Alumni Profiles and Class Notes

Learn more about how you can get involved at cst.temple.edu/alumni or email Jena Hudson, CST Alumni Affairs, at jena.hudson@temple.edu

In my message to CST’s Class of 2020, I stressed the special bond that connects all Temple University alumni.

As many older alumni already know, these bonds can grow even stronger through the years. But you have to work at it. I urge you to continue to build connections with your Temple community as you move through the many phases of your lives: education, jobs, family, career changes, retirement and the many times we reinvent ourselves along the way.

The CST Alumni Board is a powerful network that you can access throughout your life. We are here to help Temple Owls succeed! To stay connected to CST and to fellow alumni, I urge you to follow CST on social media, look for our monthly emails, read Outlook and department newsletters and look for more alumni events via Zoom. And please go to cst.temple.edu to learn more about our Owl to Owl Mentor Program and ways you can financially support the college.

For many of us, Temple is where we found our passion. I believe that when you are driven by that commitment, you can achieve great things. As I told our graduates, the journey ahead will include many successes and some failure. I know that Owls are ready for whatever lies ahead and together we can make great things happen.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Greller Gresh (BA ’98, EES) CST Alumni Board President, 2019-2020

Kate Lyons (BS ’20, EES)

Planting seeds of success at Temple

BY AMANDA MORRISON

Although her path to the College of Science and Technology wasn’t exactly straightforward, Kate Lyons made the most of every opportunity once she landed here.

Originally from just outside Philadelphia, Lyons was plenty familiar with Temple growing up. But, as a high school senior, didn’t know what she wanted to do in life. Itching to learn more about herself before starting college, Lyons took a gap year.

“I worked on trails and was traveling and really fell in love with the environment during that time,” Lyons said. “I thought, ‘Now, I know myself.’”

Lyons wanted to work with the environment in some capacity, but when she started at Temple she was taking classes in science, engineering and liberal arts before finally zeroing in on geology. It was a physical geology course that really ignited her passion for the environment. “I knew I could blend geology with environmental science and I really liked the idea of getting a science degree,” said Lyons. “It gives you so many skills, such as understanding data and research.”

At Temple, Lyons served on the university’s Sustainability Task Force, which she joined her freshman year, and later became the director of sustainability for Temple Student Government as a senior. She started the compost collection service known as Diamond Compost, funded by an Office of Sustainability green grant. This community compost pick-up service encourages student sustainability and nourishes the compost at the Temple Community Garden.

In the classroom, Lyons was most inspired by Professor Laura Toran’s groundwater hydrology class. “That class gave me an applied look into how you can use geology to actually

solve environmental issues,” Lyons said, who added that the course’s real-world field trips and career-minded outlook inspired Lyons to work in Toran’s lab during summer 2019.

In her senior year, Lyons earned one of Temple’s Diamond Awards for students who are passionate about scholarship, devoted to service and dedicated to leadership. She is now working full-time as a geologist at SSM Group, in the Department of Energy and Sustainability Services. She might pursue a master’s in public policy, environmental planning or environmental management. Lyons hopes to work in municipal climate resilience, helping cities to become more sustainable as they work toward their climate goals.

Remembering Robert Fineman (BA ’66, Chem)

A friend to the college and proud alumnus of Temple University, Robert Fineman died on July 13, 2020. He was an enthusiastic supporter of and advocate for the College of Science and Technology. He served on the college’s Board of Visitors, spoke at graduation in 2017 and met with students to discuss careers in science and healthcare.

In 1995, he and his wife, Bonnie, established the Edward and Frances Fineman Scholarship, in memory of his parents, to provide scholarships for undergraduate chemistry students who have demonstrated academic achievement and financial need.

Fineman graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia, then earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Temple. He earned both an MD and PhD from SUNY Downstate in 1972.

Board certified in medical examination, pediatrics and medical genetics, Fineman had a distinguished career as a physician, researchers and educator. From 1977 to 1990, he was with the University of Utah School of Medicine, serving as assistant professor of pediatrics and director, Division of Medical Genetics; associate professor of pediatrics; research associate professor, Department of Anatomy; and professor of pediatrics.

