Mother’s Day is coming late for Elizabeth Reyes, who will celebrate not one but two Southern graduations on May 20: her own and that of her daughter, Angélique Quiñones.

The two never had a class together, but the mother and daughter are united by a firm commitment to education. “I was at Southern first. Then she joined me,” says Quiñones, who is graduating with a degree in theater and a minor in communication.

“I am her mom, so I am going to get emotional,” says Reyes, her eyes welling with tears. “She is an inspiration to so many people.”

As is Reyes, a single mother of two daughters. Building on years of experience working in preschool education, she began her degree at Gateway Community College where she earned more than 100 credits before transferring to Southern. “I wanted to continue my education, but I wanted to put my daughters first and make sure they had a good upbringing. So I took my time to get here,” says Reyes. She will graduate with a degree in general studies and hopes to begin working on a graduate degree in education this September.

The two soon-to-be-grads note that the family’s connection to Southern will remain strong. Reyes’ second daughter is currently studying at Gateway. “As soon as she hits 90 credits, she’s transferring those over and coming to Southern,” says the proud mother.

In the meantime, the family is excitedly looking forward to celebrating commencement, which will take place on May 20 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. Later that day, Reyes has been invited to speak at the ROTC military ball held by her alma mater, DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. The following day, they will gather with family to celebrate. “We’re really looking forward to it,” says Quiñones with a smile. “Grandma’s food.”

Asked what she is most proud of, Quiñones answer is decidedly short and sweet: “Graduating,” she says with a huge smile. “I’m graduating.”

Mother and daughter graduates of the Class of 2016 reflect on their time at Southern.

Ideal Study Atmosphere
Elizabeth Reyes (Mother): “I love soft music in the background.”
Angélique Quiñones (Daughter):  “I’m the opposite. First I like noise. Then once I start focusing, everything needs to be silent.”

Most Challenging Part of Attending Southern Together 
Reyes: “No . . . I don’t have anything!”
Quiñones: “She stalks me sometimes. I’m just saying.”
Reyes: “No. How is that possible?
Quiñones: I don’t know where she comes from. She just pops up . . . .”

Favorite Classes
Quiñones: “There was an anthropology class that I took recently. There’s a script writing class. Creative writing.”
Reyes: “I enjoy the psychology courses, sociology courses and education courses.”

Best Part of Attending Southern Together
Reyes: “I know hers.”
Together: “Rides home!”
Reyes: “Having her on campus and seeing her smile. Seeing her being with her friends . . . engaging and socializing with other people. It warms my heart.”

At the time, he was struggling with classes as he was working full time to support his wife and children. “I knew I could handle the academic rigor of the classes if I had the time to focus on them, but there just weren’t enough hours in the day,” he said. “I was exhausted every day. With a young family, it just couldn’t be my top priority.”

As a result, Conlon opted to leave Southern Connecticut State College (as it was called then). But he always intended to return some day when he had more time to boost his GPA, complete a few final courses and obtain his diploma.

He started that process in the summer of 1970, when he took an economics class and earned an “A.” But the rest of the comeback would be put on hold again as work and family commitments rendered it nearly impossible.

Some 45 years later, the 73-year-old West Haven resident decided it was time to return. After contacting the university, he was helped by Joanne Mielczarski, an academic advisor, who guided Conlon through the degree requirements and paperwork necessary to start the process. “I needed two more classes if I could earn an “A” in both of them,” Conlon said. “If not, I might have to take a few additional courses.”

True to the academic ability he demonstrated as a teen, Conlon garnered an “A” in an English class (Writing Arguments) last summer. And in the fall, he earned an “A-plus” in a psychology course.

As a result, the 73-year-old Conlon will receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies May 20 during the SCSU Undergraduate Commencement ceremony at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.

“I have enjoyed working with Bill over the last year,” Mielczarski said. “He is a delightful gentleman. After so many years away from college, it would have been easy for him to forget about getting that diploma. I admire his determination to return to Southern and complete that degree.”

“It’s a great feeling,” Conlon said. “I figured I owed it to myself to go back and have something concrete to show for all the time and effort I had put it in when I was younger. Plus, I enjoy learning, so this was a terrific experience.”

So much, in fact, Conlon will take a class this summer – after commencement – in Spanish, just to learn the language. “At my age, I may not become fluent in Spanish, but it would be nice to at least learn the basics,” he said.

Conlon, a former councilman in West Haven, lives in that community with his wife, Deborah. He is a graduate of Derby High School.

By Becca Hubley and Jacob Gant

Today, our study abroad group arrived at an airport in Iceland at 11:30pm, marking the first day of our two-and-a-half week trip. Rather than getting rest following our five hour flight, we started doing things immediately. We took a tour of the capital, Reykjavik, as well as the surrounding areas, explored the Blue Lagoon, visited and hiked two waterfalls, drove through a fishing village named Grindavik, visited a geothermal hot spot, walked around two black sand beaches, shopped in a few grocery stores, and met up with our English counterparts from Liverpool John Moores University. We did not sleep at all through these endeavors by the way. By evening, we all felt as though we had already been in Iceland for three solid days. Although it felt like the longest day our group had ever encountered, we also felt that it had already been one of the best days we’ve ever experienced in our lives.

Iceland is impossibly gorgeous and there were absolutely no words for the way it took our breath away. But.. nothing can prepare us for the ten-hour hike up a glacier that we face tomorrow.

By Steve Cardinal

Little Antartica

Today was a much better day, it’s truly amazing how much better you feel after three hours of much needed sleep!! The adventures we experienced today continued early at 7:30 am, and were just as high paced as yesterday.  But alas, we were still unequipped and unprepared, shocker right?! After eating a yogurt and an apple we walked to the Vatnajokull Glacier National Park ready to go on an average day of the mill Icelandic hike, but of course, our assumptions were oh so very wrong.  Right when we arrived to the front building, employees immediately began fitting us with crampons (a spiked iron shoe attachment), a harness and an ice axe.  After a bus ride with our new pals from Liverpool, we arrived at the foot of the Vatnajokull Glacier; the biggest glacier in Europe, which we were about to hike.  After meeting with our spunky guide from New Zealand, and reviewing the proper safety techniques, we strapped on our crampons and started our glacial trek not knowing that it would the most breath taking, all-inspiring endeavor of our young-adult lives.  Words can’t describe how describe how truly amazing this adventure was for all of us, after surviving this grueling, yet enriching experience, I believe a game of whiffle ball is in order to cap off such an indescribable day

P.S. Glacial stream water is super refreshing.

