Wooster Magazine: Spring/Summer 2019

The spring/summer 2019 issue of Wooster reflects a refreshed design including an update Oak Grove section as well as a Tartan Ties section focused on alumni activity and class notes. The news section covers updates to the president\u27s staff, retirements as part of an early retirement incentive program, and a mentoring story featuring David McConnell, professor of Anthropology and Kate Atwell \u2720. The traditional I.S. issue features seniors Melissa Dods (archaeology & geology), Araam Abboud (classics & biochemistry and molecular biology), Marcus Bowers (psychology), Mallory Crane (English), Jordan Griffith (political science & history), Ellie Howell (archeology), Francisco Martinez (history), Annabelle Hopkins (political science & history), Kia Radovanovic (psychology), and Jeremy Smucker (economics & music). Wooster alumni Sohil Parekh \u2799, Hayet Rida \u2711, Rachel Stephenson \u2796, and Ksenia Klue \u2718, also share how their I.S. experience continues to impact them today. Tartan Ties includes profiles on Sarah Corney \u2706, Austin Oberlin \u2714, and Scot volunteer Christine Farrell \u2794.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1000/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Fall 2019

The College of Wooster prepares graduates to serve their global community. Hear from Military Alumni of Wooster and Model UN Alumni about their experiences, and learn about the group of current students who traveled to London this summer to study theatre and culture. This issue also includes the 2019 Annual Report, a look inside the office of Pam Frese, professor of sociology and anthropology, and alumni answers to the prompt: “What is your favorite spot on campus?”https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1035/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Fall 2017

The fall 2017 issue of the Wooster magazine examines the internship opportunities provided by APEX and Fulbright fellowships. Jesse Garrett-Larson, Jordan Griffith, Arabella Goodrich, Justin Warner, and Meonyez Goodwin engaged in internship opportunities provided by APEX. A section highlights Morgan Hughes, who had a Fulbright fellowship as an English teaching assistant in Malaysia. This issue also profiles four alumni journalists on truth-telling. The alumni journalists profiled are Rick Dayton ’89 (news anchor), Sarah Fenske ’99 (editor-in-chief), Stephanie Stapleton ’89 (senior editor), and Mike Householder ’95 (video-first journalist). In another feature, Morgan Hughes ’15, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia, shared her experience. This issue also profiled Tom Hilt ’72, who details his experience returning to Kauke as a class auditor.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1005/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Spring/Summer 2020

Dedicated to the Class of 2020, the spring/summer 2020 issue features accounts of the Independent Study experience in the words of those seniors. They share some of their big questions, strategies employed, and discoveries from their intensive research projects. Isaac Weiss ’20 and Kevin Weiss ’89, both mentored by John Ramsay, professor of mathematics, recount their experiences with I.S. and what they learned. Retiring faculty and staff share their reflections as they bid farewell with fondness for students and the Wooster experience. Members of the Class of 1970 offer their memories from 50 years before when their senior spring semester was disrupted by civil unrest, the draft, assassinations, the war in Vietnam, and the deadly student rally at Kent State University. Oak Grove includes Office Hours with Amber Larson, director of The Learning Center, and Tartan Ties welcomes Wooster’s newest alumni with pictures of the Class of 2020 from their four years at the College.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1037/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Fall 2020

This fall 2020 issue of Wooster magazine acts as the President’s Annual Report showcasing how undeterred by challenges of pandemic, College of Wooster faculty and staff came together to ensure innovative learning experiences and a strong engaging community endured for students. In addition to the annual financial summary and giving report, the magazine features stories that reflect on the 2019-20 academic year including new learning opportunities for students and innovative academic experiences that open students’ eyes to new perspectives. Featured student stories included Dhwani Parsana ’21 who completed research for her Independent Study with Laura Sirot, associate professor of biology, and APEX Fellows Alexandra Manopoulou ’22, Hasan Malik ’22, and Laura Haley ’21. The renovation of upper-class residence halls and shared community spaces dedicated to the Black Student Association, the LGBTQIA+ community are also included. Through a story on her mentoring relationship with Professor Jennifer Ison, Miyauna Incarnato ’21 shares her excitement for biology research. Faculty from multiple disciplines discuss two virtual courses created for incoming Wooster students. Also read about new tenure track faculty Álvaro Corral, assistant professor of political science and Carlo Moreno, assistant professor of environmental studies. Finally hear from Jennifer Faust, assistant professor of chemistry, about an advanced mass spectrometer that added to the research and learning opportunities for students and faculty, and from alumni of the Class of 2020 about where they are now. In addition to alumni achievements and awards, the Tartan Ties section shares perspectives from alumni about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their them, their work, and their industries.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1038/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Summer 2022

