Goin’ to the chapel When she first arrived at Calvin, Rebecca Vander Meulen was fascinated by the variety of chapel services offered to students. “I went to a public high school, so I didn’t get to attend regular chapel services,” explained Vander Meulen. “When I came here, I was attracted to [chapel]; I really like that focus in the day.” Now a junior biology major with a minor in archaeology, Vander Meulen keeps herself busy by working for the chapel and serving on the chapel advisory committee. Vander Meulen’s work for the chapel includes typing overheads and programs for LOFT and chapel services, contacting musicians and speakers, planning future chapels, and generally “making sure things run smoothly in chapel.” “I’m a details person, so this job fits me well. It’s rewarding when a chapel goes well,” said Vander Meulen. “My job has also allowed me to get to know a variety of people.” This past summer Vander Meulen did a research project in Calvin’s Biology Department, studying yeast genetics under Professor Howell. “I was here for ten weeks and spent forty hours a week doing research. In labs you get a procedure to follow, but this was real research where there are no definite answers yet. It was cool--occasionally frustrating, but cool.” Vander Meulen also spent a summer in Jordan doing fieldwork under Professor Bert DeVries. Despite the early hours (students began work on the dig at 5 a.m. in order to avoid the heat), Vander Meulen said that it was a wonderful experience. “We were working in an old Roman village trying to figure out why people had left. We would look around for walls, pottery shards--anything we could find. It was really cool because DeVries trusted us to take control.” In her spare time, Vander Meulen, who is a citizen of both England and the United States, enjoys “hangin’ out” with her roommates, finding new ways to spend her debit card money creatively, and working on various biology projects. “Right now I have fruit flies at my apartment,” said Vander Meulen. “After they hatch, I have to catch them before they mate. I also hang out in the greenhouse ‘cause I’m doing a project there.”