AMES, IA (01/21/2015)(readMedia)-- Several ISU students volunteer every year with the Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championship, held at the Iowa State University College of Engineering.

Sara Dohrmann (senior in industrial engineering and engineering sales) of Davenport, Iowa

Emily Knight (junior in civil engineering) of Moline, Illinois

• Team members look on as their LEGO robot executes a command in the Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championship.: http://app.readmedia.com/news/attachment/64212/1421852533-FLL_1.jpg
• Cy takes an opportunity to take a photograph with one of 72 teams competing in the Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championship.: http://app.readmedia.com/news/attachment/64213/1421852627-FLL_4.jpg
• Crowds and media gather to watch two teams take their turn on one of eight competition tables at the Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championship.: http://app.readmedia.com/news/attachment/64214/1421852648-FLL_2.jpg

AMES, Iowa (January 21, 2015) - More than 7,980 Iowa State University undergraduates have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the 2014 fall semester Dean's List.

Students named to the Dean's List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work.

Students listed below who qualified for the Dean's List are from your area.

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HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, CURRICULUM Bettendorf, IA

Michelle Lee Anderson, Child, Adult, and Family Services
Alison Marie Aquino, Kinesiology and Health
Hannah Kristine Bankson, Elementary Education
Elizabeth Claire Bartlett, Animal Ecology
Megan Lynn Beck, Mechanical Engineering
Reid Chandler Behrens, Civil Engineering
Katelyn M. Bell, Industrial Engineering
Alaina Marie Berkenbosch, Pre-Business
Jamie Marie Blaser, Event Management
Laura K. Blaser, Biology (AGLS)
James Dewey Boddie, Software Engineering
Kellen Matthew Bohn, Kinesiology and Health
Zachary P. Bowerman, Political Science
Shelby Ann Brandt, Marketing
Isaac G. Bries, Electrical Engineering
Jared Michael Brown, Marketing
Maria Frances Brown, Engineering
Kailey Victoria Bueker, Elementary Education
Kelly Marie Butcher, Psychology
Dallas Donnell Carter, Mechanical Engineering
Griffen Gerald Clark, Software Engineering
Anne B. Cramond, Supply Chain Management
Michael Anthoney Day, Industrial Design
Nicholas Richard Deasy, Architecture-Professional Degree
Kathleen Dilley, Elementary Education
Rachel Erin Dolehanty, Elementary Education
Tyler Frank Dunlavy, Mechanical Engineering
Kaitlyn Marie Dvorak, Kinesiology and Health
Dillan P. Dwyer, Mechanical Engineering
Zachary J. Edwards, Accounting
Brendan David Elizondo, Interdisciplinary Studies
Safwan Elkhatib, Kinesiology and Health
Kierstyn Feld, Pre-Architecture
Evan Nolan Foley, Computer Engineering
Kevin Lee Garter, Forestry
Ian Casey Graham, Mathematics
