Dear Fellow Phi Betes:
Before you cheer or bemoan the election results and get bogged down in holiday plans and end-of-year activities, please take a moment to renew your membership in ΦBKNCA. You may not realize it, but all current memberships expire on Dec. 31, 2007. Perhaps you think you have already joined our Association because you have already sent a check to National. (See "Membership Fact Sheet", below.) If you did not receive a September newsletter, it was because you had not paid your 2007 dues.
Why should you part with $30 to renew your ΦBKNCA membership, or even contribute more? Membership contributions and participation in our programs are fundamental to our success. Membership in our Association offers you an opportunity to help fund Scholarships and Teaching Excellence awards, meet new people, attend enjoyable, intellectually stimulating programs, and benefit from being part of an award-winning organization. Members will also be listed in, and will receive at no charge, our 2008 Membership Directory, a valuable reference published once every three years.
Because volunteers run our Association, your contributions directly benefit our Scholarship and Teaching Excellence recipients. Your generous support in 2007 enabled us to award ten $5,000 graduate scholarships and four $500 teaching excellence honoraria. A list of these extraordinarily talented awardees appears below. With your help, we hope to be able to continue to honor such outstanding scholars and teachers.
Respectfully submitted,
, President
New membership drive for 2008. Every membership is significant
Please take time today to return the enclosed envelope with your 2008 dues and donations
This year we are making a change to our yearly November membership campaign. All of you who have been members at some time in the last few years will receive the usual November newsletter containing an envelope for your 2008 dues. Please return this to us as you have in the past.
In addition, to increase our membership this year, we will be sending out a letter a few weeks later to try to reach other people initiated into ΦBK who have never joined our local Association. Since the list for this mailing comes from the national Society, it may also reach some of you in spite of our efforts to prevent bothering you again. If you receive such a letter and have already sent in your dues, we apologize. And, if you have not as yet renewed, we hope this second reminder will encourage you to renew your membership for next year.
Letitia Sanders, Third Vice President – Membership
A common question about membership: "Didn't I already join the Northern California Association? I sent a check to Phi Beta Kappa in Washington, D.C." To clear up the confusion implicit in this question, here is a brief primer on the differences between the national Phi Beta Kappa Society and our Northern California Association of Phi Beta Kappa.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society (ΦBK) in Washington, D.C.
Once you are initiated into Phi Beta Kappa - usually in your senior year in college - you become a lifetime member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. The Society sends out yearly solicitations for donations and sustaining memberships in order to maintain its services at the national level. It also publishes a newsletter called The Key Reporter and the quarterly The American Scholar. The Society's website at www.pbk.org provides an excellent source of additional information about the national organization.
Phi Beta Kappa, Northern California Association (ΦBKNCA)
Today there are 58 active ΦBK alumni associations across the nation that support the aims of the national Society by promoting the value of a liberal arts education and awarding scholarships. Our Association, ΦBKNCA, ranks among the top in the nation, not only in the size of our membership, but also in the number of social activities we sponsor and in the amount of scholarship money that we raise and distribute each year. National recognized our efforts by an award at the 2003 Triennial, and our Asilomar conference has been featured in articles in the 2006 summer and fall issues of The Key Reporter.
Our primary goals:
- Recognizing excellence in teaching by honoring professors nominated by former students who belong to ΦBK. This past May at our Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner we awarded certificates and honoraria to four outstanding professors.
- Helping outstanding graduate students by granting scholarships. Each year we award graduate scholarships; this year we awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships to ten deserving students. (Both the professors and the students are listed below.)
- Providing opportunities for our members to get together socially, often for private tours of educational or cultural institutions. (See pages 4-7 of this newsletter for examples of both our tour offerings and our wonderful Asilomar Conference.) All of our events serve as social opportunities, as well as fundraisers for our scholarship program
- Publishing the Directory of Members in 2008; a booklet issued once every three years, listing all members who made timely payment of their 2008 dues to ΦBKNCA. This will be sent free to all members included in the Directory.
Our Board consists of hard-working, dedicated, and talented volunteers who run ΦBKNCA. Unlike National, we have no paid employees. That means the only significant costs we need to cover are postage and printing of our newsletters, and every three years, a directory. Therefore, we are able to put our members' dues and donations directly into our Scholarship and Teaching Excellence funds.
