News Archive
Westminster Biology Professor Uses Past to Determine Future of Trees
Dr. Clarence Harms, Westminster College professor of biology emeritus, will present a biology lunch seminar, "Historical Ecology, Using the Past to Manage the Future," Thursday, April 28, at 12:30 p.m. in Phillips Lecture Hall located in the Hoyt Science Resources Center.
"I will examine the ecological features of our immediate area, beginning with Native American practices of clearing the forest by fire and Europeans claiming ownerships by government fiat," Harms said. "The lands we now call Lawrence and Mercer Counties were among those given to Revolutionary War veterans in lieu of salary. These so called Donation Lands were surveyed in a system call Metes and Bounds,' where property was marked and measured from adjoining property using natural landmarks. Those landmarks were mainly trees that today we call Witness Trees.
"Those trees are gone now, but their record remains. By looking at the survey records and plots of the late 1700s and noting which Witness Trees were mentioned, we get a reasonable picture of species diversity in pre-settlement forests. We are using this data to configure a Microforest, a five-acre former pasture at the Field Station where we are planting only those species that could have been in our region."
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Harms at (724) 946-8520 or e-mail harmsc@westminster.edu.
Al Staggs to Perform at Westminster College
Al Staggs, a national entertainer from New Mexico, is bringing his nationwide tour to Westminster College Monday, Feb. 27, at 11:40 a.m. and 7 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel.
Staggs, who served as a Baptist minister for 24 years prior to becoming a full-time performance artist, will present "Theologians in Residence: Clarence Jordan and Dietrich Bonhoeffer."
The morning performance will center on Jordan, author of "The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John." Jordan, along with Millard Fuller, co-founded the Fund for Humanity which later became Habitat for Humanity. Jordan's life and ministry were a contemporary demonstration of a radical commitment to follow the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.
In the evening performance, he will portray Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was one of the only Lutheran pastors in Nazi Germany to speak out against the treatment of Jews and was executed for his efforts in 1945. Bonhoeffer is also the author of several books including: "Letters from Prison," "The Cost of Discipleship," and "Life Together."
Both events are free and open to the public. Contact the Rev. Jim Mohr, Westminster College Chaplain, at (724) 946-7116 or e-mail mohrjr@westminster.edu for more information.
Westminster College Presents Piano Showcase Nov. 10
Eleven Westminster College students will perform a variety of piano solos and duets Monday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra Swings into Westminster College
Westminster College will host the Glenn Miller Orchestra Tuesday, April 24, at 8 p.m. in Orr Auditorium. This benefit concert will provide scholarship funds to assist Westminster students from Lawrence and Mercer counties
Westminster College English Professor to Deliver Bleasby Colloquium
Dr. David Swerdlow, associate professor of English at Westminster College, will discuss his life as a writer Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in Hoyt Science Resources Center room 166.
Westminster College Ranked Third in Graduation Rate Performance by U.S. News
Westminster College is among the nation's best in enhancing the educational achievement of its students, according to a national study released today.
We Have Weather
As I write, on a Monday near the end of winter, we have snow on the ground and new flakes are falling. We sometimes attach value-words to weather - good weather, bad weather - as if our feelings or preferences should affect nature! Weather is to climate as one day on the job is to a career. Weather data, when accumulated, give us a picture of climate. We generally describe climate in terms of averages or means of temperature fluctuations, precipitation (including snow) and wind. We describe weather by the immediate, or daily, conditions that prevail.
Student Makes Presentation
Kristin Nelson, a Westminster College senior sociology-criminal justice and English major, presented her capstone research Oct. 27 at a meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society.
Westminster College Welcomes Class of 2012 with Opening Convocation Aug. 22
Westminster College will welcome the class of 2012 with the traditional Opening Convocation Friday, Aug. 22, at 1:30 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.
Language in Motion Students to Make Presentations
Fifteen Westminster College students in the Language in Motion program will make presentations at area schools this spring.
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