September 3, 2004

GREENSHEET HEADLINES

• President's Convocation will be Tuesday in Brown Chapel

• Entries sought  for October 23 parade

• Lyon golf teams to play at Course at Eagle Mountain this year

• Service Day is September 22

• Eastman donates lab system to Lyon

• Lyon orchestra to begin rehearsals

• Mortar Board chapter to host Sept. 13 leadership conference

• Students meet Congressman Berry

•'Poetry in Wartime' film to be shown

• Talking Ozarks ’04: Sept 16-17

• Sports

• New York art trip meeting


 

  

Dr. Lindblom receives NIH research grant

Dr. Tim H. Lindblom, assistant professor of biology at Lyon College, has been awarded a $180,000 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for research involving toxins.

The institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the grant for the project titled, “Nuclear Receptor Regulation of Detoxification Networks.”

The grant from the NIH provides support for many aspects of the project, Lindblom said, including supplies and the use of cutting-edge technology housed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He said Lyon students who will be supported on the grant this year are Brianne Orr of Kansas City, Mo., Seth Purcell of Paragould and Ryan Thornton of Batesville.

“The long term goal of my research is to understand how the many toxins that we ingest (or are often produced by our metabolism) impact the activity of our detoxification system,” Lindblom explained. “In humans, a number of toxins are ‘sensed’ by a protein known as PXR. When PXR detects a toxic molecule, it causes the production of the cellular machines that eliminate the specific toxin.

“In the last few years, the combined efforts of many scientists have discovered that many toxins are eliminated in this kind of custom detoxification scheme,” Lindblom said. “The idea is that an inducible, custom detoxification system would be more efficient than a one-size-fits-all and that is always active.”

One of the issues with this type of detoxification system is that it leads to drug interactions that are becoming increasingly more common, he said. “Oftentimes, people take prescription drugs that appear to be effective but suddenly become ineffective when they take a second prescription drug or over-the-counter medicine such as many herbal remedies. In this case, it is often PXR that has sensed the presence of the second drug and activated detoxification of both drugs. In some cases, the detoxification system modifies the first drug in a way that produces harmful side effects.”

Lindblom’s lab is interested in expanding the knowledge of detoxification and is examining the problem in a small soil nematode called C. elegans.

“A few years ago, I examined the evolutionary history of these PXR-like proteins and predicted that many animals would contain detoxification sensors and which genes might encode these sensors,” Lindblom said. “It turns out that these tiny worms (they are about 1 millimeter long) contain a protein that is very similar to PXR in both structure and function and we call it NHR-8.

“Since it is clearly unethical to ask our fellow humans to ingest toxic cocktails and submit liver biopsies, we feed the toxins to our nematodes. Then, we examine which nematode genes are turned on and which are turned off. By looking at the population of nematodes that lack NHR-8 and comparing them to normal nematodes, we can find out which detoxification machines are controlled by the toxin-sensing NHR-8. The hope is that we will discover new detoxification machines that are made in response to toxins and that these same machines are active in humans. This way, we can help drug designers and clinicians predict which drugs might lead to drug interactions and therefore design more effective drug therapies for their patients,” Lindblom said.



For pictures of the all-campus picnic and raft race, click here.

President's Convocation is Tuesday

The President's Convocation will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 7, in Brown Chapel. President Walter Roettger will speak on "Citizenship and Community." He also will present the Lamar Williamson Prize for Teaching Excellence and the President's Cup to an outstanding Greek organization. Devon Dudley, president of SGA, will announce Mr. and Ms. Lyon for 2004-05. Gary Harris, Spragins House resident faculty mentor, will present a prize to the winner of the annual raft race.

Lyon College seeks entries in 50th anniversary parade Oct. 23

Lyon College is inviting area residents and organizations to participate in the Oct. 23 parade that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the move to the present campus. The parade, which will begin at 9 a.m. that Saturday morning after line-up at 8 a.m., will travel on College Avenue from First Presbyterian Church to the Brown Chapel parking area.

The original site of Arkansas College (now Lyon College) was at the present location of First Presbyterian Church. The parade will re-enact the event 50 years ago when Batesville residents helped the college relocate to the site on the bluff overlooking Miller Creek.

