Matt Ross: From Eager College Student to Technology Leader and Father

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Matt Ross stands among the servers that help power the Neag School of Education's technology. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay
Matt Ross stands among the servers that help power the Neag School of Education’s technology. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

After working for the Neag School of Education at UConn for almost half of his life, Matt Ross, ’01, ’07, recently announced that he’s leaving the world of technology in higher education to direct technology for the Farmington School District. A resident of Farmington for almost 10 years, he will be responsible for technology design, implementation and evaluation throughout the school district.

“Matt has had an integral role in the implementation and support of technologies available to Neag School of Education faculty, staff and students,” said Dean Thomas C. DeFranco. “Most, if not all, of us have benefitted from his knowledge, skills and dedication. The Neag School has also provided Matt with countless personal and professional opportunities for growth and experience.”

Ross, in fact, literally grew up here. Hired as a student employee in 1998 when he was sophomore, Ross’ first job was in the Dean’s Office, where he was responsible for designing and executing the conversion of student files from a card catalogue to a computer database, and eliminating unnecessary paperwork.

“We’ve been his second home and family for more than a decade,” DeFranco said. “Many of us have watched him grow from an energetic college student to his present role as a professional colleague and dad to his two young children, Nate and Ella.”

He originally chose UConn to study computer science and engineering, which was the right fit for his career aspirations. Although he wasn’t sure exactly where his studies would take him, he knew his long-term goals included providing technical advice and knowledge designed to improve others’ work effectiveness and overall work days.

Recalling the early days of technology at the Neag School, Ross said he well-remembers when “desktops were the norm and file sharing was new to everyone.”

“Y2K preparation was in full swing,” he continued, “and under the direction of a PhD student, the school’s technology included one server that was the file server, print server, web server, and database server. Today, we’ve grown to 15+ servers, laptops for every faculty member, video conferencing at the desktop and more,” he said. “It’s no longer what you have, but what you can get to as more data is stored in data clouds.”

Although over the past decade Ross left UConn to venture out into “the real world” for short stints at a bank and insurance company, he said he was drawn back to the Neag School by his love of the academic atmosphere, the beautiful campus and the many people he’s enjoyed working with.

Like family members, colleagues nurtured, encouraged and, when needed, critiqued Ross’ skills and abilities to help him learn and grow. “The environment has always been focused on learning,” he said. “It’s OK to make a mistake now and than, as it’s part of the learning process.”

When thinking of all the people he’s worked with over the years, he noted there are “too many to name without forgetting someone, but if I had to pick one, I’d recognize Rich Schwab (who was dean from 1997 to 2009).”

“Rich provided me with advice—personal and professional—as well as opportunities to grow. I have watched and been a product of his vision for the Neag School and the field of education,” he reflected. “Rich has a way of knowing what seeds to plant, and buttons to push, to bring out the best in an individual. He helped push me to get my MA.”

“Matt is an outstanding professional and even more important a wonderful person,” said Dr. Schwab, dean emeritus of the Neag School. “I have had the great pleasure of watching him grow from a freshman work study student in the Neag School through his degree program, to meeting his wife – also a Neag Alum — to working with him as a professional and watching him grow as a Dad. He is a special person who will be greatly missed.”

“I am proud of his accomplishments and wish him great luck in this new, exciting venture at the Farmington Public Schools. They are fortunate to have hired Matt as their Director of Technology,” he continued.

Because Ross wanted to understand the business of the environment he worked in and to successfully bridge the gap between technology and education, graduate school—as Schwab recommended—was Ross’  next step. Along the way and after graduating with a master’s in educational technology, Ross’ hard work earned him numerous promotions, and he ventured into becoming an adjunct instructor for the Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG). He’s taught two sections of “Enhancing Classroom Curriculum with Media and Technology” and will continue as a TCPCG instructor.

A resident of Farmington since 2004, he owns a house that has passed from his great-grandparents, to his grandparents and now to him. “My children are the fifth generation to run up and down the stairs,” he said.

He added that he’s excited  for the opportunity to work in his hometown and with the Farmington School District, which has proven its commitment to providing “an excellent intersection of technology and application to education.” It will also allow him to spend more time with his family.

