Mysterious and wonderful: science at Central College – Winter 2004

In this issue:

• Pushing into the 21st Century
  Paul Weihe, Central associate professor of biology, makes no bones about why the new Vermeer Science Center is so important to the future of Central College.
• Central’ s own Batman
  By now the myth of the evil, scary, flesh-seeking bat is as common as a rerun of classic Scooby Doo cartoons that popularizes the image on the Cartoon Network.
• Summer science
  Project keeps Central students in the green — with rare frogs.
• Get down with nature at the Carlson-Kuyper field station
  Not far from campus, the Carlson-Kuyper Field Station lets
  students get hands-on experience with nature.
• Pandemic AIDS
  Kathy Sikkema '84 battles the beast infecting 15,000 daily.
• Attacking Shaq
  Cory Gilday '99 Helps the hoop star get in shape for the basketball season.

Pushing into the 21st Century - Paul Weihe, Central associate professor of biology, makes no bones about why the new Vermeer Science Center is so important to the future of Central College.

by Betsy Kane ’05

“Thanks to the cooperation of faculty, staff and student input, we now work in one of the best science facilities in Iowa,” he said. “The building allows us to do so much more in natural science, and to do it so much better. Plus, this building is good for the environment, and serves as a lesson in environmental stewardship for those who built it and use it.”

Talk about renovating the Vermeer Science Center began in 1998, just as David Roe stepped up as Central College president. When comparing Central to benchmark schools it was obvious that Central’s science facilities were no longer as up-to-date as necessary.

The new entrance to the renovated Vermeer Science Center features a unique solar-powered water fountain.

“The basic sciences are a key part of a liberal arts education, so the building that houses them needs to be modern,” said Roe of the push to renovate the VSC.

Plans for the $20-million center became reality as the major renovation of the original ’70’s building began in April 2001. Chicago-based architects and Minnesota engineers from Holabird & Root LLP, Research Facilities Design (RFD) of San Diego, Calif., and The Weitz Company Inc. of Des Moines, worked together to create the new Vermeer Science Center, which opened for classes in August 2003. Area subcontractors including L.A. Fulton, Johnson Controls, and System Works of Des Moines, Oskaloosa’s Cunningham, Inc., and De Vries Electric of Pella were also key players in the project.

“Our goals are extensions of previous concepts created by the generation before us,” said Glenn Barnett, associate professor of chemistry, who spoke on behalf of the science faculty at the rededication Sept. 12. “We wanted to create a more open, extroverted building, while keeping the original purpose.”

Silver rating

Central was recently awarded a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) medal rating from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), making the science center the first LEED-rated building in the state. Central was originally awarded a certified level ranking, but Central facilities manager Mike Lubberden appealed the decision to vie for the higher silver rating.

The new computer lab — a popular place for students to study.

“The standards for earning a LEED rating are very strict and the process is complex and energy intensive,” said Lubberden, who spearheaded the new addition and renovation and became Iowa’s first LEED accredited professional. “However, this keeps the LEED building rating process meaningful. When we say we built an environmentally friendly building, we mean it.”

In order to become LEED rated, a building is held accountable in six different environmental categories: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency and low atmospheric emissions, materials and resources used in construction, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process. The USGBC scrutinizes everything from a building’s collection of recyclables and site erosion control, to light pollution reduction, use of certified wood and the number of parking spaces available for carpools.

Out of a total 69 points achievable, Central earned 34 for features such as reflective white roofing, light fixtures that reduce night sky pollution and a solar-powered fountain.

“Earning the LEED rating was a demanding process for Central, and students respect the work that went into the effort to make Vermeer environmentally friendly,” said biology major, Kari Nelson ’05.

Not only is the Vermeer Science Center environmentally sound, it also boasts up-to-date “smart” classrooms, laboratory equipment and computer labs. Classrooms are equipped with black flat screen Dell computers, ELMOS to project hard copy on the wall, as well as VCR and DVD capabilities. Vermeer’s computer lab maintains Internet connections for students of all majors.

Gary and Mathilda Vermeer attended the rededication of the Vermeer Science Center with many members of their family. The extended Vermeer family and foundation have long supported the VSC.

Balances so sensitive that a grain of sand can be detected are at hand. The nuclear magnetic resonator (NMR), used to study molecular structure, has a magnetic pull so strong, it claims a room all its own where people with artificial joints, pacemakers or credit cards cannot enter.

