Admission
Gina Turrigiano '84
MacArthur "genius" fellow, neuroscientist
Reed major: biology
Genius often lies in the instinct to explore the very opposite of what others are investigating. Other neuroscientists had long focused on the mechanisms by which the brain's neurons and synapses change as kids learn. Gina Turrigiano zeroed in on neuro-stability in the face of profound changes in the basic wiring of the nervous system. She was rewarded for her work, and her potential, in 2000 with a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant."
"While it may seem quite abstract," she writes, "this work could open up a whole realm of possible treatment of abnormalities. For example, epilepsy results when certain parts of the brain become overly active. An understanding of the mechanisms that normally keep neuronal activity within limits may provide crucial insights into how such abnormal activity develops, and how to prevent it."
Raised in the Northern California woods by bohemian intellectual parents, Turrigiano spent some of her early years living in a teepee without electricity-but never without books.
"I was reading novels by the time I was seven. But when I first went to school, in fourth grade, I didn't know how to add a column of numbers. Because I had spent a lot of time poking around tide pools and canoeing rivers, I wanted to be a biologist. I thought what biologists did was go out in the wild and track wolves, study animal behavior, not sit in labs and do these reductionist experiments."
After Reed, she earned a Ph.D. at the University of California-San Diego and then joined the faculty at Brandeis's Volen National Center for Complex Systems. Married, the mother of two, Turrigiano today runs a research lab, teaches graduate and undergraduate classes, reviews research papers in her field, writes for publications such as Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience , talks to audiences ranging from the general public to the arcanely informed, and has, as she says, "some ideas once in a while."
On top of it all she is a personnel manager, accommodating the different styles and temperaments of her lab assistants-four grad students, three post-docs, and always at least one hot-shot undergraduate.
"It's amazing," she says, "the range of things we have to do. It requires an incredible ability to multi-task. But it's a lot of fun, too, and great if you can carry it off."
Chris Amos '80
Researcher on cancer and diseases
Reed major: mathematics
Chris Amos was a winner of the James A. Elkins Cancer Prevention Award for his research on the genetic origin of common diseases. He is professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and in 2002 was honored with the presidency of the International Genetic Epidemiology Society.
"Find a way to do what you believe is good and right for you-and that you know can be of benefit to others."
Anne Barton Elson '69
NASA software developer
Reed major: history
Anne Elson '69 is an outer planets and solar probe project software engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She was on the JPL team that worked on the command and launch flight software for the Cassini spacecraft and is now working on the Deep Space Systems project.
"I achieved the position I have today without having had the formal training of many of my peers, a great number of whom have degrees in computer science or in engineering, or both. That's how learning to learn at Reed paid off. Knowing that code I wrote is flying today in some of our spacecraft was, and is, thrilling. I love my job. I love the science that comes from our missions and the thrill of discovery when we learn new things about our solar system."
Kip Guy '90
Biochemistry researcher
Reed major: chemistry
Kip Guy does research at the University of California at San Francisco on the use of synthetic organic chemistry to produce unique tools for the study of problems important in cell biology and medicine. He was a member of the team that produced the world's first synthetic version of the cancer-fighting drug taxol. He is a member of UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute, Cancer Center, and Molecular Design Institute.
"During the first day of orientation week, I was, like everyone else, disoriented and feeling out of place. That night I walked out onto the campus lawn to find a circle of people sitting in the rapidly fading light watching the sunset. I sat on the edge and was almost immediately included in the discussion, which ranged widely during the night. It was wonderful to join a group that not only had many views but also tolerated those of others. I found over time that about the only position that is not tolerated at Reed is one that is not well argued."
Beverly Hartline '71
Physicist
Reed major: chemistry-physics
Beverly Hartline works as deputy laboratory director for Argonne National Laboratory. A leader in advancing science education, she was named Woman Fellow for 2000 by the American Physics Society and has served at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
"When all else fails, go back to first principles and make sure the units (as in calculations involving physical parameters) make sense. This wisdom is applicable much more broadly than just to physics calculations. It rapidly eliminates nonsense and is an intellectual shortcut for solving problems of many varieties. Plus it often yields insights that are helpful for getting others to understand and to act."
Leo MacDonald '97
Research and development scientist
Reed major: chemistry
Leo Macdonald develops boilers with higher efficiency at Patterson Kelley. He's happy with the import of his work because "boilers burn natural gas or oil as a fuel and account for about one-third of all petroleum use in the USA. So higher efficiency and lower pollution is a good thing." He has previously worked with General Electric research and development, among other companies; at GE he invented new processes and parts for jet engines, gaining six patents in the process.