A part of his heart, however, will always remain with UConn and the Neag School of Education. “I look at this life event not as the end of a relationship, but as the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between the Neag School and myself. I hope to continue working with all my colleagues at UConn in this new capacity far into the future,” he said. “Thanks to everyone for their support.”

Thank you, Matt Ross, for all you’ve done for the Neag School of Education.

 

REALL Makes Real Learning Possible For ELLs

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Eliana Rojas (pictured on the left) discusses the progress of the REALL program with Mary Doyle, head of the Curriculum and Instruction Department.
Eliana Rojas (pictured on the left) discusses the progress of the REALL program with Mary Anne Doyle, head of the Curriculum and Instruction Department.

It didn’t take long for New Britain fifth-grade teacher Kim Rosa Gionfriddo to realize the strategies she learned as a Neag School of Education REALL fellow to better teach students with limited English proficiency could  benefit native English-speaking students, too.

“It’s a simple thing, but just by being more explicit and taking time to define terms—reminding students, for example, the difference between a product and a quotient—can help keep them focused and ensure they keep up with the lesson, rather than wonder, become confused or fall behind,” said Gionfriddo, one of 45 Connecticut teachers accepted into the graduate-level Raising Expectations for All English Language Learners (REALL) program.

Developed in 2007 by Neag Assistant Professor Eliana D. Rojas, Ph.D., and funded with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the REALL program graduated its final fellow this past May. Experts, however, expect the skills and strategies fellows learned to improve ELLs’ academic achievement will have long-term and far-reaching effects.

Focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers working toward their master’s or Sixth Year degrees, the program was designed to contribute to efforts to close Connecticut’s achievement gap. Perhaps more importantly, it was also designed to give teachers the ability to show Latino and other ELL students they aren’t the “failures” standardized tests and assessments say they are.

“ELL students deserve the same opportunities for academic achievement as their English-speaking peers. They have just as many abilities, but many need to be taught differently,” Rojas said. “Similar to students with physical disabilities, ELLs have special needs to be accommodated, and it’s our job as educators to find best practices to do that—to make these students feel passionate about learning, rather than to make the experience of learning frustrating, or to make them feel like failures.”

Emphasizing math, REALL provided fellows with proven ELL teaching models. Strategies and tools for better cross-cultural communications and building a more culturally responsive learning environment were stressed, including web-based technology that allows ELLs to work on their individual challenges. Bilingual math teachers were taught a proven intermediate algebra/pre-calculus teaching model.

REALL fellow Andrea Handler-Ruiz, a science teacher in the Arts & Humanities Academy at Windham High School in Willimantic, walked away from the program with not just more effective teaching strategies, but a “fortified” belief that great teaching is not just about providing an effective education, but an equal education.

“The importance of programs like REALL cannot be overlooked,” Handler-Ruiz said. “The readings and dialogues we took part in showed us how to embrace diversity in the classroom, as well as solidly argue in favor of integrated teaching approaches that best serve multicultural students.”

Rojas, whose continued dedication to strengthening the abilities of ELL educators has made the Neag School of Education a leader in the field, echoed Handler-Ruiz’s beliefs: “How do we target students who face the biggest challenges, without diluting expectations? Materials and standards don’t need to be ‘dumbed down’ for ELLs, but presented differently. REALL gave educators the tools to do the important work they are committed to. And the benefits? The results we’ve seen are that everyone wins.”

 

Transcendental Meditation May Boost Student Grades

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New research suggests that Transcendental Meditation, taught to The Beatles by Indian Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (pictured), can boost brain function and improve exam grades by up to 25 percent. (Photo credit: Google Images)
New research suggests that Transcendental Meditation, taught to The Beatles by Indian Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (pictured), can boost brain function and improve exam grades by up to 25 percent. (Photo credit: Google Images)
A study of school pupils by Dr. Robert Colbert found that performing two 20-minute sessions of Transcendental Meditation each day improves academic achievement.  “While there are bright spots in public education today, urban schools on the whole tend to suffer from a range of factors which contribute to poor student academic performance and low graduation rates,” according to lead author, Robert D. Colbert, Ph.D., associate professor, and director of Neag School of Education‘s Diversity Council at University of Connecticut. “Students need to be provided with value-added educational programs that can provide opportunities for school success. Our study investigated one such program, Transcendental Meditation, which appears to hold tremendous promise for enriching the lives of our nation’s students.”
 Read more in Medical News Today.

