The Biology Department Alumni Newsletter

Issue No. 2 Winter Term 2002

The Fall semester saw some wonderful improvements to the Ford Life Science Building. The Ford Motor Land Development Corporation was generous enough to renovate both the plaza in front of the building and the back entrance near the greenhouse. Both sites had been deteriorating badly and handicap access had been difficult. All of the entrances are now easily handicapped accessible. The apple trees in front of the building were also removed and replaced with brand new pear trees of the same size. Everyone is looking forward to seeing them blossom in the spring. Heartfelt thanks to Ford Motor Company for their support.

In September, David Nantais, S.J. from Campus Ministry helped the department to organize a retreat for faculty and students. We spent a weekend in Oxford, Michigan at the Dominican retreat house there. Dave arranged to have Dr. Albert Pierce as our featured speaker. Dr. Pierce is a plastic surgeon who donates his time and expertise to repairing cleft lip and palate defects in children born in Third World nations. He described his work in Guatemala and answered a barrage of questions from students about medical school, medical practice, and working in Third World countries. We had some quiet reflection about the directions our lives are taking, but we also had a crazy scavenger hunt that was biological (e.g. find the seed of a gymnosperm). In the evening there was a fast-paced game of cards and a field trip to the Dairy Queen where Dave waxed nostalgic about his former employment at Dairy Queen. It was a wonderful experience, and we are hoping to repeat it next year. Alumni are welcome, so watch these pages for the date and time and give us a call at (313) 993-1408 if you would like to come. You need not stay overnight if you have other commitments; the students would be pleased just to be able to talk with you and find out about your career.

Here are some of the pictures from the retreat:

The retreat house was an old farmhouse with dorm rooms upstairs and living room and kitchen downstairs. We had the house to ourselves. We had a giant submarine sandwich for lunch, but enjoyed cooking dinner for ourselves.

Here is Dr. Grabowski as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. He made the spaghetti and meatballs, and we discovered that he is a fine cook as well as a fine teacher.

Dr. Pierce, our speaker, with retreat participants Amy Klug, Tanvi Desai, Anastasia Voronina, Denise Barraza, Inna Shcherbinina, Amanda Nesbitt and Jennifer Kenaya.

View of the lake near the retreat house

I heard from a couple of alumni this past semester. It is great to know that you are visiting us even if it is just on the web. We are hoping to plan a picnic for Fall 2002 and invite all of you to campus just to have a get-together and see all of your old classmates and faculty in person instead of in cyberspace. Watch this space for further information.

Dr. Charles Venglarik wrote to say that he is a Research Instructor at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. After receiving both his B.S.(1981) and M.S.(1982) at the University of Detroit, he went to the University of Michigan for his Ph.D. in physiology. His research is focused on the ion channel defect which causes cystic fibrosis and what can be done to help people with this disease.

I also heard from Rodel Ibus who graduated last year. He is moving to Houston, Texas to begin studying to be a perfusionist. We wish him the best of luck.

If you would like to keep up with your UDM friends and alumni via this newsletter, just e mail Dr. Hollar your information. I update the newsletter at the start of each trimester (May, Sept. and January). You may send photos if you like. Be sure to identify everyone in the pictures, and I will put them on the web.