Image What if you could wear clothing designed to help you to prevent muscle injuries, sleep better and have more energy? William Kraemer, professor of kinesiology in the Neag School of Education and a researcher in the Human Performance Laboratory, conducted key research as part of the development of a new compression suit aimed at improved muscle recovery for high-performance athletes. The new "Recharger" body suit developed by Under Armour was tested by Kraemer and his UConn research team. Eleven women and nine men volunteered as subjects in the study and had been training with weights and conditioning routines three or four times each week for several years. The objective of the study was to determine whether wearing the garment after exercise stabilized targeted muscles and resulted in less muscle soreness and swelling following rigorous, full-body workouts including barbell exercises, such as squats and power cleans. The training protocol was intense and the damage to muscle equaled any athletic conditioning session, he says.
Using interviews with the research volunteers, blood tests and ultrasounds, Kraemer and other UConn researchers found that wearing the compressive garment resulted in fewer indications of muscle damage, less soreness and less swelling in muscles compared to the control condition in which no compression suit was worn. The test subjects also reported that in the compressive suit treatment condition they slept better and had more energy the next day.
The garment, a long-sleeved suit that covers the body from the chest to feet, was worn by research volunteers for 24 hours after a workout. Prior work had suggested that such a compression suit might help muscle recovery by allowing less movement and prevent swelling of the muscles. Kraemer, who conducted some of the initial research on compression garments and exercise in 1989 long before arriving at UConn, says the study provides new insights into the role of compression in muscle recovery.
"This really shows that recovery is another attribute of the compressive garment interface with sport and recreational training," he says. "It now appears that compression can help in the recovery process from an intense resistance training workout in both men and women."
The Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) The Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) returned its popular Nutmeg Summer Theatre Series in June at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre with a presentation of Regina Taylor’s hit musical show Crowns, an exploration of history and identity. The CRT series was suspended after the 2002 season for financial reasons, but a new financial format that includes major support from the University and private donors enabled the series to return with one show this summer and establish plans for a full-season Nutmeg Summer Series of three or more shows in 2010. CRT productions are directed by, designed by and cast with visiting professional artists, including Equity actors, faculty members and the most advanced student artists from the Department of Dramatic Arts in the School of Fine Arts.
Illustration of Math professor For budding mathematicians in the third and fourth grades in Hartford, Conn., learning such advanced math concepts as algebra, geometry and probability – skills often thought to be well beyond their years – is within reach. Following a curriculum developed by associate professor-in-residence M. Katherine Gavin of the Neag School of Education, gifted students are taking part in after-school math enrichment clubs at Breakthrough, Batchelder, Burr and Noah Webster Schools in Hartford. The clubs are an outgrowth of a curriculum produced by a research team led by Gavin under a $3 million federal grant she received in 2002. Known as Project M³ (Mentoring Mathematical Minds), the curriculum has produced significant achievement gains in field tests at schools in Connecticut and Kentucky. Under Project M³, Gavin says, a key goal is to provide challenging mathematics to students who have traditionally not had this opportunity in their regular curricula.
"We’re looking for kids with math talent potential," says Gavin, who is based at the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. "Do they think out of the box? We’re not looking for kids who are strictly good in computation. We want good thinkers, good problem solvers."
The clubs in Hartford have been funded with the help of $250,000 in grants from Travelers Companies, Inc.
Robert R. Birge, the Harold S. Schwenk Sr. Distinguished Chair in Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, won the 2009 Connecticut Medal of Science, the state’s highest award for scientists. "Dr. Birge’s pioneering work in protein engineering and biomolecular electronics has led to seminal discoveries in the fields of vision, quantum computation and protein-based data processing," says Frank W. Ridley, chairman of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, who presented the award at the annual meeting of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in May. "His efforts have boosted the growth and national reputation of UConn’s science programs and have immeasurably strengthened Connecticut’s economic position." Birge is known for his basic research on protein structure and function and in biomolecular electronics. A protein-based disk drive that his research group developed in 1982 was the first such memory device ever produced. He pioneered the use of many methods to study biological molecules.
Image Continuing education is required for nurses to maintain their licenses to practice by staying current with new medical developments. But as assistant nursing professor Jennifer Telford found, many nursing students seeking advanced nursing degrees are not well informed about new medical literature because they have never received formal instruction in how to conduct a literature search. Telford wanted to help bridge that gap for students in the School of Nursing master of science program. Last fall, Telford and Valori Banfi, library liaison for the School of Nursing, teamed up to co-teach a master’s level pathophysiology course – a nursing course in which they also incorporated valuable training in research skills.