“I am taking histology now and we are going to use a new vibratome, which allows us to cut fresh tissue, mount it on a slide and look at it through the microscope,” said sophomore Carrie Jo Calisesi. “It’s so cool, we’ll get to make our own slides!”

Vermeer now boasts 39 chemical safety fume hoods, nearly five times the original eight.

“Each hood digitally monitors the air velocity to ensure the user is safe,” said Cathy Haustein, professor of chemistry.

Seven arching jets of water are powered by the Alliant Energy donated solar array on the roof, inviting visitors to cool their feet in the fountain near the building’s east entrance. A touch screen informational kiosk greets visitors and provides a facility directory, as well as information regarding the building and its unique sustainable attributes. Real time data describing solar features and weather data are also available. The kiosk was made possible in part by grants from Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Iowa Energy Center (IEC).

“People around town have told me, ‘Hey, I drove by the science center and saw you working in the lab,’” said Haustein. “This was the idea, open up the place and get rid of the ‘dark dungeon’ images of science.”

Nearly every classroom and lab has at least one window, which seems to make the whole building glow with natural light, shining from the green tinted windows on the outside, reaching into the core. Triangle-shaped sandwich tables, playful plastic chairs with rolling feet and big comfy seats with tiny tablet arms make it easy for students to feel at home.

Classrooms in the VSC include computers which allow faculty to integrate technology into their academic programs.

The massive project also allowed the art department to spruce up the building with beautiful pieces from Central’s collection. Prairie scenes, anatomy pieces and works of elemental fire/water tension are on display throughout the center. Senior art projects also have been featured.

“This is a liberal arts school where we work to build an appreciation for all departments,” said Tilly Woodward, visiting assistant professor of art and Mills Gallery director. “The artwork displayed in Vermeer helps break the stereotype that science is cold facts and calculations and makes visible the miracle of life, that things are mysterious and wonderful.”

Rededication

Students, faculty and Central luminaries gathered to celebrate the $20-million Vermeer Science Center transformation during a public rededication ceremony, Friday, Sept. 12, at the east entrance of the VSC. Roe emceed the ceremony, which recognized the architects, contractors and donors, including Pella’s Vermeer family, who made the largest single donation. The renovation was funded largely by a bond issue, as well as through gifts from the Vermeer family, friends of Central and a $1.8 million government technology grant made possible by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin and supported by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and Congressman Leonard Boswell.

Far Side cartoons, a periodic table, a student-produced safety video, T-shirts and many other items were packed into a time capsule that is buried under a stone near the building entrance. “We included some pictures saved on disks,” said Haustein. “In 150 years, they will probably have to use something in a museum to look at them.”

Back to top

Central’ s own Batman — By now the myth of the evil, scary, flesh-seeking bat is as common as a rerun of classic Scooby Doo cartoons that popularizes the image on the Cartoon Network.

by Patrick Roland ’97

They hang mysteriously from ceilings in dark, dank caves, skulking about the chilled night air waiting to swoop down on their unsuspecting human prey. Once found, they lunge at their victims in droves, fluttering about hungrily, ready for blood and carnage.

But Central’s Russ Benedict, assistant professor of biology and bat expert, says his favorite winged creatures have gotten a bad rap from popular culture. Through his class lectures and weekend bat-catching trips, he is out to prove that bats actually sort of …

“They are portrayed as evil animals but a lot of it is that they are out at night, and therefore, poorly known,” said Benedict in his office, which teems with stuffed bats and animal bones that hang from the ceiling and dot the walls around him. “They are ugly little dudes but if you understand why they are ugly, they are beautiful.”

So, here’s the truth about bats, according to Benedict:

• Using eyesight and extremely accurate echolocation, they actually AVOID contact with humans if possible. This is because their wing structure is very fragile and the likelihood of damaging a wing during an “attack” is too great, so they just won’t go for the kill. Because they have a high metabolic rate — starving to death within 48 hours if no access to food (mostly insects including mosquitoes and the adults of corn rootworms) — their wings are too important to their survival to risk dangerous human interaction.
• They have ugly, scrunched up, angry-looking faces for a scientific reason. The flaps of skin and wrinkles on their face are designed to funnel sound into the ears. They have thin or no fur on their faces so that their skin will not interfere with the sound coming back to them.
• They probably can’t kill you. There are 1,000 species of bats throughout the world. They are most common in the South American tropics and the Desert Southwest in North America. Nine species have been found in Pella. But only one in 1,000 actually carries rabies. And if they do carry the disease, they die within two weeks because it is toxic to their system.
• Bats are actually friends of the environment. They are one of the most important predators of night-flying insects. Given their high metabolic rate, they eat huge numbers of insects — up to 50 percent of their body weight a night. That equals up to 1,200 or more mosquitoes a night per bat for those species that eat these insects. Second, they are extremely important as pollinators of plants. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of plants around the world rely mostly or entirely on bats for pollination. Finally, bats are extremely important in dispersing seeds of plants. By eating fruit, bats act as flying “Johnny Appleseeds” in spreading the seeds of plants.

Russ Benedict, assistant professor of biology, takes students into the field, teaching them collection and recording techniques. His research on bats and shrews is also integrated into classroom activities.

Benedict goes netting for bats about once a week. Once he catches them he takes notes on the age, reproductive condition and measurements, and then lets most of the bats go. If he catches species from an area where they have not been previously recorded, he collects the bats, prepares them as skin and skeleton specimens and deposits them in museums so their identity can be confirmed in the future. Future goals include radio-collaring bats to examine where they feed and roost, injecting small tags containing magnetic bar codes to enable identification of individuals and drawing blood to check for the presence of pesticides and other pollutants.

“I want people to see they aren’t scary, but also that they are really cool critters with an amazing story to tell if you can get beyond that fear,” he said. Benedict’s enthusiasm for the forsaken critters has not been lost on his students, who enjoy the way he makes scientific learning a hands-on experience.

“He brought humor into his lectures and labs,” said sophomore science major Gwendolyn Worster, of Keokuk, Iowa. “It’s hard to get excited about a topic that a professor speaks monotone about, but he is enthusiastic about what he is teaching and gives you factoids that he knows will interest you and grab your attention. He makes it hard not to want to pay attention and get further involved in the science.”

Benedict augments his knowledge of bats with an expert-level of research about yet another of nature’s outcasts: the short-tailed shrew. He and other scientists believe they have found a new species of the shrew near Fort Myers, Fla., which may already be extinct because scientists had never taken the time to study the larger shrews found in the area. They submitted their work to the Journal of Mammology for review this fall.

Back to top

Summer science — Project keeps Central students in the green — with rare frogs by Patrick Roland ’97

Deep within the walls of the remodeled Vermeer Science Center’s aquatic lab, a female African reedfrog readies her position.

With the chirping amphibian version of a smooth Barry White record seducing the makeshift jungle, scientists are hoping her allure will capture the attention of her male counterpart.

If the tempting vibrato does its job, the female will drop her eggs into the water and the male will hop on and fertilize them externally.

Hopefully, the eggs will produce hundreds of tadpoles that will be put through a variety of controls that will ultimately test the safety of the water in Marion County.

This little African reedfrog was the focus of intense study this summer. By watching the frog's offspring, Central researchers were able to determine the safety of Pella's water.

This frog, the tiny, almost miniscule at three-centimeters, South African-based Hyperolius argus, is one of only five species of frogs in which females and males do not share the same coloring.

Once hatched, the new tadpoles will be exposed to water in the area. If the yellow-green hued males develop spots typical in the orange-colored female, the student scientists will have proof of estrogenic chemicals in the water.

By testing frogs, the student scientists are doing the type of work that may be translated to human issues like autism, reproductive problems, various cancers and immuno-deficiency problems. Plus, it’s killer pre-med school experience for a future doctor like senior biology major, Nicole Hirota.

“The type of research we’re doing, since it pertains to humans, is really going to help me get in to med school,” said Hirota, a native of Osage, Iowa. “It helps to do the research, rather than just read about it.”

Hirota and senior chemistry major, Megan Kruse of Altoona, Iowa, did the work as part of a grant from the Godfrey, Ill.-based Monticello College Foundation for the enhancement of women’s education.

“This is great hands-on stuff,” said Kruse. “I’m putting what I already know to use.”

The students worked closely with Cathy Haustein, chemistry professor, and Ellie Du Pre, associate professor of biology, who is basing the experiment with the rare frogs on work with DDT and female colorization done recently by a professor at Berkeley in California.

