Dear Bellarmine Students, Faculty and Staff,
As I write this, we are busy preparing for what will be
by far the largest freshman class in Bellarmine's history. The 615
confirmed freshmen far surpasses our goal of enrolling 590 and
promises another exciting year of growth, excitement and challenge for
all of us.
I hope the pace of summer and the warm weather offer you a
chance to recharge your batteries and prepare for a successful and
rewarding 2009-2010 academic year. "The President's Update" is taking a
summer vacation and will return in the Fall. Here is the latest news
from my desk:
Siena Quarto
We broke ground on May 6 to begin construction on the
third building of the beautiful four-phase Siena Housing Project.
Siena Quarto will have 129 beds in 68 rooms. The ceremony took place
where Lenihan Hall formerly was located.
SGA Awards stipend to QEP Committee
This marks the second year that the Student Government
Association is awarding study abroad stipends to support our Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP) to internationalize the Bellarmine student
experience. The 2009-10 winners are as follows:
- $500 award – MaryAnne Bowlds, who will be studying in
France for the 2009-10 academic year.
- $500 award – Gabrielle Fuller, who will be studying in
Italy in spring 2010.
- $250 award – Jessica Sparks, who will be studying in
London in summer 2009.
The QEP will support two more students with $250
stipends each: Rachel Keyser, who will study in Paris this summer; and
Jillian Redlinger, who will study in Greece this summer.
Biology student presentations
Two Biology students (Sanda Zolj and Melissa
Pawley) presented their research at the 2009 Posters on the
Hill event held in Washington, D.C. on May 4-5th. This conference was
sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research who only selected
58 from more than 400 applicants this year. This is the first time
Bellarmine students have been invited to this prestigious conference.
The title of their poster was “Apoptotic Activity Induced in Female
Lung Cancer by Bioactive Triterpenoid Components from Ganoderma
lucidum”. It is the culmination of two years of research on the use
of reishi mushroom as a potential treatment for lung cancer. During the
course of this conference students met with U.S. Senator Mitch
McConnell and Senator Jim Bunning, as well as with Representative John
Yarmuth of the 3rd Kentucky District. The research was mentored by Dr.
Joann Lau, along with Dr. Dave Robinson.
Congratulations to the 11 Biology and Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology students who presented at the 5th annual Math,
Engineering, and Science Conference held at the University of
Evansville on April 4th. Several Bellarmine students won awards for
their research presentations. Mathew Galante won 1st
place for his talk on “Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Protein
Levels in Cells from Bipolar Patients as Influenced by Single
Nucleotide Polymorphisms”. Becca Young won 2nd place
for her talk on “Are People Compromising Tooth Strength for a Whiter
Smile?” Melissa Pawley won 2nd place, in a different
section, for her talk on “Analysis of the Apoptotic Pathway Induced
by Reishi Mushroom in Human Lung Cancer Cells.” Kelly Casey
won 3rd place for her poster on “Environmental Estrogens Cadmium
Chloride and Sodium Arsenate and the Estrogen Receptor Pathway.”
Faculty mentors on these projects were Drs. Mary Huff, Joann
Lau, David Porta and Dave Robinson.
Women's Council Show House
The Bellarmine University Women's Council is taking its
36th annual show house event downtown Sept. 12-27. The Fleur de Lis on
Main is this year's featured property, located at 324 East Main
Street, one block west of Slugger Field. Show House hours are Monday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and
Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission
is $12 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Bellarmine Student
Financial Aid Fund.
New Photo Galleries
The BU photo galleries page has new additions, including
photos of service trips to Appalachia, Belize, Guatemala, and
Louisiana. Check it out here.
Faculty and Staff News
Assistant Professor of English Frederick Smock’s
new book of poems, The Blue Hour, has been accepted for
publication in 2010 by Larkspur Press.
Christina Bouras, Adjunct Faculty in
Music, will be singing with The Louisville Orchestra on July 25 and
26. She will sing 4 Mozart arias from various operas. The 2
performances will be held at Ballard High School and Riverstage in
Jeffersonville, IN. Maestro Jorge Mester will conduct.
Dr. Anne Raymond, Professor of
Mathematics, and co-author Marylin Leinenbach had a manuscript
accepted for publication in one of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics journals, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. The
article is entitled, "Using Multiple Intelligences to Make Connections
and Reinforce Relationships Between Fractions, Decimals, and
Percents."
Dr. David Mosley, Assistant Professor of
Philosophy, will present a paper, “Nietzsche's Acoustic Philosophy of
Education" to the Society for the Philosophy of Education at the
annual meeting of the American Philosophical Association in February
of 2010.
In the Biology Department this summer, Dr. Tony
Lentz and honors student Chris Sims are researching learning
and memory in insects. They are studying a major pest of corn and
soybeans, which are the top two plant agriculture commodities in the
U.S.
Carol Stewart (Theatre Program) has
been chosen to participate in the SITI Company in Residence at
Columbia University School of the Arts Summer Theatre Workshop, as one
of thirty actors, directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, designers and
choreographers. This is an intensive two-week program, training and
rehearsing with the internationally renowned SITI Artistic Director,
Anne Bogart, and the entire SITI company of actors.
Like Jacob’s Well, the Very Human History of Highland
Presbyterian Church, by Linda Raymond and Bill
Ellison, has been selected for the James Angell Award, for
best first book by a Presbyterian author. Like Jacob’s Well
was chosen from among 14 books, including some by scholars and one by a
reporter who won a 1997 Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting for
The Los Angeles Times.
Dr. Mary Goral received a $65,000.00
grant from the Norton Foundation. This grant funds the
Waldorf-inspired Cadre Projects and provides scholarships for students
who take courses in the Masters/Rank 1 program with an emphasis in
Waldorf education. Dr. Goral’s book, “Transformational Teaching:
Waldorf-inspired Methods in the Public Schools” is now available
through Steiner Books. Dr. Goral attended AERA (American Educational
Research Association) annual meeting in San Diego April 10-16. She
co-planned and served as a discussant for a pre-AERA session on bringing
main stream educational research together with research on Waldorf
education. She also presented a paper entitled “Teacher Support and
Revival in 12 Case Studies of Waldorf-inspired Schools/Classrooms”.
On April 24, Dr. Dottie Willis led a
Writing Marathon at the National Writing Project’s 2009 Urban Sites
Network Conference. Teachers from seventeen states participated in
this event conducted on the Belle of Louisville. On April 25, Dr.
Willis delivered a presentation, “Discovering Their Values and the
Power of Their Voices: Developing Resiliency through Reflective
Writing,” at the National Writing Project’s 2009Urban Sites Network
Conference.
Dr. Bob Cooter has been elected vice
president of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers
(formerly the College Reading Association). This is one of the top
three organizations in literacy education.
Dr. David Paige presented at a
Pre-Institute Workshop on oral reading fluency at the 54th Annual
Convention of the International Reading Association the weekend of May
1.
Dr. Joann Lau (Biology) recently
published a research paper in the refereed journal Plant Cell,
Tissue, and Organ Culture on “Analysis and Stability of the
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Antigen in a T3 Generation of Transgenic
Tomato Plants.” (2009, Vol. 96, pp. 335-342).
On April 22, Bellarmine Education alum Beth Reiss
was named an Excel Award Winner by WHAS 11.
It's a Girl
Congratulations to Helen-Grace Ryan and
her husband Patrick on the arrival of their daughter, Lucille
Beatrice. Lucy weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz and was 19-3/4 inches long. Both
mother and daughter are doing well.
Spread the Word
Do you have news to share? Drop a line to lburns@bellarmine.edu.