Jeffrey Curtis Haacke, Management Information Systems
Alexander James Hanson, Journalism and Mass Communication
Allison Marie Harmon, Elementary Education
Andrew J. Hartman, Computer Engineering
Andrew Russell Healey, Construction Engineering
Lucy Gladwin Heiderscheit, Psychology
Colin David Helland, Mechanical Engineering
Kyle Craig Hollenback, Aerospace Engineering
Sarah Wade Huber, Electrical Engineering
Tessa Nicole James, Dietetics (H SCI)
Ellen Bernice Justis, Music
Jennifer Leanne Klindt, Agricultural Business
Benjamin Michael Krause, Environmental Science (AGLS)
Alexander Ernest Krist, Civil Engineering
Christopher Ross Lamphier, Supply Chain Management
Michelle J. Larsen, Industrial Engineering
Anne Elyse Leners, Mechanical Engineering
Andrew M. Lensch, Construction Engineering
Kera Linn, Dietetics (H SCI)
Lance Tyler Lipovic, Graphic Design
Sarah Maikon, Open Option (LAS)
Margaret Maneca Martens, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Jennifer Lynn Martin, Psychology
Maxwell Ryan McDaniel, History
Jill Christine Mekalson, Hospitality Management
Alexander C. Menke, Mechanical Engineering
Tyler Benjamin Meseke, Biology
Amanda Lauren Miller, Kinesiology and Health
Austin J. Miller, Mechanical Engineering
Sarah Elizabeth Miller, Genetics (LAS)
Wage Franklin Miller, Electrical Engineering
Mary Kate Misak, Event Management
Catherine Helen Mullen, Biology (AGLS)
Sean Keller Mullen, Mechanical Engineering
Mary Nuernberger, Veterinary Medicine
Emily M. Oswald, Psychology
James Vance Park, Biology
Ashley Marie Parry, Open Option (LAS)
Regina Annette Pauly, English
Nathaniel Allen Perk, Mechanical Engineering
Kyle Robert Perkins, Pre-Business
Erica Mae Peterson, Chemical Engineering
Katelynn E. Piotter, Early Childhood Education
Tobey Charles Pribyl, Mechanical Engineering
Rimjhim Rawat, Software Engineering
Lexie Renee Reed, Animal Science
Erin Kathleen Robinson, Mechanical Engineering
Holly Marie Schroeder, Kinesiology and Health
Caleb D. Schulze, Electrical Engineering
Emily Jean Schwake, Animal Science
Grant Bradley Sherrard, Animal Science
Hunter Cole Sickels, Political Science
Amrinder Singh, Biology (AGLS)
Jacob Oliver Smidt, Aerospace Engineering
Patrick Hadley Smith, Biology
Dylan Andrew Snyder, Materials Engineering
Joshua C. Thompson, Mathematics
Mallory Michelle Till, Pre-Business
Erin Cathleen Toohey, Biology (AGLS)
Emory Stephen Traicoff, Mechanical Engineering
Sara Ann Turke, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Heather M. Vandewostine, Veterinary Medicine
Kevin Michael Wagner, Psychology
Mengyu Wang, Aerospace Engineering
David Clay Weinstein, Software Engineering
Karson Gene Westerkamp, Elementary Education
Hannah Lyn Whitty, Kinesiology and Health
Kelsi Shea Wolever, Environmental Science (AGLS)
Robert W. Wright, Industrial Engineering
Marcelious A. Wyatt, Construction Engineering
Samantha Christine Zust, Kinesiology and Health