Telford, who has completed doctoral work in nursing herself, knew from firsthand experience that nursing students are expected to interpret and incorporate current research findings into their assignments. As a professor, she felt her students needed to know the steps involved in identifying clinically based research questions and in searching the existing medical literature for answers. "We decided to use a case-based approach to make the connection between nursing and research skills clear and to ensure that the students found the course material realistic," says Telford. Telford and Banfi presented lectures about various pathophysiologic conditions and paired the lecture material with real-world patient scenarios. They then asked their students to consider these scenarios and offer solutions or treatment recommendations for these patients based on the most current research findings. In addition to honing their skills in formulating research questions and identifying the databases most appropriate to search for answers, students learned how different databases and search engines can affect the results and reliability of a search. Ultimately, their newly acquired research skills provided students with enhanced knowledge that could be applied in determining best-practice decisions for their patients.
Kevin Fahey: Then and Now
As senior associate director for student activities and advisor to the Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG), M. Kevin Fahey has served as the link between generations of UConn students for 30 years. Fahey’s three decades working with UConn students was celebrated during Alumni Weekend in June by current and past SUBOG members, whom he keeps connected with e-mails, newsletters and various events.
In a 1980s photo, Fahey (circle, top) participates in a student awards ceremony with Douglas Bernstein ’85 (CLAS), center. In a photo taken during Alumni Weekend (above), Fahey (center) is with, from left, Benny Almodovar ’86 (BUS), a former SUBOGer, and his son, incoming SUBOG President Miguel Almodovar ’10, and former SUBOGers Barbara Poremba ’86 (CLAS) and Diane (Hubbard) Almodovar ’85 (BUS).
In October, Fahey will receive the Honorary Alumni Award from the UConn Alumni Association.
Senior biomed projects help boy Three teams of senior biomedical engineering students in the School of Engineering designed and developed devices, including a novel recreational go-kart, to provide assistive mobility for an 11-year-old Connecticut boy afflicted with cerebral palsy.
The students prepared the design projects for their senior design challenge, which is the culminating course for all engineering seniors. The two-semester course sequence provides students genuine design challenges that require them to apply concepts and principles learned in their coursework toward the development of a working device or system intended to address a biomedical need.
The design teams were organized and advised by John Enderle, professor of engineering and director of the biomedical engineering program, who met Sean Stenglein while shopping for plants at the garden center operated by the boy’s parents in Ashford, Conn. Patrick ’84 and Brenda ’85, who are alumni of UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In addition to the go-kart, the student teams created an assistive jumping device, which is a special trampoline with a safety harness, a multi-terrain wheelchair and a "standing gardener" that provides support for standing upright.
The seniors, who all completed their degrees in May, comprised the Go-Kart Team of James Paolino, Eric Leknes, Alex Jadczak and Tarek Tantawy; the Standing Gardener and Multi-Terrain Wheelchair Team of Fryderyk Karnas, Robert Knapp and Peter George; and the Trampoline Team of Blaine Ericson, Caitlin Martin and Kelly Valentine.
Adam Fairclough, who holds the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Chair in the History and Culture of the United States at Leiden University in the Netherland Adam Fairclough, who holds the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Chair in the History and Culture of the United States at Leiden University in the Netherlands and was one of the first historians to study the American civil rights movement, delivered the Sackler Distinguished Lecture in Human Rights at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in March. His most recent book, A Class of Their Own: Black Teachers in the Segregated South, won the 2008 Outstanding Book Award of the History of Education Society.
Craig Coleman, assistant professor of pharmacy practice in the UConn School of Pharmacy Craig Coleman, assistant professor of pharmacy practice in the UConn School of Pharmacy, has been selected to serve as a member of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services Nutrition Evidence Library team, which will assist with the production of the USDA’s "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans," the primary source of dietary health information for policy makers, nutrition educators and health providers in the nation. He is currently studying data regarding hypertension and nutritional management of hypertension, including decreasing dietary salt intake. The USDA Dietary Guidelines are used by major health organizations such as the American Heart Association.
UConn by the numbers chart
President Michael J. Hogan celebrated Earth Day activities on Fairfield Way in the heart of the Storrs campus by taking a spin in a fuel cell hybrid gokart being developed by the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center, which is part of the School of Engineering.
