Miami Microbiology '01 Newsletter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Departmental News
• Donald Cody Cox - a eulogy
• Faculty Notes
• Former Faculty, Post-Docs
• Microbiology Awards
• Alumni Notes
• Tell us what you are doing
• Contributions

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

It has been almost three years since our last newsletter and there is much to report. We have a new faculty member, Dr. Eileen Bridge, who came to us from Sweden (the University of Uppsala) where she had been working since her doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University. Drs. Gary Janssen and Robert Findlay were granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 1998; Drs. Luis Actis and Kelly Cowan were tenured and promoted this year. Dr. Woodworth spent a semester in Luxembourg in 1998 and when she returned she moved up to Roudebush, first as Acting Associate Provost and, since July 1999, as Associate Provost. Dr. Cox was Acting Chair until January 2000 when Anne Morris Hooke was appointed Chair. Hara Charlier has gone on to a career in industry and we currently have three Visiting Assistant Professors, Kelly Abshire, Julia Brodt-Eppley and Laura Elenich. David Stroupe is semi-retired and teaches only in the Fall semester at Hamilton. Carol Webb is enjoying her retirement while Kathy (Farmer) Foster has returned to the department to fill Carol's place.

Our saddest news is that Don Cox died on August 28 after a brief illness - he was diagnosed with cancer just four weeks before. He was truly a great colleague, a wonderful friend and mentor, and an outstanding teacher who will be missed by all of us in more ways than we can imagine. Dozens of letters and e-mails have come to the department from former students, and friends and former students came from all over the country for his funeral in the Sesquicentennial Chapel on August 31. Dr. Woodworth gave the eulogy (excerpted below) and Karl Mattox, former Chair of Botany and former Dean of the College of Arts and Science, told stories from the years he and Don and Bob Sherman spent as department chairs and "overseers" of the building of Pearson Hall. Former graduate students Joe Nevins, Hara Charlier and James Shaw spoke about their wonderful memories of Don, and John Stevenson and Anne Morris Hooke both spoke about how much they would miss his cheerful and collegial presence in the department. During the summer of this year, David Francko, Chair of Botany, had single-handedly landscaped (with pool and trickling waterfall!) the area surrounded by the four walls of our building. It was finished the same week Don died, and our Secret Garden has been dedicated to Don's memory. A brass plaque with Don's engraved photo will be placed at the doorway leading to the garden and a scholarship fund has been established in his memory (see address on the last page if you would like to contribute to that or any of our other funds).

DONALD CODY COX

March 31, 1936 - August 28, 2000

All of us loved Don and this has been a very sad week. As I walked across campus, people stopped to express their sorrow and grief. There was a somberness you could feel, throughout the biological sciences building, that I have never experienced before--not just in microbiology but throughout the entire building. Don's impact was far-reaching.

We'll never forget our wonderful colleague and very dear friend. We'll remember the twinkle in his eye and his warm smile that always greeted us.

During the 11 years Don Cox served as Chair, the Department of Microbiology grew in stature because of his exceptional leadership skills. He deserves the credit for building a nationally known Microbiology Department whose students are vigorously recruited by industry and graduate schools. Because of Don's foresight, the Department has continued to meet the needs of the nation in terms of appropriately trained microbiology graduates. In 1986, Don successfully obtained, for our department, one of the first Program Excellence awards from the Selective Excellence program of the State of Ohio. In 1988, he obtained an Ohio Academic Challenge award for us. He also played a key role in obtaining the first of three multimillion dollar Howard Hughes Grants for Biomedical Education, which Microbiology shares with Botany, Zoology, Chemistry and Biochemistry.

We'll remember Don as a colleague who would sit back at faculty or committee meetings and listen to others make suggestions, comments, and arguments (probably biting his tongue in some instances)--and after everyone had had their say, he would often quietly speak up with the definitive answer, showing once again his wisdom and the path to the right solution.

Don was a warm, kind, gentle person with a quiet sense of humor and generosity that touched us all. He was one of the most unselfish persons I have ever known. Nine years after he had stepped down as Chair of the Department of Microbiology, I asked him to assume those responsibilities again so I could spend a semester in Luxembourg--he didn't hesitate for even a second and enthusiastically encouraged me to go. In looking back on my request, I suspect that assuming the Chair position was actually the last thing he wanted to do, but you would never have known it in his response to me. That's the kind of person Don was--he cared about the Department; he cared about the University; he had a passion for microbiology; and his colleagues' and students' ambitions and achievements seemed always to be more important than what he wanted for himself.

