Transforming Lives - Rockhurst University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Roc k Re p o r t 4 4 4 4 4 4Threatened Snakes Spawn Research OpportunityWhen rattlesnakeswere discoveredduring thesurvey of a construction sitefor a new subdivision inLenexa, Kan., an alliance ofenthusiasts — including aRockhurst faculty memberand her students — cameto their rescue.Mindy Walker, Ph.D.,assistant professor ofbiology at Rockhurst andprincipal investigator onthe timber rattlesnakerelocation project, was partof a group that transferredthe snakes to an undisclosedsite and began trackingtheir location and survivalrate using microchips,transmitters and wands.Students habituallyexposed themselves tofields of nettles, poison ivy,sunburns and ubiquitousticks, chiggers and mosquitosthroughout the summer.Arriving in the field in thepredawn darkness duringthe winter, they braved20-degree temperaturescoupled with rain. Theyeven set aside time duringChristmas break to isolateDNA in the laboratory.“They’re looking at everylevel of biology from thegene all the way up to theenvironment, which isinvaluable,” Walker said.The students’ passion,labor and relentless dedicationin adverse conditionsearned them, in Walker’sestimation, the designationof “true biologists.”The timber rattlesnake is the focus of a research project led byMindy Walker, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology.As further proof, they willco-author the final researchfindings that likely will bepublished in a nationalherpetology journal.In the classroom,Walker uses the projectto exemplify the interdependencyof organisms inthe environment and moreimportantly, the impact ofhuman development.Although the newsubdivision likely willfeature a stately entrancemarker, the snakes’ newhome won’t be advertisedto protect their safety.2 Ro c k h u r s t4s p r i n g 2008
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Talent and Passion Run in the FamilyExtending their education well beyond theclassroom, brothers Marqwan and JaqwanSirls exemplify the Jesuit ideal of takingpersonal responsibility for learning. Theirambitious arts projects around campus andthroughout the community have garnered praise andrecognition and have helped each one develop hisown individuality.Marqwan, a sophomore majoring in business communication,is an accomplished poet who performs at variouslocations around the Kansas City area, including thehistoric jazz club, the Blue Room. In January he was recognizedas “Last Poet Standing” after defeating 12 other contestantsat the Westport Coffeehouse. For Marqwan, poetrygives the opportunity to share expressions of faith andlove, as well as to communicate frustrations surroundingsocial issues relevant both domestically and abroad.“People have used words to change the world,” saidMarqwan. “Literature changes people’s lives, and I wantmy words to do the same.”Jaqwan, a senior pursuing a major in English and aminor in theater, funnels a similar love for the arts throughnumerous projects that showcase his many interests. He isan actor, a clothing designer, a musician, a choreographer,a playwright and a children’s book writer and illustrator.His most recent projects include acting in A House WithNo Walls at the Unicorn Theatre, interning at the DreamStudio, choreographing the Miss Black Kansas USAand Miss Black Missouri USA pageants, and working asco-creator of the Happy Rhino Clothing Company.“I love creating so much that I can’t do too much of it,”said Jaqwan. “My creativity is a natural part of me. I needit just as people need to breathe and eat to stay alive.”Sophomore Marqwan (left) and senior Jaqwan Sirls sharetheir creative talents on campus and throughout Kansas City.Preparing for PriesthoodD. Scott Hendrickson, S.J.,who taught Hispaniclanguage, literature andculture at RockhurstUniversity from 2002-05,will be ordained as apriest in June. Joinhim for his ordinationand First Mass ofThanksgiving, both atSt. Francis Xavier CollegeChurch on the campusof Saint Louis Universityin St. Louis, Mo. Theordination is at 10 a.m.Saturday, June 7, with hisFirst Mass at 10:30 a.m.Sunday, June 8.Ro c k h u r s t4s p r i n g 2008 3
Page 1 and 2: RockhurstTransforming LivesPersonal
Page 3: RockhurstSpring 2008InsideTr a n s
Page 7 and 8: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Nursing Students Lea
Page 9 and 10: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Projects Emulate Wor
Page 11 and 12: Ben SkochSenior biology/pre-med maj
Page 13 and 14: Annie Lee, Ph.D.Associate Professor
Page 15 and 16: Sudhakar Raju, Ph.D.,teaches financ
Page 17 and 18: “As a faculty member, my responsi
Page 19 and 20: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Heinemann Earns All-
Page 21 and 22: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Grants Enhance Campu
Page 23 and 24: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Al u m n i LeadersBi
Page 25 and 26: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4’90Scott C. Trout,
Page 27 and 28: Create a Perpetual Living MemorialT

Transforming Lives - Rockhurst University

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?