CST Alumni

ALUMNI

Learn more about how you can get involved at cst.temple.edu/alumni or email cstalum@temple.edu

Message from the CST Alumni Board president

As the new president of the CST Alumni Board, I will have the opportunity to address graduating students at both the spring and fall CST graduation ceremonies. I can imagine standing before members of the graduating class and seeing the pride and excitement each of them feels as they celebrate success and begin a life’s journey. Though graduation is the end of one journey, it also marks the beginning of a new one.

Part of the journey is continuing to learn and grow, whether with an employer or in graduate school. Equally important is acknowledging those who helped you along the way as you worked toward your goals. Parents, spouses and friends are all important parts of our continuing growth and evolution. For me (and many other CST graduates), Temple University was an intrinsic part of my career success. Supporting Temple students, either financially or by becoming an undergraduate mentor (or both!) are two incredible rewarding ways to give back to CST.

I want to thank the CST Alumni Board past president, Sina Adibi (BA ’84, CIS; FOX ’86) for his leadership. He is a wonderful example of committed Temple alumni willing to lend an ear or lend a hand to today’s students.

When I speak to the next group of CST graduates, I, too, will urge them to stay connected to classmates, to reach out to new Temple people and to know that they will always be welcomed here, at their home on North Broad Street.

It’s the same message—and challenge—for all of us, really.

Sincerely,

Steven Szczepanski (BA ’80, PhD ’85, Chem) President CST Alumni Board

Liang Du (PhD ’15, CIS): Leading Microsoft’s workplace safety product

Liang Du, a principal applied scientist manager with Microsoft, is leading a team of researchers that have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) product that utilizes surveillance cameras and computers to enhance workplace safety.

According to Du, the product drew the praise of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. “He said, ’The work is amazing’,” recalls Du. “To work on something that you feel is important, and then to have the founder of this great company praise your work, was magical.”

While earning his doctorate in computer science under his advisor, Associate Professor Haibin Ling, Du focused on computer vision. “Any artificial intelligence system needs computer vision to allow computers to make sense of the visual, physical world, to know what is happening there, who is there and what objects are there,” explains Du.

Du credits his work with Ling for elevating his Temple experience. “The research we were doing was state of the art. We published our research on the best facial recognition system in the world at that time,” says Du. “That experience helped me get

my Microsoft job and gave me the foundation to succeed with the workplace safety project I’m still working on.”

The AI project utilizes a new concept that combines the analytical power of both Microsoft’s Cloud and local computers to interpret, in real time, what surveillance cameras see.

For example, if the cameras detect a top-heavy jackhammer precariously leaning against a workbench, the system can use facial recognition to immediately notify, via smartphone, a worker in the room. Similarly, if a heart surgery patient is detected walking too far in a hospital hallway, a nurse would be alerted, and informed where the nearest wheelchair for the patient is located.

“We’re working on something that may change the way people work,” says Du. “Many disasters or accidents will be prevented, or at least be mitigated, with this kind of system, which can be installed anywhere.”

—Bruce E. Beans

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Greg Fornia

ROBERT FIGLIN (BA ’70, CHEM) NAMED TO TEMPLE’S GALLERY OF SUCCESS

Laura Dassama (BS ’07, Biochem): From Liberia and Temple to a Stanford professorship

When Laura Dassama arrived at Temple as a sophomore in fall 2004, the Liberian native and daughter of a nurse wanted to become a medical doctor. She is now, however, an assistant professor of chemistry and a faculty fellow of Stanford University’s ChEM-H (Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health) institute. Why the change in career direction?

Dassama credits two Temple chemistry professors: David Dalton, now professor emeritus, and Professor Robert Stanley. When Dalton, her organic chemistry professor, asked her what she wanted to do with her life, she said, “I’m interested in finding cures for different diseases, so I think I need to go to medical school.”

“No, you don’t, you need to do research in a laboratory,” he replied, and introduced her to Stanley, a biophysical chemist who immediately put her to work in his lab.

“After spending a summer working with a DNA repair enzyme, I realized that I did not want to do anything else,” says Dassama, who remained in Stanley’s lab until she graduated. “It completely changed my career trajectory.”

Subsequently, Dassama: earned a PhD in biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology from Pennsylvania State University and served briefly as a postdoctoral fellow there; was a postdoctoral fellow for four years at Northwestern University; and served as a research associate investigating sickle-cell disease at Harvard Medical School, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital.

At Stanford, her research concentrates on multi-drug resistance by bacteria: “I want to understand how some bacteria acquire multi-drug resistance, and also work on designing new drugs that can be used to target these bacteria.

“For me, chemistry is the easiest way to explain the world,” says Dassama, who returned to the Temple Chemistry Department in early 2018 to lecture. “When I learned ChEM-H was looking for someone trained as a chemist and structural biologist but is interested in human health problems, it seemed like the perfect place for me.”

A self-described “Philly boy,” a physician board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, and prolific cancer researcher, Robert Figlin has been named to Temple University’s Gallery of Success. A collaboration of the Office of Alumni Relations and Career Center, the honor recognizes outstanding alumni for their inspiring success.

Figlin is Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology- Oncology, director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, and deputy director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and training in inorganic chemistry at Temple, Figlin earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. A nationally recognized leader in genitourinary and thoracic oncology, Figlin’s research focuses on renal cell carcinoma and thoracic malignancies. He established and directs the Kidney Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai, which aims to understand the biology of kidney cancer and translate that knowledge into novel treatment approaches. He was also a scientific founder of Agensys, an early-stage biotechnology company that develops novel cancer therapeutics.

In 2013, Figlin, with an initial gift of $50,000, established the Robert A. Figlin Family Research Award which supports CST scholarships for undergraduate juniors and seniors majoring in chemistry, physics, math or computer and information sciences. To date, six students have earned the award. Figlin also funds stipends for students in the college’s Science Scholars Program, which provides additional academic, research and career opportunities.

—Bruce E. Beans

OUTLOOK / Fall 201821

ALUMNI

Greg Fornia

RANDY SHOCHET (BS ’81, CHEM): FROM CHEMISTRY TO DENTISTRY TO LAW

Randy Shochet believes that his Temple education prepared him for everything that followed—even when his career plans changed along the way. Shochet enrolled at Temple as a transfer student his sophomore year. “Even though I was living in Florida at the time, my whole family was from Philadelphia and my father went to Temple. I’d always wanted to go there, too,” he says.

Shochet chose to major in chemistry and hoped to become a career scientist. He studied in the Temple Honors Program and assisted Professor David Dalton in his lab. “My memory of Temple is like The Big Bang Theory,” he says. “There was a whole hall of science majors in my dorm, I had access to top professors and it was just a great experience all around.”

While Shochet hoped to work for a company like Dow Chemical, he turned down a job offer because his grandparents strongly urged him to become a dentist. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his heart wasn’t in the work and after eight years in dental practice he decided to go back to law school.

Today, his firm, Shochet Law Group, focuses on insurance claims, particularly those associated with natural disasters. He draws on his chemistry education daily, both in medical cases and beyond. “Chemistry taught me about logic and you can’t work in law without thinking logically,” he says.

In 2010, Shochet came back to campus and was impressed by how Temple had evolved in the 30 years since he’d last seen it. He was also surprised to find Professor Dalton still working in the same office. Another visit in 2018 offered an opportunity to tour CST’s Science Education and Research Center, and learn that Dalton was now professor emeritus. Recently, they had lunch with Shochet’s 12-yearold son, who is, like his father once was, an aspiring scientist.

“I told him no one will pressure him, and he has to follow his instincts,” Shochet says. “If he’s lucky enough to get an education like I did, he’ll be able to do anything.”

—Elisa Ludwig

Terrence Dougherty (BA ’74, Chem): Making a difference for CST students

As a junior, Terrence Dougherty questioned whether he would even graduate from Temple. Today, the retired Merck chemist not only serves on the CST Alumni Board, he mentors students to help them get through their more challenging moments.

As the first member of his family to go to college, Dougherty came to Temple because it was convenient and inexpensive. Once he selected chemistry as his major, however, Dougherty realized how rigorous his education was. “By the time I was in my third year, I worried that I’d bit off more than I could chew,” he says. “This was my big chance, and there was no way I could lose out on the opportunity.”