In 1991, he became director of Maternal/Infant Health and Genetics, ParentChild Health Services at the Washington State Department of Health and a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. From 2007 until his retirement he served as dean, Health and Human Services, North Seattle Community College.

Fineman’s dedication to science and service was inspired by Hazel L. Tomlinson, CST ’26, ’28, who taught generations of Temple chemistry students as a faculty member from 1928 to 1974. Fineman helped lead the effort to honor his mentor through the Hazel M. Tomlinson Lecture Hall located in the Science Education and Research Center, dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late 2018.

PAUL CURCILLO (BA ’84, BIO): THANKS FOR THE TEMPLE-MENTUM!

Paul Curcillo, who served as Temple University Alumni Association president from 2017 to 2020, has passed the president’s gavel to Michael Breeze, FOX ’96. Curcillo, a past president of CST’s Alumni Board, is currently a member of the CST Board of Visitors.

In his farewell, Curcillo stressed a new TUAA has emerged since 2014: “Alumni are more engaged. Together with the commitment of the team in the Alumni and Constituent Engagement Office, the Temple-mentum was palpable.”

Curcillo’s excitement for TUAA continues: “I thank our alumni who have supported our Association…and our Executive Committee for their commitment to our fellow alumni and the TUAA. Keep the Templementum going!”

The CST community thanks Curcillo for his many years of dedicated service to the college and university.

2020-2021 Alumni Board Members

Margherita Abe (BA ’66, Chem) Justin Malone (BS ’05, Bio) Sina Adibi (BA ’84, CIS; FOX ’86) Christian Obasi (MS ’08, EES) Mark Dash (BA ’84, CIS) Jaldhi Patel (BA ’20, Bio) Terry Dougherty (BA ’74, Chem; Michael Remaker II (BS ’06, CIS) FOX ’86) Randy Shochet (BS ’81, Chem) James Guare (BA ’77, MA ’83, Chem) John Tierney (PhD ’81, Chem) Eileen Helzner (BS ’68, Bio; MED ’72) John Wilson (BS ‘18, CIS) Sandra Ilunga (BA ’08, Bio)

Kanchan Hole (PSM ’18, Bio)

Bioinformatics serves as stepping stone for career success

BY AMANDA MORRISON

Kanchan Hole’s journey in the United States started four years ago when she enrolled in the CST’s Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in bioinformatics, which covers computational science and systems biology and blends classroom knowledge, practical application and internship opportunities.

Having trained as a registered pharmacist in India, Hole wanted to learn more about the integration of pharmaceutical sciences and computational biology. She immediately felt right at home at Temple. “This program allowed me to work on various research projects,” Hole said, “including one facilitated by Deanne Taylor, director of bioinformatics in the Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and one of the PSM’s external advisors.”

Later, in the summer of 2017, after completing her first year in the bioinformatics program, Hole was accepted into a co-op program in computational and systems biology at Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Spring House, Pa. “This co-op became the first step of my career in computational sciences using my bioinformatics training,” explained Hole, who was attracted to the PSM program because of its real-world research requirement.

“My co-op gave me a first-hand experience of the working culture of the pharma industry and was an excellent opportunity to strengthen both my credentials and my knowledge in applied bioinformatics,” she said.

Hole’s capstone research project at Janssen further developed her passion for working with cross-functional teams as she developed and applied cutting-edge approaches to processing, analyzing, annotating and interpreting genomic data. “I learned important skills from coursework, research projects and internship experience, but the most impactful training I received was in next generation sequencing and data analysis,” Hole said.

After graduation, Hole started her first job at Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, Mass., as a clinical bioinformatics analyst, where she still works today. “The PSM in bioinformatics at Temple,” recalled Hole, “was pivotal and a true stepping-stone in meeting my career goals.”

Oluwadara Tokunboh (ACHS ’20)

Post bacc student changes plans after cancelled Fulbright

BY AMANDA MORRISON

In normal times, Dara Tokunboh would be teaching English in Colombia on a grant through the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship Program.

