December 2011 (Vol. 11, No. 4)

This Month's Top Stories . . .

• Innovative Energy Initiative to be Housed at UVM
• UVM in the News
• Debating Program Rated in World's Top Ten
• National Survey Ranks UVM, Burlington Among 10 Best
• UVM a Leading University for Study Abroad Participation
• Study Finds Happiness on the Wane
• Listening to the Stars
• Offensive Question Results in Fraternity Closure
• Athletics Update
• Athletics Save the Date
• Campus Kudos

Innovative Energy Initiative to be Housed at UVM (top)
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Governor Peter Shumlin have announced a $15 million, three-year partnership with Sandia National Laboratories to establish a joint Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation to be housed at UVM. "It is our goal that this Vermont/Sandia partnership will lead to a long-term national lab presence in Vermont, and that our state and the nation can benefit from the research conducted here for years to come," Sanders said. The center is a partnership between the state of Vermont, Sandia, UVM and other academic institutions, Vermont utility companies, Efficiency Vermont and many Vermont green businesses. Read the full story here.

UVM in the News (top)
The Boston Globe featured research by geologist Paul Bierman and a front-page feature on English professor Huck Gutman in Washington, D.C. . . . Extensive coverage of the university’s varied outreach to farmers and other Vermonters who suffered losses following Tropical Storm Irene appeared in news outlets throughout Vermont and the region . . . See the full summaries of media coverage UVM news and people in recent months here.

Debating Program Rated in World’s Top Ten (top)
UVM's Lawrence Debate Union has been ranked seventh out of all college and university debating programs in the world by the International Debate Education Association, a leading non-profit dedicated to developing, organizing and promoting debate and debate-related activities in communities throughout the world. The ranking places the following schools in the top ten: Sydney Union, Australia; Monash, Australia; Yale; Cornell; Oxford Union, England; Cambridge, England; the University of Vermont; Colgate; London School of Economics; and McGill. Read the full story here.

National Survey Ranks UVM, Burlington Among 10 Best (top)
The Huffington Post recently reported that the University of Vermont rates among “The 10 Best Places to Go to College.” The ratings come from Unigo, an online college resource guide that relies heavily on user-generated content. “Students at UVM are unanimous in their love of their school, the town, and the state of Vermont,” Unigo says, noting also that UVM “has one of the most breath-taking backdrops of any college.” Read more here.

UVM a Leading University for Study Abroad Participation (top)
The Institute for International Education has ranked the University of Vermont fifth in the nation among public doctoral universities for the percentage of its undergraduate students -- 32.5 percent -- who participate in study abroad programs. Overall, UVM ranked 32nd among the 282 doctoral universities in the country. UVM offers 900 different study abroad locations in 80 countries and six continents. Read more here.

Study Finds Happiness on the Wane (top)
The gross domestic product of the United States — that oft-cited measure of economic health — has been ticking upward for the last two years. But what would a graph of gross domestic happiness show? A team of scientists from the University of Vermont have made such a graph — and the trend is down. “It appears that happiness is going down,” said Peter Dodds, an applied mathematician at UVM and the lead author on the new study. How does he know this? From Twitter. Read more here.

Listening to the Stars (top)
It is almost night on the island of Puerto Rico, and astronomer Joanna Rankin raises her head toward the sky. In front of her is the reflecting dish of the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope in the world. Rankin has been coming here to study stars since she was a graduate student in the 1960s. Now she brings her own students here to, as she says, “get their hands on the wheel.” What Rankin listens for in this conversation are the sounds of pulsars — one of nature’s strangest objects. And what she hears may help to prove one of Albert Einstein’s most outlandish theories: the existence of waves in the fabric of space itself. Read the full story here.

Offensive Question Results in Fraternity Closure (top)
An offensive question that was connected to the Vermont chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at UVM has led the national fraternal organization to close the chapter indefinitely. The university is continuing its investigation of these events, and the latest communication from the president and provost is available here.