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By Charlie Comstock & Alexa Gorlick

From Skaftafell National Park to Berunes

After awaking from the longest sleep we intend on getting on the trip, we immediately began to dissemble our twenty person tent, which was much easier than putting it together. We packed up the vans and were on the road by 9am.

Our first destination was Kviárjökull, a glacier that is home to some of the largest moraines in Europe! A moraine is a deposit of sediments that shows where a glacier once stood. Here we took part in a field lab, where we measured the size of lichen attached to the rocks, to discover approximately how old the moraines are.

After a few hours of driving we arrived at our next expedition, a glacial lagoon called, Jökulsárlón. Here we saw vivid blue waters, with blue icebergs floating in the distance. One of our schoolmates from LJMU, Liverpool was even daring enough to step in the frigid waters!

After this we then visited a beach called Hvalnes, where we took a quick break to stretch our legs and discovered round, smooth black rocks made up the shore of the beach.

Then we visited Djúpivogur, a small fishing village that has a population of about 350 people. The village consists of many young close-knit families that depend on the fishing and tourist industries to survive. We wanted to find out some firsthand information about the town, so we decided to talk to a couple of locals. Our first victim was not a local and happened to be a tourist from Sweden.

We enjoyed each other’s company as we walked back to the center of town. Upon saying our good-byes to each other she cheerfully let us know that we were “typical Americans and a little chatty.” After putting our money together at a local shop, we purchased pasta and sauce to make a family dinner in Berunes. We just arrived to the hostel, and we are so pleased with the accommodations. We can’t wait to spend the night in Berunes but it’s also dinner time here so we have to talk to you tomorrow!

Iceland

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Our recent Commencement ceremonies were a wonderful celebration of all that is best about Southern. As I mentioned during my undergraduate address, nothing has given me more pride during my tenure as president than watching our students walk up to the commencement stage to receive their well-earned diplomas.

Indeed, one of many wonderful memories that I will take away from Southern is its profound and lasting ability to help transform our students’ lives – personally, professionally and in terms of civic engagement. And their success says a great deal about the qualities of our university, the efforts of our faculty and staff and the self-sacrifice, determination and sheer hard work of our students.

Every May, there are poignant stories of achievement against the odds to be found among our graduates. But this year seemed to hold a special resonance, with several widely publicized profiles that highlighted the varied paths to success that characterize the members of our student body: from the award-winning students who struggled to get through high school, only to realize their full potential in college, to those who had to put off the goal of a college degree because life simply got in the way. You may read about them and view video, photographs and other stories from a memorable two days at: http://go.southernct.edu/scsu2016/

THANK YOU AND FAREWELL

This will be my final blog before I leave for San Jose State early next month, and as such I would like to thank all of you again for your kind words and many contributions during the last four years.

I particularly appreciated the warm farewell at the May 9 campus reception and the generous thoughts, not only from our own Southern representatives, but a selection of off-campus guests.  Their presence speaks to the inroads we have been able to make with the off-campus community in recent years, and this impression has been reinforced in recent weeks, when I have had exit interviews with a number of state and local officials, including Governor Dannel Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and senior legislators.

Without fail, they have told me that they see Southern as a key player in the advancement of our region and our state. And certainly, despite the ongoing challenges of which we are all aware, I know that we are in a very good place to maintain our upward trajectory and ensure that our university thrives and advances its mission.

We are fortunate to have strong, visionary senior leadership in place – and where we have had to make appointments on an interim basis, our campus leaders have stepped in admirably (my special thanks to Provost Ellen Durnin and School of Business Dean Sam Andoh in this regard).

Furthermore, the leadership in Hartford has stabilized, and CSCU President Mark Ojakian has proven to be a strong and effective leader for our system, with a sensitivity to our needs.

I continue to be inspired by the incredible dedication of our faculty and staff whose commitment to student success is one of the hallmarks of Southern.  And our Foundation Board and alumni have provided active support and enthusiastic engagement, not just at campus events, but at gatherings across the country.

Now, with our new Strategic Plan: “Discover Southern: A University for the 21^st Century,” we have a blueprint that will carry us forward for the next decade. Led by Mark Rozewski, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Lisa Lancor, Chair of Department of Computer Science, our implementation team will begin to put the plan into action this fall.

The transformation of our campus will continue, with design plans for the new Health and Human Services Building soon to be developed. During the summer, we plan to issue an RFP for an innovative public-private partnership to redevelop the former Gateway Community College site on Long Wharf.

And plans to build an education laboratory school on campus have been revived, after the city Board of Aldermen this week approved a capital projects budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes ensuring the funding is available to build the Strong 21st Century Communications Magnet and Lab School at Southern.

We are implementing innovative new academic programs that will meet the demands of Connecticut’s workforce. They include a new professional doctoral program in Social Work, the Business School’s Utilities Management Program and our newly approved major in Biotechnology – the cornerstone of the BioPath partnership with the City of New Haven and its burgeoning bioscience industry.

We continue to extend our reach and build new partnerships internationally, regionally and in our host city of New Haven.

And we are enhancing our undergraduate experiential learning and research opportunities, even as we expand and refine our support services to help ensure that every student’s path to a college degree is unimpeded.

These are all important and necessary steps, as Connecticut’s population will need to reach higher levels of education to meet skilled workforce needs in the foreseeable future.

I am confident that your collective and individual expertise and talents will ensure that the initiatives we have put in place over these last years continue effectively through the forthcoming transition in leadership (presidential search finalists are scheduled to be on campus the week of June 20).

I look forward to keeping informed about Southern’s progress in the months and years ahead – this is a wonderful, supportive and engaged community, and it will always hold a special resonance for me. Thank you all!

GRADUATE STUDIES LEADERSHIP CHANGE

After nine years serving in key leadership roles at Southern, Gregory Paveza has informed me that he will retire on August 1, 2016. On behalf of the campus community, I thank Dean Paveza for his years of devoted service to the University and our students.

