Grads

Grads

Dan Hopkins (biochem ’04) recently gave a talk on Namibia for the Magic Carpet Program at the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont. Dan is the founder and owner of GrassTrack Safaris, an adventure travel company that offers authentic experiences ofthe African wilderness. Dan’s interest in hiking and traveling the world began with his boyhood on his family’s farm in Maine. As he grew up, he enjoyed exploring the surrounding woods and mountains. His first trip to Africa was in the mid-1980s in the company of Charles Darwin’s great-grandson, Quentin Keynes. They spent weeks driving through southern Africa, camping beside the roads and sleeping in the bush without tents. These early trips served as his inspiration for the types of safaris he would ultimately offer his clients: a unique, off-the-beaten-path African wilderness experience.

Dan has an extensive educational background. He attended the Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondack Mountains for an A.A.S. in ecology and environmental technology, the University of Montana for a zoology degree, Colorado State for an M.S. in zoology and genetics and then completed his M.S. in biochemistry at Dartmouth.

Dan has led safaris to Botswana and Namibia for the Osher@Dartmouth organization in Hanover. He has designed and taught in-depth courses on both countries for the Osher studytravel program. These courses include history, geography, natural history, ecology and many of the conservation issues facing Africa today. Dan is planning another Namibia safari for later this year and has scouted out some new itineraries in Uganda.

If the New England weather is becoming too much for you to endure, Dan can be reached at grasstracksafaris.com.

Dr. Allan T. Weatherwax (physics ’95), dean ofthe school of science and engineering at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, has been named senior vice president for academic affairs and provost ofthe school. He writes, “I’m incredibly honored and humbled by this appointment. I look forward to continuing Merrimack’s tremendous growth, and to helping the president and the college’s senior leadership plan Merrimack’s future.”

President Christopher E. Hopey announced the appointment, which was effective in January, and said, “Dr. Weatherwax will be a great partner in helping us fulfill the college’s agenda for distinction and moving Merrimack forward. He has proven leadership ability, a noted record of research and teaching and the ability to work with faculty, students and external partners to deliver quality, innovative education.”

As dean of science and engineering Weatherwax expanded undergraduate and graduate programs at the school, most recently with the announcement of two joint master’s degrees with the Girard School of Business—in data science and business analytics. He led the effort to hire a director of sponsored programs and brought significant federal and private research grant funding to the college. He was the principal investigator on numerous National Science Foundation and NASA grants and is currently co-director of the Firefly satellite mission, which is exploring the mysteries of gamma rays produced by lightning discharge. His work in Antarctica led to the naming of the Weatherwax Glacier and his appointment to the polar research board of the National Academy of Sciences.

—Jane Welsh, 175 Greensboro Road, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-3789; m.jane.welsh.gr@dartmouth.edu