Among those invited to participate in the parade are churches, youth organizations, beauty pageant winners, bands, politicians, fire and police departments, antique and classic car owners and people dressed in period costumes from 50 years ago. Prizes will be awarded for the best floats and costumes.

To register an entry in the parade, or for more information, contact Deanna Devall at (870) 698-4211 or e-mail ddevall@lyon.edu.

A continental breakfast will be available for $3 a person at First Presbyterian Church, beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Course at Eagle Mountain will be home course for Scots, Pipers

The Pipers and Scots golf teams will have a new home course this year. An agreement was signed Wednesday with the Course at Eagle Mountain that will allow the members of the Lyon golf teams to use the course and driving range in the 2004-05 academic year. Under the agreement, Lyon will have two intercollegiate tournaments at the course during the year. Previously, the golf teams have used 18-hole courses at Melbourne (Cooper's Hawk) and Drasco (Tannenbaum).

Below, President Walter Roettger signs the agreement surrounded by other interested parties: (from left) Athletic Director Terry Garner, Piper All-American Adriane Barnett, Piper Golf Coach Brian Krug, Diane Lamberth (a Lyon trustee and one of the owners of the Course at Eagle Mountain), Piper golfer Leslie Bragg and (seated) Russ Fransted, golf pro at Eagle Mountain. At left, Scot golfer Phil Boyland takes a swing on the driving range while the group, including Scot golfer Kyle Human (far left) looks on.

Annual Service Day will be September 22

The annual Lyon College Service Day will be Wednesday, September 22. Classes are not held so that Lyon students, faculty and staff can participate in community service work.

Last year, 378 Service Day participants visited more than 20 sites throughout Batesville and Independence County. This year organizers are hoping to exceed the 400 participant mark. According to the Rev. Nancy McSpadden, the college chaplain, organizers “are looking to send smaller groups to more sites this year. Any church, service, or other groups that would like a group of students needs to contact us.”

This year’s Service Day Committee is hard at work trying to find site leaders. Anyone who would like to lead a site is asked to contact one of the members of the committee. The committee is comprised of student members Morgan Presley and Ben Thielemier, faculty member Nikki Yonts, staff members Bethany Pitts and Dana Davidson, and Rev. McSpadden.

Organizers are now looking for businesses, organizations and individuals to visit this year for a day of cleanup, painting and other service projects. If your organization would like more information, contact Rev. McSpadden at 698-4281.

Eastman donates chemistry lab system to Lyon College


Becky Edwards of Eastman presents an LC system to representatives of Lyon College. From left are Tim Bruner, vice president for institutional advancement; Dr. David Pace, assistant professor of chemistry; and Dr. Kurt Grafton, associate professor of chemistry.

When Becky Edwards, Eastman principal analytical chemist, recently asked area institutions of higher education about their interest in donated surplus liquid chromatograph (LC) systems, three colleges/universities took her up on the offer. Lyon College was one of them.

Coincidentally, Lyon College needed only an LC to complete an application of accreditation of its chemistry program by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

“The gift couldn’t have been more perfect for what our current needs reflected,” said Dr. David Pace, assistant professor of chemistry at Lyon. “With a complete complement of instrumentation, Lyon is now positioned to proceed with the application process for ACS accreditation of the chemistry program during the coming academic year.”

A liquid chromatograph is used in laboratories to analyze various chemicals, including those found in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. The purity of a chemical or the impurities that are present in a chemical can be determined using LC technology.

Other institutions receiving LC systems were the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Arkansas Operations, a manufacturing unit of Eastman Chemical Company, employs 500 people and manufactures specialty organic chemicals for use in detergents, home care products, pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, and other consumer and commercial applications.


Lyon Community Orchestra to begin rehearsals

The Lyon College Community Orchestra will hold its first rehearsal at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 7, in the choir room of Brown Chapel, according to Barbara Reeve, director.

The orchestra invites any campus or area string players to bring their instruments and play in the September 7 rehearsal String musicians meet for twelve Tuesdays during the semester. String students may also sign up to take lessons for credit. The orchestra, which has about 20 strings, is in its fourth year at Lyon College.

