Thursday, April 21, 2022

Six Whitman students will participate in biology research internships this summer, thanks to partnerships between Whitman and three top research institutions—Mayo Clinic, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories. Each program has reserved two spots in their summer research programs for Whitman students due to relationships established by Whitman faculty members. 

 

Mayo Clinic Internships: Maddie Love, a junior biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology (BBMB) major, will work in Robin Patel’s lab conducting research on biofilm-associated infections. Ella Veljovich, a junior biology major, will work in Gloria Peterson’s lab researching the genetic epidemiology of pancreatic cancer. Both internships will take place at the Mayo’s Rochester, Minnesota, campus.

 

Fred Hutchinson Internships: Carolina Gonzalez, a junior BBMB major, will investigate latent HIV infection and viral persistence in Lilian Cohn’s lab in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division. Jackie Meza, a junior BBMB major, will work with Taran Gujral in the Human Biology Division to research cell signaling pathways between cancer cells and their microenvironment. 

 

Friday Harbor Labs Internships: Olivia Wing, a sophomore biology major, will work in the lab of Alison Gardell to study the environmental stress response in marine tunicates. Eila Chin, a junior biology-environmental studies major, will work with postdoctoral fellows from Friday Harbor and Chioggia Hydrobiological Station (in Italy) on a field experiment measuring the effect of nutrient enrichment on the net primary production of scrubber-grown macrophytes.

 

Funding for the internships is provided by the Doctors Robert F. and Elizabeth M. Welty Student/Faculty Research Endowment and the Helen Hawkes Thompson Endowment for Support of Student Research Grants in Marine Biology.

 

Learn more about Whitman-supported research opportunities.. 

Educational programming around the Long Tent continues through the weekend, with events taking place daily:

• Today, a panel conversation on environmental restoration and regional geography and history at 5 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.
• Friday, April 22, at 5 p.m. in Maxey, a paired discussion and Q&A session on practices that support kinship and sovereignty, including fishing and wagering.
• Saturday, April 23, from 12–4 p.m. presenters will host booths outside the Long Tent with information on riparian restoration, the Whitman Mission and first foods (with samples!).
• Sunday, April 24, at 2:30 p.m. is the Long Tent closing ceremony. Speaker Wilson Wewa (Northern Paiute) is an orator and storyteller, and works as a senior wellness coordinator for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Interested but can't make it to a session? Check out live.whitman.edu for recordings of past speakers.

Announcements

Get Outside With the OP

Now that the spring is finally, really here, it’s time to get outside and explore! There are several upcoming opportunities:

 

BIPOC Outdoor Club Wallula Gap Climb Trip

Tomorrow, noon–6 p.m.

Email Brien Sheedy if interested.

 

Beginning Mountain Biking

Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m.

Sign up in Compass.

 

Walla Walla Ecology and Geology Hike

Sunday, April 24, at 9 a.m.

Sign up in Compass.

 

Or stick around campus and head to the Climbing Center for the annual Sweet Onion Crank this Saturday!

 

In accordance with Washington state Labor & Industries employer requirements, we are notifying the campus community that in the past 24 hours, five people with Whitman access were confirmed positive for COVID-19. These people are now in isolation for 10 days in accordance with our campus and CDC guidelines. Though the likelihood of transmission is low due to our campus COVID-19 protocols, it is possible that others may have been exposed to COVID-19. There is nothing you need to do at this time aside from following our campus COVID-19 protocols. Anyone identified through the contact tracing process as a close contact (within 6 ft. for at least 15 minutes over 24 hours) will be personally notified. 

Have an event you'd like to share with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.

“Whitman Today” is produced by the Office of Communications and is emailed Monday through Friday to Whitman College staff, faculty and students. All times are listed in Pacific Daylight Time. 

 

Submissions are welcome! If you have a professional or personal accomplishment to celebrate, an event to publicize or other content to share with the Whitman community, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions should be 125 words or less. The deadline for submissions is noon for the following day's newsletter, though submissions may be held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. By submitting to Whitman Today you also authorize use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.

 

Previous issues of Whitman Today are archived on our website.