With a view to Greg’s pending departure, I am pleased to announce that Christine Broadbridge has agreed to serve as Dean of Graduate Studies in an interim role, effective Aug. 1. Christine is an accomplished academician and administrative leader, currently serving as the founding Director of our Office of STEM Innovation and Leadership, and I am confident she will serve as an effective leader of Graduate Studies upon Greg’s retirement.

After his arrival from the University of South Florida in October 2007, Greg spent seven years leading the School of Health and Human Services (HHS). Never shirking a challenge, he performed admirably in juggling the HHS role with that of Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies during 2012-14, a time of transition for both schools. Recently, he also assumed responsibility for management of the expanded Buley Library.

Greg is keenly aware of the need to align our graduate programs with areas of workforce demand and to offer them with an eye to the time constraints of professional, adult learners. During his seven-year tenure leading HHS, for example, he was a key player in the development of our Ed.D. in Nursing Education and cohort MSW program, using a combination of hybrid classes and weekend education.

Greg also worked to strengthen graduate admissions and played pivotal roles in university-wide initiatives. These included co-chairing the Graduate Program Prioritization Task Force, which produced recommendations to strengthen our graduate offerings, and serving as a member of the 2015-25 Strategic Planning Committee.

With his experience, versatility and vision, Greg has been a wonderful asset in his many leadership roles at Southern, and we will all miss him as he enters this new phase of his life.  Please join me in congratulating Greg and wishing him a happy and productive retirement.

Until a national search to fill the Graduate Studies deanship is completed, I know that Christine Broadbridge will be an excellent appointment in an interim leadership capacity.  Christine joined our Physics Department faculty in 2000 and served as Physics Chairperson from September 2008 – January 2015. During this time, the department established a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Applied Physics and a Concentration in Engineering.

Christine is the founding Director of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Center for Nanotechnology. She has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on five National Science Foundation (NSF) projects and a researcher on a dozen others, including grants from NASA, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

She helped establish, and is currently education director and senior researcher for the Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP). This center of research excellence, based at Yale and Southern, was established in 2005 with a NSF grant of $7.5 million and renewed in 2011 with a grant of $13 million.

Recently, Christine has played a pivotal role in the development of our BioPath partnership with the City of New Haven and its burgeoning biotechnology industry.

I am very pleased that she has accepted my invitation to assume this important deanship on an interim basis, and I ask you to offer her your full support during this transitional period.

We also will use this time to implement an organizational change designed to strengthen and support our enrollment efforts in the graduate studies arena.  During the coming weeks, the operational enrollment management functions currently located within the School of Graduate Studies, including the admissions process, will be moved to the Enrollment Management division under the leadership of AVP for Enrollment Management, Terricita Sass.

This move will allow our graduate programs to benefit more fully from a holistic approach to enrollment strategy and thereby achieve each program’s full enrollment potential.  Christine and Terricita will work closely together and engage our graduate faculty leadership in all aspects of this important process.

ENROLLMENT UPDATE

Our enrollment outlook in several key areas continues to be positive. Terricita reports that new freshmen, transfers and graduate students are all trending ahead of last year, but additional work is required to ensure that goals are met.

A critical part of making sure that our new students feel welcome and continue to pursue their education at Southern is our series of Orientation sessions, which began this week. I know that a great deal of preparation has gone into ensuring that these sessions are fun-filled, informative, helpful and full of Southern spirit! Thanks to Vice President Tracy Tyree and her student affairs staff, along with colleagues from academic affairs, enrollment management and a host of others who have given their time to ensuring the success of this important program, which builds excitement for the new academic year.

In other enrollment-related news, training and preparation for the fall rollouts of SSC Campus (the enhanced version of the Education Advisory Board Student Success Collaborative that we introduced in 2013) and DegreeWorks® have begun, as part of the Advising Renewal and Revitalization project. During the summer, faculty, staff and external partners will be working to expand advising capabilities and introduce new tools to support their efforts and student retention.

The university welcomed more than 1,000 students in grades 5 through 9 from across the state to the annual College Knowledge early college awareness event in May, sponsored by Admissions. Terricita reports that these budding scholars had an early on-campus fun experience to start them thinking about their academic futures:

“Their day included being led around campus by current Southern students and staff.  Our young visitors learned about living a residence hall, healthy living and good study habits, and they really enjoyed having lunch in Connecticut Hall.  We hope they will keep Southern in mind when they start their own college planning in just a few years.”

I would echo that comment, as these and similar events are excellent exposure to our campus and our community.  Kudos to all who helped plan and deliver these important programs.

GLOBAL CONTEST FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS

A wonderful opportunity has been presented to a group of 10 science students this fall when they will present their findings about faster detection methods for tuberculosis at the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine competition in Boston, Oct. 27-31.

Southern’s will be one of 300 teams worldwide to demonstrate their synthetic biology skills. They will be competing against other institutions for awards in various categories, as well as working to attain a medal for meeting certain standards.

The competition includes a community outreach component, which for Southern will take the form of professional development workshops using “Building with Biology” kits for middle and high school teachers from urban school districts in New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury.

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Biology Nick Edgington and his students, who are one of just a handful of teams from Connecticut to take part in this prestigious competition. Their participation also spotlights our bioscience programs, which form the core of Southern’s new BioPath partnership with the City of New Haven and its burgeoning biotechnology industry.

In another notable science-related event, 25 students will have a novel opportunity to learn about smart data discovery, hailed as a revolutionary approach to analytics, through a Watson Analytics Hands-On Workshop on campus later this month. Watson Analytics is the natural language analytic software that IBM developed after its Watson supercomputer beat human contestants in in Jeopardy, reports Michael Ben-Avie, Director of the Office of Assessment and Planning, who helped to bring the workshop to campus.

Michael and his staff have been using Watson Analytics to zero in on factors that influence student performance and retention:

“IBM Watson Analytics was a revelation for us: enabling us to explore and visualize data in minutes rather than the weeks it took to prepare, build and refine predictive models in the past,” he says. “With our new cognitive analytics approach, our team can be what we call the ‘anecdote busters,’ presenting solid evidence extracted from years of student data to inform decision-making.”