But these aren’t normal times. Tokunboh, who completed CST’s Post Baccalaureate Program for those interested in heading toward medical and other health-related professional schools, heard in March that she was selected for this year’s English Teaching Assistantship program. But a follow-up email in June broke the news that this year’s program in Colombia was postponed indefinitely.

Originally from North Carolina, Tokunboh graduated from Cornell University in 2019 with a degree in biology and society. She then decided to pursue a post baccalaureate at CST, enrolling in the program’s Advanced Core Health Sciences (ACHS) track.

“Temple faculty are incredibly wise, kind and helpful,” said Tokunboh. “My program had the best science professors I have ever encountered in my academic career! I learned so much and grew immensely as a student and person.”

After she moved to Philadelphia, Tokunboh started volunteering to teach English through St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. Originally, she just wanted to get involved in the community, but soon realized how much she enjoyed working with language learners. After hearing about a friend’s experience, she decided to apply for an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Tokunboh chose Colombia, hoping that immersion in a Spanish-speaking country would improve her own Spanish fluency, which she believes is an important skill for people entering the medical profession. “Fulbright teaches cultural competence and adaptability, and scholars learn to be creative and problem solve,” Tokunboh said. “These skills will make me a better medical student.”

Even though this year’s Fulbright ETA was cancelled, Tokunboh remains hopeful. “I’m waiting on a possible reassignment,” she said. “Fulbright is just such an incredible experience, an opportunity to push yourself,” she said.

Currently applying to medical school, Tokunboh appreciates her Temple education, which she feels prepared her well for the grueling application process. “Temple has strong ties to certain medical schools,” she said. “There were so many pluses to doing my post bacc at CST.”

POST BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM SUCCESS

Aimed at preparing students for medical, dental and other health professional schools, the Post Bacc Program includes two tracks, Basic Core in Health Sciences (BCHS) and Advanced Core in Health Sciences (ACHS). Students who have completed the program are going on to great success. Asra Khan (ACHS ’16) completed her first year at the University of Tampa’s Master’s in the Physician Assistant Medicine program. Auggie Herber (ACHS ’17) completed his first year of medical school at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Anthony Vu (ACHS ’17) was recently a pharmacy student intern at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before heading back to Jefferson College of Pharmacy for his second year. Noah Klein (BCHS ’17) is in his first year of medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Sam Kidd (BCHS ’18) is a phlebotomist at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital. Tyler Johnson (BCHS ’18) is enrolled in medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine. Cori Fine (ACHS ’18) is enrolled in the College of Dental Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Cal. Bud Kheir (ACHS ’18) is enrolled in the Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona. Ayobami Adebayo (ACHS ’18) is enrolled in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Maya Holmes (ACHS ’18) is attending Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Jason Kim (ACHS ’18) is enrolled in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program at California Health Sciences University in Clovis, Cal. Ada Ng (ACHS ’19) is currently a coronavirus/ COVID-19 contact tracer.

Tina Yerdon (ACHS ’19), is attending the New York College of Podiatric Medicine.

Learn how you can be part of CST’s success by contacting me at 215.204.4704 or kathleen.mcgady@ temple.edu

Message from Development and Alumni Affairs

Unprecedented. Unlike any other. There are so many ways to describe 2020. Our lives have been upended; from our daily routines to how we do our jobs to how we connect with family and friends. For some of us, there have been even deeper struggles.

Our challenges are real, but there is much to inspire: transitioning to remote learning relatively smoothly; researchers unlocking the secrets of coronavirus; the resiliency of our students.

There have been moments of celebration, too: our online Temple Made Day for the Class of 2020 and Welcome Week for CST’s newest students. We are finding new ways to build community and connect with each other, such as our Zoom into Science series.

Temple and CST are resilient, and our supporters are also. This year, alumni and friends donated more than $100 million to the university—the largest amount in a single year ever. Here at CST, we exceeded our fiscal year fundraising goal. That means more resources for student scholarships, exceptional faculty and innovative programs that meet the needs of a changing world. Thank you! In 2021, our goal is to build on that success, especially with funding for deserving students. Scholarship funds, across each of our six departments, are vital to attracting top students, rewarding their hard work and ensuring they graduate in four years without crushing student debt that can limit their life and career choices.