 

NFL Players Association Helps UConn’s
 Korey Stringer Institute Beat the Heat

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From left, James Gould, director, KSI Board of Advisors; Kelci Stringer; and DeMaurice Smith, executive director, NFL Players Association.
From left, James Gould, director, KSI Board of
Advisors; Kelci Stringer; and DeMaurice Smith,
executive director, NFL Players Association.

With warm weather settling in, most of us start thinking of beaches and cookouts, but the arrival of summer has more serious implications for the National Football League Players Association.

Mindful of the danger of heat for its members, the NFLPA sponsored a fundraising dinner for the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, which works to prevent sudden death in sport and physical activity.

“The sold-out event was held during the week of the NFL draft, an event that focuses lots of attention on football, not only by players and fans but also by sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, and coaches,” says Douglas Casa, Ph.D., a professor and director of athletic training in the Department of Kinesiology at the Neag School of Education and chief operating officer for the Korey Stringer Institute. “The NFLPA’s support for our health and safety initiatives allows us to continue our research and campaign for better policies for athletes and others involved in physical activities outdoors, such as soldiers and laborers.” Twelve current NFL players and 10 former players attended the event, which raised more than $30,000.

“The Korey Stringer Institute’s mission is one that aligns with the NFLPA’s focus on establishing a safer work place and a broader culture of safety,” said NFLPA staff counsel Sean Sansiveri. “The KSI has done so much to address athlete-specific health and safety issues such as hydration and heatstroke, the NFLPA was proud to support the Institute on its third anniversary with the ‘Players Helping Players’ gala. It was a sophisticated event that allowed current and former players to interact directly with individuals making a difference in the medical and patient-awareness fields. Holding the event in New York City the week of the Draft and on the eve of the NFLPA’s Mackey-White Committee meeting allowed us to introduce many of our medical advisors and business partners to the KSI and its work.”

Founded by Kelci Stringer, wife of Minnesota Viking lineman Korey Stringer who died in 2010 from exertional heat stroke during a preseason football practice, the institute provides research and advocacy for health and safety initiatives that help prevent sudden death in sport. The KSI has four corporate partners: the NFL, Gatorade, Timex, and CamelBak.

Casa has produced more than 140 peer-reviewed publications on heat and hydration topics and he helped develop health-acclimatization guidelines for secondary school athletics designed to reduce the risk of exertional heat illness during preseason practice periods. The guidelines have been adopted by 10 states and the institute is working with 15 other states to get them to adopt the guidelines. They eliminate intense two-a-day workouts at the start of preseason and allow athletes to adjust to exertion in hot weather through phased-in practices.

“Today, 10 states have adopted the guidelines, compared to none two years ago,” says Casa.  “It can take baby steps,” says Casa, who survived heatstroke as a teen distance runner.  “When Texas first approved guidelines, they didn‘t meet our minimum standards, but advocates kept working at it. Now, there’s some momentum for the guidelines tugging at states a little bit.  Our goal is to them approved before there is a tragedy.”

More than 9,000 high school athletes are treated for exertional heat illness annually, according to a 2010 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research by the Korey Stringer Institute with Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina found that nearly 75 percent of the cases of heat illness occurred in football. The study analyzed data collected from 2005 to 2011 by the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance System.

“We are working to get the information out to physicians, athletic trainers, teachers, coaches, parents, and athletes that death from exertional heat stroke is 100 percent preventable, and that many policies need to change to enhance the health and safety of athletes” says Casa.

Neag Students Take a Refreshing and Eye-Opening Break to Jamaica

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Alexandria Cipolla (top) and Shelby Flynn and another student enjoy drinking coconuts with students from Cove Elementary School in Jamaica.
Alexandria Cipolla (top) and Shelby Flynn and another student enjoy drinking coconuts with students from Cove Elementary School in Jamaica.

This past spring break the UConn Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life took their first alternative spring break to help out two different schools in Jamaica.

Alexandria Cipolla and Shelby Flynn were among two of the ten UConn students involved in the trip, and both are Neag School of Education students.

Flynn, a special education major, found the experience to be very eye opening.

“Speaking to teachers and principals and the students was inspiring,” said Flynn. “Two things that really stood out to me were the mottos of the schools. ‘Hard work brings true joy’ and ‘perseverance brings success.’ The schools promoted literacy and really emphasized the power of reading.”