The June 28-29 boot camp, being held at the School of Business, will focus on how to analyze “big data,” the experience of working with analytic software, and working as a data scientist in corporations, labs, and other workplaces. Participants will earn an IBM Certificate of Achievement.

TRANS-ATLANTIC CONNECTION

Our partnership with Liverpool John Moores University continues to expand and mature, with regular faculty research exchanges both through videoconference and in person and a growing number of students studying abroad at the respective campuses.

During this week and next, a party of 16 LJMU students and two faculty advisers are visiting Southern for an immersion program that includes cultural experiences, classroom lectures, and visits to area tourist and historical sites.

One of the group leaders, Andrew McMillan, a senior lecturer in creative writing, is an award-winning poet.  He will read from his debut collection, “physical,” today (Thursday,  June 9) at 7 p.m. at Lyric Hall, 827 Whalley Ave.

The first poetry collection to win The Guardian’s First Book Award, “physical” also won the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Costa Poetry Award, the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Roehampton Poetry Prize. It was recently included on a list of @PenguinUKBooks Pride reading for the Penguin Pride campaign, celebrating LGBTQ authors past, present and future.

The reading is sponsored by our Office of International Education and the SCSU MFA Program.

RECOGNIZED FOR GREENING

Southern’s sustainability efforts continue to receive recognition at state and national levels.

Last month, the Hartford Business Journal and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) presented the university with a Green Circle Sustainability Award. These awards recognize institutions that take a coordinated and holistic approach to reducing their environmental impact and resource demands of their operations and activities.

Suzanne Huminski, sustainability coordinator, reports that Southern’s award was based on its campus-wide sustainability efforts, with the focus on Sustainability Office student interns’ leadership on many projects.

Out of 68 finalists, 15 winners were chosen and were recognized at an event in Hartford on May 23. The Hartford Business Journal will feature the award honorees in its upcoming green guide, to be published in August.

We also have received notable media coverage in recent weeks for our participation in the Energize CT Higher Education Fellowship Initiative last fall. In conjunction with the Business Sustainability Challenge, Southern, United Illuminating, and Celtic Energy Consulting piloted the program, with four of our students being selected for the fellowship.

The program goals included updating our climate action plan and conducting a feasibility study for on-site solar panel installation. It provided an opportunity for the students to be directly involved in every aspect of planning, data collection, analysis and reporting.

The information they gathered allowed us to post a request for proposal for a photovoltaic solar installation project. This potentially will include installing ground-mounted panels and rooftop panels on a campus parking garage, along with a canopy installation in a separate campus lot.

READING PROGRAM ACCREDITED

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) announced last month that Southern‘s M.S. in Reading was one of nine university programs in the U.S. receiving accreditation from IDA and its affiliate, the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI).

Southern met the standards outlined in IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, which provide a framework for course content in university and other teacher preparation programs.

The IDA Standards emphasize the need for teachers to be more deeply prepared in the structure of language, including the speech sound system, the writing system, the structure of sentences, the meaningful parts of words, meaning relationships among words and their referents, and the organization of spoken and written discourse.

Louise Spear-Swerling, Vice President of the CERI Board of Directors and Area Coordinator for the Graduate Program in Learning Disabilities here at Southern, said: “We are delighted to see this third group of teacher preparation programs meet the rigorous requirements for IDA accreditation, as well as to see increasing numbers of programs demonstrating an interest in seeking IDA accreditation.

“Effective teachers can make an enormous difference in children’s literacy outcomes,” Louise added. “These programs are providing the kind of thorough, evidence-based preparation that is needed for educators to teach reading and writing very successfully to diverse groups of students, including those with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.”

Congratulations to all affiliated with this excellent program.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

With Orientation sessions, Summer Session classes and a host of special events, our campus remains a vibrant community during the summer months.

We are particularly excited to welcome 120 first-year students to the Summer Enrichment Academy from July 5 to Aug. 12. The academy is a partnership among Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management and is a result of the integration and expansion of the former Southern Educational Opportunity and Southern Challenge programs.

Christopher Catching, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, reports that students will have the opportunity to take courses and develop relationships with their classmates, faculty and administrators that will help them be successful at Southern. These students currently are conditionally admitted in credit and non-credit courses, and when they complete the summer program, they will matriculate as first-year students in the fall.

This weekend, we continue our long and fruitful association with Connecticut Special Olympics, hosting the Summer Games as we have annually since 1999.

Connecticut Special Olympics is now woven into the fabric of our campus. Over the years, a number of volunteers and unified partners have gone on to enroll at Southern due to their experiences at the Summer Games. In addition, our University Police and student organizations annually combine to host a Jail ‘N’ Bail event that has raised thousands of dollars to support Connecticut Special Olympics and its programs.

Our strong connection is a natural one. As a public university, Southern is also committed to the advancement of diversity and accessibility. Our population of students with disabilities is one of the largest of any university in Connecticut, and over the last decade we have invested a great deal to make sure our campus is fully accessible.

We take pride in being able to offer the very best in facilities to the athletes and spectators who will visit us for these summer games.  And we also provide a warm welcome to our Special Olympics guests through the many Southern students, staff and faculty who volunteer to serve as results recorders, timekeepers, line judges, athlete escorts, and in various other roles.

Finally, you may recall from a recent blog that there were scores of entries in the competition to name the new Starbuck’s Café on the main floor of Buley Library. The winner was, appropriately, “The Owl’s Perch,” and the cafe is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 pm. The Owl’s Perch will be open all summer while the Bagel Wagon undergoes renovation.

I hope you have the opportunity to take some well-earned vacation time this summer and rejuvenate for what promises to be an interesting and exciting fall semester!

As I prepare to leave the university and begin the next phase of my new professional journey, I extend my best wishes to all of you for continued success and fulfilment in your careers and health and happiness in your personal lives. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you, and I know that Southern remains in good hands and will continue to prosper!

The surfboard is such a part of American popular culture it is almost folkloric. Think “Surfin’ Safari,” The Beach Boys, “Beach Blanket Bingo,” Gidget, and, more recently, “Lilo and Stitch” and “Blue Crush.” Surfing has been romanticized in the American imagination for generations, but how much do any of us really know about the sport or the surfboard itself?

