News Center

Lindsay Herendeen ’07 and Kaitlyn Huser ’11 co-presented on behalf of Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Caryl Waggett at the National Environmental Public Health Conference: Healthy People in a Healthy Environment in Atlanta, Georgia. The national conference was hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Healthy Homes-Healthy Children presentation was titled “Overcoming Challenges Facing Rural Children’s Environmental Health: A Novel Community and Family-Based Approach.”

Professor of Environmental Science Richard Bowden presented a poster, “Soil Organic Matter Responses to Chronic Nitrogen Additions at the Harvard Forest,” at the National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research Program All-Scientists Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, in September 2009.  This research, conducted with colleagues from the University of New Hampshire, the University of Michigan, Boston University, and Cornell, indicates that deposition of nitrogen due to atmospheric pollution can increase storage of soil carbon in temperate forests, but that alteration of important ecological processes may alter the long-term forest productivity. Bowden also coauthored two presentations delivered in Harrisburg at the Fall 2009 Pennsylvania Undergraduate Research at the Capitol Symposium. “Forest Education for High School Students” was presented by Alessandra Trunzo ’11 and coauthored by Paula Carey ’08, Elizabeth Straus ’08, and Professor of Environmental Science Terry Bensel. “The secret underground life of switchgrass: Exploring belowground processes” was presented by Sandra Wayman ’10 and coauthored by Alessandra Trunzo ’11 and Taylor Weiss ’11.

Ashleigh Welko ’09 and Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Biology Lauren French presented a poster based on Ashleigh’s senior project research titled “The effects of specific Conus snail venoms on the T-type calcium channel Cav3.2” on October 20 at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago.

In October Assistant Professor of Biology Tricia L. Humphreys presented a poster at the Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference at Purdue University. The poster was titled “Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Two Classes of Haemophilus ducreyi.“ Professor Humphreys’ co-authors were Emily E. Ricotta ’09; Nan Wang and Robin Cutler, undergraduates from Grinnell College; and Jeffrey G. Lawrence, a collaborator at the University of Pittsburgh.

Assistant Professor of English and Coordinator of the Black Studies Minor Aisha Damali Lockridge recently gave two invited lectures at New England schools, Anna Maria College and Clark College. Her subject matter, the diva figure in Black literary culture, is drawn from her upcoming book Revealing the Diva in African American Literature.

Associate Professor of Psychology Patricia Rutledge presented an invited address, “Turning Our GAISE Toward Departments of Psychology,” to the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistical Education at the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) held in Washington, D.C. August 1-6. A paper based on this presentation will appear in the Proceedings of the Joint Statistical Meeting 2009.

People & Places, published monthly during the academic year, reports on the professional activities of members of the College community and highlights student achievements. Please submit items to people@allegheny.edu. Questions about People & Places? Contact Kathy Roos at kathy.roos@allegheny.edu. We reserve the right to edit copy for length.