Additional players are needed who play woodwind, brass and percussion. Non-string musicians will need to be present at about four rehearsals prior to the first concert date, November 11.

Mrs. Reeve, the director, is a 17-year member of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and has performed with both the Fort Worth Symphony and Milwaukee Symphony. She is adjunct string instructor at Lyon and has completed her Master of Fine Arts in performance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she studied with the Fine Arts Quartet.

Non-string musicians wishing to audition for Mrs. Reeve may contact Dr. Russell Stinson, music department chair, or e-mail Mrs. Reeve at arkarts@sbcglobal.net.
 

Mortar Board chapter to host leadership conference

The Order of the Tartan Mortar Board Chapter at Lyon College will host a leadership conference for promising high school students from the Batesville area on September 13. The L.E.A.P. conference (Leaders Engaged in Achieving their Potential) will be held on the Lyon College campus and is being jointly funded by Mortar Board, Inc. and Lyon College. The students will be working with Mortar Board members and leaders from the community to get a better understanding of leadership styles and how to apply them to serving in their communities.

The keynote speaker for the L.E.A.P. 2004 Conference is Paul Vitale, the founder of Vital Communications. As a motivational coach he has been the keynote speaker at conventions, seminars and universities all over the country. He has also authored two books, Are You Puzzled by the Puzzle of Life? and Pass It On. Originally from Russellville, he received his mass communications and journalism degree from the University of Central Arkansas.

As a motivational coach and trainer, Vitale has lent his services to ALLTEL Communications, Dillard’s Department Stores, Boy Scouts of America, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Heifer Project International, Southwest Airlines and numerous other corporations. In his spare time, Vitale volunteers with the Big Brothers Organization in Pulaski County, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

Four community leaders from the Batesville area have volunteered to help with the conference; they will be leading workshops for the students throughout the day. The four panelists all representing non-profit organizations for which they volunteer. They are: Beth Finch from the Independence County Humane Society; Gayle Silberhorn from Family Violence Prevention; Bobby Wilkes, president of the Independence County United Way; and Richard Dahlquist from the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch. In order to show its appreciation, Mortar Board will be donating $50 to each of the panelists’ organizations.

Mortar Board is a national honors society that recognizes college seniors for their achievements in scholarship, leadership and service. It was founded in 1918 as a national organization for senior college women but opened its membership to men in 1975. Mortar Board differs from a number of other honor societies in that its members share a commitment not only to achieving their own potential but to serving their communities as well.

The Order of the Tartan, Lyon College’s Mortar Board chapter, was established in 2001. Its current members, who were initiated last spring, are: Amy Schmidt, Seth Purcell, Braye Cloud, Emily Anderson, Whitney Tevebaugh, Bobbi Love, Sarah Phillips, Shannon Brooks, Buckley Bridges, Christy Schuchardt, Justin Holt, Rebecca Sharp, Rachel Sauser and Melanie Morrison. The faculty advisers for the chapter are Bruce Johnston, vice president for student life and dean of students; Dr. Sally Browder, associate professor psychology; and Dr. Virginia Wray, professor of English.
 


Lyon students meet the congressman

Four Lyon College students ran into U.S. Rep. Marion Berry recently at the Duck Blind at Ramada Inn while the congressman was visiting the area. Pictured (from left) are Adriane Barnett, Rachel Sauser, Congressman Berry, Leslie Bragg and Seth Purcell. The photo was taken by Jeff Obert, a Lyon alumnus who is now an assistant to Congressman Berry.

'Poetry in Wartime' documentary to be screened September 11

The producers of a new documentary, Poetry in Wartime, have made available a pre-release DVD that will be shown at events around the country on 9/11. Lyon's Erosophic Society and the Lyon College Chapter of Amnesty International are co-sponsoring a screening of Poetry In Wartime in Nucor Auditorium at 7:30 Saturday, September 11. There will be an additional screening at 4 p.m. that afternoon.

Alison Michel, daughter of bookstore manager Sandy Michel worked as a researcher for this documentary in Washington, D.C., during the summer. Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander Budy was invited to submit a poem to the project.

Poetry in Wartime is a feature-length documentary that looks at war through images and the words of poets – both unknown and world-famous – to bring the experience of war into sharp focus. Soldiers, journalists, historians and experts on combat provide diverse perspectives on war's effects on soldiers, civilians and society.

