Natural Science School Newsletter Spring 2022

Natural Science School Newsletter Spring 2022

Biology and Environmental Science Chemistry Mathematics and Computer Science Physics Psychology

SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Spring 2022 Newsletter

MESSAGE FROM THE DEANS We write to you, our alumni and friends, at the end of a semester that has been disrupted, difficult and heartbreaking. But it has also been filled with moments of grace and hope. We mourned together following the events of Feb. 1—gathering to sing the alma mater on Feb. 2, ringing the Memorial Bell and holding each other in a moment of silence on Feb. 8, and coming together at events of community remembrance throughout the two weeks following. But we emerged on the other side of spring break with renewed purpose and focus on the things that truly matter. Many of us saw each other’s faces for the first time in two years and gathered in person for events such as Founder’s Day, which hadn’t been held since 2019. Our students petted therapy dogs, accepted gifts of cookies and treats from local churches, and enjoyed times of relaxation outside in the sun. We walked forward, not forgetting all we’ve gone through in the last few months and the last two years, with resilience and reliance on our shared community. Students and faculty alike shared their research projects at conferences and made summer plans for projects, travel and new endeavors. Joy broke through the chilly gloom of the day’s weather as we celebrated 335 undergraduates and 30 master’s graduates at Commencement on May 7. Our hope, for ourselves, our students and all of you, is to experience renewal throughout the summer and into the fall. Renewed well- being. Renewed care for each other. Renewed commitment to all we hold dear. We hope to see you too, full of renewed spirit, at Homecoming or another future event soon.

Best regards,

Betsy, Barbara and Phil

Dr. Harriett Hayes Dean of the Rhodes School of Arts and Humanities

Dr. Barbara Long Dean of the School of Professional Studies

Dr. Phil Spickler Dean of the School of Natural Sciences

BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE

Dr. Stephen Baron , Harry G.M. “Doc” Jopson Professor of Biology, co-authored “Characterization of Streptomyces nymphaeiformis sp. nov., and its taxonomic relatedness to other polyhydroxybutyrate-degrading streptomycetes,” a paper published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology . Dr. Baron’s co-authors include Gary Hix ’19, Muhammad Khan ’19, Mikayla Miller ’20, Elisha Napier ’19, Allison O’Brien ’23 and Roger White ’19. Dr. Erin Morris Miller , Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair, has published a paper with co-authors including Jacqueline Latz ’21 and Kelsi Listman ’22. The paper is titled “Influencers and major themes in a gifted education community of practice on Twitter” and appears in the Journal of Advanced Academics . Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger , Professor of Biology and Department Chair, has assumed the position of Director of the Wade Institute for Teaching and Learning, one of several Institutes in the College’s Center for Engaged Learning. The Wade Institute focuses on creating and implementing new ways for faculty to teach and students to learn. Dr. Tamara Johnstone-Yellin , Associate Professor of Environmental Science, attended the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the Wildlife Society March 14-16, along with six BC students. She gave an oral presentation titled “Effect of exclosures on the nutritional value for white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginanus ) of six species of hardwoods in the Pennsylvania Allegheny Forest,” which was co-authored with Dr. Alex Royo of the U.S. Forest Service, Laurel Glover ’19 and Sabrina Volponi ’20. Student presentations included: • Brooke Locascio ’22, “Hypocrisy of Hunting: How the Implementation of the 7th Pillar of the North American Model of Wildlife Fails to Support Wildlife Conservation” (coauthored with Johnstone-Yellin) Dr. Ian McNeil , Associate Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Barnabas Otoo , Assistant Professor of Chemistry, attended the American Chemical Society conference in San Diego March 20-24. During the Organic Methodology session, Otoo gave an oral presentation titled “Enolate or carbanion: • Cheyenne Villarosa ’22, “Cache Like a Squirrel: Effect of Long-term Storage on Crude Fat Contents of Q. palustris and Q. alba Acorns” (coauthored with Johnstone-Yellin, Sabrina Volponi ’20 and Dr. Tim Kreps , Associate Professor of Environmental Science) • Camryn Rosenberger ’22, “Effects of On-campus Activity During a Pandemic on the Occurrence of Bird Window Collisions at Bridgewater College” (coauthored with Johnstone-Yellin and Prof. Hide Hiruma , Adjunct Professor in Mathematics and Computer Science) Faculty, Alumni and Student Achievements

