Andrews University Agenda

Andrews University Agenda http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/ News and Events at Andrews University en-us Copyright 2026, Andrews University Sun, 1 Nov 2026 06:31:00 +0000 Sun, 1 Nov 2026 06:31:00 +0000 webmaster@andrews.edu webmaster@andrews.edu October 30, 2026: Student Missions http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70485 There’s nothing quite like a paper map. Some would say they are inconvenient, wrinkly, too large. I think they are beautiful. I have a world map on the wall in front of me, with a star marking every country I’ve visited. I’m sure there are fewer stars than many of you could claim, but it has been an adventure, nonetheless. Of all the places I’ve visited internationally, my favorites are the places I’ve lived. I’ve spent about half of my life in Canada and half here in the US, with one-year stints in Korea and the Marshall Islands. That last experience was, in some ways, the most impactful. I was young, naïve, shy, and eager to make a difference as a student missionary. A friend and I decided to teach in a little two-room schoolhouse on an island in the Marshall Islands. We ended up spending most of the year on Ebeye, known to some as “the armpit of the Pacific”, with more than 10,000 people crammed onto an 80-acre strip in the middle of the ocean. An aerial view is shown above. During that year I learned responsibility, organization, teamwork, flexibility, and persistence. Most importantly, I learned to find goodness and beauty even in places where they might not be immediately obvious. I hope I was of service to the people of the Marshall Islands. They certainly helped shape my life in ways I could not have anticipated. I share this story because this week, our Andrews campus is focusing on Student Missions. Several of our biology students have had experiences at least as impactful as mine. I have heard some of their stories. What makes these experiences so meaningful is that you’re not simply a tourist. You work alongside and for people in another community, learn about their lives and challenges, and become invested in their well-being. You begin to see the world through someone else’s eyes. You might not learn much biology (although the snorkeling where I served was amazing!), but you will learn lessons about people, service, and yourself that can stay with you for a lifetime. If you haven’t already, consider a short-term or longer-term mission project at some point in your journey. You may go hoping to make a difference for others and discover that the experience changes you, too. Back here at home, however, the semester continues. We are just a couple days away from November, which means it’s time to start thinking about registering for next semester’s classes. Please contact your academic advisor as needed to select courses and plan for the coming semester and beyond. You should be able to register through Registration Central as usual. This coming Sunday and Monday you may find a number of visitors on campus, visiting for a campus preview from the local Lake Union region. Give them a good welcome! Maybe some receiving this email are part of the visiting group. This coming Thursday at 5:30pm, our Scientific Communication class will be sharing some of their hard work in poster form in our biology Chobotar Commons. You might consider stopping by and exploring some interesting topics in biology. But for now, we hope to see you for some food, fun, and worship at this evening’s joint biology, chemistry, and agriculture Bonfire Vespers, to be held behind the Science Complex at 5:30pm. See you then! Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:06:52 +0000 October 23, 2026: Of Mice and Manatees http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70461 Quiz question! What do the above two animals have in common? Yes, they are both somewhat round.  But that’s not it. Yes, they both breathe air. But that’s not it. Yes, they are both mammals. Still not it. Finally – you got it!  They both featured prominently in biology presentations this week! On Tuesday we were blessed by a visit from Dr. Gina Leinninger, coming to us from Michigan State University. Dr. Leinninger is a biomedical researcher interested in the relationship between obesity and pain. She uses mouse models of obesity to understand how neurotensin, a neuropeptide, can both suppress hunger and reduce chronic pain. This sounds like an amazing drug! But there is always a catch.  Here, the catch is that, well, it’s just not that simple. Neurotensin does other things, including regulation of the cardiovascular system, which makes its use as an anti-obesity and pain drug unlikely. Much of science is not that simple, requiring decades of work to reach some end goal. Meanwhile, many miles away, several of our biology community have spent the week at an international conference of the Society for Marine Mammals in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Gonzalez is on the organizing committee for this conference, serving as a scientific program co-chair. Senior student Salanah Vaughan presented her research on the reproductive behavior of tucuxi in the Amazon Basin on Wednesday. We hope it went well, Salanah! Professor Moore also presented at the meeting on her evaluation of manatee hearing using bone conduction auditory brainstem response techniques.   The joy of being a scientist is that there is always something new to learn! Biology is intrinsically interesting to humans, because we are biological. And we share the planet with lots of other biological things, so that the more we learn about them, the more we learn about ourselves. Back here on the Andrews campus, several of our student researchers, Jimin, Megan, and Abigail, shared their Honors projects at the annual Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship in Buller Hall just this afternoon. The room buzzed with activity as many voices joined together to share and discuss and hopefully understand a variety of projects from across the University community. I saw many of you there! Next week in biology, we have two things to take note of, to put in your calendar: <ul> <li> On Tuesday, October 27, at 11:30am, we will have an academic assembly presented by Michael Ducey, chemist from Fas Pak, a local company. He will share his work at the interface of microbiology and industrial chemistry. Remember, we share our planet with lots of other biological things, many of them being microbes!