“These frogs are the canary of the environment,” said Du Pre, who also said this species of frog was highly unresearched so little is known about its care or feeding needs. “No one knows a lot about them so we’re kind of on our own.”

The students continued to work on the project through summer 2003. The frogs did not face any permanent changes and were not harmed in the process, Du Pre said.

The frogs did not produce offspring during the summer project, but Hirota is still working through the 2003-04 school year with the frogs as a senior honors project, she said.

Back to top

Get down with nature at the Carlson-Kuyper field station — Not far from campus, the Carlson-Kuyper Field Station lets students get hands-on experience with nature.

by Betsy Kane ’05

Dip into duckweed. Study shagbark. Touch tiny tadpoles. Tap sugar maples.

Central College’s Carlson-Kuyper Field Station encourages learners of all ages to get dirty and experience nature hands on.

Not far from campus, the Carlson-Kuyper Field Station lets students get hands-on experience with nature.

Located just 12 miles from campus, near Lake Red Rock, the field station is home to graceful prairie grasses, a wooded trail and a variety of critters that abide in Eunie’s Pond. The 62-acre nature preserve and outdoor laboratory neighbors a housing development, while showcasing the state’s natural terrain.

“Central is very fortunate to have received this property,” said Paul Weihe, field station director and Central associate professor of biology.

Central’s Carlson-Kuyper Field Station was made possible by generous gifts in memory of Alice Carlson, professor of biology at Central College (1946-74), and Stu Kuyper, a leading citizen and benefactor in the Pella community. Alice’s sister, Beulah Carlson of Ortonville, Minn., provided funding for the on-site building and equipment to enable study of the area’s environmental processes.

Davis and Eunice (Kuyper) Folkerts donated the property through a conservation easement to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to protect the land from development forever. Stu was a founder of INHF, and wished the property be maintained as a natural area.

“Stu fell in love with the natural beauty of the area and wanted it to be used and protected,” said Weihe.

The outdoor laboratory not only provides access to Iowa’s natural landscape, it protects the environment by sustaining itself through green design energy. The classroom and laboratory building on the southeast end of the property boasts high efficiency solar-lighting and heating windows, a motion sensitive lighting system and hot water heater and a man-made wetland to clean waste water. Tubes that allow solar-heated water to pass through are built into the floor, causing the surface to act as a radiator. The solar panels outside the building, donated by Alliant Energy, create more than enough energy for the building, and the unused energy is sold to the local rural electric provider.

Since its June 2000 debut, the field station has sponsored various college and community activities. Central students take part in nature walks highlighting prairie and forest ecosystems, animal ecology and pond study. Each winter science classes tap maple trees at the field station and around the community to boil down for syrup production.

“Working at the field station was a great said Kelsey Gayman ’05. “I never realized how much sap is required to make a small amount of maple syrup.”

The Carlson-Kuyper Field Station has also carried out a prairie burn, hosted an annual Halloween Spookwalk and guided community nature tours. Last fall approximately 80 Central students and members of the Pella community gathered under the stars at Carlson-Kuyper for a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower. Community groups are welcome and encouraged to schedule visits to the station by contacting Weihe.

“The field station gives the college the opportunity to offer both the students and the community programs that would be difficult to recreate without this facility,” said Weihe.

Back to top

Pandemic AIDS — Kathy Sikkema '84 battles the beast infecting 15,000 daily.

by Patrick Roland ’97

Worldwide, HIV-AIDS remains a social and emotional stigma. A silent, though sometimes livable threat, whose very existence carries a heavy psychological toll and threatens the future of those who are infected.

In Africa and beyond, it is a pandemic, wiping out families, leaving millions of young children as orphans and shattering the teetering educational system as established teachers die faster than new teachers can be trained.

Kathleen Sikkema (third from left) with her research team at People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kathleen Sikkema ’84 has been helping people in the United States deal with the psychological ramifications of living with HIV and AIDS for more than 15 years. While medical breakthroughs have made the disease more manageable in richer countries like the United States, there is an enormous amount of work to be done in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and in those like India, Russia and China where HIV rates are expected to skyrocket over the next decade.

“HIV-AIDS is the greatest health crisis of our lifetime,” said Sikkema, a Yale professor who has devoted her career to HIV-AIDS research and treatment. “From the beginning, I have felt challenged by its interdisciplinary nature and the related social, medical, psychological and political complexities.”