The fact that many undergraduate and graduate students have come long distances to be here today, speaks very clearly of how much they loved and admired him. And graduate students who did their doctoral work with other professors in the department have also come from out-of-town today to express their friendship, love and affection for Don. Graduate education was very important to him as demonstrated by his 20 years as academic advisor to all new microbiology graduate students. He also served as Director of Graduate Studies for the Department from 1989 to 1999.

Don was an outstanding research scholar. He explored the ability of specific animal viruses to modify the characteristics of tumor cells. He focussed on characterizing the nature of the interaction of reovirus with tumor cells and he studied the immune response to virus-modified tumors. His work resulted in numerous professional presentations at national meetings, published journal articles and abstracts. Many of his students have positions at prestigious institutions and they have attained international recognition for their scientific contributions. Don was a Fellow of both the Oklahoma Academy of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology.

Miami University has many good teachers, but Don Cox was truly extraordinary. As chair, I really enjoyed reading his teaching evaluations. I even sat in on his lectures for a whole semester to try to figure out how he did it! He had a natural talent that I doubt anyone could duplicate. He didn't need videos, because he provided his own sound track and special effects. He loved to illustrate his points, whether they were written on an overhead or on his powerpoint presentation, by saying "bong, bong, bong". I sat at the back of the room, completely enthralled and in awe. I could envision him telling stories to Kathy and Brian, as they were small children sitting on his lap--and I'll bet he managed to weave a lesson into each story (and also a few, bong, bong bongs!)

The comments, written by students, on his teaching evaluations, epitomize who Don was and the impact he had on them. The students repeatedly used the following adjectives to describe him as a professor: awesome, excellent, exceptional, absolutely wonderful, incredible, a great lecturer, a great communicator, first-rate, a great story-teller, a quality college professor, one of Miami's finest, a really nice guy, and one student affectionately referred to Don as a "cool dude".

They wrote on his teaching evaluations that professors like Dr. Cox are rare. That it was a fantastic course--challenging & never dull. He captivates our attention and minds. He possesses a unique ability to relate to his students. We all love him. His own enthusiasm about the material makes it fun and interesting to come to class and study the material. I have to learn the material, if only to know why exactly he loves it so much. I will always remember him fondly. I wish I could have had him for every class at Miami. He provokes a stimulating learning environment. He displays an equality between himself and his students. The next three statements are from the same student: your teaching never ceases to amaze me...you are definitely the best professor I have ever had at Miami...what a great way to end my undergraduate career! Others wrote: His attitude toward students is amazing! It was great to have a professor who can teach and relay information even though they are very smart...he should be a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire!! He really has a gift of being able to explain huge, intimidating concepts in a clear, understandable and fun fashion. His enthusiasm and his cute personifications of microorganisms made this class my favorite. Even when I did poorly on the 1st exam, I felt really motivated by him to keep plugging away. Dr. Cox's historical emphasis is unique and really showed me the need to appreciate past discovery processes. His background stories and experiences put a lot of the required material in a better perspective. His knowledge of the researchers involved in virology made them come alive and we were able to follow their trains of thought as they discovered things. I enjoyed the personal anecdotes he shares about many of the researchers in the field of virology. I will always remember him when I think back on my years at Miami.

ARENT THOSE WONDERFUL COMMENTS? They were taken from the evaluations of his classes in general microbiology--a class of 110-120 students, the other was his class in virology for about 60 students.

His exceptional talents as a teacher have been recognized by his being named a College of Arts and Science distinguished educator; he received the Miami University Alumni Enrichment Award, and also the University of Oklahoma Regents Award for Superior Teaching.

Don was a very special friend, one whom I will miss terribly including our lunches in the 1809 room when we always checked out the dessert tower on the way in to see if they had cherry pie ala mode or coconut cream pie (when he was dieting, I wasn't suppose to tell Nancy).

