School

In Victorian England a group of scientists lead by T.H. Huxley formed a dining club called the X Club (that is X as in Roman numeral ten, not the letter). The initial intent of the group (which was actually only comprised of 9 members) was to provide a venue for friends to stay in touch, but they became quite influential in promoting science as a professional pursuit.

Yesterday I joined the august ranks of Juniata’s X Club. As opposed to the narrow exclusivity of Huxley’s group, Juniata’s Ten Year Club recognizes anyone who has provided the college with ten years of service.  It was a nice luncheon that included roasts of all the new members and some sweet ten year bling: a pewter plate with the college’s seal and my name engraved on it. I have displayed in my office and placed it under the protection of my elite dinosaur guards.

I team teach our Biology II course and my half of the semester is drawing to an end. I am currently proctoring their second (and final) test for me before my colleague Jill Keeney takes over.They have been a really good class to teach – very responsive in lecture and clever. Of course, please don’t tell them that or it will spoil my reputation as an unapproachable meanie. This is what the middle third of the class looks like (my computer camera can’t quite capture the panoramic grandeur of the entire class).

No noticeable beads of sweat yet. But its early.