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BAILY RYAN, a third-grader from Randlolph Elementary School, measures herself against a dinosaur femur while on a field trip to the University of Nebraska State Museum in Morrill Hall on Nov. 18. The field trip was planned as part of the students' study of dinosaurs. 66 New Fellowships Created to Bolster Graduate Education and Research Othmer-Topp Endowment Enhances Graduate StipendsBy KELLY BARTLING, Public Relations An annual $500,000 allocation from the Othmer-Topp endowment will enhance the graduate fellowship program, NU officials say. The new Othmer Graduate Fellowships, approved by the Board of Regents Nov. 5, will allow an additional 66 fellows to enter graduate programs leading to the terminal degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Chancellor James Moeser announced. "This is an important development for the University, indicating a clear investment in academic quality and a significant investment in graduate education and research," Moeser said. Each Othmer Fellow will receive a $7,500 fellowship stipend over a
12-month
period, for each of three years. In combination with regular department
teaching or research stipends "This is an exciting new resource for recruiting top prospects from Nebraska and across the nation into graduate programs at NU," said Lawson. He encouraged NU graduate faculty and program chairs in a letter this week to actively recruit graduate students through the Othmer program. The funds for the fellowship program are generated from the Othmer-Topp Endowment, from the estate of Mildred and Donald Othmer, which contributed $125 million to the university in 1998. Most of the income from the endowment, 75 percent, is targeted to support chemical engineering programs at the university and to upgrade technology on the Lincoln campus. Another 12.5 percent of the endowment will be administered by the NU regents. The remaining 12.5 percent is to enhance other academic programs on the Lincoln campus. Most recently, $500,000 was used from the Othmer funds to match Jeff and Tricia Raikes' gift to endow the Ralph and Alice Raikes Chair in Plant Sciences. "The benefits of Othmer Endowment continue to expand, particularly through the academic improvement fund," Moeser said. "Through the Othmer gift we can leverage other private dollars to take our programs up to the next level of quality." Lawson said the Othmer Graduate Fellowships help improve the competitive standing of Nebraska and its ability to recruit exceptional scholars and retain outstanding graduate faculty. The awards will be competitive and be judged by the Graduate Fellowship Committee. Departments should make nominations to the Office of Graduate Studies by Feb. 18. Priority will be given to nominees who are new to the University of Nebraska system. NU Research Reveals E. Coli SurprisesBy Monica Norby, for IANR News A new genetic "fingerprinting" method developed by University of Nebraska food scientists is revealing surprising insights about potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria. The new technique shows that there are two genetically distinct E. coli 0157:H7 populations found in cattle - one that causes sometimes fatal food poisoning in people and a second that is not commonly isolated from food poisoning cases. Previously, relationships of different E. coli 0157:H7 populations weren't well-understood. Genetic results suggest that the population most commonly found in cattle either is non-virulent, meaning it is incapable of causing disease, or it is not easily transmitted to people, said Andy Benson, a food microbiologist whose laboratory developed the technique that led to the findings. "Our method gives a very high-resolution snapshot of the genome and lets us see things we couldn't see before," Benson said. The technique, called octamer-based genome scanning, allows researchers to pinpoint where genetic differences exist on E. coli's DNA and offers a means for rapidly cloning and identifying the genes at those DNA sites. Because the scanning technique will be broadly applicable to many organisms, this Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources research is generating great interest among genetics researchers. A paper detailing the work of Benson and food science department colleagues Jaehyoung Kim and Joseph Nietfeldt was published in November in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Benson was struck by the idea for the genome scanning method while attending a research conference. After spending eight months working out the bugs, Benson tested the technique on E. coli samples, called isolates, drawn from humans and cattle. All the isolates originated in a three-county region of Wisconsin. Researchers expected that the isolates, when illustrated on an evolutionary tree-type structure called a dendrogram, would be dispersed throughout the structure. "We really weren't prepared for what we saw," Benson said. Most of the human isolates were clustered together in one part of the dendrogram, and most of the cattle isolates were clustered