In many different ways, Don has been a mentor to us all. You seldom walked by without seeing someone in his office chatting with him--either a faculty member, including those from other departments, or one or more students. We all asked him for advice. He and Nancy entertained the students and faculty in their home many times while he was Chair and, even when he was no longer Chair, as each new microbiology faculty member and spouse arrived on campus, Don and Nancy were the first to have them to their home for dinner. Don was always there for me--he was always there for all of us.

In closing I want to share a poem with you that Bill Gracie picked out for me. It's a sonnet by Shakespeare that reminds us that as we go through life, we have regrets about things not done and we weep for the loss of our friends. But those losses and regrets for what we didn't achieve are vanquished when we think of our dear friend, Don Cox, who enriched our lives so much and made such a significant difference. Shakespeare's sonnet #30:

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes bewail my dear time's waste:
Then can I drown an eye (unused to flow)
For precious friends hid in death's endless night,
And weep afresh love's long since canceled woe,
And moan the loss of many a vanished sight:
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe count over
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I pay anew as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.

Mary E. Woodworth
August 31, 2000

FACULTY NOTES

[for complete descriptions of faculty research activities, please visit their web sites]

• Luis Actis was named Director of our new Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics. The Center will be running summer workshops for faculty and students. He has also been serving as an ad hoc reviewer for the NIH Bacteriology and Mycology Study Section.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/actis.html]

• J.K. Bhattacharjee continues to run the highly successful NSF-funded Recombinant DNA Workshops for High School biology teachers in the summer.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/bhattacharjee.html]

• Joe Carlin has recently been awarded a $585,000 grant from the NIH to continue his studies on Chlamydia over the next four years. The Lab continues to make progress on its goal of understanding how Chlamydia manages to survive what should be effective immunologic responses. Although in vitro experiments have revealed that interferon and other cytokines induce an intracellular environment that is inhospitable to chlamydial growth, the sheer numbers of Chlamydia infections suggest that this pathogen has effective evasion mechanisms.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/carlin.html]

• Kelly Cowan was featured on National Public Radio and in newspapers worldwide in 2000 for her work on enzymes that prevent adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to epithelial cells. In addition her book "Microbe Files: Cases in Microbiology for the Undergraduate" is in production at Benjamin-Cummings and due out in April 2001.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/cowan.html]

• Bob Findlay has a new post-doc, Christine Yeates (Ph.D., Macquarie University, 1999)
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/findlay.html]

• Marcia Lee has completed new affiliations for the CLS program with the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina and Akron Cooperative Medical Technology Program, comprised of Children's Hospital, Akron General, and Summa Health System (Akron City Hospital and St. Thomas). Her mycology research was funded this year by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/lee.html]

• Anne Morris Hooke was presented with the Alice Evans Award of the American Society for Microbiology at the General Meeting in Los Angeles this year.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/hooke.html]

• John Stevenson signed a contract with Benjamin-Cummings to write a textbook entitled "Microbes and Society." This general microbiology book is aimed at non-microbiology majors and focuses on the impacts microbes have on so many aspects of human society. During the past three years, he has taught "occasional" courses for majors and nonmajors during the school year (Microorganisms and Human Disease, Community Health Perspectives, General Microbiology II, Immunology, Graduate Seminar, Advanced Immunology) and during the summer (Microbiology for Teachers, Infectious Disease Microbiology for Teachers, Internet Teaching of Microbiology ... in the MAT program). He also mentored a number of undergraduate and graduate students as part of his research program. Members of the research team presented papers based on these students' research at several local, national and international meetings, and are currently working on formal publications.

  During the last two years, Amy Allman completed her PhD degree and John Benjamin completed his MS degree in my lab. Amy is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Immunology and Microbial Disease at Albany (New York) Medical College, John is a medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/stevenson.html]
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~stevenjr/]

• Mary Woodworth's responsibilities as Associate Provost include providing assistance and advice to the Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs on issues concerning faculty, curriculum and instruction. She teaches an honors section of Community Health Perspectives (MBI 131) in the Fall, and Molecular Biology (MBI 365) in the Spring.
  [http://www.cas.muohio.edu/micro/people/woodworth.html]

FORMER FACULTY, POST-DOCS

• Ivan Kochan, now living in Grass Valley, CA, spent two weeks in the summer of 2000 at the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology of the Lviev Medical University in the Ukraine. He lectured to students and faculty on the research he and his students did at Miami. Dr. Kochan's immunology textbook written in Ukrainian is used at the University and he was recommended as an "Honorary Professor" of the University.
• Hara Dracon Charlieris now with Customer Support for K&R Technologies Scientific Innovations Group in Frederick, MD. She and Russ have two daughters, Devon and Lili.
  hara.charlier@kr-technologies.com
• Bugen Hu is a research scientist at Human Genome Sciences, Inc, in MD.
• Miriam Lonon is Manager of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Arkansas.
  mlonon@uafphpl.uark.edu
• Tim Steele is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical School.
  Timothy.Steele@DMU.edu

MICROBIOLOGY AWARDS

Sigma Xi Research Awards

Three of our graduate students, Amy Allman, John Benjamin, and Laura Smoot and two undergraduate students, Kirsten Gutierrez and Carol Sledz received Sigma Xi research awards for 1997-98 totaling $3,598. Graduate student, Tricia Babcock, received an award for 1998-99 in the amount of $631. Graduate student, Annalee Lucena and undergraduate, Katie Fairbank, received awards totaling $1200 in 1999-00. Undergraduate, Steven Rutherford, received an award for 2000-01 in the amount of $300. We are very proud of our students!

Bhattacharjee Scholarship

The Dr. and Mrs. J.K. Bhattachrjee scholarship was established and first awarded in the 1991-92 school year. The scholarship is awarded to an under-graduate student studying microbiology or a related discipline.

Lawrence Day Microbiology Scholarship

Each year the Department recognizes the outstanding member of the junior class by awarding her or him the $1,500 Lawrence Day Microbiology Scholarship generously donated by Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence E. Day, alumni of Miami. We appreciate their support. The recipients of this very special award (since the last newsletter) are:

O.K. Stark Lecture and Awards

The Department invites a distinguished scientist to the campus to present the Annual Orton K. Stark lecture in honor of the founding chair of our Department. This lecture is supported by contributions of the Orton K. Stark Fund by alumni and friends. Lecturers and award recipients (since the last newsletter) are:

Rockwood Scholarship

The Susan Rockwood Scholarship, which recognizes an outstanding female graduate student in Microbiology, was awarded in 1998 to Angela R. Currier, in 1999 to Amy J. Allman, and in 2000 to Kara Corbin-Lickfett. This scholarship is supported by the generous donations of alumni and friends of Dr. Rockwood.

Procter and Gamble Research Awards

The following students received Procter and Gamble research awards:

Fisher Scientific Research Awards

The following students received Fisher Scientific research awards:

Undergraduate Research Awards

The following Microbiology students received undergraduate research awards:

ALUMNI NOTES

The following list of former students is from the responses received after the last newsletter.

Carolyn (Hurrell) Smallwood, '66

Environmental Scientist doing Risk Assessment for the National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S.EPA-Cincinnati

smallwood.carolyn@epa.gov

Peggy Lemaux, '68

PhD, University of Michigan '77

Presently on faculty at University of California, Berkeley, doing research in genetic engineering of cereal crops

lemauxpg@nature.berkeley.edu

Patricia (Forsythe) Byers, '71

Infection Control Practitioner at VA Medical Center in Houston, TX

Married to Miamian Robert W. Byers '71

Two children: Jennifer and Andrew

Patricia.Byers@med.va.gov

David L. Cahall, PhD, '71

Scientific Director, Rheumatology, Analgesics & Bone Disease, International Marketing, Horchst Marion Roussel Pharmaceuticals, Bridgewater, NJ

Mary Howard Putnam, '71

Medical Technologist at Wilson Memorial Hospital, Sidney, OH

Recently celebrated 25th anniversary with husband, Eric, (MU '70)

Two children: Lynn and Mark

Neal R. Pellis, PhD, '72

Program Scientist and Director, Biological Systems Office at NASA Johnson Space Center

