|
Alumni Profiles
 Three physics grads develop meth-busting laser technology
Montana's fight against meth got a high tech boost thanks to the work of three L&S alumni and a $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Jay Brasseur (Physics, M.S. '95, Ph.D. '98.), Randy Reibel (Physics, M.S. '00; Ph.D. '02), and Pete Roos (Physics, Ph.D. '02) are the co-founders of Bridger Photonics, based out of MSU's Spectrum Lab in Bozeman, with plans to develop a portable, low-cost laser system that can detect the chemicals used to make methamphetamine from a distance. Bridger Photonics is working to develop a hand-held laser based sensor that can be used to detect clandestine meth labs. Each meth chemical absorbs a unique set of wavelengths providing a unique chemical “fingerprint;” therefore, when a laser wavelength matches these absorption features, this unique “fingerprint” is identified. For more information, visit Bridger Photonics' website: http://www.bridgerphotonics.com.
Vowell ('93) Publishes New Book
 Sarah Vowell (Modern Languages and Literatures, '93) thinks that she may have begun to develop her irreverent writing style while working at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant during her college years. "I was a quiet person before that, but I found I had to stand up for myself among a pretty rowdy crew there." Combined with a passion for dead presidents, this style has earned rave reviews for her new book, Assassination Vacation, published in April 2005 by Simon & Schuster. The book takes readers on a thought-provoking journey to sites of American political violence and Presidential assassination. From New York to Alaska, Washington DC to Florida, Vowell examines the deaths of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley, noting how politically important blood has been used for fun and profit, as well as for political and cultural advantage. She visits landmarks such as the assassination spot of Abraham Lincoln, as well as more obscure locations like Dry Tortugas Island, where several Lincoln assassination conspirators were sentenced to life in prison.
Vowell is perhaps best known for the National Public Radio program "This American Life" for which she is a contributing editor, as well as for her appearances on late-night television (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien). Her previous books include The Partly Cloudy Patriot (2003) and Take the Cannoli (2001).
 Alumni Organize Tsunami Relief
A friendship that began 15 years ago at Montana State University has resulted in a multi-cultural relief effort for victims of the Pacific Rim tsunami disaster. Brock Albin (English, '92), a Bozeman attorney now living and teaching in South Korea, and Dr. Robert Lame Bull McDonald (Biomedical Science, '95), an emergency room physician in Browning, organized an emergency medical relief mission that sprung into action following the tsunami last winter. Read more …
Hilleman ('41) Saves Lives with Vaccinations
 The man credited with saving more lives than any other scientist in the past century, microbiologist Maurice R. Hilleman, died April 11, 2005 at the age of 85. Hilleman, a Miles City native and a 1941 graduate of what was then Montana State College, credited his Montana education for part of his success. His dual major in microbiology and chemistry eased his entry into the University of Chicago for graduate studies. There he found that his background was extensive enough for him to cut off two of the five years needed to get a Ph.D.
Dr. Hilleman and his team at Merck & Company developed about three dozen experimental and licensed animal and human vaccines, including 8 of the 14 routinely given to young children in the U.S. today. His work is credited by scientists for virtually wiping out many of the dreaded and deadly childhood diseases that remained common just 40 years ago. His MMR vaccine protects children against three different diseases—
measles, mumps, and rubella.
In an article on his death, the The Times (U.K.) declared that Hilleman "did as much for the human race as any medical scientist of the 20th century. He saved tens of millions of lives, and preserved the health of yet more millions around the globe." Read more...
 Weissman ('61) Research in the Spotlight
Irving Weissman (’61, Pre-medicine; ’92, Honorary Doctorate), the director of the Institute for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Stanford University, is known for his ground-breaking research in biology. He pioneered the science of isolating blood-forming stem cells from mice, and in collaboration with others discovered human stem cells that produce blood cell progenitors and nervous tissue. Recently, Dr. Weissman served as head of a National Academy of Sciences panel to make recommendations to Congress on the science of human cloning and stem-cell research. The panel recommended a legally enforceable ban on human reproductive cloning, but not on nuclear transplantation to produce stem cells. In his testimony, Weissman stated, “This research can potentially cure many fatal diseases.”
Edsall ('83) Writes Memoir about Father's Illness
 Llifelong aviator and Montana native Wayne Edsall was enjoying life’s golden years, rebuilding antique airplanes and flying them over the Big Sky country of Montana. When a devastating stroke suddenly left him unable to read, write, or speak, it seemed his flying days were over. The doctors gave his family a dire prognosis: learn to live with his disability. Susan Edsall (English ‘83) and her sister knew that if their father couldn’t fly, he’d just as soon not live. Throwing conventional medical rehabilitation to the wind, the sisters returned to their parents’ home in the Gallatin Valley and embarked on a courageous rehabilitation program of their own to get their father back into the cockpit of his biplane.
From that experience came writer Susan Edsall’s memoir of their journey together, Into the Blue: A Father’s Flight and a Daughter’s Return. Published in 2004, the book chronicles how the Edsall family proved the experts wrong in order to keep Wayne Edsall’s dream alive. Edsall, a non-profit consultant and writer, has received national recognition for her book, including appearances on national television. In addition, Edsall has received invitations to medical conferences to talk about the important role families can play in stroke rehabilitation.
|
