An opinion piece co-written by Associate Professor of Politics and Government Lamont Colucci was published on July 18 on The Washington Times website. This editorial, co-written by former CIA director R. James Woolsey, criticized former President Barack Obama and his actions with the Paris Accord. “Subverting the role of the treaty in American diplomacy” goes […]
A $70,000 grant award has been approved for Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick Willoughby. The American Chemical Society will present the grant to further Willoughby’s current research to develop new methods for the synthesis of organic molecules.
A feature story about alumnus Jack Ankerson ’64 of Norfolk, Virginia, “Once a pro hoops executive, Jack Ankerson has become the ‘Voice of Hampton Roads Sports,’ “ was published by The Virginian-Pilot online, July 8. Ankerson majored in history at Ripon College and is a Ripon Athletics Hall of Famer. For years, he has been […]
“Can Fond du Lac embrace diversity? Some community leaders say yes,” about a diversity initiative in Fond du Lac County, was published Monday in the Fond du Lac Reporter. Ripon College President Zach Messitte is a signer of the Statement in Support of Diversity in Fond du Lac County. “The brainchild of Ripon College, Marian […]
The Ripon College Cycling program has received a renewed “kickstart” thanks to a major gift by cyclist Kyle Greene ‘15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his family. Their $250,000 donation to Red Hawks Cycling includes funds to hire the team’s first full-time varsity coach and establishes The Greene Family Cycling Room within the new Willmore Center […]
The annual banding of young osprey in Green Lake was completed Monday for the fourth summer in a row by Memuna Khan, associate professor of biology and chair of the biology department. The project began in 2014 when Khan was asked by the Green Lake Association to track the patterns and habits of these birds […]
On a recent Friday morning, a moving truck pulled up outside of Farr Hall of Science. Brett Barwick, a new associate professor of physics at Ripon College, opened the driver’s door and walked to the back of the vehicle. Inside were piles of boxes with the label “lasers.” “The major pieces of equipment (are) a […]
The importance in our lives of poetry and art was highlighted recently as part of Alumni Weekend activities. Poet Karla Huston of Appleton, Wisconsin, the 2017-18 Poet Laureate for the state of Wisconsin, says, “What it offers us is pleasure. The arts give people something to do and something beautiful to look at. We need […]
Kurt Dietrich, professor of music and the Barbara Baldwin De Frees Chair in the Performing Arts, played a solo during a July 3 concert of the Wisconsin Symphonic Winds. The outdoor concert on the grounds of Ripon College, was part of the Green Lake Festival of Music. Accompanied by the group, Dietrich performed the solo […]
“There’s a gap between what scientists know and how they communicate it, especially to general audiences,” says Michael Timm ’04 of Cudahy, Wisconsin. For years, Timm has been helping fill this gap when it comes to water sciences and green infrastructure. Through creative, interactive mediums, Timm is working to bring these issues to the public. […]
“It just sort of happened,” says Tim Burr ’61 as he describes his reason for coming to Ripon College. The same explanation can be said for Burr’s nearly 50-year musical career. Burr came to Ripon College to study theatre. At the time, the department consisted of one professor and four students. After two years, Burr […]
President Zach Messitte and former Vice President for Advancement Wayne Webster co-wrote a chapter for the recently published book Disability and Equity in Higher Education Accessibility. The volume is part of the Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership series published by IGI Global. Their chapter is titled “Tackling the Emerging New Norms in Higher […]
When Nicole Malli ’15 applied for George Washington University’s Anthropology and International Development master’s program, she stood out. Because of her leadership experience and impressive résumé, her soon-to-be professor immediately knew he wanted her to work on his project. The African Slave Wrecks Project, according to its website it is “an international collaboration between the […]
Ripon College honored eight of its alumni at the annual dinner and awards presentation June 23, sponsored by the Alumni Association. Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Citation were Anne Mackenzie of Tallahassee, Florida, a member of the Class of 1972; and Mark J. Porubcansky, a member of the Class of 1977; and receiving the Outstanding Young […]
The first recipient of a revived dual-degree program in engineering has graduated. Akash Sen ’16 of Waukegan, Illinois, graduated in May with a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a minor in electrical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. He also will receive a B.A. in physics with a minor in mathematics from Ripon College. […]
In June, an opinion piece by Associate Professor of Politics and Government Lamont Colucci was published on Usnews.com reflecting on the death of Otto Warmbier. Warmbier, a college student, was imprisoned in North Korea last year for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and […]
At the age of 83, Art Abt ’55 still is going strong as a 24-year volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Garden. He has logged more than 12,000 hours volunteering there over the years. He says would not have guessed earlier in his life that he would be dedicating this much time to volunteering, but he […]
I received my undergraduate degree in Physics in 2002 at Doane College in Crete, NE, which is a school very similar to Ripon. After graduating I continued studying physics and received my Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007. After completing my Ph.D. I joined the group of Nobel prize winner Prof. Ahmed Zewail at Caltech as a postdoctoral researcher where I worked on developing ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) techniques. Over the last 10 years or so that I have been a professor, I have taught most courses that are offered at the undergraduate level, with one of my favorites being Quantum Mechanics. Outside the classroom I strive to create opportunities for students and have worked with ~30 paid undergraduate summer researchers on a variety of projects. My research primarily focuses on studying the fundamental quantum properties of electrons/light interactions.
I study animal cognition and neuroscience. My courses focus around these two areas as well and include: Learning and Behavior, Behavioral Neuroscience, Sensation and Perception, Drugs and Society, and Inside the Animal Mind. My lab tests a number of species including rats and dogs. We love trying to understand what animals are thinking! Outside of the college, I spend time with my own animals and enjoy performing in community theater.