This spring semester, in an Honors College course entitled “Material and Meaning: Economic Geography and Sculpture,” students built their own surfboards from scratch. In doing so, they learned more about surfboards than most of us will ever know: what goes into the production of these manufactured objects or commodities; the production process’ impact on the environment and on workers; and cultural meanings of the object. The class visited beaches and studied wave dynamics to learn how they can affect the way a board surfs. They created a life cycle analysis of their boards, the purpose of which, student Hope Finch explains, “is to quantify a product’s impact on the environment, seek out potential improvements, and to clearly articulate the process through which a product is made.”

And in the end – they had surfboards!

Team taught by Patrick Heidkamp, associate professor of geography, and Jeff Slomba, professor of art, “Material and Meaning” is a hands-on practical learning experience that engages students on many levels. Heidkamp and Slomba decided to use surfboards as the object students would make in the course after encountering research about surfboards at a conference. The course’s goal is for students to create an object that teaches them about commodity chain analysis, or how to examine the process by which companies gather resources, transform them into goods or commodities, and distribute them to consumers. Heidkamp is a longtime surfer and Slomba a paddleboarder, so they also thought the finished products in the course would end up being fun for students. As Heidkamp says, “We hoped we might be able to approximate something that actually works.”

The class was divided into small groups, each of which was assigned a particular kind of surfboard to study and build. One board was to be made of sustainably-grown wood; another of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), which is slightly better for the environment than other similar types of foam; and another of materials found on beaches, such as chunks of old foam buoys and docks that had washed up onto the shore. Slomba says these reclaimed materials had “living things inside them” — ants, ticks and other insects –when they were collected, and the creatures remained inside the materials while the students worked on their board. The proposed boards represented different levels of sustainability, says Heidkamp.

Before actually tackling the job of making the boards, students researched the materials they would be using, interviewing manufacturers and other companies that supplied them with the components of the boards. They traced the commodity chain, learned about the history of surfing and its cultural origins, and made demo boards — scale models of the full-size boards they would eventually create. In the process, they also learned how to use the tools that were necessary to build their boards, creating empathy for workers who build boards for a living.

Student Emma Knauerhase, whose group built the board of reclaimed materials, says, “The most import thing I learned from this project was how to be innovative . . . we were able to do anything we wanted with our surfboard! My group was able to create the surfboard from recycled material and shape it ourselves! Whereas other groups had guidelines to follow, we did not.”

Ultimately, the iconic surfboard came to represent much more to the students than a prop from a Beach Boys song. As Hope Finch says, after taking the course, she “can no longer think of the products you use everyday in the same way. When I look at my board I understand its potential to be detrimental to marine life, I am reminded of the chemicals embedded in the foam and the harm they pose to factory workers in foreign countries, and I am aware of the pollution created in order to ship and deliver the materials to Southern. The surfboard becomes so much more. The surfboard represents the countless repetitive shaping maneuvers needed to form the rails, it represents a fear of tools overcome, and ultimately it’s a physical manifestation of a deep respect for Surf Culture and those that work to keep its roots alive.”

By Sarah Gummo, Hope Finch, and Grace Skyrrow

I had legit chicken nuggets that were lamb. – Charlie Comstock

Here are a few important things that Dr. Heidkamp conveniently failed to mention when we signed up for this trip:

1. We’d be fording frigid rivers on foot (at 1 am and with disastrous but hilarious results).
2. We’d be surrounded by angry Arctic Terns who find pleasure in dive bombing and pecking unprotected heads.
3. Iceland doesn’t believe in common roadside safety features such as guard rails.

Despite wet boots, sore heads, and mild strokes from straddling cliffs in our sweatbox vehicles, we have all enjoyed another beautiful day in Iceland. After departing from our beloved Berunes Hostel, we enjoyed a packed car ride past waterfalls, striated mountainsides, and through one extremely long tunnel, which has been the only bit of darkness experienced since our arrival on Sunday.

We were then given a guided tour through the Alcoa Aluminum Plant, which ended with our first giant meal of the trip at the plant’s canteen. We continued our drive after lunch, stopping at Karahnjukar Power Plant and Fljotsdalur Station briefly, before soaking at Laugarfell Hot Spring and eating soup and bread. Our final drive in the stinkmobiles ended, and we were left on the side of a winding gravel road to make a 3 km hike.

The trek to Skalanes is where things really got interesting, ending in near hypothermia (only if you ask Hope), drenched pants, and one great story.

We have arrived at Skalanes, with a heightened respect for beds and an awe-inspiring view.

A Day in Skálanes

Today was the first full day at Skálanes, the day was spent conducting two geographical lab activities. These two activities were “Exercise 7 Reading and Landscape” and “Exercise 8 soil profiling”.

The first exercise was conducted after breakfast from 10 am to 11 am around the Farm House. In order to successfully complete this exercise, we explored the surroundings of the Farmhouse and observed the topography and cultural features of the landscape. Immediately after venturing outside one of our LJMU colleagues was pooped on by one of the many aggressive arctic terns (a type of bird) native to Iceland. After exploring the field for a while, we needed to concentrate on one scene and create a field sketch.

After the first exercise, everyone re-grouped to complete/add to our observations while enjoying homemade tomato soup and bread courtesy of the SCSU and LJMU students. In the farmhouse there was what seemed to be an unlimited source of tea. However, before long the Brits had ravished their supply of tea bags after not having their beloved refreshment for five very long days (don’t get between Brits and their tea).

After eating we socialized for a while then went out into the field to conduct our second experiment “Soil profiling”. In this activity we conducted research in Skálanes, focusing on the soil. We conducted a localized geographical soil sampling test. By completing this exercise we learned the importance of testing soil before any action occurs on the land. This must happen due to the many inconsistencies within soil. Meaning, the soil could be too saturated in water, very dry, or hollow beneath the top soil. All these characteristics present an opportunity to study the environment and learn what the geographical location endured over a course of years.