together, indicating that there were significant genetic differences between the two groups. "That could mean two things," Benson said. Either their data were biased because all were collected from the same region, or surprisingly the E. coli population infecting cattle in Wisconsin was distinct from the population making people sick. To test for bias, Benson's team used the method again on a large group of isolates gathered from 16 states. Again, two distinct populations human and bovine appeared on the dendrograms. Benson's hypothesis: the cattle population either is very inefficient at causing human illness or it is a weak population that does not survive the necessary hurdles to infect people and cause E. coli related illness. This could be good news for the public health and for cattle producers, especially following data recently released by U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) at Clay Center, Neb., that found E. coli 0157:H7 to be present in more than half of cattle tested. "This fits well with the MARC data," Benson said. "Only about 20,000 cases of human infection with E. coli 0157:H7 are reported each year. You would expect a much higher number, given the number of cattle infected." In comparison, an estimated 2 million cases of Salmonella poisoning occur annually, many caused by eating contaminated poultry and beef, Benson said. "The key for us now is to get a good fix on the numbers," Benson said. "Our numbers now suggest that two-thirds of the isolates from cattle are genetically related to the apparently non-virulent population the population that doesn't cause illness. But we need to do a much larger sample size to get a better idea of exactly what that number is. We're doing that now." Benson's team analyzed 78 E. coli 0157:H7 samples to reach the current results. He plans to test hundreds to get his "good fix on the numbers." As with all significant research, Benson's work has opened many new avenues of study. The researchers already are fine-tuning the scanning method, making it faster and easier. Another ongoing project is cloning and sequencing the DNA of a specialized virus, called a bacteriophage, that Benson believes is associated with the genetic divergence between the E. coli populations. Sequencing work on the bacteriophage may provide clues to the mystery of why the prevalent bovine 0157:H7 population isn't commonly found in humans. Perhaps the most practical application of the new scanning method will be in developing a more sensitive test of E. coli 0157:H7 isolates, Benson said. Benson cautions that researchers must be careful not to over-interpret the data at this point. The newly-discovered population must be tested to determine if it is, in fact, non-virulent. The most powerful experiment is one that can't be done, Benson said. "The only way to be absolutely sure the non-virulent 0157:H7 population won't cause human illness would be to test it on people. Obviously, this isn't an experiment that we could do or would do, so we have to come at it from other ways, such as using model systems, epidemiology studies and in vitro studies," Benson said. Spring 2000 Marks Celebration of Research and Creativity at NebraskaSpring Semester 2000 has been designated as the official celebration of 100 years of graduate education, research and creative activity at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Three major universitywide events are planned for the celebration and a number of colleges and divisions are planning events and activities during the semester as well. Most events are free and open to the general public. Members of the university community - faculty, students and staff - are especially encouraged to participate in celebration activities. The celebration begins Jan. 27 with an Inaugural Symposium, "Reflecting on the Contributions of Graduate Education, Research and Creative Activity" from 2-5 p.m. in Kimball Hall. That evening, a free public recital will occur in Kimball Hall from 8-9:30 p.m. Symposium speakers include Robert Knoll, NU professor emeritus of English; Karen Kunc, NU professor of art; James Olson, historian and president emeritus of the University of Missouri; Kennedy Reed, NU graduate and an atomic physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Clayton Yeutter, NU graduate, former president of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 1989-91. This symposium is being coordinated by Royce Ballinger, Ed Schmidt and Kay Walter. The evening's concert showcases the talents of alumni and faculty artists, including Richard Drews, (MM 1979), tenor, Northwestern University; Lawrence Gwozdz (MM 1976), saxophonist, Southern Mississippi State University; the Moran Woodwind Quintet, composed of NU faculty; George Ritchie, Marguerite Scribante Professor Organ at NU; and students Milvia Rodriguez (DMA candidate), piano, and Charles Saenz (DMA candidate), trumpet. The concert is being coordinated by Robert Fought. A one-day research fair has been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 25 in the Nebraska Union. The fair will involve faculty