Biology

We live in fascinating times. On the one hand, it is OK to detail the most intimate aspects of a woman's reproductive health in congressional testimony and to demand "free" birth control pills from employers and/or the government. It is also OK to label those who object to such public displays of personal choice and state-sponsored free love as leading a "war on women. " On the other hand, it is also OK for those who hew to the same ideology as that above to condemn a woman who chooses to raise her children for a living as someone who "never worked a day in her life.

Pamela Furness Engel, an Anne Arundel County biology teacher and teaching adviser, died of pancreatic cancer May 16 at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. She was 58 and lived in Linthicum. Born Pamela Furness in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville and Columbia, she was a 1971 Atholton High School graduate. She earned a degree in biology at what is now McDaniel College and had a second degree in education at the Notre Dame of Maryland University, as well as a master's degree in biology from Towson University.

Pamela Furness Engel, an Anne Arundel County biology teacher and teaching adviser, died of pancreatic cancer May 16 at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. She was 58 and lived in Linthicum. Born Pamela Furness in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville and Columbia, she was a 1971 Atholton High School graduate. She earned a degree in biology at what is now McDaniel College and had a second degree in education at the Notre Dame of Maryland University, as well as a master's degree in biology from Towson University.

We live in fascinating times. On the one hand, it is OK to detail the most intimate aspects of a woman's reproductive health in congressional testimony and to demand "free" birth control pills from employers and/or the government. It is also OK to label those who object to such public displays of personal choice and state-sponsored free love as leading a "war on women. " On the other hand, it is also OK for those who hew to the same ideology as that above to condemn a woman who chooses to raise her children for a living as someone who "never worked a day in her life.

Roselyn Elizabeth Hammond, a retired Morgan State University biology professor who often entertained at the piano, died of cancer Sept. 3 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Ashburton resident was 72. Born Roselyn Elizabeth Brown in Grambling, La., she was the daughter of Bienville Parish educators. Known as Rose, she excelled in science. She earned a biology degree at Grambling College and won a scholarship to Ohio State University, where she earned a master's degree in science education.

Not all addictions live up to their advance press. In the past decade, it's become common to casually and humorously describe a favorite activity in the parlance of chemical dependency. People speak of being "addicted" to chocolate or high-fat foods, playing video games, buying expensive designer shoes, watching weekly episodes of "American Idol" to sleeping on high-thread-count sheets. But according to "The Compass of Pleasure," a new book by Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David Linden that is being released today by The Viking Press, just two of those pursuits -- eating fatty foods and shopping -- can become genuine addictions for some people.

Richard Leavitt Hilton Jr., who taught biology for 30 years at Towson University, died of a heart attack Sunday at St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 69 and lived in Towson. Dr. Hilton was born in Fall River, Mass., and raised in Manchester, Conn., and Providence, R.I. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree in botany in 1960 from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. In 1968, he earned his doctorate in phycology from the University of Arizona. Dr. Hilton joined the faculty of what was then Towson State College in 1972, and remained as a professor of biology until his death.

H. Elizabeth Cully, a retired biology lab assistant for Baltimore County public schools, died of a stroke Sept. 16 at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The Towson resident was 86. Born in Baltimore and raised on St. Paul Street, H. Elizabeth Herrlich was a 1934 graduate of Eastern High School and earned her bachelor's degree from Goucher College. She became a social worker with the city's former Department of Public Welfare, and worked for the post office during World War II. In 1962, she became a biology lab assistant -- first at Western High School in the city and later at Ridgely Junior High and Dulaney High School in the county.

This isn't the way Nathan Amoth expected to approach biology. "It's one of the only classes that I have that actually makes you think instead of going, sitting, listening, maybe doing some busywork and going home," said the 14-year-old freshman at Broadneck High School in Annapolis. "It's like my hardest class in the whole day." On a recent morning, Amoth and his classmates were studying the salinity of the Chesapeake Bay, which varies with time of year and proximity to the ocean. Teacher Randy Stevens asked them to predict salty water's effect on various organisms: rockfish, oysters, bay grasses.