Davenport, IA

Ellen Kathleen Argo, Child, Adult, and Family Services
Jessica Lynne Bennett, Journalism and Mass Communication
Kayla Marie Boche, Interdisciplinary Studies
Emily M. Brimeyer, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Joshua Jerome Byrne, Animal Ecology
Alissa Calsyn, Genetics (LAS)
Courtney Ann Clevenger, Elementary Education
Kaitlin Rose Clevenger, Event Management
Neal Robert Crooks, Aerospace Engineering
Walter Jeffrey Dedoncker, Civil Engineering
Elizabeth Marie Doebel, Mathematics
Kate Marie Fennelly, Marketing
Samuel Richard Fer, Materials Engineering
Jason Lee Fredericks, Management Information Systems
Mackenzie M. Garlock, Chemical Engineering
Bridget Mary Garnica, Advertising
Derek Roger Geiken, Mechanical Engineering
Sydnie N. Gengler, Chemical Engineering
Christine Megan Gulasy, Pre-Industrial Design
Kylie Kathleen Hamerlinck, Pre-Business
Travis John Hattery, Chemical Engineering
Matthew Joseph Heinrichs, World Languages and Cultures
Jiselle Alexa Henderkott, Public Relations
Samuel M. Hipple, Mechanical Engineering
Andrea Marie Holtman, Elementary Education
Reed Andrew Jennings, Civil Engineering
Jacqueline Blake Johnson, Pre-Computer Science
Malcolm Andrew Kelly, Mechanical Engineering
Joseph Valarius Kern, Construction Engineering
Thomas David Kimler, Electrical Engineering
Mary Katherine Kirk, Psychology
Emerald Patricia Klauer, Graphic Design
Joseph Edward Kopacz, Mechanical Engineering
Kathryn A. Leidahl, Pre-Business
Matthew John Luebbe, Materials Engineering
Amanda Margaret Malin, Political Science
Lindsay Renee Matthews, Meteorology
Joseph McGovern, Computer Engineering
Vanessa Lynn McNeal, Child, Adult, and Family Services
Paige M. Mercer, Animal Science
Danielle Robin Moore, Biological Systems Engineering
David Edward Moore, Supply Chain Management
Shawn Nguyen, Industrial Engineering
Claudia Nicole Nuci, Early Childhood Education
Elspeth Morgan Petersen, Chemical Engineering
Zachary Richard Petersen, Construction Engineering
Julie Pham, Open Option (LAS)
Alex James Pogue, Computer Science
Brylee S. Raupp-Timmons, Computer Engineering
Caleb Anthony Redman, Computer Engineering
Louis Alonzo Redmond, Software Engineering
Brad James Ryan, Chemical Engineering
Hope Elizabeth Scheffert, Software Engineering
Kristina Seier, Biology
David Michael Severson, Electrical Engineering
Michael Shepard, Management Information Systems
Aaron Wayne Stechmann, Industrial Technology
Melanie Stoss, Chemistry
Sally Ann Stringham, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Kendall Gene Tawney, Animal Science
Jessica Nichole Thomas, Graphic Design
Nguyen Le Tran, Electrical Engineering
Thao Tam Tran, Interior Design
Jesse Benjamin Trujillo, Mechanical Engineering
Cale James Unzicker, Pre-Architecture
Kayla Christine Vance, Environmental Science (AGLS)
Sarah Jane Vance, Graphic Design
Madison K. Walker, Biology (AGLS)
Kelley Danielle Wallace, Kinesiology and Health
Katherine Michelle Walton, Psychology
Kelsie Deanne Witt, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Connor S. Young, Biology

Moline, IL

Evan Daniel Aubry, Landscape Architecture
Allison Michelle Boyle, Elementary Education
Ashley Michelle Dodson, Psychology
Aubrey Elizabeth Foulk, Environmental Science (AGLS)
Kara Elizabeth Hutton, Communication Studies
John Daniel Kerch, Industrial Technology
Rajath Krishnan, Pre-Computer Science
Morgan Taylor McCarthy, Mechanical Engineering
Danika Marie Schroeder, Linguistics

Rock Island, IL

Ryan Joseph Bush, Industrial Design
Charles Thomas Eagle, Mechanical Engineering
Raul Hernandez, Mechanical Engineering
Julianna C. Jespersen, Animal Science
Joseph Michael Johnson, Mechanical Engineering
Sydnie Odel McNeal, English
Andria Marie Mendoza, Kinesiology and Health
Jordan Chase Turnbull, Statistics

WASHINGTON, D.C. ?In a 7-2 ruling in Department of Homeland Security v. MacLean, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the federal government's attempts to eviscerate protections for employee speech under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). In upholding a federal air marshal's claim that he was improperly fired by the Transportation Security Administration after he leaked to the media a plan by the TSA to remove air marshals from long distance flights as a cost-savings measure, the justices affirmed a lower court ruling that federal agencies may not issue regulations that remove the protections of the WPA for certain information, requiring exemptions be specifically approved by Congress.

In an amicus curiae brief filed in the case, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute argued that government agencies should not have the power to unilaterally determine what kind of information federal employees are forbidden from disclosing, asserting that this would further tip the balance toward agencies, allowing them to exploit their rulemaking powers to target legitimate whistleblowers acting in the interest of public safety.

The Supreme Court's opinion and The Rutherford Institute's amicus brief in DHS v. MacLean are available at www.rutherford.org.

