Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS)
In 1999, Washington State University Graduate School was designated as an ARCS recipient school. The first ARCS Fellowships were awarded to the College of Veterinary Medicine through the Seattle Chapter of ARCS. The Seattle Chapter is one of twelve chapters of the ARCS Foundation which has supported graduate education in the natural sciences, medicine and engineering. The ARCS Fellowships have provided funding needed to conduct cutting-edge research for hundreds of graduate students of exceptional caliber in more than 30 academic departments and interdisciplinary programs. Each ARCS Fellowship provides $7,500 of support the first year and $5000 of support per year for two years, providing an important recruiting tool to participating academic departments for attracting the nation's top young scientists. And by offering three years of continuous support, ARCS Fellowships allow students to focus on their research instead of on their funding. For more information about ARCS, please visit the website of the Seattle Chapter (ARCS).
Washington State University 2005-2006 ARCS Recipients
FIRST YEAR FELLOWS
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Kyle Caires - Animal
Sciences
Mr. Kyle Caires comes to Washington State University
after completing his bachelor's degree in Animal
Sciences, and a minor in Chemistry, at Oregon State
University. Kyle is interested in the study of
ectopically xenografted bovine testicular tissue in
relation to spermatogenesis. As an undergraduate student,
he received the PEPA, Jess Hansen, and J.C. Miller
undergraduate awards along with a scholarship from the
Hawaii Cattlemen's Beef Council. He attended the 2005
W.S.A.S. Academic Quadrathalon where he was a member of
the champion team. Kyle will be working with Dr. Derek
McLean for the duration of his M.S. degree.
ARCS Light Fellowship in honor of Camille
Uhlir
Jeremy Dahmen - Molecular Plant
Sciences
Jeremy Dahmen received his bachelor's degree in biology
from Middle Tennessee State University in 2003. As an
undergraduate he worked along with his major advisor, Dr.
Jeffrey Leblond, and other faculty members to
characterize the lipids of a unique group of algae. He
presented this research at local as well as national
meetings and it was published in the Journal of Phycology
earlier this year. He also recently completed his
master's degree in biology at MTSU. Jeremy will begin his
Ph.D. work in molecular plant sciences at Washington
State University this fall.
Bobbie Fowler (4th Fellowship)
Shannon Donahoe - Veterinary
Microbiology and Pathology
Shannon Donahoe graduated from Portland State University
with honors in 1999 with a B.S. in Biology. She worked as
a zookeeper and animal care technician for several years
before returning to school to pursue a career in
veterinary medicine and research. Shannon also spent five
months at the Justus Leibig University College of
Veterinary Medicine in Giessen, Germany where her
research led to the first isolated paramyxovirus from a
wild-caught lizard. While enrolled in the DVM program at
the Washington State University College of Veterinary
Medicine, she was accepted into the research scholars
program and worked with Dr. Lindsay Oaks on the
characterization of a novel species of Mycoplasma
isolated from an Oriental White-backed vulture. She
received two NIH summer training grants, which provided
her with a solid foundation in hypothesis-based research.
Shannon is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Veterinary
Science concurrent with a residency in veterinary
pathology. Her research interests include the molecular
basis of disease transmission and mechanisms of antigenic
variation by vector borne pathogens.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Caroline Herndon - Veterinary
Microbiology and Pathology
Caroline Herndon graduated from Syracuse University in
May 2005 with a B.S. in Biology and Psychology. As an
undergraduate, she was a Dean's Scholar and a Ruth Meyer
scholar, and conducted research involving the
intracellular communication and motility of
protobacteria. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Veterinary
Microbiology and Pathology at WSU, and her research
involves a fatal bleeding pneumonia of wild bighorn
sheep. Caroline plans to pursue a career in veterinary
research and higher education.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Amy Hetrick - School of Biological
Sciences - Botany
Amy Hetrick earned her master's degree in plant sciences
from the University of Idaho where her research project
was in plant breeding. She is interested in plant
structure related to function, specifically the work on
the conifer defense project. After obtaining her Ph.D.,
Amy plans to teach college level classes in the
biological sciences.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Crystal Montoya - Veterinary
Microbiology and Pathology
Crystal Montoya earned her B.S. in Biology and B.A. in
Chemistry from Whitworth College in 2005. As an
undergraduate student, she spent a summer in Iowa
participating in environmental toxicology research
centered on the pesticide atrazine, in order to observe
any effects on the natural ecosystem surrounding farms.
