QUADANGLES
ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FALL 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 1
The Road Back Robert Vaccaro ’05
uri.edu/hc
Fall 2010 Honors Colloquium
RACE Tuesday evenings, 7 p.m. September 14–December 7, 2010 Edwards Auditorium, URI Kingston Campus Perceptions about race shape everyday experiences, public policies, opportunities for individual achievement, and relations across racial and ethnic lines. In this colloquium we will explore key issues of race, showing how race still matters. Here are the remaining lectures and events:
October 12 The Invisible Weight of Whiteness: The Racial Grammar of Everyday Life in Contemporary America Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Professor of Sociology, Duke
A series of public programs at the University of Rhode Island presented by the URI Honors Program
November 30 How Black Women’s Stories Complicate Race and Gender Politics Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies, Princeton University.
December 7 Sound Unbound Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. D.J. Spooky, Professor of Music Mediated Art, The European Graduate School.
Additional Events Through December 2 Colloquium Film Series
University.
Thursdays, 5 p.m., Lippitt 402.
October 19 A Civil Society: Can We Protect the Rights and Liberties of All Communities? Kareem Shora, Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
October 14–17 and 21–24 Spinning Into Butter, by Rebecca Gilman Presented by the URI Department of Theatre. Directed by Bryna Wortman. Fine Arts Center.
and recent past national Executive Director for the American-Arab AntiDiscrimination Committee.
October 26 Why Immigration Reform Is So Difficult: Latinos as Threat in the Media Leo R. Chavez, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine, and Director of the Center for Research on Latinos in a Global Society.
November 2 Why America Can’t Think Straight About Race (Even With a Black President) Sut Jhally, Professor of Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Founder and Executive director of the Media Education Foundation.
November 9 How To Change the World With Your Bare Hands Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. November 16 Native In New England Julianne Jennings, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, Arizona State University; Paulla Dove Jennings, Narragansett Tribal Elder, and Curator, Tomaquag Museum; Wanda Jean Lord, Executive Director, Honoring Our Own Power.
November 18 Gallery Night: Representing Race URI Feinstein Providence Campus and the R.I. State Council on the Arts present an exhibit of art works in all media by professional and community artists of all races and ethnicities exploring the construction of race and racism. Coordinators Lynne Derbyshire, Gail Faris, Rae Ferguson, Kyle Kusz, Kendall Moore, Ian Reyes For more information on colloquium events contact Deborah Gardiner at 401.874.2381 or debg@uri.edu. For information about ways to support the Honors Colloquium, contact Tom Zorabedian at 401.874.2853 or zman@foundation.uri.edu.
QUADANGLES DEPARTMENTS PRESIDENT’S VIEW 3 UP FRONT 4 News and views PRESS BOX 10
ALUMNI CHAPTERS 28 Upcoming events and contacts CLASS ACTS 32 News from your classmates, photo wrap-ups, and alumni profiles
BACK PAGE 40 Mission to Haiti INSIDE BACK COVER Big Chill Weekend BACK COVER Vote yes on 2
WEB EXTRAS URI.EDU/QUADANGLES RHODY POSTCARD: ARCTIC ADVENTURES AND MORE…
FEATURES 12
CELEBRATING A LEGACY By Todd McLeish John Grandin’s legacy has made URI a leader in international engineering education
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THE SIMPLE JOY OF LIFE CONTINUED By Bethany Vaccaro ’06 Robert Vaccaro ’05 was a 2nd lieutenant stationed in Baghdad when his Army Humvee was hit by an explosive device on January 13, 2007. This essay by his sister recounts the aftermath of his brain injury
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LIGHTS, CAMERA, MULTIMEDIA ACTION By Shane Donaldson ’99 This past summer, URI students and students from Kun Shan University collaborated in Taiwan for 11 weeks
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20 CHEMISTRY—essential2 rhode island’s future By Jan Wenzel ’87 Referendum No. 2 supports construction of a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences to replace the outmoded Pastore Hall 24
IN THE EYE OF THE STORMS By John Pantalone ‘71 Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry was in charge of search and rescue operations in the Gulf after the Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit explosion
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26 WORKING THE ROOM Photo essay by Nora Lewis Move-in day, September 2010
COVER: NORA LEWIS. CONTENTS: TODD MCLEISH; JOE GIBLIN; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; COURTESY LANDRY; NORA LEWIS.
ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FALL 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 1
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QUADANGLES
ALUMNIONLINE
QUADANGLESONLINE
No matter where you live, you can stay connected to URI. Take a look at these upcoming events, and register online. What could be easier?
Here are some of great videos included in this issue of QuadAngles Online. You can sign up for a subscription to QuadAngles Online by going to advance. uri.edu/subscriptions.
advance.uri.edu/alumni
uri.edu/quadangles
GET THE LATEST DETAILS ABOUT HOMECOMING 2010, which will be
held October 22–24! Take a look at the full schedule of weekend events. And don’t forget to register online to participate in the Homecoming 5K Rhode Race and reserve a place for your group at Rhodyville. Go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/homecoming. THE DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS CELEBRATION is coming up on October 23
at the Westin Providence Hotel. Find out more and make your reservation to attend at advance.uri.edu/programming/daa.
WATCH MY BROTHERS STORY, a film by Anna
Vaccaro ’11 about her brother Robert Vaccaro ’05, the subject of our Fall 2010 QuadAngles cover story. My Brother’s Story received the Dean’s Choice Award at the 2010 Visualizations Student Film Festival. You can also read an essay by Bethany Vaccaro ’06 about her brother’s journey originally published in The American Scholar and named one of the best essays of 2009 by New York Times columnist David Brooks.
HEAR ETURNITY, THE GREAT NYC SHOW BAND performing on
January 22 at our 2011 Big Chill Weekend. That’s right— we are turning up the volume on the Big Chill! Have a listen at uri.edu/bigchill. SPECIAL FOR DUES-PAYING MEMBERS of the Alumni Association—discounted tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular— starring the Rockettes—at Providence Performing Arts Center on November 18 and for A Celtic Tenors Holiday Show at the Ryan Center on December 3. Find out more at advance.uri.edu/alumni/membership.
JOIN URI STAFF MEMBER TODD MCLEISH on his
summer Arctic adventure for some face time with narwhals, the whales with unicorn tusks that McLeish has been researching for his upcoming book. SEE THE COLORFUL DEPRESSION ERA MURALS discovered in
the lobby of Edwards Hall and learn their story. The murals were uncovered in August during an improvement project at Edwards Hall.
ALUMNICONNECTIONS
alumniconnections.com/rhodeisland To subscribe to our email news lists, go to Member Services at alumniconnections. com/rhodeisland. Select Email Preferences to opt in or out of our email news lists. ALUMNI NEWS AND EVENTS Upcoming alumni programs, such as Homecoming, chapter events, reunions, cultural events, and member events.
RIRAA ONLINE Information about athletic events, special ticket offers, priority points, gifts to RIRAA, and more.
SUPPORTING URI Giving news and announcements about gifts to URI, including gifts to the endowment, the Fund for URI, planned giving, and more.
QUADANGLES is a publication of the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association, Division of University Advancement, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881. p: 401.874.2242. Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle Executive Editor Michele A. Nota ’87, M.S. ’06 Editorial Committee Jodi Hawkins Mike Laprey Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 Liz Prager O'Brien ’83 Managing Editor Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’72 Associate Editor Barbara Caron, Online Edition Jan Wenzel ’87 Art Director Kim Robertson Interim Director of Publications Russell Kolton Director of Communications Linda Acciardo ’77 Contributing Editors Gigi Edwards, Online Edition Mary Ann Mazzone, Class Acts Nicki Toler, Alumni Online & Chapters Contributing Designers Johnson Ma Bo Pickard Verna Thurber Photographer Nora Lewis Alumni Relations Staff Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, Assistant Director Kathleen Gianquitti ’71, M.S. ’82, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Howard ’96, Associate Director Brittany Manseau ’08, Specialist Jess Raffaele ’04, M.S. ’09, Program Assistant Kate Serafini ’08, Specialist Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S. ’03, Assistant Director Alumni Association Executive Board Donald P. Sullivan ’71, President Joseph M. Confessore ’96, President Elect Gary W. Kullberg ’63, Past President Louise H. Thorson, M.B.A. ’85, Vice President Raymond L. Watson M.C.P. ’05, Vice President Ronald P. Joseph ’67, Treasurer Councilors-at-Large Brandon F. Brown ’10 William M. Dolan III ’81 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.S. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell-White ’90 Edwin R. Pacheco ’05 Gregory S. Perry ’88 Benjamin W. Tuthill ’04 Christos S. Xenophontos ’84, M.S. ’85 Representatives Arts and Sciences: Jerome H. Kritz ’76 Business Administration: Laurel L. Bowerman ’77, M.B.A. ’84 Continuing Education: Edward Bozzi Jr. ’68 Engineering: Leo Mainelli ’58 Environment and Life Sciences: Wayne K. Durfee ’50 Human Science and Services: John Boulmetis ’71, M.S. ’73 Nursing: Denise A. Coppa ’72, Ph.D. ’02 SAA President: Chris Aiudi ’14 Student Senate: David Coates ’11 URI Foundation: George Graboys, Hon. ’99
The ideas and opinions expressed in QUADANGLES do not necessarily reflect those of the Alumni Association, the editor, or the University. QUAD ANGLES is published four times a year for alumni and friends of the University of Rhode Island; standard postage paid at Burlington, Vt. QUAD ANGLES is printed at The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vt., and is recyclable. URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action.
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NORA LEWIS; ISTOCKPHOTOS.COM; ©WIKIPEDIA.COM; DENNIS COWLEY
The second year
Leapfest Last summer President Dooley and Vice President for University Advancement Robert Beagle boarded a Blackhawk helicopter to get a bird’s eye view of the Ocean State. The trip was courtesy of the Rhode Island National Guard, which uses the Kingston Campus for its Annual Leapfest competition. Parachutes filled the skies as the helicopters circled around and returned to pick up another group of jumpers. Before boarding their flight, the intrepid administrators were greeted by Major General Robert T. Bray (top and bottom right photo) and Lt. Col Denis Riel (bottom left). To see a video of the event, go to presidentdooley.blogspot.com and scroll down.
PHOTO BY SGT PETER RAMAGLIA
My first year as president of the University of Rhode Island is in the books. It was certainly an eventful year for Lynn and me. There were many enjoyable and rewarding moments throughout the year—and many of these involved alumni of URI. The year came with its challenges and difficult moments as well; fortunately, these were far fewer. Over the course of the year, I was asked on multiple occasions what I found to be “surprising” about the University or the state. My consistent answer went something like this: Thanks to the candor and thoroughness of the search process and practically everyone I met initially, nothing about the qualities, opportunities, and challenges facing the University of Rhode Island or the state were really a surprise. What I did find somewhat surprising were a couple of attributes shared among many Rhode Islanders. First, was the spirit of pessimism that, from my perspective, was remarkably pervasive given all the very positive qualities and advantages that I felt (and still feel) were so evident in the University and the state. Second, and perhaps related, was what appears to be a surprising lack of understanding and appreciation of the University of Rhode Island by many folks across the state. The connection between these two observations (if they are, in fact, accurate) may be that if people here truly understood the high quality and the enormous capabilities of the University of Rhode Island, they might be more confident that the problems and issues facing our state can be overcome. There is no doubt that Rhode Island, like most of the nation, today finds itself sitting in a deep hole. It’s a hole dug in part by Rhode Islanders themselves, with a lot of assistance from the national economic recession. It is a recession that, regrettably, appears far from over. There is a growing consensus that job creation must be the primary strategy to end the downturn. A substantial challenge for Rhode Island is the probability that the jobs of the future will require more education at the college level than the jobs of the past. Our college participation and completion rates in Rhode Island lag behind much of the rest of the nation and many other countries. Further, the percentage of our current workforce that has successfully completed significant college-level work is relatively low. URI can be a critical and essential contributor to overcoming these challenges. How? We can substantially expand our Web-based, distance learning efforts; grow research and technology transfer and student participation in these activities; partner with other higher education institutions to efficiently deliver new programs; work with K-12 to improve college preparation; collaborate with businesses and organizations to create more internships and “hands-on” learning opportunities; emphasize the importance of developing community and unity that respects and embraces the increasing diversity of our state and nation; and internationalize our campus so that our graduates are globally competitive. This will require resources—new investment. True, Rhode Island is at the bottom of a pretty deep hole. But we have the tools to climb out. We can use the hammer, nails, and lumber at hand to build a box on which to sit more comfortably at the bottom of our hole, or we can build a ladder. Higher education is that ladder. It is our collective choice to decide that we need to build it tall enough to climb out. Working on this will be a major focus of my second year. Your help will be essential. —David M. Dooley P.S. And your help is essential to help pass Question 2 on the ballot on Nov. 2. Please vote Yes on the bond issue for higher education that includes a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at URI to replace the antiquated Pastore Hall.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 3
NEWS&VIEWS Sniffing Out Oil Plume When Chris Reddy, Ph.D. ’97, based his award-winning doctoral research on the analysis of oil samples from the North Cape oil spill, he had no idea that his knowledge would prove vital in the response to this country’s largest environmental disaster. Since the Deepwater Horizon drill site began spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico last April, Reddy, a marine chemist at the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, has collected oil samples from Louisiana salt marshes, testified before congressional committees, and answered questions posed by the international media. He also climbed aboard the GSO research vessel Endeavor last June and spent 12 days in the Gulf of Mexico collecting data on the historic spill. Reddy was part of a Woods Hole team that deployed a submersible, about the size of an average refrigerator. Named Sentry, the submersible was equipped with a spectrometer in its nose that “sniffed” out a 22 mile long underwater plume of oil and mapped its dimensions. This information will help researchers better understand the subsurface oil behavior and composition in the area.
Unearthing Memories Sophia Spano unearthed buried treasure that brought memories back to her grandfather. The 6-year-old was digging in her backyard at home in Westerly, R.I., last May when she found a shiny, red stone and sterling ring. Sophia gave the ring to her father, who had bought the former family home in 2005. Dan Spano recognized the Greek fraternity letters engraved in the ring because he knew that his father was a brother in Phi Sigma Kappa during his URI years. Forty-five years ago, Joseph John Spano ’64 lost his fraternity ring shortly after graduation. The North Stonington, Conn., resident never knew what had happened to his ring and never expected to see it again. After college, he went on to teach chemistry and physics for 40 years, first in Uncasville, Conn., and later in Charleston, S.C. The sentimental value resurfaced with the ring. Spano was the first member of his family to graduate from college. He plans to keep the ring, a gift from his mother, very close to him from now on. By Erica Sloan ’11
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High Profile Business Alumni Discuss Credit Crisis Three high profile alumni from the College of Business Administration came back this spring and gave their perspectives on the credit crisis and some thoughts on the future during a public panel discussion that was part of the Vangermeersch Endowed Lecture series. Mark Higgins, dean of the College of Business Administration, served as moderator. The panelists, Margo L. Cook ’86, executive vice president for investment services at Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Barry Knapp ’84, managing director, equity research at Barclays Capital in New York; and Christopher J. Wolfe ’91, chief investment officer, managing director of private banking and investment group at Merrill Lynch, discussed the causes of the economic crisis, its effect on regulation, and its impact on career opportunities in finance. A video of the program is archived on the URI YouTube channel at youtube.com/ universityofri. TOP PHOTOS: COURTESY OF WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO: NORA LEWIS BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO BY MICHAEL SALERNO
Historic Murals Discovered in Edwards Hall panels so that they can be easily moved in Seventy-one years ago the future. during the Great DepresFor Professor Ron Onorato, an art sion, Providence artist historian who wrote a paper in the early Gino Conti completed 1980s on “Rhode Island’s WPA Art,” the dishis final set of mural covery is great news. His paper addresses paintings for the lobby the sad history of many works of art from of Edwards Hall at Rhode the Depression era: “Many, like the projIsland State College. ects for Edwards Hall, have been painted But until mid-July out, destroyed, or otherwise lost.” of 2010, no one knew Like thousands of other artists who that Conti’s murals had struggled to find work during the Great survived renovations Depression, Conti, who was born in Italy that kept them hidden and studied at the Rhode Island School for 43 years. of Design, benefited from the New Deal As a $1.5 million program of the Works Projects Adminsummer renovation istration. Today in 2010, the American progressed, workers with Thomas Frisbie-Fulton, director of Recovery and Reinvestment Act, designed Calson Corp discovered campus planning and design, left, and to lessen the suffering of what many have the murals in the EdThomas Branchick, director and consercalled the worst economic crisis since the wards lobby. They sought vator of paintings at the Williamstown Depression, is responsible for the discovthe expertise of the Art Conservation Center., discuss one of ery of Conti’s murals. library staff and the Art the murals in Edwards Hall. Even though sections of the paintings Department, which then have been damaged by framework that called the University’s was nailed to the murals and some pieces are torn at Business Services and Capital Projects offices. the corners, the images remain remarkably colorful On August 9, a two-person team from the Williamand powerful. stown Art Conservation Center in Williamstown, Mass., According to the March 16, 1941 Providence began removing the murals for conservation. Journal, “Of the two largest panels, one symbolizes Thomas Branchick, director and conservator of drama, music, and dance; the other the protection of paintings at Williamstown, was encouraged to find youth; striving for progress; and the past. Four smaller that the oil-on-canvas paintings were attached to canvasses depict the elements with groups of figures the walls with wallpaper paste, which simplified their symbolizing water, fire, air, and workers in the soil.” removal from the wall: “The nice thing about that kind In January 1940, Samuel M. Green, the supervisor of of adhesive is that it desiccates with time, meaning it is the Rhode Island Art Project, wrote to Rhode Island State very brittle.” College President Raymond G. Bressler about murals for He added that the paintings are dusty because of Green Hall and Edwards Hall. The Green Hall murals, done the construction, but they will be cleaned, which will by a different artist, have never been recovered. substantially improve their clarity. Branchick recomBy Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 mends that the restored paintings be mounted on
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SALERNO PHOTOGRAPHY.
Video | uri.edu/quadangles
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 5
Dr. Larrat Goes to Washington Worried about the rising cost of prescription drugs? You’re not alone. Spending on prescription drugs continues to be a major health care concern, even more so with the country’s aging population and the expanding number of costly specialty drugs. E. Paul Larrat, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy, will address these concerns and the larger health care issues in the nation’s capital as a Congressional Fellow. Larrat was one of 30 chosen by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science for the fellow program. He specializes in pharmacy benefit management with private companies and government agencies and contributes solutions in health policy issues at the state level. For example, since 2002 he has headed collaboration between the College of Pharmacy and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections that resulted in $12 million in savings for taxpayers due to reductions in the cost of prescription drugs. Larrat left for Washington in September and will spend the next year there. After three weeks of training, he will be assigned to a specific committee/legislators’ office. He isn’t the only URI faculty member lending expertise in the nation’s capital. President Obama appointed Kate Moran, an ocean engineering professor and associate dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography, to a two-year term as senior policy analyst in 2009. Moran analyzes and works on issues related to the Arctic and climate change.
If you have comments that you would like to share, please email vwgriffin@advance.uri.edu or write to Vida-Wynne Griffin, Managing editor, QUAD ANGLES, URI Publications Office, Alumni Center, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881.
Building Habitat Homes Locally and Globally The URI community will soon be in the swing of things, especially with hammers and nails. The University, in partnership with South County Habitat for Humanity, will build up to four single-family homes near the Kingston Campus. A fundraising goal of $80,000 for each South County home includes $2,500 each for homes in Haiti and Chile, both devastated by earthquakes this year. “An important part of our mission at URI is outreach and service,” said the Rev. Lynn Baker-Dooley, honorary chairperson of the recently formed URI Building Homes Campaign. “This campus and community-wide partnership perfectly fits with that mission. It provides us with a unique opportunity to work together to meet an urgent local need for affordable housing.” Before the campaign started, the URI Helping Haiti Committee, organized in response to the Haitian earthquake last winter, donated $2,500 to pay for the first URI Habitat home in Haiti. For updates, visit uri.edu/habitat.
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On QUAD ANGLES Summer 2010— The Sustainability Issue To Web Master: It is good to see renewable energy issues and a concern for the environment become more a part of your magazine. I graduated in 1971 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and have been involved with renewable energy through non-profit work, residential design/construction, and policy issues (greenhomedesignbuild.com in case you are interested) since the late ’70s here in North Carolina. Involving students, communicating with alumni, changing policy on campus while also participating in local political decisions are all critical steps for our moving ahead personally and collectively to positively impact our most pressing national and global concern. Keep it up. Paul Konove pkonove@greenhomedesignbuild.com
TOP LEFT PHOTO: MICHAEL SALERNO BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO: NORA LEWIS
COMMENTARY This new section of QUAD ANGLES features feedback from our readers. Many thanks to Paul Konove, Jim McKenna, and Nancy-Fey Yensan for allowing us to share their correspondence on our Sustainable Agriculture issue.
On “Farming in Rhode Island: A Growth Industry”
On QUAD ANGLES Winter 2009–2010
To Professor Rebecca Brown Dear Dr. Brown: I just received my QUAD ANGLES and read the article “Farming in Rhode Island: A Growth Industry.” I sent a note to the magazine complementing their “Sustainability issue” and telling them how pleased I was to see agriculture again in the lexicon at Rhody. I want to commend you for your sustainable agriculture curriculum initiative. Food safety and security are becoming very important issues for agriculture to address both locally and globally. Most importantly, this is a production major that is relevant and appropriate for the Land Grant College in Rhode Island. As an agriculture graduate from URI in 1964, I watched with some distress the evolution {of the College of Agriculture} to the College of Natural Resources {now the College of the Environment and Life Sciences} and the loss of the word “agriculture” from my college. Many years ago I wrote to then Dean Cobble expressing my concern. Obviously I’ve overcome this angst as I watched the Agronomy Department at Virginia Tech become Crop and Soil Environmental Science some 24 years ago, and my “crop option” become “agro-ecology” as I changed our curriculum to be more relevant over 20 years ago. We are really in parallel development at this moment as our undergraduate production major has indeed become “sustainable agriculture,” and we have just launched a new minor called “civic agriculture” with the Department of Health, Nutrition, Food, and Exercise focusing on local sustainable food production. I like to think we are among the leaders in curriculum development for our 220 undergraduates in CSES. I am very proud to see my alma mater keeping right up with us. I received a wonderful education and start toward a 46-year career in agricultural education, cooperative extension, and university academics at URI. The basic science and hands on nature of our old agriculture curriculum provided me the tools I needed. I retired from Virginia Tech as department head in July and presently am staying on in that role until we identify a new head this fall, so I’ve run my race.
Letter to the Editor: I was pleased to read the article “East Hall Turns 100” in QUAD ANGLES Winter 20092010 magazine. Indeed, East Hall remains an attractive part of the URI Quad and campus. Viewing the 2009 photograph of professors from the Physics Department sent me searching for a 1950 photograph of dormitory residents posing on the same East Hall doorway steps. For your pleasure, I’ve enclosed the 1950 photo of seven (then residents) of East Hall. Great article, and I am grateful to see how East Hall has survived as a campus landmark, notable piece of architectural history, and attractive part of the URI Quad. Sincerely, Marjorie Mayerson Zarum ’89 Punta Gorda, Fl.
I’m so pleased to see things on the Kingston Plains are still alive and growing. Keep up the good work. If you or any of your coconspirators are attending the ASA meetings in Long Beach, I’d enjoy hearing more about your efforts. Sincerely, Jim McKenna Dr. James “Jim” McKenna Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Virginia Institute of Technology Blacksburg, Virginia jamckenn@vt.edu From: Nancy L. Fey-Yensan Dear Dr. McKenna, Thank you for that wonderful and encouraging feedback. Dr. Brown and the Department of Plant Sciences have worked hard to keep agriculture as a vibrant and viable part of the curriculum within the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. I think they have a very bright, and very important future, as they, along with sister departments within the college, consider how to best create a major in sustainable food production. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know the department and their passion as I served for one year as the college’s interim dean. I will watch with great interest as they continue to be creative and forward thinking, serving both the public and our students in extraordinary ways. Thank you for recognizing their efforts and for your continuing interest in the University of Rhode Island. I do hope you will let the college know if you are ever back in Rhode Island—we love to catch up with our alumni. My very best wishes, Nancy Fey-Yensan Professor of Nutrition and Food Science College of the Environment and Life Sciences University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI fey@uri.edu
EAST HALL PHOTO: COURTESY OF MARJORIE MAYERSON ZARUM ’89
The seven 1950 East Hall residents seen here are Mary Lou Greenhood, June Vine, Sara Kontoff, Sandy Schopack, Margie Mayerson, Roberta Koch, and “Penny” Penzell.
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Reading A Common Book About 2,900 members of our incoming freshman class were given a reading assignment this summer. The students were required to read A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind, take part in an online blog discussion at uricommonreading.blogspot.com, and prepare to discuss the book in various first-year courses. “The overall goals of the URI Common Reading Initiative are to introduce students to a campus culture focused on academic engagement and learning and build a sense of community and a common bond among our students, faculty, staff, and administrators,” said Donald DeHayes, URI provost and vice president of academic affairs “The topics of race, adult development, and access to higher education as discussed in this book, complement our Fall 2010 Honors Colloquium entitled RACE,” said the provost, noting that Cedric Jennings, the subject of the biography, visited the University in the fall. Jennings spoke at two public sessions in September. The book follows Jennings and his challenging journey through his last two years of high school as an A student in an urban neighborhood in Washington, D.C., through his adjustment and transition to his freshman year at Brown University. At Brown, Jennings sometimes felt profoundly alienated from his peers as he struggled to adjust to college and discover his path in life. The book is a testament to Jennings’ persistence and determination, drawn from courage, faith, and intelligence. Jennings is now director of the Office of Youth Programs, under the Council of the District of Columbia.
Global Recruiting College Fairs draw crowds wherever they are held. Last spring URI Admission advisor and international recruiter Nancy Stricklin visited Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Bahrain. Nancy reports that she spent a lot of time pointing to the map in our admission brochure, explaining where Rhode Island is located. The brochure, our school, and Nancy sure drew favorable global attention.
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BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY STRICKLIN
Students Helping Students URI’s Academic Enhancement Center Grows in Popularity
Talented Development Oral History Project Underway If you attended the University as a member of the Talent Development Program, History Professors Earline “Rae” Ferguson and Rob Widell want to hear about your experiences. The two historians, in collaboration with the Talent Development Program, are about to embark on an oral history project to chronicle and document the program’s 42 years on campus. The intent is to collect the stories of all members of the TD family—former students, staff, and friends—since the program was founded in 1968. “Stories preserve us and tell us who we are, where we come from, and the journey we’re traveling,” said Sharon Reynolds Forleo, associate director of Talent Development. The project is expected to take five to seven years so that everyone will be able to share his or her experiences. Information on the project will be posted to the TD Web site uri.edu/talent_development/. Everyone connected to the TD program can participate by emailing contact information to Forleo at sfor@uri.edu. Professors Ferguson and Widell will respond to schedule interviews.
Seven years ago David Hayes, director of the Academic Enhancement Center, envisioned a learning center run by students for students. “We wanted to create a diverse, inclusive learning assistance center in which all students could feel welcomed, supported, and valued,” he explained. That vision has become a reality. Last year, the center recorded more than 19,000 contact hours, up from 5,900 in 2005. Not only has the number of students visiting the center increased, in many cases so have their grade point averages. About 50-55 students work each year at the center for credit or pay. Between 15-20 become supplemental instruction leaders while 25-30 become subject tutors. The remaining students are receptionists, akin to air traffic controllers, directing students to the best location to land. The majority of students who use tutoring services come for help in math and mathintensive business and science courses. “While professors and teaching assistants offer as much help as they can, their busy schedules do not always allow for customized support,” said Hillary Ornberg ’07, a former
TOP RIGHT PHOTO: JOE GIBLIN
graduate assistant at the center. “Tutors provide long-term support and guidance to help their peers become stronger life-long learners. I watched students become more confident, set attainable goals, and learn the skills and strategies they needed to achieve those goals. Working at the center helped prepare me for graduate study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as for my current occupation as an assistant director of peer services at Suffolk University’s learning center.” “As a future teacher, I wanted this college level tutoring experience to further understand students as learners,” said Erica Sevey, a math and physics tutor. “I have seen students become more confident with material in classes that were initially challenging or overwhelming for them.” Sevey agrees with the center’s motto: Teaching is learning. “I have deepened my own understanding of all the concepts that I tutor. For example, when teaching trigonometric functions, I need to have a thorough understanding of them in order to gauge the depth of the student’s understanding.” By Erika Sloan ’11
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 9
PRESSBOX Awards and Honors Associate Athletic Trainer Michelle Levreault, M.S. ’05, and Clinical Sports Psychologist John Sullivan were honored by the Rhode Island Athletic Trainers Association at the annual Massachusetts/Rhode Island Athletics Trainer Conference. Levreault was named Athletic Trainer of the Year and Sullivan received the RIATA Service Award. A total of 73 Rhode Island student-athletes have been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the spring 2010 semester. In order to be recognized, each student-athlete must have a semester grade point average of 3.5 or better.
Women’s Athletics
Football Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn will serve on the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Executive Committee, beginning with the 2010–2011 school year. Bjorn will join fellow athletic directors Paul Schlickmann (Central Connecticut) and Mark Wilson (Tennessee Tech) as the committee’s newest members. The term for each Executive Committee member spans a period of four years.
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In conjunction with the Friends of Women’s Athletics and Lynn Baker-Dooley, the URI Foundation hosted “An Evening of Grapes and Grain” on June 10. Presented by Priority Payment Systems, all proceeds from the event will be used to support URI women’s athletics. “I am passionate about women’s athletics and excited to be a part of beginning a new tradition of success for our women’s athletics program and for Friends of Women’s Athletics,” said Baker-Dooley. “I have always been an avid fan—my dad was a ref and an umpire and our children were athletes.” “Priority Payment Systems is proud and honored to support women’s athletics at URI,“ said John Priore ’87, president and CEO of Priority Payment Systems. “As a former URI studentathlete, I was and still am an avid fan of the women’s sports program and look forward to supporting its continued success.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE URI ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Baseball Tim Boyce ’10 was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 44th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Boyce became the 10th Rhody player drafted since 2003. The 2010 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, Boyce turned in the nation’s longest scoreless streak this season as he pitched 37.2 consecutive innings without yielding a run from April 30 to May 26. During that span, he turned in three straight completegame shutouts while holding opponents to a .109 batting average. A two-time National Pitcher of the Week and three-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week, he posted a 6-3 record this season, fanning 90 batters over 101.1 innings pitched. In league play, he held opponents to a .199 batting average and led URI to an opening-round win over La Salle in the Atlantic 10 Championship. There, he struck out six batters over seven innings en route to landing a spot on the All-Championship Team. Boyce finished his collegiate career with 11 saves and an overall record of 17-6 (.739). Senior Tom Coulombe was named a Second Team All-Northeast Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was one of six outfielders from the Northeast to earn the honor. Coulombe finished his junior campaign with a team-best .418 batting average, 41 runs batted in, 28 multiple-hit games and 23 stolen bases. He also recorded 10 multiple RBI games and set a new single-season record at URI with a team-leading 87 hits. An Atlantic 10 Second Team selection, Coulombe also earned A-10 All-Championship honors for the second-straight year as he batted .533 (8-for-15) and got on base at least twice in each URI’s four tournament games. Kyle Borden and Dan Rossignol were named to the 2010 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-New England team. Borden landed a spot on the First Team while Rossignol was selected to the Second Team. An Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention, Borden batted .333 in his first season with the Rams, recording 39 RBI, 36 runs, 11 doubles and five home runs. He turned in 20 multiple-hit games and drove in multiple runs in 11 separate contests. Rossignol ended the regular season leading the Atlantic 10 with an 8-2 (.800) record. Five of his eight victories came from relief appearances while he fell just one inning shy of picking up his ninth win of the year in a rain-shortened start vs. La Salle at the A-10 Championship. Rossignol ended his four-year career at Rhode Island with a 14-6 record and two saves over 67 career appearances.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 11
Celebrating a Legacy
John Grandin’s Legacy Made URI a Leader in International Engineering Education
W
hen John Grandin retired in June as executive director of URI’s International Engineering Program, he left behind a model that universities throughout the country are following and a long list of students and global corporations that are benefitting from his efforts. Grandin, a professor of German, and former URI Engineering Dean Hermann Viets conceived of the idea of “internationalizing” engineering education by encouraging engineering students to study a foreign language—initially German, but later French, Spanish, and Chinese—and participate in an internship and study abroad. They believed that engineers with multicultural skills would be better prepared to enter the global workforce. “There were some real doubters in the language and engineering programs when we proposed the idea,” Grandin said. “The language program has a firm tradition in the humanities and some colleagues feared an association with anything as pragmatic as engineering, whereas the engineers tended to think that any additional coursework should be strictly in technology. But we knew it would be beneficial to both.” Their timing couldn’t have been better. Soon after they launched the program in 1987, the Berlin
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Wall came down and, coupled with a technology revolution, global opportunities skyrocketed. And the doubters soon became converts. “People saw that good things were happening with the program,” said Grandin. “We were attracting better and more motivated engineering students, and enrollment in language classes increased significantly.” One of the challenges resulting from the increasing popularity of the program was finding enough internship opportunities abroad. So Grandin found himself spending more and more of his time making contacts with large German companies like Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen, ZF and others. As the program expanded to include other languages, he expanded these efforts to companies in other countries. When other universities began to follow suit and establish similar international engineering programs, Grandin launched an annual colloquium that now attracts about 165 engineering and language faculty, as well as representatives from the public sector and global companies to learn about the best practices in the field. “That colloquium really put us on the map as the leader in the globalization of engineering education,” he said. NORA LEWIS; JOE GIBLIN; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
One of Grandin’s proudest moments as the program’s director was his establishment of the first dual degree master’s program in engineering, in which students studying engineering and German earn master’s degrees from URI and the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany after spending time studying and conducting research at both institutions. “It’s quite significant for students to have qualifications from both North America and Europe,” Grandin explained. “Degree recognition from two continents is a great entrée to the global workforce.” In celebration of Grandin’s retirement, the International Engineering Program hosted its first alumni reunion on U.S. soil on June 5, and more than 250 people honored him at a dinner at the Dunes Club in Narragansett. “To prepare generations of workers with a global mindset for the international work place the way that John has is an incredible accomplishment, and he did it in Rhode Island, a place many Americans have trouble placing on a map,” said Marshall Vale ’95, director of software engineering at iRobot. “John’s vision and hard work have made the IEP the crown jewel of URI.” “I have heard from several recruiters and
employers about how my résumé stands out because of my participation in IEP,” said Philip DaSilva, who graduated last May with degrees in mechanical engineering and German. “The reputation of the program and the people who have come out of the program are amazing.” As part of the retirement celebration, a fundraising campaign was launched to establish an endowment with the aim of making the program financially independent of the ups and downs of the Rhode Island economy. The campaign has already raised more than $350,000 from alumni and corporate partners. In retirement, Grandin hopes to serve as a consultant to other universities in need of guidance for their international engineering programs, provide assistance to the URI program as needed, and write a book about higher education. But mostly he looks forward to spending time at his family cottage in Maine. “I love to swing a hammer,” he said, “so I look forward to spending plenty of time doing that.” Grandin is confident he has left the URI program in good hands with its new director, Sigrid Berka, who he said is “dynamic and energetic, with good instincts to take the program forward.” By Todd McLeish
Opposite page: John Grandin; the Heidi Kirk Duffy International Engineering Program residence. This page, clockwise left to right, Richard Vandeputte, former assistant dean of engineering, Dean of Arts and Sciences Winifred Brownell, and Dean of Engineering Raymond Wright; Ryan Tanner and Taylor Spalt; Justin Freeman, Jarrod Pierce, Jarred Serpa, Andrew Valainis, and John Grandin; German Consul General Friedrich Löhr, Heidi Kirk Duffy, chair of the IEP board, and Sebastian Fohrbeck, head of the German Academic Exchange Service in New York; Jon, Alicia, and Yldania Carrasco; Nicole Bonvouoir, Alexandra Dempsey, and Filip Losowski.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13
Robert Vaccaro ’05 was a 2nd lieutenant stationed in Baghdad when his Army Humvee was hit by an explosive device on January 13, 2007. He incurred a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spent almost three years in hospital and at outpatient rehabilitation. Almost half of his skull was removed and replaced with an artificial implant. He remains disabled, physically and cognitively, but has achieved a high level of recovery for the severity of his injury.
The
Simple Joy of Life Continued
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NORA LEWIS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 15
Robert with his sisters Bethany, left, and Anna before he left for Iraq.
An essay that Robert’s sister, Bethany Vaccaro ’06, wrote about his injury and the effect it had on his family was published in The American Scholar and was named one of the 10 Best Essays in 2009 by New York Times columnist David Brooks. In this article written for QUAD ANGLES, Bethany continues the story of Robert’s struggle to resume a normal life. To read the original essay, go to theamericanscholar.org/ shock-waves/ To see the video My Brother’s Story by Anna Vaccaro, now in her senior year at URI, go to QuadAngles Online. Video | uri.edu/quadangles
The five Vaccaro children grew up in Kingston near URI where their father, Richard Vaccaro, is a professor of electrical engineering.
“When is Robert coming?” My sister Anna was talking over her shoulder to my mother, Sarah, as they ran back and forth from the house to the yard, arranging the chairs on the lawn and the vase of sunflowers on the party table. “He had better come!” It was a May weekend, 2010. My nephew Eli’s first birthday party was about to begin, as the sun dappled through the great oak tree we had grown up under. Robert was never a social butterfly and hates large gatherings. The home he purchased a year ago is his “Fortress of Solitude.” There he putters around, cleaning his pool, watching TV, and yanking weeds out of the ground when he can distinguish them from the plants left by the previous owners. If there’s one thing a brain injury does, it locks an individual into a new, solitary identity that is hard to share with the rest of the world. The party began, with babies and bubbles and lots of food. My father, Rick,
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came out of the house to talk with guests in his quiet, jovial way, pulling up a lawn chair alongside the only other man there. Nathaniel, my youngest brother and Eli’s “Uncle Nazz,” ran around the yard with his friends, while Eli shared his sippy cup with his baby friends and gave them big, wet kisses on the sides of their heads. People were talking, laughing, running around after babies. Just the kind of situation Robert dislikes. He says that too much conversation confuses him. He doesn’t like making small talk. “Look who’s here!” Anna’s voice broke out over the activity. Robert came ambling up, his dog Berry at his ankles. Berry wasn’t wearing her guide dog vest and instantly left his side as soon as she got wind of the goodies table. Robert walked to Anna and handed her a box, looking down and half-smiling in the bashful way people do when they are pleased with themselves.
“It looks like Benny’s came through,” he stated and thrust the unwrapped package into her hands. I don’t remember what his voice used to sound like, before his injury. We’ve gotten used to the way it is now. “Look Eli!” Anna cried, “Your very own yellow swim suit!” It was the kind that has a tube attached to the middle, the kind that Robert had when he was small. Robert shuffled over to a lawn chair and plopped into it. We didn’t realize when Robert left for Iraq that the landscape of warfare has changed. When we were young, our parents took us to Normandy, France, to see the seas of white crosses there, each a life spent and sacrificed for duty and freedom. We sat at the bottom of enormous bomb craters blown into the green earth and looked at each other. We knew we were on sacred ground. The idea of death in war stayed with me, and it’s all I envisioned when Robert left in August 2006. I prepared myself for a white cross, but never for a different kind of death. What no one in my family realized was that we are no longer asking our service men and women to risk only death when they go to war. We ask them to risk a lifetime of severe disability, to live on when everything about who they are is altered. Weapons have changed and, more importantly, treatment of injury has changed. The doctors told us that if Robert had been hurt like this even during the Gulf War, he probably would have died. Robert is one of the better recovered TBIs, particularly for his level of injury. He can function independently, walk, eat, drive. He lives on his own, driving the three miles to my parents’ house at least once, if not twice, a day for meals and company. What he needs help with is managing the details of life. My parents discreetly look over his shoulder, stepping in when he trustingly buys insurance over the phone or asks for his fingernails to be cut. Robert’s rehabilitation program designed a part-time job for him, which began in January 2010. For a few hours four days a week, he is working for the Department of Defense as an entrylevel technician at a Navy site in Newport. He enjoys moaning about the trials of being a working man at the dinner table each night, proudly smiling when he says he even volunteered for overtime. He takes the fact
that he needs security clearance to enter the facility very seriously. Berry goes with him and is quite popular, making the rounds to different work benches before curling up under Robert’s to sleep. Robert has worked very hard throughout his rehabilitation process to achieve what he has. But there are many things that hard work can never cure. Robert used to curl up with huge tomes of Civil War history but cannot sit down and read a book anymore. Fatigue is one of the worst nettles, cutting into just about everything he tries to do. His focus remains singular and multi-tasking is difficult. We joke that every weird problem you can have, Robert has. He points to his head, lifts one eyebrow, and squints his eyes. “Brain injury,” he says, chuckling. The birthday party continued, as Robert sat benignly in his lawn chair, slumping a little with the curve of the green fabric. “What’s that box on your knee?” I loudly asked him, a few chairs down. Robert usually wore a black leg brace on his left side. Now his shorts revealed a simple band below his knee with a rectangular electronic box attached to the front. “It helps me walk,” he replied gruffly and shook his head as if to dismiss the topic. Instantly, I realized it wasn’t nice of me to call attention to it in public. Robert has become more at ease with his physical challenges, but no one needs to have their sister yell about them from across the group. I tried to quickly change the topic. Babies are useful for this. Soon another of Eli’s baby friends arrived, this one brought by his father James Ferguson ’08, who works at the same site as Robert. Robert nodded as James dropped into the seat next to him. They both leaned back in their chairs and made the kind of small talk that guys make at a 1-year-old’s birthday party. “We should throw the ball around,” James said. James has recently gotten Robert involved in his church’s softball team. Every time my mother tells my sister and me that Robert has gone to softball practice, to a game, or to the batting cages, we jump up and down squealing. Robert’s re-integration into social life has been slow and rocky. Some attempts to go out with old friends have ended up with him embarrassed, dejected, and stating that he will never
leave his house again. But this time, it has been different—more persistent and sensitive. James invited Robert over with a group of other guys to put up a backyard shed. They’ve gotten together a few times just to toss the ball around. He taught Robert a tricky move that allows him to both catch and throw the softball with his right hand. This simple acknowledgement and comfort with Robert’s challenges must be part of what is making it work. Seeing Robert’s burgeoning participation in life again makes my mother and the rest of us happy. It also makes us quiet. We watch Eli stand on a chair next to Robert, holding onto his shoulder, and stealing French fries off Robert’s plate. Robert is clearly tickled by Eli’s attention, reaching out to steady him with both hands, the left slower to grasp Eli’s torso than the right, as the fingers stiffly respond to the hardearned commands his brain is giving them. “Mr. Tiberius,” he calls Eli, raising one eyebrow and making him cackle. The simple joy of life continued is precious to us. What quiets us is the tragic beauty of this adaptation, the fact that Robert has had to adapt like this at all. All life changes, and we twist and shift until we can continue. But what we shed in these transformations is mourned, just as the very metamorphosis is embraced. We do not forget all that Robert has lost, even as we celebrate all that he has gained. In March 2007, two months after Robert’s injury, I stood in an art museum, alone and crying. The room was filled with metallic, elemental beings, bare human figures pared down to their essential forms. A lone figure was frozen mid-stride, body pressed forward, persisting into the future. His weight already on the forward foot, his arms in mid-swing, willing the form into propulsion. I stared through my tears at this eroded being. What endures in a person when everything that can be cut loose is lost? When all is stripped away, down to the very insoluble core, what is this obdurate form that remains? I had seen Giacometti’s sculptures before, but this time, I was seeing my brother. Attacked, altered, reduced, but still there. Persisting. — Bethany Vaccaro ’06 Bethany Vaccaro has taught a course in introductory philosophy at URI.
NORA LEWIS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17
Lights, Camera,
MULTIMEDIA Action
T
he lights dim and music fills the air as Taiwan’s Kun Shan University chamber orchestra begins to play. Dancers take the stage. The audience is treated to a show of performance art that combines the grace and style of dance with the smooth sound of song. It doesn’t stop there. Thanks to five URI students and Professor Jean-Yves Hervé from the Department of Computer Science and Statistics, the action is captured in realtime, 3-D animation to create an interactive multimedia aspect to the show for the audience. This will be the scene next February in Taiwan when the Kun Shan chamber orchestra reshapes the concert experience. This past summer, URI and Kun Shan teams collaborated in Taiwan for 11 weeks. The project was funded by a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant. The URI students—who are part of URI’s 3D Group for Interactive Visualization—are a blend of art, computer science, and engineering majors. They worked with professors and students from Kun Shan’s College of Creative Media to produce interactive multimedia for performance art.
Motion capture is the process through which video sequences, typically of a human body in motion, are analyzed to reconstruct the body’s joint movements. These recorded movements are then used to produce realistic character actions in video games or computer-animated graphics for movies. URI’s portion of the project was three-pronged: motion capture; analysis of motion capture data (with respect to the kinetics of human motion); and visualization. “We want to show how exciting the world of computer science can be, especially when it is combined with other disciplines,” Hervé said. “There is so much more to computer science than sitting at a desk.” Junior Stacie Waleyko is a computer science/applied math major who became interested in 3D graphics after completing several internships at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport. She and Charles Morace, also a computer science/ applied math major, focused on creating 3D models and animating them with motion capture data.
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“My role required me to be both technical and artistic,” Waleyko said. “Not only do I spend time creating models and animations in Maya and Unity 3D, but I spend just as much time recreating those same models by programming them and applying the complex mathematical equations that calculate human motion. I love the work because it is the perfect balance between computer science and art. “Getting out of our usual lab at URI and coming here to work with the Taiwanese students has really opened my eyes to the many ways that we can apply our computer science research. For me, it is so exciting to get out and finally learn some of the software designed for artists—like Flash and Maya—and then come up with ways to use them in expressing our research. As a result of our experiences here, we have evolved into an extremely versatile group of computer scientists and engineers.” Using real-time image processing and motion capture data, Waleyko and Morace are able to use multiple cameras to analyze two-dimensional images captured at each frame and compute a person’s body configuration.
“Working with the Kun Shan students has been exciting and inspiring,” Morace said. “I have appreciated their work using multimedia because, like mathematics, it is a universal language of expression. In their work they focus on evoking emotion and telling a story with their designs, which has inspired me to do the same with our research project.” Nidal Fakhouri ’11, a computer engineering major, became technically proficient using cameras to follow objects moving around and relaying information about those objects to other people. “I have reaffirmed the importance of finding a crossover between the technical and creative, and between the scientist and the artist,” Fakhouri said. “Opportunities like these allow you the freedom to learn a lot and to teach a lot, in a manner that you would not ordinarily do.” Ronald Duarte ’11, a computer engineering major, worked on message passing interfaces and system architecture for the project. “It has been an amazing experience,” said Duarte, a native of the Dominican Republic who served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division before coming to
URI. “The students and the professors at Kun Shan University are very friendly and open to our ideas and have many great ideas themselves. “By working with students who aren’t in computer engineering or computer science, we can be exposed to a different set of skills that we might not encounter in the areas of computer engineering and computer science. In addition, after working with students at Kun Shan University, I have become more experienced about working in other cultures,” said Duarte. The five students on the trip: Duarte, Fakhouri, Morace, Waleyko and Joel Barruos, a computer science major, all received grants from URI’s Research Office to be part of the project. “The best part of this trip was the environment we got to work in,” Waleyko said. “I have never had so much fun with a project or worked in a place saturated with this much creativity. Every day we come to work with these incredible artists who have the best ideas and applications for the research we are doing. The days fly by because I get to spend every day doing something I love with other people who feel the same way.”
URI students— who are part of URI’s 3D Group for Interactive Visualization— are a blend of art, computer science, and engineering majors. They worked with professors and students from Kun Shan’s College of Creative Media to produce interactive multimedia for performance art.
By Shane Donaldson ’99
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEAN-YVES HERVÉ
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19
“We’re not just asking to build a physical infrastructure with leading edge teaching and research space, we are asking to build the sustainable supply of human talent and human ingenuity that is necessary to drive innovation, to drive the frontiers forward in research and discovery.” URI President David M. Dooley
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essential2 is a registered service mark which may not be used without permission.
CHEMISTRY
“Many alumni, who have majored in chemistry or who have taken critical chemistry courses as part of their professional preparation, have advocated for over a decade for a state-of-the-art facility for chemical and forensic sciences that would allow us to provide an excellent education for our students across the curriculum and best serve the needs of Rhode Island. ”
Winifred Brownell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
“Chemistry is the foundation to practically every important area of endeavor, whether it’s the health s ciences, biotechnology, energy, the environment, pharmacy, nursing or high technology,” says URI President David M. Dooley. “As Rhode Islanders who are interested in the education of their children and in the economic future of the state head to the polls on November 2, we want them to remember that chemistry is the building block, the bedrock foundation.” On Election Day, Rhode Islanders will be asked to vote on a $78 million higher education bond referendum (#2) that includes $61 million to finance a modern chemistry facility at URI. “We cannot rebuild Rhode Island’s economy without rebuilding Rhode Island’s capacity in the 21st century, and that’s what we’re asking the voters to do in this election,” Dooley says. The president adds, “As we look to combat disease, improve the health of Rhode Islanders, Americans, and people around the world; as we look for solutions to the global need for energy and sustainable development; as we look to provide better efficiency and higher productivity in many of our core industries, what you will find is that research and education in the chemical sciences is absolutely essential.”
Completes Health and Life Sciences Quad The new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences will replace the outmoded and nearly 60-year-old Pastore Hall, which opened in 1953 when 800 students took chemistry courses each year. Today more than 6,000 students enroll in chemistry courses, and about 40 percent of all URI degree programs require at least one course in chemistry. The Center will also be the keystone in the establishment of the University’s leadership position in the health and life sciences as it joins the new College of Pharmacy, the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, and the College of Nursing in the new North Science Quad on the Kingston Campus. “The development of the North Science Quad was conceived about five years ago as a way to build community among scholars,” says Vice President for Administration Robert Weygand. “It will physically and socially connect the health and life sciences faculty and students to increase opportunities for collaboration, strengthen multi-disciplinary research, and expand relationships with corporate partners and other institutions.” Twice the size of Pastore, the new 120,000-square-foot, four-story Center will triple the space for teaching labs and nearly double the research lab space. The total student capacity in laboratories will increase by more than 50 percent, from 1,200 to 1,900 students per semester, addressing a critical bottleneck that has hampered growth in pharmacy, biotechnology, engineering, and many other fields.
CBLS NURSING
CHEMISTRY PHARMACY
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21
Drives the Research Frontier “We’re not just asking to build a physical infrastructure with leading edge teaching and research space, we are asking to build the sustainable supply of human talent and human ingenuity that is necessary to drive innovation, to drive the frontiers forward in research,” says Dooley. URI chemistry faculty are already leaders in research, developing advanced batteries for energy efficient automobiles, new ways to improve image resolution in MRI scans, and new clinical methods for earlier disease detection. They are also among the nation’s key resources for research and training in the detection of explosions and the battle against terrorism. Chemistry faculty head the Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Explosives, partnered with Northeastern University and headquartered at URI. “We are developing intellectual property that will help drive the economic engine for Rhode Island and improve our quality of life. This facility will allow faculty to compete more effectively for grants and move scientific discoveries into the marketplace more rapidly,” says Winifred Brownell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Modern facilities energize students and faculty alike,” adds William Euler, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry. “All of our talented young faculty were attracted to URI, in part, by the possibilities with such a facility—to be able to train our undergraduate and graduate students in a cutting-edge environment, while tackling significant scientific and technological problems. Students and potential students are enthused because they know it will provide them the best experience to compete and succeed in the job market.” “People do ask how this project is connected to creating jobs in Rhode Island,“ says Dooley. “My response is that in addition to building the 21st century workforce in the state, we need to build the capacity to generate new employers—that’s how you create new jobs. The kind of activity that will take place in this facility will encourage innovation and the application of those discoveries—the pathway to new growth in economic development. “The building is designed to last 100 years,” adds Dooley, “and chemistry will continue to be the science behind many of the frontiers that will be so important into the next century.” n
On Jobs The project is expected to directly create approximately 950 jobs over the next three years. These jobs will span the construction trades, and also include architecture, engineering, and management.
Elana Viola ‘11, triple major in chemistry, mathematics, and electrical engineering, winner of two Goldwater Scholarships.
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NORA LEWIS
The Building Architect: Wilson Architects of Boston, MA The building is designed to achieve LEED Silver sustainability standards, affording a significant reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas impact. The four-story, 120,000 square foot design incorporates sustainable features with a special focus on saving energy with the use of heat recovery systems, advanced lighting controls, daylight harvesting, and fume hood controls with occupancy sensors. The building materials will use new technologies such as rainscreen technology, sunshades, and air barriers, while the surrounding landscape will use low maintenance strategies including the use of native drought-resistant plant materials, and innovative storm water management. The two lower floors will house 14 chemistry teaching labs, computing and other instructional space, and two large lecture halls. The two upper floors will provide space for 18 faculty and 70 bench positions in 36 lab modules.
“The design of the building reflects both the history and the future of the University. The fieldstone foundation walls and sloped zinc roof recall materials used for URI’s original historic Quadrangle buildings, while the modern panels and energy-efficient glazing of the research floors speak of emerging technologies.”
Thomas Frisbie-Fulton, University Architect.
Chemistry: The Bedrock Foundation The following degree programs require at least one chemistry course: Animal Science and Technology Aquaculture and Fishery Technology Biological Sciences Biotechnology Manufacturing Clinical Laboratory Science Engineering (all disciplines) Geosciences Kinesiology Marine Biology Microbiology Nursing Nutrition and Dietetics Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmacy (PharmD) Pre-dental and Pre-Medical Textile, Fashion Merchandising, and Design Wildlife Conservation Biology
The Bond Referendum – Question #2 The Higher Education Facilities Bonds. Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed sixty-one million dollars ($61,000,000) for the construction of a new chemistry building at the University of Rhode Island, and seventeen million dollars ($17,000,000) for the renovation and construction of an addition to the Art Center at Rhode Island College.
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in the EYE of the
STORMS
Talk about being in the eye of the storm. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry, who earned a Master’s in Marine Affairs at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, is in two of the biggest storms you could imagine, both literally and figuratively. As commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District headquartered in New Orleans, Landry oversees Coast Guard operations covering 26 states, more than 1,200 miles of coastline, 10,300 miles of island waterways from Florida to Mexico and the entire navigable lengths of the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee river systems. A big part of her responsibilities include preparing for the hurricane season. Enough? Not yet. Last April and May, Landry was in charge of search and rescue operations in the Gulf after the now infamous Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit explosion and subsequent leak. She also served as the federal on-scene coordinator in command of joint federal operations in the Gulf until early June, when she returned to her primary duties at the Eighth District just in time to make immediate plans for the hurricane season with the oil leak looming as additional distress.
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With the challenge of a leak one mile below the surface and questionable information about the amount of oil actually being leaked, the Coast Guard had to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Soon enough, inaccurate information on the volume of the leak started circulating from BP, and as days dragged into weeks with no success in plugging the leak, it began to look like a serious situation had the potential to become dire. At this writing, the Deepwater Horizon disaster was well into its third month with conservative predictions that it would take until late summer or fall before a relief well could be finished that would allow officials to plug the leak. “At first our major concerns were to fight the fire, evacuate survivors, and deal with
critical injuries once we had recovered the victims,” Landry recalled. “You always look ahead in situations like this, and initially we thought it could be managed, but once the rig sank, it was a worst case scenario. Our primary responsibility is for safety and environmental protection. We knew the well could go at any moment.” When it became obvious in May and early June that capping the well wasn’t going to happen, the focus turned to long term effects of an oil leak that ranged in the tens of thousands of barrels per day. Landry had dealt with an oil spill in Buzzards Bay as commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office in Providence. Her strength as a commander was tested later as the executive officer of the Marine Safety Office in Boston during the September 11 attacks, so she understood stress and the importance of sturdy planning and communication. “As unfortunate as spills are, they do teach you lessons, and if you learn the lessons and improve regulations and planning, you can prevent more spills,” Landry said. Landry says her biggest concern now in respect to the Gulf spill and other potential disasters is “unity of effort.” Her experience with Deepwater Horizon led her to believe that everyone is not on the same page with planning and response. “It’s challenging enough to save the ecosystem and a way of life,” she said. “We need a kind of 9/11 attitude in response to all of this where the PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
nation works together to meet the challenge.” Landry’s job of protecting the Gulf region against hurricane damage became even more important because of the oil spill. Hurricanes in the Gulf could hinder efforts to plug the well and could disperse oil over a wider area causing more damage to ecosystems, wildlife and marine organisms. The potential for economic disaster multiplied. “There’s a tremendous amount of work that goes into hurricane preparation,” Landry said. “We have to make plans and work with the various states and agencies, ports, and officials. We have a great network of people, and we’re doing new things. The $14.4 billion hurricane barrier in New Orleans is nearly finished. It’s a 100-year protection barrier and pumping system. “Last year we had 200 extra vessels in the region, and we’ll have 120 more this year. About 85 percent of the barges involved in this [the oil spill] response are from this area. Another 15 percent have to be included in plans. There are over 500 oil skimmers in the region. All these have to be moved in the event of a hurricane, as well as offshore supply vessels. It’s a tremendous undertaking.” A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Landry joined the Coast Guard on the recommendation of a cousin for what she expected would be a three-year term. “The mission and the people grow on you,” she said. Completing Officer Candidate School in 1980, she steadily moved up the ranks and
has served the majority of her career in the marine safety field. That was the focus of her studies at GSO where she took classes with Dennis Nixon, Lawrence Juda, and others for whom she has high praise. “I have carried so much of what I learned there to my tasks in the Coast Guard,” she said. “It’s a wonderful program with great professors who are experts in their field. I met some terrific people there. It was a very eclectic group of people from all walks of life including educators at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, the Boston Aquarium, and the American Bureau of Shipping. I have worked on projects with one of my classmates, John Gallagher, M.M.A. ’95, of the American Bureau of Shipping.” Juda recalls Landry as an inquisitive student who wanted to learn as much as she could. “She’s in the spotlight and obviously very capable,” he said. “We have a lot of our graduates in Washington, D.C., in the field of ocean policy, and we have a distinct presence in the ocean community. “Admiral Landry shows how what we teach here is relevant in real life. She took advantage of the opportunity and she uses it in her professional life.” Landry certainly agrees. “It was a great experience,” she said of her years at URI. “I still remember debates we had there about international law and the law of the sea. It was so beneficial to me in my work.” — By John Pantalone ’71 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 25
Working the Room
MOVE-IN DAY, SEPTEMBER, 2010 New roommates Gabrielle Faiella ’14 of Marlton, N.J. and Maura Bradley ’14 of Auburn, N.Y. begin the work of setting up their triple in Weldin Hall while waiting for their roommate, Alexis Thoma ’14 of Wallingford, Conn. to arrive. How’d the room turn out? Go to uri.edu/quadangles to see! NORA LEWIS
NORA LEWIS
ALUMNICHAPTERS
advance.uri.edu/alumni/chapters
FUN WITH ALUMS Chapter events are open to all alumni, family, and friends of the University. Contact your local chapter rep and join the fun!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Upcoming Events October 14 The Massachusetts Chapter and the Young Alumni Council are holding a Rhody Rush Hour at the Back Bay Social Club on Boylston Street in Boston at 5:30 p.m. Catch up with other local alumni and get up to speed on upcoming chapter events. Registration is free. Register online today (deadline October 14 at noon). Contact Chapter Leaders Mike Sams ’90 at mpsams@KandSlegal.com or Nicholas G. Chigas '03 at Nicholas.G.Chigas@mssb.com for further details. October 17 Join the Connecticut Chapter for a wine tasting event at Sunset Meadows Vineyards in Goshen, Conn. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.$15 per person, which includes a wine tasting and tour, light refreshments, and a souvenir wine glass. Register online today! For questions, contact Jess Raffaele at 401-874-4604 or jraffaele@advance.uri.edu. October 22 The Theta Chi Chapter is holding its annual Homecoming Weekend dinner at the University Club for Theta Chi alumni and their guests. For more information and to RSVP by October 16, contact John Eastman ‘62 at joneastman@aol.com.
