WNC News & Notes: Alum to begin post-doctoral work in Germany

Western Nevada College professors remember Amanda Heiderman as the local girl who loved science and wanted to study the stars. Today, her dreams are coming true. Heiderman has been accepted for postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, even as she puts the finishing touches on her doctorate.Heiderman has pursued her Ph.D. at the University of Texas, with completion expected this fall, according to Robert Collier, director of WNC’s Jack C. Davis Observatory, and one of Heiderman’s professors and mentors. She met Collier at a college career fair, where her self-proclaimed goal was to introduce herself to a physics instructor.“Robert gave me a book and we went to his office and talked,” she said. “He later became my mentor and inspired me all the time.”After attending WNC in 2001-02, Heiderman went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2005, followed by a master’s degree in astronomy from Texas in 2008.“I admire her so much, and she’s made us all so proud,” said Collier. “She’s a unique individual. She had a goal in high school, and she hasn’t deviated one second from it.”Course on Tap for Science TeachersNew science teachers and students preparing for the teaching profession can learn inexpensive and effective ways to develop science experiments in the classroom. WNC will offer Science for Teachers-Special Topics in Educational Professional Development (EPD 295-1001, class No. 92432, one unit), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays, Oct. 6 and 20, at WNC Carson City.The class includes hands-on activities that demonstrate how to facilitate active experiments and apply science standards in the classroom, using limited resources and common classroom items. The class is co-taught by WNC physics professor Dr. Thomas Herring and education professor Dr. Michelle Rousselle.For information/registration: 445-3000 or my.wnc.edu.Lone Mountain Writers Seeking Literary Submissions Literary work is being accepted for the 2013 Lone Mountain Writers art exhibition, “Truth is Beauty: The Keatsian Eye,” at Western Nevada College.Submissions may include poetry and prose, and there no is no fee associated with submitting work (only accepted material). The theme is seeing truth in the strange, the discarded and the wounded. Submit work to exhibition curator Trishia Haahr at trishiah26@yahoo.com by Nov. 19. The literary/photographic art show will open in January/February 2013.Tickets Available for ‘Hello, Dolly!’ ProductionThe Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company will present “Hello, Dolly,” on weekends Nov. 3 through Nov. 18, at the Carson City Community Center. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There also is a Saturday matinee on Nov. 17. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, 9, 10 and 16 and 17, and 2 p.m. Nov. 4, 11, 17 and 18. Jerry Herman’s score accounts the story of the fast-talking, lovable matchmaker Dolly Levi as she cultivates three romances while arranging her own. The same creative duo that produced the local box-office hit “The Phantom of the Opera,” producer/director Stephanie Arrigotti and choreographer Gina Kaskie Davis, is in place for this production. Starring as Dolly is Dianne Hale, who plays opposite Kirk Gardner as Vandergelder. Matt Coogan plays the store clerk Cornelius, who escapes with Gene Sitts as Barnaby to find adventure in New York. There, they find the beautiful Irene Molloy and her chatterbox assistant, Minnie Fay, played by Monica Ricketts and Melody Ricketts. The show is accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Kevin Murphy.Tickets are $25 and $28 and are available online at www.wnmtc.com or can be purchased by phone at 445-4249. Late Start Fall Classes AvailableWNC offers numerous short-term classes, which begin after the start of the semester for students who are looking to build new job skills or enhance personal interests. More than 50 credit and non-credit classes are still available. For information, www.wnc.edu or 445-3000.