from all interested units on campus who wish to present research and creativity activity to other faculty, staff, students and the public. The fair will occur concurrently with the Graduate Student Research Conference and the Undergraduate Research Conference with the goal of highlighting the breadth and depth of research at NU. The fair is being coordinated by Robert Stock. The Capstone Symposium, "Towards the Role of the Research University in 2025: Trends in Funding and Graduate Education," has been scheduled for April 13 in the Nebraska Union Auditiorium. Several speakers have been invited; confirmed symposium panelist is C. Peter Magrath, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. This symposium is being coordinated by Merlin Lawson, Suzanne Ortega and Rita Kean. In addition to the signal events, individual departments and colleges are sponsoring a number of mini-symposia and activities. Most are still in the planning process. The list includes, but is not limited to: o University Archives/Special Collections Exhibit: February-April. o Electronic Text Center Web Exhibit: February-April. o Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, 15th Annual Heartland Conference on Free Enterprise, Feb. 24-26. o College of Human Resources and Family Sciences; symposium on the nature of research in home economics/human resources and family sciences that has changed the human condition; Kinsey Green, Oregon State University will be the keynote speaker. Date TBA. o IANR Symposium: "100 years of Graduate Rducation, Research and Creative Activity within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources - A Solid Foundation for Building a Successful Future," February. o Centennial University Professor Lecture, John Janovy, Varner Professor of Biological Sciences, "Who's Infected with Whom: The Natural History of Parasites," March 2. o Arts and Sciences Humanities Program Symposium, "The Future of Humanities Scholarship and Graduate Education," March. o Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, in collaboration with the Addison Gallery of American Art, will feature and exhibition of works from both collections. A one-day colloquium on the intellectual ramifications of the museum exhibition as a contribution to the scholarly life of a university will occur March 4. o University Libraries Scholarly Communication Symposium, "Recent Developments and Changes in Scholarly Communications," March 31. o Nebraska Math/Science Initiative, "Celebration of Women in Science," March 31-April 1. o Teachers College, "Doctoral Study in Education," in conjunction with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education national annual meeting, (in Chicago, Feb. 25). o 1999-2000 Scholarship IN Society Speaker Series, William Ferris, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 2:30 p.m. April 3, Nebraska Union Auditorium, (sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies). o Nebraska EPSCoR Conference, "Integration and Opportunities for the Life Sciences for the 21st Century," April 4. Planning for all events is under way. Graduate education began on the Nebraska campus as early as 1886, when the Board of Regents established residency and thesis requirements for earning the master's degree. Within four years, the Ph.D. was authorized. By 1896, a graduate school was organized with a designated faculty under the leadership of a dean. Within a year, with more than 100 graduate students, the University of Nebraska qualified as the first university west of the Mississippi River to establish a graduate school. An amendment to the university's charter was passed by the legislature in 1909 to change the designation of school to Graduate College. In 1978, the legislature assigned to the University of Nebraska, through its Universitywide Graduate College, sole statewide responsibility among the public institutions for all doctoral programs and all masters and specialist programs outside the field of teacher education. The steering committee, which has been meeting for more than a year,
is chaired by Martin Massengale, NU president emeritus, and James
Stubbendieck,
director of the Center for Great Plains Studies. Committee members
include:
Merlin Lawson, Suzanne Ortega, Kay Walters, Kim Hachiya, Dan Moser, Ed
Schmidt,
Royce Ballinger, Rita Kean, Susan Rosowski, James Estes, Kim Weide, Rich