Geno Auriemma was named coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team for 2009-12 Husky women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma was named coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team for 2009-12. The announcement was made by Carol Callan, women’s national team director for USA Basketball, left, and Jim Tooley, executive director of USA Basketball, during a news conference at the UConn Alumni Center. The team will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Two of the returning members of the USA National Team are expected to be Sue Bird ’02 (CLAS) and Diana Taurasi ’05 (CLAS), who won gold medals as part of the 2008 USA National Team in Beijing.
Three students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have won prestigious Goldwater Scholarships to further their studies toward doctorates in the sciences.
Michael Abramczyk ’09, a double major in physics and philosophy; Kevin Burgio ’10, an ecology and evolutionary biology major; and Alexander Meeske ’09, a molecular and cell biology major, are among 278 students nationwide who won 2009 Goldwater awards.
Congress established the Goldwater awards in 1986 in honor of former Sen. Barry Goldwater to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The one- and two-year scholarships of up to $7,500 per year are considered the premier undergraduate award in these fields.
Abramczyk’s research focuses on particle physics, using supercomputers to understand the interactions of quarks and gluons, fundamental particles that compose the ordinary matter of the universe. Burgio is examining the nest-building habits of Monk parakeets, which build large nests on power poles in Connecticut and other northeastern states, causing power disruptions and fires. Meeske, who plans to pursue a doctorate in immunology, is studying the signaling process that allows cells of the immune system to release potent enzymes that have a role in eliminating infection.
A fourth student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Rory Coleman ’09, a molecular and cell biology major, won honorable mention. He worked in the laboratory of Professor David Goldhamer to develop a protocol to differentiate human embryonic stem cells into muscle progenitor cells.
Two graduate students have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships, a research scholarship program sponsored by the U.S. government that seeks to enhance cultural awareness and cooperation between U.S. scientists and professionals and peers around the globe. Jonathan Winterstein, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering, will carry out research for nine months at the Austrian Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis – an institute renowned for its high-quality electron spectroscopy and microscopy. The Centre is associated with the Technical University of Graz. He is advised by C. Barry Carter, professor and head of the Department of Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering.
Amanda Wendt, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will continue her research on bats and their role in the regeneration of tropical forests in Costa Rica, where she is currently participating in a large field study at the La Selva Biological Station. "Her love for natural history is infectious," says Robin Chazdon, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, who works closely with Wendt. "She enjoys teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about tropical forests and their astounding diversity of creatures."
Medical students treat SimMan Thomas Nowicki, director of medical simulation at the UConn School of Medicine in the foreground, observes Benjamin Silverberg, a fourth-year medical student, left, and Austin Schirmer, a second-year medical student, as they use an external defibrillator to revive their "patient," who is suffering a heart attack. The patient is "SimMan," a computerized mannequin that coughs, wheezes and moans while providing a variety of medical simulations for students to diagnose and treat under the supervision of faculty, who can change patient responses as they monitor and test students’ knowledge of various medical conditions and proper treatments.
Opera As part of her semester in Ireland as a Fulbright Scholar working with Irish conductor William Halpin ’98 M.F.A., ’98 M.M., ’07 D.M.A. at the Dublin Institute of Technology’s Conservatory of Music and Drama, Karen Ryker, a professor of dramatic arts in the School of Fine Arts, directed a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The production was very well received by the Irish public and press. Audiences included Ireland President Mary McAleese, several foreign ambassadors and Paddy Moloney, founder of the worldrenowned Irish band The Chieftains.
The world will focus on UConn in two years when it serves as the host institution for the World Youth Peace Summit taking place in Connecticut during the summer of 2011. Nearly 20,000 people are expected to participate in the event.
The World Youth Peace Summit is a major initiative of the Institute for International Sport, which has organized numerous U.S. and World Scholar-Athlete Games for the past 25 years with the goal of promoting peace through sports and the arts. The World Youth Peace Summit begins with the six-day World Scholar-Athlete Games, which will take place at UConn and various nearby regional athletic facilities. Artists and athletes from around the world, aged 15 to 19, will assemble at UConn for the Games.
World Youth Peace Summit Logo The fifth World Scholar-Athlete Games will include baseball, basketball, chess, golf, field hockey, sailing, crew, wrestling, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, squash, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Teams will be comprised of scholar-athletes from different countries to foster understanding and knowledge of other lands.
After the Games, the World Youth Peace Summit will commence. Past participants of Scholar-Athlete Games and delegates nominated by the United Nations will join the current scholarathlete/ artists for a one-week intensive academic program. Activities will include speeches by major world leaders and prominent peace advocates, which will be held each day in the Hartford area, augmented by small-group discussions and workshops.