</li> <li> On Friday, October 30, at 5:30pm, we hope to see you all at our Bonfire Vespers! This will be at the fire pit between the Science Complex and the Alumni House. We will have haystacks, s’mores, music, worship, games, and co-curricular credit. Fall is in the air – a perfect time for a bonfire!</li> </ul> We look forward to seeing you then!  But until then, have a blessed Sabbath and a great week ahead. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:22:04 +0000 October 16, 2026: Chasing Challenges http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70433 “What is attended with difficulty in the seeking gives greater pleasure in the finding”–Augustine The age of AI presents us with an interesting conundrum. If knowledge is increasingly easy to find, then what happens to the pleasure of learning? I don’t know about you, but I find that much of the pleasure is in the chase. Imagine if there were no challenge in completing a crossword puzzle, if you won every game against your friends with ease, or if there were no hardship in summitting Mount Everest. Why do it? Challenges fill our lives with purpose. In fact, I suspect that even Heaven will be filled with challenges—with discovery, learning, and the satisfaction of mastering something new—and therefore with continued purpose. Midterm grades have been submitted, and we are now moving into the second half of the semester. This is a good time to pause and reflect. Are there things you could improve—growth areas? Are there areas in which you are wildly succeeding—time for celebration? Are there topics that you simply aren’t getting yet? Here are a few thoughts as you move forward: Keep persevering.Employers and admissions committees want people who can succeed even amid adversity. Yes, we all get discouraged. But remember that thousands of students have sat in these very seats before you, faced the same challenges, and made it through. You can, too. Seek advice.There is no reason you need to figure everything out on your own. Your professors really do want to talk with you and help you however they can. Ask questions. Come to office hours. Tell someone when you’re struggling. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; it is part of learning. At some point, however, you just have to buckle down.We often hear the advice, “Work smart, not hard.” I’d suggest work smart AND hard. Learning takes effort—and often a lot of it. There are no shortcuts to developing genuine understanding and skill. Think about music. Virtuosity can take a lifetime to develop. Think about athletics. Mastery comes through years of practice. Think about writing. A good book may take years to produce, with countless pages written and discarded along the way. The stories of great musicians, athletes, and writers are, almost without exception, stories of persistence and practice. AI can produce a crossword puzzle, win a game, generate an image, or write a paragraph almost instantly. But if we remove the struggle entirely, we may also remove something important: learning, and perhaps pleasure. So don’t be too eager to eliminate every challenge. Some things worth having are worth working for. This afternoon was the first research meeting for our Biology Undergraduate Research Program, when 23 students who are involved in research projects in biology gathered to share and learn and encourage. Two students, Abigail and Megan, shared their undergraduate research. Great work, you guys! We learned that there are many steps toward an answer, many that don’t work out. Sometimes our controls don’t even work out! But there is value in perseverance, and eventually we arrive at an answer. And if we don’t find an answer, we can at least make an impressive presentation! Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:29:11 +0000 October 9, 2026: Will science save the world? http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70405 Will science save the world? No, of course not. Science is limited in scope, and our greatest problems are fundamentally based in the sinful human condition – a problem that science can’t solve. Maybe AI will save the world? Yesterday I attended a conference at Calvin University focused on AI in the context of Christian belief. Some presenters shared that much of the discussion around AI is currently focused on eschatology – the end of the world. The ‘doomers’ think that AI will bring the end of the world. Others think that AI will lead us to utopia, saving us from pain and drudgery. Amid all this, we Christians have a better message of the end of the world, neither a meaningless doomsday nor an empty utopia, but one that provides hope. Reminds me of a famous quote: "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."– Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers. However, it is true – science can do some amazing things. This week was an exciting one for scientists: Nobel Prize Week! <ul> <li> Monday led with a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to a trio of scientists, Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel, “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics,” providing hope for a better understanding of nervous systems and mental illness. Yes, the brain is truly one of the last frontiers.</li> <li> Tuesday followed with a Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen. “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin”. Physicists really know how to go big – this guy designed a cubic kilometer of ice to capture neutrinos!</li> <li> Wednesday gave us the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis”. That means they developed chemical means to make and isolate mirror image molecules, with potential for drug development and, not discussed in these news headlines, I suspect implications for the development of synthetic ‘mirror life’. That’s a can of worms I can’t get into now. Maybe another time.