She also spent a summer characterizing the growth of
Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms in a kitchen environment
at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State
University. Crystal is now pursuing her PhD in Veterinary
Microbiology at Washington State University.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Lindsey Muir - Veterinary
Medicine
Lindsey Muir graduated Magna Cum Laude and with Honors
from Washington State University in May 2005 with B.S.
degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology. She received the
high honor of 'Pass with Distinction' for her Honors
Thesis work involving RNA interference and the
development of an adeno-associated viral vector for
introduction of small interfering RNA into mammalian
cells.
Lynn & Mikal Thomsen
Joshua Jon Neumiller -
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. Joshua Neumiller earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree
from Washington State University. During his pharmacy
curriculum, Dr. Neumiller was one of fourteen pharmacy
students in the U.S. chosen to receive a Merck Research
Scholar award to study the effects of dioxin on pulmonary
dendritic cell migration. In addition to his research in
the field of immunology, he also participated in a
variety of clinical research studies for the WSU College
of Pharmacy. Josh is the first pharmacist in the US
chosen to participate in the NIH Post-Doctoral Immunology
Training Program for individuals with doctoral-level
clinical degrees.
Camille & Jim Uhlir (4th
Fellowship)
Margaret Vinson - Veterinary
Microbiology and Pathology
Margaret Vinson graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's
degree in wildlife biology, subsequently earning a
master's degree in wildlife biology from the University
of Montana, and graduating from veterinary school at
Colorado State University. Wanting more advanced
training, she then went to Gardnerville, NV where she
just completed an intensive one-year internship in equine
medicine and surgery. She is now doing a combined
residency and Ph.D. program in veterinary pathology and
infectious disease research at WSU. Throughout her
academic career, Meg worked as a wilderness ranger, an
exercise rider and jockey, and a private clinician at a
mixed-animal practice. She has received numerous awards
and scholarships.
SECOND YEAR FELLOWS
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Willow Lindsay - Reproductive Biology
(Zoology)
Willow Lindsay graduated with a bachelor's degree in
wildlife biology and high honors from the University of
Montana. Willow was the recipient of numerous
undergraduate scholarships including the Long Brother's
Scholarship, the Isabel Haynes Scholarship, and the
McNair Scholarship. As an undergraduate, she spent two
winters in Australia researching the feeding and other
social behaviors of an Australian Sweat bee, Lasioglossum
hemichalceum. Willow presented this research at two
Animal Behavior Society meetings, winning an honorable
mention in the Truman award for undergraduate posters in
2002. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Zoology at WSU,
Pullman.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Jessica Kim Milhollan - Molecular Plant
Sciences
Jessica Milhollan received her B.A. in Biology with a
minor in Women's Studies from the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs. Her career interests are in the
biochemistry of higher plants at both the metabolic and
physiological levels. For three of four undergraduate
years at UCCS, her laboratory work was performed in a
plant biochemistry facility. She has a partial-authorship
manuscript in progress, to be submitted for publication,
which has resulted from her graduate work on FAS in
Schizochytium. Jessica's outside interests include
viticulture and enology. She has been involved in martial
arts instruction, food service management, extensive
small-business management, and wine retail sales and
education.