Please join ΦBKNCA in 2008 by sending in the enclosed membership envelope.
Tasha Ann Fairfield, Political Science, UC Berkeley
Ryan Daniel Gold, Geology, UC Davis
Natasha Teutsch Hausmann, Integrative Biology and Ecology, UC Berkeley
Sara Elizabeth Little, Medicine, UCSF
Glen E. Michael, Medicine, UCSF (Norall Family awardee)
Robert Mitchell Pringle, Biological Sciences,
Stanford (Elizabeth Reed awardee)
Heather Anne Swanson, Cultural Anthropology,
UC Santa Cruz
Shumin Tan, Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford
Christopher Scott Weinberger, English and Japanese,
UC Berkeley
Janet Gloria Yang, Biochemistry and Biophysics, UCSF
Tasha Fairfield (UC Berkeley; political science) graduated from Harvard with a degree in physics. She went to Stanford to study high-energy physics but decided she wanted to do less theoretical work, so she changed focus and got an M.A. degree in Latin American studies. Her dissertation project focuses on the political problem of extracting revenue from Latin America's undertaxed economic elites (specifically in the ABCs--Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile).
From her recommendations come these comments: Tasha is an intellectual powerhouse who has identified a research topic that is particularly critical and woefully understudied. The stakes are enormous.
Ryan Gold (UC Davis; geology) graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Even early in his studies, he "played a central role in helping craft an NSF proposal strong enough to be successful in its first submission." For his dissertation he'll be measuring the slip rate at which the most important fault system in the interior of the India-Asia collision zone has moved over the past 10,000 years. Different measures have come up with wildly varying answers.
From his recommendations come these comments: Ryan has a rare talent for doing really great science. He is able to combine knowledge from various subdisciplines to make new discoveries. And he's an excellent teacher.
Natasha Hausmann (UC Berkeley; integrative biology and ecology) was elected to ΦBK at Wellesley. She has conducted studies in Arctic Alaska and, closer to home, at Point Reyes. Her dissertation focuses on how invasive grasses have altered the soil fungal communities in California and aims to identify the factors that affect diversity so that we can better manage our grasslands.
From her recommendations come these comments: Natasha is highly motivated, creative, a skilled experimentalist, an articulate speaker, and an accomplished writer. Her students praise her intelligence, attention to details, and sensitivity to individual needs.
Sarah Little (UCSF; medicine) was a Harvard economics major. At UCSF she is studying the intersection of economics and clinical medicine--"cost-effectiveness research." She has done much work in ob/gyn and hopes to become an academic perinatologist with a research focus on the economic issues concerning high-risk obstetrical care.
From her recommendations come these comments: Sarah is the single best medical student I have ever worked with at Harvard or UCSF. Without hyperbole, she has been the most productive medical student or resident I have ever mentored. She is also humble.
Glen Michael (UCSF; medicine) comes to California from the University of Virginia. He has worked as an EMT with the Department of Homeland Security and the Primal Quest Expedition-length Adventure Race in the Sierra Nevada. His focus is on finding--and creating--opportunities to unite academic inquiry with community service. In Virginia, he helped to establish a local free clinic for the underserved, and at UCSF he helped create fitKids, a local organization devoted to providing outdoor excursions for at-risk youth.
From his recommendations come these comments: Glen has great professionalism and empathy and is truly exceptional at the bedside. During a leave of absence [to care for a terminally ill family member] he also spent time tutoring disadvantaged high school students, took up carpentry, and constructed a small cabin.
Robert Pringle (Stanford; biological sciences) was elected to ΦBK at the University of Pennsylvania, then took a few years off to earn two MSc degrees (with distinction) from Oxford. As he noted in his application, "My career is dedicated to the following proposition: academic theory has an essential role to play in mediating conflict and engineering harmony between nature and society, but those solutions must marry sound, generalized science with place-based socio-cultural understanding. This is a philosophy that demands to be taken out of abstraction and applied." With these principles in mind, Rob will continue to work on implementing the kinds of changes necessary to improve the efficacy and equity of biological conservation.
From his recommendations come these comments: Rob was flat out the best undergraduate "volunteer" that I have had from any U.S. university working with my 25-year-old biodiversity project. He has a wonderful breadth of interest and ability and a dazzling list of accomplishments (including co-captaining the Penn tennis team and holding it together when the coach resigned).