</li> </ul> Here at Andrews University, the next week+ has much to offer those of us interested in scientific discovery. Not a Nobel Prize Week, but a Research Week. You can find <a href="https://www.andrews.edu/services/research/research_events/conferences/research-week/research-week-2026.html">more information here</a>. For now, let me point out to you some biology-relevant presentations - they are sure to be interesting: <ul> <li> Next Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7pm in Newbold Auditorium, Roderick Pernites will share how he is “Engineering materials patterned from nature-inspired intelligent designs.” Biology-based engineering!</li> <li> Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 11:30am in the Math/Physics amphitheater, Dr. Gina Leinninger from Michigan State University will be speaking about the neurophysiology of appetite and obesity. “No Gain, No Pain,” her title says… whatever that means…</li> <li> Friday, October 23 at 2pm, students and faculty will be sharing their research via poster in the hallways of Buller Hall. Interested in what is happening in labs around our school? Stop by and check it out.</li> </ul> And now, Fall Break officially begins! I pray that you can catch up on needed rest, complete that late assignment, visit with friends or family, and generally recharge for the second act of the semester. We are halfway through. Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:29:27 +0000 October 2, 2026: Numbers http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70385 I remember the first time I did a genetics experiment. It wasn’t in college, although I know I took a genetics class there. It wasn’t in graduate school. That was mostly biochemistry for me. It was later, when I was a postdoctoral fellow at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and collaborating with a lab at NYU. We had a mutant zebrafish that I crossed with one containing a fluorescent transgene, but otherwise wild type. The results were striking! The ratio of mutant babies to wild-type babies, visible under the fluorescence microscope, was almost exactly as predicted by the Punnett square! You might be underwhelmed by my enthusiasm. Sorry, but there is nothing like seeing something with your own eyes. Those numbers and ratios were beautiful! Our Foundations of Biology class has, just this week, completed the study of genetics. They probably discovered that Punnett squares are nice, but not useful to describe every aspect of genetics. Our Genetics class is having fun sorting through fruit flies to identify their genetic makeup and phenotypic ratios. We posted some nice photos of these little guys on social media! But now I’d like to share with you some other statistics: numbers, ratios, percentages that describe Andrews University, our biology programs here, and our graduates that go on to amazing careers in a variety of fields. Over the last couple weeks, we have been compiling this information, to give a clearer picture of who we are and what we do in biology at Andrews University. <ul> <li> Our university is well-recognized. Maybe you’ve seen the recent stats on Andrews University. <a href="https://www.niche.com/colleges/andrews-university/rankings/">Niche has ranked us</a> as the #1 Most Diverse College in America, #17 Best Christian College, #1 Best Small College in Michigan, and #2 Best Christian College and Top Private University in Michigan. <a href="https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/andrews-university/student-life/diversity/">Our students</a> come from all over the country and the world. We are a microcosm of the world.</li> <li> Our students get involved. 3 of every 4 biology juniors and seniors are involved in important roles within our department, as teaching assistants, research assistants, and leaders within student clubs. Just like my zebrafish experiment, there is nothing like being personally involved in the life of the department.</li> <li> Our alumni are successful in their educational and career pursuits. We recently compiled data on our alumni over a 10-year window, graduates from 2012 to 2021. For those we could track, this is what they did after leaving our biology program (see graph on webpage): <ul> <li> About 50% have become physicians or are in training to become physicians. The other 50% have continued on to a variety of other degree programs and employment.</li> <li> 56% of graduates who sought further education obtained professional degrees through Loma Linda University. We have a strong relationship with our sister school for the health professions.</li> <li> However, other graduates have gone on to many different schools of higher education, including: Boston University, Brown University, CalTech, Central Michigan University, Columbia University, Dartmouth University, Duke University, Medical College of Wisconsin, Meharry Medical College, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Michigan State University, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, NYU, Temple University, University of British Columbia, University of Connecticut, University of Georgia, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Utah, University of Washington, and Vanderbilt University.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> That is a big list. The story that comes out of all this is: Our students are prepared to compete with the best and brightest in the country. Many find success in health-focused careers following further graduate education. Some enter the sciences or directly into the workforce. We are proud of the accomplishments of each one of our alumni. These statistics attempt to tell a story of who we are. Of course, the best stories are the real stories: the individual success stories, challenges met, sometimes even the failure stories. I hope we can share more of those stories in the future, not just the stats. This verse comes to mind: What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 NLT Fri, 02 Oct 2026 17:46:04 +0000 September 25, 2026: Alumni and Pathfinders http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70363 This weekend is the confluence of two worlds, or maybe