Dr. Stephen Baron

Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger

Dr. Tamara Johnstone-Yellin

Exploring the carbanion character in boron enolates towards the direct aldolization of glycolic acid.” McNeil and Otoo were accompanied by six student collaborators presenting research that was conducted throughout this academic year. • Benjamin Hancock ’22 presented a poster titled “Hysteresis of Photocurrent Decay and Growth in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Under Intermittent Light.” (coauthored with McNeil) • Benjamin Hanks ‘22 and Jonathan Brubaker ‘22 presented a poster titled “Cyclic Step Chronopotentiometry of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells.” (coauthored with McNeil)

Natalie Ellis ‘22 and Dr. Moshe Khurgel

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School of Natural Sciences | Spring 2022

A member of the Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) Honor Society, Cheyenne Villarosa ’22 went to Little Rock, Ark., for the Annual Conference of the Association of Southeastern Biologists and presented “Cache Like a Squirrel: Effect of Long-term Storage on Crude Fat Contents of Q. palustris and Q. alba Acorns” on April 1. Villarosa also received the Spirit Award for TriBeta Southeast Region 1. • Tyler Lynn ‘22 presented “Synthesis and Transition Metal-Catalyzed Coupling of a-chloro-b-lactones.” The abstract for this poster was also accepted for the sci-mix session, an additional poster session for selected abstracts from the various sessions which are deemed of high impact and broader interest. (coauthored with Otoo) • Mary Ruth Shifflett ‘23 and Tyler Deutsch ‘23 jointly presented “Qualitative Measurement of Stability of ATP at Varying pH Using UV- Vis Spectroscopy.” (coauthored with Otoo)

Cheyenne Villarosa ‘22

Biochemistry major Natalie Ellis ’22 and biology major Emily Schloss ’22 attended the Mid-Atlantic Society for Developmental Biology conference at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., May 2-3. Ellis presented results from her thesis study on the development of axolotls under varied environmental conditions.

McDougall, O’Neil Receive VIVA Open Course Grants

Grant for developing online textbook resources for PSY 101 General Psychology. • Dr. Deva O’Neil , Associate Professor of Physics, was awarded a VIVA Open Adopt Grant for developing online learning resources for the first course in the introductory sequences for the calculus-based sequence, PHYS 221 General Physics I, and the first course for the algebra/ trigonometry-based sequence, PHYS 218 College Physics I.

The Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) Open Course Grants (formerly Course Redesign Grants) focus on reducing the costs of higher education for Virginia students by eliminating the costs of textbooks and other course materials, providing faculty and staff with the resources to produce pedagogically advantageous course materials, and empowering Virginia educational professionals to contribute to the growing field of open educational resources (OER). • Dr. Elizabeth MacDougall , Associate Professor of Psychology, was awarded a VIVA Open Adopt

Faculty Sabbaticals

New Staff

Whitney Showalter ’12 has been hired in a staff position as Chemical Hygiene Officer and Lab Manager to assist the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology and Environmental Science. She graduated from BC with a major in biology and a minor in English and is also a Certified Medical Laboratory Technologist through the Sentara RMH School of Clinical Laboratory Science.

Dr. Kimberly Bolyard , Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded a sabbatical for fall 2022. She intends to complete an interdisciplinary study of the behavior of longnose dace fish in collaboration with a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. Vicki Blazer. Dr. Moshe Khurgel , Associate Professor of Biology, was awarded a sabbatical for spring 2023. He plans to continue his research in axolotl limb regeneration and develop a collaboration with Dr. Karen Echeverri, who runs a research and teaching program at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory.

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BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE

BIOLOGY

GARLAND L. REED CHEMISTRY AWARD

OUTSTANDING SENIOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AWARD

DR. STUART R. SUTER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Marshall W. Ritchie, Katelyn E. Dear, Mary R. Shifflett

EXCELLENCE IN BIOLOGY AWARD

Jonathan N. Williams

EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AWARD Colton L. Allison, Lauren N. Witmer, Britney N. Young

OUTSTANDING SENIOR IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AWARD

Ti’Andreana C. Williams

Tyler C. Deutsch, Kara B. Eppard

PHYSICS

Lane P. Phillips

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD

DALE V. ULRICH PHYSICS SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD IN BIOLOGY

Benjamin P. Hancock

Hannah L. McPherson

Cheyenne T. Villarosa

JOSEPH M. AND JANE A. CROCKETT ENDOWED AWARD

PSYCHOLOGY

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Leigha C. Dillard, Erica Nelson

DONALD R. WITTERS PSYCHOLOGY AWARDS Outstanding Academic Award: Kelsi A. Listman Outstanding Leadership Award: Kylie E. Chisnell Outstanding Research Award: Jordan M. Matthews

Camryn P. Rosenberger

OUTSTANDING SENIOR IN MATHEMATICS AWARD MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

CHEMISTRY

JOHN MARTIN AWARD FOR ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Kelsi A. Listman

Marshall W. Ritchie