The summer 2022 issue of Wooster magazine celebrates the return of the Senior Research Symposium, highlighting seniors whose Independent Study research propelled them toward their next steps in their careers and graduate work. It also features research in climate anxiety by Susan Clayton, professor of psychology, that is drawing international attention. More than 30 years of students participated in a physics experiment with a pile of beads that has real-world applications in to avalanches, landslides, and even traffic patterns. The feature details how it works, alumni who participated, and how students and Professor Susan Lehman plan to uncover new data. The legacy of President Sarah R. Bolton in her six years at The College of Wooster is also showcased. College and alumni news covers Wooster’s 152nd Commencement ceremony featuring keynote by Oscar-nominated alumnus Darius Scott Dixson ’13, known as DIXSON professionally, and reflections from the Class of 2020 who celebrated their graduation in person at last in May 2022.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1043/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Winter 2019

The cover feature of the winter 2019 issue of Wooster magazine features three students who worked with Michele Leiby, associate professor of political science and Latin American studies to interview immigrants in Ohio. Students quoted include Natalia Parra \u2721, Alexis Sotelo \u2721, and Lizbeth Acevedo \u2721, and Alvaro Corral, Perry-Williams Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science also shared his perspective on the project. Also featured in this issue are the Wooster Pipers highlighting students Ana Fairbanks-Mahnke \u2720 and Kate Runciman \u2722, and alumnus and instructor Palmer Shonk \u2710. The third feature highlights three student\u27s reactions to Williams Hall: Kaeli Zoretich \u2719, Michael Crookshanks \u2719, and Jesse Garrett-Larsen \u2719.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1001/thumbnail.jp

Wooster Magazine: Spring 2018

The spring 2018 issue of Wooster magazine examines what inspires the different types of directions students can go in their Independent Study project. This issue also as notes distinguished alumni (Richard Kerr ’68 and David Douglas ’71) and covers current events on campus such as the Galpin sit-in. The I.S. Students profiled are: Justine Walker ’18 (physics and theater and dance), Harry Todd ’18 (English), Hannah Sexton ’18 (biology), Brandon Bell ’18 (geology and history), Meg Itoh ’18 (communication studies and Chinese), Meonyez Goodwin ’18 (women’s, gender, and sexuality studies), Jack Marousek ’18 (business economics), Sidney Irias ’18 (sociology), and Jack Gilio ’18 (communication studies). Another feature highlights alumna Judy Strand \u2778 and her work in the Portland community and how it connects to her urban quarter as a student at Wooster.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1003/thumbnail.jp

Mechanism by Which Commensal Bacteria Limit Inflammation

Trillions of bacteria live within the gastrointestinal tract and are critical for maintaining intestinal homeostasis; however, the mechanisms utilized by specific bacterial molecules to contribute to homeostasis are not well understood. We utilize a mouse model in which a single oral dose of the probiotic, Bacillus subtilis, protects mice from acute colitis induced by the enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Our goal is to elucidate the mechanism by which B. subtilis prevents inflammation. We identified exopolysaccharides (EPS) to be the active molecule of B. subtilis, and a single dose of EPS protects mice from disease. EPS binds F4/80+CD11b+ peritoneal macrophages, and adoptive transfer of macrophage-rich peritoneal cells from EPS-treated mice confers protection from disease to recipient mice. Following EPS treatment, macrophages increase expression of CD206, arginase-1, YM-1, FIZZ-1, and IL-4Rα, markers indicative of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. EPS does not protect TLR4-deficient mice from C. rodentium-induced disease, and as expected, M2 macrophages do not develop in TLR4-/- mice following EPS treatment. CD4+ T cells drive much of the inflammation associated with C. rodentium infection, and we hypothesized that EPS-induced M2 macrophages inhibit CD4+ T cell responses in vivo. Accordingly, we measured levels of IFN-γ (Th1), IL-17 (Th17), and IL-13 (Th2) in splenic T cells following EPS treatment and found decreased levels of these cytokines. In vitro, EPS-induced M2 macrophages inhibit activation and proliferation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The inhibition of CD4+ T cells is dependent on TGF-β, whereas inhibition of CD8+ T cells is dependent on both TGF-β and PD-L1. We suggest that administration of B. subtilis EPS can be utilized to broadly inhibit T cell activation and thus control T cell-mediated immune responses in numerous inflammatory diseases

Wooster Magazine: Winter 2018

The winter 2018 issue of Wooster magazine examines the different types of data and tools used to answer research questions through the experiences of alumni who curate differnt types of collections. Alumni Kathy Bremar Hollis ’03, John Sime ’09, Erica Clites ’06, and Kristina (Brady) Shannon ’03 share their experiences as curators of scientific collections. Similarly, Wooster biology professors Rick Lehtinen and Jennifer Ison talk about the biological collections on campus. Also featured is alumna Connie Schulz ’64 and her use of digitization to improve our understanding of the past and its people through the digital publication of The Papers of Eliza Lucas Pinckney and Harriott Pinckney Horry with the University of Virginia Press. Wooster English Professor Jennifer Hayward explains how her students are using similar digital curation techniques to study British Chilean Newspapers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also featured is Professor Olivia Navarro-Farr as co-principal investigator for the U.S.-Guatemalan El Perú-Waka’ Archaeological Project.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2011-present/1004/thumbnail.jp