Through scholarships, fellowships and meaningful connections, Galileo Circle members are making a positive impact on the lives of students and faculty in the University of Arizona College of Science (UA Science). The Galileo Circle was formed in 2001 to support and nurture both established and budding scientists and now has more than 280 members.
In 2013, Galileo Circle members provided scholarships to 145 UA Science undergraduate and graduate students. More than 800 scholarships have been awarded since the group’s inception.
UA Eller College of Management Professor Emeritus Robert E. Tindall was inspired to join the Galileo Circle and support UA Science after reading the November 2010 Arizona Daily Star special section Science: Exploring Our World and Ourselves. He was intrigued by the insect-robot work of Charles Higgins, a UA associate professor of neuroscience. Soon after, Tindall and his partner of more than 35 years, Linda Lynn, established a Galileo Circle scholarship endowment.
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The 2013 recipient of their endowed scholarship is Amanda Levy, a UA senior scheduled to graduate in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and cognitive science and minors in chemistry and in mathematics. She is investigating the role of glial cells in olfactory system development in the laboratory of neuroscience professors Leslie Tolbert and Lynne Oland. Amanda exemplifies UA Science’s long-established tradition of engaging undergraduate students in research.
As Professor Tindall learned more about UA Science, he became excited about providing additional funds for a freshman or sophomore to gain research experience while working in a paid internship. He focused on the UA department of ecology and evolutionary biology because of its research efforts in conservation biology.
Johanna Ouanzin is the first student to be awarded the internship. She is supervised by Pacifica Sommers, a doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology. Ouanzin has been working with Sommers on numerous projects including one on how invasive non-native species such as buffelgrass affect the biological diversity of native species.
Sadly, Professor Tindall passed away in July of 2013, but his legacy lives on through the science students who will benefit from his gifts to the Galileo Circle and UA Science. In his honor, a second endowment was established, the Professor Robert Tindall Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Undergraduate Research Internship Endowment in the College of Science.
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