Dr. Carl S. Weber, who had been a founding faculty member at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and taught biological sciences there for nearly four decades, died of lymphoma Sept. 20 at his Odenton home. He was 70. Dr. Weber was born in Hartford, Conn., the son of German immigrants, and raised in Milford, Conn., and Dallas. A musical prodigy, he was sent at age 13 to study at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He earned a bachelor's degree in music from Southern Methodist University in 1957.

In a recent column, Dan Rodricks ("The absurd arguments against same-sex marriage," Feb. 2) failed to interact with the actual points I made in my testimony against redefining marriage in Maryland. I pointed out that "the law is a teacher" and predicted that "birth rates would fall" because "[w]e would teach that procreation is no longer a uniquely important public interest. " Mr. Rodricks responds that "gay and lesbian couples have found ways of having babies. " This says nothing about whether we would maintain a "replacement rate," or plunge into demographic crisis, like we see in Japan and many European countries.

Andrew Vaziri , of Lutherville, earned the distinction of faculty honors for fall 2011 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. The following students from The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. conferred degrees on during the 208th Commencement ceremonies held in December. Jafar A. Ohiokpehai , of Lutherville, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Colette A. Shade of Towson, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Carmen French, of Lutherville, was named to the dean's list for the fall 2011 semester atQuinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn.

Employees from the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently afforded 24 high school students in Joppatowne High School's pre-engineering program the opportunity to experience real-world research and development processes conducted at ECBC. The group of juniors and seniors traversed a wide range of engineering career fields, and they were able to interact with subject matter experts that specialize in areas such as rapid prototyping, 3D laser scanning, and robotics detection.

Albert Einstein once said the reason he was able to accomplish so much was because he had "stood on the shoulders of giants" like Newton and Galileo. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist's remark was a reminder how much scientists depend on discoveries made by others. The system depends on the free and unfettered exchange of ideas, which is why the government's effort to restrict publication of research that it says could be used by terrorists has sparked a controversy over how to balance the need for openness against concerns that certain kinds of information might be misused.

Guy Thomas Germana Jr., a retired Woodlawn High School educator, died Sunday of a heart attack at his Millersville home. He was 81. Mr. Germana was born and raised in Atlantic City, N.J., where he graduated from public schools. He served in the Navy for two years in the early 1950s and earned a bachelor's degree from Bloomsburg State College in Bloomsburg, Pa., which he attended on a football scholarship. Mr. Germana, who taught biology for more than 20 years at Woodlawn High School, also taught the school's first honors program in entomology.

Roselyn Elizabeth Hammond, a retired Morgan State University biology professor who often entertained at the piano, died of cancer Sept. 3 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Ashburton resident was 72. Born Roselyn Elizabeth Brown in Grambling, La., she was the daughter of Bienville Parish educators. Known as Rose, she excelled in science. She earned a biology degree at Grambling College and won a scholarship to Ohio State University, where she earned a master's degree in science education.

Maryland's high school seniors are having more difficulty passing their biology and English exams than tests in the other two subjects, according to data released recently by the Maryland State Department of Education. Statewide statistics released at the state board meeting last week showed that, overall, 83 percent of students in the Class of 2009 had passed all the High School Assessments required to receive a high school diploma. Special education students and those who are learning English as a second language were struggling the most.

Guy Thomas Germana Jr., a retired Woodlawn High School educator, died Sunday of a heart attack at his Millersville home. He was 81. Mr. Germana was born and raised in Atlantic City, N.J., where he graduated from public schools. He served in the Navy for two years in the early 1950s and earned a bachelor's degree from Bloomsburg State College in Bloomsburg, Pa., which he attended on a football scholarship. Mr. Germana, who taught biology for more than 20 years at Woodlawn High School, also taught the school's first honors program in entomology.