December 8 The Massachusetts Chapter is hosting a Holiday Warm-Up Scotch Tasting at The Elephant Walk Restaurant in Cambridge. The event will feature a tasting of five Scotches, appetizers, handmade chocolates, and a cash bar. $20 per person. For more information, contact Chapter Leaders Mike Sams ’90 at mpsams@KandSlegal.com or Nicholas G. Chigas '03 at Nicholas.G.Chigas@mssb.com. January 22 Join the Southwest Florida Gators for lunch at the Royal Palm Yacht Club. For more information, contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401-874-4854 or mfontes-barros@ advance.uri.edu.
Events Gone By Delta Zeta sisters from the Class of 1970 celebrated their 40th reunion in Kingston July 16–18. On July 24, Los Angeles Chapter alumni took in a Dodgers– Mets game in LA. Massachusetts Chapter alumni got together at Jillian’s before taking in the Red Sox–Tigers game at Fenway on July 31.
October 27 Join the New Hampshire Chapter for a beer tasting event at the Redhook Ale Brewery from 6-8 p.m. The event includes a beer tasting and tour, souvenir tasting glass, appetizers, cash bar, a free raffle for Rhody gear, and the opportunity to network with fellow alums in your area—all for just $10. Register online today! For questions, contact Jess Raffaele at 401-874-4604 or jraffaele@advance.uri.edu or Chapter Leader Clarissa Uttley at cmuttley@plymouth.edu.
On August 1, the Rhode Island Chapter alumni took in the Red Sox–Tigers game after getting together for a reception at Jillian’s.
October 30 The Washington D.C./Baltimore Chapter will be cheering on the Rams as they take on the Towson Tigers. For more information, contact Brittany Manseau at 401-874-4536 or bmanseau@advance.uri.edu.
Ohio Chapter alumni gathered for the 2010 Blossom Festival in Cuyahoga Falls on August 21.
December 4 Join the Southwest Florida Gators for a holiday lunch at the Boca Royale Country Club. For questions, contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401-874-4854 or mfontes-barros@advance.uri.edu.
The Phi Kappa Psi, RI Beta Chapter held its annual Pop Top Golf Open on August 14 at Beaver River Golf Club in Richmond, R.I. On August 14, the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter alumni got together to cheer on the Frisco Rough Riders.
On August 30, the Texas Rhode Horns Chapter alumni took in an Astros game. The Washington D.C./Baltimore Chapter alumni gathered for an Orioles–Red Sox game at Camden Yards on September 2.
28 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
HARBOR SAIL The Massachusetts Chapter hosted an afternoon of sailing in Boston Harbor on July 17 for members and their families.
THETA CHI GUYS Theta Chi Chapter alumni got together on September 7 at Chianti’s in East Greenwich. The group welcomed four new Theta Chi pledges and a national fraternity rep who join them for their quarterly dinner.
WELCOME FRESHMEN On July 17, the New Jersey Chapter invited incoming URI students from the area to join them in Bridgewater for a Somerset Patriots baseball game.
GO SOX! The Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapters each got together this summer at Jillian’s before heading to Fenway to cheer on the home team. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 29
REGIONAL CHAPTERS
Minnesota
Arizona Rhode Runners
John ’92 & Kristen Turcotte ’95, Saint Louis Park, MN p: 952.285.1148 e: jfturcotte@mindspring.com keturcotte@mindspring.com New Hampshire White Mountain Rams
Julie Griffin ’99 Scottsdale, AZ p: 480.634.1950 (h) 480.754.6147 (w) e: Julez99@aol.com California LA Rams Craig Weiss ‘89, Valley Glen, CA p: 661.713.2492 e: diego.studiocity@gmail.com Northern Pat Ludes ’79 & Greg Passant ’78, Pleasanton, CA p: 925.227.1878 Southern Jeff Bolognese ’02, p: 760.945.4560 e: jeff@richmondfinancial.net Colorado Mile High Rams Christy L. Gallese '03 Denver, CO p: 303.561.4979 e: christygallese@gmail.com Connecticut Tara Blumenstock ’96, Wallingford, CT p: 203.294.0246 e: tarabarbara@hotmail.com Janet Sisson ’87, Middletown, CT p: 860.214.7998 e: sissonj@independentdayschool.org Florida Southeast Riki Greenbaum ’01, Homestead, FL p: 305.978.2023 e: rhgreenbaum@yahoo.com Southwest Gators
Clarissa M. Uttley ’04, M.S. ’06, Ph.D. ’08, Rumney, NH p: 603.786.5035 (h) 603.535.2915 (w) e: cmuttley@plymouth.edu New Jersey Lauri Pietruszka ’84, West Paterson, NJ p: 973.890.1623 (h) e: lauriann_p@yahoo.com New York: Albany Cindy Ladd Anderson ‘80, Clifton Park, NY p: 518.373.9440 (h) 518.527.4195 (c) e: rhodymom3@gmail.com New York: Metro Janet Irlander ’78, New York, NY p: 917.612.7276 e: jirlander@paramount.group.com North Carolina Ed Doughty ’93, Charlotte, NC p: 704.995.9300 (h) 704.552.5200 (w) e: eddoughty@gmail.com Ohio Tom Noyes ’67, Wooster, OH p: 330.345.6516 (h) 330.264.8722 (w) e: noyes.1@osu.edu
Brooke Bondur ’93, Baltimore, MD p: 443.756.3977 (h) 410.527.9328 (w) e: bbondur@aol.com
Italian
Theta Chi
Brina Masi '01, Baltimore, MD p: 401.261.5416 e: brimasi16@gmail.com
Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RI p: 401.783.3081 e: acwvmhs@rinet35.org Remo Trivelli, Kingston, RI p: 401.874.2383
John Eastman ’62, North Kingstown, RI p: 401.295.1956 (h) e: joneastman@aol.com
INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS If you attended URI as an international student, please contact the Alumni Office and let us know your current address. If you're traveling abroad,feel free to contact one of our alumni to say hello. GERMANY Robert John Ellwood ‘06, Braunschweig, Germany p: +49 17676311971 e: Ellwood@mail.uri.edu GREECE Irene Kesse Theodoropoulou '69 44 Achileos Pal Faleron 17562, Athens, Greece p: 011.30.1.981.3559 (h)
AFFINITY CHAPTERS Alpha Chi Omega Gamma Sigma Shanon Whitt Horridge '86 Cranston, RI p: 401.383.4657 e: shannyh40@aol.com alpha phi Alpha Phi Laura McMahon Kovacs ’01, Waxhaw, NC p: 704.843.6977 e: lauralaylin@gmail.com Chi Phi
Douglas Bennet ’77, Providence, RI Danielle Pray ’88, Walton, KY p: 401.351.3522 (h) p: 859.485.6790 Richard Boldt ’64, Naples, FL e: dbennet@aol.com e: d@prayzpaws.com p: 239.417.0375 e: rboldt854@aol.com Bill ’74 & Betty ’74 Sepe, Hudson, OH Community Planning Mike DeLuca ’80, M.C.P. ’88, p: 330.650.6715 The Villages Narragansett, RI e: OHRhody@hotmail.com Al Bateman ’59, The Villages, FL p: 401.789.6888 (h) Rhode Island e: acbnaples@aol.com 401.461.1000, ext. 3137 (w) Allison Field ’95, Providence, RI Illinois: Chicago Continuing Education p: 401.808.9463 Jimmy De La Zerda ’04, Orland Park e: allison@conderi.com Joyce Dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RI e: jimmydlz401@gmail.com p: 401.766.2209 (h) Kelley Warner ’02, Scituate, RI Louisiana/Mississippi Delta Zeta p: 401.528.2622 e: Kwisdom3@cox.net Dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LA Nancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RI p: 985.643.8801 (h) p: 401.624.6364 (h) Texas e: delinac@charter.net Dallas/Ft. Worth Graduate School of Library Phyllis DelFiore ’68, Slidell, LA Cortney ’01 and David Nicolato ‘98, and Information Studies p: 985.847.1609 (h) Dallas, TX Liisa Laine '09 e: feliciadf@hotmail.com p: 214.341.6369 Saunderstown, RI e: rhodygrad@gmail.com Massachusetts p: 401.339.4746 e: liisal@mail.uri.edu Nicholas G. Chigas ’03, Waltham, MA Texas Rhode Horns p: 978.505.7161 (h) Sybil Akins '08 Jeffrey A. Ross ’75, Houston 781.672.5170 (w) Wakefield, RI p: 713.668.3746 (h) e: nicholas.g.chigas@mssb.com p: 401.783.0953 713.791.9521 (w) e: sma718@gmail.com e: jross67785@aol.com Michael P. Sams ’90, Westborough, MA Hasbro Washington, D.C./ Baltimore p: 508.665.4299 (w) We are seeking chapter leadership Hank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MD e: mpsams@kandSlegal.com in this area. If you are interested in p: 301.803.2910 (w) Michigan learning more, please contact Gina 301.482.1062 (h) Simonelli at 401.874.5808. e: henryjn@us.ibm.com David Diana ’84, Warren, MI p: 586.268.0048 e: dianad@flash.net
30 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
Lucia Vescera ’96, Lincoln, RI e: lvescera@hotmail.com Lambda Chi Alpha Jeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PA p: 717.530.0188 e: firemarshal70@hotmail.com Lambda Delta Phi Linda F. Desmond ’68, North Andover, MA p: 978.687.7443 (h) 978.794.3896 (w) e: lfdesmond@comcast.net Martha Smith Patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI p: 401.539.2180 e: mpatnoad@uri.edu Phi Gamma Delta Richard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI p: 401.874.6693 (w) e: kingsley@gso.uri.edu Phi Kappa Psi Joe Hart ’85, Kingston, RI p: 401.783.4852 e: pkpribeta@cox.net www.ribeta.com Phi Mu Delta Jim DeNuccio ‘75, East Greenwich, RI p: 401.884.2993 (w) f: 401.885.2228 (w) Phi Sigma Kappa Kenneth Gambone ‘88, New York, NY p: 917.701.4631 e: Kenneth.gambone@barclayscapital.com Political Science Al Killilea, Kingston, RI p: 401.874.2183 (w) RIDOT Christos Xenophontos ’84, Exeter, RI e: xenophon@dot.ri.gov Charles St. Martin ’92, Coventry, RI e: cstm@cox.net; cstmartin@dot.ri.gov ROTC John Breguet ‘70, Smithfield, RI p: 401.232.2097 (h) e: jbreguet@cox.net Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RI e: urirotcalumni@cox.net www.uri.rotc.alum.org Schmidt Labor Research Center J. Richard Rose M.S. ’06 p: 401.461.2786 (h) e: rrose@mail.uri.edu Sigma Chi Mark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RI p: 401.782.0064 (h) e: mtrovato@riag.state.ri.us www.rhodysig.com
Mike Testa ‘63, Jamestown, RI p: 401.423.8918 e: jtown@cox.net Theta Delta Chi Eric Lalime ’95 p: 201.962.2001 (h) 347.739.7345 (cell) e: eric_lalime@ml.com URI Difference Equations Association Michael A. Radin ‘01, Rochester, NY p: 585.461.4002 (h) 585.475.7681 (w) e: michael.radin@rit.edu Writers Affinity Group Jan Wenzel '81, Tiverton, RI p: 401-714-6595 (c) 401-874-5190 (w) e: wenzel@ds.uri.edu
Alumni Family Day at Roger Williams Park Zoo Alumni families gathered on July 23 for a special tour of the Roger Williams Park Zoo that included a warm greeting from Zoo Director Jack Mulvena, M.B.A. ’90. To learn about upcoming family events, visit advance.uri.edu/alumni/family
For more photos, go to advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/familycamp/familyday2010
PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 30
CLASSACTS
Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotes Submit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservices
ACN Orientation: On Tuesday, September 7th, a mentor/mentee orientation was held at the Alumni Center for the Alumni of Color Network’s pilot mentoring program. The well-attended event included lunch and a chance to socialize. The Alumni of Color Network (ACN) was founded in 2007 to provide opportunities for interaction and collaboration among alumni, students, staff, and faculty of color. These include career networking events, professional and personal mentoring, social gatherings, and community service and outreach. Back row l to r: Russell Gross ‘70, Marquis Jones, Michelle FontesBarros ‘96, Abu Bakr ‘73, M.S. ‘84, Delroy James; middle row l to r: Pamela Abina ‘09, Meissa Fejardo, Dwenise Dujan, Danielle Officer ‘02; front row l to r: Kalyana Champlain ‘08, M.A. ‘10, Cathy Bour ‘05, Cyntoya Simmons, Darran Simon ‘98.
‘47 Carol Emerson Jones, A&S, of South Royalton, Vt., writes: “All together we have five children and twelve grandkids (3 to 33) and two great-granddaughters. Mine are in Rhode Island, and Alfred’s are in Massachusetts. Traffic is minimal in Vermont. I exercise in the pool at nearby Vermont Tech and have plenty to do besides. Everyone loves tubing down the White River, but I miss the ocean.”
‘51 William G. Bucklin, of Jamestown, R.I., writes: “Retired as a Delta Airlines captain after 31 years. Retired M.A.F. Mission Volunteer pilot
READ LISTEN WATCH
serving in Africa, three countries, five years.”
‘59
Lucille Cashman Dey, CBA, of Pensacola, Fla., enjoys living in Florida but does miss seeing former classmates.
John Francis Duffek, CBA, of Davenport, Fla., and his wife, Cindy ‘59, have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. John and Cindy met at URI and were married on June 25, 1960.
‘53
‘61
Arthur H. Rathjen, A&S, of Midland, Mich., writes: “I moved back to Midland after living in Weekapug (Westerly) for 11 years.” The late George Alvin Wiley, A&S, has been inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. George died in a boating accident on August 8, 1973.