At present (January 2008) he's working in Kenya with Professor Todd Palmer of the University of Florida, studying "mutualism." The PBKNCA grant helps support him in this research.
The thorny acacia trees of East Africa live in close harmony with ant colonies, and each depends on the other for health and survival - but disrupting that relationship can lead to death and danger, scientists have discovered.
And that, they say, could threaten the habitats of Africa's largest animals in many regions of the continent.
Normally, the huge swollen thorns on the branches of the scrubby trees provide housing for the ants, and they feed on rich nectar from the base of the acacia leaves. In exchange, the tiny biting insects guard and protect the trees by swarming out to repel big browsers like elephants and giraffes that would otherwise feed destructively on the acacia leaves.
The entire article is in the "San Francisco Chronicle", January 11, 2008, main section, "Tiny changes can trigger big evolutionary shifts," by David Perlman (Chronicle Science Editor), p. 6 (in dead-trees version), or online.
Shumin Tan (Stanford: microbiology and immunology) came to the United States from Singapore and did her undergraduate work at Washington University, St. Louis. She is using live-cell, time-lapse imaging to focus on H. pylori, which colonizes the stomachs of more than half of all humans worldwide. Chronic infection by H. pylori is a major cause of gastric and duodenal ulcer disease and an early risk factor for gastric cancer.
From her recommendations come these comments: Shumin has exceptional talent and productivity, tremendous dedication and discipline. Her work is original and innovative, and she has all the makings of a great researcher and teacher.
Heather Swanson (UC Santa Cruz; cultural anthropology) did her undergraduate work at Princeton. Even then she was working on the salmon-human relationship and developed a comprehensive science education program for pre K-12 students in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington (her home grounds). For her dissertation she will go farther afield in her examination of the salmon-human-environment interaction, comparing and contrasting salmon management practices in northern Japan and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, looking at the social ecologies within which management decisions are made.
From her recommendations come these comments: Heather is dedicated, original, and inventive, brilliant and knowledgeable. She is an unusually talented scholar who writes with clarity, precision, and grace.
Christopher Weinberger (UC Berkeley; English and Japanese) was elected to ΦBK at Williams College. He is the only student ever permitted to work on two simultaneous Ph.D.s in the humanities at UC Berkeley. In 2005 he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor award and currently holds the record for the highest student evaluations ever in the English department. He hopes to pioneer a comparative history of literary theory in the United States and Japan.
From his recommendations come these comments: Chris's presentations and seminar papers have ranged from merely very smart to truly brilliant. He is a sophisticated conceptual thinker, and he truly believes that teaching literature and culture can have humane, ethical consequences, and can make us better human beings.
Janet Yang (UCSF; biochemistry and biophysics) did her undergraduate work at Yale. Currently she is using the tools of enzymology and quantitative analysis to understand chromatin remodeling. Through her use of analogy and metaphor she communicates her findings to an audience not experienced in reading scientific findings. Through UCSF's Science and Health Education partnership she works with teachers to introduce kindergarteners to the wonders of science.
From her recommendations come these comments: Janet is a brilliant woman, likely to have a huge impact on scientific research and education. In less than two years in this lab, she has provided the first mechanistic explanation for a process that has been a mystery for ten years.
, Second Vice President – ScholarshipsΦBK NCA has for many years made annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each award consists of a handsome certificate and a $500 honorarium. All members of ΦBKNCA are encouraged to nominate a teacher who made a special contribution to their development. Eligible nominees are faculty members of the eight universities of Northern California that harbor ΦBK chapters: Mills College, San Francisco State University, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of the Pacific. Although the university at which the nominee teaches must have a ΦBK chapter, the nominee need not be a member of ΦBK.
The following outstanding Professors were honored at the Annual Dinner on May 6, 2007
John Boe
University Writing Program
University of California, Davis
Paul Groth
Department of American Studies
University of California, Berkeley
Masahiko Minami
Foreign Languages and Literatures Department
San Francisco State University
Ananya Roy
Urban Studies Department of City and Regional Planning
University of California, Berkeley
, Chair, Teaching Excellence Committee
ΦBK NCA 22ND ANNUAL ASILOMAR CONFERENCE
PRESIDENTS’ DAY WEEKEND,
FEBRUARY 15-18, 2008
Deadline for reservation – December 1
“Interpreting Science, Literature, and the Law”
Come to our annual conference, have fun, stimulate your intellect, relax, and contribute to ΦBKNCA graduate student scholarships. We strive to enjoy ourselves, yet keep expenses low, so most of your registration fee goes to fund scholarships and is tax deductible.