The soil we observed in Skálanes showed evidence of volcanic eruption, human disturbance, an abundance of organic matter, and a nutrient rich soil and glacier till identified 1 meter from the surface. Another interesting and rather strange test conducted in the field was the tasting of soil after Dr. Heidkamp convinced one of the more adventurous LJMU students to have a taste. In conclusion, we had a very enriching and comical day due to all the geographical activities conducted which included the understanding and importance of observation.

After the trek through the swarm of Tarn we were back at the farmhouse for some relaxation and to wrap up the aluminum module started prior. A film chronicling the aluminum industry was presented, and a greater understanding of the politics and environmental history behind Alcoa was tied into the prior course module.

By Kelly Bickell, Becca Hubley, and Luke

Explorations Around Skalanes

The students are noticing a recurring theme where activities are considerably more extreme than expected. We started the day as potato farmers. Using our knowledge that we acquired yesterday doing soil profiles, we had to test soil in a wide array of areas in Skalanes to find the most suitable spot to grow potatoes.

The SCSU and LJMU students took advantage of the 60 degree Fahrenheit weather by hanging out on the farm house deck once we all finished our field work, which overlooks the ocean, meadows and snow covered mountains. Once the students felt rejuvenated from naps under the hot sun, mushroom soup, and laughter, Skalanes employees and the professors led two groups of students up nearby mountains in an effort to plant weather stations at high altitudes.

A small group of students climbed a more challenging ridge in order to place a temperature meter at higher altitude, as well as planted snow stakes for an LJMU student’s dissertation data collection. Although the climb to the top of the ridge was long, steep and tiring, it was worth it to see the incredible view.

We all ended our night with a bumpy car ride, pizza and drinks in Seydisfjordur, and what seemed like the longest walk ever back to the farm house at sunrise. Yesterday was a good day.

By Janee Petersen and Jacob Gant

All Work No Play

Today was the first time that work dominated the entirety of the day. Many of us were on cooking, dishes, or cleaning duty. This even included cleaning the guesthouse bathrooms.  Everyone is expected to help with the day to day operations of Skálanes.

The course work began immediately after breakfast with an orientation of the weather stations which we will be installing here within the next few days.  The weather stations will monitor conditions such as precipitations, temperature, wind speed and the barometric pressure.  They should collect data at Skálanes for years to come.

Next was a lecture and lab exercise on hydraulic river modeling. We took various measurements and readings from a stream running through the property. The rest of the day was spent working on individual research projects.  Some of us have projects relating to Skálanes and those of us who will be doing research in other parts of Iceland were paired up with our friends from Liverpool to help with their projects.

Although today was low key and we stayed inside for most of the day, it was still an all-inspiring experience to be able to do homework, listen to music and hang out with our new British friends in such a beautiful place.

Ps. We all needed the rest anyways considering Iceland is the land of no sleep (New York has nothing on us).

By Steven Cardinal and Miles Mcconville

So today marks our halfway mark on our grand adventure in the beautiful Skálanes, Iceland. Today the students of SCSU AND Liverpool John Moores University continued working on the projects that we’ve been assigned for the next few days.

The projects are aimed at consolidating the knowledge and skills the group has learnt so far on the trip, such as studying the hydrology of local rivers, looking at the sea bird population, and investigating snow conditions.

Some students accompanied Dr. Heidkamp on an expedition to install another weather station in the area on top of Baegsli (938 meters). Unfortunately, weather conditions and wet terrain prohibited those hiking from reaching their destination. Although it was a bummer the goal wasn’t reached, we did learn a valuable lesson in trusting our gut when a situation is presented that doesn’t feel 100% safe. The mountains are not going anywhere and will still be there to climb another day.

Meanwhile, one group traveled to the mountain pass behind Seyðisfjörður to measure snow levels and density. Stakes had been placed earlier in the week and were revisited to see their progress. Due to the unseasonably high temperatures we have seen around 15cm of snow melt over the past three days. The site will continue to be monitored over the coming days to track its progress and record its findings.

Later on in the evening, we had the pleasure of meeting Andri Snaer Magnason, Icelandic presidential hopeful and author of the book Dreamland, which discusses the environmental concerns surrounding hydroelectric power and aluminium smelting processes within the country. Hearing Andri discuss the impacts of damming opened our eyes to how not to just accept an environmental solution without doing some research.

Not long after we were treated to a boat ride out in the fjord guided by Oli, the owner of the Skálanes nature reserve. It was a blessing to interact with both of these amazing individuals today. They have broadened our horizons on what it really means to care for nature and why it is so important to protect it. We can’t wait to see what else this adventure will offer us.

Iceland

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By Alexa Gorlick

This morning we thought it would be a good idea to get the van back, or almost back, to the condition we received it in. Many coins into the vacuum machine later, our efforts were rewarded by Dr. Heidkamp, who treated everyone to ice cream for breakfast. Our first stop today was at Hengifoss, the third highest waterfall in Iceland. Bright red stripes line the basaltic rock behind the waterfall. After we reached the waterfall, we all took some time to take in the view before hiking back down. Next we drove a few miles down the road to Skriduklaustur, where the home of late author Gunnar Gunnarsson lies, which has been converted into a museum. Nearby is a visitor center with tons of information about the wildlife in Iceland that looks out onto vast green fields filled with sheep. Within the field are the ruins of a 16th century Augustinian cloister. After exploring the property our appetite let us know it was time to redirect our attention to lunch. Dr. Heidkamp told us that the museum had a cake buffet. We were certain this was a joke, but we couldn’t be more excited when we found a quaint little restaurant, with a beautiful set up of numerous traditional Icelandic sweets. We soon came to find out that our eyes were much larger than our stomachs, and within twenty minutes, half of us could not move. Our last stop was at an organic farm named Vallanes. Here we got to speak with the owner and volunteer workers about the productions on the farm. We learned their business is very special, because it is difficult to run a successful farm in Icelandic conditions. To finish our day we had a big bonfire on the black sand beach of Skalanes. This was a great way to enjoy are last moments of the trip with Tim and Tom.

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While many college students are enjoying summer recess, a team of science undergraduates from Southern is hitting the lab on a mission to find a faster method to detect tuberculosis.