The Summit’s mission is to help current and former scholarathletes and scholar-artists develop peace initiatives for their home communities or countries and give them the tools to implement their programs successfully.
The young community leaders will create a grassroots global network of peace advocates. Participants will receive leadership training and targeted assistance in social entrepreneurship and development of community-based programs.
"With our internationally recognized programs in human rights and social entrepreneurship, UConn is in an excellent position to partner in this effort," says UConn President Michael J. Hogan. "We have world-class faculty and students working in these areas and outstanding facilities to house the activities that the Summit will involve."
With anticipated attendance of 2,000 participants for the Games and another 20,000 Summit participants, the event will have a significant impact on the state. The tangible benefits of job creation, advancement of strategic priorities of the host organizations and increased tourism will be heightened by the intangible benefits of the legacy the event will leave behind.
Diver Each year UConn faculty and students participate in approximately 400 to 500 underwater scientific dives as part of their academic teaching and studies in locations around the world, including Japan, Antarctica, Australia, the Caribbean, the Gulf of California and Long Island Sound, near UConn’s Avery Point campus. Jeffrey Godfrey, director of scientific diving for UConn’s marine sciences programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is responsible for training divers, testing equipment and planning dives. He is president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, which sets the standards for university diving programs. He teaches two courses in scientific diving, which are open to both graduate and undergraduate students and often accompanies UConn faculty on dives.
Mike H. Summerer ’77 M.D. Mike H. Summerer ’77 M.D. is the new hospital director of John Dempsey Hospital at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. An experienced interventional cardiologist, over the last 16 years he has held various leadership positions in hospital systems in the Midwest and New England. He has achieved fellowship status with the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physician Executives.
Litchfield County A project led by Robert Forbes, assistant professor of history at the Torrington campus, is offering the public a new, enticing view of Litchfield County’s historical treasures. The collaborative project, Locally Grown History – It’s In Your Backyard, involves educators, directors, curators and volunteers from local historic and cultural organizations in promoting the area’s historical sites and museums as well as agricultural resources such as vineyards, orchards and farms.
"Northwest Connecticut is a treasure trove of historical gems. We want to help make the public aware of them and to guide educators in how to teach with them," says Forbes. "Locally Grown History is an opportunity to bring educators and public historians together to explore the most effective and interesting ways to reach students with these irreplaceable sites and artifacts."
The project packages area historical and agricultural assets into a "trail" so that visitors can easily move from one to another as a day or weekend destination. Forbes notes that the project aims to create a revenue base for the historic sites while helping to rebrand northwestern Connecticut as a vibrant tourist destination and cultural site on a par with Massachusetts and New York – not just a pretty passage between them.
At the UConn Health Center’s Sleep Disorders Center, adults are not the only patients. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders afflict children as well. In fact, according to a National Sleep Foundation survey, two-thirds of children experience frequent sleep problems.
Sleeping child "Whether you have a newborn or a teenager, some kids just can’t sleep and others sleep too much," says Daniel McNally, medical director of the Center, which offers state-of-the-art care to evaluate and treat sleep disorders.
Children need enough sleep to stay healthy and grow, McNally says. Sleep also promotes alertness, memory and performance – key factors for success in school. Identifying sleep problems early is important, as children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness.
"Children and adults behave differently as a result of sleepiness," says Jennifer Papa Kanaan, a physician with a specialty in sleep disorders. "Adults usually become sluggish when tired, while children tend to overcompensate and speed up."
An independent Journal of Sleep Research study involving nearly 2,500 children aged 6 to 15 found that children with sleep problems were more likely to be inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive and to display oppositional behaviors. For this reason, sleep deprivation is sometimes confused with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. For some children diagnosed with ADHD, studies have found, treating sleep problems may be enough to eliminate attention and hyperactivity problems.
There are often simple solutions to solving a child’s sleep problems, McNally says. "You need to make sure they have good sleeping habits and follow a nightly routine," he says. "A bedtime ritual makes it easier for a child to relax, fall asleep and sleep through the night."
Gina Barreca, professor of English and feminist theory in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Gina Barreca, professor of English and feminist theory in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, delighted an audience at the UConn Co-op with a reading from her new book, It’s Not That I’m Bitter… Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World (St. Martin’s Press), before signing copies of the book for her fans.
For the nearly 290,000 Americans who undergo kidney dialysis each year, gum disease is more than an inconvenience. It may cause not only local, oral inflammatory responses but also systemic inflammatory responses that could put patients at higher risk for complications such as heart problems, according to researchers in the School of Dental Medicine.