Through a series of research projects, clinical work and community outreach spanning 15 years, Sikkema has endeavored to prevent transmission, develop coping interventions for those who are HIV-infected and reach communities by empowering people (primarily women and youth) to reduce their risk for HIV infection. While her work began stateside, five years ago she started working in Russia and in the past three years Sikkema began making two to three annual treks to South Africa, where she said the infection rates and lack of available treatments are alarming.

“Every year goes by, more people are infected, but the response has been grossly inadequate,” she said, adding that some 70 million people throughout the world have been infected with HIV and 15,000 are infected daily. “We must make changes on a global scale. We have to get more resources to the people in developing countries and eliminate the divide between the rich and the poor, especially in access to treatment.”

Sikkema, a native of Morrison, Ill., lives outside of New Haven, Conn., with her husband of two years, Dr. Michael Merson, who also works in HIV-AIDS research.

She said her desire to help people began during her youth in rural Illinois and grew while she was a student at Central, both through her psychology professors, who helped her decide about her career, and her experience as a tutor counselor to students enrolled in Central’s Upward Bound program, who trusted her for guidance in their crucial teenage years.

“I began to find my way (into this line of work) while at Central,” Sikkema said. “Professors Ed Willis and Jim Schulze were very invested in my development. I owe them and the college a great amount of gratitude.”

Back to top

Attacking Shaq - Cory Gilday '99 helps the hoop star get in shape for the basketball season

by Patrick Roland ’97

Some people leave Central to become doctors or lawyers. Others teach or raise kids.

But Cory Gilday ’99 may be the only alumnus who can boast that he calls current Los Angeles Laker and all-time basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal boss.

Cory Gilday '99 with his client, basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal.

When Shaq was given a post ’02-03 season ultimatum to get into better shape by his Laker coaches, Gilday, a certified personal trainer with 24-Hour Fitness based in Vancouver, Wash., took on the challenge. He quickly relocated to O’Neal’s base in Orlando, Fla., and began a three-hour a day regime with the athlete that has so far resulted in a leaner, meaner Laker hero.

In other words, the world better get ready for another Shaq Attack, Central style.

“He runs faster. He jumps higher. He’s stronger,” said Gilday, who has shaped the 7’1”-tall stunner into a stronger athlete over the summer through a tough weight training, Brazilian Ju’jitsu, cardiovascular and hydro therapy work out regimen.

Gilday said the experience with Shaq has been both rewarding and challenging, due to the level of O’Neal’s notoriety and talent.

“He’s at a point where he’s reached a plateau, so it’s been challenging to find things to motivate him to work through stuff,” said Gilday, a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

After trying a variety of methods that initially didn’t work with the beleaguered Shaq, Gilday, also certified as a performance enhancement specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, eventually found the sweet spot that motivates Shaq beyond all else: personal pride.

Gilday’s result is a confident and trimmed down Shaq, who after a few slow years that had the industry and fans doubting his athletic prowess, is ready to be considered a major player in the game again thanks to this summer’s training.

“It’s not going to matter,” Shaq told the LA. Daily News of last year’s performance. “You know that. The whole world knows it’s not going to matter. You know why? Because I’m back now. Last year, I was a little banged up. But no team is a powerhouse, and no team scares me. And I’m upset and I’m (ticked) off. A lot of people doubting me. The old Shaq will be back, talking (smack), starting fights, getting my legs up when I dunk.”

Gilday, a former junior Olympic skier and college baseball player, has tentative plans in the works to train other famous athletes in the coming months. He also will continue to head 24-Hour Fitness’s corporate sports specific training program.

He chalks his success up to the years he spent at Central, and to the professors who influenced, taught and trained him.

“Central was awesome,” said Gilday, who double majored in history and exercise science at Central. “I don’t think I’d be the person I am if I hadn’t gone to Central. It was the perfect environment for what I wanted out of a college education.”

Back to the index of stories

Please direct questions or comments regarding editorial content of the Central Bulletin to Abby Gonzales, News & Marketing Writer.
Phone: 641.628.5157 | Email: gonzalesa@central.edu

For alumni-related issues, please contact Sunny Eighmy, Director of Alumni Relations.
Phone: 641.628.5280 | Email: alumni@central.edu