Npellis@ems.jsc.nasa.gov

Sandra (White) Helman, '72

PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, 1987

Currently Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia and Technical Director of the MCG Hospital and Clinics Histocompatibility/Immunology Laboratory

shelman@mail.mcg.edu

Claudia Boeke McMurray, '74

Grant and Contract Administrator at Old Dominion University Research Foundation

Married to Ken McMurray, '74, two children, Jennifer, 18 and Eric, 22

mcmurr@erols.com or cmcmurra@odu.edu

Ronald C. Deis, PhD, '75

Ph.D. Food Science, Penn State Univ (1979). Now Director of Product & Process Development at SPI Polyols, Inc. (part of Assoc. British Foods); also writing for Food Product Design

Living in West Chester, PA

rcdeis@aol.com

Steve Gilman, Ph.D., '75

Vice President, Strategy and Project Management, Research and Development at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge MA after 20 years in Pharmaceutical R&D last 7 at Pfizer

Married (Dorothy), 4 children all girls and all over 21!! Still playing rock and roll after all these years

gilmansc@rocketmail.com

Laurence Hallas, '75

Running his own business in Environmental Microbiology after 12 years at Monsanto in St. Louis

Daughter Lorien is a 4th-generation Miami Senior

Steven Lemmel, '75

Staff Scientific Editor, Chemical Abstracts Service

slemmel@cas.org

Thomas Ira Wiles, '76

MS, 1976, DVM, Ohio State, 1981. Director of two veterinary practices in Pittsburgh. Medical director of Animal Friends Shelter in Pittsburgh

Married to Rebecca Wiles, MEd, 1977. Two daughters and a son

TIWPETVET@aol.com

Dave Smiley, '78

Associate Scientist at Amgen-Colorado (Boulder,CO). I manage a group that does fermentation process development in support of transferring processes to the clinical and manufacturing setting. MS,1981 from Illinois State University

Have lived in Colorado for 20 yrs, married to Gloria for 23 yrs. 15 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son. Personal note for all you undergraduates: Dr. Brady was the department chair when I graduated. Since my grades weren't too good (B's and C's), he told me that I should maybe find another field. He didn't know that I wasn't applying myself too hard since I was busy having fun in my fraternity. Grades aren't everything, practical skills and common sense will get you far. I always did well with labwork (A's) and it has gotten me to where I am now.

dsmiley@amgen.com

Kathleen Young-Perkins, '78

MS, Michigan State University '81; PhD, University of California, Davis '86. Co-owner of proprietary culture media business, Y/P Microfind Inc after 12 years in Industry (Kraft Foods, General Foods, Campbell Soup)

Married to Microbiologist, William Perkins - partner in business

ypmicro@aol.com

Ed Barth, '79

Remediation Technologies Expert for Super-fund Sites, US EPA, Cincinnati

Two children

Barth.Ed@EPAMail.EPA.gov

Dr. Mohd Danial Yahya, '81 (MS)

I am currently an Assoc. Professor in the School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

I teach undergraduate immunology and microbiology courses

I did my MS at Miami and graduated in '81, completed my PhD at Arizona (92)

dremdy@pkrisc.ccukm.my

Julia Brodt-Eppley, '83

PhD in Pathology, University of Cincinnati, '93

Visiting Assistant Professor in Microbiology at MU

Two daughters, Grace (10), Hope (6), and a son, James Allen (2)

EppleyJK@MUOhio.edu

Tina (Kolling) Magaletta, '83

Project Leader, Oncology, Urology, General Surgery-Clinical Affairs, Johnson and Johnson

Returned to Cincinnati two years ago, after marrying husband, Anthony, and after working at Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, for 10 years

Tmagalet@EESUS.JNJ.com

James E. Rogers, PhD '83

Soldiers' Biological and Chemical Command in the Chemical and Biological Forensics Center at the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Grounds , MD

He works on various detection methods for Biological Warfare Agents

Wife, Annette, is continuing her PhD studies at University of Maryland, College Park

Daughter, Ayanna, is 3

james.rogers@sbccom.apgea.army.mil

Patti Lorensen Kretz, '84

Staff scientist at Recombinant BioCatalysis, Inc., La Jolla, CA

First child, Rachel Loren Kretz born December '96

Pkretz@biocat.com

Kathleen Donnelly Hayes, '85

Received M.S. (1989) and Ph.D.degrees from Ohio State University. Currently a Research Scientist in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences and the Center for Retrovirus Research at Ohio State. Research interests: pathobiology of feline retroviral diseases as a model for AIDS and virally-caused cancers