The first half of the week was spent in Negril, at an elementary school called Cove School. At Cove School, they helped scrape rust off the gates at the school, sand them down and then repaint them. They also painted the entire outside of the school. The second half of the week was spent in Treasure Beach where the students helped out with a mural painting at another elementary school and an infant school (what Jamaica considers a school for pre-school and kindergarten).

Cipolla found that the alternative break was a good educational experience, both as a Neag student and as a member of a sorority.

“It was an amazing educational experience,” said Cipolla, an elementary education major. “I learned a great deal about global education, and was able to see how the education system works in a completely different area.”

The two students also found that the value of education in other countries is viewed and treated differently than in the United States.

“Education is not a ‘right’ in Jamaica and is funded by the families,” said Cipolla. “It is also a very different system, and was very interesting to observe.”

For Flynn, the week in Jamaica was a refreshing experience to see how education was viewed in Jamaica.

“Students are encouraged to be hard workers,” said Flynn. “When they enter the sixth grade at some of the schools, they have to take a test to attend high school. Most of the students expressed an interest for math or language.”

Both students found that their group’s work for the week not only gave the schools an extra pair of hands, support and resources but also gave the students of those schools new college role models that they could look up to.

“The PTA at Cove School was so grateful for our time. Every day we were at the site, he brought all of us a coconut as a sign of his appreciation for our work,’ said Flynn. “He had two children who attended Cove School and he was thankful for us being there. We were able to first drink the juice from the coconut and then [he] taught the correct way to eat a fresh coconut.”

As a part of Neag, Flynn and Cipolla found the experience even more rewarding and encourage more Neag students to consider attending alternative breaks.

“Being able to serve a community and a cause that we are already passionate about made the trip even more rewarding,” said Flynn. “I would definitely recommend any type of service trip to other Neag students.”

While most of the students feel as though they accomplished what they had originally set out to do, they realize that there’s always more work to be done and would gladly go back and continue lending a hand.

“The work is never finished,” said Cipolla. “If given the opportunity, I would go back to serve in Jamaica in a heart beat.”

Accolades: Read About the News and Accomplishments from our Students, Alumni and Faculty/Staff

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104516017-hands-clapping1-300x2001Accolades – below are news and notes from our alumni, faculty, staff, and students. We are proud of all the amazing accomplishments by our Neag family. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please send any news items (and story ideas) to shawn.kornegay@uconn.

Students

Jenna Apicella has been selected as a recipient of the 2013 American Kinesiology Association Graduate Student Writing Award. Apicella was the first author on the manuscript entitled “Betaine supplementation enhances anabolic endocrine and Akt signaling in response to acute bouts of exercise” which was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

Lindsey Gervais selected as this year’s Saint Joseph’s College Young Alumni Service Award winner.   The Young Alumni Service Award is presented to a graduate of the past ten years who has demonstrated a history of service.  The graduate lives the core values of Saint Joseph’s College and serves as an example for other young alumni.

Jennifer Kowitt was invited to review submissions for SIG-Special Education Research for the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Laura Kunces (doctoral student) earned an “EAS Scholarship Award” for leadership in nutrition. Currently serving as social chairman for fellow graduate students at the Neag Graduate School of Education, Kunces serves as advisor to dietetic interns and consultant to all lab groups and research studies in the Department of Kinesiology. A varsity swimmer while earning her BS degree in nutritional sciences at UConn, Kunces earned an MS in clinical nutrition from the University of Memphis and an MS in exercise science from UConn.

Hayley Root (master’s student) and Brittanie Volk (doctoral student) were named recipients of the 2013 Outstanding Graduate Student Scholarship Award by the American Kinesiology Association (AKA).

Doug Sekorski was recognized by the UConn’s Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes with the 2013 Outstanding Tutor Award. This award is given to one tutor who is exceptional in their commitment, responsibility, and tutoring ability. This year Sekorski has received tremendous feedback from our students for his knowledge, innovation, creativity, and dedication.

Alumni

James F. Abromaitis, ‘79 BA (CLAS), ‘82 MA in special education, was named director of athletics at Albertus Magnus College. Prior to becoming AD, he was the executive director of the Capital City Economic Development Authority in Hartford.