The finding comes out of a continuation of studies by researchers led by Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou, associate professor and head of the division of peridontology in the School of Dental Medicine, who were the first to report, in 2006, on the relationship between gum disease and systemic inflammation that could affect the risk of organ rejection in kidney and heart transplant recipients.
Dongari-Bagtzoglou’s research team found that interleukin-6, a pro-inflammatory molecule secreted in response to infections, was present in elevated amounts in transplant patients with severe chronic gum disease compared to patients with no gum disease.
Effie Ioannidou ’99 M.D.S., assistant professor of periodontology at the School of Dental Medicine and part of the original research team, noticed that transplant recipients who had been on dialysis before the kidney transplant seemed to have more gum disease than transplant recipients who had never had dialysis.
With a grant from the General Clinical Research Center, Ioannidou began a new pilot study to investigate the issue more closely. Since then, Ioannidou has received several awards to support her research on the association between chronic periodontitis and chronic kidney disease.
With the latest grant, Ioannidou hopes to look at a treatment for periodontal disease and see whether it improves the health of those with chronic kidney disease.
Ioannidou teaches and mentors both pre- and post-doctoral students: Eric Choudhury and Dongha Oh, residents in periodontics at the UConn Health Center, are working on the project as part of their Master of Dental Science training, and Hisham Rifaey, a fourth-year UConn dental student, is working with Ioannidou to review the prevalence of periodontal disease in chronic kidney disease patients.
Chronic kidney disease is a growing health problem in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affecting nearly 17 percent of adults over the age of 20.
Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich of WNYC’s popular Radio Lab program; Helen Rozwadowski, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Nancy Naples, professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences UConn’s celebration of the Year of Science 2009, a series of events that coincided with the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, included a panel discussion on Humanities Day focusing on "Imagining, Performing, Writing Science." Participants included, from left, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich of WNYC’s popular Radio Lab program; Helen Rozwadowski, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Nancy Naples, professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Commencement highlights
Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (center), addressed School of Law graduates in Hartford and Timothy Shriver ‘97 Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Special Olympics (left) addressed College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates in Storrs during 2009 Commencement ceremonies, which awarded degrees to nearly 7,000 students. Top Right: Members of the Class of 2009 applaud during ceremonies in Gampel Pavilion for the School of Business.
The Mary Ann W. Gilleece Endowed Scholarship, which supports undergraduate scholarships in the School of Engineering at UConn, has its roots in a passion for science that began nearly 50 years ago.
Mary Ann Gilleece ’62 (ED) enjoyed science and mathematics classes in high school and began her undergraduate career at UConn as one of the few female students in the School of Engineering. After two years, she determined that there would be few job opportunities for women engineers and decided to pursue a degree in education and continue her passion for her favorite subjects.
Classroom of students using computers While teaching high school classes, Gilleece kept her eye on the future and attended Suffolk University Law School. With her law degree in hand, her career unfolded in private practice, as an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services. Later, she closed the circle of her interest in science and math by accepting an appointment as deputy undersecretary of defense for Research and Engineering in the U.S. Department of Defense.
Today, as a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Holland & Knight, Gilleece calls upon her extensive knowledge of science, technology, government procedures and the law by advising technology-focused corporations on a wide spectrum of issues related to legislative, government contract and business matters. She says that her knowledge of technology and hands-on interest in her clients’ products translates directly to her success at the firm.
"I need to be able to speak eloquently about my clients and their work, and the knowledge to do that comes from my background in science and math," says Gilleece, who joined the UConn Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2008. She also remains active in UConn’s initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math.
Although Gilleece never became an engineer, she traces her life’s success back to UConn and, ultimately, her education, which began at Storrs.
"I’ve had very clear focus in my life and, by any account, I’ve been successful. I didn’t get here because I’m a wonderful person. It’s because I have an irreplaceable education, and that started at UConn."
Heart-shaped stethoscope A grant from the Moses B. and Ann Rosenauer Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving will support services at the UConn Health Center’s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center.
The $73,400 grant from the Rosenauer Fund, which was established to support health-related organizations, will benefit each component of the Health Center’s missions of education, research and clinical care, says Bruce T. Liang, director of the Calhoun Cardiology Center and chief of the Division of Cardiology.
"Private support can be the critical difference for our students, faculty, patients and researchers," Liang says. "This is a wonderful commitment to superior cardiology services in our region."
The Calhoun Cardiology Center staff includes a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, hypertension specialists and vascular surgeons who research, diagnose and treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels, some of the most prevalent diseases among American men and women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the United States. Almost 700,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. each year, which accounts for approximately 29 percent of all U.S. deaths.
The IFSA Foundation is helping the School of Nursing expand its experiential program in Cape Town, South Africa. The $50,000 gift will defray the cost for fourth-year nursing students to do a semester of coursework and clinical activities abroad.
This academic and clinical practicum program gives students the opportunity to experience a variety of health care settings and learn from local scholars and clinicians, says Lisa- Marie Griffiths, clinical professor of nursing, who led a group of 14 senior nursing students for a semester abroad in fall 2008 with Arthur Engler, associate professor of nursing.
"Our program in Cape Town is the most distinctive study abroad program by any nursing school in the United States," says Ross Lewin, director of UConn’s Office of Study Abroad. "There are no other schools offering semester-long programs where students are actually doing their clinical work in hospitals and serving underrepresented groups."
Students work clinical hours at several facilities that treat children with HIV/AIDS and are supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Students work clinical hours at several facilities that treat children with HIV/AIDS and are supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including Themba Care, a residential care facility for infants and toddlers with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
In addition to academic classes in childbearing and childrearing, UConn nursing students attended courses in nursing ethics and South African history, culture and politics. They also benefited from cultural immersion activities, including visiting museums, historic sites and churches. Students toured Robben Island, where political prisoners—including Nelson Mandela—were held during the antiapartheid movement, with a former political prisoner as their guide.
"Volunteering at Themba Care was by far my most memorable and favorite experience," says Nayomi Dawes ’09. "This facility gives them a loving environment, a place of refuge while treating them with antiretroviral drugs. I am even more inspired to work in a pediatric facility. I realized that not every country would practice health care the way it is in the U.S. Some of the facilities in Cape Town had minimal resources, but they provided efficient care with the resources they had. I got to see and experience how poverty really affects the health of a community."
The IFSA Foundation’s gift will support future students like Dawes, who received the M. & K. Connelly Nursing Scholarship from the School of Nursing to defray the cost of studying abroad.
Former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, who spent 21 years representing Connecticut’s 4th District in Congress, which includes UConn’s Stamford campus, discusses the archive of congressional papers he donated to the University with Betsy Pittman, curator of political collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, who spent 21 years representing Connecticut’s 4th District in Congress, which includes UConn’s Stamford campus, discusses the archive of congressional papers he donated to the University with Betsy Pittman, curator of political collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. During his visit to Storrs, Shays delivered a lecture at Konover Auditorium titled "Principles, Politics, and Leadership: The risks and rewards of staying true and speaking honestly in Washington."
UConn’s Teachers for a New Era (TNE) program received a $100,000 gift from the Hearst Foundations for program support and scholarships.
UConn is one of only 11 institutions nationwide selected to participate in TNE. The Carnegie Corporation of New York established the initiative to invest in exemplary institutions and assist them in creating best practices for K–12 teacher preparation. The William Randolph Hearst Scholarship Fund will provide awards to students studying to become teachers and will support diversity initiatives at the University.
TNE seeks to reform teacher preparation through the integration of liberal arts and education curricula so that students receive thorough instruction in pedagogy and the subjects they intend to teach. At UConn, faculty and staff members from the Neag School of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences work closely to advise education students in content areas associated with teacher certification. Faculty members at the School of Fine Arts and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources collaborate as well.
"We admire the vision of the leadership and the inspired, inclusive approach of the faculty and curriculum," says Mason Granger, director of grants for the Hearst Foundations, who described the Neag School of Education as one of the nation’s "premier" educational institutions. "Together they reflect a dynamic commitment to teachers and students, which, we believe, will produce substantive improvement in children’s education and performance in the years to come."
"The TNE committees have accomplished much, but, more importantly, have built bridges between schools to the benefit of students," says Marijke Kehrhahn ’76 (SFA), ’80 M.A., ’95 Ph.D., associate professor and director of the TNE program. She notes that since the inception of the program at UConn in 2003 a number of goals have been accomplished, including modifying the five-year integrated bachelor’s/master’s degree program, developing a database to analyze data about education students and graduates, and launching a groundbreaking study to compare the academic achievement of K–12 students taught by alumni of UConn versus other institutions.
Looking Back at UConn’s 6th NCAA Women’s Championship
By Shea Ralph ’01 (CLAS)
Shea Ralph assistant coach for the Husky women's basketball team I was excited to return this past year to Connecticut as a coach, but I was really nervous. Although I had played at UConn, I spent the past five years at Pittsburgh, where everything was completely different. As an assistant, you teach the way your head coach wants you to teach. When I got back, I started reviewing old tapes and watching film to make sure I knew how they teach at UConn now. I wanted to be sure I had the knowledge to teach our UConn players.