Married Kevin Hayes 1986. Daughter, Anna Katherine, born Oct. 18, 1999

I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of Dr. Cox, he was a great professor

hayes.9@osu.edu

Wendy (Cook) Fox, '86

MS from Ohio State University in '94

Microbiologist, Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, in Columbus

Two daughters, Brittany and Emily

614-876-7245

Jeffery A. Plunkett, '86

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine

japmiami@bellsouth.net

Kimberly E. Foreman, '87

PhD in '92 from University of Cincinnati

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago

Kforema@LUC.edu

Kevin N. Koger, '87

Director of pharmaceutical and industrial process ventilation, Brad Snodgrass Industries, Inc. Indianapolis, IN

Married to Karen

daughter - Emily

Adam D. Koenigsberg, '88

Fellow, Pediatric Ophthal-mology, Temple University School of Medicine/St. Christopher Hospital for Children

Julie Moyers,'88

'94 PhD University of Virginia

'97 completed postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School

currently senior scientist at Eli Lilly Research Labs in diabetes and insulin signaling

moyersj@lilly.com

Nina Crossley Whitehouse, '88

Advanced Product Information Specialist with Ashland, Inc., EH&S

Married 10/28/00 to Colin Whitehouse

ncwhitehouse@ashland.com

Jill (Clemans) Niswonger, '90

MS in Preventive Medicine at OSU in 1992

Currently manager of Outcome Manage-ment Department, Medical College of Ohio

jniswonger@gemini.mco.edu

Elizabeth (Fish) McPherson, '90

Supervisor of Teaching Laboratories and Instructor, Dept. of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

elizajack@earthlink.net

Marty Plumbo, '90

Assistant Professor of Digital Design UC DAAP School of Design

Can now confidently use urinal in crowded restrooms

marty.plumbo@uc.edu

Paul A. Rich, '90

Family medicine residency in Youngstown, OH

Second son, William, born 5/7/97

docpar1@aol.com

Paul Prior, '90

Board Certified OB/GYN, solo practice with far too many sleepless nights

Married, 2 children

pprior@gurulink.com

Michael Paul Shaughnessy, MD, '90

Residency in Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland

Joanna Shisler, '90

Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, NIH

Married Peter Jones, '91

Jshisler@atlas.niaid.nih.gov

Tracy (Stofcheck) Griffith, '90

Science Lab Tech for Virginia Intermont College

Married Greg Griffith,two children,Megan (3/19/93) and John (7/28/96)

ggwine@aol.com

Laura (Ling) Vogel, '90

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University

Research interests in Immunology

Married Scott Vogel '93,

Son, Adam, '98

lavogel@atlas.niaid.nih.gov

Clayton Collier, '91

Associate Director, Global Product Marketing and Technical Services, Digene Corp., Gaithersburg, MD

Clayton.Collier@digene.com

Abel De La Rosa, '91

Senior Director of Development at Visible Genetics

Developing molecular-based assays for infectious disease and cancer

Has developed commercially available viral load tests (HIV), drug resistance and genotyping tests (HIV, HCV and HBV), and patented methods for molecular target amplification and detection (4 US patents)

Married in '91 to Kristan Gerspacher (Miami '90, MBA)

Daughter, Claudia Elena born '96. Son, Tomas Abel born '98

AbelDeLaRosa@alumni.ucsd.edu or delarosa@visgen.com

Michael Primc, '91

MD from Case Western Reserve SOM in 1995

Married Peter Jones, '91

Resident in psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison

Andrew D. Wells, '91

PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 in immunology

Research Assistant Professor at University of Pennsylvania Department of Medicine

Married September, 1996

One beautiful daughter

adwells@mail.med.upenn.edu

Steve Yanek, '91

Account Manager, Leather Chemicals Division, Buckman Laboratories, Inc

Awarded Master of Science in Leather Technology from the University-College Northampton, England, in 1999

Married Shannon Spittler, in 1992

Children - Stephen Thomas ('96) and Benjamin James ('97)

SSYanek@Buckman.com

Geoff Baer, '92

PhD studying "Reovirus Viral-Cell Interactions in the Entry Process" from Vanderbilt, '98
Completed MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, '00
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident - University of Virginia, '00

