Alumnus Blair Hedges, professor of biology at Penn State University, and Sudhir Kumar, professor of life sciences at Arizona State University developed the Timetree of Life initative - a resource that charts when living species and their ancestors originated. "TimeTreeWeb" (http://www.timetree.org), an innovative online resource, and a book titled "The Timetree of Life" (Oxford University Press), written by a consortium of 105 experts and edited by Hedges and Kumar, were released to the public in June 2009.

MEES graduate Richard Arnold became the fourth Terp in space, as a member of the NASA STS-119 crew. The Shuttle Discovery  launched on March 15 and traveled to the International Space Station (ISS). During the 14-day mission, Arnold was scheduled to take three space walks to install the fourth and final set of solar array wings and a truss element for the ISS.

Stephen T. Quigley, a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Naval Reserve, died peacefully on Sunday, March 8, 2009, at his home in Washington, DC, at the age of 88 after a long illness. Often referred to by colleagues as the admiral-chemist, his long and distinguished career included serving as the Commissioner of Administration in Minnesota, founding director of the Dept. of Chemistry and Public Affairs at the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC, and as special assistant to five successive Chiefs of Naval Operations in the Pentagon.

Max Christian (M.S., ’06, CONS) was one of the employees of Namaste Solar (based in Boulder, CO) who was present when the economic stimulus bill was signed in Denver on Feb. 17. (Pictured second row from the back, fifth from the right.) Christian has had a long interest in energy issues, and organized a very successful conference sponsored by the College of Chemical and Life Sciences in 2006 on peak oil. He had a letter published in the October 16, 2008 issue of Nature about biodiversity and oil in Ecuador: “Last chance to save one of world's most species-rich regions.” Read the letter.

Dr. Patricia Steeg (Ph.D., '82, Zoology) was awarded the Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in December 2008 – the highest honor conferred by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As Chief of the Women's Cancers Section in National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Dr. Steeg was recognized for her work in tumor metastasis, identifying the first metastasis suppressor gene and bringing this research to clinical trial, as well as pioneering work on brain metastasis of breast cancer. She also serves as Deputy Head of the Molecular Oncology Center of Excellence at NCI, Deputy Editor of Clinical Cancer Research, and President of the Metastasis Research Society.

Dr. Eileen Klein (B.S., ’84, Microbiology) was named a 2008 "Top Doc" by Seattle Magazine for pediatric emergency medicine. Dr. Klein is an M.D., M.P.H. in the Emergency Department of Seattle Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center, and received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1988.

Roberta B. Ness, M.D., M.P.H., (B.S., ’80, Microbiology) a recognized expert in women's health research, was named dean of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in November 2008. She is the M. David Low Chair in Public Health and a professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control. She is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Epidemiology.

The University's Health Professions Advising Office was renamed the Drs. John W. Reed and Victoria L. Yorke (Reed-Yorke) Health Professions Advising Office on Friday, October 24, 2008. Alumna Dr. Victoria Yorke provided an endowed gift in memory of her husband, Dr. John W. Reed which will provide need-based scholarships for exceptional students in the sciences intent on going to professionals schools of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine.

In August 2008, Dean Norma Allewell and Chairs, Michael Doyle and Richard Payne hosted notable Chemistry alumna Marianne L. Horinko ’82, former acting administrator of the EPA. She came to campus with her business partner, Justin Oberst, of the Horinko Group, to explore mutually beneficial partnerships.

Dr. Joseph Yazdi (B.S, Zoology, '90) became the second neurosurgeon at the Southern Illinois Brain and Spine Center at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. The Center treats a wide range of conditions, from herniated discs to brain tumors. Born in Iran, Dr. Joseph Yazdi grew up in Maryland and earned a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1990 at the University of Maryland College Park, targeting a career in marine biology. He chose to study neurosurgery in medical school at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia.