 News for Faculty, Staff and Friends of the Worcester State College Community |
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Fairlawn Rehabilitation Extends Scholarship
College Honors Outstanding Alumni Newly Elected Board Members Announced Singapore Math Conference Draws Teachers from Across the U.S. Extraordinary Dedication Award Nominations Professor Introduces Students to Research on Exotic Creatures
On May 19, Shiko Gathuo was a guest of the sixth grade class at Hopedale Memorial School, Hopedale, where she read and talked about her children's book Tay and the Form 1A's at St. Claire's. Hansun To (Mathematics) and his advisee Brian Tinger (CS Major), attended the Mathematical Association of America spring meeting at St. Michael's College, Vt, on May 30, 2008. Tinger presented his research The Subgraphs in the Undergraduate Research session. Paul Joseph '70
(History) presented a seminar at the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn., July 7-11, 2008.
His presentation, The Handling, Care, and Sale of Rare Coins and
Currency at Auction, will also provide 3 CEU credits for auctioneers seeking
continuing education credits within the auction industry.
College Honors Outstanding Alumni Worcester State College has acknowledged the outstanding service to the College, volunteerism, dedication to education, professional achievement, early-career excellence of six alumni with the 23rd annual Distinguished Alumni Awards. These awards are the highest non-degree recognition bestowed by WSC on alumni. WSC recognized the decades-long service of Rosanne and Vincent Matulaitis, members of the classes of 1965 and 1966, respectively, by bestowing the couple with the Outstanding Service to Alma Mater Award. The decades of volunteering for local, national, and international causes by 1952 graduate Ruth Rubin were acknowledged with the Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Community Award. Dorothy Petralis, a 1963 graduate, received the Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Education Award for her decades of service to teaching in Worcester schools. Craig Bovaird, a 1977 graduate, was honored with the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award for his successful leadership of Built-Rite Tool & Die and its Reliance Engineering Division in Lancaster. Kimberly Harmon, a 1995 graduate, was honored with the Outstanding Young Alumna Award for owning a business, Harmon Home Health Inc., that is an emerging leader in Central Massachusetts while under age 40.
Newly Elected Board Members Announced Margaret C. Farrey '54, M.Ed. '78, a retired educator, Joshua L. Katz '06, the residence director of Wasylean Hall at WSC, Vincent J. Matulaitis '66, a retired educator, and Nicole E. Valentine '96, the director of emergency services and public affairs at the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts, were elected to the Worcester State College Alumni Associations Advisory Board, effective July 1. David E. Bedard '74, president of Bedard Industries, was elected president of the Worcester State Foundation Board of Directors, effective July 1. Mary C. Ritter, vice president of strategy and planning at Fallon Community Health Plan, was elected board vice president and joins current board Vice President Gregg H. Rosen 86, president of NES Group. Edward L. Sherr, senior vice president of Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC, was elected board treasurer. In addition, Lee J. Beaudoin '73, a consultant with LJB & Associates Inc.; Craig A. Bovaird '77, president of Built-Rite Tool and Die Inc.; Julia Dvorko, Ph.D., Central Massachusetts program director of Massachusetts Export Center; Monica Escobar Lowell, vice president of community relations for UMass Memorial Health Care Inc.; and Steven J. Ward '76, director of public health for the town of Watertown and president of the AAAB, are newly elected board members.
Singapore
Math Conference Draws After attending a recent week-long professional development conference at Worcester State College, Prema Vora, a sixth grade teacher from New York City, is counting the days until her school year begins. This has gotten me even more excited because I feel I have learned a different way to teach, Vora said. I feel like I have a whole new repertoire of tools to use. I have a lot of challenging problems to present to my students. I cant wait to get back in the fall. Over the week of June 23, Vora, along with 27 other teachers from across the United States traveled to Worcester State College to attend Mathematics Department Chair Richard Bisk's annual Singapore Math Summer Institute. Bisk had the privilege of working with educators from all over the United States, coming from as far as Hawaii, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. In past years Bisk's conferences had been primarily attended by Massachusetts residents; however this time around, just three of the 28 were from the Commonwealth. Since 2000, Bisk has been doing everything he can to make
students interested in Math, working at length
with K-12 teachers, providing professional development using the Singapore Math
materials. Singapore Math, which stresses learning concepts and understanding the material, also devotes more time to each topic with fewer topics being covered during the year. Although the week-long conference is meant to teach educators the philosophies of Singapore Math, one of the main goals is to make sure that they have a deeper understanding of the material that they are teaching, so that they can effectively present the subject matter to their students. Strengthening your understanding will help you to be more effective as a teacher. This program provides a supportive, yet challenging environment for professionals working together, said Bisk. Francis A. I. Varga, a preschool teacher from New Jersey, is looking forward to answering the age old question that most math students have. This was for us to understand why we do this, Varga said. Were often told as students that this is why we do it this way and that's it. But with Singapore Math, it answers the question why. Many of the teachers in attendance found Bisk through the Internet. I was looking to research more about Singapore Math and I Googled it and Professor Bisk's class came up, said Tracey Carter, a third grade teacher from Chicago. Jean Wiley, an elementary school teacher from Michigan, drove 17 hours to learn about Singapore Math and couldn't have been happier with everything about her experience at Worcester State. Everything was wonderful, Wiley said. Dr. Bisk was very patient with all of our questions and the facilities here at Worcester State were very impressive. Wiley was one of 22 students who stayed in the Wesleyan residence halls for the week. The staff and police at Worcester State couldn't have been more courteous, Wiley said. Bob Appleyard, a special education teacher from Norwood, was the lone local teacher earning graduate credits this year. He was impressed with Bisk and plans on spreading the word. He (Bisk) has great content knowledge on the subject, Appleyard said. I definitely will recommend this class to my colleagues. It really opens your eyes to the ways we should be teaching Math.
