QUADANGLES
High Energy Karina Edmonds ’92 U.S. Department of Energy Technology Transfer Coordinator
ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FALL 2011 Volume 19, No. 1
THEY’RE ALL UNDER 40. THEY’RE ALL SUCCESSFUL. THEY GOT THEIR START AT URI.
Katie A. Ahern ’04,
Noah Benedict ’01,
Ewa M. Dzwierzynski
Kerry E. Evers, M.A. ’96,
James C. Gallagher ’94,
Katy A. Hynes ’94,
Accounting
Psychology
’96, Pharmacy
Ph.D. ’98, Psychology
Marketing, M.B.A. ’03
Political Science
Associate Attorney, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP
Chief Operating Officer, Rhode Island Primary Care Physician Corporation
Director of Pharmacy, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island
Senior Vice President, Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.
Assistant Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Product Innovation, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Associate, Adler Pollock & Sheehan PC
Brian J. Lamoureux,
Michael Nula ’96,
Yahaira Placencia ’01
Joseph L. Silva ’97,
Linda G. Weisinger ’95,
M.A. ’96, Political
M.S. ’01, Biology
Business
Communication Studies
Textiles, Fashion
Science
Owner/CEO/Physical Therapist, Elite Physical Therapy, Inc.
Senior Vice President, Senior Client Manager, Bank of America
Senior Vice President, Bank Rhode Island
Merchandising, and Design
Senior Counsel, Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West LLC
Deputy Director, SWAP
CONGRATULATIONS 40 UNDER FORTY
QUADANGLES
ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FALL 2011 | VOLUME 19, NO. 1
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
PRESIDENT’S VIEW 3
UP FRONT 4 News and views
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HOT FOOD AND COMFORT AT GROUND ZERO By Martha Murphy ’80 What began as an ordinary business trip for Brian Bresnahan ’84 took him and his crew into New York City on Sept. 12, 2001
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ALUMNI CHAPTERS 28 Upcoming events and contacts
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GIMME SHELTER By David Gregorio ’80 Journalist Susan Roy’s first book, Bomboozled, is an illustrated history of nuclear fallout shelters constructed across America during the Cold War
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A SHOT IN THE ARM FOR IMMUNITY By Todd McLeish Shortly after being hired as a research professor of biotechnology Annie De Groot received a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases
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GREEN DESIGN Photo by Don Bousquet and Son Aerial Photography Designed to complement the Quadrangle, the redesigned Green Hall/Ranger area features a thick carpet of grass, flowering plants, newly planted trees, sitting walls, and wide walkways
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REVERSING THE TREND By Maria V. Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92 As the U.S. Energy Department’s first technology transfer coordinator, Karina Edmonds ’92 is committed to bringing new technology to market
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CRITICAL IMPACT By Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 While major efforts have been made to address the effects of concussion and brain trauma in sports, most current players don’t grasp the impact of chronic brain illness
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THE KOREAN CONNECTION By Todd McLeish South Korean high school students take advantage of the GSO’s International Oceanography Explorers Program
CLASS ACTS 30 News from your classmates, photo wrap-ups, and alumni profiles
BACK PAGE 40 The Kasparian Family: Why URI?
INSIDE BACK COVER The Fund for URI
BACK COVER The Big Chill 2012
WEB EXTRAS
URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
INNER SPACE CENTER
ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUTURE?
MOVE IN DAY
CLASSPICS
MORE . . .
COVER: NORA LEWIS CONTENTS: ISTOCKPHOTOS.COM; ©ROBERT POLIDORI/POINTED LEAF PRESS; NORA LEWIS
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WEBVIEW
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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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QUADANGLES 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 Shane Donaldson ’99 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 & Marketing Linda A. 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 Chris DiSano, Specialist Robert Ferrell ’07, Program Assistant Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, M.A. ’11 Assistant Director Kathleen Gianquitti ’71, M.S. ’82, Assistant Director Shana Greene ’95, M.S.’97, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Lobdell ’96, Associate Director Jess Raffaele ’04, M.S. ’09, Program Assistant Kate Serafini ’08, Specialist Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S.’03, Assistant Director Alumni Association Executive Board Joseph M. Confessore ’96, President Donald P. Sullivan ’71, 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 William M. Dolan III ’81 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.A. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell ’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: Jordan Kanter ’99, M.S.’00 Feinstein College of Continuing Education: Edward Bozzi Jr. ’68 Engineering: Daniel G. Lowney ’75 Environment and Life Sciences: Catherine N. Weaver ’82, B.L.A. ’96 Human Science and Services: Christine S. Pelton ’84 Nursing: Denise A. Coppa ’72, Ph.D. ’02 Pharmacy: Henrique Pedro ’76 Faculty Senate: Andrea L. Yates ’94, Ph.D. ’06 Student Senate: David Coates ’12 Student Alumni Association: Anthony Aiudi ’14 URI Foundation: Thomas J. Silvia ’83
PRESIDENT’SVIEW Two years—two move-in weekends, two commencements, and everything in between— have passed since Lynn and I joined the University community. It doesn’t feel like that much time has elapsed, but when I reflect on the issues, challenges, and opportunities that URI has tackled, I am impressed by how much the people of URI have accomplished. The context in which we work continues to change. Many would argue that the challenges facing URI are even greater now than they were two years ago. Certainly, today’s national economic climate poses substantial risks for public higher education. Funding for students via Pell grants and subsidized loans may be significantly reduced, making access to higher education difficult precisely when more people are seeking to gain the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the global economy. Federal research funding will likely decrease, precisely when our nation needs new knowledge and discoveries. Here in Rhode Island, as in many parts of our country, the economic recovery is slow and inconsistent. Unemployment remains high and the state’s business climate, which is a critical factor in creating new jobs, continues to lag behind the competition. Our state, and practically all of the cities and towns in Rhode Island, faces potentially catastrophic pension liabilities. In such circumstances it would be understandable for URI to disengage, to stand pat and hope for better times. That would be a damaging mistake. As never before, Rhode Island needs URI, its public research university, to take a leading role in overcoming the challenges faced by the state and its people. In fact, I think that
NORA LEWIS
leadership should become the fourth component of the historic land-grant university mission in addition to teaching, research, and service. Surely, our state and nation need the University of Rhode Island to do more research, to improve student learning and completion, and to provide more of our expertise to our communities, businesses, and organizations. Perhaps you have read, or heard me say, that meeting these needs will require URI to be more innovative and transformational in what we do. It is gratifying to see the progress that URI has made over the past two years. And we will keep at it! As you read QUAD ANGLES or follow us through our many other communication vehicles, we will continue to tell you about the astounding work being done by URI faculty and students. Finally, I think that this University, and other research universities, ought to take on a stronger and more prominent leadership role in society. Whether the challenge is building robust and sustainable economies, or building diverse globally conscious communities, or bringing objective analysis to important public policy issues, universities like URI have (or can develop) the expertise and commitment to lead. Based on my experience here over the past two years, I am confident that our leadership would be broadly welcomed and viewed as transformational. As part of the URI community, our alumni can help provide that leadership. I am confident that you are prepared to do so.
Erica Duncanson ’11 used an undergraduate research grant to investigate the contents of mouse bones to find correlations between cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Megan Banner ’11 spent a semester in South Africa studying at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. She is seen here in a cultural village in Swaziland.
His work with chemistry professors Brett Lucht and Brenton DeBoef converting used cooking oil from campus cafeterias into biodiesel for campus lawnmowers landed Mike Bailey ’11 a paid internship and a full-time job with Newport Biodiesel.
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NEWS&VIEWS
URI Ranks No 1 in New England, 13th in Nation for Best Value We’ve always known that URI was a great investment, but it’s nice to know that The Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney magazine agrees. The magazine has once again cited the University as one of the best values in higher education. In its nationwide survey examining the relationship between tuition costs and graduates’ earning power, URI is ranked 13th in the nation and first in New England among public and private institutions. In what it dubbed its “Payback Score,” the magazine assessed public and private colleges on their ability to deliver the best return on investment and sought to quantify the long-term value of a college education based on alumni salaries. When the survey was first published in 2008, URI was ranked 15th for its return on investment. URI Dean of Admission Cynthia Bonn said, “We are pleased that once again the SmartMoney study has shown that the University provides its students with an excellent education at an affordable price, and prepares them for rewarding careers. It’s exciting to see that the return on the investment in a URI education has continued to improve in recent years, despite the difficult economic situation we are facing as a nation.”
Freshmen Today During freshman orientation, Jayne Richmond, dean of University College and Special Academic Programs, gives parents the scoop about what today’s freshmen at URI and around the nation are like. Here’s a sampling of what the dean shares: These digital natives are tech savvy— being connected is essential through IM, texting, blogging, pod casting, Facebook, and YouTube. They are also connected to their parents and struggle more than previous generations with taking responsibility for themselves. Cheating is more rampant than ever but hard to define as “collective knowledge” and group work is highly prized. They spend little time studying, 35 percent indicating that they spend about six hours per week on homework—the lowest percentage since this question was asked 25 years ago. While nationally 50 percent of incoming students plan to work to help pay for college, the percentage is less at URI.
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NORA LEWIS
These members of the millennial generation show increased interest in social and civic responsibilities. More than 70 percent socialize with someone of a different racial or ethnic background.
“This type of information helps us to know this ever changing population,” says Dean Richmond. “With it, we can better plan a curriculum and a support network that will facilitate our students’ success.”
More Than Half of College Students ‘Sexted’
Tying the Civil Union Knot When Aaron Coutu ’98, M.L.S. ’00, (right) and Ray Daignault were united in a civil union ceremony this summer, they were one of the first gay couples in Rhode Island to do so. “When you have been together for 13 years, you know that you love each other and will be there for each other,” says Coutu who is the assistant director of the Cumberland Public Library, as well as an adjunct instructor for URI’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. “At the same time, it was totally amazing to officially recognize our relationship and announce that we really are one in front of family and friends.” The new state law creating civil unions for gay couples falls short for gay-rights advocates who have sought for full marriage recognition. “The fact that there is a different phrase used to describe our union indicates that there is a difference, which means there is also inequality. Some in the community are holding out for full equality, but I feel that it can be helpful to take advantage of what is available now and keep fighting for the rest,” said Coutu who, while not an official COURTESY OF DAWNE STRICKLAND, ISTOCKPHOTO
advocate, worked for full equality in Burrillville where he and Daignault reside. The new law allows many of the same rights provided as marriage law on the state level but none of the federal rights of marriage. Previously, Coutu and Daignault would have had to obtain those state rights, vital for medical considerations and inheritance rights, at great legal expense because same-sex couples could not be considered next of kin. The new law, however, comes with exemptions for religious cause: “The law basically says we have similar rights unless someone is religiously offended by our relationship, allowing their right to freedom of religion to trump ours.” Still the exemption didn’t dim the couple’s day or the congratulations that followed: “Everyone I have spoken to has been supportive of our union, and the good wishes are usually accompanied with the hope that full marriage equality passes soon,” said the new groom. “This has not only been from friends and family, but also patrons at the library, some of whom I don’t know well at all.”
More than half of all college students have received sexually suggestive images via text messaging and nearly 80 percent have received suggestive messages, according to research by URI faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Assistant professors Sue K. Adams and Tiffani S. Kisler head a team on two ongoing studies that examine the impact of technology use on physical and mental health, as well as interpersonal relationships in college students. In a survey of 204 college students, the team found that 56 percent had received sexually suggestive images, and 78 percent had received sexually suggestive messages. Two-thirds of the group had sent sexually suggestive messages. While most of the messages (73 percent) were sent to a relationship partner, 10 percent were sent without the consent of the person who originally sent the message. The prevalence of such activity combined with Gov. Lincoln Chafee signing a law this summer outlawing sexting by minors makes education on technology practices vital for college students say Kisler and Adams. According to the law, minors who create and send sexually explicit images of themselves can be charged with a “status offense” and referred to family court. Minors and adults who possess or forward sexual images of anyone younger than 18 may be charged under the state’s child pornography laws. “It’s a delicate situation with the new laws that are in place,” Kisler said. “While it‘s important to protect minors and help them recognize the short- and long-term implications of sending sexually explicit images, opening them up to something as serious as potential child pornography charges may not be the most effective course of action. “It’s important to help everyone, especially students, understand the importance of setting boundaries around their use of technology,” Kisler concluded. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 5
New Offerings Give Students BIGGER Opportunities Three new majors in Chinese, health studies, and neurosciences help expand the University’s global reach, increase the number of interdisciplinary programs, and respond to today’s marketplace.
Health Studies
Neurosciences
While some colleges and universities offer a health studies major that combines two or three disciplines, such as health policy and business, URI’s new health major brings together 28 departments across all eight colleges and the expertise of 130 faculty members. This fall, the health studies major will begin to prepare a generation of students to succeed in non-clinical health careers. “This is a prototype for developing interdisciplinary programs on campus,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald H. DeHayes. “The Health Studies major offers an exciting new way for students to learn varied perspectives on health and prepare for careers that will make a difference in people’s lives. ” Health care is one of the fastest growing industries nationally and globally, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that certain professions, such as health educator, epidemiologist, and health administrator, will grow even faster. The Bureau reported that health care will generate 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry.
URI has joined the quest to understand the brain by launching graduate programs in the neurosciences. A new interdisciplinary neurosciences program offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the neurosciences with the goal of educating scientists and professors who can contribute to private and public sector research. The potential growth in the development of the $10 billion-a-year neuro-device industry is expected to increase 22 percent annually. “We have built a network of 15 departments at URI in which people are focusing on the neurosciences. We have many talented researchers in more than eight different disciplines working in this field,” said Graduate School Dean Nasser Zawia. The program will produce researchers able to focus on some of the most debilitating brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
Mandarin Chinese Students can now earn a B.A. in Chinese to give them the language and cultural skills to compete. URI encourages students to combine a second major with Chinese, a combination that propels graduates of the program to even broader international career opportunities.
The popularity of Chinese has skyrocketed. In the fall of 2004, thanks to student and faculty demand, URI offered its first classes in Mandarin. Thirty students enrolled. By the fall of 2010, 150 students had enrolled. About 23 percent of students taking Chinese are enrolled in URI’s International Engineering Program (URI educates more bilingual engineers than any other university in the country). The program leads students simultaneously to two degrees: a B.S. in engineering and a B.A. in German, French, Spanish, or Chinese. About 33 percent of the students taking Chinese are enrolled in the International Business Program. Modeled after the International Engineering Program, the business program provides the opportunity to earn simultaneous degrees: a B.S. in business administration with a major in one of the seven business disciplines and a B.A. in German, Spanish, French, or Chinese. In both programs, students travel abroad, taking language, culture, and engineering or business courses in the host language. In the second semester they intern abroad with a leading firm. The remaining 44 percent studying Chinese come from a variety of disciplines.
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NORA LEWIS, COURTESY OF ?????, ISTOCKPHOTO
Getting Social With Gaga
By the Book The editors of The Ocean State Review decided to think big. The literary journal’s inaugural issue features Pulitzer Prizewinner Jhumpa Lahiri and National Book Award-winner Julia Glass along with other distinguished writers and poets. The Ocean State Review was launched at the June 2011 URI Ocean State Summer Writing Conference (OSSWC), and the first issue showcases the work of writers and poets who have presented at the University or its Ocean State Summer Writing Conference. Assistant Professor of English and conference director Peter Covino initiated the idea of a literary journal that would be published to coincide with—and celebrate— the fifth year of the popular summer writing conference, which began in 2007 and attracts writers from Rhode Island and beyond interested in improving their craft.
The Ocean State Review will be published annually in June, and will feature fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submissions for the 2012 journal will be accepted September 6 through February 12. The 2012 Ocean State Summer Writing Conference will be held June 21–23. To learn more or obtain a copy of The Ocean State Review, visit the conference website at uri.edu/summerwriting.
ISTOCKPHOTO, COURTESY OF MATTHEW MICHELSEN, NORA LEWIS
Singer, songwriter, and performance artist Lady Gaga is queen of the social media set. She rules Facebook with more than 40.5 million loyal fans * she affectionately calls “little monsters.” More than 11.6 million monsters hang on her every tweet. Her YouTube videos have helped her connect with her fans on a more personal level than ever before possible. The wizard behind the social media curtain is California-based businessman Matthew Michelsen ’94 whose associates include 50 Cent and B.o.B. Michelsen approached Google with an idea for the Google Chrome commercial featuring Lady Gaga, which has already been viewed more than 3.2 million times on YouTube. Not one to rest on his laurels, Michelsen and Lady Gaga’s business manager, Troy Carter, co-founded a new social network site for celebrities called Backplane. The site will combine various social media presences into one platform while providing more opportunities for fans to interact. Lady Gaga is a major stakeholder. Sounds like Backplane could prove to be a monstrous success. * Number of fans as of Aug. 2, 2011.
Video | uri.edu/quadangles
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PRESSBOX
Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Honors Jim Foster (baseball), John Copeland (men’s track & field), and Tom Drennan, M.A. ’80, (golf) each earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in their respective sports this past spring. Foster, who guided the Rams to their ninth consecutive appearance in the A-10 Championship, earned the award for the first time in his URI career. Copeland, who completed the team trophy sweep with both indoor and outdoor track titles, earned top coaching honors twice in 2010–2011. Drennan, who retired this past May, was tabbed as the top A-10 golf coach after the conference championship tournament.
Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Tennis Star Named to NCAA Division I National Committee
Women’s tennis player Tristany Leikem was named to the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She will assist in generating a studentathlete voice within the NCAA structure while enhancing the total student-athlete experience. Her term runs from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2013.
Eighty-eight URI student-athletes have been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the spring 2011 semester. In order to be recognized, each student-athlete must have a semester grade point average of 3.5 or better. The rowing team had 14 representatives, while women’s swimming and diving had 13.
Two Rhody Teams Honored for Top Grades in Division I The NCAA has recognized the men’s and women’s cross-country teams as two of the top Division I programs academically. These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport. The Atlantic 10 Conference ranked fifth among all Division I conferences, with 56 teams recognized.
New Rhody Tennis Courts The tennis team has eight new courts for the 2011–2012 season. The renovation, which will allow the Rams to host matches on campus for the first time since the 2008–2009 season, was made possible by two significant donor gifts combined with additional University and Athletics Department funding. The new courts will be open to the entire University community.
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COURTESY OF URI ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
NCAA All-America in Hammer Throw Rhode Island senior Crystal Bourque earned All-America honors as she finished 16th in the hammer throw at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship hosted by Drake University. A native of Coventry, R.I., Bourque opened with her best toss, recording a distance of 56.94/186-9. She joins Jasmine Jennings ’09 as the only other Rhody women’s track and field performer named an All-American.
Athletics Marketing Department Wins Gold Medal The Athletics Marketing Department won the gold medal at the 2011 National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators’ Best Of Awards ceremony. Rhode Island captured top honors in the Season Ticket Sales Campaign category for the ExperienceRhody.com Web site. This is the first national NACMA award for the URI Athletics Department. ExperienceRhody.com was a collaborative effort between URI Athletics’ Jim White and Mediapeel.
Former Rhody Athletes Named to All-Star Teams
An Evening of Grapes and Grain On Saturday, June 11, the Friends of Women’s Athletics and Rev. Lynn Baker-Dooley, wife of URI President David M. Dooley, hosted An Evening of Grapes and Grain. The annual event, which was sponsored by South County Hospital Orthopedics Center, helped raise over $26,000 for URI’s women’s athletics programs. Approximately 225 guests attended the function, which featured live music provided by URI students.
For the second time in the last three years, URI men’s soccer alum Geoff Cameron ’12 was named to the MLS All-Star Team. The midfielder/ defender for the Houston Dynamo was also a training camp invitee for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Former Rhody baseball catcher Zach Zaneski ’68 landed a spot on the 2011 Carolina League AllStar Team. Zaneski, who plays with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (single A affiliate of the Texas Rangers) is making his first professional all-star game appearance.
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Hot Food and Comfort at Ground Zero Taking care of 9/11’s first responders
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We were escorted to 100 yards “from where the Towers once stood. They were still smoldering. Within 20 minutes we had the generator powered up, the microwaves humming, and were handing out meals. There was a line 100-men deep waiting to get hot chicken and rice and beef and noodles. —Brian Bresnahan
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hen Brian Bresnahan graduated from URI in 1982 with a degree in political science and communications, he envisioned a life in politics. His uncle John had served in the Massachusetts state legislature for 25 years; another uncle, Joe, for 14. “I came from a political family,” he explains. So it was no surprise that, degrees in hand, Brian moved home and launched a campaign for a seat as a state representative: “Eleven candidates were vying for the retiring incumbent’s seat; I came up second. Sue Tucker, the winner, was certainly more qualified.” With campaign bills to pay, a job with Airborne Freight in Boston came at the perfect time. It wasn’t long before a competitor noticed him; 14 months later, FedEx offered him a position. “There was a three month break between jobs, so I went to Europe to backpack.” He visited eight countries, often meeting up with family and friends along the way. Video | uri.edu/quadangles PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN BRESNAHAN AND ISTOCKPHOTO
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Brian’s eight-year career with FedEx was a good one. He was eventually promoted to national accounts executive, a role that gave him the opportunity to take two top accounts, L.L. Bean and Digital, to the 1988 winter Olympics. It was a life-changing experience. “Taking those clients to the Olympic games and being at an international event watching U.S. athletes compete really solidified our business relationship. When my friend Dave picked me up at the airport, I told him I’d discovered what I want to do—start a company that creates events and experiences for corporations. What he did first, though, was stay with FedEx, expanding its marketing programs with the Olympics, PGA, and other international sponsorships. By 1998, he was ready to go out on his own. He founded Intrepid Creative Events, a marketing and advertising agency in Atlanta that “specializes in creating blockbuster, proprietary, and original sales, marketing, and opportunities for brands, corporations, and individuals.” His first client: Coca-Cola. Today, the list includes a slew of equally familiar names: Smuckers, GTE, Uncle Ben’s, Johnson & Johnson, Lego, and U.S. Armed Forces Sports to name a handful. By all accounts, Bresnahan excels at what he does, especially at experiential marketing. He explains experiential marketing as “creating a buzz, a marketing mix, a thun-
derstorm of activity around a brand to promote a company’s objectives and cause.” For example, he orchestrated a partnership between Maxwell House® and Habitat for Humanity to “build 100 houses across the country in 100 weeks.” Maxwell House donated $2 million and supplied volunteers, bonding with Habitat staff and homeowners. “When clients moved into their new home, Maxwell House coffee was in the kitchen cupboard.” Bresnahan recognizes the power of adding a philanthropic element to the mix, but he’s quick to add that it isn’t just about good marketing, “it’s about wanting to do the right thing for the right reason.” And so, on September 8, 2001, Brian was in Boston, sponsoring a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure fundraiser for a client, Uncle Ben’s®. The venue was part of a national mobile sampling tour to introduce the company’s new rice and noodle bowls with sales benefiting the Komen Foundation, a leader in breast cancer research. Bresnahan had flown from Atlanta that morning to join his four-person team at the event: “It was a crystal clear day. I remember the Delta pilot coming on the speaker and saying, ‘Off to the left, ladies and gentlemen, is a beautiful view of Manhattan.’ I was sitting in the middle of a row, buckled in. I thought, ‘I‘m not getting up to look; I see this six times a year.‘”
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From the Komen event, Bresnahan drove to Andover, Mass., to stay with his parents for the weekend. He had a business meeting scheduled for Monday, September 10, at Foxwoods negotiating an event for ice skater Brian Boitano with tickets to fly home the following day. “My Foxwoods contact had a personal emergency, so we rescheduled the meeting to Tuesday, the 11th. It gave me an extra day with my parents.” He was in transit, listening to the radio, when an emergency announcement came on—something about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. Auspicious Timing Bresnahan’s one-hour meeting was condensed into five minutes. He got on the phone with his employees in Boston, “stay put.” Then, he called his client: “We’re four hours from New York City in a 42-foot mobile kitchen. We have 12 industrial microwave ovens, water, a generator, and a freezer trailer. We could help.” On the morning of September 12, Brian was given authorization with two conditions: “Make certain none of your employees gets hurt; two, this is not to be a marketing event for our company; this is only about helping.” The next hurdle was getting permission to take the mobile kitchen to the first responders: “We were all on our phones— to Mayor Giuliani’s office, to FEMA headquarters—but we weren’t able to get
through. So we drove to Shea Stadium.” Eventually, Bresnahan was able to convince a couple of cops to intervene: “We were escorted to 100 yards from where the Towers once stood. They were still smoldering. Within 20 minutes we had the generator powered up, the microwaves humming, and were handing out meals. There was a line 100-men deep waiting to get hot chicken and rice and beef and noodles. “The scene outside was horrific. Buildings were burning, debris was falling, a thick layer of white ash covered everything, like a nuclear winter. Every time a siren went off [warning of possible building collapse], my staff would have to run toward the Hudson River, 100 yards away.” Over the next 40 days, the kitchen-onwheels would serve 60,000 free meals. Bresnahan’s admiration for his team is boundless: “We worked 18 to 20 hours a day, dashing back to the hotel to sleep for a few hours, timing it so we’d be working whenever the responders were on break.” After nine days, Bresnahan flew home: “I had two young kids in Atlanta, my one-year-old son, Ben, and my six-year-old daughter, Meredith.” Two days later, he was back in New York. “I found myself going back and forth over the course of the 40 days my crew was there. One night I was giving a new relief person a little tour around the financial district. We walked by O’Hara’s Bar, off Liberty Street, and were greeted at the door by a steel worker with a menu in his hand, ‘table for two?‘ he asked. The place had been turned into a self-serve bar for steelworkers on break. We just stuck our heads in, but I took the menu. It’s one of the few artifacts I have. It’s a lunch menu dated September 10; they hadn’t had a chance to put out the September 11 menus.” While Bresnahan and his team were hunkered down keeping the hot food coming, they had some surprise visitors: “Everybody was coming by the bus to lift people’s spirits: President Bush, Mayor
Giuliani, Robert DeNiro. To be in the middle of the national movement to help those first responders was amazing.” Fast forward to the one-year anniversary: “I was invited by some of the FDNY and NYPD to attend the memorial service. After a somber day of hearing the tributes to the deceased, I went back to O’Hara’s Bar with the police officers and firemen. They had this impromptu ceremony and started nailing their badges to the mahogany bar. A big burly fireman from Oklahoma came up to me and said ‘weren‘t you with us, feeding us out of that big orange bus?’ He pulled out a huge Bowie knife, cut my tie off my neck, and nailed it over the bar. “On the way to my car, I passed Cokie Roberts of NPR interviewing people on the street, asking where they had been a year earlier. She turned to me, but I was not able to speak. We just felt so fortunate that we were in the right place at the right time with the right equipment to help.” A Changed Perspective Although Bresnahan rarely talks about it, those days in New York City changed him. “With an event like 9/11, your perspective changes. You start thinking about family, and leaving a legacy.” A devoted dad who is active in his kids’ school life and sports activities (his daughter recently teased that he was “the only dad with a white board at home, like the teachers!”), it was a natural for Bresnahan to launch the Healthy Kids Across America Foundation last year. Dedicated to improving children’s nutrition, physical activity, and self-esteem, he has reached out to local and national figures (Michelle Obama is one) and has received enthusiastic support. For more information, go to healthykidsacrossamerica.org. Bresnahan notes, “I’ve never been a small thinker. If you swing for singles, you get singles; if you swing for a home run you may get one—or at least a double.” Martha Murphy ’80
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13
Gimme Shelter Roy’s book lifts a curtain on how the government tried to convince citizens that a nuclear nightmare would be little more than a speed bump in the American dream.