The 10 students – hailing from a variety of disciplines within the sciences – aim to have their work ready to present this fall at the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, known as iGEM. The program, to be held Oct. 27 to 31 in Boston, includes nearly 300 teams of students – mostly undergraduates, but some graduate and high school students. The students will demonstrate their synthetic biology skills, which will include the summer TB project. It marks the first time Southern has competed in the program, and only a few Connecticut universities have done so during the previous 12 years, according to SCSU Nicholas Edgington, associate professor of biology.

“This is a terrific opportunity for our students to showcase their talents and abilities,” said Nicholas Edgington, associate professor of biology.

The teams compete against one another in various categories, as well as strive to attain a medal (gold, silver or bronze) in their own right by meeting a variety of criteria. The SCSU contingent will compete in the “overgrad” category, which includes undergraduate students with at least one student who is at least 24 years of age.

Bryan Pasqualucci, an Ansonia student, said he and his teammates are excited about the project and the opportunity to showcase their skills this fall.

“TB is one of the leading killers of human beings worldwide with a third of the world’s population infected by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis,” Pasqualucci said.

Most infected by the bacteria develop a latent state of the disease for many years, if not forever. But even those individuals face a 10-percent lifetime risk of developing an active form of the disease. In fact, TB claims the lives of more than a million people each year worldwide.

“Like so many diseases, early detection is important in treating TB,” Pasqualucci said. “Unfortunately, some tests for TB require a wait of several weeks before learning the results, so we want to see if we can find a way to shorten the time needed for some of these tests.”

The SCSU students will work on their project this summer with a mentor who is doctoral student from the Weill Cornell Medical College Department of Microbiology & Immunology in New York.

Although the TB project will be the primary focus for the students, they also will be judged at the competition on the development of a wiki page, a poster, and a community outreach project in which the students will be engaged in professional development workshops with middle and high school teachers.

Most of those workshops will be to train teachers – particularly from New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury – on the use of “Building with Biology” kits produced by the National Informal STEM Education Network. The kits are intended to provide students with a hands-on synthetic biology science lesson. They also are designed to foster conversations about ethical aspects of synthetic biology, such as the Human Genome Project and genetic engineering.

The decision to enter the competition was sparked last year during a synthetic biology course, according to Karalyn Farr, a biology student from Trumbull. “There were six of us in the class and we started talking about starting a team. We eventually said, “let’s do it.’” Flyers were then posted and an organizational meeting was held.

Pasqualucci said he is cautiously optimistic the team will earn a medal this fall. “Our strengths include being a good interdisciplinary team, and having a new high tech laboratory science building on campus (which was completed nearly a year ago). We’re also a pretty optimistic bunch. Our biggest challenges would be our inexperience in this competition and the money we will need to raise over the next several months.”

Individuals or organizations wishing to help defray the costs associated with the competition can do so via the BioPath Innovation Fund. Donors are asked to email Dan Camenga (camengad1@southernct.edu) and indicate that the donation is specifically for the “SCSU iGEM 2016 Team.”

Checks can be made out to SCSU Foundation with BIOPATH Innovation, and donors asked to include “iGEM 2016” in the memo line. The checks can be mailed to SCSU at 501 Crescent St., New Haven, Conn. 06515 to the attention of the Office Of Annual Giving.

Pasqualucci said the team hopes to raise $15,000 to $20,000, but will need at least $10,000. Several SCSU organizations already have contributed, including the Office of STEM Innovation & Leadership, the CSCU Center for Nanotechnology, the Bio Path Initiative and the office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Members of the team are: Farr, Patrick Flynn, Thomas Hoang, Rye Howard-Stone, Samantha Amorando, Christopher Wojtas, Hafssa Chbihi, Julio Badillo, Zachary Matto and Pasqualucci.

Children at New Haven’s Strong School each received a book to call their own and read this summer, courtesy of a fundraising drive organized by a group of students at Southern.The SCSU Urban Education Fellows were able to generate enough money this spring to buy more than 400 books – enough to provide each student with a book. The students were able to choose from a selection of high quality fiction and non-fiction.

“There is an extraordinary feeling of owning a new book as one’s own property,” said Marissa Fasoli, a member of the Urban Education Fellows who helped organize the project. “Those types of feelings have the ability to spark literary interest in even the youngest students. It was wonderful connecting with the local community, as well as showing how Southern education students are willing to advocate for the public schools we work closely with throughout the year.”

The idea for the drive came about as the students brainstormed as to how they could affect the community in a meaningful, positive way, according to Fasoli. She said the decision to choose Strong for the book offering happened after visiting and touring the magnet school.

“There is now more room for dialogue on other ways that Southern students can become involved in the local public schools,” she said. “Having more SCSU student involvement will form closer ties with the students and will spark more interest in pursuing higher education within their home city of New Haven.”

Jessica Powell, assistant professor of elementary education and a co-advisor of the Urban Education Fellows, said the selection of Strong School was a logical choice, given the recent vote by the New Haven Board of Alders to pursue the construction of a new facility for the school on the campus of SCSU.

“In fact, some of our Fellows actually provided testimony to the board in support of the plan,” she said. “It shows we’re in this together. And we are planning another book drive next year. This is not intended to be just a one-time deal, but rather the beginning of a long partnership.”

Strong connections are planned between the two schools once the building is constructed over the next few years.

Meredith Sinclair, assistant professor of English, also is a co-advisor of the Fellows. The organization currently has a few dozen students who seek to become leaders and advocates for urban education schools, students and parents.

In addition to the book drive, the students have been busy over the last several months. Three students recently attended a Children Defense Fund’s Freedom School workshop in North Carolina to learn more about empowering youth, as well as encouraging the reading of high quality books and building self-esteem among poorer children. Those students will be sharing what they learned with other SCSU Urban Education Fellows.