When Caroline Doty was injured in Janaury, it was a big hit for us. She was a starting guard playing really well, and she is a great shooter. Tiffany Hayes, her roommate, was equally upset by her roommate’s injury. Addressing the team, Coach Auriemma said it seems every year we have an injury and the rest of the team has to step up. Tiffany matured quickly and began working even harder in practice. I continued coaching the guards and working with Tiffany and Lorin Dixon. As a coach, you prepare for injuries long before it happens. If you wait until someone is injured, it’s too late.
As the season went on, fans sometimes wondered how the players stayed focused while we were winning games by such big scores. Just because the team is up by 40 points doesn’t make our players disinterested. It’s a good mental challenge for them to stay involved. They love to play and they want to play the perfect game. Whether it’s playing Rhode Island in the beginning of the year or playing for the national championship, we treat every game the same.
When we won the Big East tournament in Hartford it was personally rewarding to know that I had helped the players to reach their goal. It was also a good feeling because I hadn’t won any championship as a coach before. But there was still an air of unfinished business; I thought: "Tomorrow I have work to do. We’ll have another game soon."
Later in St. Louis when we won the NCAA Championship I was happy for the seniors – Renee Montgomery, Cassie Kerns and Tahirah Williams – but particularly for Renee, who did everything in her power to make sure that we would win the national championship. Every day throughout the season she was a constant leader on and off the court. It was really impressive to witness that as a coach.
Uconn’s 6th ncaa women’s championship team Looking back on the year, I wake up every day really excited to go to my job. I work for a Hall of Fame coach every day and it’s a lot of fun. How many people get to do that?
After the championship win, I remember going home and feeling really, really tired. But there was no time to be tired. We had the parade, an NCAA recruiting week, and the trip to the White House, and the kids had finals. It just went on. But it’s been an incredible experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
—Shea Ralph just completed her first year as an assistant coach for the Huskies. An All-American, she was the captain of the 2000 NCAA National Championship team, Most Valuable Player of the 2000 NCAA Final Four and Sports Illustrated’s Woman Player of the Year.
Recongnition and Honors for Student Atheletes
BASEBALL George Springer ’12 (CLAS): Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, Big East Rookie of the Year, All-New England Division I All-Star, first team. Peter Fatse ’10 (CLAS): All-New England Division I All-Star, first team; Big East All-Tournament Team. Mike Nemeth ’11 (ED) and Pierre LePage ’11 (BUS): Big East All- Tournament Team. David Erickson ’09 (CLAS): All-New England Division I All-Star, second team.
MEN’S BASKETBALL The team reached the NCAA Final Four. Head coach Jim Calhoun: USBWA District I Coach of the Year. Hasheem Thabeet ’10 (CLAS): USBWA All-America, second team; USBWA District I Player of the Year; Big East Co-Player-of-the-Year; Big East Defensive Player-of-the-Year; All-Big East, first team. Jeff Adrien ’09; (CLAS): All-Big East, third team. A. J. Price ‘09 (CLAS): USBWA All-District team; All-Big East, second team. Kemba Walker ’12 (CLAS): Big East All-Rookie Team.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The team won the 2009 NCAA Championship, 2009 Big East Tournament Championship and 2009 Big East Regular Season. Head coach Geno Auriemma: 2009 Russell Athletic/WBCA Division I Coach of the Year, Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year, Co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year. Maya Moore ’11 (CLAS): Associated Press All-America, first team; CoSIDA/ ESPN Academic All-America, first team; National Player of the Year State Farm Wade Trophy; Naismith Trophy; John R. Wooden Award; Big East Player of the Year; All Big East, first team. Renee Montgomery ’09 (CLAS): Honda Sports Award, AP All-America, first team; Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award; Nancy Lieberman Award; Big East Sportsmanship Award; All-Big East, first team. Tina Charles ’10 (CLAS): Final Four Most Outstanding Player; AP All- America, second team; All-Big East, first team. Tiffany Hayes ’12 (CLAS): All-Big East Freshman Team.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY Sean Erickson ’10 (CLAS): 2008-09 Atlantic Hockey, second team.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY Cristin Allen ’10 (CLAS): New England Hockey Writers All-Star team; WHEA All-Star, second-team. Dominique Thibault ’10 (CLAS): WHEA All-Star, second-team. Brittany Wilson ’09 (ED): WHEA All-Star, honorable mention; NCAA Women’s East Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
ROWING Novice eight finished third at Dad Vail Regatta: Sara Trevisani ’12 (CLAS), Diana Filipek ’12 (CLAS), Amanda Sibley ’12 (CLAS), Andriel Doolittle ’12 (CLAS) Mary Grace Haggett ’12 (CLAS), Elizabeth Bernard ’10 (ENG), Amy Kessler ’09 (CLAS), Katherin Siracusa ’10 (BUS) and Dana Haddad ’12 (SFA).
