{"id":4662,"date":"2015-07-05T23:50:04","date_gmt":"2015-07-06T06:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/chemistry_news\/?p=4662"},"modified":"2015-07-01T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T22:23:33","slug":"alumni-news-from-reed-magazine-march-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/chemistry_news\/2015\/07\/alumni-news-from-reed-magazine-march-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni News from Reed Magazine, March 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two features in the March issue of the Reed Magazine<\/strong><\/a> caught my eye. First, Interstellar Odyssey<\/strong><\/a> (p. 24) mined what was once my favorite literary vein: science fiction. If I remember correctly, my first big read was Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/em> (I had just seen the film). Of the top of my head, I can’t recall SF stories with strong chemistry themes, but I’m sure they are out there. Any thoughts on that?<\/p>\n

A second notable feature, The Pacifist Menace<\/strong><\/a> (p. 30), profiled Reed’s declining fortunes during World War I. Much is made of President William Trufant Foster<\/strong>‘s unsuccessful tangles with Portland’s pro-war leaders, exemplified by the Oregonian. We are reminded once again that the loftiest of principles, when unpopular, rarely prove a match for the mob.<\/p>\n

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Chemistry news stories were few in number, but high in interest. A story about the new Software Design Studio<\/strong><\/a> (p. 8) mentioned Prof. John Hancock<\/strong>‘s [1955-89] early experiments with the so-called DIMWIT<\/a><\/strong> system for molecular analysis. Built in the days before cheap transistors and integrated circuits, DIMWIT relied on mechanical relays that Hancock had obtained from confiscated pinball machines.<\/p>\n

We were also told that mountaineer, chemist, and environmental advocate Arlene Blum ’66<\/strong> would be the recipient of the Thomas Lamb Eliot award (Peak Chemist Takes Eliot Award<\/strong>, p. 10)<\/a>. The award, which was presented this month at the annual Reunions, recognizes “distinguished and sustained achievement\u00a0 by a Reed grad.” You can learn more about the award and Arlene’s life at Arlene Blum ’66 – A Life of Mountains and Molecules<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Class Notes<\/strong> treated us to several stories about chemistry alumni, as well as the offspring of famous Portland chemists. In the latter category, Ava Kamb ’18<\/strong> (a Reed biology major as of this writing) was revealed to be the granddaughter of Linda Pauling Kamb ’54<\/strong> and great-granddaughter of Ava<\/strong> and Linus Pauling<\/a><\/strong>. In the alumni corner, we learned that Bev Karplus Hartline ’71<\/strong> and husband Frederick have relocated to Butte, Montana. “We frequent the nearby wilderness areas and hot springs.” … Ann Barr-Gillespie ’82<\/strong>, Peter Barr-Gillespie ’83<\/strong>, and Scott Gillespie ’84 were in Portland recently to attend the wedding of classmate Jane Ensign Roberts ’83 … Michael Levine ’87<\/strong> (or is it ’85?) has started his own patent practice in Portland, Enterprise Patent, and is no longer working at Stoel Rives (note Michael’s Reed thesis title: “Modifying ethylene methanedisulfonate: Attempted synthesis of 3-(1-benzoyloxybenzylidene) 1,5,2,4-dioxadithiepane-2,2,4,4-tetraoxide, or, Why I won’t live past sixty<\/em>“) … Philip Wilk ’95<\/strong> and wife Sarah were there to greet the stork when it delivered daughter Catherine last August … and Kristen Grauer-Gray ’07<\/strong> is back in school, except this time as a student. After six years of teaching high school science, Kristen has set her sights on something different: “I’m studying for a master’s in environmental biology at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland. Kuopio reminds me of a much colder version of Portland: rainy, surrounded by forest, and perfect for bike commuters.” Do you have something for Class Notes? Send it to <\/em>reed.magazine@reed.edu<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, In Memoriam<\/strong> noted the passing of two Reedies with ties to the Reed chemistry program:<\/p>\n