Poetry in Wartime also brings to life how poetry and war have been intertwined since the beginning of recorded history – from ancient Babylonia and the Trojan War up through the great conflicts of the 20th century and the current war in Iraq.

For more information on the film, visit the website at http://poetryinwartime.org.

Regional Studies Center presents Talking Ozarks ’04

The Lyon College Regional Studies Center will present its annual Ozark history and culture program, Talking Ozarks: Battles and Ballads on Thursday and Friday, September 16-17.

The 2004 event, which will be the ninth annual production of the program formerly known as the Ozark Cultural Celebration, will feature presentations highlighting two of the most intriguing facets of Ozark history and culture: the Civil War and mountain music.

Thursday, September16, will be Civil War day, with presentations on the War Between the States in the Batesville region, on the Battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield, Missouri, and on the Civil War in the Arkansas Ozarks. The Thursday program kicks off at 2 p.m. Speakers include Dr. David Stricklin, associate professor of history at Lyon College; local historian Freeman K. Mobley of Batesville and well-known state historian Thomas A. DeBlack of Arkansas Tech University.

Friday will feature three presentations on Ozark music, beginning at 10 a.m. with a talk on the first Arkansas Folk Festival in Mountain View that will feature sound clips from little-heard recordings of that 1963 event.

Talking Ozarks will conclude at the Old Independence Regional Museum on Friday afternoon with a discussion and performance of traditional Ozark music by Charley Sandage of Mountain View.

All Talking Ozarks presentations are open and free to the public. Except for the Friday afternoon musical performance, all presentations will take place in the Nucor Auditorium of the Lyon Building on the Lyon College campus.

For a detailed schedule of events or for more information, contact Dr. Brooks Blevins, Lyon’s Director of Regional Studies, at (870) 698-4330 or at bblevins@lyon.edu, or visit the Lyon College Regional Studies Center webpage at http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/library/rcol2.htm.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Lyon alumna enrolls at Columbia Theological Seminary

DECATUR, Georgia.— Elizabeth Ann Gabbard ’03 has enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary and completed a summer intensive course in biblical Greek. Gabbard, from Fort Smith, is a recipient of Columbia’s Merit Scholarship, awarded to a number of Master of Divinity students based on academic achievement, leadership ability and potential for ministry.

Columbia Theological Seminary, located in Decatur, Georgia, was founded in 1828 and is one of 10 theological institutions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
 

Presbyterian Village kicks off capital campaign

Presbyterian Village Retirement Community in Little Rock is celebrating its  40th anniversary. “A Friend of The Glen – For Life” benefit will be held to kick off the Presbyterian Village capital campaign. This event will include dinner, live and silent auctions, and entertainment. Dr. Carl A. Rosenbaum will be honored on that evening as Presbyterian Village’s oldest resident and physician in Pulaski County. Dr. Rosenbaum is 105 years old and has lived at Presbyterian Village since 1994. The benefit will be held October 2, 2004, at 6:30 p.m. in the courtyard of Presbyterian Village. Tickets are $50.00 per person. For information, call (501) 225-1615.
 

Sports

Volleyball

In women's volleyball action in Becknell Gym Thursday night, Lyon College defeated Philander Smith College in three games: 30-10, 30-8, 30-10. Lyon moves to 1-0 on the year; PSC falls to 0-1.

The Pipers will be on the road until they host Christian Brothers at 7 p.m. September 16.

Soccer

The Scots opened the season with a 1-0 win over the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Saturday at Huser Field. Freshman Taylor McFarland broke a scoreless tie in the 89th minute when he snuck behind the USAO defenders and scored off a pass from Robert Kaloghirou. Junior goaltender Brent Hugg made five saves for the Scots to hold USAO scoreless.

The Pipers opened their season with a 3-0 loss to the USAO Lady Drovers. The Pipers' Amanda Fore made 22 saves but USAO outshot Lyon 23-2 and controlled possession for most of the game.

Both the Scots and Pipers will  host the Lyon College Invitational today and Saturday at Huser Field. Check the schedules on the Athletics Web pages or the College Calendar for times and matchups.

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