Married Jennifer Kolezynski (Miami '94) in April, '00

gsb3e@virginia.edu

Susan Brashear, '92

MD, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology

susan_brashear@email.msn.com

Heidi Reeb, '92

Research Associate, Fabric and Home Care Products, Procter and Gamble

Married to Jim Reeb, MU '93

son, Eddie (4)

ReebHL@PG.com

Steve Robertson, '92

MD from Case Western Reserve SOM in '96; Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency graduated '00; Now practicing with University Mednet in Cleveland, OH

Married Moira Cleary, '97

Children Julia ('99) and Daniel ('01)

sirstevalot@hotmail.com

William Tyler Rogus, '92

DDS from West Virginia University Dental School in '97

General practice residency in Charleston, WV

Kristin Czerwinski Shuman, '92

Quality Control for Bath & Body Works corporate offices in Reynoldsburg, OH

Married Justin Shuman, October, '99

Kshuman@BBW.com

Tony Farone, PhD, '92

Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University (see also Mary Farone below)

afarone@mtsu.edu

Beth Kimball Siegrist, '93

Technologist in the Microbiology Laboratory at Lima Memorial Hospital since 1993

Married Keary Siegrist May 21, 1994; Daughter, Haley, born November 21, 2000

bksieg@bright.net

Scott A. Luthman, '93

MD from Ohio State University College of Medicine in '97

Married Tricia Marie Goedde, July, '97

Have one daughter - Cassandra Nicole - born Sept '00

Served 3 years as a medical officer in 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC

Currently in pediatric residency at Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH

scottluthman@yahoo.com

Colleen McSwiggin, '93

Microbiology Research Associate at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati

mcswiggincm@pg.com

Jill Smittle Waldon, '93

Flavor Scientist since August '99

Married in 1998

Expecting our first child in April 2001

jill.waldon@givaudan.com

Krista Weber Powell, '93

MS-Indiana University 1994, JD-William & Mary 1997.
Currently a Patent Attorney with TraskBritt in Salt Lake City, Utah

Married Nick Powell in 1998

kwpowell@traskbritt.com

Tonia Agin, PhD, '94

Senior Research Scientist, Pfizer Veterinary Medicine, Biological Discovery, Groton, CT

tonia_s_agin@groton.pfizer.com

William A. Ankney, '94

MD, University of Cincinnati in '98

Resident in General Surgery, Travis AFB, CA

Roger Blevins, '94

M.A.T. Miami University, 1996; Teaching Biology at Huron High School, Huron, Ohio
Also involved in student educational travel with trips to Florida Keys, Everglades, and Grand Canyon

Three Children (Sarah, Walker, and Allison); married to Jennifer Blevins since 1995

rblevins@bex.net

D. Kyle Hogarth, '94

MD, Case Western Reserve in '98

Resident in Internal Medicine

dkhg@pop.cwru.edu

Meredith Hooke, '94

Financial Consultant, Merrill Lynch, La Jolla, CA

Meredith_Hooke@ML.com

Chris Bosche, MD '95

I am currently a second year resident in emergency medicine in Toledo, OH

My wife Amy and I met at Miami. She works as a paramedic. No kids (yet)

KKCrush@msn.com

Lora (Topalof) Yanagisawa '95

Earned Ph.D. from Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (2001)

TLYpunch@aol.com

Justin Young, '95

Dental student, Ohio State University

young.299@osu.edu

Diane Andis-Turvy, '96

MS, Indiana University, '99

Working at Seradyn, Indianapolis

Married Miamian, Barry Turvy, in 1996

turvy@iquest.net

Kelly (Focke) Provenzano, '96

Sr. Microbiology Tech, AVON Products Inc., Springdale, OH

Married Miamian Brian Provenzano, March 1998

KProven@cinci.rr.com

Daniel E. Gershon, '96

I will be graduating from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City. This July, I will begin my residency in pediatrics at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City