Chris P. Tsokos, ENG, of Tampa, Fla., a mathematics and statistics professor, was honored by the State of Connecticut House of Representatives and also received the University of Connecticut‘s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
‘52
QUAD ANGLES ONLINE advance.uri.edu/quadangles
32 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
‘65 Roberta Houston Anderson, HS&S, of East Greenwich, R.I., writes: “I recently retired after 20 years of public service. Retirement followed raising three sons at home in Rhode Island. A lover of theater and music, I continue as a performing member with Barker Theater in Providence and sing at any chance I can get. I am especially excited to chair the Planning Committee for the 45th Reunion of the Class
STAY
CONNECTED
‘57 Max Dressler Lechtman, A&S, of Westminster, Calif., writes: “My sixth grandchild, Trevor M. Cosand, was born on December 31, 2009. My novel, A Sense of Rumor was published this year. It is a murder mystery set in Southern California. Details can be found on my Web site, outskirtspress.com/asenseofrumor.” Graham James Norton, ENG, of Lady Lake, Fla., wrties: ìMe and my wife, Midge Grills ‘57, are enjoying retired life with golf and bridge in The Villages, Fla. I retired in 1998 after 30 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 10 years as director of public works and transportation in Montgomery County, Md.” Frederick W. Reinhardt, ENG, of Woonsocket, R.I., writes: “I was inducted into the Rhode Island Track Coaches Hall of Fame in November 2009. I coached track and field and cross country at Bryant University, where I designed and constructed the cross country course that was used for many years for Rhode Island secondary school meets. I was commissioner of the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association for several years and am a member of the Bryant Athletic Hall of Fame. I retired from Bryant in 1996 as professor emeritus of mathematics and now conduct an antiques business.
ALUMNI DIRECTORY
of 1965, which is scheduled to coincide with URI Homecoming on October 22, 2010. I hope to see many old friends that weekend. Please join me as we celebrate such a special occasion!”
‘66 Ann Spong Szmania, CBA, of Bethlehem, Pa., retired on April 1, 2010, after 37 years as the accounts payable manager for the city of Bethlehem. Ann has joined the YMCA and swims and exercises every day.
‘71 Susan Taber Richards, A&S, of Rehoboth, Mass., has been named vice president and assistant controller of the Middlesex Savings Bank.
‘72 Joseph Montecalvo, CELS, of Morro Bay, Calif., has retired from California Polytechnic State University‘s Food Science and Nutrition Department where he was a professor of food chemistry and food safety and department head. Prior to his 27 years at Cal Poly, Joe was employed by Pepsico-Frito Lay as a corporate research scientist in Dallas, Texas. He spent two years as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Joe also served as co-director of Cal Poly’s International Studies Program. He has published over 100 research papers, abstracts, and book chapters and is an expert on food safety and organic, processed food regulatory requirements. He will continue to teach food chemistry and food safety and to devote more time to the international consulting business that he began in 1987. He and his wife, Laura Harkey ‘74, live in a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Morro Rock, a bird sanctuary. Their son Joe is finishing his third year of medical school in New York City. Joe would enjoy hearing from old friends and can be reached at montecalvo@charter.net. Robert G. Norton, ENG, of Manchester, Mass., has been elected to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s board of directors.
‘73 Jean E. Angell, HS&S, of North Scituate, R.I., had a pops musical concert dedicated to her by the Scituate High School band in honor of her retirement from teaching, athletic directing, and coaching. Jean’s
NORA LEWIS
Elise Fitzgerald ’10
The Heady World of New York Public Relations When Elise Fitzgerald was a freshman at URI, she went to a club meeting every night: “I just wanted to see what I liked,” she said. Today Fitzgerald, who has been a campus tour guide, intern in the Department of Communications and Marketing, Homecoming queen, and mentor for a 10-week course that helps freshmen succeed at URI, has jumped into the next stage of her life. On June 7 the leadership studies minor began a paid internship in New York with Burston and Marsteller, a leading public relations and communications firm with operations in 92 countries. Her numerous experiences at URI prepared her well. Fitzgerald completed two successful public relations internships with FM Global, a global leader in commercial and industrial insurance, a field marketing internship with Contiki Vacations that sent her on an all-expense paid trip to Europe, and a sales internship with Collette Vacation.
“The leadership experience I gained at URI helped me get this internship,” Fitzgerald said. “The program taught me to know my strengths, my weaknesses, and where I can grow. The leadership program allowed me to work with people with different opinions who came from diverse cultures and backgrounds. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without meeting the people in the leadership programs.” Fitzgerald was a peer mentor for a three credit first-year leadership course called FLITE. She participated in the First Year Student Leadership Institute as a freshman and served as a ropes course facilitator, small group leader, and coordinator. Fitzgerald also helped build WOWW (We’re Offering Women Wisdom), a mentoring program for freshmen women, and served as recruitment chair and vice president. She also performed in The Vagina Monologues and participated in Leadership Rhode Island, Relay for Life, Annual WOWW
Domestic Violence Fundraiser, and Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. Even with multiple activities, Fitzgerald’s academic performance remained excellent, and she graduated in May with a 3.67 grade point average. —Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ‘87
Matt Burak ’10
Brandon Brown ’10
Matt Burak enrolled at URI because of its unique program that merges chemical engineering with biology: “I’ve always been interested in chemistry and biology, partly because my grandparents came down with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s, and I wanted to help find a cure. And my grandfather and father are both engineers, so I wanted to keep that tradition alive, too.” But it wasn’t just academics that lured him to URI. He was also recruited to compete on the swim team. Although the University dropped varsity swimming mid-way through Burak’s career, he worked to ensure that the team remained active as a club sport. It was for those efforts that he was rewarded with the University’s Rainville Student Leadership Award. Burak led the URI swim team to set five national records for club teams—the 200 and 400 meter freestyle relays, the 200 meter medley relay, the 100 meter individual freestyle, and the 50 meter individual freestyle. During his sophomore year he was recognized as the smartest male athlete at URI for having earned the highest grade point average among all male athletes. “Swimming helped me prioritize my time,” he said. “Without it, I’d probably have gone crazy. It’s important that I had both swimming and studying in my life.” Burak also worked on a microbial fuel cell research project designed to use microorganisms to break down pharmaceutical waste products: “In the last couple of decades, there has been an increasing amount of pharmaceuticals turning up in ponds and reservoirs—especially heart disease drugs—and we don’t want them getting into our drinking water. We proposed using a fuel cell in a reservoir that will help remove these harmful drugs from the water supply.” Burak’s next step is to enroll in a doctoral program at the University of Kentucky where he will study drug delivery systems for cancer therapy, with the goal of conducting his own research and teaching at the college level.
Brandon Brown’s former high school gained national attention last spring when the district’s superintendent fired the entire teaching staff because of poor student performance. A double-major in sociology and political science with a minor in African-American studies, Brown has applied for multiple positions in this school district; his goal is to work in the community to help turn Central Falls around. Brown was the first URI student to serve consecutive terms on the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education, and he spent the spring of 2009 as a program coordinator for the Young Voices Central Falls/Scope program. He was also a camp counselor and activities coordinator for the URI Transportation Center and has been a mentor with Rhode Island Children’s Crusades. “The University has been an opportunity for me, as well as for my peers, to absorb information and find our own place in the world we are in, based not only on the history we come from, but also the future we are mutually working to create,” Brown said. While at URI, Brown worked with several campus leaders and was especially close to President Robert L. Carothers and Gerald Williams, director of URI’s Talent Development program. He also worked with the Rev. Bernard Lafayette Jr., former director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. While he sees obstacles around him, Brown maintains hope for a better tomorrow: “I subscribe to a philosophy that places a heavy emphasis on positivity. Positivity is transformative. It flows from one person to another, and we have an opportunity and the full capacity to generate positivity within ourselves and share that with others around us.” It is that outlook that makes Brown believe he can have an impact in Central Falls: “I believe that the American Dream is most prominent in places like Central Falls. Spend some time in Central Falls walking with me, and I’ll point out people who are striving for and achieving the American dream.”
Student Leadership Award Winner
—Todd Mcleish
MICHAEL SALERNO, NORA LEWIS
Bringing Hope Home to Central Falls
—Shane Donaldson ’99
UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND 33 ISLAND 33
Peace Flags: On Sept. 21, URI’s Student Nonviolence Involvement Committee and Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies hosted the International Day of Peace on the Quad. Peace Flag Project Director Ginny Fox came to Kingston to show URI students how to design and hang their individual flags. To inaugurate the day, which was first celebrated in 1981, the Peace Bell is rung at UN headquarters in New York City. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents.
‘80
career spans an era that witnessed extraordinary growth in high school athletics in Rhode Island, particularly for girls who now compete in 14 different sports at the varsity level at the state‘s 56 public, private, and parochial schools. Lee D. Grossi, CBA, of Greenville, R.I., has been named administrator of finance for Children’s Friend. Kathleen Daley Obrist, HS&S, of San Diego, Calif., writes: Otto ‘75 and I met at URI in December 1973 and married July 4, 1981. We have lived in San Diego since 1981 with a two-year stint in Puerto Rico. Otto now has his own business, INTEGRA TRADING and CONSULTING (a broker in the seafood industry), and I am director of the Montgomery Media Institute at Montgomery High School where I teach seniors. Christopher J. Reich, A&S, of Washington, D.C., is the associate deputy director of the Institute Museum and Library Services. Glenford J. Shibley, A&S, of Coventry, R.I., writes: “I will be a Republican candidate for the State Senate District 33 seat this November. The district includes most of Coventry and portions of West Warwick, East Greenwich, and Warwick. I am presently a Coventry town councilman. As senator, I will work to better fund URI!” Stuart L. Turgel, CELS, of Suffern, N.Y., engineering manager at AirPol, Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., writes: “After 36 years of working to solve industrial air pollution control problems throughout the U.S. and overseas, I’ve finally gotten the chance to clean up the air in Rhode Island! An AirPol wet electrostatic precipitator system has been delivered to and will soon be installed in Cranston in a fire testing facility to capture fire generated particulate emissions.”
‘74 John T. Campanini, CELS, of Providence, R.I., has been named project supervisor for the Rhode Island Tree Council’s Forest Sustainability Project, a $449,000 initia-
tive designed to help assess and improve forest health, provide urban forestry training, and promote, maintain, and increase green employment in Rhode Island. Stephen M. Lombardi, CBA, of Providence, R.I., has been named executive director of the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the URI Alumni Association and is a current member of the Alumni Golf Tournament Committee. He was previously director of the Providence Civic Center (Dunkin Donuts Center); most recently he was national sales director of ClubStore of Westport, Ct. Morton White, CBA, of Cranston, R.I., and illustrator Jil Tyler have self published A Gardener’s Sense of Humus, a 75-page cartoon book with seasonal garden tips.
‘75 Robert D. Ballard, GSO, of Danbury, Conn., has been inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Edward F. Wachowicz, A&S, of Manhasset, N.Y., is teaching science at St. Peter of Alcantara School in Port Washington, N.Y. He is also enrolled in the Master’s of Education program at Molloy College.
‘76 Patricia A. Harrigan, CELS, of Coventry, R.I., retired in 2004 after working as a manager for Elizabeth Arden for 31 years. She is happy reading, exercising, doing yoga, and traveling!
‘77 Nancy Sarra Forte, NUR, of Cranston, R.I., has been promoted to director of patient care services by the Visiting Nurse Service of Greater Rhode Island. James R. Lawrence, A&S, of Manchester, N.H., a mason, is recrafting the stolen fingers of the Roger Williams Statue in Prospect Terrace in Providence, with his daughter Ally Lawrence, a sculptor.
34 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
Corey W. Briggs, A&S, of Quincy, Mass., is a senior manager with Environ International Corporation, a worldwide environmental health, safety, and energy consultancy. He has relocated to the 99 Summer St, Boston office and can be reached at 617.259.0172 or cbriggs@environcorp.com.
‘81 Phillip Kydd, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., has been named acting deputy director of the State Department of Transportation.
‘82 Russell Paul Knight, of East Greenwich, R.I., is currently deputy commander and chief of staff at the U.S. Naval War College. His daughter Kellie is a sophmore at URI studying Animal Veterinary Science.
‘83 Christiane M. Amanpour, A&S, of New York, N.Y.,has joined ABC News to anchor This Week. Stephen J. Falcone, ENG, of Harwich, Mass., was named commander of the 77th Sustainment Brigade in a ceremony held on June 12, 2010, at Fort Dix, N. J.
‘85 Lori-Jean Bianchini Liguori, A&S, of Westerly, R.I., a school psychologist, was surprised by her colleagues and family as Stonington Superintendent of Schools Leanne Masterjoseph announced that she had been chosen as the town’s 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year. Lori has worked at both Pawcatuck Middle and West Broad Street schools. Ellen M. Pierce, HS&S, of Embarrass, Minn., a science teacher, has prepared her top student to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair.
‘86 Michele B. Kaufman, PHM, of New York, N.Y., has been elected to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Educational Affairs Committee and will serve a term of two years. In addition, she presented a poster at the New York State Council of Health-Systems Pharmacy 49th Annual Assemby in Saratoga Springs. The title of the poster was “First Report of Rhabdomyolysis with Significant Creatine Phosphokinase Elevations
in a Patient Treated with Combined Pregabalin and Simvastatin in a Community Teaching Hospital.”
‘88 John T. Shoop, CBA, of Mercer Island, Wash., has been named vice president of worldwide carrier sales by Blue Coat Systems, Inc.
‘89 Jonathan Carr, A&S, of Darien, Conn., has joined MKM Partners as managing director, head of sales trading. He will also serve as a member of MKM’s Operating Committee.
‘90 Toni M. Buzzeo, M.L.S., of Buxton, Maine, writes: “I just published my twelfth children’s book, Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten (Dial, 2010), preceeded by No T. Rex in the Library (SoS, 2010), which draws on my career in librarianship, fueled by my M.L.S. from URI. Lots more informtation on my Web site at tonibuzzeo.com.” Darlene M. Loprete, A&S, of Memphis, Tenn., was the recipient of Rhodes College’s highest faculty honors for outstanding teaching and research.
‘91 Pamela J. Brow, A&S, of West Kingston, R.I., received a Juris Doctor degree from the Roger Williams University School of Law during commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2010. Eric L. Dougherty, A&S, of Westford, Mass., has joined Stratus Technologies as vice president of channel sales. Robert E. Rainville, CBA, of East Greenwich, R.I., writes: “An attorney for 15 years and former probate judge, I‘m a candidate for Rhode Island attorney general in 2010. The only URI alum in the race, I’m also the most experienced and only Independent candidate for attorney general. I ask for all the support from the URI community.”
‘92 Victor F. Capellan, A&S, of Providence, R.I.,is currently assistant superintendent and chief academic officer for Fall River’s public schools, where he has been leading school improvement efforts since August 2008. Victor was selected as the transformation officer in efforts to reform Central Falls High School. NORA LEWIS
Participants enjoy a great night of PawSox baseball and summer family fun at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium at this popular event held this year on August 18.
