HONORS GRADUATES: 2001

Christin J. Albertie (Grand Haven, MI) will graduate with honors in Philosophy and has also completed a major in Political Science. She has done honors work in CAS, Classics, English, and American History. She is writing an honors thesis on Aquinas' theory of punishment, arguing that he would oppose the death penalty if he were a member of our society. After graduation C.J. plans to enter law school.

Jana L. Aupperlee (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Psychology and a major in English. She has completed honors work in English and Political Science and has done special research on the ability of three and six-year-old children to detect lies, using a series of videos which she created for this purpose. She is currently studying the relationship between learning styles and academic success in underprivileged children. Jana plans to enter graduate school in School Psychology.

Mark D. Aupperlee (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry; he has also completed honors courses in CAS, English, and Psychology. His honors research has focused on genes that suppress certain mutations in yeast, on the FHIT gene linked to various cancers, and on the genetics of sickle cell anemia. Mark plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree and would like to become a professor.

Stephanie M. Baar (New Era, MI) will graduate with honors in Mathematics and has also done honors work in CAS and Music. Working with results from a summer research project, she is writing an honors thesis which evaluates "old" and "new" methods of ranking figure skaters in competition. She will present her findings at two math conferences and a department colloquium. Stephanie will be married this summer to Michael Potoka and then go on to graduate school at the University of Minnesota.

Tamer O. Bahgat (Cairo, Egypt; Jos, Nigeria) will graduate with honors in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations; he has also finished a major in Biochemistry and honors courses in Biology and Economics. After graduation Tamer plans to go to law school to study international and comparative law and then pursue a career in diplomacy.

David J. Becksvoort (Holland, MI) will graduate with honors in Mechanical Engineering and has also completed honors courses in English, Mathematics, and Psychology. He has interned with Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Group, working on the design and manufacture of center consoles. After graduation Dave hopes to work in the automotive industry as a mechanical engineer.

Peter J. Boldenow (Miami, FL) will graduate with honors in Biochemistry and has done additional honors work in History and Mathematics. His honors research includes work on antigenic variation in malaria and African Trypanosomes, and he has created a genomic library for a mutant strain of yeast. Eventually Peter hopes to attend graduate school in international public health.

Tanya M. Boldenow (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry, in addition to honors work in CAS, English, History, and Political Science. Tanya has conducted research on the production of TNFa and iNOS in the presence of drugs including Ibuprofen and aspirin. She hopes to work overseas for a year or two before attending medical school.

Paul M. Bosscher (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, having also completed honors courses in Mathematics and Physics. He has done research on radar technology, ergonomics, principles of beam deflection, and drill press design; recently he helped develop a computer program to analyze forces causing imbalances within a linkage used to drive a bread slicer. Paul will pursue a Ph.D. at Georgia Tech in robotics and controls engineering and would eventually like to be a professor.

Shawna T. Bouwers (Darlington, PA) will graduate with honors in Spanish and a pre-med concentration; she has also taken honors courses in CAS, Mathematics, and Philosophy. She is currently doing honors research on Central American sources for the 1932 massacre of 30,000 indigenous people in El Salvador. Shawna will spend a year possibly working for Americorps before going on to medical school.

Brent K. Bouws (Grandville, MI) will graduate with honors in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics; he has also done honors work in Economics. Some of his honors research involved the design and construction of a small refrigerator with a thermoelectric cooler that maintained a constant temperature inside the unit. Brent plans to seek an electrical engineering position in West Michigan.

Mara Joy Cooper (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Psychology and a major in Religion & Theology; she has also taken honors courses in CAS, English, and Philosophy. Her honors research focused on the "spotlight effect" (when people feel that others are observing them more closely than they are), studying a sample of 700 Calvin students and professors; this paper is being submitted for publication. She is currently studying the role of suffering in the writings of Teresa of Avila. Mara plans to take a year off before pursuing graduate work.

Brian P. De Jong (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. Brian analyzed a production machine for Oliver Products Company and developed an Excel workbook that calculated relevant dimensions and degrees for the dynamics of that machine. He also is analyzing the physical properties of a snare drum's head and will create a Finite Element Model to study the drum's vibrational response to being hit. Brian plans to go on to graduate school in Mechanical Engineering.