SOFTBALL The team reached the quarterfinal of the Big East Tournament. Micah Truax ’09 (CLAS): NFCA All-Mideast, first team; All-Big East, second team. Julianne Towers ’11 (CLAS), All-Big East, second team. Rachael Crossin ’09 (CLAS), All-Big East, third team.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING Two divers competed at the NCAA Zone Championships: Stephen Ferreira ’10 (CLAS) and Brad Schott ’12 (CLAS).
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING NCAA Zone Championships: Liza Marianni’09 (CANR).
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD The team won the Big East Indoor Championship and New England Track & Field Championship. Coaching staff of head coach Greg Roy, associate head Coach Ted Gibbons, assistant coach Rich Miller and assistant coach Museveni Akanno: Big East Coaching Staff of the Year. Indoor Track & Field All-Americans: Sprinter Mike Rutt ’10 (CLAS), sprinter Brian Gagnon ’09 (CLAS), high jumper Marquis Thomas ’09 (CLAS), Sean Smith ’09 (BUS): Big East decathlon champion. Mike Rutt ’10 (ED): Big East Track Performer of the Year. Aaron Kingwon ’11 (ED): NCAA heptathlon qualifying. Andrew Dubs ’09 (ED): Big East indoor shot put champion, NCAA provisional qualifying. Brian Gagnon ’09 (CLAS): New England 8x800m champion. Will Sanders ’09 (CLAS), Scott Johnson ’11 (CLAS), Dan Holst ’11 (CLAS) and Steve Iannaccone ’09 (CLAS): New Engalnd 4x800m relay team champions. Jamaal Smith ’10 (CLAS): New England long jump champion. Matt Alexander ’12 (CLAS): New England pole vault champion.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD The team won the ECAC Outdoor Championship. Head coach Bill Morgan: U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Northeast Region Head Coach. Assistant coach Clive Terrelonge U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Carin Knight ’10 (CLAS): All-American, NCAA East Regional Champion, high jump. All-Americans: hammer thrower Victoria Flowers ’12 (ED). Trisha-Ann Hawthorne ’11 (ED): Outstanding Track Performer ECAC Outdoor Championship; Big East Outdoor 100 and 200-meter dash champion. Phylicia George ’10 (CLAS): ESPN The Magazine All-District, first team; CoSIDA Academic All-District, second team, sprints. Kaitlin Vaughn ’09 (CLAS): CoSIDA Academic All-District, second team, distance runner.
Nancy Stevens coach of UConns Field Hockey Team Nancy Stevens begins her 30th year as a head coach this fall. She has led the Huskies since 1990 and ranks second among Division I coaches in overall wins. She was inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007.
What kind of student-athlete does it require to master the physical skills for field hockey as well as the complex strategy of the game?
We find that our outstanding students are really the best players on the team. It really is that ability to process things quickly in a complex sporting environment. The skill component is very high, as in ice hockey. You’re manipulating a moving ball with a stick. I think sports where you control the ball with a stick adds a different component than in other sports.
How do your student-athletes maximize their performance and have such great success so consistently?
When the players choose Connecticut they understand there is standard of excellence that is expected. We’ve been fortunate enough to win 21 Big East championships. It’s expected that we win the regular season, we win the Big East tournament and we go to the NCAA tournament. We’ve gone to four Final Fours in the past 10 years. They work hard to meet that expectation.
What has surprised you during your coaching career?
The biggest surprise is that the kids haven’t changed. Kids in that age group are very excited because it’s important to them to be good at this. We’re fortunate to have kids in our program that really care passionately about the sport and each other.
Nancy Stevens Audio Clips
What do you see in the future for UConn field hockey?
I came to Connecticut for one reason – the tradition of excellence established by Diane Wright with two national championships. What we’re trying to do every day is honor the legacy of her teams in continuing a tradition of excellence. We’re going to work really hard to bring Connecticut its third national championship.
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