Three Luther College faculty members receive Doris and Ragnvald Ylvisaker Endowments

Michels, Moore, Hawley

Three Luther College professors—Jane Hawley, Olga Michels and Holly Moore—have received Doris and Ragnvald Ylvisaker Endowment grants to support summer work on projects suitable for publication or to be presented outside the Decorah area.

Hawley, a Luther professor of dance, is doing research which emphasizes understanding the body as a vehicle of expression, and the realization of self through continuous study of mind/body interdependence.

Michels, a Luther professor of chemistry, has started a project focusing on curcumins (the yellow color of the spice tumeric) as potential drug targets in photodynamic drug therapy (PDT). The researchers are looking at how a series of these curcuminoid drug tragets interact with Human Serum Albumin (HSA) as it is the most abundant protein found in human blood plasma.

Moore, an associate professor of philosophy, is examining the relationship between the methods and philosophy of Plato's dialogues.