Denise Smith Bortner, ’82 BA in recreational service education, was inducted into McSherrytown Women’s Hall of Fame. Bortner was one of the first local athletes to participate in Division I college athletics. While attending UConn, her team won the 1981 Division I NCAA National Field Hockey Championship, the first women’s sports team to win an NCAA national championship. Later, she served as a physical education teacher at St. Francis Xavier School and St. Joseph School.

Burr R. Carlson, ’56 BS in physical education, ’64 MA in kinesiology, was elected to the New England Basketball Hall of Game.  He was the first UConn basketball to be drafted by the NBA after playing the 1951-52 season. He chose to be a coach and educator rather than pursue a professional sports career. He coached high school for many years, then UConn in the 1960s and moved on to teaching.

Len Carlson, ’62 BS in education, ’63 MS in education, a longtime assistant for the August State and August College men’s basketball program, was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in Worcester, Mass. Carlson made his mark on the court in high school before becoming the leading scorer at the University of Connecticut during his junior and senior seasons. Carlson came to Augusta as an Army lieutenant in 1963. He was a standout player in the Army, and he played professionally from 1965-68 in Belgium. But knee injuries derailed his career — he’s had 24 knee operations. Carlson began coaching at Augusta State in 1968, working as an assistant under Marvin Vanover. During the 1975-76 season, Carlson took a leave of absence to coach professionally in Belgium for one season. He returned to Augusta State and continued as an assistant until 1982. He later returned in 2006 to help the program.

Catherine Carter, ’07 BS in social science-sport leisure, ’13 MA in higher education administration, was appointed assistant director for student services in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University. Before joining Quinnipiac, Carter worked on her master’s degree at UConn, where she was an academic adviser in the School of Business, first-year experience course instructor, senior-year experience course facilitator and graduate assistant in the Office of Student Services & Advocacy.

Chris Dailey, ’01 MA in educational administration, UConn’s associate head women’s basketball coach, was honored with a $125,000 scholarship fund in her honor through Jim Agonis ’71 (BUS). The Chris Dailey Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to students who are not players but are involved with the women’s basketball team.

Tamara Fisher, ’04 MA in gifted and talented (three-summers program), was honored as Montana Gifted and Talented Teacher of the Year. Fisher is finishing her 17th year of teaching in Polson, Montana and has seen hundreds of gifted and talented students pass through her classes.

Thomas C. Healy, ’11 Sixth-Year Diploma in educational administration, was named New Western Middle School Assistant Principal. Previously, he was assistant dean of student life for Clark House and a social studies teacher at Greenwich High School.

Victoria Herbst, ’11 BS in animal science, ’13 MA in curriculum and instruction with a minor in science, was tapped to run the family horse farm as the youngest member of her family. A lifelong horseback-riding enthusiast, she will run the horse farm, called Herbst Arabians. Herbst is also currently searching for a teaching job at a vocational agriculture school, such as the institute at Lyman Hall High School or Middletown High School.

Colleen A. Kelley, ’83 Ph.D. in educational studies, recently hosted an illustrated presentation at Southbury Public Library on the current issues plaguing the Middle East. Kelly has worked as a history and Asian studies teacher in New York and Connecticut and taught comparative education and current issues at Central Connecticut State University.

Jack Lichtenthal, ’55 BA, shares that he directed and produced a film on his research “China and the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum.” He currently resides in Stamford, CT.

Michael Moynihan, ’09 Sixth-Year Diploma in educational administration, was appointed principal of Waddell Elementary School in Tolland. Prior to that, he was assistant principal at the Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland.

Cindy Ratchelous, ’88 BS in special education, was appointed principal of North Haven’s ACES Mill Road School. Prior to her appointment, she was the assistant principal at ACES since 2007.

Andrew Rockett, ’90 MA in educational administration, ’03 JD, was named principal of Rockville High School in Vernon. Most recently, he served as principal of Killingly High School.

Barbara F. Palmer, ’42 BS in home economics, ’63 MS in guidance counseling, recently passed away at the age of 92. As a parent in 1949, she worked with other mothers to establish the Tolland Parents and Teachers Association for the town’s newly consolidated elementary school. She was instrumental in establishing the first hot lunch program for that school.  When the town voted to establish its own high school, she was a member of the general and the departmental curriculum committees.  She taught home economics in Rockville High School.  In 1967, she moved to the newly opened Tolland High School, working there as a guidance counselor until she retired in 1985. Her daughter, Carol Cadman, works at the Neag School of Education.