Susan Roy ’73 cut her journalistic teeth covering anti-war protests and women’s rights rallies in the early 1970s as a URI journalism major and staffer at The Good 5¢ Cigar. After a career with magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Self, This Old House, and Allure, she has returned to her radical roots with her first book, an illustrated history of Cold War paranoia. Bomboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People Into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack has generated a buzz in the media and publishing world, nabbing reviews and author profiles in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Publishers Weekly and the French language magazine AD France. A coffee table volume published by Pointed Leaf Press, the book combines Roy’s crisp prose with an eye-catching layout featuring her collection of pamphlets, photographs, government missives, and pop culture memorabilia relating to America’s fling with fallout shelters in the 1950s and 1960s. For anyone who lived through that era, leafing through the book will spark vivid memories of diving under desks during drills or breathing a sigh of relief when the announcer assured you that the buzzing from your TV set was “only a test” of the emergency broadcast system. Roy, who lives in Manhattan with her husband, Randall Rothenberg, became interested in fallout shelters during an architecture course at Columbia University when she ran across photographs of a
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shelter built to resemble a luxurious house 25 feet below the desert in Nevada. She did a paper on the shelter, designed by architect Jay Swayze for a client, Gerard B. Henderson. Roy built on the idea for her master’s thesis and ultimately her book. The photos of that shelter are a highlight of the book. A two-page color spread shows the family room with sofas, lamps, carpeting, and sliding doors that lead to a “yard” with a fake green lawn. Exterior shots show a swimming pool, patio, guest house, lawn furniture, and artificial evergreen trees with lush lower branches and thick trunks that taper up and disappear into billowy white clouds painted above. Roy’s book lifts a curtain on how the government tried to convince citizens that a nuclear nightmare would be little more than a speed bump in the American dream. The first page shows a cut-away drawing of a “nuclear family” in a cozy underground home behind thick brick walls. Mom prepares dinner while dad reads a magazine and their daughter sets the table. “This one still makes me laugh every time I see it,” Roy said during an interview in New York. But other illustrations are more sobering: a Collier’s magazine cover with a mushroom cloud entitled “Hiroshima, U.S.A.” and artist renditions of nuclear blasts destroying American cityscapes. “The thesis started out being all about these structures,” Roy said. “Then I started wondering
©ROBERT POLIDORI/POINTED LEAF PRESS; DEBRA L. ROTHENBERG/ROTHENBERGPHOTO.COM ; ©BOMBOOZLED/POINTED LEAF PRESS
about the purpose, the history of civil defense.” Her project expanded, and she began to collect documents and information from the early days of Civil Defense. In the early 1950s, “the government commissioned a study about how to communicate with Americans about the nuclear threat. At first they talked about what to do when the bomb hits. But then they decided to switch their approach to emotion management—getting people to think about how life would go on after the bomb hit. I looked at the archives. A lot of this stuff has never been published before. “What the government was trying to do was basically a militarization of the population. It was a huge effort, and there is very little memory of it today.” Roy believes the skills she learned at URI studying journalism with Professors David Anderson and Wilbur Doctor gave her the grounding to dig up the nuggets she found in all the documents and archives she sifted through and to tell a compelling story. She called the early ’70s at URI, “a time when everyone was questioning the basic tenets of journalism. It was a lot of fun to be in journalism school then, as everyone was turning everything upside down.” The Good 5¢ Cigar, which had replaced the more traditional Beacon as the campus newspaper, was part of the ferment. Roy immersed herself in chronicling the changing times with fellow staffers Anne Foster ’72, John Levesque ’72, David Bowers ’72, John Struck ’74, Catherine Winters ’73, John Pantalone ’71, John Geddes ’74, Larry Brusic ’73, Bill Loveless ’73, Alan Green ’74, and Marcia Holmes Green ’73.
“The Cigar was so much fun,” she recalled. “It was essentially an underground newspaper paid for by student fees. We had a women’s issue, I remember, and the state legislature tried to shut us down because that issue contained a controversial article with illustrations.” Roy and fellow staffer Carol Cioe Klyman ’74 also did a gay issue, which she recalled was “quite a radical and daring thing to do” at the time. The writers did not use last names of their sources because “gays were completely closeted and faced massive discrimination and more.” Roy recalls her days at the The Cigar as giving her the “the most editorial control of a publication I’ve ever experienced.” “It was a great time to be studying journalism. Watergate happened when I was an undergraduate. There were a lot of other adventures too. A group of us drove down to New York to meet with the editors of Ms magazine, which had just started.” Roy also went to Washington to protest the bombing of Cambodia and to Boston to campaign for legalized abortion. One big influence on Roy was Wilbur Doctor’s basic news writing class: “It was really great training because you had to do it in real time under the same conditions as an actual newsroom. It was great, practical, concrete, hands-on training.” That training helped her forge a career in the Manhattan magazine publishing world and excel in the graduate work that resulted in Bomboozled. “One of the great things was that in journalism, you have to learn how to write clearly. Also, I was taught critical thinking in the URI Journalism Department.” By David Gregorio ’80
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN COLLECTION, UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
Above: The Fallout Shelter Handbook by Chuck West featured topics on Diets and Food Kits, Surviving an Atomic Attack, and Medical Hints and First Aid. Opposite page: the landscaped “backyard” features a rock-lined swimming pool and two artificial trees. Below: Architect Paul Laszlo designed a bomb shelter for his client John D. Hertz, the founder of the Hertz Rent-A-Car agency.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 15
a shot in the arm for
immunity vaccine design technology flourishes at the Providence Campus
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NORA LEWIS
“THERE’S NO FEAR OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY HERE; IN FACT PROFESSORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WORK TOWARD CREATING
DRUGS OR VACCINES.”
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17
I
t didn’t take long for Annie De Groot to make a major impact at URI. Just a few months after being hired as a research professor of biotechnology in 2009, she was awarded a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health—one of the largest grants in URI history—to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases. The lab she had established at the Feinstein Providence Campus, called the Institute for Immunology and Informatics (or I-Cubed), soon tripled in size to accommodate about a dozen new researchers and students. And she began inviting scientists from around the world to Providence to learn to use the vaccine development tools she invented. It was an auspicious start, but not an unexpected one. De Groot came to URI after 13 years at Brown University, where she built a reputation for tuberculosis and HIV research, and from which she spun off her vaccine design technology into the start-up company EpiVax. She was also collaborating with local organizations to operate an HIV clinic in Mali and founded the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS (GAIA) Vaccine Foundation. “I came to URI because I saw that the institution appreciates the importance of translating science into applications for human use,” said De Groot, who earned her medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, trained in internal medicine at New England Medical Center, and completed additional training in immunoinformatics and vaccine research at the NIH. “There’s no fear of biotechnology here; in fact professors are encouraged to work toward creating drugs or vaccines. The connection between basic laboratory research and biotech applications is embraced by the administration.” De Groot, who helped establish national prison standards for the care of inmates with HIV and founded a free clinic in Providence, said that the objective of her lab is to make better, safer vaccines more quickly than traditional methods and to train the next generation of researchers. “Vaccines are the most effective medical intervention ever discovered,” she said, “because you give them once, and then you’re protected for your lifetime for very little cost. We all remember reading about
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whole cities that were wiped out by disease in the past, but those events are not even in our vocabulary any more because of the availability of vaccines.” Soon after founding the Institute, De Groot hired Denice Spero as co-director. An organic chemist by training, Spero worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 18 years discovering new drugs to treat asthma, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. At Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, she built an organization to evaluate drugs before they go into clinical trials and weed out the ones that might fail. With a Boehringer colleague, she founded the nonprofit Developing World Cures to bring new drugs and vaccines to the developing world. “We make designer vaccines using a suite of tools Annie developed that looks at how peptides bind to molecules that generate an immune response,” explained Spero. “It’s a way of designing vaccines in a computer. Instead of taking 20 to 25 years to go from concept to vaccine, we figured out how to do the informatics in months, not years.” The Institute for Immunology and Informatics is focusing its work on what the scientists call neglected tropical diseases, like dengue fever, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. These are diseases that the World Health Organization defines as “primarily infectious diseases that thrive in impoverished settings, especially in the heat and humidity of tropical climates.” Approximately one billion people suffer from one or more of these diseases. “In the developing world, people are dying from horrible diseases—worm and bacterial and viral diseases—that no one has addressed because the people are very poor and the diseases aren’t affecting those of us who have great health care,” explained Spero. “We believe we can solve this problem by making sure that the people in the developing world have appropriate vaccines.” Added De Groot: “I have personal experience working in the field, vaccinating people, and seeing the terrible outcomes when vaccines are not available. In the developing world, vaccines are the simplest and most cost-effective intervention.” Vaccines also act to engage the body’s natural defense mechanisms, she said. “I like the idea that we’re using a natural
response that we all generate to protect against disease rather than taking a drug that is somewhat unnatural. Vaccines arm the natural immune system response, training you to protect yourself against something that your system hasn’t seen yet.” While neglected tropical diseases get the most attention in the lab, the scientists are also working on vaccines against other diseases as well. They are collaborating with URI’s Entomologist Thomas Mather on tick-borne diseases, Assistant Research Professor Lenny Moise and Lifespan gastroenterologist Steven Moss on a gastric cancer vaccine, and Brown Medical School Associate Professor Stephen Gregory on hepatitis C and liver cancer vaccines. Perhaps the most unusual project is one aimed at multi-pathogen diseases that could result from biowarfare agents. Spero said that many foreign governments are actively developing biowarfare agents, including smallpox, anthrax, and others she describes as “scary bacteria that you hope you will never meet.” De Groot is leading the lab’s effort to develop “single shot” vaccines that could fight three or four different bacteria at once and that could be used for military personnel. “If you were in an anti-terror situation and a pathogen was released in Providence, how would you deal with that?” Spero asked. “Using our tools we could very quickly analyze the genome of the pathogen, evaluate what proteins it produces, and identify peptides to target in a vaccine.” As important as this work is, De Groot and Spero say training the next generation of vaccine scientists is equally important. “Developing vaccines is a long, continuous process, and you need to train new people to continue the work,” Spero said. “When Annie and I aren’t doing this work any more, today’s students will be the next generation making further innovations and new discoveries. The science works best when you work as a team.” That team includes undergraduate and graduate students, primarily from URI, and recent graduates who work in the lab and who are assigned to particular research projects; summer fellows (undergraduates and local high school students) who attend classroom lectures in the morning and learn how to use analytical equipment in
NORA LEWIS
the lab in the afternoon; and young scientists from around the world who spend three weeks in January learning to use the lab’s vaccine development tools. Danielle Aguirre, a graduate student who stumbled across the I-cubed lab by chance, originally considered enrolling in the Graduate School of Oceanography and is excited to be on the frontlines of vaccine development. She is working on a better vaccine delivery system that will more quickly initiate the immune reaction. “I really wanted to be on the forefront of the gene-to-vaccine approach used here,” Aguirre said. “And I love the friendly atmosphere in the lab. It has turned into a second family for me. I really love it.” That engaging atmosphere is one of the reasons that I-Cubed is a place where toptier researchers want to work. The lab has already attracted one of the leading researchers on dengue fever, Alan Rothman, and De Groot said several more scientists “are waiting until the planets are aligned and they can move their grants here. We have a uniquely entrepreneurial system where you’re rewarded for bringing new research dollars into the lab. So we have a number of folks planning to join us as soon as they can,” she said. That entrepreneurial focus was illustrated last summer when De Groot and Spero taught a workshop to vaccine scien-
tists who want to start their own businesses. As a result, three new companies are actively looking for funding and lab space in the Providence area. As dedicated and skilled as the I-Cubed directors are, they both give a great deal of credit for the success of the lab to Professor Greg Paquette, director of biotechnology programs, and Associate Professor Ed Bozzi, coordinator of the University’s Biotechnology Manufacturing Program. “We’re thrilled to be working with Ed and Greg and the rest of the team here at the Providence Campus,” De Groot said, “because they are so focused on getting people engaged in biotechnology, from kindergarten to the master’s degree level. They export what we do here and make it accessible to people. This place is really focused on the next generation, and Denice and I feel so lucky to be part of that.” The bottom line for De Groot and Spero, however, is a desire to provide people around the world with access to the means to improve their health. “Some people make great food, some write great books,” De Groot said. “We want to make great vaccines and improve human health everywhere in the world.” By Todd McLeish
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19
Green Design The area around Green and Ranger Halls has a very green and inviting new look.
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In the late 19th century, Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architectural Firm, designers of Central Park and numerous other high profile public spaces, drew up the original plans for the Kingston Campus. The rendering showed a grassy quadrangle in the Green and Ranger area that was never developed.
Until now. Designed to complement the main quadrangle, the area features a thick carpet of grass, flowering plants, newly planted trees, sitting walls, and wide walkways. “Elegant simplicity” is the way Robert A. Weygand, vice president for Administration and Finance, describes the area’s new look. DON BOUSQUET AND SON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The University now plans to develop other small quads as gathering places around the campus, says Weygand. “We are establishing small nodes of academic excellence, where the URI community can celebrate the buildings in each area of campus.” UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21
Reversing the Trend “Technology transfer is definitely a contact sport. It’s about connecting people and innovative technologies with market needs.”