"Ironically, while the Department of Homeland Security continues to push its 'See Something, Say Something' campaign urging Americans to report suspicious behavior to the police, call it in to a government hotline, or report it using a convenient app on their smart phone, the government doesn't take kindly to having its dirty deeds publicized and, God forbid, being made to account for them," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. "Unfortunately, this is par for the course for the Obama administration, whose actions, ranging from its reliance on secret courts, secret laws and secret surveillance in order to sidestep the rule of law to its relentless pursuit of whistleblowers, fly in the face of its claims of transparency."

Having formerly served in the U.S. Air Force and as a border patrol agent, Robert J. MacLean volunteered to serve as an air marshal in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Air marshals are federal law enforcement agents who travel undercover aboard commercial airliners. In July 2003, MacLean and other air marshals were briefed about a specific and imminent terrorist threat to long-distance flights. Despite the warning, less than three days later, MacLean and other air marshals received a text message from their superiors cancelling all overnight missions, thereby removing air marshals from long-distance flights. Believing the text message to be a mistake, MacLean contacted his superiors who confirmed the message and told MacLean this was being done to save money on overnight hotels, overtime and other travel allowances. After failed attempts to raise his concerns with independent investigators, MacLean alerted an MSNBC reporter to the government's plan to remove air marshals from many flights. The news report aired without identifying MacLean. The story produced outrage in Congress, and the DHS soon rescinded its order. MacLean's role as a whistleblower was revealed three years later, at which time, the TSA fired him for disclosing "sensitive security information" (SSI). Although the text message removing air marshals from long distance flights was not classified as SSI when it was sent, the DHS issued an order classifying it as SSI retroactively. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sided with MacLean, ruling that he was entitled to argue that he was protected by whistleblower laws after he was fired by the TSA in 2006. However, lawyers for the Obama administration disputed that ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming that it effectively permits individual federal employees to override the TSA's judgments about the dangers of public disclosure.

This press release is also available at www.rutherford.org.

Nova Singers, under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, presents two performances of Journeys and Transformations Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Kresge Recital Hall, Knox College, 500 South Prairie, in Galesburg, and Sunday, February 15 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 Brady Street, Davenport.

This program combines standard repertoire that many people will have heard before with exciting new pieces, all of them connected by their texts. The theme explores different kinds of journeys and the ways in which these journeys can change us. Familiar works include Vaughan Williams' extraordinary Three Shakespeare Songs, Rautavaara's darkly intense Suite de Lorca, and a Latin work by William Byrd. New works include Joby Talbot's sweet and joyful Santiago.

Artistic Director Laura Lane says, "All of us in Nova Singers are thrilled with the music on this program. Every piece is completely different from every other piece. I think audience members will love hearing the traditional sounds of Vaughan Williams and Byrd.  But I admit that I am most excited about Santiago, from 'Path of Miracles' by Joby Talbot.  Twenty minutes long, it tells the story of a group of people on a pilgrimage that draws thousands of travelers each year down an ancient route in northern Spain, arriving in Santiago's Cathedral. In English, with little bits of Latin interspersed, this gorgeous and dramatic piece has moments of sweet introspection and pure joy.  The climax of the work, when we see Santiago for the first time and realize we're going to make it, is incredibly moving. I think the experience of seeing Nova Singers perform this work live will be an unforgettable one for everyone who attends the concert."

Nova Singers, a professional vocal ensemble under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, hopes to share our musical soul with you.  Nova Singers is known for the beauty and charm of our sound, and for the intimacy and playfulness of the concert experience for our audience members.

Tickets will be available at the door. Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for seniors. Students are admitted free of charge. For information about tickets, recordings, or other Nova Singers events, call 309-341-7038, or e-mail nova@knox.edu or like our Facebook page.

 

 

Journeys and Transformations is sponsored by Blick Art Materials and Galesburg Cottage Hospital.  Nova Singers' 2014-2015 season is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

 

 

This concert is supported with Quad City Arts Dollar$ funds, provided by Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Doris and Victor Day Foundation, and Deere and Company.