Allison L. Dekkinga (Jenison, MI) will graduate with honors in Business and a minor in Spanish, having also taken honors courses in Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology. Allison's honors research project deals with the effectiveness of virtual teams in the new economy. After graduation she plans to work as a Business Analyst for Deloitte Consulting in Detroit, and later pursue an MBA.

Kimberly S. DeWall (Spring Lake, MI) will graduate with honors in History and a minor in Archaeology, and has also taken honors courses in Classics, English, and Philosophy. She has research experience in Jordan and at Harvard's Semitic Museum and is writing her senior thesis on Late Antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean. Kim hopes to move to Boston and take more classes in preparation for graduate school.

Kathryn L. Dykema (Holland, MI) will graduate with honors in Nursing and a minor in Spanish, with other honors courses in CAS, English, and Psychology. She has done research on the power of music in medicine with an emphasis on pediatric clients, and also on electroshock therapy for psychiatric clients. After graduation she hopes to begin work as a full-time registered nurse and possibly work towards a master's degree.

Lise J. Evans (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Communication Arts and Sciences with a specialty in Theatre; she has also taken honors courses in English, Philosophy, and Psychology. Lise was a McGregor Fellow in 2000, researching Protestants in American film. For one of her honors projects she wrote and performed a one-woman show titled "Rational Behavior;" another, written with Terence Schoone-Jongen, was the script for an ethnographic play on gender relationships at Calvin. Lise hopes to go on to graduate school.

Chadwick C. Fauskee (San Diego, CA) will graduate with honors in Political Science and a major in Philosophy, in addition to honors work in CAS, English, and the semester program in Washington, D.C. Chad has worked for the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee in their press offices. His primary interests are media relations in politics and political philosophy. After graduation Chad plans to enter law school.

Christie J. Felsch (Ballina, New South Wales, Australia) will graduate with honors in Political Science and has also finished an interdisciplinary major in Japanese and Chinese. In addition, she has done honors work in English and Philosophy. Her honors research focused on the "one-child policy" in China, where she spent a semester studying demographic problems and the orphan situation. Christie plans to return to Australia and pursue a master's degree in International Social Development.

Jennie L. Fennema-Hengeveld (Kenosha, WI) will graduate with honors in Economics and a minor in Third World Development; she has also taken honors courses in CAS, Classics, History, and Philosophy. Her honors research involves a literature review and empirical study of how international trade affects income inequality, especially in developing countries. Jennie hopes to work for a few years as a research assistant in Washington, D.C. before going on to graduate school, possibly in Economics.

Jill K. Feyen (Grand Haven, MI) will graduate with honors in Spanish and a pre-med concentration, having also taken honors courses in English, Psychology, and Religion & Theology. She is currently doing honors research on the experience of Mexican migrant workers in the United States. Jill will be attending Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine next fall.

Beth A. Finch (Hinckley, IL) will graduate with honors in Art History, a pre-architecture concentration, and a minor in Spanish. She has also completed honors courses in English, Religion & Theology, and Philosophy. Her honors research includes projects on the importance of Chicago in the evolution of the skyscraper and a paper on new theories about the "emperor mystique" in early artistic representations of Christ. Beth plans to take a year off before entering graduate school in architecture.

Michael L. Gulker (Grandville, MI) will graduate with honors in Philosophy as well as a major in Religion & Theology, and other honors work in English. His honors research involved an investigation into Martin Heidegger's existentialism and its crucial divergence from Kierkegaard's concept of existence-in-relation-to-God. After graduation Michael plans to attend graduate school in Theology to study the relationship between developing African/Eastern Christianity and traditional Western Christianity, focusing on the role of the community in the spread of the Gospel.

Ryan D. Hunt (Stockton, CA) will graduate with honors in Political Science and a second major in Spanish; he has also completed honors courses in English, History, and Philosophy. He has done honors research on the Promise Keepers -- social or political movement? -- and is currently writing on China and the political future of Taiwan. He is also working with State Representative Steve Pestka in Lansing. Ryan plans to work in Washington, D.C. for a Latin American interest group, faith-based interest group, or a congressional office.

David L. Klamer (Byron Center, MI) will graduate with honors in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics, in addition to honors work in CAS and Chemistry. David has completed honors research involving truss design analysis and microprocessors. After graduation he plans to get married and work as an electrical engineer.

