The Department of Chemistry will be able to substantially upgrade its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrumentation thanks to a $551,500 Major Research Instrumentation Grant from the National Science Foundation. NMR has had a major impact on the chemical sciences and is considered by many to be the single most important analytical tool for the characterization and study of new compounds. The technique takes advantage of the unique properties of nuclei of certain atoms and is used routinely in research and teaching laboratories. The phenomena underlying NMR spectroscopy are also used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in medicine. By placing a sample in a magnetic field and then exposing it to radio waves, a “picture” of the atoms in different environments is obtained. Chemists use the information to deduce molecular structures, and in medical MRI, the information yields images of tissues and organs.

Preeminent writer, scholar and critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. will speak at ISU at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 4 in Capen Auditorium in Edwards Hall. The speech is part of the University’s sesquicentennial celebration and is free and open to the public. Gates has used his position as one of the country's most respected scholars to promote his theory of education reform, which calls for the expansion of black studies programs at universities nationwide and a broadening of the literature curriculum to include in-depth study of the works of authors from non-Western cultures.

In 2006, Gates wrote and produced the PBS documentary "African American Lives." He recently completed his book, Finding Oprah’s Roots: Finding Your Own, which stems from his documentary and traces Oprah Winfrey’s roots to Liberia and her first known matrilineal ancestor, a woman sold into slavery. Previously, Gates wrote and produced the documentaries "Wonders of the African World" (2000) and "America Beyond the Color Line" (2004) for the BBC and PBS, and authored the companion volumes to both series.

ISU Speechbirds launched a successful start of the season by taking third place at the Purdue Invitational Speech Tournament last month. ISU was one of 20 colleges and universities competing in the tournament. Junior Amara Thomas was victorious in two events, earning first place in both Poetry and Program Oral Interpretation. She also received second place in Duo Interpretation. Senior Josh McClusky earned first place in Prose Interpretation and sixth place in Impromptu Speaking. Senior Jamie Downing placed third in Persuasive Speaking and fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking. Additionally, seniors Erin Henry and Marissa Gaines earned second place in Duo Interpretation (with Thomas) and fifth place in Rhetorical Criticism, respectively. Sophomore Corey Schultz and freshman Joe Cozza also contributed to the team’s success.

Three alumni honored on Friday morning during University High School’s homecoming festivities have longstanding ties to the College of Arts and Sciences. David L. Brown ’65 received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Douglas R. Bey Jr. ’56 was inducted into the University High School Pioneer Hall of Fame, and Eric T. Rudd ’71 was presented with the 2007 Alumni Service Award. Both Brown and Bey are the sons of professors who taught for many years in the Department of Mathematics: Francis Brown and Douglas Bey. Scholarships established in honor of Professors Brown and Bey are awarded annually to students in the ISU Department of Mathematics. David Brown is an attorney with the law firm of Hansen, McClintock & Riley in Des Moines, Iowa. In accepting his award, he acknowledged the excellence of the faculty and staff at University High school.  “Here you have people who let you follow your dreams,” Brown said. “But as much as you have an individual need to excel, there's something else that you learn here--the importance of community and giving back some of what you have received.” 

Erik Larson is a new assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. He comes to ISU from the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington, where he was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. He earned his PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and his BS from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. His research examines the roles of DNA repair pathways in genome maintenance and in the molecular events governing the diversification of antibody genes, which is a process required for optimal immunity. Outside of the laboratory, Erik enjoys fishing, gardening, and spending time with his wife Megan and two children, Abigail and John.