October 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Erwin Davis, a 1980 Illinois Wesleyan University graduate, has been named the recipient of the 2007 Community Service Award for the Bloomington-Normal Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was honored Thursday at the annual Freedom Fund Banquet in Bloomington.

“Really, the honor has not sunk in,” said Erwin, speaking on his cell phone last week as he stepped off an elevator in Washington, D.C., where he was working with legislators on behalf of the National Urban League. “I think of the work I’ve done as being part of a group effort, and we all have good reasons for giving back.”

Davis, a manager with State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, said he has four good reasons for giving to the community – his four children. “I take education personally because of my kids,” said Davis, who sits on the Bloomington-Normal Education Achievement Gap Task Force, and serves on the boards for the McLean County Urban League and Tri-County Urban League. “I consider education the key to one’s success. An intelligent ability in today’s society is critical. I wanted that for my children, and that’s why I have always put an emphasis on educational achievement.”

More

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— When militaries overrun governments and dictators rise to power, it is most often the universities and centers of learning that are the first to become targets, said Taye Woldesmiate, visiting associate professor of political science at Illinois Wesleyan University. “Education is key to any democratic process. Education leads to questions and to knowing your rights. Autocrats are always against education. It is their way of defending their powers.”

Woldesmiate should know. He spent six years in an Ethiopian prison after speaking out openly against the government, and now comes to Illinois Wesleyan as a Scholar at Risk (SAR). “Any armed group who comes to power is not going to give it up with an election,” said Woldesmiate, who joined the IWU faculty this fall as a visiting professor. “They can always try to come back with a bogus election, but an educated electorate will refuse that. That is why autocrats are afraid of education.”

Illinois Wesleyan is a founding member of the Scholars at Risk Network, an international group of over 80 colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world that promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars worldwide. Scholars at Risk institutions provide sanctuary for persecuted educators, such as Woldesmiate, by hosting them as visiting professors, lecturers, researchers or students.

More

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Emily Richter admits her childhood fantasies differed from other children. “I’ve been thinking about going off and fighting diseases since I was about nine years old,” said Richter, a 2005 Illinois Wesleyan University graduate with a degree in biology. Unlike many who dreamed of being ballerinas or rock stars, Richter’s dream is coming true.

Currently a graduate student in microbiology at Arizona State University in Tempe, Richter is part of a team at the Biodesign Institute housed at ASU, which is studying the effects of Salmonella typhimurium, the bacteria known for causing food poisoning. The team, headed by Dr. Cheryl Nickerson, recently made international headlines with research that sent samples of the bacteria aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Recently published data found the bacteria became more virulent after the trip into space.

According to the research, spaceflight conditions, including fluid shear dynamics, can affect the genetics of the bacteria, making it more virulent. “When you get into space, there is less gravity, so there is nothing pressing on the sides of the bacteria,” said Richter. “Bacteria tends to grow in the intestinal track for the same reason, there is less fluid shear on the bacteria slowing it down. In space, without that weight of gravity that pulls on all human, the fluid shear is even less, and the bacteria can grow faster.”

Richter, who utilizes novel 3-D tissue culture models to study how Salmonella attacks human tissues, revels in the chance to work on the team. “This is an incredible experience, both with the research and meeting people who work in the space program,” she said. “Dr. Nickerson’s work is so fantastic and has a chance for a real, global impact.”

More

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- The National Science Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to Joseph Williams, associate professor of psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University, which will go toward purchasing an EEG acquisition machine, or electroencephalography machine, to expand research within the Psychology Department.

“EEG technology can help us understand how the brain processes information, and why problems might arise in memory or critical thinking,” said Williams, who teaches courses in behavioral neuroscience. “For instance, we can map out how changes in brain activity allow us to better encode and recall visual information or how changes in brain activity relate to mistakes in remembering information. The new EEG recording system will allow IWU students more in-depth exploration of the complex interaction between brain and behavior.”

EEG readings record cellular activity in the brain, which allows us to see how the brain actually processes information. “We know what can affect behavior before the tests begin – influences such as self-esteem, age, even physical fitness. We can also observe decisions. Using the EEG machine fills in the blanks in the middle, allowing us to watch subjects’ brain activity as they make decisions,” said Jason Themanson, assistant professor of psychology at IWU.

Currently, the University has an EEG acquisition machine, but Williams said its capacity is limited. “The EEG acquisition machine we have can analyze three regions of the brain at once. The new machine will be able to look at 64 regions at once,” said Williams. “This is a giant leap in our ability to answer important research questions that our students are interested in studying.”

More

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - During the Illinois Wesleyan University’s Homecoming festivities there will be a unique opportunity to leave a mark on part of Wesleyan’s campus. Two 13 foot steel beams, which will be used for the construction of the Minor Myers jr. Welcome Center (MMWC), will be available to be signed by students, faculty, staff, and alums throughout Homecoming weekend.

Painted IWU green, the beams will be positioned on the south lawn of Evelyn Chapel on Saturday, October 20 at 11 a.m., and will remain there until Monday October 22 at 6 p.m. The beams will be available to be signed that Saturday through Monday October 22 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

On Saturday, after the winners from 8th Annual Classic Car Show are announced on the Eckley Quadrangle, a ceremony will be held at the site of the future Welcome Center, prior to the beam signing. The ceremony will begin at 10:55 a.m. Speaking at the ceremony will be President Richard F. Wilson, Dean of Enrollment Management Robert Murray, and Career Center Director Warren Kistner.

The beams will be positioned in the front of the MMWC as it is constructed, and eventually will be part of the roof structure.

More