June 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 6)
This Month's Top Stories . . .
Commencement 2008 (up^)
Celebrated novelist, poet and writer-in-residence at Middlebury College Julia Alvarez began her address to the Class of 2008 at UVM commencement activities on May 18 with a prayer. The prayer — borrowed from Mayan weavers — is one she recites every day of her writing life: "Grant me the intelligence and patience to find the true pattern." In a speech punctuated by the poetry of Robert Frost, Czeslaw Milosz and Seamus Heaney, delivered to a capacity crowd in the Athletic Complex Multipurpose Facility, Alvarez shared stories from her early childhood in the Dominican Republic and from her relationship with her immigrant father, each revealing how she had struggled to find the true pattern of her own life. President Daniel Mark Fogel conferred degrees on an estimated 2,596 graduates, including the first full class to graduate from the Honors College. In all, 2,069 bachelor's, 360 master's, 85 doctoral, and 82 M.D. degrees were awarded, in addition to 20 post-baccalaureate certificates. Among degree recipients were students from 46 states — including 1,095 Vermonters — and 18 countries. The graduating class included 167 ALANA (African, Latino/a, Asian and Native American) and bi/multi-racial students. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/index.php.
Forbes.com Names UVM One of America's 10 Greenest Universities (up^)
The University of Vermont has been named one of "America's 10 Greenest Colleges and Universities" by Forbes.com. The list relies heavily on data from the Sustainable Endowments Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the article, America's Greenest Colleges , written by Brian Wingfield, Washington Correspondent for Forbes.com, UVM is cited for its commitment to ensuring that all new construction meets Green Building Council certifications and for its use of biodiesel shuttles. UVM is joined on the list by Harvard, Dartmouth, Carleton College, College of the Atlantic, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Middlebury College, University of California-Santa Cruz, and the University of Washington. More at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12317.
John Todd Wins First Buckminster Fuller Award (up^)
In the quest for coal, over a million and a half acres of Appalachia have been strip-mined, whole mountains removed, trillions of gallons of toxic slurry left behind, and communities devastated. Not exactly a promising place for a new green economy to arise. But for his startling and bold proposal, Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia, John Todd, research professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, was selected as the winner of the first annual Buckminster Fuller Challenge. The $100,000 prize from the Buckminster Fuller Institute was given in a ceremony in New York City in June. "Dr. Todd's proposal sets forth a profound vision to heal the environmental and economic scars of the Appalachian region and a detailed strategy to build a dynamic sustainable economic basis for lasting renewal," wrote the award jury in picking his submission out of entries from around the world. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12321.
Professor Wins James Beard Cookbook Award (up^)
Using the science behind more than 16 years of ongoing academic weight loss research, Jean Harvey-Berino, associate professor and chair of the department of nutrition and health sciences, has won the 2008 James Beard Foundation award for a book in the "Healthy Focus" category. The EatingWell Diet by Jean Harvey-Berino with Joyce Hendley and the editors of EatingWell (The Countryman Press) combines the magazine's healthful recipes with Harvey-Berino's behavioral modification program, Vtrim, funded by the National Institutes of Health. For celebrities in the world of food — top chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, cookbook writers — the Beard Foundation awards are the "Oscars"of the profession, spotlighting the best talent in the industry. The black-tie ceremony is held each spring in Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center and is preceded by a weekend of gala events feting award nominees. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12423.
Cate Named Interim VP for Finance and Administration (up^)
The University of Vermont has named Richard H. Cate interim vice president for finance and administration, the university announced Friday, May 16. Cate has served as commissioner of education for the Vermont Department of Education since 2003, leading a state agency responsible for all aspects of pre-K through 12 education and adult literacy with budget of $1.4 billion and a staff of over 180. Prior to that he served as chief operating officer for the New York State Education Department from 1997 to 2003, where he directed all aspects of operations for a state agency with a budget of over $19 billion and a staff of 3,200. He also served as chief financial officer for the department from 1996 to 2000, administering a $16 billion budget, supervising a staff of 450, and working with representatives of the executive and legislative branches of government on all aspects of education finance. Cate was also city manager for the town of Barre, Vermont for five years during the 1980s. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12352.
Alumni Honor Outstanding Graduates, Faculty (up^)
The University of Vermont Alumni Association honored outstanding graduates at its annual reunion weekend celebration on Saturday, May 31, 2008. UVM President Daniel Mark Fogel presented award citations to the following honorees: Distinguished Service Award — Sarah Dopp '68 South Burlington, Vermont; David Holton '72 Essex Junction, Vermont; Dale Rocheleau '80 South Burlington, Vermont. Alumni Achievement Award — Bonnie Christensen '73 Essex Junction, Vermont; Miriam Nelson '83 Concord, Massachusetts; Susan Hudson-Wilson '76 Chebeague Island, Maine. Young Alumni Award— Jillian Giardina '03 Parsippany, N.J.; Nathaniel Sillin '03 Washington, D.C.; Andrew Rosenstock '02 San Francisco, CA. George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award — Lynne Bond Charlotte, VT. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12394.
Hybrid Racing Car Wins Four Awards (up^)
For their innovative "GreenSpeed" hybrid gas/electric racing car, students from the University of Vermont's College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences won four prizes at the International Formula Hybrid Competition at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, May 5-7, 2008. Designed and built by members of a new student organization, AERO (Alternative Energy Racing Organization), the car won Chrysler's Best Hybrid System Engineering Award, the Best Hybrid-in-Progress Award, the Dartmouth College Thayer School Dean's Award for Most Innovative Design, as well as second place in overall technical design. The UVM AERO team made its inaugural participation in the competition against teams from Yale, Dartmouth, and more than a dozen other universities from as far away as Russia, Canada and Taiwan. The team designed "GreenSpeed" as an all-wheel-drive hybrid with front regenerative braking that returns energy to the batteries. "These two things have not been done before" in the competition, said Doug Fraser, director of the Formula Hybrid Project at Dartmouth College, organizers of the event. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12333.