By Hope Finch

Today was the first full day at Skálanes, the day was spent conducting two geographical lab activities. These two activities were “Exercise 7 Reading and Landscape” and “Exercise 8 soil profiling”. The first exercise was conducted after breakfast from 10 am to 11 am around the Farm House. In order to successfully complete this exercise, we explored the surroundings of the Farmhouse and observed the topography and cultural features of the landscape. Immediately after venturing outside one of our LJMU colleagues was pooped on by one of the many aggressive arctic terns (a type of bird) native to Iceland. After exploring the field for a while, we needed to concentrate on one scene and create a field sketch. After the first exercise, everyone re-grouped to complete/add to our observations while enjoying homemade tomato soup and bread courtesy of the SCSU and LJMU students. In the farmhouse there was what seemed to be an unlimited source of tea. However, before long the Brits had ravished their supply of tea bags after not having their beloved refreshment for five very long days (don’t get between Brits and their tea). After eating we socialized for a while then went out into the field to conduct our second experiment “Soil profiling”. In this activity we conducted research in Skálanes, focusing on the soil. We conducted a localized geographical soil sampling test. By completing this exercise we learned the importance of testing soil before any action occurs on the land. This must happen due to the many inconsistencies within soil. Meaning, the soil could be too saturated in water, very dry, or hollow beneath the top soil. All these characteristics present an opportunity to study the environment and learn what the geographical location endured over a course of years. The soil we observed in Skálanes showed evidence of volcanic eruption, human disturbance, an abundance of organic matter, and a nutrient rich soil and glacier till identified 1 meter from the surface. Another interesting and rather strange test conducted in the field was the tasting of soil after Dr. Heidkamp convinced one of the more adventurous LJMU students to have a taste. In conclusion, we had a very enriching and comical day due to all the geographical activities conducted which included the understanding and importance of observation. After the trek through the swarm of Tarn we were back at the farmhouse for some relaxation and to wrap up the aluminum module started prior. A film chronicling the aluminum industry was presented, and a greater understanding of the politics and environmental history behind Alcoa was tied into the prior course module.

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By Kelly Bickell, Nic Varley

Here’s to the last day with half of the LJMU crew, safe travels to those returning home! The remaining SCSU and LJMU students whom are remaining at the Skálanes farmhouse will utilize this unique opportunity to collect data for their university’s dissertation projects. Both groups of students record the lab data in his or her field notebook. The field notebooks are the basis for either a research proposal or dissertation.

Today marks the completion of a two day research project on various topics related to climate change, human geography, and hydropower along with other local Icelandic issues. Just before a dinner barbeque of lamb the students presented the research projects to a room full of students and the three professors. The presentations were thought provoking and should have helped students understand how best to go about future research.

Today is a day to remember because the weather station has been permanently stationed in the farmhouses’ yard. People for years to come will have access to data about the local climate.

Additionally two Eider duck babies, named Chirp and Cheep, have hatched and are currently residing within the farmhouse. This specific research project focuses investigating the effects of the condition of the mother and the growth of her chicks.

By Steven Cardinal

As our time at Skalanes begins to come to a close, Steve began to recruit some friends for a reindeer stalk to study the animals. As this was a much anticipated event from the group, excitement was at an all-time high. The crew departed the house with a look of determination in their eyes. Initially they began at a waterfall where they had previously seen the herd, after surveying tracks and scat it was clear they would be best to try another area. As time passes the hopeful explorers had searched the hills, valley, and mountains with nothing but tracks to show for it. After seven long and grueling hours the group began to lose hope…the trail mix and fruit stores that had sustained them had been depleted, and their initial excitement began to morph into disappointment. The group returned, reporting their comparably mundane findings back to the house. After a good meal and a few rounds of cards the three had almost forgotten the long and fruitless day… That is until Professor Heidkamp entered the room with a sinister smile on his face…. In a 20 minute drive to town Heidkamp happened to “stumble upon” a herd of 12 deer who were a mere feet from his vehicle. The following day on a walk into town to celebrate Independence Day, the unsuccessful herd trackers were delighted to spot the herd unexpectedly walking the hills above them.

Icelandic National Day

Today we started out early with a hike up to the local sound sculpture known as Tvísöngur, where some of the louder members of our group used its unique construction to speak even louder (which I honestly thought impossible – Hope). Luckily, the beautiful view and wonderful weather helped to offset the ear piercing singing and tedious selfies. After we soaked up some art and nature, Dr. Heidkamp decided to enlighten us with a field lecture of the town’s economic history and geography followed by a sightseeing tour of Seydisfjordur. We then decided to help the amazing people of Iceland celebrate their independence from Danish rule by observing the annual shooting of the town’s canon into the harbor, and eating piles and piles of delicious pizza (not a very traditional Icelandic meal, but it got the job done). We closed out our day at Skálanes, by spending time with our new friends from the UK, who we will end up parting ways with tomorrow.

By Emma Knauerhase, Charles Comstock

Today was the last day with our close friends because they left for the U.K from the egilstadir airport. A few of us woke up early to say goodbye to them as they left to go home. Once we said our goodbyes to a song from the breakfast club “Don’t you forget about me” as they drove off, we went back to bed. After sleeping in for the first time this entire trip, Dr. Heidkamp told the SCSU students the last job we were ever going to do at Skalanes. This job was to move three huge plastic fishing tubs and clean the black sand beach. We carried the tubes on the rocky beach while dodging the artic terns who were attacking us and then we climbed a steep hill back to skalanes with the heavy plastic fish tubes. Once the dreadful task was over we said our goodbyes to the very close friends we made at the farmhouse and took lots of photos with the remaining two U.K students who we would later see at the Icelandic capital. Once we left skalanes for the final time we headed to the gas station in egilstaditr and ran into our friends who left for the airport earlier that morning! After a long reunion (even though we just saw them earlier in the morning) we said our official goodbyes and went our separate ways.

We headed to the highlands of Iceland where the wind was so powerful it rips car doors off the hinges. After a nice car ride with SCSU students we found ourselves in Grimstadir where we resided in a “haunted” farm house for the night. After settling into the haunted house we left for the Jarbodin Natuerew Baths where we stayed for 5 hours to heal our sadness of leaving Skalanes and our friends in the U.K.

When we left the baths to go back to the house Emma and Kelly began to cook pasta for the majority of the hungry SCSU students but then the power went out just as we put the pasta in the boiling water. Since we did not know what to do, we travelled down to the haunted basement only to find out we had to go to the owner’s house to fix the power. Therefore Emma trekked out in the powerful winds to help her friends. Once we gained power we ate our soggy pasta and went directly to bed a 3 in the morning. Even though we went to bed at three in the morning, the sun did not set and was already rising by the time we went to bed.