Sutton, Robert Stock. Alumni, Students Charter Members of Cather CircleBy Amy Cyphers, Alumni Association More than 70 distinguished women graduates of the University of Nebraska returned to campus Nov. 11-12 for the inaugural meeting of the Cather Circle, a prestigious new mentoring program sponsored by the Nebraska Alumni Association. The program develops leadership among talented female students at the university by networking with outstanding alumni from a variety of backgrounds. Forty students were selected for the first program; more students will be chosen to participate in the spring meeting of the organization. Shelley Zaborowski coordinates the program for the Alumni Association. Zaborowski said the program launch was a success for both alumni and students. "It was wonderful. The synergy was exciting and everyone was glad to be there," she said. The conference featured presentations from Sarah Weddington, the attorney who gained national prominence in the landmark Roe vs. Wade case; national leadership expert Dee Arnold Kinder; and NU Professor Susan Rosowski, a renowned Willa Cather scholar. Cather Circle members also participated in discussions on a variety of topics, including business ethics, workplace leadership, career strategies and stress management. Zaborowski said alumnae participants enjoyed the extensive interaction with current students. "They really felt it was an opportunity to give back to their alma mater by enlarging the world for the next generation with their own experiences," she said. Some of the distiguished women alumni who participated include Lynn
Grasz,
founder and CEO of a New York-based media consultant firm; Karen Blessen,
the first graphic designer to win a Pulitzer Prize; and Shelley Davis,
the
first and only archivist at the IRS and author of a book that exposed
unethical
management at the organization, called "Unbridled Power: Inside the
Secret Culture of the IRS." Cliffs Notes Founder Distributes Foundation Assets Hillegass Foundation Endows English ChairThe Department of English is in search of an outstanding new faculty member thanks to a generous gift from Cliff Hillegass, founder and former president of Cliffs Notes, a company that manufactures study guides. Hillegass recently announced the final distributions from the Cliffs Charitable Foundation. A $250,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation from the Cliffs Charitable Foundation established the Cliff Hillegass Chair in English. The chair provides funding for a professorship in the English department in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by offering a selected professor an annual salary stipend as well as research and program support. The Cliffs Charitable Foundation's gift was supplemented by a match from the Donald and Mildred Othmer estate, making the total endowment for the chair $500,000. In addition, a second gift of $250,000 was made to the Cliff and Mary Hillegass Excellence Fund and creates an endowment at the NU Foundation to offer assistance to the Literary Research Program and Nebraska Writing Project at UNL. "When we sold Cliffs Notes, the Cliffs Charitable Foundation dissolved," said Mary Hillegass, who graduated from the university in 1960. "During the lifetime of the foundation, we felt that it was important to support education, art and health care. The university was extremely important to us and it seemed fitting to make this final gift to UNL." Linda Pratt, chair of the English department, said that the national search for a new appointment in 19th century American literature to fill the Hillegass Chair is already under way. "Cliff Hillegass' generosity to the department is an enormous boost to our faculty strength," Pratt said. "Cliff has been a friend to our department, and we are deeply honored by this gesture of support for our work in literary studies. This named chair opens up some wonderful possibilities for both our undergraduate and graduate students." Pratt said that the department hopes to have the new Cliff Hillegass Chair appointment in place for next fall. In 1958, Cliff Hillegass founded Cliffs Notes with a $4,000 loan and a unique idea. He began creating study guides in the basement of his Lincoln home. Almost immediately the guides became a hit and the company grew. His success has continued during the past 40 years. "Cliffs Notes was a successful company because we were able to find a need that we could fill," said Cliff Hillegass. "When the company began seeing a large increase in revenue, we felt that it was time to give back to the community and especially the university we both attended." In 1992, the NU Foundation received the first gift from the Cliffs Charitable Foundation. This contribution of $52,000 funded many projects at UNL, ranging from a writing project in the department of English to a scholarship for gymnastics students. Although the Hillegasses gave more than $250,000 to the NU Foundation before the establishment of the Cliffs Charitable Foundation, this gift further symbolized their commitment to education and the University, a commitment that still stands as they serve as NU Foundation trustees. "The Hillegasses have displayed their generosity through time and skill as well as through their monetary gifts to the University of Nebraska," said Terry L. Fairfield, NU Foundation president and CEO. "This generosity has had a very positive impact on the NU Foundation, but more importantly, the university. We greatly appreciate their dedication and support." |
from existing programs, tuition
benefits and health benefits, Othmer fellows could receive a total
three-year
financial package approaching $85,000, depending on the level of the
departmental
assistantship, said Merlin Lawson, dean of graduate studies (shown at
right).
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