more accurately, of two ages – young and old (which sometimes seems like two worlds). The Lake Union Conference is holding its annual Pathfinder camporee just down the road with many activities on our campus. At the same time, it is the annual Alumni Homecoming Weekend. I’ll let you decide which is old and which is young. Age all depends on your perspective. Some time ago I was walking in the woods and came across this slime mold growing on the forest floor. It got me thinking – does the slime mold have a birthday? What exactly defines its age? Is this one old or young, or is there a way to tell? It seemed quite beautiful to me, but they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so maybe irrelevant to this conversation. A quick search brought me to a study (Rolland et al., 2023) that tells me that slime mold plasmodia do indeed get old – their migration speed slows down over time. And here’s a fascinating one: slime molds, whether young or old, prefer to hang out with younger friends. But even though they like the young slime molds, the old guys are still able to effectively make decisions and learn. Did I hear that correctly – slime molds make decisions and learn?! Well, we live in a fascinating world, and even more fascinating if you look closely when you are out for a walk! If you’d like to take a walk tomorrow, Sabbath, September 26, feel free to stop by the Andrews Botanical Conservatory, our greenhouse on the rooftop of Price Hall. We will be open from 3-5pm with refreshments for those who stop by. The Museum of Nature and Science on the first floor of Price Hall will also be open at that time. Have you seen our very own mammoth yet? I don’t think he has a name, but we should consider a naming competition for the future. Today, many of our science faculty (and others) are involved in teaching a variety of Pathfinder honors. As I write, honors are being taught on Endangered Species; Moths & Butterflies; Pizza Making; Seeds; Poultry; Bones, Muscles & Movement; Brain and Behavior; Origami; Dinosaurs; Physics; and Chemical Reactions and Solutions. That’s a lot of science this weekend! I will continue to pray for each of you, our biology community, wherever life finds you – student, alumnus, faculty, staff. Wishing you another blessed Sabbath and week ahead. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:41:23 +0000 Museum and Conservatory Open Houses http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70341 The Andrews University Museum of Nature & Science and the Andrews Botanical Conservatory, both located in Price Hall/Science Complex, will be open from 3–5 p.m. on Sabbath, Sept. 26, 2026. The Botanical Conservatory, located on the fourth floor, contains a wide variety of desert and tropical plants in four rooms on the roof of Price Hall. This space has had some recent additions and improvements. The Museum of Nature & Science, located on the first floor, features Andrews University’s own Prillwitz Mammoth, the most complete mammoth skeleton ever found in Michigan. The museum also includes a large collection of mammals and birds. Please come and explore. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:48:19 +0000 September 18, 2026: Going out http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/70335 Sometimes you just have to get out! Studying, reading, and watching is ok some of the time. But we are meant for movement. And there is a lot to see, sometimes just in your own backyard, so to speak. I know that many of us have been getting out this week, to different parts of campus and to nearby destinations. Here are some of the ways we have gotten out this week: <ul> <li> Week of Prayer. We have been blessed by presentations this week from Anthony Wagener-Smith, sharing from his heart on how we are called by God. Perhaps you got to some of these – hopefully you have gained a blessing in addition to the worship credit.</li> <li> Our Systems Physiology class got out of the lab this week and did lab at the Wellness Center! It looks like they had fun learning about sports and muscle physiology. Maybe they got a workout in the process!</li> <li> General Ecology took a trip to a local bog. Not a place we typically spend much time in, but life in a bog requires special adaptations to make it.  I saw some carnivorous plants in those pictures!</li> <li> Not too far from Andrews is the University of Notre Dame – a major research university that often brings presenters of note to town. Just yesterday some of us from Cosmos, an Honors course that touches on the big questions of science and faith, traveled to Notre Dame to hear another perspective: a presentation by engineer and Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Damien Marie Savino, who spoke on how science and theology can work together to understand the creation and enrich our humanity.</li> <li> Earlier in the week, I enjoyed another trip to Notre Dame to hear Nobel Laureate (Chemistry 2018) Francis Arnold, whose lab has managed to engineer enzymes new to biology. It was a packed house for that one! This one was special to me because one of our recent biology graduates is now working in the lab of Dr. Arnold at CalTech towards a PhD degree. Next week I hope to share more about the success of our alumni over recent years.</li> <li> Today and tomorrow are SciFest. We have had a great group of academy students working through activities in all the sciences and learning about cells – whatever might be the definition of that word in different disciplines. In biology, we considered plant cells and we performed a stomatal peel. No, that’s not the surface of a fruit, it’s a method to look at stomata – and it works so beautifully! You should try it sometime!</li> </ul> Well, that was a full week!  But now just a heads up about the week to come. One week from today, Friday, September 25, is the beginning of our annual Alumni Homecoming Weekend. In the afternoon at 2:30 in the Biology Amphitheater, biology alumnus Dr. Paul Kovalsky, DDS, will be sharing “Return of the Tooth Sleuth: Life as a Forensic Dentist.” Please put that on your schedule, you don’t want to miss it! Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:56:03 +0000