If you are new to ΦBK or the Northern California Association, you are especially welcome. Dress is casual. Do not be concerned about the weather. February’s occasional showers are often preferable to summer’s dense fog. In addition to the program, there is time to explore the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other attractions in the area. You may come late and leave early. You may even skip parts of the program. No one takes attendance or gives exams.
Our program theme, “Interpreting Science, Literature, and the Law,” involves a number of outstanding speakers:
• Dr. Marcia McNutt, Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, on interpreting oceans.
• Professor Kermit Roosevelt III, University of Pennsylvania Law School (and Theodore Roosevelt’s great-grandson), on interpreting the work of the Supreme Court.
• Dr. Ed Granger, optical engineer, on interpreting visual reality and optical illusions.
• James D. Houston on interpreting his 8th novel, Bird of Another Heaven (2007).
• Jeanne Wakatasuki Houston on interpreting her latest novel, The Legend of Fire Horse Woman (2003).
• Dr. John Churchill, Secretary, National Phi Beta Kappa, on interpreting the liberating arts.
Following the small-group discussions, we shall assemble before dinner for a wine-appreciation session with Robert and Judy Hodgson, owners of Fieldbrook Valley Winery, noted for their national and international awards.
We shall continue “T’ai Chi Before Breakfast” every morning from 7:15 to 7:45. Our instructor will be Cynthia Fels, a popular senior trainer, certified in T’ai Chi for Health. She is replacing ΦBKNCA’s Diane Bishop, our leader last year, who has moved to the east coast.
Prior to lunch and departure on Monday we shall stretch our legs and have a choice of taking a docent tour of the Monarch butterfly habitat or a park-ranger tour of Asilomar’s flora and architecture.
The conference begins with registration Friday, February 15, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM in Hearst Social Hall and ends after lunch on Monday, February 18. There will be a reception for newcomers from 5:00 to 6:00 PM We dine from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in Crocker Dining Hall. Opening remarks and our first speaker are scheduled for 7:30 PM in Fred Farr Forum.
How much does the conference cost? For three nights’ lodging and eight meals beginning with dinner on Friday and ending with lunch on Monday: $363.55 per adult, double occupancy; $586.30 single occupancy; $211.27 youth (ages 3-17). A fee for using Asilomar facilities is included in the price of housing. If you live off-campus, Asilomar will add this nominal fee to your meal ticket.
Please spread the word. Bring guests, family or friends, and encourage your fellow Phi Betes to join us in 2008. Just fill out the coupon on page 8 and send your $100 registration fee to Jae Emenhiser, 2898 Sand Pointe Dr., McKinleyville, CA 95519. Phone: (707) 840-9094. Email jaepat@suddenlink.net. As soon as I receive your check, I will send you the housing form for you to return directly to Asilomar. The deadline is December 1, 2007.
Mark your calendar now and plan to attend Presidents' Day Weekend, February 15-18, 2008, with your Phi Beta Kappa friends at magnificent 107-acre Asilomar, “Refuge by the Sea,” in Pacific Grove between Carmel and Monterey.
Respectfully submitted,
, Asilomar Chair
The Board is still trying to form a group of young Phi Betes who might want to have their own activities. However, our first problem is what constitutes a "young Phi Bete." Traditionally for organizations, the cut-off age for "younger" members is 40. But as far as we are concerned, if you still have hair which is not completely gray and feel young at heart, and especially if you want to be in charge of some event, you qualify.
It seems the best way to communicate with younger members is through our website, so please check it out to see if anything is happening for those of you who don't remember life before TV.
Asilomar "Interpreting Science, Humanities, and the Law" February 15-18, 2008 
ΦBK NCA Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner - Sunday, May 4, 2007
Tour of the Audubon Canyon Ranch: The Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Saturday, May 17, 2008 
Tour of the Buck Institute on Aging - July 17, 2008