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In university and government laboratories across the country, brilliant scientific minds are developing technologies, systems, and a host of products. However, most innovations never see the light of day. Government statistics prove that disappointing reality. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, only about 10 percent of 15,000 patents and patent applications held by their 17 national laboratories have been licensed for commercial use. Aiming to reverse that trend is Karina Edmonds ’92, who was recently named the department’s first technology transfer coordinator. Though the position was approved by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Edmonds was not appointed until last year: “The previous administration added the duties of the technology transfer coordinator to the role of the under secretary of science,” Edmonds explained. “Dr. Steven Chu, the current secretary of energy, recognized the need for a dedicated person to ensure we have a robust technology transfer program across the Department of Energy. “I am extremely fortunate to have Secretary Chu’s full support in establishing policies that promote the effective and efficient transfer of knowledge, intellectual property, and capabilities developed at DOE labs to the private sector to create new products and services that bring additional benefits back to the American taxpayer.” Edmonds, who majored in mechanical engineering at URI and went on to earn an M.S. and a Ph.D. in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology, brings a wealth of experience to Washington. At the time of her appointment, she was
NORA LEWIS
serving as director of the Technology Transfer Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In that environment, where scientists develop space-based telescopes and satellites, Edmonds enjoyed success in shepherding this complex technology beyond the confines of a laboratory: “People would be shocked to learn of all the incredible technologies that have had a big market and societal impact. In the area of imaging, JPL scientists had to build very small, lightweight, low-cost imagers to look for very faint objects far away in the universe. That same technology is now found in most cell phones with cameras. “Another imaging technology based on a quantum well infrared photo detector (QWIP) sensor that detects very small temperature differences, has been applied to the early detection of breast cancer. On the bioscan system, cancer cells show up as a different color on the image because they emit more heat than normal cells due to their higher metabolic activity.” At the root of Edmonds’ achievements is her ability to blend technical and interpersonal skills seamlessly: “Technology transfer is definitely a contact sport. It’s about connecting people and innovative technologies with market needs. I spent a lot of time at JPL building relationships with scientists and educating them about the importance of protecting their intellectual property.” One of Edmonds’ biggest challenges is the sheer size of the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition to its 17 labs, the agency maintains plants and facilities that are also working with the private sector to move products to market. Aiding Edmonds in her endeavors is the Technology Transfer Working Group with representatives from each DOE national laboratory and plant that have identified roadblocks to progress: “We are in the process of streamlining our contractual vehicles by removing outdated clauses and reducing the upfront payments—ranging between $10,000 to $50,000—that a company would need to license technologies from a lab. In the past, it could take more than six months to get on contract. We are working to reduce that to six to eight weeks. Clearly a very ambitious goal, but one that is worth pursuing because it is what our industry partners need.”
If ambition serves as the driver to efficiency and effectiveness, then Secretary Chu chose the ideal candidate to head the Technology Transfer office. Edmonds demonstrated an inherent desire to learn and succeed as a child when she arrived in the United States from the Dominican Republic. When she boarded the airplane, she thought, “How can this big chunk of metal stay in the air?” Supportive teachers and the TIMES2 (To Improve Math, Engineering, and Science Studies) program designed to prepare minority children for careers in the sciences fueled her interest in how things worked. Inspired by the engineers who gathered like-minded youths at TIMES2, Edmonds went on to serve as a catalyst bringing minority engineering students together when she helped found URI’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers: “I was inspired by a gathering at Brown University with a large group of minority engineering students—by large, I mean more than 20 students. Then I attended a National Society of Black Engineers conference in New York, and I was hooked. This was something that was definitely lacking at the time at URI; I thought it was a way to tap into a larger support network.” Today Edmonds’ network is the Obama administration. She shares the president’s visions for promoting clean energy technology that correlates to job growth and for improving science literacy among the nation’s youth: “We need to figure out a way to keep students engaged in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] activities from an early age. Unfortunately, engineers and scientists are still not portrayed well on television, and as a result the perception is skewed. We are very well-rounded individuals who have an interest in making the world a better place through the pursuit of scientific knowledge.” Given that Edmonds’ expertise has now transferred successfully from the lab to the Department of Energy, she is on the cutting edge of forging a clear path toward a greener nation and encouraging students—especially women and people of color as they remain largely underrepresented in STEM fields—to achieve that goal. By Maria V. Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 23
Critical Impact
Eleanor Perfetto ’80, M.S. ’88, met her husband, Ralph Wenzel, a physically fit former National Football League offensive lineman, when they were working in South Dakota.
Ralph Wenzel, seen here with his wife, Eleanor Perfetto, is now a nursing home patient.
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JOSH HANER/THE NEW YORK TIMES
From NFL Player to Dementia Patient “He was healthy, active, and a vegetarian,” said Perfetto, now a senior director of government reimbursement and regulatory affairs for Pfizer, Inc. The Johnston, R.I. native had no idea that hidden in her husband’s brain tissue were the beginnings of a chronic disease caused by repeated blows to his head suffered during his football career. Wenzel’s NFL career as a 260-pound lineman ended in 1974 after stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, and St. Louis Cardinals. “When I graduated from URI in 1980, I was stationed in Pine Ridge, S.D., with the federal Indian Health Service, and Ralph had taken a job as a coach and teacher at a local school. That’s where we met.” They moved to Rhode Island in the mid-1980s, where Perfetto completed her master’s degree in pharmacy in 1988, and Wenzel served as a volunteer coach for the Rams. In the 1990s, Wenzel, then only in his 50s, began experiencing memory problems and issues with decision-making. His brain function slowly worsened. Today, because of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that results in behaviors similar to Alzheimer’s disease, the 160-pound, 68-year-old Wenzel is now in a locked nursing facility, is fed pureed foods, suffers from behavioral outbursts, and is experiencing physical decline from the illness. He no longer understands simple verbal commands. Wenzel’s condition and the plight of other former NFL players like John Mackey, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who suffered from dementia and died in July at age 69, have led to heavy media coverage of concussions and sub-concussive blows in sports and their connection to chronic brain disease. Sub-concussive trauma is defined as brain trauma that does not produce acute clinical symptoms. It is believed that sub-concussive blows contribute to the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Perfetto has been an advocate for her husband and other stricken former professional football players. She serves as a board member of the Sports Legacy Institute in Boston, which was founded in 2007 to address growing research showing that sports-related concussions and brain trauma have become a grave health crisis. NFL management and players’ union officials also know her well. In December 2008, she tried to attend a meeting in Bethesda, Md., between Commissioner Roger Goodell and former players to discuss long-term care. Goodell and others prohibited her from attending. Perfetto’s unsuccessful standoff with Goodell was reported in The New York Times. “The NFL has been very hesitant, very negligent,” said Perfetto, who now lives in Annapolis, Md. “They long ago accepted that former players with chronic knee, back, and shoulder problems
qualify for long-term disability benefits, but they stalled in acknowledging chronic brain injury and dementia as long-term disabilities. “I don’t think I am on Roger Goodell’s Christmas card list, but that was a good night because I confronted him personally,” Perfetto said. “There has to be greater effort in reaching out to current NFL players, as well as younger players, to convey that this is a serious issue.”
Warning Signs of Brain Trauma Clinical Assistant Nursing Professor John Kenna ’05, who is also an acute care nurse practitioner in the neurological intensive care unit at Rhode Island Hospital, said it’s time to discard the term concussion when discussing brain injury. “I prefer the term traumatic brain injury with levels of mild, moderate, and severe because there can be injury even from a mild blow,” said Kenna, who earned his nurse practitioner master’s degree from Northeastern University. “The brain floats in fluid, and when there is rapid acceleration/deceleration—as occurs in a violent collision—the brain hits the front and back of the skull. Even with mild traumatic brain injury there can be acute symptoms such as memory loss. With brain injury, a person can have contusions and structures of the brain can be disturbed. Sometimes these symptoms don’t show up for several days or weeks.” Kenna said parents, coaches, trainers, and athletes should use the following questions/observations when assessing a player for brain injury: Is the player disoriented? Does he know his name? What day it is? Is the player experiencing headaches and nausea, or is she vomiting without nausea? Kenna said vomiting without nausea is a major warning sign because it points to pressure in the brain that can spark the vomiting response. After the incident, does the player exhibit changes in behavior, irritability? If a normally happy-go-lucky person becomes sad, depressed, or overly emotional, those are warning signs of brain injury. Does the player exhibit any neurological changes, which are indicated by changes in speech and vision? Is there blood or fluid being discharged from the nose or ears? Kenna said if fluid is being discharged, it is probably from the brain. Are there changes in the player’s breathing patterns?
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 25
Last season, the NFL got tougher on players who commit helmet-to-helmet hits, and it’s helping states around the country develop laws to protect young athletes from the long-term effects of head injuries. This season, NFL doctors and trainers are using standardized sideline tests for the first time to assess concussions, and they will add a balance test to others used in follow up examinations. Attention to Head Injuries at URI Concussions among student-athletes have been a priority for many years. Kim Bissonnette ’77, associate director of athletics for health and performance, said that the National Collegiate Athletic Association, URI, the various conferences, and state associations have all done a great deal in the last several years to educate studentathletes and coaches about the short- and long-term effects of concussions and head injuries. Last fall, Bissonnette completed his 20th season at URI; he has worked in excess of 200 Rams football games. “We have always taken concussions and head injuries very seriously at URI,” said Bissonnette, who earned his master’s degree in physical education and athletic training in 1997 at the University of Arizona. “We must keep in mind that we are dealing with someone’s son or daughter and that we are talking about brain injury and someone’s long-term quality of life.” Bissonnette said every student-athlete at URI has to read and sign an NCAA information sheet reminding them of the critical nature of concussions. Bissonnette added that the intense research into short- and long-term effects of concussions, improving technology, and strong education efforts have made many old evaluation standards obsolete. “For years the gold standard in evaluating concussions was the CAT scan, but we now know that in most cases objective evidence of concussion never shows up on the scan. The feeling was if the CAT scan was OK and the player felt OK, then he could play. Fortunately, the return-to-play standards are now much more stringent,” Bissonnette said. URI follows a step-by-step approach before it allows a student-athlete to play after a concussion. There is a full assessment and monitoring of a player’s symptoms, cognitive
testing, balance testing, and gradual increases in activity once a player is symptom free. If at any point during the process a player’s symptoms return, then the process begins all over again, starting with rest, before the player can be cleared to play. Bissonnette said the concept of rest after a concussion or head injury should be reassessed as well. “Rest may not just mean staying off the field. It might mean staying out of class because studies put a strain on the brain. It might mean that the player does not go to an away game because sleeping in hotels and early wakeup calls may not be conducive to recovery. It may be best for that person to stay home.” Training Helps Save Life at South Kingstown High School South Kingstown High School Athletic Director Terry Lynch ’84, a former player and coach for the Rhody Rams football team, knows that concussion and head injury education probably prevented the death of Mike Gray, a South Kingstown football player, in 2010. “Mike had taken a couple of hits in the same practice, and after the second one resulted in his head hitting the ground, coach Eric Anderson knew quickly that Mike was in trouble. He called 911 right away,” said Lynch, who oversees 26 head coaches. The hit caused a subdural hematoma, a mass of clotted blood in the brain resulting from a broken blood vessel, which then led to several surgeries. “Thanks to the quick response by Anderson and emergency medical personnel, we were celebrating Mike’s graduation this year instead of grieving the loss of one of our own,” Lynch said. Lynch, who is also the color analyst for Rhody radio football broadcasts, said the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and districts like South Kingstown have made head injury prevention and awareness priorities: “Each coach in the state has to be educated on concussions and pass a test to be certified. “Also, for the 2010–2011 academic year, South Kingstown High School began cognitive baseline testing for football and hockey players. This year, we are expanding the testing to girls’ and boys’ soccer. That means every player on the team takes a
26 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
cognitive test on a computer. If a player suffers a concussion, we wait until the symptoms end, and then the athlete takes the test again. We compare those results to the baseline results. Our trainer then evaluates the player and all the health and cognitive data to determine the next steps.”
Ralph Wenzel when he was an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Resisting the Message While major efforts have been made to address the effects of concussion and brain trauma in sports, Perfetto said most current players don’t grasp the impact of chronic brain illness: “They also have to understand that it’s not only concussions that cause long-term problems. “Sub-concussive trauma is also linked to long-term brain issues. Many coaches want to make us think that the post-concussion protocols are the solution, but they may give a false sense of security. Repeated blows to the head with no concussion may be more of a problem. “I have invited current NFL players and their wives to come visit my husband, but I haven’t had one single person take me up on that. I hear the players say they need to make enough money to take care of their families, but do they want to suffer like this, do they want to put their wives, their families through this? “People talk about rule changes and equipment changes to make the game safer. There is no helmet that prevents the dangerous jostling that happens to a brain when the head receives a blow. It’s like these players are being exposed to shaken baby syndrome every week.” By Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELEANOR PERFETTO
The Korean Connection
T
hirty-two students from an accelerated high school in South Korea spent two weeks in July at the Graduate School of Oceanography learning the principles of oceanography and participating in hands-on science activities in and around Narragansett Bay. The visit is part of GSO’s International Oceanography Explorers program coordinated by its Office of Marine Programs. From July 4 through14, the Korean students conducted beach profile surveys, observed a fish trawl, collected plankton and sediment samples, conducted laboratory analyses, and toured a fish hatchery, a research aquarium, and other facilities at URI. They also went on a whale watch and toured the aquaculture lab at Roger Williams University.
“The students are here because of their interest in oceanography and their desire to learn in an international setting,” said Maryann Scholl, the program’s coordinator at the Office of Marine Programs. “They get to improve their English language skills while getting a solid introduction to the science and practice of oceanography.” The teachers in the program are former GSO student and Roger Williams Professor Scott Rutherford, current GSO student Daniel Whitesell, recent URI graduate Christine Newton, and science educator Jill Johnen. The program was designed specifically to meet the interests and needs of the Korean students. “There is a growing interest in oceanography in South Korea,” said David Smith, associate GSO dean, “and we have a number of informal collaborations with scientists and universities there.” Jae-Hun Park, an associate marine research scientist at GSO who has recently taken a position at the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute, plans to continue his collaboration with GSO.
Smith noted that there are many more opportunities to collaborate with scientists at the Korean institute, and having Park there will facilitate these efforts. Oceanography Professor Isaac Ginis has been collaborating with scientists in Korea on the study of tropical cyclones for more than 10 years. The Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute is funding Ginis’s research to develop a typhoon prediction model for the Korean Meteorological Agency, and he has organized two workshops in Korea on the interaction between typhoons and the ocean. As a result of this work, a Korean student came to GSO to work as Ginis’s postdoctoral researcher and now teaches at Jeju National University, and another student enrolled to earn his Ph.D. with Ginis. Two other students from Korea are presently enrolled at GSO as well, and several faculty members are conducting research in the East China Sea adjacent to Korea. They are studying the circulation patterns of the Kuroshio current and extension, which carries warm water from the western South Pacific to the north, somewhat like the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic. By Todd McLeish UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 27
ALUMNICHAPTERS
Chapter events are open to all alumni, family, and friends of the University. Contact your local chapter rep and join the fun!
advance.uri.edu/alumni/chapters
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Upcoming Events October 5 A reception hosted by the LGBTIQ2 Alumni and Friends Chapter will be held in the Alumni Center following the video premiere of It Gets Better at URI: Coming Out for Change. For details, contact Jess Raffaele at 401-874-4604 or jraffaele@advance.uri.edu. October 6 Join the Rhode Island Chapter at the Providence Performing Arts Center for the hit musical Rock of Ages, featuring hits from Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Whitesnake, Poison, Twisted Sister, and other great bands of the '80s! Register online today. For questions, contact Chris DiSano at cdisano@advance.uri.edu. October 21 The annual Theta Chi Affinity Chapter homecoming dinner, held at the University Club, will begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour and cash bar, followed at 7 p.m. by a buffet dinner. The cost of this event is $40. Register today! For more information, contact chapter leader John Eastman ’62 at jeastman33@gmail.com. November 10 The Villages (FL) Alumni Chapter is holding “Italian Night” at the SeaBreeze Recreation Center. This event will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. A dinner buffet, catered by Giovanni's Ristorante, will include chicken marsala, baked ziti, antipasto salad, garlic bread, and mini cannoli. For more information, contact chapter leader Al Bateman '59 at acbnaples@aol.com.
November 18 The Young Alumni Council and the Connecticut Chapter are hosting a beer tasting at Cottrell Brewing Company in Pawcatuck, Conn. This event will include a tour of the brewery, beer tasting and pizza, a souvenir pint glass, and a free raffle for Rhody gear. Register online today, or contact Jess Raffaele at 401-874-4604 or jraffaele@advance.uri. edu with your questions. December 3 President David M. Dooley will be a special guest at the Southwest Florida Gators Chapter holiday luncheon at the Boca Royale Country Club. Registration and further details will available soon. For information, contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401-874-4854 or mfontes-barros@ advance.uri.edu. January 12 Massachusetts Chapter alumni are heading to the TD BankNorth Garden to watch the Montreal Canadiens battle the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Mike Sams '90 at mpsams@KandSlegal. com or Nicholas G. Chigas '03 at Nicholas.G.Chigas@ mssb.com.
Events Gone By On July 1, the Texas Rhode Horn Chapter watched as the hometown Houston Astros play host to the visiting Boston Red Sox.
On July 9, the Rhode Island Chapter enjoyed a pre-game celebration at Jillian’s Boston before watching the Red Sox tangle with the Baltimore Orioles. On July 12, the Delta Zeta Chapter hosted a wonderful luncheon for classes from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s at Rhode Island Country Club The Massachusetts Chapter enjoyed the summer breeze and great city views during a three-hour sail of Boston Harbor on July 16. On July 23, the Massachusetts Chapter hosted a gathering at Jillian’s in Boston for 60 alumni, family, and friends before the Red Sox–Mariners game. The Chicago Chapter hosted a group of 20 alumni on July 30 at U.S. Cellular Field for a patio party before taking in the Red Sox–White Sox game. URI was delighted to welcome Alumni Chapter Leaders and Alumni Admission Representatives from across the nation who returned to the Kingston Campus on August 5 and 6 for Alumni Leader Weekend. On September 12, the Texas Rhode Horn Chapter cheered on the Astros as they battled the Philadelphia Phillies.
RHODY PROUD L.A. Rams Chapter alumni got together for an eight-ball pool tournament in Santa Monica on June 18.
28 QUAD ANGLES SUMMER 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
AT THE BALLPARK Northern California Chapter alumni and friends took in the June 18 Oakland A’s–San Francisco Giants game at the Oakland Coliseum.
WEEKEND RETREAT Chapter Leaders and Alumni Admissions Representatives gathered on the Kingston Campus for planning, training, and fun during Alumni Leader Weekend, August 5 and 6.
CITY VIEW Massachusetts Chapter alumni and their families set sail in Boston Harbor on July 16. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 29
REGIONAL CHAPTERS
Michigan
AFFINITY CHAPTERS
Arizona Rhode Runners
David Diana ’84, Warren, MI p: 586.268.0048 e: dianad@flash.net Minnesota
Alpha Chi Omega Gamma Sigma Shanon Whitt Horridge '86 Cranston, RI p: 401.383.4657 e: shannyh40@aol.com alpha phi Chi Phi
Julie Griffin ’99 Scottsdale, AZ p: 480.634.1950 (h) e: Julez99@aol.com California • LA Rams Brett Freitas ‘99, Santa Monica, CA p: 323.833.8011 (h) e: brettfrietas@gmail.com • Northern Greg Passant ’80, Pleasanton, CA p: 925.227.1878 Josh Feinberg ’08, Berkley, CA p: 973.945.0971 (h) 510.563.2205 (w) e: feinberg973@gmail.com • Southern Jeff Bolognese ’02, Oceanside, CA p: 760.945.4560 e: jeff@richmondfinancial.net • Colorado Mile High Rams Christy L. Gallese '03 Denver, CO p: 717.856.8525 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 Robert Tingley ’66, Boca Raton, FL p: 561.350.0332 e: rtingley111@att.net • Southwest Gators Richard Boldt ’64, Naples, FL p: 239.417.0375 e: rboldt854@aol.com • The Villages
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 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 • Metro John Companario ’93, New York, NY e: john.campanario@gmail.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
Douglas Bennet ’77, Providence, RI p: 401.351.3522 (h) e: dbennet@aol.com Community Planning Mike DeLuca ’80, M.C.P. ’88, Narragansett, RI p: 401.789.6888 (h) 401.461.1000, ext. 3137 (w) Continuing Education Joyce Dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RI p: 401.766.2209 (h) Josh Flaherty ’87, Slatersville, RI p: 401.766.4981 (h) 401.273.5711 x5 (w) e: john.flaherty@cox.net Delta Zeta Nancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RI p: 401.624.6364 (h) Graduate School of Library and Information Studies Sybil Akins '08 Wakefield, RI p: 401.783.0953 e: sma718@gmail.com Jenna Hecker '09 Providence, RI p: 518.542.7654 (h) 781.769.0200 (w) e: jennahecker@gmail.com Italian Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RI p: 401.783.3081 e: acwvmhs@rinet35.org Remo Trivelli, Kingston, RI p: 401.874.2383
Lucia Vescera ’96, Lincoln, RI Bill ’74 & Betty ’74 Sepe, Hudson, OH e: lvescera@hotmail.com p: 330.650.6715 LGBTIQ2 e: OHRhody@hotmail.com (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, and Questioning Al Bateman ’59, The Villages, FL Rhode Island Alumni and Friends) e: acbnaples@aol.com Allison Field ’95, Providence, RI Illinois: Chicago Marc R. Archambault ‘73, p: 401.808.9463 Wakefield, RI Jimmy De La Zerda ’04, Orland Park e: allison@conderi.com p: 401.932.3715 (c) e: jimmydlz401@gmail.com Texas e: marc@randallrealtors.com Louisiana/Mississippi • Dallas/Ft. Worth Gregory C. Waugh ‘07, Dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LA Cortney ’01 and David Nicolato ‘98, North Kingstown, RI p: 985.643.8801 (h) p: 401.787.3980 (h) Dallas, TX e: delinac@charter.net e: Gregory.waugh@gmail.com p: 401.255.5127 (c) e: rhodygrad@gmail.com Phyllis DelFiore ’68, Slidell, LA Lambda Chi Alpha p: 985.847.1609 (h) • Texas Rhode Horns Jeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PA e: feliciadf@hotmail.com p: 717.530.0188 Jeffrey A. Ross ’75, Houston Massachusetts e: firemarshal70@hotmail.com p: 713.668.3746 (h) 713.791.9521 (w) Nicholas G. Chigas ’03, Waltham, MA Lambda Delta Phi e: jross67785@aol.com p: 978.505.7161 (h) Linda F. Desmond ’68, 781.672.5170 (w) Washington, D.C./ Baltimore North Andover, MA e: nicholas.g.chigas@mssb.com Hank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MD p: 978.687.7443 (h) Michael P. Sams ’90, 978.794.3896 (w) p: 301.803.2910 (w) Westborough, MA e: lfdesmond@comcast.net 301.482.1062 (h) p: 508.665.4299 (w) e: henryjn@us.ibm.com e: mpsams@kandSlegal.com Brina Masi '01, Baltimore, MD p: 401.261.5416 e: brimasi16@gmail.com 30 QUAD ANGLES SUMMER 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
Martha Smith Patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI p: 401.539.2180 e: mpatnoad@uri.edu Music Department Alumni
Schmidt Labor Research Center
Allison Lacasse ’07, Boston, MA p: 508.971.3527 (h) 978.251.5177 (w) e: allisonlacasse@gmail.com
Mark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RI p: 401.782.0064 (h) e: mtrovato@riag.state.ri.us www.rhodysig.com Sigma Pi
Nicholas Zammarelli Jr. '97 Coventry, RI p: 401-828-5823 (h) e: nzamm1@verizon.net Phi Gamma Delta Richard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI p: 401.874.6693 (w) e: kingsley@gso.uri.edu Phi Kappa Psi
J. Richard Rose M.S. ’06 p: 401.461.2786 (h) e: rrose@mail.uri.edu Sigma Chi
George B. Smith ‘66, Venice, FL p: 941.408.9786 e: drgeorgebsmith@verizon.net Student Alumni Association Louis R. Maccarone II ’00, Cranston, RI p: 401.486.7849 e: Louis.maccarone@gmail.com
Joe Hart ’85, Kingston, RI p: 401.783.4852 e: pkpribeta@cox.net www.ribeta.com Phi Mu Delta
Lindsay Redfern Lazzeri ‘04, Boynton Beach, FL p: 561.735.7811 401.474.6580 (c) e: lindsayredfern@gmail.com Jim DeNuccio ‘75, East Greenwich, RI Stand Up Against Lyme p: 401.884.2993 (w) David J. Wallace ’76, ‘92, f: 401.885.2228 (w) Exeter, RI e: dave@teegreensod.com Phi Sigma Kappa Kenneth Gambone ‘88, New York, NY Theta Chi p: 917.701.4631 John Eastman ’62, e: Kenneth.gambone@barclayscapital.com North Kingstown, RI p: 401.295.1956 (h) Political Science e: jeastman33@gmail.com Al Killilea, Kingston, RI Mike Testa ‘63, Jamestown, RI p: 401.874.2183 (w) p: 401.423.8918 Physical Therapy Program Alumni e: jtown@cox.net John McLinden ’93, Wakefield, RI Theta Delta Chi p: 401.783.7179 (h) 401.874.5001 (w) Eric Lalime ’95 e: Elvis1122@aol.com p: 201.962.2001 (h) 347.739.7345 (cell) Public Relations Society e: eric_lalime@ml.com DeAnna Lynn Englezos ’08, URI Difference Equations Brooklyn, NY Association p: 212.237.0048 (w) e: dlenglezos@gmail.com Michael A. Radin ‘01, Rochester, NY p: 585.461.4002 (h) Kate Scozzaro ‘10, Fairfield, NJ 585.475.7681 (w) p: 973.809.5044 (h) e: michael.radin@rit.edu e: kate.scozzaro@gmail.com Writers Affinity Group RIDOT Christos Xenophontos ’84, Exeter, RI Jan Wenzel '87, Tiverton, RI p: 401.714.6595 (c) e: xenophon@dot.ri.gov 401.874.5190 (w) Charles St. Martin ’92, Coventry, RI e: wenzel@ds.uri.edu e: cstm@cox.net; cstmartin@dot.ri.gov ROTC William MacKinlay '69 p: 781.608.7335 e: WMacKinlay@TaskForcePro.com Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RI e: urirotcalumni@cox.net www.uri.rotc.alum.org
Are you a veteran? The Alumni Association is interested in starting a URI Veterans Chapter, and would like to hear from you. If you would like to learn more, please contact Bob Ferrell '07 at rferrell@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.7402.
CLASSACTS
Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotes Submit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservices
ALUMNI DIRECTORY
STAY
CONNECTED inefficiencies or silos of management. I invite you all to visit the Web site westonsoftwareinc.com. I am enjoying my life with friends and look forward to Homecoming.”
`53
Big Thinkers: On April 28, Karina Edmonds ’92, second from left, was the featured speaker at URI’s Big Thinkers event in Washington, D.C. Seen here with Edmonds are, from the left, Yasah Vezele ’10, a graduate student in chemistry/pharmacy and a past National Society of Black Engineers board member; URI President David M. Dooley; Michael Fagbote, a senior majoring in electrical and biomedical engineering and current president of the URI chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers; and Charles A. Watson ’93, the College of Engineering’s minority student recruitment and retention coordinator.
`43
WW11 was the reason for his interest. URI gave me tools that I used to Paul Craig Mangan, ENG, of Ven- change my career from being one tura, Calif., writes: “To our class- of the first Army helicopter pilots mates: We are living in a retirement to becoming director of operations facility in Ventura, Calif. We are for a biomedical company, Shelton working on our 67th year of mar- Scientific. This journey and my sucriage; we are still taking nourish- cessful career was not easy, but I ment; we are expecting low medical never regret starting it. I retired in costs this year; we wish you all good 1998. The treasured memories of health.” URI, meeting my wife, Pat Joslin ’54 (deceased in 2000), and friends `50 I met in school have left footprints Naomi F. Alpern, A&S, of Durham, in my 87-year-old heart. Now I’m N.C., writes: “I would like to hear proud of my son Hank and his twofrom any of the wonderful friends I year effort in developing a leading knew in the Class of 1950. Let’s see edge software product at Weston how our lives look 61 years later!” Softwear Company. Today he is celebrating the achievement of a 2010 `51 Hewlett Packard Alliance Partner Arthur Harvey Levin, CBA, of Sun of the Year award and Connecticut City West, Ariz., writes: “My wife Innovations (company to watch) Laura, Hon. ’96, and I are enjoying award. Connecticut Investment provided startup funding for the retirement to the fullest!” Alec Voight, ENG, of Milford, company. Microsoft made Hank’s Conn., writes: “The river of life company part of the Biz Spark keeps flowing and time goes by so initiative. Weston Softwear’s Power fast since Dr. Nicholas Alexander One system management software of aeronautical science in 1946 was helps companies simplify systems instrumental in having me enroll management and maximize savat URI. My helicopter experience in ings without adding operational
READ LISTEN WATCH NORA LEWIS
QUAD ANGLES ONLINE advance.uri.edu/quadangles
Edwin J. Quigley, CBA, of Port Charlotte, Fla., writes: “Granddaughter Kaitlyn Quigley graduated from URI in nursing in 2010. Granddaughter Maura Quigley entered URI in Fall 2011 in the College of Business Administration.”
`54 Joseph D. Dimase, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., writes: “I retired from the practice of gastroenterology in 2004. Since then I have been supervising GI Fellows at Warren Alpert Brown Clinic in basic endoscopy. In 2007, I organized a program statewide called SCUP (Screening Colonoscopy for the Underserved Population) involving seven hospitals, three endoscopy centers, and 65 colonoscopists. The program is ongoing without funding.”
`55 Frances D. Ugiss, A&S, of Brush Prairie, Wash., writes: “I still have my ranch in Washington state with horses, a pony, and peacocks. I raise cedar trees, ride, and teach kids and horses how to jump. I also judge a few horse shows in Washington, Oregon, and California and help run the shows. I keep busy! I am associate producer of a TV show like Jeopardy for Oregon and Washington high schools.”
`57 Elia Germani, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., has worked at Graham Reid Ewing and Stapleton and at the Rhode Island Narragansett Company. Additionally, he held a partnership at Tillinghast Collins and Graham and was general counsel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island. In 2000, he became chairman of the Public Utilities Commission. Due to his committment to education, he was appointed to the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, and to the Board of Governors for Higher Education. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Boys & Girls Club of Providence. Elia has a deep interest in theology. He states
that his marriage of 33 years to Margaret Mary Mulvey, his greatest supporter, friend, advocate, and advisor was the happiest day of his life.
`58 Anthony P. Chatowsky, A&S, of Palm City, Fla., has recently written a book, An Understanding of the Lord’s Prayer.
`61 John Christian Dusel, CBA, moved from Saunderstown to Bristol, R.I. in 2009 to be closer to his grandchildren. He has also opened an Edward Jones Investments office in Bristol.
`67 Russell Albee Carlsten, HS&S, of Boca Raton, Fla., writes: “We’ve moved to Florida! Though we still summer in Jamestown, we’re loving our new home here in Boca. Come on down!” Robert Neil Perlow, CBA, of Narragansett, R.I., has acted on Growing Pains, Full House, Night Court, and True Colors. He has written for Who’s The Boss, Full House, Mork and Mindy, and Webster. And he has been a warm-up comic for Taxi, Cheers, Friends, and Will & Grace.
`68 Joanne Bell, HS&S, of Danielson, Conn., writes: “I’m completing my 7th year as reading consultant for Brooklyn (Conn.) schools after having a career in Rhode Island schools. I’m married to Ronald Bell, who has had a career in manufacturing. I am enjoying life as grandmother of Jacob Garrett, 2, whose dad, Sgt. Rob Garrett USMC, is serving in Afghanistan. Looking forward to the boating season coming up.”
`69 Alan G. Zartarian, CBA, of Warwick, R.I., has won a URI Ram Award. He started the Fast Break Club, the original basketball booster club, and was the first president of the Blue and White Fund.
`70 James S. George, ENG, of Narragansett, R.I., was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and was also president of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers.
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 31
URI Night with the Pawsox
`71
`73
Kathryn Anderson Hunt, A&S, of Orange Park, Fla., retired in May, 2011 from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra after playing in the horn section there for 44 years. She was honored by management and fellow musicians at a reception prior to the Philharmonic’s final concert of the 2010-2011 season. Since beginning her career in 1967, Kathryn has performed extensively as a freelance French hornist in the New England area and the Baltimore/Washington area. She continues to perform in Florida, where she and her husband, Jim, have lived since 2004. They have 3 children and 7 grandchildren. Ronald E. Shaver, A&S, of Las Vegas, Nev., writes: “After 28 years with state government in Nevada, I have retired. I worked as a juvenile corrections officer, veterans’ counselor, health psychologist, neuropsychologist, and most recently as a forensic psychologist for the Nevada Department of Corrections where I ran an in-patient mental health unit, profiled child sexual offenders, and was a hostage negotiator as well as an academy instructor. I am presently consulting part-time as a psychologist and licensed marriage and family therapist. I still live in Las Vegas and have two daughters and two grandchildren. I am enjoying hiking, target shooting, Tai Chi, and playing the guitar.” Teresa M. (Christo) Norris, HSS, of Mystic, Conn., earned her M.S. at URI in home ec./child development. She took an early retirement from teaching in 2005 and has pursued her writing. She’s just published her book about her mom’s last years of life with dementia. Entitled, Almost Home—How I Lost My Mother Without Losing My Mind: A Faith Journey, it’s available through her Web site at teresamnorris.com. Teresa and her husband, Tom Norris ’70 ENG, celebrated their 40th anniversary last June in conjunction with their fifth year living on the Connecticut shore.
Joseph B. Conti, ENG, of Hudson, Fla., has just published five books, with listings on Amazon. One publisher had this to say about Revelation Revisited—The Destruction of Our Times: “I just picked it up to leaf through, and the next thing I knew a half-hour had zipped by. It’s not only a compelling read with solid content, but well-produced graphically.” [Candy Abbott, Fruitbearer Publishing]
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See more photos online: advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/pridenight/2011
32 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
Susan P. Luz, NUR, of North Scituate, R.I., writes: “I was keynote speaker for the ROTC URI graduation on May 25 and attended the College of Nursing ceremony on May 13 for the 2011 graduating class of nurses. I’m still on tour with my book The Nightingale of Mosul as well as working full time for Gateway Healthcare as a nurse. I retired last year at age 60 after 27 years as a colonel in the Army Reserve Nurse Corps. I am a veteran of the Iraq War and a volunteer with the VA Hospital Women’s Center.”
`74 Luis S. Carvalho, HS&S, o f Seekonk, Mass.,has joined the coaching staff of Bryant University’s women’s volleyball team. Luis is a well-known and widely-respected coach in Rhode Island. He joined the Bulldogs after spending the last four years as head women’s volleyball coach at Rhode Island College, where he was named the 2009 Little East Conference Coach of the Year. Anthony D. Giarrusso, A&S, of North Providence, R.I., writes: “Still kicking and very active with the local community. I am currently working on a project to help local children learn the basics of reading books during the summertime.”
`75 F . R a n d y Vo g e n b e rg , P H M , of Sharon, Mass., principal with the Institute for Integrated Healthcare in Sharon, has published Pharmacy Benefits: Plan Design and Management, a guide for benefits professionals and trustees responsible for a prescription pharmacy or medical benefits program. Fo r m o re i n fo r m a t i o n , v i s i t ifebp.org/pharmacy. Debra Page Zepp, HS&S, of Wakefield, R.I., principal of Matunuck Elementary School in South Kingstown, has been named the 2011 Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Rhode Island Association of School Principals.
`76 Lorne A. Adrain, CBA, of Providence, R.I., is a managing director of Ballentine Partners, a wealthmanagement firm. Lorne joined the firm to lead business development activities. He also helped create National Neighborhood Day and is a co-founder of Social Ventures Partners/RI.
`78 Miriam A. Erick, of Brighton, Mass., is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She is the author of Managing Morning Sickness: a Survival Guide for Pregnant Women. For more information, go to morningsickness.net.
MIKE SALERNO
Ted Tedesco ’56
Promoting Civil Discourse On February 26, 2010, Ted Tedesco stood in front of a crowd of 400 professionals, students, and local
Carolyn Anthony, M.L.S. ’73
Activist Librarian “The public library is not a passive institution,” says Carolyn Anthony, “but an active agent in the community.” Since her time at URI,
Laurie Van Wyckhouse ’79
Better Health at Your Fingertips When Laurie Van Wyckhouse launched NutriTutor®, no one was more surprised than she. “Truly, I’ve
leaders in Santa Barbara, Calif., and asked them to think back to the year 2000: “What if we’d held a meeting then?” he asked. “Could anyone have predicted the next 10 years?” The World Trade Center attack, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, hurricane Katrina, oil spills, economic collapse, climate change—why did we seem so ill-prepared for these situations? “Are we prepared for what the next 10 years might offer?” he asked the crowd. “How do we think about these things now?” To initiate the process, Tedesco founded the Santa Barbara Institute for World Affairs (SBIWA), a nonprofit organization promoting civil discourse and a deeper understanding of contemporary global and national issues.
At the opening forum in February 2010, experts spoke on such issues as human rights, globalization, and the future of money. Audience members were invited to interact directly with the speakers, fostering a discourse on a survey of world issues. Tedesco has always had a strong interest in public affairs. After he graduated from URI with a political science degree, one of his former professors, John Stitely, suggested that he look into a career in city management. Tedesco went on to work as city manager in Enfield, Conn., Boulder, Colo., and San Jose, Calif. Later he became vice chancellor of the University of Colorado and eventually vice president, corporate affairs of American Airlines.
After retiring in 1998, Tedesco sustained his interest in public affairs and public management, culminating in the founding of SBIWA in 2010: “I was very concerned about the apparent polarization throughout our nation,” he explains. “No civil discourse by our leaders, as well as ourselves, could take place, yet we needed exactly that kind of discussion to answer our nation’s problems.” SBIWA will hold its next session this fall, dealing with issues surrounding China and its relationship with the U.S. To view videos from the previous sessions go to sbiwa.org.
Anthony has demonstrated this clearly. She is currently director of Skokie Public Library in Skokie, Ill., serving a suburban community of 64,784 people with a library collection of 568,685 books, periodicals, and media materials. Under her leadership, Skokie Public Library was one of five libraries in the nation awarded a National Medal of Honor by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2008. Anthony has seen Skokie’s circulation increase by 1.5 million in the last 25 years. She has also shepherded special projects to fruition, such as the creation of a Digital Media Lab in 2009 providing high-end computers, musical equipment, and recording
apparatus to Skokie’s patrons. “I see the public library as the crossroads of lifelong learning in the community,” she says, “and librarians as essential partners in community development. Public libraries can bring resources to bear on local concerns such as economic development and immigrant integration and host civic discussion forums for informed and reasoned consideration of issues.” In Skokie, these issues often revolve around the diversity of the population. When the USA PATRIOT Act was hotly debated, Anthony spoke out about its implications and worked to revise it. “Skokie has more than 2,000 people from Iraq and at least 1,000
from Iran and other countries who might be subjected to investigation,” she explains. “The privacy of library records is an important professional value.” Her efforts earned her a nod from Time magazine in 2003; the same year she was declared Librarian of the Year by the Illinois Library Association. “A librarian is an educated, aware, and engaged individual who networks with people and employs resources to help define and resolve issues in the local or wider community,” says Anthony, whose activism and professional commitment continue to make her a leader in public librarianship.
never been interested in business— it’s not who I am; I’m a clinician. When the idea hit me, I literally jumped out of bed and wrote for 15 minutes nonstop.” A dietitian who has taught diabetes self-management for 35 years, Van Wyckhouse knows the frustrations faced by diabetics: “In the traditional setting, there are a lot of barriers that prevent patients from learning what they need to know,” she says. Lecture style classes, inconvenient hours, and information overload conspire against real change: “I’ve watched patients zone out. They have to learn how to lose weight, control their blood pressure, and monitor their glucose—it’s overwhelming.” And that’s for folks who can get
to a class. Convenience matters; so does depth. The NutriTutor® diabetes course lasts six months so people can learn at their own pace; hospital-based classes last 10 hours. “NutriTutor® offers an online interactive program—customized for each patient—that emphasizes the development of technical and problem-solving skills,” explains Van Wyckhouse. “After members gain knowledge, they practice what they’ve learned. When they get stuck, they ask their clinician for help.” According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million Americans have diabetes. The American Association of Diabetes Educators estimates that as few as 1 percent learn how to handle their condition. “NutriTutor®’ makes it
easy for companies, government agencies, and physicians to offer diabetes training from their own Web sites,” says Van Wyckhouse. “We’re bringing medical education into the 21st century—cutting costs and improving quality.” NutriTutor® content was developed by clinicians and follows the guidelines of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. It also meets the requirements for a “patient-centered medical home” for chronic disease. Eventually, NutriTutor® will be a resource for all chronic diseases, including heart disease, congestive heart failure, obesity, gestational diabetes, and hypertension. To learn more, go to nutritutor.com.
33 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
—Bethany Vaccaro ’06
Video | uri.edu/quadangles
—Bethany Vaccaro ’06
— Martha Murphy ’81 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 33
Miriam, a well-known speaker in the nutrition community, recently spoke on the topic of gestational malnutrition at the June 2011 meeting of Midwest Leadership in Maternal-Child Health.
`79 Karen E. Conti, CBA, writes: “After 15 years away, I have moved back to Rhode Island. I’m currently working in Middletown as chief operating officer of a great small company, Rite-Solutions. I’m glad to be back!” Charles G. Donmoyer, A&S, of Kissimmee, Fla., writes: “I spent the last 23 years working with Plan International, first in their headquarters and then in the field: three years in Sri Lanka, four years in Ghana, three years in China, three years in Paraguay, and two years at Plan USA in Rhode Island. Currently I’m semi-retired with part-time work as a consultant and living with my wife, Luz, in Kissimmee.” Patricia Miller Anton, A&S, of Henderson, Nev., president of the Anton Family Foundation, a trailblazer in the hospital industry, has been honored by the AntiDefamation League.
`81 Michael A. Salvatore, A&S, of Lunenburg, Mass., is a senior account executive managing sales for ZixCorp, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. ZixCorp is the leading provider of email encryption solutions with a network of over 26 million users.
`82 David G. Garvey, A&S, of Storrs Mansfield, Conn., is director of the Encore!Hartford, which has received a national Outstanding Program Award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.
`84 Hallie G. Sammartino Di Schino, of Needham, Mass., MBA ‘90, received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Higher Education Administration from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education in May.
`85 Jeanne M. Leffers, NUR, of Warren, R.I., co-authored At Home and Abroad: The Essential Guide For Nurses.
`86 Bradford S. Dimeo, A&S, of Barrington, R.I., president and CEO of Dimeo Construction Company, is a community advisory board member for the United Way of Rhode Island and a board member for the Providence Public Library Foundation, Crossroads Rhode Island, the YMCA of Greater Providence, and the Providence Children’s Musuem. Michele B. Kaufman, PHM, of New York, N.Y., was the 2011 recipient of the Joel Yellin Merit Award of the New York City Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists chapter of the New York State Council of Health-
Systems Pharmacy. The chapter held its 46th Annual Installation & Award Dinner at Bridgewater’s in Manhattan on the evening of Thursday, June 30, 2011. In addition to mentorship and health care provider education, Michele also published two articles in the medical/pharmaceutical literature in June 2011, “Bleeding Associated with Antiplatelet Agents and Warfarin Therapy in the Emergency Department,” and “Descriptive Analysis of Mail Interventions with Physicians and Patients to Improve Adherence with Antihypertensive and Antidiabetic Medications in a Mixed-Model Managed Care Organization of Commercial and Medicare Members.” Ronald S. Ohsberg, CBA, of Cranston, R.I., is executive vice president for Citizens Financial Group, Inc. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Rhode Island Society of CPAs. For five years Ron served as treasurer of the board of directors of the Scandinavian Nursing Home and Retirement Center. Paul V. Verrecchia, A&S, of North Charleston, S.C., has been installed as president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators for 2011–2012.
`87 John C. Hopkins, A&S, of Tuba City, Ariz., recently published The Pirate Prince Carlomagno. John is a news-
paper writer, nationally syndicated columnist, poet, and fiction writer. A descendant of the Narragansett Indian tribe’s last hereditary royal family, he founded the tribe’s first newspaper in 1995. In 2003, he became the first member of the Native American Journalists Association to win awards in four different writing categories in the same year.
`88 Lynn Antonelli, ENG, of Cranston, R.I., an electrical engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., has been named a winner of the 2010 Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award. Lynn is one of four Naval Sea Systems Command winners of this prestigious and highly competitive award sponsored by the assistant secretary of the Navy.
`89 Alison W. Deblois, A&S, of Wakefield, R.I., was recently appointed director of operations for Health Touch in Wakefield, R.I. She has over 20 years of health care experience and has worked as manager of system revenue integrity and corporate compliance at Yale New Haven Health System, as manager of revenue cycle management at Lifespan Corporate Services in Rhode Island, and as a health policy analyst for the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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34 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
GSO 50th Anniversary Celebration
Held on June 25 and 26, events included a free Science Saturday Open House with lab tours, exhibits, and kids’ activities; a Saturday evening dinner dance with live music and fireworks; and a Sunday afternoon Blues on the Bay Concert. To watch a video celebrating GSO’s 50 Years of Discovery, go the the URI Graduate School of Oceanography Web site at gso.uri.edu. Video | uri.edu/quadangles
UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND 35 ISLAND 35 MICHAEL SALERNO
`90
`94
Barbara A. Crompton, A&S, of New York, N.Y., earned a master’s degree at New York University. She has been a company manager at 101 Productions, Ltd.
Stacey B. Smith, HS&S, of Atlanta, Ga., is a senior buyer in the gift, stationery and art supply field. This year she was asked to be a judge for the Louie Awards, The Greeting Card association’s most prestigious and highest honors. She also joined the board of the National Stationery Show. The stationery industries trade show held annually in NYC in May.
`91 Brendon B. Scott, CBA, of Ramsey, N.J., writes: “I have joined Nat Sherman, Inc., as chief financial officer. Nat Sherman is a third generation family business and tobacconist with a retail location on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Friends can reach me at bscott@ natsherman.com.”
`93 Robert J. Machado, NUR, of Tampa, Fla., moved to Tampa in 2002 to pursue his professional career. He won the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Nursing during Nurse’s Week in May. A Tiverton native, he works at the Bay Pines VA Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. A clinical nurse specialist in mental health, he has also been recognized as the Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year; this award is only given to one advanced practice nurse in each VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network). There are 23 VISNs in the United States. Robert received his award in VISN 8, which includes eight hospital systems in Florida, South Georgia, and Puerto Rico. David N. McIlroy, A&S, of Moscow, Idaho, is a professor and chair of the Physics Department at the University of Idaho.
`95 Tracy A. Hali, A&S, of Cliffside Park, N.J., writes: “I recently started with XO Communications as national CAM manager for the Partner Channel Program. I live in northern New Jersey with my husband, Todd, and two children.” Joseph R. Marion, A&S, of Little Compton, R.I., is a former member of the Professional Advisory Council for the Rhode Island Foundation, a member of the Rhode Island Real Estate Planning Council, and a member of the Finance Committee for the Board of Directors of URI’s Alumni Association. He has recently started working with Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C, in its Financial & Estate Practice Group.
`00 Thomas E. Tamayo, ENG, of Wakefield, R.I., completed his M.S. in electrical engineering in May 2011 at URI.
Calling Young Alumni Are you interested in meeting other recent graduates? Would you enjoy a networking event like the recent beer tasting or wine tasting and winery tour at Newport Vineyards? The Young Alumni Council plans many such great events. For details go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/newgrads The Young Alumni Council is a volunteer group of alums who graduated between 1 to 10 years ago. They meet to plan social and networking events, and they would love to have you join them! Interested? Please contact Jess Raffaele at jraffaele@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.4604 for details.
36 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
CLASSPICS Share your big moments. uri.edu/quadangles `02 Amy M. (Zax) Guimond, A&S, of Boynton Beach, Fla., received her M.S. in conflict analysis and resolution in June 2011 from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. She will be entering into the Ph.D. program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution this fall. Kasey M. Vivenzio, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., was appointed assistant vice president and branch manager at Bank Rhode Island’s East Side office in Providence in August 2010. Kara M. Wickman, HS&S, of Riverside, R.I., a member of the Rhode Island Sewing Network and a URI Master Seamstress, showed her first collection at Style Week Providence in January 2011. Her dream has become a reality!
`03 Michael A. Preneta, HS&S, of Jamestown, R.I., graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo., on April 23, 2011 with a doctorate in chiropractic. He is now practicing at Wickford Chiropractic and Wellness in North Kingstown and interning with URI Athletics to complete a master’s degree in sports science and rehabilitation. Kelley D. Sanzen, PHM, of West Warwick, R.I., writes: “On November 3, 2010, Marc and I welcomed a baby girl, Madisyn Kathleen, to our family. This is a busy year for me since I am currently serving as president of the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association as well as working full time as a health education professional for Eli Lilly and Company.” Dennis Tomaz, NUR, of Somerset, Mass., has graduated from Northeastern University’s Nurse Practitioner Program with an M.S. in nursing.
`04 Reshad Kulenovic, CBA, of Kingston, R.I., has been named a finalist in the 2011 Student Academy Awards competition. Reshad’s film Snovi, made at Boston University, is a finalist in the narrative category.
`06 Jonathan E. Shadeck, A&S, of North Kingstown, R.I., has gone on to complete his M.A. in art educa-
tion at the University of Arizona and has most recently received a Fulbright Scholarship to become an English teaching assistant in Budapest, Hungary next year.
`07 Emma Byrnes, A&S, of Attleboro, Mass., received her M.A. in historic preservation from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in May 2011. She has been awarded a prestigious internship with the National Council for Preservation Education in partnership with the National Park Service at Mount Rainier National Park in Longmire, Wash.
`08 Ashley M. Wilcox, A&S, of Cumberland, R.I., is catering sales manager at the Westin Hotel in Providence, RI.
`09 Christina M. Abatecola, A&S, of West Warwick, R.I., is marketing director at Allied Home Mortgage Corporation. Gerri August, HS&S, of Wickford, R.I., is assistant professor of educational studies at Rhode Island College. In her current work with teachers and teacher candidiates, she explores the structural leverages of privilege and power in classrooms.
WEDDINGS Robert E. Miller ‘49 to Shirley Buswell Kramer ‘49, on September 12, 2009. Paul A. Choquette ‘87 to Therese Vallerskog, on October 17, 2010 Angela E. Bertholdt ’96 to Jonathan M. Herzner ’95, on April 22, 2011. Lauri A. Stevenson ‘99 to Christopher Ontso, on May 1, 2010. Alanna J. Solomon ‘10 to James E. Scott ‘00, on October 2, 2010 Courtney L. Ambrosino ‘01 to Kris Costa, on May 16, 2011. Albert P. DeSalvo ‘02 to Rebecca M. Mulholland ‘06, on June 19, 2011. Stacy Y. Luke ‘02 to Ryan D. Roberts, on October 9, 2010.
Robert DiFilippo ’86
Reaching Out in Rwanda and Beyond In the landlocked country of Rwanda, which is still rebounding from the 1994 genocide that claimed nearly one million lives, geology graduate Bob DiFilippo is making a profound difference for villagers in the Rugerero district. As a member of Engineers Without Borders, Mid-Atlantic Professional Chapter (EWB-MAP), DiFilippo, a registered professional geologist, designed and constructed a new sanitation system for families left homeless by the genocide: “I was looking to get involved with a project that could benefit from my expertise when I attended EWB’s International Conference and met members of the Mid-Atlantic Professional chapter.” It was a new group with less than 10 members. By combining forces with other Philadelphia organizations, including Jefferson Medical College and Barefoot Artists, EWB-MAP significantly improved the lives of families living in the Survivors’ Village: “In assessing the village’s sanitation system, we discovered open septic systems. We built ventilated improved pit latrines that eliminate a significant source of contamination enhanced through diseasecarrying insects.” EWB then established a health committee consisting of locals who could perform ongoing maintenance to the new system. In November, DiFilippo and his teammates will return for a four-day maintenance and strategy session: “Our goal is not simply to use our technical skills; EWB aims to help people help themselves.” DiFilippo’s humanitarian efforts extend beyond EWB. He is also involved with the South Florida Haiti Project, a coalition of Episcopal parishes constructing houses and schools in Bondeau. As technical liaison to the community, DiFillippo is assessing well fields, important water sources for this small village. “I have been fortunate to have the support of my family, friends, and staff at Aquaterra Technologies, Inc. My advice to anyone thinking of helping out is not to hesitate. You don’t have to travel half way around the world; there are opportunities in most urban centers throughout the USA as well as in Mexico. The work will leave a lasting impression; it truly transforms lives and changes you as a person.”