Douglas W. Klamer (Byron Center, MI) will graduate with honors in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics, in addition to honors work in Chemistry and Physics. He has done honors research on micro-controller boards, especially on how to evaluate them, reprogram them, and combine defective boards into functioning ones. After graduation Doug will work as an Electrical Design Engineer at Johnson Controls in Holland, MI.

Rachael L. Kuilema (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in both English and Religion. She has also taken honors courses in Biology and CAS, as well as medieval and Renaissance studies through the Honours Programme at CMRS, Oxford University. Rachael is currently writing an honors thesis on the poetry of George Herbert. After graduation she plans to take a year off and then possibly attend law school.

Gloriana Kuswanto (Malang, Indonesia) will graduate with honors in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry, in addition to honors credit in Mathematics and Philosophy. She has served on the Honors Student Council as well as the Student Senate. Her senior project was the design of an industrial- scale plant to make isopropyl alcohol from proylene and water. She has also done independent research on the role of water in the thermodynamics of proteins. After graduation she plans to seek employment in the area.

Joseph E. Lapp (Washington DC) will graduate with honors in English, a minor in Communications, and other honors work in Political Science and medieval & Renaissance studies through the Honours Programme at CMRS, Oxford University. Joe's honors thesis is a manuscript of his own original poems, with an introduction outlining his poetic theories in comparison with those of selected modern poets. After graduation Joe hopes to work for Americorps and "to live well."

Elisa C. Lauer (Mechanicsburg, PA) will graduate with honors in German and has also finished an interdisciplinary major in Studio Art and Art History. She has taken honors courses in CAS, English, History, and Philosophy, and has served on the Honors Student Council. She is currently doing research for her honors thesis on the Evolution of Berlin's Architecture as a Political Symbol. Elisa plans to study urban planning in New York City before continuing her education or moving to Portland to work.

Elena J. Lewis (Three Rivers, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology and has also completed honors courses in CAS and Philosophy. Her honors research includes a project with the Bissell Vacuum Cleaning Company which aimed to produce an efficient method of dust mite allergen removal. Her particular responsibilities involved the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure, testing the effectiveness of various chemicals Bissell has developed for allergen removal. Elena plans to go on to medical school.

Brendan D. Looyenga (Wyoming, MI) will graduate with honors in Biotechnology, a major in Biochemistry, and other honors credit in Religion & Theology and Philosophy. Brendan is doing honors research on two topics at the Van Andel Institute: one on the effects of plakoglobin loss in cell-cell adhesion and its implications for tumor metastasis, and the other on modelling Alzheimer's disease in mice. He will be presenting his results at a department seminar this spring and submitting his work for publication. Brendan plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in molecular biology.

Enesi O. Momoh (Jos, Nigeria) will graduate with honors in Biology with a pre-medical emphasis, and has also taken honors courses in Religion & Theology and Philosophy. He has completed an independent honors research project on the mammalian protein Galactin-3. After graduation Enesi plans to enter medical school.

Judy Myers Nelson (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Business with concentrations in Management and Finance. She has completed honors courses in Management, International Business, Economics, Accounting, and Religion & Theology. For her senior thesis, she is researching new employee orientation programs, exploring such aspects as their type, duration, depth, content, and level of formality. After graduation Judy will pursue an MBA and then seek a position in corporate management.

Ryan K. Noppen (Kalamazoo, MI) will graduate with honors in History, specializing in American and European; he has also completed a major in Latin, taken honors courses in Classics, and served on the Honors Student Council. His honors research includes an investigation of the Roman imperial cult and its legacy in the twentieth century, and a paper on American and German Influence in the Russian Civil War. Ryan plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Austro-Germanic History.

Halle S. Novak (Novelty, OH) will graduate with honors in History in the secondary education program; she has also earned a minor in Communications and taken honors courses in Classics, Economics, and Political Science, and she has served on the Honors Student Council for four years. Halle's honors thesis is a study of Calvin's relocation from the Franklin campus to the Knollcrest campus, and how this related to the trend of migration from urban to suburban areas in the 1950's and 1960's. She is currently doing independent research on British-American relations. Halle plans to marry Jamie Paauw and seek work in secondary education.

James D. Paauw (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry. He has also taken honors courses in Communications and served as a member of the Honors Student Council. Jamie's honors research focused on artificial tear solutions, which involved culturing cells, examining them under a high-powered microscope, applying artificial tears to the cells, and measuring the morphology and viscoelasticity. The results of this study have been submitted for publication. After graduation Jamie plans to marry Halle Novak and enter medical school.