"At Reed I was able to give several presentations of my lab work, in class and to the faculty. From there I went to work for GE, in New York, and obtained seven patents in three years on parts related to jet engines. Right now I'm a combustion scientist, optimizing efficiency and reducing pollution of industrial boilers. My managers are impressed with my work ethic (from those long nights in the Hauser Library) and my ability to learn new jobs quickly."
Chris Meletis '88
Naturopathic educator
Reed major: biology
Chris Meletis is a naturopathic doctor, author, lecturer, and educator. Former dean and chief medical officer of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, he was honored as the 2003 Physician of the Year by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
"I remember being in the middle of a humanities conference discussion and the thoughts that I had synthesized in my head were liberated in the midst of a wonderfully philosophical discussion. Now I participate in impromptu radio programs to a million listeners at a time, not knowing the topic in advance. Reed prepares the mind to share."
Greg Neumann '68
Geophysicist
Reed major: mathematics
Greg Neumann is the lead analyst for data from NASA's Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter mapping project. He assembles the huge amount of data into sets, and then use the datasets to make topographic profiles of the surface of Mars. His team has determined which direction water must have flowed in Martian gullies and discovered that water must recently have eroded the planet's surface.
"I get to do what I'd do anyway for free. . . . I've made topographic maps of Mars. I've measured the thickness of the dry-ice frost on the Martian seasonal caps, and seen CO2 snowflakes sparkling in the winter night, but personally I think we need to spend more time looking at the features and creatures beneath the surface of our own ocean."
Doros Platika '75, M.D.
Biotechnologist
Reed major: biology-psychology
Doros Platika is the CEO of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, a public-private partnership supporting the growth of regional life sciences companies. Platika has been the CEO of three life sciences companies, having founded one and taken another public. Previously he worked as an internist and neurologist for several years, then as a teacher and researcher at Harvard Medical School and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "I am not interested in knowledge for knowledge's sake," says Platika. "For me, the question is always, how can this make a difference for people, for human beings?"
Kathy Reeves '96
Astrophysicist
Reed major: physics
Kathy Reeves has done research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics on the heating and cooling of solar flares. She is now a graduate student in solar physics at the University of New Hampshire.
"Reed did a really good job of preparing me. The electrodynamics course I took from David Griffiths still rates as one of the best courses I have ever taken. I also had the opportunity to do some research, both over the summer and for my thesis work. I presented the results of my research at meetings of the American Physical Society and the Biophysical Society. Doing these things gave me a solid idea of how science is done, which is something that is hard to convey in the classroom."
James Russell '53
Inventor
Reed major: physics
James Russell is the inventor of the compact disc, whose technology he developed while working for General Electric and Battelle Memorial Institute. He is a co-founder of Information Optics Corporation and has served as director and vice president of research since its inception. His patented concepts for "Optical Random Access Memory" are the keystone of the company's intellectual properties. A lifelong inventor, he currently holds over 45 US patents with several more on file through his current company.
Richard Thompson '52
Neurosciences researcher and educator
Reed major: psychology
Neuroscientist Richard Thompson is a researcher and professor at the University of Southern California, studying the physical basis of memory. He was the winner of the American Psychological Association 1999 award for creativity in research.
"To discover something new that has never been known before is a thrill beyond anything else, particularly if one has worked and struggled hard to do so. In my case this involved brain mechanisms underlying processes of learning and memory."
C. Howard Vollum '36
Physicist
Reed major: physics
Howard Vollum was a creative scientist with a talent for working with people. For 50 years he contributed to the progress of electronics and to the advancement of the scientific industry in the Pacific Northwest. As a Reed junior he built an oscilloscope, and Tektronix, Inc., the company he helped found 11 years later, revolutionized its design and became the foremost manufacturer of precision oscilloscopes in the world.
Wise Young '71, Ph.D., M.D.
Neuroscientist
Reed major: biology
Wise Young is a neurosurgeon and professor and chair of the division of life sciences at Rutgers University. Young has a lifelong dedication to research in spinal cord injuries and the prospects of recovery for patients. He has contributed enormously to the field with his discoveries, publications, research organizations, and symposiums; he was also a member of the team that had worked on actor Christopher Reeve's recovery.
"I cherish my Reed education for the seed that it planted in me, the seed to be the best that I can be, to be an independent thinker, to be committed to excellence."
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