2008 Rally Awards Celebrate Student-Athletes (up^)
The University of Vermont Athletic Department hosted the fourth annual Rally Awards on Tuesday, May 6, at the Flynn Theatre in downtown Burlington. The all-sports year-end event celebrated the accomplishments of UVM student-athletes. The department handed out seven major awards, honored each team's MVP and senior student-athletes, and showed a multimedia presentation highlighting the 2007-08 season. A DVD featuring footage from the ceremony plus all the video interviews and highlights that were shown during the show, as well as bonus footage is available for $12. For more information or to order the DVD click here or contact the UVM Athletic Communications Office at 802-656-1818 or email sportspr@uvm.edu. A complete listing of award recipients is online at http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/?Page=News&storyID=12322.
UVM Sails to 11th Place at Nationals (up^)
The UVM sailing team proved its first-ever national ranking was no fluke over the June 2-4 weekend by placing 11th in the Spring National Dinghy Championships in Newport, R.I. The Catamounts, ranked 7th in the nation by Sailing World magazine heading into college sailing's most prestigious event, were the only club-level team (as opposed to varsity status) aside from Brown University. Georgetown won the event, which is part of the overall Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/Gill National Championships, with 233 points over runner-up Boston College (269). St. Mary's placed third (276), followed by Roger Williams (289 points); Connecticut College (307); MIT (312); College of Charleston (321); Yale (321); Brown (328); Harvard (336) and UVM (346). Sophomores Clinton Hayes and Coco Solsvig placed second in the A Division behind Brown University and were named to the 2008 ICSA All-America Team for their efforts. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12414.
Campus Kudos (up^)
Barbara Arel, assistant professor of business administration, published an article entitled "The Influence of Auditor Experience on the Persuasiveness of Information Provided by Management," in Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (Volume 27, Number 1, May 2008.) The paper is co-authored with Ed O’ Donnell, from The University of Kansas and Steven Kaplan, from Arizona State University.
Dr. Melody Brown Burkins, associate dean in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, has been appointed to the National Academy of Sciences U.S. National Committee for the Geological Sciences (USNC/GS). Managed by the National Academies’ Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) in the National Research Council Policy and Global Affairs division, the USNC/GS is composed of a diversity of earth systems scientists from academia, research, government, and industry who have received honors in their field and support the promotion of earth systems science and policy issues in the U.S. and throughout the international community.
Jan Carney, research professor of medicine and associate dean for public health, co-authored a "Brief Communication" titled "Community-Academic Partnerships: A "Community-First" Model to Teach Public Health" in the open-access e-journal Education for Health on April 21.
Marilyn Cipolla, associate professor of neurology, presented a study at the International Stroke Conference in February 2008 that was published as an article in a special April supplement to the journal Hypertension titled "Pregnancy Reverses Hypertensive Remodeling of Cerebral Arteries."
Judy Cohen, professor of nursing, was appointed Faculty Nurse Scientist at the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Munn Center was established in 2003 to provide nurses an opportunity to identify new ways to reshape, influence and improve the delivery of patient care and nursing practice.
Dr. Virginia L. Hood, professor of medicine and a nephrologist at Fletcher Allen Health Care, has been re-elected to serve a second three-year term with the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the main policymaking body of the nation's second-largest physician organization. Dr. Hood is the incoming 2008-2010 chair of the national ACP Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee, chair of the ACP International Subcommittee for 2007-2009 and an ex officio member of the ACP Membership Committee. She has held numerous leadership roles at both the national and statewide levels of ACP over the past 17 years.
Trina Magi, library associate professor, was presented with the 2008 Vermont School Library Association Award on May 13, 2008 at the Vermont Library Conference in recognition of her "dedication, leadership, and collaboration with the Vermont School Library Community."
Brooke Mossman, professor of pathology and director of the environmental pathology program, is a co-author of a May 2 Science article titled "Innate Immune Activation Through Nalp3 Inflammasome Sensing of Asbestos and Silica."
Lee Nelson, a physical therapist and clinical professor of rehabilitation and movement science, received MGH's Institute of Health Professions Distinguished Alumni Award at their commencement on May 3, 2008. The MGH Institute of Health Professions is an independent affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, which operates within the Partners HealthCare System – the nation's second largest integrated health care system.
Several members of the department of pharmacology contributed to an April 30 PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) Early Edition paper titled "High blood pressure arising from a defect in vascular function." Among the co-authors are Mark Nelson, professor and chair of pharmacology, Adrian Bonev, research assistant professor of pharmacology, and Michael Wilkerson, postdoctoral associate in pharmacology.
Mercedes Rincon, associate professor of medicine, was the lead author of a May 2 Science article titled "Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an Alternative Pathway for GSK3β Inactivation." Coauthors on the paper include Dwight Matthews, professor and chair of chemistry, postdoctoral associates Tina Thornton and C. David Wood, and Alexander Aronshtam, a lab research technician in the immunobiology division of medicine.
Dateline UVM Would Like to Hear from You: (up^)
Send comments, questions, and address changes to Dateline UVM Editor, Jay Goyette (jay.goyette@uvm.edu). |
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