Chandra D. Pasma (Woodstock, Ontario) will graduate with honors in both Political Science and French and a minor in Gender Studies. She has also done honors work in Philosophy and Psychology. Chandra has written a double honors thesis -- one in French on the creation of language legislation in Quebec, and another in English for her Political Science program, addressing the legal grounds for this legislation in the framework of international law. Chandra hopes to spend next year in France on an assistantship and then go to Canada for graduate school in Canadian government.

Janelle L. Kamerman Perez (Manhattan, MT) will graduate with honors in Communication Disorders and a major in Spanish; she has also taken honors courses in Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion & Theology. As a McGregor Fellow during the summer of 1999 Janelle worked on a study of language and literacy development in pre-schoolers. Her honors paper in religion, "Passionately Loving God," was recently nominated for the Beets Prize. After graduation Janelle plans to pursue a master's degree in speech and language pathology for neurologic rehabilitation, with a bilingual emphasis in Spanish.

Sarah A. Reynolds (Homewood, IL) will graduate with honors in Spanish, a second major in Economics, and minors in English, Mathematics, and Third World Development. She has also earned honors credit in CAS, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, and Religion & Theology. Sarah wrote her honors thesis on the development of "indigenismo" through four Latin American novels, and recently presented some of her results at the Michigan Academy of Arts and Sciences. After graduation she may study in Colombia or work in economic development with Hispanic immigrants in Chicago.

Priscila S. Ribeiro (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate in December with honors in Biology, a minor in Biochemistry, and other honors credit in CAS and Religion & Theology. She has done summer research at the Case Western Reserve Medical School and Calvin. This summer she will be working at the City University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Priscila plans to enter medical school after graduation.

Christina Rider (Wellsburg, IA) will graduate with honors in Biology, a minor in Biochemistry, and additional honors credit in CAS and History. Christina has done honors research on choroideremia, a genetic disease that is of special significance for her family, and has conducted lab work to genetically sequence one particular form of the disease. After graduation she plans to enter Physician Assistant School.

Daniald M. Rodrigues (Flint, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology and a major in Psychology. He has also completed honors courses in English and Mathematics, and serves as a member of the Honors Student Council. Dan has done research on the effects of jasmonate on soybean gene expression. After graduation he plans to take a year off and then may go on to medical school.

Sheri L. Schaaf (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in English and minors in Psychology and History. She has also completed honors courses in Religion & Theology. Sheri is currently working on an honors thesis comparing current trends in electronic and Internet publishing with the last important "revolution" in the way that society viewed reading: the invention of Gutenberg's printing press. She plans to take next year off before pursuing a master's degree in Library or Information Science.

Emily M. Schemper (Berwyn, IL) will graduate with honors in Psychology as well as honors credit in Communications. She has written an honors paper that compared three therapeutic approaches for treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Therapy and Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy. She is currently working on an investigation of attention, with a particular focus on auditory and visual distractors. Emily plans to take a year off before entering graduate school.

Terence G. Schoone-Jongen (Edgerton, MN) will graduate with honors in Communication Arts and Sciences with a specialty in Theatre. He has also earned a minor in Philosophy and honors credit in English, History, and Religion & Theology. Terence has worked with Lise Evans on an honors project, writing a script on gender relationships at Calvin based on transcriptions of interviews conducted last fall. They plan to produce and perform this ethnographic script for the public sometime in the spring. Terence plans to go on to graduate school in theatre.

Justin C. Smalligan (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Geology, as well as a group major in Mathematics/Physics and a minor in Archaeology. He has also completed honors courses in English and Political Science. Justin has done honors research on x-ray diffraction and mineral color and will be presenting his findings to the Geology Department in May. He is currently writing an honors geology paper on evolutionary theology. Next year Justin plans to teach English in China; after that he hopes to enter graduate school, either in theology or archaeology.

W. Ryan Steenburg (Philadelphia, PA) will graduate with honors in Communication Arts and Sciences, a minor in Japanese, and additional honors credit in Philosophy. He has served for several years as a member of the Honors Student Council. Ryan is currently doing honors research on the effectiveness of various communication styles in the lower elementary classroom, with special attention to the different styles of male and female teachers and the responses from male and female students. After graduation he plans to teach in a West Michigan elementary school.