Ana Maria Hagan ’05
Making “Eight-Carat” Water Safe As a child, Ana Maria Hagan lost a family friend to a dispute over fresh water in a refugee camp for Somalis in Kenya. For Hagan, this early experience drove home the importance of access to clean water. Next year, as a Fulbright Fellow, Hagan will embark on a 10-month research project in Mongolia. She will be testing mercury contamination in water resulting from artisanal gold mining, where gold is extracted from solutions of 2-3 parts mercury to one part gold (8K gold), with the mercury unsafely discarded. When Hagan came to URI in 2000, she settled on a civil and environmental engineering major. As a sophomore, she gained experience in international research through the International Engineering Program. “I did a small-scale water distribution study in Mexico thanks to a grant through the Office of the Provost,” she remembers. “It was such a boost of confidence; I got a taste of what it really takes to do international research. I graduated with the concept that if I continued following my dreams, I could contribute to the field and improve the quality of people’s lives.” As the global price of gold reaches record highs, illegal artisanal gold mining is also increasing in Mongolia. Recent studies suggest serious health risks in mining communities with high blood-mercury levels. Hagan will research mercury exposure through water and treatment optimization for Mongolia’s cold climate. The findings will be used for completing her Ph.D. in environmental engineering science at the University of Florida. In June, Hagan took an exploratory trip to Mongolia. She described finding a severely contaminated water source as bittersweet: “It’s great for my research, but horrible for people living nearby. “I identified the problem through literature while I was half way across the world, but getting there and seeing it made it real. And the site I found is just one of hundreds.” Hagan returns to Ulaanbaatar in February 2012. To follow her adventures, see her blog: http://8k-water.blogspot.com/. —Bethany Vaccaro ’06
Erika Sloan ’11
The Value of Internships Journalism major Erika Sloan realized the value of her URI internships when she landed a job before she had even graduated. As an undergraduate, Sloan interned for two semesters at NBC 10 WJAR-TV, worked in URI’s Department of Communications and Marketing, and spent another summer interning at News Talk 630 WPRO & 99.7 FM. During her internship at NBC 10 last year, Sloan rode in a chase plane alongside an aerobatic aircraft at the 20th Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show at Quonset Point. The former president and co-captain of the URI women’s gymnastics team, Sloan began her job search early because she knew she was entering a challenging economy. An online posting for a public relations/Web content coordinator at the corporate office of Fellowship Health Resources, Inc., in Lincoln, R.I. caught her eye. “At my first interview, I was told their ideal candidate would have five to ten years of public relations experience,” said Sloan, who graduated with highest honors. The agency’s communications team was so impressed with her internships that after two interviews, the job was hers. Her role at the mental health and substance abuse agency, which has more than 60 programs in nine regions, continues to evolve. She communicates with all regions, writes stories for the Web site, sends press releases, pitches stories, and oversees the agency’s Facebook page. Sloan, who planned on a career in broadcast journalism, thought that the health industry would be interesting: “It’s the perfect first job; everyone is willing to help. I’m learning so much, and I’m using many skills that I developed during my time at URI. “I share stories of recovery and promote our services across the East Coast. While publicizing our programs, support groups, and clinics, we educate the public about many common mental health illnesses. There’s a stigma about mental health; I want to help break this misconception. FHR empowers people to rebuild their lives and restores hope.” —Danielle Sanda ‘14
—Maria V. Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92 UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFRHODE RHODEISLAND 37 ISLAND 37
Join the Club As you plan your own activities this fall, don’t forget about your career. Whether you are interested in becoming more active in your own professional organization, joining a sports club or yoga class, volunteering at your local food pantry, or attending a wine tasting event sponsored by the URI alumni chapter in your area, you are building your network. In school, you called them extracurricular activities, and parents and advisors encouraged you to expand your horizons. The reasons were plentiful: meet new people, learn something new, gain expertise in an area of interest, have fun, and build relationships. It’s still true. Participating in organized “extra-curricular” activities is an easy way to network, gain insight into local industries, and obtain career-relevant information that otherwise might not be available to you.
For more information about Career Services for URI alumni, please contact:
Karen Rubano Alumni Career Services 228 Roosevelt Hall 90 Lower College Road Kingston, RI 02881 p. 401.874.9404 f. 401.874.5525 e. krubano@uri.edu w. advance.uri.edu/alumni/careerservices/advisor.htm Karen Rubano
Marie Geary Alumni Career Services 228 Roosevelt Hall 90 Lower College Road Kingston, RI 02881 p. 401.874.9404 f. 401.874.5525 e. mrgeary@uri.edu w. advance.uri.edu/alumni/careerservices/advisor.htm Marie Geary
38 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
If you don’t know where to start, try virtual networking by joining the URI alumni group on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/groupsDirectory, or see if one of the smaller URI affinity groups in LinkedIn would be a good place to start your networking activities. For person-to-person networking, find your local URI alumni chapter at advance.uri.edu/alumni/chapters and start active participation in that group. You’ll meet some great people, and you never know where those new relationships will lead.
All alumni are invited to the following events: Engineering and Technology Job Fair Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Ryan Center Fall Internship and Job Fair Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Memorial Union Nursing Job Fair Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 11 a.m.–2 p.m. White Hall For more information, call Career Services at 401.874.9404.
Joshua S. Blumenthal ‘03 to Cherilynn Farmer, on July 16, 2011. John Davia ‘05 to Amanda Burns, on July 31, 2010. Brian T. Hamilton ‘05 to Melinda Lawrence ‘05, on July 15, 2011. Andrew J. Krajewski ‘05 to Susan C. Papino ‘06, on July 31, 2010. Christina E. Collins ‘06 to Geoffrey D. Peterson ‘08, on October 30, 2010. Andrew J. DiOrio ‘06 to Brittany Almeida, on April 16, 2011. Joseph F. McGuire ‘06 to Elizabeth B. Long ‘07, on October 8, 2010. Michael R. Morrissey ‘06 to Kirsten Lovren, on October 23, 2010. Ryan Rausch ‘06 to Lindsay Bonaccorso ‘08, on June 25, 2011. Daniel R. Cline ‘07 to Andrea L. Carrington, on August 6, 2010.
BIRTHS Daniel R. and Jessica Rollins Mercier ‘90, a daughter, Eva Bennett Taylor, February 24, 2006; and a daughter, Emily Bennett Stratford, on August 26, 2008. Glenn ‘96 and Emily Fried Basser ‘98, a son, Ryan Chance, on May 19, 2011. Keith and Tara M. Barbara Blumenstock ‘96, a son, Maxwell, August 2, 2005; a son, Austin, July 31, 2007; and a son, Chase, on May 5, 2011. Michael V. ‘99 and Cara R. Miller ‘98, a son, Samuel Kingston, on June 15, 2011. Kasey M. ‘02 and Nicholas Vivenzio ‘98, a daughter, Fiona Claire, on June 3, 2010. Sarah ‘00 and Scott Gullett ‘99, a son, Jack Anthony, on April 12, 2011. Thomas E. ‘00 and Christy Tamayo ‘02, a daughter, Renee Marie, on July 22, 2011. Eric and Gina Dei Simonelli ‘01, a son, Jase Dominic, on May 26, 2011. Elaine and Robert E. DeCiutiis ‘02, a daughter, Sophia Hayden, on May 16, 2011. Heather and Dennis Tomaz ‘03, a son, Brendan Lucas, on May 26, 2011. Lindsay ‘06 and Mario Fonseca ‘06, a son, Jasper Mack, on June 16, 2011.
IN MEMORIAM Marco Colagiovanni ‘38 of Cranston, R.I., on August 6, 2011.
Maurice Leon ‘40 of Chevy Chase, Md., on April 29, 2011. Edward Cubler ‘42 of Schuylkill Haven, Pa., on April 25, 2011. Frances Durkin Clifford ‘43 of Barrington, R.I., on May 3, 2011. William Withey ‘43 of Deland, Fla., on January 24, 2011. Dorothy Hall Bertwell ‘44 of East Greenwich, R.I., on July 12, 2011. May Gronneberg Degnan ‘45 of Warwick, R.I., on April 23, 2011. Cynthia Hyde Bates ‘48 of Northborough, Mass., on April 24, 2011. Jean Hoyle Brodeur ‘48 of Fort Worth, Texas, on June 6, 2011. William Orme ‘49 of Trumbull, Conn., on August 6, 2011. Walter Bennett ‘50 of Boynton Beach, Fla., on December 5, 2010. Hubert Lary ‘50 of Rochester, Vt., on June 18, 2011. Cynthia Bennett Moll ‘51 of Westport, Conn., on May 8, 2011. Janet Gleason Camper ‘54 of Sarasota, Fla., on May 6, 2011. Anahid Najarian Asadorian ‘57 of North Kingstown, R.I., on May 1, 2011. Albert Hayes ‘58 of Charlestown, R.I., on August 12, 2003. Arthur Lemoi ‘58 of Barrington, R.I., on May 22, 2011. John Champion ‘61 of Wakefield, R.I., on July 21, 2011. Christian Kilguss ‘61 of North Kingstown, R.I., on July 11, 2011. Lois Brief Clune ‘65 of North Kingstown, R.I., on April 20, 2011. Michael Filippelli ‘65 of Cumberland, R.I., on July 10, 2011. Daniel MacDonald ‘68 of Newport, R.I., on May 24, 2011. Maria Santoro ‘69 of Lincoln, R.I., on April 30, 2011. Selena Caidin ‘71 of Pawtucket, R.I., on July 6, 2011. Marie Gould Ysenbart ‘71 of Warwick, R.I., on July 15, 2011. Nancy McGuirl Carnevale ‘72 of Cranston, R.I., on July 17, 2011. Edward W. Fians ‘72 of Trumbull, Conn., on July 12, 2011. Barbara Northup Considine ‘73 of West Kingston, R.I., on May 17, 2011. James Cullen ‘73 of Las Vegas, Nev., on December 29, 2010. Anne Proffitt Dupre ‘74 of Athens, Ga., on June 22, 2011. Sally Spence-Kujawski ‘75 of Englewood, Fla., on January 26, 2011. Daniel Barney ‘76 of Warwick, R.I., on May 27, 2010.
Valerie McNeil Meade ‘77 of Wakefield, R.I., on May 18, 2011. William Webber ‘79 of New Milford, Conn., on May 6, 2011. John Fiore ‘81 of San Luis Obispo, Calif., on November 14, 2010. Paul Holliday ‘84 of Cranston, R.I., on June 14, 2011. Mark Gustafson ‘87 of Tiverton, R.I., on May 10, 2011. Mary Hoskins ‘94 of Cranston, R.I., on June 1, 2011. Steven Schmidt ‘05 of Sunnyvale, Calif., on July 1, 2011.
IN MEMORIAM STAFF
arts, she continued her education by auditing courses at URI for the rest of her life. She is survived by her husband, Tristram P. Coffin, a professor emeritus of English literature and American folklore at the University of Pennsylvania; daughters Priscilla “Ricki” Coffin Widlak, M.L.S. ’74, and Patricia F. Fry; sons Mark T. and Jonathan P. Coffin; a granddaughter Laura McMahon Kovacs ’01 and her husband, Peter D. Kovacs ’01; 10 other grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
CLASSIFIEDS
Ruth Anne “Rusty” Coffin, 89, administrator of URI’s Language Lab from 1972 to 1987, died on August 5, 2011, at Edgewood Farm in Wakefield, R.I., the home that she had lived in since 1972 and had summered in since the 1940s. A graduate of the Madeira School and Bryn Mawr college, she was an administrator at the Baldwin School before coming to URI. A lover of literature and the
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UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 39
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Why URI As a start, we asked Linda Kasparian Kamajian ’73 to survey her family members. After all, three generations of the Kasparian family chose URI. “As our very first generation arrived and gained footing in the Rhode Island economy in about 1900, URI was apparently the institution of choice for higher education for grandchildren graduating in the 1940s,” says Kamajian. “These are Violet (Kasparian) Ohanasian ’48 and Alice (Asadoorian) Topakian ’48.
That’s the question that we’d like to ask our alumni.
“The next generation of alumni included Edward Kasparian ’78 and Deborah Hay Kasparian ’80, Joan Kasparian Sadyan ’75, Gail Topakian ’74, Linda Yessian Cameron ’69, and me. “The generation following produced alums Jenna Kasparian ’07, George Kamajian ’04, Derek Kamajian ’08, and Lindsay Cameron ’03. “Our continuing education for women representative was H. J. Yessian ’69, deceased.
So why did so many family members choose URI? Here are a few answers. Alice Asadorian Topakian ’48: “I was encouraged to attend by my well respected guidance counselor, who was a URI alumnus.” Violet Kasparian Ohanasian ‘48: “My dear friend was attending URI, and I wanted to go along with her. It was not too far away, and Dad was agreeable.“ Linda Kasparian Kamajian ’73: “I wanted a good liberal arts education, and back in the ’70s URI was considered far enough by my parents.“ Gail Topakian ’74: “I wanted to attend URI because my cousin was going there, one year ahead of me.” Edward Kasparian ’78: “I applied to four schools and got into all four. I heard from URI last, and being a Rhode Islander I thought, ‘of course I’ll go to URI.’” Deborah Hay Kasparian ’80: “I was under the impression it had one of the finest nursing schools in the country.” Jenna Kasparian ’07: “I wanted to be near the ocean, and URI was a natural fit.”
Eight of the 13 Kasparian family members who graduated from URI at a family gathering in August 2010: front row, left to right, Alice Asadoorian Topakian ’48, Violet Kasparian Ohanasian ’48; second row, Gail Topakian ’74, Joan Kasparian Sadyan ’75, Linda Kasparian Kamajian ’73, Edward Kasparian ’78, Jenna Kasparian ’07, Deborah Hay Kasparian ’80.
The Kasparians have given their reasons for attending URI. How about you? Why did you choose URI? Please email your response to vwgriffin@ advance.uri.edu.
40 QUAD ANGLES FALL 2011 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE KASPARIANS
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