FINALIST - 2007

Michael Werner Here, at the convergence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, interwoven across time and space, are the stories of thousands of Lafayette students. My story begins at this corner of the world, at the Lafayette Boathouse, where every afternoon my fellow rowers and I test the limits of our strength. Like the generations of rowers before us, we know that competition strengthens the mind as much as it does the body. And as we grow as academic and athletic competitors, so does Lafayette as an institution. As I have changed and grown, crew has unified my time at Lafayette. Each day it brings me back to the water, to the rhythm of the oars. This internal clockwork has driven me to challenge what can be accomplished in a given day and to prioritize what is truly important over what is superfluous. By being on the water, I realized how much I enjoyed the outdoors and how important the natural beauty of the world was to me. Environmental protection became a keystone of my academic career. I became involved in various organizations and discovered that leading and planning events provided an enjoyable and fulfilling diversion from schoolwork. Most importantly, I was introduced to ideas that gave me renewed purpose, and for the first time I moved with the strength and conviction on land that I had strived for on the water. This is but one of many stories that contribute to the story of Lafayette. Hopefully, by finding my own strengths, I have somehow strengthened Lafayette. Indeed, I happily graduate knowing that even though my footprint is small, it has shaped the greater Lafayette saga in some way.

 

Majors: Biology and Geology
Thesis: Reduced Tumor Progression Following Introduction of CCL5 in the 168 Murine Mammary Carcinoma

Academic Activities

• Marquis Scholar (1,2,3,4)
• EXCEL Scholar with Prof. Robert Kurt on "Influence of CCL5 on T cell proliferation." Coauthored "Functional and molecular alterations in T cells induced by CCL5" in Immunological Investigations (2)
• Nalven Summer Fellowship, supported EXCEL research, awarded to student with interest in environmental science and research (2)
• Senior Thesis, Biology - "Reduced tumor progression after introduction of CCL5 in the 168 murine mammary carcinoma” (4)
• Sigma Xi, honors society for scientific research (4)
• The Dyson Award in Geology, awarded to a junior who exemplifies the ideals of James L. Dyson (3)
• Willis Roberts Hunt Prize in Biology, awarded to seniors who demonstrate the most promise for a career in biology (4)
• College President’s Award, Army ROTC merit (1)
• National Conference for Undergraduate Research, paper presentation, "Metastatic Analysis of the 168 murine mammary carinoma following introduction of CCL5” (4)
• McKelvy Scholar, McKelvy Paper, "A Dying Man’s Request,” which documents a physicist and his assistant who claim to have derived a safe method for treating nuclear waste (3)

Campus Activities

• LEAP, president, member. Responsibilities as president included fundraising, recruiting, leading board and general meetings, overseeing progress of various subcommittees (2,3,4)
• Jazz ensemble, trumpet (1,2,3,4)
• Brass ensemble, trumpet (1,2,3,4)
• Green Committee, student liaison, acted as student voice regarding campus energy and recycling issues (2,3)
• Student Ambassador, hosted prospective students overnight (2,3,4)
• Teaching Assistant, General Biology Lab (4)

Community Service

• Alternate School Break, worked for Habitat for Humanity in John’s Island, South Carolina (1)
• Geology Club, helped teach Cub Scouts about basic geology (4)
• Flood Recovery, collaborated with the Northampton Long-term Recovery Committee to recruit Lafayette students to help restore property damage along the Delaware River (3)
• Books for Africa, helped organize book drive, sending over 1000 pounds of books from Lafayette (3)
• March Field Clean-Up, helped organize the recycling of aluminum and plastic otherwise to be disposed following events on March Field (2,3,4)

Athletics

• Crew Club, varsity men’s 4+ and 8+ events (1,2,3,4)

Special Interest

• Ralph Nader Lecture, fundraised and hosted former presidental candidate to speak about the status of environmental issues following the 2004 elections in April 2005 as part of LEAP’s Earth Week (2)
• Overpopulation Forum, organized and served on panel including local state representative, professor of environmental law, and local environmental activist in April 2005 as part of LEAP’s Earth Week (2)
• Wind Energy Panel, organized and served on a panel including a wind energy representative and civil engineering professor discussing the environmental benefits and flaws of wind energy as part of Parents Weekend 2005, entitled "Recycled Energy” (3)