I want to thank the many alumni and friends who support student scholarships at the college. If you haven’t yet, please consider supporting a current scholarship or establishing a new one for students in your old department or that honors a loved one or mentor. And don’t forget that making an estate gift to CST will ensure your legacy at Temple for years to come.

Beyond scholarships, there are many ways to support students and faculty. You can learn about giving options at cst.temple.edu/giving.

Sincerely,

Kathy McGady, Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs

Antoinette T. Campbell (BS ’00, Chem)

Blazing a trail in forensic chemistry

BY JON CAROULIS

Antoinette Campbell remembers walking into an interview seeking a job with the Philadelphia Water Department, but leaving with a position as a forensic chemist with the city’s Police Department.

The first in her family to graduate from college, Campbell was one of just a handful of Black women who graduated with a chemistry degree in 2000. “I didn’t have a mentor, I had to figure things out on my own,” she remembers. “Trial and error.”

Campbell founded the Association of Women in Forensic Science (AWIFS) in 2010, in part, because she didn’t “see a lot of women, especially Black women, who reached out for forensic careers.” The association provides networking opportunities, resources and programs to female college students and forensic professionals and partners with community and educational organizations for programs aimed at boys and girls ages 12 to 18.

Ten years ago, she started Saturday workshops for children to do hands-on forensic science activities. “There were so many people interested in what we do, because of television,” says Campbell, referring to the many CSI iterations that popularized a scientific approach to crime investigation. “But when I talked to parents and kids about careers, they didn’t know where to start.”

For now, Campbell has had to postpone in-person workshops. She has adapted. Through AWIFS’s Club Philly Forensics program, she hosted Beyond Crime Scenes and Autopsies, a live webinar speaker series featuring experts who discuss topics in forensic science such as violence, trauma and emergency services. She also taught an online version of a student workshop. “I created this particular workshop to give students information on how to really prepare for a career in forensic science,” says Campbell.

One of the first students from her workshops recently graduated from college and found a job as a DNA analyst. “There are a few students of mine that I knew were really serious about a career in forensics.” she said. “It makes me feel like a proud mom having a hand in their growth.”

Alumni bequests support CST

A gift to the college in a will or living trust helps ensure CST continues providing outstanding educational opportunities for students. Alumni who have made recent leadership bequests include:

James Guare (BA ’77, MA ’83, Chem)

A renowned research chemist at Merck, Guare set his sights on training as a chef during retirement. But he also started looking back and thinking about the people who contributed to his career success. “Temple faculty immediately comes to mind because they did so much to help prepare me for my career,” says Guare, who was one of the first chemists to work on protease inhibitors—the antiviral drugs now used widely to treat HIV. “Those faculty consequently played a key role in affecting millions of people in a positive way.”

Guare serves on CST’s Alumni Board and has played a strong role in the growth of the college’s Owl to Owl Mentor Program. His most recent leadership gift to CST is unrestricted, allowing it to be used for faculty support, student scholarship or wherever the need is greatest. “We took a good look at our lives, and decided we wanted to help those that would benefit the most,” says Guare, referring to Debbie, his wife. “Temple was the first on the list.”

Steven Petchon, FOX ’80

Petchon’s first job was working part-time as a student computer services consultant for Temple. Shortly thereafter he launched his 28-year career with Accenture, ultimately becoming a partner and senior executive responsible for technology competency.

In 2020, Petchon made a leadership gift bequest to support the Petchon Family Computer and Information Science Endowed Scholarship, awarded to an undergraduate who has demonstrated academic excellence in computer and information science.

“I made the gift because Temple gave me the opportunity to explore different subjects and I was able to develop a keen interest in computer science,” he says. “Computer science is even more important today than it was when I graduated. And tuition costs are higher. We can’t afford to let smart people not get access to the education they need to help keep America competitive in the global economy.”

G. Bruce Taggart (PhD ’71, Physics)

After earning his PhD at Temple, Taggart taught at Virginia Commonwealth University for 12 years, did contract research and development work for six years, and spent 16 years at the National Science Foundation managing a program that supported research and education in condensed matter and materials theory.