Pride in URI Night
See more photos from Pride Night online: advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/pridenight/2010
NORA NORA LEWIS LEWIS, COURTESY OF ROBERT HANSEN
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 35
SHARE YOUR RHODY PRIDE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION! Would you like your child or grandchild to receive information from the URI Admission Office? Simply visit our new and improved URI Web site at uri.edu/admission. On the admission homepage you’ll find a link to a secure online form, Request Information. Encourage your family member to complete the form, and provide us with an email address. We’ll send information about the University, the admission process, and even specific academic programs. Your family member will be invited to online chats and special events—maybe he or she will even look for you on our alumni site! We also invite you to spread the word about URI to prospective students who live in your community. Please contact us if you are interested in helping us by covering college fairs in your area. For more information about becoming an Alumni Admission Representative, contact Ray Kung at 401.874.4903.
‘96 Karen A. Bordeleau, A&S, of Cranston, R.I., has been named deputy executive editor of The Providence Journal. She oversees three of the main news desks, directs new content initiatives, and assist in the administration of the news department. Ashley E. O’Connor, A&S, of Saunderstown, R.I., has been named a vice president of Citizen’s Bank.
‘97 Michelle A. Vale, HS&S, of East Hampton, N.Y., recently won the 2010 Independent Handbag
Designer Award for Most Innovative Line. She was chosen out of hundreds of entrants internationally.
‘98 Michael A. Alfultis, GSO, of Waterford, Conn., is director of the Avery Point Campus at the University of Connecticut.
‘99 Sarah C. Cahill, A&S, of Mystic, Conn., has been named the director of museum education and outreach at Mystic Seaport. Adam J. Gwaltney, A&S, of Westerly, R.I., has been named
partner in the corporate and business group at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, LLP.
‘00 Ruth M. Missfeldt, HS&S, of Ambler, Pa., writes: “I’m working at Procall Solutions as a customer service representative where I get to put into practice many of the skills I learned at URI.”
‘01 Michael E. Valley, CBA, of Jacksonville, Fla., has been named the controller of Community First Credit Union of Florida. Keith B. Marshall, A&S, of Cumberland, R.I., a public relations specialist, has joined the staff of RDW Group, Inc., a full-service communications firm with offices in Providence, Worcester, and Boston. Keith is a senior account executive.
‘03 Joshua S. Blumenthal, A&S, of Framingham, Mass., has been named Babson College’s athletics coordinator. Eric L. Hargraves, A&S, of Pawtucket, R.I., received a Juris Doctor degree from the Roger Williams University School of Law during commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2010. Sonn Sam, HS&S, of Warwick, R.I., has been selected as co-principal of Central Falls High School.
‘05 Evelyn Jones Soto, HS&S, of North Providence, R.I., has been selected as co-prinicipal at Central Falls High School.
‘06 Bradford N. Lombardi, A&S, of Providence, R.I., has joined the law firm of Ginsburg & Redmond, P.C.
Reunite with Your Friends and Classmates
36
When was the last time you made plans to get together with your URI friends? Has it been too long? NOW is the time to start planning for a 2010 class or affinity reunion. You will need volunteers from your class or group who are willing to help plan, promote,and attend the reunion gathering. The Alumni Relations Office will help you plan and promote your event with a listing on the Alumni Web site and in QUAD ANGLES, with electronic notices, and with the printing and mailing of your reunion invitations. If you are interested in working on an event for your class or affinity group and would like to find out more about getting started, please visit the Alumni Web site at advance.uri.edu/alumni/reunions QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES or call the Alumni Relations Office at 401.874.2242.
in Hawthorne, N.Y. He graduated from Pace University School of Law cum laude in 2010 and passed the New York Bar exam in July 2009. Shelagh R. McCahey, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., received a Juris Doctor degree from the Roger Williams University School of Law during commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2010.
‘07 Kelly E. Noble, A&S, of Wakefield, R.I., received a Juris Doctor degree from the Roger Williams University School of Law during commencement ceremonies on May 21, 2010. Michael W. Sullivan, CBA, of Northborough, Mass., has been named senior accountant of Sullivan & Company, a CPA firm.
‘09 Daniel S. Rhault, CELS, of Lincoln, R.I., a shortstop for the Princeton Rays, has been named official spokesperson for the team for a partnership with the local Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation, which supports the fight against pediatric cancer.
WEDDINGS Brian D. Levine ‘95 to Tamara Weiss ‘03, on May 30, 2010. Jean-Paul G. Dujardin ‘01 to Stacy Rousseau, on October 10, 2009. Kevin O’Connor ‘03 to Michelle Stone ‘04, on September 26, 2009. Dara B. Swanson ‘03 to Jason P. Clough ‘04, on October 3, 2009.
BIRTHS Kristine A. ‘06 and Jonathan LaPierre ‘97, a daughter, Mairead Eve, on June 22, 2010. Paul J. ‘98, and Kristine M. L’Heureux McDevitt ‘99, a daughter, Maya Jane, on December 7, 2009. David H. ‘98 and Cortney Mahoney Nicolato ‘01, a son, Ian Hart, on July 1, 2010. Richard W. ‘04 and Karen Varholy Gauthier ‘00, a son, Andrew David, on June 15, 2010. Nancy Ryan ‘00 and Thomas Filocco ‘00, a son, Harry Ryan, on April 29, 2010. John J. and Nicole G. Ogden ‘03, a son, Nolan Grayson, on June 25, 2010. Mathew J. ‘04 and Kayla Martineau Dias ‘05, a daughter, Rachel Frances, on April 9, 2010. Michael J. ‘04 and Molly Entin Stach ‘05, a son, Owen Michael, on June 26, 2010. Claudia and Edwin R. Pacheco ‘05, a daughter, Savannah Catherine, on March 6, 2008.
Tyrene Jones ’10
Building the Alumni of Color Network
Tyrene Jones has a passion for helping people find the tools they need to improve their own situations. That’s why the Pawtucket native dedicated much of her senior year to strengthening URI’s Alumni of Color Network.
Working closely with Assistant irector of Alumni Relations D Michelle Fontes-Barros and now senior Marquis Jones, Tyrene Jones developed a week-long series of events in April dedicated to helping students connect with alumni. A speed networking night introduced students to staff from Career Services and alumni from the professional world, a scavenger hunt helped students find campus resources to help them think about post-graduate opportunities, and a panel discussion and dinner with graduate students and alumni provided advice and networking opportunities. “It was a great feeling to see
Teresa Mahony ’10
Poster Child for Continuing Education Teresa Mahony, mother of 12, grandmother of 34, could be a poster child for continuing education. When she received a bachelor’s degree in history, she became the oldest undergraduate to earn a degree this year from URI. Mahony turned 80 in June. “I was on a 10 year plan. You have to have goals. Give yourself a practical window and make a plan,” says Mahony. When she was 43 and her youngest child was 3, Mahony earned an associate’s degree from the Community College of Rhode Island and became a registered nurse. She worked part-time for 35 years at
Kent County Hospital. URI converted those experiences into credits, which shortened the number of courses she had to take. A decade ago, she attended an Open House at URI’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education in Providence. “I’m ready,” she said and signed up to take one class a semester. She studied at the Warwick Public Library, away from interruptions: “You have to have silence. Silence is rejuvenating. That’s where you can get your inner strength. I studied for my nursing degree in the cellar. Set my alarm clock for 5 o’clock in the morning. It was just me, the washing
the events grow from an idea into action,” said Jones, a double major in political science and English with a minor in leadership studies. Jones’ efforts with the Alumni of Color Network have helped the University develop a mentorship program that will pair students one-on-one with faculty, staff, and alumni in the professions. “The idea of empowering each student with a network of support is a real driving force for me,” Jones said. This is what Jones did with the student organization Uhuru SaSa, which is dedicated to maintaining cultural, social, and educational enrichment of all people at URI. The group held many events, including
machine, and the dryer. I got the kids up at 6.” Of her URI graduation, Mahony says: “I have the good fortune of good health and tremendous support from my husband, Owen, and children.” She wasn’t the first Mahony to graduate from URI. Sons Tim, Mike, and Tom earned degrees from URI in 1979, 1989, and 1994. And she has another connection to URI. Her niece, Lisa Harlow, is a professor of psychology. “ I have never known anyone to match the sparkling spirit of my Aunt Teresa,” says Harlow. “Her zest for life and learning is endless and contagious.” So what’s Mahony’s next plan? “I’m giving myself 10 years to learn
a December ball for the African American and Pan-African holiday Kwanzaa. “Our goal was to cultivate a social knowledge on campus in a variety of ways,” Jones said. “Whether it was an academic or social setting, we wanted to expose everyone to culture and help educate people about the history and meaning of Kwanzaa.” Jones is now working at College Visions, which provides low-income youths in Rhode Island with the individualized advising and resources they need to enroll in college. —Shane Donaldson ’99
how to play the piano. The children all took lessons, but I never did.” —Jan Wenzel ’87
Jeffrey Stanley 10
A Career in Supply Chain Management Jeffrey Stanley has something many new college graduates don’t have—a good job in his field. When Stanley received his bachelor’s degree in supply chain management from the College of Business Administration, he had already been on the job for several weeks at TracRac. The Fall River, Mass., firm manufactures rack systems for pickup trucks that hold ladders and heavy tools. Stanley said the supply chain program at URI, through rigorous coursework and work with local and national companies, prepared him well for his new job: “The professors are great, especially Doug Hales and
MICHAEL SALERNO
Jim Kroes. They brought in recent grads to do presentations on supply chain management and conduct interviews with us. Those experiences helped us get a real feel for the career.” Hales and Kroes also involved students like Stanley in the CONNECT (Coalition of New England Companies for Trade) Conference in Newport: “We worked the conference as volunteers, which gave us the chance to go to seminars and network with the companies there.” Last September, Stanley held an internship at VIBCO Vibrators of Wyoming, R.I., makers of highquality industrial vibrators for a
wide range of industries, including construction and agriculture: “These are large products that go in dump trucks, cement mixers, and industrial hoppers that help shake out or mix the material,” said Stanley. “They treated me as a member of
the team. I did projects to help on the floor, worked to decrease inventory, and worked directly with the manufacturing employees.” Probably most beneficial was his work with Paul Cary, a leader in the lean manufacturing movement, whose main job at VIBCO is eliminating waste and enhancing productivity. Stanley also appeared on the AM 790 talk show, The Lean Nation, which is hosted by VIBCO President Karl Wadensten ’82. “The experience at VIBCO led me to my current job at TracRac,” Stanley said. “TracRac is a great place where I can apply all my lessons from VIBCO.” —Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 37 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 37
Ian R. ‘05 and Colleen O’Neil Rubinoff ‘06, a daughter, Thea Marie, on February 11, 2010
IN MEMORIAM Michael Spero ‘34 of Boise, Idaho, on June 15, 2010. Isabel Neiswanger Geary ‘36 of West Greenwich, R.I., on June 20, 2010. Bettina Macomber Spooner ‘37 of Cumberland, R.I., on June 25, 2010. Charles Darelius ‘39 of Cromwell, Conn., on June 20, 2010. Barbara Webster Frazier ‘41 of Kinnelon, N.J., on April 19, 2008. Thomas Reisert ‘42 of Silver Spring, Md., on March 6, 2010. Peter Rossi ‘42 of Wickenberg, Ariz., on July 1, 2010. Virginia Walsh Burke ‘42 of Flowery Branch, Ga., on June 8, 2010. Donald Brown ‘43 of Torrington, Conn., on June 21, 2010. Malcolm Shurtleff ‘43 of Pearland, Texas, on May 29, 2010. Sybil Bramwell Bibeault ‘46 of Attleboro, Mass., on April 29, 2010. Frederick Pelser ‘46 of Vacaville, Calif., on April 23, 2010. Elizabeth Barber Brown ‘47 of East Greenwich, R.I., on June 16, 2010. Rosalind Hoyle Haring ‘47 of West Kingston, R.I., on June 22, 2010.
F. Albert Starr ‘47 of Tiverton, R.I., on May 22, 2010. Chandler Henley ‘48 of Spokane, Wash., on April 12, 2010. George Clark ‘49 of Largo, Fla., on May 14, 2010. Marilyn Pendell Montuori ‘49 of Mount Dora, Fla., on June 15, 2010. Harold Stransky ‘49 of Wilmington, Del., on April 23, 2010. Edward Hindle ‘50 of Warren, R.I., on October 23, 2009. H. Virginia Jones Milus ‘50 of Conway, S.C., on June 15, 2010. Henry Ward ‘50 of Middletown, R.I., on April 4, 2010. Anthony Rafanelli ‘52 of Warwick, R.I., on March 25, 2010. Kathleen Lowney ‘53 of Warren, R.I., on April 26, 2010. Horace Martin ‘55 of Pawtucket, R.I., on April 11, 2010. Richard Vagnini ‘56 of Punta Gorda, Fla., on July 6, 2010. George Donaldson ‘57 of East Falmouth, Mass., on May 13, 2010. Jeannette Farmer Perretta ‘60 of Warwick, R.I., on July 7, 2010. Ralph Hoffman ‘60 of Cranston, R.I., on June 22, 2010. Charles Murphy ‘60 of Rensselaer, N.Y., on March 13, 2010. William King ‘61 of East Hartford, Conn., on June 4, 2010.
Warren Proulx ‘64 of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., on April 23, 2010. Lynne Delfausse ‘65 of Mattituck, N.Y., on April 26, 2010. John Anderson ‘69 of Portsmouth, R.I., on May 4, 2010. Josephine Berardi Annon ‘70 of Bass River, Mass., on July 13, 2010. Eunice Cohen Sederholm ‘70 of South Dartmouth, Mass., on April 2, 2010. Bonnie Phillips Miller ‘71 of East Greenwich, R.I., on April 22, 2010. Bertha Goldenfarb Schurman ‘71 of Kingston, R.I., on May 10, 2010. Lawrence Wheater ‘71 of Pascoag, R.I., on April 21, 2010. Bernard Entman ‘72 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on May 28, 2010. Gwendolyn Graves Dunbar ‘75 of Greene, R.I., on April 25, 2010. Mark Merdinyan ‘76 of North Kingstown, R.I., on May 8, 2010. Dorothy Murray Sullivan ‘82 of Arvada, Colo., on April 24, 2010. Edna Marie Burgess ‘83 of North Providence, R.I., on May 12, 2010. William Campbell ‘83 of Irvington, N.Y., on April 21, 2010. Jane Kehoe Summers ‘84 of Swansea, Mass., on May 31, 2010.
Arlene Kennedy ‘85 of Providence, R.I., on May 28, 2010. Peter Jussila ‘88 of West Greenwich, R.I., on July 8, 2010. Dorothy Norton ‘91 of Groton, Conn., on April 29, 2010.