Nathan D. Quesnel, ’01 BS in English, ’02 MA in curriculum and instruction, was named to Hartford Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” for 2013. He’s the superintendent for East Hartford Public Schools.

Dick Quinn, ’72, ’75 MA in educational administration, reports that he’s a retired schoolteacher and principal. One of his favorite professors, was Dr. Frank Ballard, ace-puppeteer. In his first six years of teaching, two of his classes in Waterford, CT received the Eugene O’Neil Theater Award. After moving to California, musicals performed by his classes were responsible for his accepting an award from Garry Marshall at the Los Angeles Music Center. The “BRAVO” Award is given to one elementary classroom teacher for work in the arts, and one secondary arts teacher. Retiring after 30+ years in education, he is still in contact with students who have gone into television, and other areas of the arts.

Lauren B. Rodriguez, ’03 MA in gifted and talented, ’07 Sixth-Year Diploma in educational administration, was named principal of Southeast Elementary School in Mansfield. Prior to joining Southeast, she was a site facilitator for under-performing suburban and elementary schools through the Neag School of Education.

Sara Renzulli, ’11 MA, ’13 Ph.D. both in educational psychology, and her advising professor, Jim O’Neil, were featured authors by APA division 51 (Society for the Psychology Study of Men & Masculinity) for their publication “Introduction to the Special Issue: Teaching the Psychology of Men – A Call to Action.” http://www.division51.org/publications/authorspotlight.htm

Jasdeep Sing, ’02 BS in biological sciences, ’03 MA in curriculum and instruction, was named principal at Wolcott Elementary School. A West Hartford resident, Sing was a former middle school science teacher and then interim assistant principal, who took over for Dr. Plato Karafelis – also a Neag alum — who retired in June.

Carol Virostek, ‘96 Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, was honored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) with an endowment in her honor, called the Carol R. Virostek Campus Leadership Opportunities Fund. The Fund recognizes her dedication to the growth of AAUW’s popular campus leadership programs and the inspiration she provided during her four years as chair of the national AAUW College/University Committee. She is also a former adjunct professor in the Neag School of Education.

Joseph A. Whelton ’79 BS in rehabilitation services, was named boys basketball coach at Sarasota Christian School, in Sarasota, FL. Prior to joining Sarasota Christian School, he was head coach at State College of Florida and the former sports director of YMCA Venice.

Steven Woznicki, ’05 Sixth-Year Diploma in educational administration, returned to West Hartford to be principal at Braeburn Elementary School. Woznicki worked the first 17 years of his career in West Hartford, then left to become assistant principal at Bristow Middle School in Bristol in 2005 and then lead Jennings School in Bristol, which closed last year.

Faculty/Staff

UConn’s Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development welcomed almost 700 (100 more than expected) educators from across the US and 10 countries to Confratute recently to the Storrs campus. Over the past 36 years, Confratute has attracted more than 20,000 educators worldwide for a highly acclaimed, enrichment-based program. The weeklong program was geared toward providing educators with research-based practical strategies for engagement and enrichment learning for all students, as well as meeting the needs of gifted and talented students.

UConn’s Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development welcomed 75 high school juniors from across CT and the US for Mentor Connection, the an annual three-week summer program for academically talented secondary students. Housed in the Neag School of Education’s Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, the program ran from July 7-26, 2013 and was designed to provide students with opportunities to participate in creative projects and research investigations under the supervision of university mentors.

UConn’s Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and the Renzulli Academy welcomed 63 students for the four-week Explorations and Investigations summer program. The students visited Talcott Mountain Science Center, learned about Math with Dr. Rachel McAnallen, Ph.D. ’12, at the UConn Storrs Campus, received technical insight through Technology: Developing a Digital Footprint and Interactive Video Games, and got creative at The Bushnell’s Summer Arts Program.

Postsecondary Disability Training Institute (PTI) had a record year while celebrating its 25th year anniversary with a successful weeklong professional development program. PTI used to be on campus (with no AC), and then moved out to Farmington in the early ’90’s. Since the mid-90s it’s moved around small cities in the Northeast (Newport, Burlington, Saratoga Springs, Portland) and more recently has been in Philadelphia and Boston. Pre-recession they would get about 270-280, and then during the recession, around 240-250. This year they reached over 330 participants. Next year will be in Philadelphia.

