High school students do college-level research
Two Montclair High School students who participate in the University's
Weston Science Scholars Program presented their research at the fifth
annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological
Sciences, held at the University of Maryland.
For the past two summers, high school juniors Kevin Kim and Vishal Shah
have been working closely with Quinn Vega of Biology and Molecular Biology
on serious research. "The first year Kevin and Vishal worked on standard
molecular techniques, specifically trying to increase the ability of getting
DNA into bacteria," Vega explained. "For the second session,
they expanded their project considerably, spending the summer analyzing
the amino acid sequence of a particular protein, identifying what they
felt were key amino acids and then mutating these amino acids."
The pair are among the high-achieving students chosen to spend five weeks
in the summer conducting in-depth research with Montclair State faculty
members. The program is made possible by a grant from the Josh Weston
Family Foundation.
Student comes close to taking home $5,000 prize
Night owls may have caught Montclair State student Suffiyah Webb on the
Nov. 12 episode of the game show "Weakest Link" that aired at
2 a.m. on channel 2.
Now Webb can reveal the secret she's been keeping for a month. (A $350,000
fine prevented Webb and the other contestants from speaking about the
results before the show aired.) And although she didn't win, Webb was
one of two contestants left vying for the $5,000 grand prize, going head-to-head
in a sudden death round against a student from Boston College. Students
knocked out in earlier rounds were from Cornell University, the University
of Wisconsin at Green Bay, West Virginia State and Rice University.
TheatreFest holds playwriting contest
TheatreFest, the professional Equity theater-in-residence at Montclair
State, is seeking submissions for its 6th annual Regional Playwriting
Contest. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 7.
The contest was established in 1998 to encourage, promote and develop the work of American dramatists. It is open to playwrights born or living in New Jersey, New York or Connecticut. Scripts must be original, unpublished and previously unproduced. Click here for more information about the contest.
"TheatreFest strives to be at the forefront in developing and presenting new and important voices in American theater," said John Wooten, TheatreFest's artistic director. "The contest gives playwrights a public forum to have their work developed and produced. The contest is the only one of its kind in this area."
There's still time to 'Picnic'
Don't miss William Inge's drama "Picnic" in Memorial Auditorium.
Performances are 8 p.m. Nov. 21-23 with a 1 p.m. matinee Nov. 22.
In "Picnic," a handsome drifter rides the rails into a small
town in Kansas in 1955, the morning of the Labor Day picnic. His appearance
changes the lives of everyone he encounters, causing them to confront
their passions, desires, shattered dreams and frustrations. This romantic
drama, suffused with small-town charm and friendliness, is a slice-of-life
dealing with human beings under stress, as well as providing insight into
people who yearn for greater things.
The play won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Drama Critics Circle Award
in 1953. Leading the student cast are Dan Johnson as Hal Carter, Angela
Wyman as Madge Owens, Stephanie Colombino as Flo Owens, Elizabeth Brechtold
as Rosemary Sydney, Colleen Finnegan as Millie Owens, Brian Parks as Howard
Bevans, David Arsenault as Alan Seymour, Tara Henderson as Helen Potts,
Dana Giampiccolo as Irma Kronkite, Tiffany Olson as Christine Schoenwalder
and Ben Clawson as Bomber.
"Picnic" is directed by Jim Ligon; production stage manager
is Dana Bondet; scenic design is by Nick Triccoli; lighting design is
by Jill Witte; costume design is by Chelsea Harriman and sound design
is by Joe Correa.
For tickets, call the Box Office at 973-655-5112.