Bobbie Fowler (3rd Fellowship)
Danielle Nelson - Veterinary
Micropathology
Danielle Nelson earned her B.A. in English from Stanford
University in 1987. Her background also includes formal
education in the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching
Hospital, and practical training while working in
ranching, referral veterinary medicine and estate
planning. Danielle's research training began with John
Madigan at UC Davis on his equine photic headshaking
project and continued with the molecular biology lab of
the Field Disease Investigation Unit at Washington State
University. WSU's research scholars' seminar further
piqued her interest, and an NIH summer training grant
project provided invaluable experience with grant writing
and experimental design and implementation. She is
pursuing a Ph.D. in Veterinary Science concurrent with a
residency in veterinary pathology. Her research will
investigate infectious disease mechanisms including the
epidemiological interactions between host defenses,
pathogen offenses and environmental influences. Danielle
plans to pursue a career in research and higher
education.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Marisa Olson - Reproductive Biology
(Zoology)
Marisa Olson comes to Washington State University after
completing her bachelor's degree in zoology at the
University of California at Santa Barbara. Marisa is
interested in maternal hormone investment and
reproductive behaviors of bird species. As an
undergraduate student, she was involved in a variety of
research projects that examined the rate at which
anti-parasitic traits are lost by Yellow Warblers in the
absence of brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Elizabeth Schramm - Molecular Plant
Sciences
Elizabeth Schramm graduated with distinction from Purdue
University in December 2003 with a B.S. in plant genetics
and breeding. Elizabeth completed an internship at FFR
Cooperative in Lafayette, Indiana in summer 2003, where
her duties included crossing, disease screening, data
collection and analysis, and various other greenhouse and
field tasks. As a research assistant working on a program
that focuses on wheat genetics, Elizabeth's specific
experience has been with marker-assisted plant selection,
as a part of the plant breeding process. In pursuing a
graduate degree at Washington State University, Elizabeth
hopes to further her understanding and research
experience in the plant sciences, specifically in
genetics. She would eventually like to have a career in
the biotech industry working with plants.
Eve and Chap Alvord (5th Fellowship)
Josh Tompkins - Reproductive Biology
(Genetics and Cell Biology)
Josh Tompkins graduated from Southern Oregon University
with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 2004.
At SOU he conducted an Honors Capstone focused on early
infant nutrition and growth, presenting work at SOU's
Childhood Nutrition and Growth Conference. The study
Joshua began will continue on at SOU under the guidance
of Dr. Richard May for approximately 4 more years. During
his first lab rotation at Washington State University
under the direction of Dr. Chengtao Her, he will be
working toward understanding mismatch repair genes in
human cancer and the molecular mechanisms that govern
those genes. Joshua intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Genetics
and Cell Biology.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Kenny Wells - Reproductive Biology (Animal
Sciences)
Kenny Wells comes to Washington State University upon
completing his bachelor's degree in agriculture, majoring
in animal sciences with a minor in ag business, at Ohio
State University. As an undergraduate student, he
received the Schram Animal Sciences Scholarship (2
years), the Alpha Gamma Sigma Endowment Scholarship (3
years), and an OSU Grant. Also while an undergraduate he
was a very successful member of both the collegiate meats
and livestock evaluation teams. Kenny is interested in
the endocrinology regulating the reproductive functions
of beef cattle. He will perform his studies under the
advising of Dr. J.J. Reeves.
THIRD YEAR FELLOWS
Lee Family Foundation (2nd Fellowship)
Andrew J. Allen - Veterinary Clinical
Sciences
Andrew graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S.
in Animal Science in 1995, received a Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in
1999 and is presently enrolled in a residency/Ph.D.
program in the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU.
