat the veterinarian. The students used fingerprints and powders found at the scene of the crime to reveal that Papa John was guilty. This forensic science activity – led by Mandy Richer, a sophomore; Jon Williams, a sophomore; Moon Shik Woo, a first-year; and Clara Sears, a first-year – was just one event that was part of this year's regional Science Olympiad...
February 18, 2009
Professor recalls path to political science
Born in 1943 into a family of African-American migrant farm workers living in cramped quarters two miles down the road from Lake Placid, Fl., Lee Roy Berry Jr. declares that, truth be told, his childhood home was anything but placid. As a boy, Berry traveled from Florida to Ohio every summer with his parents and seven siblings, chasing the seasonal crops to his parents’ boss’ home state. Lee Roy Berry Sr. and Nettie Mae Hawthorn Berry helped maintain and harvest “any crop you can mention,” according to Berry. Starting at age 8, Berry joined his parents in the fields in...