IN MEMORIAM FACULTY Chester Houston, 91, professor emeritus of microbiology, died on February 8, 2010, in Urbana, Illinois. A graduate of the University of Illinois, where he also earned his master’s and doctorate degrees, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He is survived by his wife, Nadine. Vance J. Yates, professor emeritus of animal and veterinary science, died at his South Kingstown home on August 2, 2010. A former chairman of the Department of Animal Pathology, he received his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in animal pathology from the University of Wisconsin. He was a captain in the U.S. Army who served in Europe during World War II. He is survived by his three sons: Christopher, Jonathan, and Peter Yates; a daughter, Rosemary Coslit; and three grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Christ United Methodist Church, 2291 Kingstown Road, Kingston RI 02881.
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38 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
A Booster’s Guide To NCAA Rules & Regulations This publication was compiled to assist alumni and friends in complying with NCAA Rules and regulations governing the conduct of our Institution and its athletics programs. Introduction The Atlantic 10 Conference, in conjunction with the Athletics Department at the University of Rhode Island, as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, are primarily responsible for insuring that its various constituencies (i.e. University staff and faculty, student-athletes, alumni and friends) abide by the NCAA rules and regulations. Under those rules, alumni and friends can be categorized as “representatives of the University’s athletic interests.” This page provides a quick reference to the many NCAA rules which apply to “Athletic representatives.” Since it does not include all applicable situations, please call the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics Department if you have any questions before having any contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete. We appreciate your interest and support, but remind you that an inappropriate contact or an inadvertent action on your part can jeopardize the eligibility of student-athletes and prospects and the compliance of the University of Rhode Island with NCAA and Atlantic 10 regulations. The University of Rhode Island is proud to have the loyal support and continued interest in our athletic programs by our alumni and friends. As we strive for excellence, we must always seek the highest standard of ethical conduct. With your assistance and cooperation, we believe we can accomplish both goals. Am I a Representative of Athletic Interests? Yes, If you: Have ever been a member of the University’s “booster” organization or any of the sport specific groups under the Athletic Department; have ever made a donation to any of the Atlantic 10 member schools’ men’s or women’s athletic programs; have ever helped to arrange or have provided summer employment for enrolled student-athletes; have ever contacted (by letter, telephone or in person) a high school student, grades 9-12, for the purpose of encouraging the student to participate in the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics programs; have ever assisted in providing any benefit to enrolled student-athletes or their families; have ever been involved in any way with the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics programs. The NCAA stipulates that once you have become an “athletic representative” you retain that identification forever, even if you no longer contribute to the athletic program. Four Important Rules You Should Know Rule #1: Only coaches and Athletics Department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process. All “athletic representatives” who are not employed by the school are prohibited from contacting a prospect or members of the prospect’s family by telephone, letter, or in person on or off campus for the purpose of encouraging participation in the University of Rhode Island’s athletic programs. Rule #2: University of Rhode Island representatives cannot provide an “extra benefit” or special arrangement to a prospect OR an enrolled student-athlete. Specific applications as they apply to the NCAA extra benefit rule to prospects and enrolled student-athletes, their relatives or friends state that you: May not give them cash or loans in any amount. May not sign or co-sign a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan. May not employ relatives or friends of a prospect as an inducement for the enrollment of the prospect. May not give them gifts of any kind (e.g. birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day) or free services (e.g. clothing, airline tickets, laundry, car repair, hair cuts, meals in restaurants). May not provide special discounts for goods or services. May not provide them hospitality in your home other than for special occasions (e.g. Thanksgiving, birthday). May not invite them to your summer home to go water skiing, sailing, etc. May not provide them transportation within or outside of the campus area (e.g., from campus to your home, from the airport to campus, to summer job, etc.). May not entertain or contact a prospect or prospect’s family on or off campus. May not provide rent free or reduced rent housing. May not provide a benefit connected with on or off campus housing (e.g. individual television sets or stereo equipment, specialized recreational facilities, etc.). May not provide guarantee of a bond. May not promise financial aid for post-graduate education. May not provide promise to a prospect of employment after college graduation. Rule #3:PLEASE assist the coaching staff in the recruiting process by notifying them of any student you think would be a strong addition to the University of Rhode Island’s athletics program. The coach can then make the appropriate contact with the prospect. Rule #4: As an athletic representative, you are not precluded from continuing friendships with families who have prospective or enrolled student-athletes (e.g., backyard barbecues, picnics). You simply cannot
encourage a prospect’s participation in the University of Rhode Island’s athletic programs or provide benefits to the student-athlete that you were not providing before he or she became a prospect or enrolled student-athlete. Who is a Prospective Student-Athlete? A prospective student-athlete is a person who has begun classes for the ninth grade. However, it is possible for a younger student to be a prospect, so it is prudent to treat ALL athletes as prospects. Can “I” be involved with High School and Community College Student-Athletes (Prospects) PLEASE feel free to attend high school and community college athletic events. You simply cannot have any contact with the prospective student-athletes or relatives. Should you find yourself seated next to parents of a prospect, DO NOT initiate conversation with the relatives. If conversation is initiated with you, respond in a civil manner but DO NOT discuss the University of Rhode Island’s athletics program with them. If they raise questions about the program, remind them that the NCAA prohibits you from discussing the program with them. Direct their questions to the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics Department. CONTINUE established family relationships with friends and neighbors. Contacts with sons or daughters of these families certainly are permitted as long as they are not made for recruiting purposes and are not initiated by the University of Rhode Island’s coaching staff members. You are permitted to play “pick-up” basketball or softball games, continue neighborhood picnics or backyard barbecues and engage in your normal activities with prospects and their parents who are family friends. Again, you simply cannot attempt to recruit the prospect. PLEASE feel free to attend a public event (e.g. an awards banquet or dinner) at which prospects are in attendance. No attempt should be made to recruit the prospect. PLEASE send to the University of Rhode Island’s coaching staff any information about prospects that you think would be of interest. Your assistance in this manner is very helpful. The coaching staff will then make contact with the prospect. PLEASE feel free to offer assistance to members of the University of Rhode Island’s coaching staff who are recruiting in your community. HOWEVER ... AVOID becoming directly or indirectly involved in making arrangements for a prospect, the prospect’s family or friends to receive money or financial aid of any kind. AVOID providing ANYTHING to or for a prospect, relatives or friends, without first checking with the Athletics Department administration. AVOID making any contact with a prospect or the prospect’s family on or off campus. If a coach has a recruit at an athletic event, you should not approach the coach until the prospect and family have gone elsewhere. If the prospect approaches you off campus regarding the athletic program, explain that NCAA rules do not allow you to discuss the program. Suggest that the prospect contact the head coach of the sport for more information. AVOID transporting, paying for or arranging for payment of transportation costs for a prospect, relatives or friends to visit campus or elsewhere. While it is permissible for a friend or neighbor to transport a high school or community college student who is NOT an athlete to the campus, NCAA regulations prohibit that activity for a prospective student-athlete. AVOID providing room and/or board, transportation of any kind or any other benefit to a recruited student-athlete during the summer prior to enrollment for fall classes at the University of Rhode Island. AVOID entertaining high school, prep school or community college COACHES at ANY location. AVOID providing tickets or transportation for high school, prep school or community college COACHES at any location. Only the Athletics Department of the University of Rhode Island can provide complimentary admissions and only to home athletic events for those coaches. AVOID entertaining or providing tickets at no or reduced cost to the University of Rhode Island’s home or away athletic or non athletic events for prospects, their relatives or friends. Only the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics Department can provide complimentary admissions to prospects and only for HOME athletic events. AVOID contacting an enrolled student-athlete at another institution for the purpose of encouraging transfer to the University of Rhode Island and for participation in the University of Rhode Island’s athletic programs. AVOID paying for or offering to pay the registration fees for summer sports camps for a prospect. AVOID contacting the prospect’s coach, principal or counselor for the purpose of evaluating the prospect. You are not permitted to pick up films or transcripts from the prospect’s educational institution. AVOID inviting ONLY SELECTED junior or senior high school or community college prospective studentathletes to alumni events. Since the NCAA prohibits contact between prospects and alumni and “athletic representatives,” care must be taken to invite, for instance, all high school seniors who have received academic and athletic awards.
Can “I” be involved with Currently Enrolled StudentAthletes PLEASE feel free to invite a student-athlete to your home for a home cooked meal but only for a special occasion (e.g. Thanksgiving, birthday). Remember, the student-athlete must provide his/her own transportation. PLEASE feel free to invite a team for dinner or to meet with a group of alumni in a city where they are competing. The NCAA permits student-athletes AS A TEAM to receive special benefits not permitted as individuals. Arrangements for such events must be made in advance with the head coach or the Athletic Department. HOWEVER ... AVOID providing a student-athlete or friend any benefit or special arrangement. The NCAA considers these as an “extra benefit” and they are specifically prohibited. AVOID providing room and/or board or any type of transportation during the summer for a student athlete with eligibility remaining. AVOID providing room, board or transportation costs incurred by friends or family of an enrolled studentathlete to visit campus or attend any away contest. AVOID expending funds to entertain student-athletes, their friends or relatives. You are not even permitted to buy a soft drink or cup of coffee for them. AVOID using the name or picture of an enrolled studentathlete to directly advertise, recommend or promote sales or use of a commercial product or service of any kind. The SALE of a picture of an enrolled student-athlete will jeopardize eligibility. AVOID providing any payment of expense or loan of any automobile for a student-athlete to return home or to any other location for ANY reason. AVOID providing awards or gifts to a student-athlete for his or her athletic performance. All awards must conform to NCAA regulations and must be approved by The University of Rhode Island and the Atlantic 10 Conference. AVOID providing an honorarium to a student-athlete for a speaking engagement. Only necessary travel expenses can be given when speaking to educational or charitable groups. All speaking engagements must be approved in advance by the University of Rhode Island Athletics Department. AVOID allowing a student-athlete, his or her friends or relatives to use your telephone to make free long distance calls.
Please Help: If you have knowledge of improprieties, intentional or otherwise, please let the Compliance Office at the University of Rhode Island know immediately so that we can take the necessary corrective actions. Whom Do I Contact? If you have any questions about contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete, please direct these questions to one of the following: Ed Pasque Assistant Commissioner/Compliance Atlantic 10 Conference, 230 South Broad St., Suite 1700 Philadelphia, PA 19102 Phone: 215.545.6678, Fax: 215.545.3342 e-mail: EPasque@atlantic10.org Paul Kassabian Associate Director of Athletics, Compliance University of Rhode Island, Three Keaney Road, Suite One, Kingston, RI 02881 Phone: 401.874.2281, Fax: 401.874.2158 What can “I” do regarding Employment of Prospective and Enrolled Student Athletes? PLEASE pay student-athletes employed by you only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate for similar services in the community and your own business. PLEASE notify the head coaches of job possibilities for student-athletes. HOWEVER ... AVOID employing or arranging for the employment of a prospective or enrolled studentathlete without checking first with the University of Rhode Island’s Athletics Department. The department is permitted to make arrangements for summer employment for prospects prior to enrollment as freshmen and to enrolled student-athletes during the summer and semester breaks. Stringent rules apply in these instances and written records must be kept regarding employment. AVOID providing transportation for prospects or studentathletes in your employ unless transportation is provided for all other employees. AVOID providing employment for student-athletes during the academic year without first contacting The University of Rhode Island’s Athletics Department. The NCAA has strict rules about the amount and source of outside funds during the academic year.
CLASSnote
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note to: your life. Send your class Let us know what’s new in Center, i mn Alu n, atio mni Associ Class Acts Editor, URI Alu 11 200 81028 RI Kingston, 73 Upper College Road, u classacts@advance.uri.ed ail: Em , 957 Fax: 401.874.5
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UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 39
BACKPAGE Mission to Haiti After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Ewa M. Dzwierzynski, Pharm D. ’96, answered the urgent call for volunteer pharmacists through the American College of Clinical Pharmacists. Here’s her account: Shortly after the plane touched down in Port-au-Prince, two volunteer pharmacists and I were taken to a makeshift 300-bed field hospital located adjacent to the airport that included a supply tent and a general medical ward tent that housed the X-ray and wound care area. An adjacent tent included the pediatric ward and a newly opened neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit. Before we arrived, there wasn’t a narcotic inventory and supplies were extremely limited. All medical supplies were mixed with an assortment of donated medications. Crates of donated boxes sat unopened in the supply yard. No one knew what medications were in stock or the quantities available, which turned out to be one of the most challenging obstacles. I work as a clinical pharmacy specialist on the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Rhode Island Hospital, so I assumed I would help care for the adult critical care population at the field hospital. But since I was one of a few pharmacists with pediatric experience—I worked overseas at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany—I volunteered to staff the neonatal unit. Three of us staffed the unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources were limited, which made everyone become resourceful. I recall fashioning a mortar and pestle out of a glass vial and Dixie cup to crush tablets so that I could make an oral suspension for the babies in our care.
40 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
I also covered the medical intensive care unit. When we ran out of fentanyl and midazolam for sedation, we had to devise therapeutic alternatives with the resources available. This turned out to be one of the most important roles we played. Many of the doctors, nurses, ancillary staff, and commanders recognized our importance and developed a plan to hire a full-time pharmacist for the facility. My most memorable patient was an 8-year old girl named Paulna who was brought in with acute respiratory distress syndrome by Brazilian missionaries. She was so ill many thought she would not survive. Within a couple of days of receiving exceptional care in the pediatric intensive care unit and broad-spectrum antibiotics, she recovered. It truly was a miracle. Seeing Paulna’s beautiful smiling face made the long hours and primitive conditions worth the effort. The time I spent in Haiti was definitely the most challenging and rewarding professional experience in my career. It changed my outlook on life both professionally and personally. By Ewa M. Dzwierzynski, Pharm D. ‘96
Miracle girl Paulna, outfitted with donated clothing she had picked out herself, stands with her hero Dr. K, a volunteer neonatologist from Pennsylvania, and the author.
NORA LEWIS; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Big Chill Weekend 2011 We’re turning up the
SAVE THE DATE January 21–23 HONORARY CHAIRS Kathy O’Donnell-White ’90 Bill White John J. Palumbo ’76 Gail Palumbo
IT’S ALL ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS.
Become a dues-paying member of the URI Alumni Association and save 10% on Big Chill event registration. JOIN NOW! uri.edu/bigchill
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When he was a URI student, Michael Nula took chemistry courses. Today he owns a successful Rhode Island physical therapy practice with three branches—and his business is growing.
“Even in this recession, we’re expanding and hiring.” Michael Nula ’96, M.S. ’01 Owner, Elite Physical Therapy
Forty percent of the majors offered at URI require the study of chemistry. As the building block of science, chemistry is essential to the mastery of many other disciplines, and up-to-date chemistry facilities are necessary to give our students the training they need for good jobs in growth industries like healthcare, biotechnology, and engineering. On November 2, Question 2 on the Rhode Island ballot lets you approve a bond issue for higher education, which includes a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at URI. (See page 12 for details.)
Vote Yes on 2 on Nov. 2. It’s essential to Rhode Island’s future.
essential rhode island’s future essential2 ri.org