Athletics Update (top)

The UVM men's basketball team held its alumni gathering December 17. Before the Catamounts' game vs. Iona, several alums returned to campus and participated in an alumni game and reception. Also prior to the game, the program retired Trevor Gaines' '02 #45. Gaines passed away unexpectedly in June of 2010. Trevor Gaines Jersey Retirement Photos; Trevor Gaines Retrospective; Alumni Game Interviews . . . UVM sophomore Connor Brickley played for Team USA in the World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton, Alberta from Decenber 2-January 5 . Link . . . Men's hockey takes on UMass January 7 in the first game of the Hockey East doubleheader at Fenway Park . . . Women's Basketball Catamounts in the pros - Courtnay Pilypaitis '10 and May Kotsopoulos '10 are in their second seasons playing professional basketball, while Tonya Young '11 is in her first year playing overseas. Link . . . UVM Skiers Tune Up for Carnival Season -Several University of Vermont skiers made their mark at the World Cup, NorAm, Eastern Cup and Besh Cup races this weekend in preparation for the EISA Circuit, which begins January 20-21 at the Bates Carnival. Link . . . Like UVM Athletics on Facebook, follow UVM Athletics on Twitter and watch UVM Athletics on YouTube . Also a reminder that all UVM home athletic events can be seen for free via CatamounTV at UVMathletics.com.

Athletics Save the Dates (top)

January 7, 2012 - Frozen Fenway: Join us at Fenway Park as our men’s hockey team plays UMass at 4 p.m. as a part of Hockey East's Frozen Fenway 2012. From 12-3 p.m. join the University of Vermont Alumni Association and Athletic Department at Game On! Light appetizers provided, with cash bar and full menu available. Catamount fans will also gather at locations in more than 50 cities around the country to watch Tim Thomas ‘97 and the Bruins as they host the Canucks at 1 p.m. See the ‘70s-vintage “throwback” jersey designed especially for the event here.

January 13-15 - Women's Hockey Alumnae Weekend: Friday, January 13, 7 p.m., men's game vs. UMass Lowell; Saturday January 14, 7 p.m., women's game vs. Boston College, postgame gathering with team in Bostwick Room; Sunday, January 15, 12 p.m., Alumnae Game, 1:30 p.m., reception 4 p.m., men's game vs. Providence.

January 14 - Women's Basketball Alumnae Game and Gathering: 11:45-12:15 p.m. warmup/mingle; 12:15 - 1 p.m. Alumnae Game; 1:30 - 3 p.m. pregame in Hall of Fame; 3 p.m. women's basketball vs. UNH.

January 23 - Celebrity Server Event - Buffalo Wild Wings: Enjoy great food and drink at Buffalo Wild Wings, served by Vermont student-athletes, coaches, and staff;  15 percent of all food sales will go directly to Vermont Cancer Center as part of the Athletic Department's Rally Against Cancer initiative; silent auction in conjunction with the event.

February 3-5 - UVM Ski & Ride Weekend: Join the University of Vermont Alumni Association at Stowe Mountain Resort for a weekend of skiing and riding; find out about discounts for UVM alumni, parents, and friends here; also join us at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday as alumni and friends gather, along with the UVM Ski team and coaches.

For more information on any of these events contact the Victory Club, email victory.club@uvm.edu or phone 802-656-0956.

Campus Kudos (top)

Barbara Arel and Cathy Beaudoin, assistant professors in the School of Business Administration, co-authored an article titled "The impact of ethical leadership, the internal audit function, and moral intensity on a financial reporting decision," accepted for publication in the Journal of Business Ethics.

Jason Bates, professor of medicine at the College of Medicine, was named the 2011 Christie Lecturer by the Meakins-Christie Laboratories at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He presented his lecture, "A physicist’s life in the lungs: the good, the bad, and the viscoelastic," at McGill on November 21, 2011.

Research coauthored by Laure Case, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of professor of medicine and pathology Cory Teuscher, Ph.D., and published in the October 14, 2011 issue of Science, sheds new light on the mechanisms that allow an HIV-like retrovirus to avoid the immune system and survive. In addition, this new information has provided valuable insight into autoimmune disease research taking place at UVM.

Two College of Medicine pediatrics faculty members were recognized with prestigious awards at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 16, 2011. Paula Duncan, professor of pediatrics, received the Abraham Jacobi Award, and Andrea Green, assistant professor of pediatrics, received the AAP Local Heroes Award from the AAP’s Council on Community Pediatrics. Read more.

Jill Jemison, director of technology services at the College of Medicine, has been named the 2011-12 chair of the Association of American Medical College’s (AAMC) Group on Information Resources (GIR). Read more.

Kenneth Mann, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and medicine, was awarded the Distinguished Scientist designation by the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) during the AHA 2011 Scientific Sessions November 13, 2011, in Orlando, Florida. Mann is an AHA Fellow.

Daniel Weiss, associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine, was named the American Lung Association (ALA) National Volunteer of the Week for the week of November 28, 2011.

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) presented a 2011 Trainee Research Award to fourth-year medical student Khine Win at the organization’s 53rd Annual Meeting, December 10 to 13, 2011, in San Diego, California. Win was one of 19 medical students from across the U.S., Mexico and Canada to receive the award.

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