I was diagnosed with CML(Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia) in April '00. Since August, I have been on interferon therapy and tolerating it well. Every month I travel down to MD Anderson in Houston where I am in a clinical trial. Last November, bone marrow results showed a 90% improvement

dgershon5_@hotmail.com

Jeffrey Hageman, '96

MHS from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in '98

Epidemiologist/Microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

His work focuses on the detection and prevention of emerging antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings, mainly vancomycin resistance in staphylococci

uzh7@cdc.gov

Angela K. Hall, '96

Development Lab Assistant at PPG Industries, Inc. in Cleveland

beangiebe@aol.com

Sally (Thomas) Mountcasle, '96

Completed a MSPH in Epidemiology from UNC in May, '01
Working on a PhD in infectious disease Epidemiology from UNC

Married Clay Mountcastle in June, '00

thomas1@email.unc.edu

Cathleen Murphy, '96

Medical student at Ohio University. I will be graduating June 2, 2001, and am planning to do an internship and residancy at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio in Family Practice

Married March 11, 2000 to another Miami graduate, Del Duffy

cm157393@oak.cats.ohiou.edu

Nahad Sadr-Azodi, '96

Working in Kosovo as Youth Health Education Coordinator

nsadraz@hotmail.com

Janine R. Tompkins, '96

MPH from Johns Hopkins University in '00, now in her final year of medicine at JHU

jtompkin@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu

Debra Isaacson Greer, '97

Line Manager, Clinical Monitoring Services, PAREXEL International Corporation

Expecting first child in August '97

Debra.Greer@PAREXEL.com

Diane N. Larson, '97

Forensic Science MS in 1997 from Marshall University
Forensic DNA Analyst with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation

dlarson@ag.state.oh.us

John Benjamin, MS, '98

Medical student at Ohio State University

benjamin.38@osu.edu

J. Burns, '98

Currently a Research Assosciate in the Aersol Science & Technology Group at Battelle Memorial Institute

Married in June 2000 to Rob Burns (highschool sweetheart)

burnsj@battelle.org

Amanda (Frye) Mahoney, '98

Senior reseacher in the Beauty Care Divition of Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati

Married to Brian Mahoney (MU '98) at St. Mary's in Oxford

mahoney.ad@pg.com

Amy Allman, PhD, '99

Post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Immunology and Microbial Disease at Albany (NY) Medical College

AllmanA@mail.amc.edu

Danielle Lynn Hall, '99

Research Assistant in Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Married Michael Hall September 2, 2000, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lost my mother November 15, 2000

DanielleHallOH@aol.com

Lareina La Flair, '99

In final semester of Master's program at Boston University's School of Public Health (Concentration in Maternal and Child Health)

lareina@bu.edu

Matt Bobinski, '00

Clinical Data Associate - Kendle International, a CRO in Cincinnati, OH

bobinski.matthews@kendle.com

Sunny A. Carlisle, '00

Student in the Cooperative Medical Technology Program of Akron - graduation: July, 2001

sacarlisle@hotmail.com

Nate Dittoe, '00

Medical student at Wright State University

Dittoe.2@wright.edu

Jared M. Hanneman, '00

Doctoral student studying Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh

Married to Eva Hanneman, '00

jared_hanneman@gmx.net

Laura (Kindinger) Koch, '01

Earned her nursing degree at the University of Cincinnati and is working as a RN at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in the Neonatal ICU

Married to Spencer Koch in Columbus, Ohio in September, 2004

laurakrn@gmail.com

Spencer Koch, '01

Completing his fourth year of medical school at the University of Cincinnati and will graduate in May, 2005

Married to Laura (Kindinger) Koch in Columbus, Ohio in September, 2004

TELL US WHAT YOU ARE DOING

What are you doing? Let us hear from you so we can include information about our alumni in the next newsletter.

CONTRIBUTIONS

If you would like to contribute to any of our eminently worthy scholarship funds, please send your checks (payable to Miami University Fund and marked for the fund of your choice: Donald C. Cox, Orton K. Stark, Susan Rockwood or Microbiology Endowment Fund) to:

The MU Office of Development

Panuska Development Center

725 E. Chestnut Street

Oxford, OH 45056-2480

News & Events: Newsletter 2001 Department of Microbiology/Miami University (Ohio USA) This document was produced by Anne Morris-Hooke in December 2000 Please send comments and suggestions to: microbiology@muohio.edu © 1995-2008 Miami University Department of Microbiology, all rights reserved Disclaimer