Humbled, Dougherty put his head down and completed his study, meeting his future wife Lydia (BA ’74, Chem) along the way. Grateful that he actually received his diploma, he started giving back to Temple immediately after graduation. Years later, when he donated more substantial sums to the school, he put his parents’ name on the donor wall of the Science Education and Research Center, posting a photo on social media labeled “Mom and Dad in college.” “My brother saw it and started to cry; it would have meant so much to them,” he says. Dougherty spent his career as a production chemist working in quality control. He eventually went back to pharmacy school to bolster his work in pharmaceutical manufacturing and enjoyed a long and successful run at Merck. “Temple really got me started with the fundamental education I needed,” he says.

He continues to look for new ways Temple alumni can support students. As an Owl to Owl Mentor—a CST program he helped launch—Dougherty encounters many first-generation college students with their own doubts.

“Students write to me that their grades are not quite as good as they’d hoped and I’m there to say ’it’s okay,’” he says. “What I tell them is that not everyone is a genius—I certainly wasn’t—but it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you work hard and keep pushing.”

—Elisa Ludwig

22 College of Science and Technology

Photos: Kelly & Massa and Temple University

CST ALUMNI WEEKEND 2018

The College of Science and Technology hosted two exciting Alumni Weekend events, attracting dozens of alumni and their families as well as Temple faculty and staff.

On Friday, the college screened “Acid Horizon,” a documentary film featuring Associate Professor of Biology Erik Cordes as he and his team track down the “supercoral,” a strain of deep-water coral that seems to possess the unique genetic ability to thrive in a low-pH ocean.

Saturday morning, the college welcomed parents and kids to the CST STEM Carnival, which introduced important concepts in basic science, engineering, robotics, computer science and applied mathematics. Kids worked directly with Temple undergraduates to learn how real scientists work, and earned prizes for each challenge conquered.

Temple University’s signature Alumni Weekend event, Díner en Cherry, was held in the soaring lobby of the college’s Science Education and Research Center, with many guests sporting Temple’s signature colors—Cherry and White.

CST graduates and their families came out for several Alumni Weekend events: a STEM Carnival, film screening and discussion and Díner en Cherry.

OUTLOOK / Fall 201823

Kelly & Massa

SUPPORTING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

A $50,000 pledge from Paul G. Curcillo, MD, (BA ’84, Bio) and Stephanie A. King, MD, will establish the Joseph and Patricia Curcillo Inaugural Endowed Undergraduate Research Program (URP) Scholars Fund. Named for Curcillo’s parents, the fund will provide financial support to academically qualified students participating in URP with a preference for scholars conducting research in biology.

Curcillo is president of the Temple University Alumni Association, a member of the Temple Board of Trustees, a member of the CST Board of Visitors, and past president of the CST Alumni Board. Curcillo and King have also established the Paul G. Curcillo II, MD Biology Award.

TOASTING TEMPLE AND CST

For Temple Toast, the university’s 24-hour giving challenge, more than 75 donors made a gift to support CST students, the college’s highest total since the yearly event began in 2013. CST faculty, staff, alumni and friends donated more than $4,300 to support scholarships, undergraduate research and academic programs.

The goal of Temple Toast is to celebrate the impact Temple Owls have on the university and throughout the community. In total, Temple University raised more than $240,000 from more than 1,700 donors during this year’s Temple Toast.

OWLCROWDING MATH FOR GIRLS

Through OwlCrowd, Temple University’s online giving platform, more than 60 CST graduates, friends, faculty and staff supported Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics Day for Middle School Girls. The fundraising effort topped its $5,000 goal, continuing a remarkable run of successful OwlCrowd fundraising efforts at CST.

Organized by the Department of Mathematics and now in its seventh year, Sonia Kovalevsky Day brings 75 local middle school girls to Main Campus to learn about the field of mathematics and possible career paths. The day provides middle school participants with engaging mathematical instruction intertwined with strong mentorship by CST undergraduate and graduate women students in STEM disciplines. The long-term goal of the program is to impact the way young women view mathematics as a discipline while strengthening their mathematical skills.

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