Professor Nigel Brush Retires

Also retiring at the end of the spring semester is Dr. Nigel Brush, professor of Geology.

Growing up in Coshocton County surrounded by house-sized blocks of sandstone and fields speckled with flint and arrowheads, Dr. Brush developed an early interest in geology and archaeology.

After graduating from West Holmes High School, he entered the Cincinnati Bible Seminary, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in English Bible, and held student ministries in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. His interest in Christian Apologetics later resulted in the publication of two books: The Limitations of Scientific Truth (2005) and The Limitations of Theological Truth (2019).

At The Ohio State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and also took master's-level classes in Anthropology, he participated in the excavation of an Early Woodland (Adena) burial mound, a Late Woodland village at the Water Plant Site, and also worked in the archaeology lab with data from the Malyan Project in Iran. As a student at the University of Southampton in England, where he received a Master of Arts in Archaeological Method and Theory, he worked on a rescue excavation at Stonehenge. Dr. Brush received his doctorate in Anthropology at UCLA and worked as a research associate in the UCLA Radiocarbon Laboratory, as an accessioner in the Haines Museum of Cultural History, and participated in a UCLA field school excavation of a rock shelter in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu.

After returning to Ohio to conduct his dissertation research, Dr. Brush surveyed a 200-square-mile area in Holmes and Coshocton counties and located some 300 rock shelters that had been utilized by Native Americans. He subsequently conducted excavations at 30 of these sites with the help of volunteers, teachers from local schools, and students from The Ohio State University, The University of Akron-Wayne College, Kent State University and The College of Wooster, where he taught classes in anthropology, geology and environmental studies. In order to house and display the artifacts being recovered from these excavations, he helped found the Killbuck Valley Museum of Natural History and served as its curator for 10 years. During this period, he also conducted excavations at three 19th-century sites along the Ohio-Erie Canal in Summit County and excavated the Martins Creek Mastodon in Holmes County.

While at Ashland University, Dr. Brush began surveying the Walhonding Valley in Coshocton County, located 20 Late Prehistoric villages and conducted excavations at five of these sites. In order to facilitate this work, he and three colleagues founded the Ashland/Wooster/Columbus Archaeological and Geologic Consortium that would eventually involve more than 100 amateurs, semi-professionals, and professionals in various projects, including the excavation of the Cedar Fork Mastodon in Morrow County and field work at the Serpent Mound Impact Crater in Adams County. This work resulted in 24 articles and two book chapters. In retirement, Dr. Brush hopes to continue working on some of these projects and develop a career in writing.

Professor Merrill Tawse Retires

This year's retiring faculty were recognized for their years of service during a luncheon on Monday, May 10 with President Dr. Carlos Campo, Provost Dr. Amiel Jarstfer, CAS Dean Dr. Dawn Weber and other respective deans. The faculty members were presented with an engraved silver tray acknowledging their dedication to Ashland University.

Mr. Tawse arrived at Ashland University 11 years ago with AU's acquisition of the MedCentral College of Nursing where he had been teaching in the Science Department. It has been a most rewarding capstone career after having spent his first 34 years in outdoor education. He has found the students, staff and faculty members Ashland University to be truly an inspiration, which made the decision to retire a difficult one.

As a field biologist Mr. Tawse has worked with 21 different research students on a variety of independent field-based research projects, including four Honors capstone projects. The other field research projects have ranged from determination of prey selection by insectivorous bats, radio telemetry to determine locations of bat hibernacula, the determination of territorial and nesting areas through radio tracking of marsh birds of special concern in AU's Wetlands, polyploidy of Ambystomid salamanders, the comparison of lead levels in birds from hunting preserves to those of AU's wetlands and several bio Inventory surveys at different Ashland University preserves.

In his time at the University, Mr. Tawse has been involved in Faculty Senate, the setting up of the University's cadaver lab, was a member of the Taylor Teaching Award committees, made two trips with biology students to Costa Rica with Dr. Schmidt-Rinehart, assisted in securing additional wetlands for AU's Preserves, served on numerous faculty search committees and assisted with public programing at the nature preserves.

Mr. Tawse also is a recipient of the Taylor Teaching Award. He has been honored to have been a part of the Ashland University community. Being able to work, interacting with and be mentored by such a great group of colleagues in the Biology/Toxicology Department has made this a tremendous experience for which he is extremely grateful.

Ashland Alumna earns Chemistry Ph.D.

 AU biochemistry alumna Mallorie Boron (’13) recently completed her Ph.D. in Clinical-Bioanalytical Chemistry at Cleveland State University.  While at Ashland, she worked with Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer to study the leaching of cadmium from inexpensive, high-cadmium jewelry and was very involved in the student American Chemical Society group.  She recently took some time to answer some questions about her Ph.D. research and how her work at AU prepared her for graduate school

What was your Ph.D. research about?

My dissertation research had two main projects. Both projects focused on thrombomodulin (TM), a protein involved in maintaining homeostasis and inflammation. In my first project I studied how THP-1 monocytes and macrophages express TM differently. TM is mostly studied in its endothelial cell form and its role in monocytes and macrophages is poorly understood. It was found that macrophages express TM in lesser amounts than monocytes. This observation led to my second project, which was to reintroduce TM to the cell surface of macrophages. Our lab has developed a recombinant form of TM that retains only its anticoagulant properties and I modified it to contain a cholesterol anchor. The cholesterol anchor allows for the recombinant TM to quickly anchor into the plasma membrane of macrophages. This potentially allows macrophages to be a cell-based anticoagulant therapeutic.

What is your current position, or your plans?

I am currently working as a visiting scientist in my graduate lab but am looking for my next job.

How did your time at Ashland prepare you for the future?

My undergraduate coursework at AU definitely gave me an edge entering graduate school. The small class sizes allow professors to engage students better and allow for a better learning atmosphere, which I directly benefitted from. The main advantage the AU science program has over other universities is its lab courses. I was able to gain critical hands-on experiences with many different instruments with engaging assignments. The ability to do independent research also strengthen my laboratory skills and strengthened my love for research. I owe a lot of my success to the AU chemistry department and the wonderful professors who taught me.

Do you have any advice for students preparing for graduate school?

My best advice for students preparing for graduate school is to find a project that you find interesting and an advisor you can communicate well with. You will be spending a lot of time with your project and it is more fulfilling if it is a story you find meaningful.