Call for Nominations - As part of Opening Day Conference, September 2, President Janelle C. Ashley will once again recognize faculty and staff who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication, to the mission of the college. Awards will be presented in three categories: faculty, administrators (exempt and APA) and staff (AFSCME, Unit 1 and Unit 2). Please take a moment to nominate a colleague who you believe embodies extraordinary dedication. A committee comprised of last years honorees will serve as the award selection committee, chaired by Beth Axelson. Send an e-mail to Judy St. Amand at
jstamand@worcester.edu and write a
brief essay in no more than 250 words describing why your nominee is deserving
of this recognition. Please be specific and include examples. If you
prefer to submit a hard copy of your nomination, they will be accepted in the
Presidents Office. Winners will be recognized by President Ashley at Opening
Day, September 2. Nomination Deadline is August 8, at 5 p.m.
Professor Introduces Students to Research Jeffry Nichols (Chemistry) researches a protein from what
might be considered To study hemoglobin molecules, which are the oxygen-carrying protein part of the blood, Nichols uses the appropriately named blood clam, which comes from the Mediterranean. This research is fundamental rather than exotic. Nichols studies how these molecules bind and carry oxygen. He and his undergraduate student researchers manipulate parts of the protein to discover how the protein works. Hemoglobin binds oxygen and takes it to tissues, he said. The question is: How quickly does it do this? And which part of the protein affects the speed and quality of this transmission? Using his 2007-08 mini-grant, Hemoglobin Kinetics of Scapharca Mutants, Nichols and his students are changing the blood clams hemoglobin molecules to see what these changes do to the oxygen binding in the molecule. One student worked with him during the spring 2008 semester to set up these experiments and relevant equipment. This gives students a better idea of how the parts work as a whole, he said. Students can get a better feel for the experiment by actually setting up the instruments. Nichols says through this work he is teaching students to be scientists rather than technicians. They learn to think about what it is they're trying to accomplish in the lab, and through this, they learn to troubleshoot and to analyze whether the data they're getting is correct. He himself has an arrangement with UMass-Worcester Medical School, where he works in the summer on his own research. I wanted to set up a subset of that work for students at Worcester State, he said. Last summer, a WSC student worked with him at UMass. This summer, three WSC students have joined Nichols UMass research team as volunteers. I'm able to introduce them to more research techniques there than I can here, he said. Nichols just finished his second year on the WSC faculty. The mini-grant was a start to be able to do something here, he said. It gave me an opportunity to include undergraduates in research. That said, he would love to do more. Equipment, space and time are obstacles that little by little, he is tackling. We can do research with used equipment, he said. A colleague from Rice University, where he did his doctoral work in biochemistry, donated used lab equipment. Worcester State isn't set up to purchase used equipment, he added. If I had to purchase everything new, the mini-grant certainly would not be enough. Nichols hope that the college might figure out a way to enable its scientists to purchase used equipment has its connections to the ideas of green chemistry. Why buy new when something used is serviceable and less expensive? While he awaits that day, Nichols, like the hemoglobin molecules he studies, plans to have one undergraduate independent study research student each semester that he then transports to his UMass lab for summer work. For a WSC student, that is indeed an exotic venue.
Name Change Ann Veneziano-Korzec Appointments LeaAnn Erickson
Timothy Hagopian Dr. Roberta L. Kyle Jeffrey LeBrun Lisa M. MacGillivray Mary Jo Marion AnnMarie Samar Dr. Maureen Shamgochian Promotions Robert Daniels Elisa Lopez-Dobski Ralph Ricci Welcome to...
Lucia Ferranto
Paula Kowszik
Cheryl Vieira Good Luck to...
Donald G. Lightfoot, Director of Development,
Sympathy Notices The College community expresses its deepest sympathy to... the family and former colleagues of Robert F. McGraw, 88, (Professor Emeritus) who passed away at home on Friday, July 11, 2008. Jerry Sorge (Academic Affairs) for the loss of his wife Maureen (McDermott) Sorge, 47, who passed away July 9, 2008, after a sudden illness. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Maureen's memory to the Worcester State College/Maureen Sorge Academic Achievement Fund, Office of Institutional Advancement, 486 Chandler St., Worcester, MA 01602.
Dr. Maura Pavao (Biology) on the loss of her mother, Julie Kazarian (Student Affairs/Residential Housing) on the loss of her mother, Anne Pramas, who passed away, July 2, 2008, after a long illness. Denise Thomas (Business Administration &
Economics) on the loss of her mother, Bernice (McDonough) Murphy, who
passed away on June 28, 2008. Steve Flaherty (Facilities) on the loss of
his mother, Sally (Rennicks) Flaherty, who passed away on Wednesday, June 18,
2008. In
lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
American Heart Association, 20 Speen St.,
LaHair hero of the night
Medical Memo
Schools
turn to a friend
New fitness biz is a sister act
Last lesson: Leave them wanting more
LaHair planning to coach |
Tuesday,
July 22, 2008
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