Although he came from a family that valued education, Taggart and his brother were the first to graduate from college. “Given my family background,” says Taggart, “I wanted to pay forward so that students and faculty could participate in the excitement of research without the burden of worry about costs.

“I will forever be grateful to the Temple Physics Department,” says Taggart. “I learned how to be a physicist at Temple.”

His advice to alumni considering a gift? “Look at the intellectual and financial benefits that, with your hard work, Temple brought you,” says Taggart, whose leadership bequest will support scholarships and an endowed term professorship. “Think about your younger self: How could you make the Temple experience better for that person?”

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah (BA ’06, Math) published the book Shaping the Teacher Identity, to help aspiring and current educators see how their unique life experiences can guide them in shaping their identities as teachers.

Sarah DeVaul Princiotta (BS ’10, PhD ’16, Bio) is a tenure-track assistant professor of biology at Penn State Schuylkill. The microbial ecologist focuses on freshwater plankton.

Michael Swyer, (MS ’11, EES) is a geologist with Salt Lake City-based CYRQ Energy. He is working with Nicholas Davatzes, chair of the CST Department of Earth & Environmental Science, on the geothermal energy potential of Mt. Baker in Washington.

Kelly Franklin (BS ’16, MS ’20, Bio) has been awarded an AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As a result, this summer Franklin wrote science stories for The Austin AmericanStatesman in Texas.

Danielle Landschoot (MS ’16, PhD ’19, Physics) is a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin’s Syracuse, N.Y, facility, working on airborne radar system products for both U.S. and allied military clients.

Eric Albers (BS ’18, Math) is enrolled in the mathematics PhD program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Next summer, he will intern with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Baseball Research and Development Department.

Eric Miller (BS ’18, Physics) is working at Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown, N.J. facility on the Aegis Combat System as part of a three-year engineering leadership development program.

Kristen Ciesielka (BS ’19, Physics) works at Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown, N.J. facility as a systems engineer on the Aegis Combat System’s Command and Decision element, including designing message flows between the Aegis’ different elements.

Alex Krotulski (PhD ’19, Chem) is a research scientist and program director who oversees operations of NPS Discovery, a program for the nonprofit Center for Forensic Science Research and Education at the Frederic Rieders Family Foundation in Pennsylvania.

Aidan Lorenz (BS ’19, Math) is enrolled in the mathematics PhD program at Vanderbilt University. He attended the prestigious Budapest Semesters in Mathematics in 2016 and he was a student researcher at Cornell University in 2018. Sashank Penmatsa (BS ’19, Physics) is assistant physics teacher of 9th- and 10th-graders at the Urban Assembly Charter School for Computer Science in the Bronx, New York City.

Drew Spake (MS ’19, EES) is a geologist employed by ORMAT Technologies headquartered in Reno, Nev. He is working with Nicholas Davatzes, chair of the CST Department of Earth & Environmental Science, on the geothermal energy potential of Mt. Baker in Washington.

Olivia Stepanic (BS ’19, Chem) is pursuing her PhD in chemistry at the Max Planck Institute and Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany. She is using X-ray emission and absorption spectroscopies to explore phosphorus, biological zinc and zinc salts.

Alissa Vizzoni (BS ’19, Physics) is working at Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown, N. J. facility on the Aegis Combat System, a guided missile system used on U.S. Navy cruisers.

Matthew Wynne (BS ’19, Math) is enrolled in the mathematics PhD program at the University of Washington. During his sophomore and junior year at CST he conducted undergraduate research, leading to co-authorship of a paper on deformations of noncommutative algebras in Communications in Algebra.

Dellena Bloom (BS ’20, EES) was selected for a summer research internship at the prestigious Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California through the U.S. Department of Energy’s highly competitive Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program.

Keep CST up to date! Email CSTalum@temple.edu to share your recent news and accomplishments.

IN MEMORIAM

Alvin H. Greenberg (BA ’39, Chem) Robert Fineman (BA ’66, Chem)

Bruce R. Hofmann (BA’52, Chem) Marilyn Solomon (BA ’74, Math)

Donald C. Shukan (BA ’60, Bio) Linda M. Kent (BA ’78, Bio)