Archive: Around Town

The Hagedorn Fund recently awarded $45,000 to Wells College. Of this gift, $30,000 was designated to support the purchase of equipment for the physiology laboratory. Additionally, $15,000 towards the College’s annual fund will immediately benefit the College’s daily operations.

Physiology, the study of the function of organisms, is an integral part of the biology curriculum at Wells. Courses promote learning by practice and emphasize hands-on laboratory learning.  Understanding physiology is critical for students entering the health professions, and the planned purchase of laptops, treadmills, and equipment kits for measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide in exhaled breath will allow students to investigate the connections between metabolism, diet, and exercise.

 “Better, more thorough training in human metabolism is especially important for our students, because currently, over 50% of the American public is overweight. There has also been a serious increase in numbers of individuals with Type 2 diabetes since the 1970s. Both of these chronic health concerns are fundamental problems of diet and metabolism,” said Associate Professor of Biology Christina Wahl “The generous grant from the Hagedorn Foundation also replaces other old, worn-out Physiology teaching equipment that is mismatched and difficult to work with.”

The funds awarded by the Hagedorn Foundation will enable Wells to upgrade its laboratory equipment so it is functional, intuitive, and easy to use. This will enable students to learn using the same state-of-the-art equipment found in professional physiology labs, link physiology theory with practical laboratory application, and maximize the utilization of laboratory time, resulting in improved student learning and satisfaction.

The Hagedorn Fund was established in 1953 by William Hagedorn in memory of his late wife, Tillie. William Hagedorn’s daughter Ruth graduated from Wells College in 1930. When William Hagedorn appointed his daughter to assume philanthropic oversight of the Hagedorn Fund, Ruth began a history of annual gifts to Wells. Upon her death, the trustees of the Hagedorn Fund have recognized Ruth’s commitment to Wells by continuing to make yearly gifts to the College.

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