After working at a mixed animal practice in southwestern
Oregon for one year, Andrew started a large animal mobile
practice in southwestern Idaho. In the fall of 2002 he
decided to continue his education in large animal
internal medicine. Andrew's research interests vary from
disease pathophysiology investigation, improving
diagnostic techniques to developing new medical and
surgical treatment regimens. He is currently involved in
a project designed to improve diagnostics for
Mycobacterium avium subspecies. Paratuberculosis or
(Johne's disease). Andrew enjoys wilderness outdoor
activities such as fly fishing, hunting, horse-packing,
backpacking, and photography.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Tracy Back - Reproductive Biology
Tracy Back comes to Washington State University after
completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology,
with a minor in chemistry, at the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is interested in inherited
diseases, transgenics, and conservation genetics and has
had extensive laboratory experience working in cell
biology, zoology and genetics laboratories. At UWSP,
Tracy carried out and presented an independent research
project investigating the population structure of rainbow
smelt in Lake Michigan using genetic fingerprinting
techniques.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Michelle Beck - Reproductive
Biology
As a second year doctoral student at Washington State
University, Michelle Beck's dissertation research has two
foci. First, she hopes to determine how anthropogenic
habitat modification influences reproductive physiology
and adult nestling quality in prothonotary warblers. She
also plans to examine the potential role of female
plumage coloration as a sexually selected signal of
quality in these birds. Michelle completed her
undergraduate work at Appalachian State University where
she won several awards for outstanding undergraduate
research, and came to Washington State University after
completing her master's degree at Auburn University under
the direction of Dr. Geoffrey Hill. Her master's research
focused on reproductive strategies in house finches. She
received a graduate research fellowship from Auburn
University. In addition to completing an honors thesis,
she participated in a REU program sponsored by the
University of Michigan.
Vicki J. and Thomas W. Griffin
Sushan Han - Veterinary Clinical
Sciences
Sushan Han is beginning a residency in Diagnostic
Pathology and her Ph.D. program in infectious disease
research at Washington State University. After earning
her B.S. in Veterinary Science from the University of
Idaho in 1995, and a DVM from Washington State University
in 1999, Sushan practiced small animal veterinary
medicine and surgery in private practice for four years.
Her research interests are infectious bacterial diseases
of domestic animals, with a specialty in wildlife
diseases. At present, she is beginning a project on
Coxiella brunetti, with the intention of developing a
purified vaccine. Sushan enjoys biking, hiking, horseback
riding, gardening, and fishing / hunting.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Seth P. Harris - Veterinary Microbiology and
Pathology
Seth Harris recently began a combined residency/Ph.D.
program in Anatomic Pathology at Washington State
University. Prior to this, he spent the last four years
earning a DVM degree in the Professional Veterinary
Medicine Program at Colorado State University. During
that time Seth was active in research and completed two
projects: "The iNOS Relationship to Infectious Abortion"
was sponsored by the Integrated Livestock Management
Program, and "The Anti-emetic Effects of Fentanyl on
Morphine Induced Vomiting in the Dog" won first place in
the Phi Zeta student oral competition (2003). In his free
time Seth enjoys photography, outdoors and working on his
1966 Mustang.
WSU Microsoft Trustees (2nd Fellowship)
Crystal Putnam - Reproductive
Biology
Crystal Putnam is a second year graduate student at
Washington State University. As a student in the School
of Molecular Biosciences and participant with the Center
for Reproductive Biology, she is seeking a doctoral
degree in Genetics and Cell Biology. Crystal's current
research uses data gained from microarray technology to
search for cell specific genes in the testis. Some of
these cell specific genes may, in the future, be targets
for developing male contraception.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Jason P. Hogaboam - Biochemistry
Jason earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and is now pursuing
his Ph.D. in the same field at Washington State
University. He has been involved in laboratory
experiments designed to investigate the role and function
of sodium channels in nerve and nerve related cells, and
is currently involved in research investigating the tonB
dependent energy transduction in E. coli, which is
necessary for the active transport of certain
macromolecules across the outer membrane. Convinced that
future research advances will increasingly depend on
computational technologies, Jason is acquiring the skills
to integrate tailored computer applications with research
processes when needed.
ARCS Seattle Chapter Fellow
Ryan Rice - Biochemistry
Ryan Rice received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology from the University of California, Davis in
December 2002 with Highest Honors. He intends to pursue a
Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Washington State University,
which will allow him to research biosynthesis pathways,
gene expression, and the regulatory mechanisms by which
they are controlled. Ryan's experience ranges from
studying the mechanism by which homologous chromosomes
pair during nuclear division to researching drought
stress in corn and analyzing chemical extractions of soil
and water, and is currently working on root nodule
development in field peas. He plans to work at a research
university or seed company as a molecular biologist