Joseph C. Stubenrauch (San Rafael, CA) will graduate with honors in Classics and has also done honors work in English, Latin, Philosophy, and Political Science. He is currently involved in honors research on Ammianus Marcellinus and has also written on Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion. As a McGregor Fellow in 2000 Joe developed virtual tours of five Greek sanctuaries for a classical mythology website, and he has created vocabulary and grammar software for Latin students. Next year he plans to enter graduate school in medieval studies.

Philip D. Sugimoto (Kijabe, Kenya) will graduate with honors in Electrical Engineering as well as honors credit in Computer Science and Philosophy. In his honors research he has used VHDL (a hardware programming language) to read and write to a standard keyboard, after learning the appropriate protocols and working out the timing. He has also worked with 3-D AutoCAD, created a reflex tester, and built a computer program to find codes in the Old Testament. Philip's future plans include staying in the West Michigan area and working with a company doing hardware or software design.

Kevin M. Vander Schel (Wyoming, MI) will graduate with honors in Religion & Theology and a minor in Missions. He has also completed honors work in Classics and Psychology and spent two semesters studying patristic theology and Greek in the Honours Programme at CMRS, Oxford University. Kevin completed an honors project on Karl Barth's doctrine of election and is currently studying Jurgen Moltmann's doctrine of the Trinity. He is considering graduate study in Theology.

Johanna M. Verhoef (St. Catharines, Ontario) will graduate with honors in Nursing and has also done honors work in Biology and Political Science. Her honors research includes work on the development of competence in baccalaureate nursing students, and she has presented an honors paper on ethical issues involved in creating advanced directives for medical care. After graduation Johanna hopes to work as a registered nurse in pediatrics or neonatology; eventually, she would like to work in emergency medicine.

Joel F. Visser (McBain, MI) will graduate with honors in Chemistry and an Environmental Studies minor. He has also earned honors credit in CAS, Biology, and Political Science. One of Joel's honors research projects aimed at determining the lifetime of anti-stokes flourescence of sulfurhodamine-B. The flourescence of SRB was obtained using a DCM dye laser. Joel plans to enter graduate school in Theology.

Daniel B. Wells (Sunfield, MI) will graduate with honors in Music Theory and Composition; he has also completed a major in German and honors courses in English, History, Philosophy, and Political Science. As part of his honors work Dan has written a tutorial on Sampling (and the Kurzweil Sampler specifically), as well as a critical analysis of Alban Berg's "Wozzeck," with historical commentary. Dan plans to go on to the University of Michigan to study Music Composition.

John T. Wertz (Tecumseh, MI) will graduate with honors in Biology as well as honors credit in History and the history of science. He has completed honors research into the genetics of soybeen plants and the genetic identity / dissimilarity of two types of aster found on Calvin's campus. His honors thesis involved the making of a yeast cDNA library in an attempt to locate and identify two suppressor mutations to cdc44 (a cold-sensitive mutation in the DNA replication machinery for certain strains of yeast). John plans to pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology.

Anita Y. Woudenberg (Grand Rapids, MI) will graduate with honors in Psychology and minors in Music, Philosophy, and Political Science. She has also done honors work in CAS, Classics, and History and has served as a member of the Honors Student Council for three years. Anita's honors research included a study of the Enneagram, an ancient system of personality typing; in another project she analyzed the relation between law and psychology by studying the Children's Assessment Center, shadowing a Family Court Judge, and aiding a forensic psychologist. Anita plans to go to law school.

Michael P. Wright (Grandville, MI) will graduate with honors in Political Science and a minor in Asian Studies, as well as honors credit in Communications and Psychology. His honors research includes work on Canada's Reform Party, the role of China in the Vietnam War, the political thought of Marx and Mao, and Japanese politics. Michael learned Chinese through Princeton University's immersion program in Beijing last summer; after graduation he will return to China to enter Johns Hopkins University's program in Nanjing.

Jessica S. Yarch (Alpena, MI) will graduate with honors in Classics as well as a major in Religion & Theology and a minor in Archaeology. She has also done honors work in Greek, History, and Philosophy. Among her honors projects Jessica has researched Gorgianic rhetoric as reflected in Plato, and hermeneutical questions related to women preaching in the church. At present she is working as an intern at the Van Andel Museum. She plans to take a year off before going on to graduate school.