Hobart and William Smith Colleges

19 October 2004 Biology Alumnae and Faculty Published on Physiology

Professors of Biology Jim Ryan and Joel Kerlan each had chapters published in a new physiology laboratory manual along with five William Smith graduates. The book Laboratory Manual for Physiology is published by Benjamin Cummings and edited by Silverthorn, Johnson, and Mills.

Faculty who were teaching innovative physiology labs that involved students in a research-like setting were invited to submit their ideas for the book. Ryans chapter, Exploring Muscle Function Through Histochemistry, is co-written with Dr. Becky Jordan Lowe 96, Elizabeth Lloyd Angelichio 92, Annmarie Lynch Burnes 93, and Dr. Allyson Shirtz Howe 94. Kerlans chapter, Blood Lactic Acid Levels After Maximal Exercise, is co-written with Marcia Meagher Biata 96.

Angelichio graduated from William Smith in 1992 with a degree in biology. While at the Colleges she conducted research with Ryan on bat flight muscles. Angelichio (along with her twin sister Michelle) was a member of the William Smith womens soccer team that won the 1988 NCAA Division III National Championship in triple-overtime against California-San Diego. After graduation she worked as a research assistant and associate in the molecular biology department at Tufts University/New England Medical Center in Boston for seven years, and in the biotech field at Therion Biologics in Cambridge, Mass., for two years. She now lives with her husband, Michael, in Kennebunk, Maine, where she is raising their one-year-old daughter, Emily.

Biata graduated with a degree in biology from William Smith College in 1996. While at the Colleges, she worked with Kerlan on a project measuring blood lactic acid levels. She was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Biata also was a member of the William Smith soccer team, and she was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team after the Herons advanced to the semifinals in the 1995 NCAA Division III Tournament. After graduation, Biata earned a masters degree in elementary and special education and currently teaches/coaches in the Rush Henrietta Central School District. She and her husband, Kevin, live in Rochester, N.Y.

Burnes graduated from William Smith in 1993 with a degree in biology and currently works at the Joslin Diabetes Center in the cellular and molecular physiology department. While at the Colleges she conducted research with Ryan on bat flight muscles. Burnes was a four-year starter on the William Smith field hockey team and was named a first-team All-American by the College Field Hockey Coaches Association as a junior and a senior. Burnes was inducted into the Heron Hall of Honor in 2002. She lives with her husband Nathaniel Burnes, a 1993 graduate of Hobart College, in Natick, Mass.

Dr. Howe graduated from William Smith in 1994 with a degree in biology. Dr. Howe also conducted research with Ryan on bat flight muscles. While at William Smith, she was named Athlete of the Year by the Empire Athletic Association for both womens soccer and basketball. She was a first-team All American in womens soccer and led the conference in goals and points in 1994. Her academic honors include the Blackwell Award for outstanding pre-medical student and the Barbara Johnson prize for academic excellence in biology or chemistry. After graduation she attended the University of Buffalo Medical School, where she received her M.D. in 2000. She is currently a physician and Captain in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, where she lives with her husband David and two children, Lucy and Charlie Howe.

Dr. Lowe graduated summa cum laude from William Smith in 1996 with high honors in biology. Dr. Lowe conducted research on the neuroanatomy bat flight with Ryan. This is her second publication co-written with Ryan, resulting from her honors research project. Dr. Lowe received the Dr. Mary Calderone Award, given to the student showing the greatest promise for a career in medicine, and the Mary Easton Lawrie Medal of Excellence in Biology. Dr. Lowe also received the Lacrosse Coaches Award and the Swimming and Diving Coaches Award in 1993. After graduation, she attended the University of Pittsburg Medical School. She is married to David Lowe 96 and practices medicine in Pittsburgh, Pa.

These research projects were funded in part by grants to the biology department from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and to Ryan from the National Science Foundation. Biology majors at Hobart and William Smith Colleges are encouraged to take advantage of the many research opportunities available in the Biology Department or at the nearby New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Many biology majors at the Colleges present their work at regional and national meetings and also publish the results of their work in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The biology department has an excellent track record of preparing students for graduate study and for careers in medicine and health-related fields. Information about the biology department can be found at http://academic.hws.edu/bio/.