Sandy Bell did some work with the Cooperative Extension Educators in New Hampshire on “flipped classrooms.”

Cristina Colon-Semenza and Susan Glenney received a UConn Service Learning Fellowship. The Faculty Fellows program is a professional development and course creation opportunity where the Office of Service-Learning and Institute for Teaching and Learning assist committed faculty interested in teaching a service-learning course.

Lindsay DiStefano received a two-year grant ($150k) from the Charles H. Hood Foundation for Child Health Research, Boston MA. This grant will allow DiStefano to pursue injury prevention efforts in middle-school age children.

Morgaen Donaldson was selected as a 2013 National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. With the generous support of the Spencer Foundation, the Academy created this program to encourage outstanding researchers at the postdoctoral level to pursue critical education research projects. The fellowship award is a $55,000 grant intended to provide release time from teaching and administrative duties. Her fellow will focus on teacher evaluations in New Haven.

Doug Kaufman was quoted in El Mercurio from Chile about his work with writing and changing the culture of the teaching of writing in schools.

Stefanie Mazerolle participated in the EKIN nationwide Athletic Training search, and accepted the position of assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

Brandi Simonsen and George Sugai have in press, “PBIS in restrictive educational settings: Positive support for youth with high-risk behavior” for the publication Education and Treatment of Children.

Mary Yakimowski has a proposal that was accepted to the 2013 NNER Conference in Albuquerque. Her presentation is titled “Assessment Activities with Purposive Partnerships: Solidifying the Map for Continuous Improvement.”

Widely Used Exercise Guidelines Edited by UConn Fitness Expert

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Linda Pescatello, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and senior editor of the American College of Sports Medicineʼs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, ninth edition. (File photo)
Linda Pescatello, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and senior editor of the American College of Sports Medicineʼs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, ninth edition. (File photo)

A prescriptive handbook widely used in medicine, athletics, and fitness programs, was recently republished in its ninth edition, edited by UConn kinesiology professor Linda Pescatello.

The latest edition of the American College of Sports Medicineʼs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription seeks to remove barriers that often delay or prevent healthy individuals from starting beneficial exercise programs.

The book is the most widely circulated set of exercise guidelines in the world, the “international gold standard” for all professionals conducting exercise testing or exercise programs, says Pescatello, senior editor of the ninth edition, and also associate editor of the eighth edition, published in 2009.

Previous editions of the ACSMʼs Guidelines recommended a medical examination and physician-administered exercise testing, or stress testing, as part of health screening prior to starting vigorous-intensity exercise for individuals at moderate risk of cardiovascular disease, in order to identify those at risk for a sudden adverse cardiac event during exercise.

The new edition of the Guidelines, presented by Pescatello at the ACSMʼs Health Fitness Summit in Las Vegas in March and ACSMʼs annual conference in Indianapolis in June, still recommends both a medical exam and physician-administered stress testing for individuals at high risk of, or with known, cardiovascular disease before they begin either a moderate or vigorous-intensity exercise program.

But the Guidelines no longer recommend these steps for individuals at moderate risk before they start a progressive exercise regimen, and no longer recommend stress testing for the same group before starting vigorous-intensity exercise.

ACSMʼs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription is based on the most current evidence in the field, including ACSM position and statement stands, says Pescatello, UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and a principal investigator at UConnʼs Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP). She has focused her career on examining the connection between exercise and health.

“The updated guidelines for pre-participation health screening remove unnecessary and unproven barriers to starting an exercise program, and reinforce the public health message that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks,” she says. “At the same time, the guidelines place a stronger need on identifying those clients with known disease, because they are at the highest risk for an exercise-related cardiac event.”

In place of previous emphasis on medical evaluation, the new pre-participation health screening guidelines place a greater emphasis on self-guided screening methods, encouraging all individuals who want to begin a physical activity program to complete a health risk appraisal questionnaire at a minimum, Pescatello said. The need for and degree of follow-up required can then be guided by the responses to the questionnaire.

“There are multiple considerations that have prompted these different points of emphasis,” Pescatello explains. “The risk of a cardiovascular event is increased during vigorous-intensity exercise relative to rest, but the absolute risk of a cardiac event is low in healthy individuals. Recommending a medical examination and stress test as part of the pre-participation health screening process for all people at moderate to high risk prior to initiating a light- to moderate-intensity exercise program implies that being physically active confers greater risk than a sedentary lifestyle.”

Hartford Hospital cardiologist Dr. Paul Thompson, a research collaborator of Pescatello since 1998, served as associate editor of the new Guidelines and wrote the introductory chapter for the book emphasizing the safety and benefits of exercise. He also authored what Pescatello describes as the “long overdue” second chapter, which contains the new pre-participation health screening recommendations.

Other new features of the ninth edition of the Guidelines include a new chapter about proven theory-based behavioral methods to increase adherence to exercise programs; more specific information about working with special populations, such as those who have had bariatric surgery or who have multiple chronic diseases and health conditions; and a new automated reference system that was developed by UConn medical librarian Jill Livingston.

Also for the first time for the ninth edition, Pescatello invited a clinical pharmacist – UConn assistant clinical professor of pharmacy practice and CHIP affiliate, Thomas Buckley – to prepare the appendix on commonly encountered medications among people that exercise.

Pescatelloʼs work on the ninth edition of the Guidelines began almost as soon as her work on the eighth edition ended.

“It is a professional honor to be selected as editor of the ACSMʼs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription because of the significant impact they have on the work that we do in our field,” she says, “and it is a labor of love.”

UConn Experience Still a Part of WesternU President’s Daily Life

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Dr. Phillip Pumerantz at a podium at Western University of Health Sciences. (Photo credit: Western University)
Dr. Phillip Pumerantz at a podium at Western University of Health Sciences. (Photo credit: WesternU)

It’s been more than 50 years since Philip Pumerantz, Ph.D., has sat in a University of Connecticut classroom, yet he applies the lessons he learned there every day.

Specifically, he said he strives to “listen, care and advise” the way long-time former UConn Education Professor William Gruhn, Ph.D., did when Pumerantz was a student there in the late 1950s and early ’60s, as well as model the way Gruhn “applauded students’ achievements and challenged their mistakes.”

“Dr. Gruhn’s influence is still with me,” said Pumerantz, who 36 years ago founded Western University of Health Sciences and is believed to be the longest-serving health sciences university president in the United States.

Established by Pumerantz as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, the Pomona, Calif., school’s first class consisted of 36 students. Today, nearly 3,000 attend WesternU, which thanks to Pumerantz’s vision and leadership has grown to include nine colleges dedicated to Osteopathic Medicine, Allied Health Professions, Pharmacy, Graduate Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Dental Medicine, Optometry, Podiatry and Biomedical Sciences.

Each of the schools is built around Pumerantz’s beliefs that learning is a discipline, caring is an art and that innovation and collaboration only make an education richer. Focused on adult learners and those looking to change careers, WesternU—like Pumerantz himself—is known for being a leading provider of state-of-the-art higher healthcare education.

“One of things my mother taught me was that education can make a difference in people’s lives, and I’ve always cared so much about people. At one time I thought I’d be a doctor, but then I realized that physics and chemistry weren’t my strengths,” Pumerantz laughed. “One of the things I am good at, however, is envisioning possibilities and bringing together people with the expertise needed to make them a reality.”

A track record of growth at WesternU prove this. Guided by Pumerantz, WesternU in recent years was among the first U.S. colleges to create what has become a highly regarded internet-based advanced nurse practitioner program. Its College of Veterinary Medicine is the only in Southern California. And faculty at its Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy work as hard to improve access to healthcare services for patients with disabilities as they do to educate future care providers, Pumerantz said.

Though well past retirement age, Pumerantz said he can’t imagine not coming to work or spending his days at WesternU. He’s been an educator for close to 50 years, starting as a Waterford, CT, high school history teacher shortly after graduating from UConn with his bachelor’s degree. A U.S. Army veteran who spent much of the early 1950s’ Korean Conflict stationed in Germany, his tuition was paid by the G.I. Bill.

“Without that benefit, I might not have been able to go to college, but I wanted to so badly,” remembered Pumerantz, who at Gruhn’s urging went on to earn both an MA and Ph.D. in Education from UConn. Prior to moving to California in the mid-1970s, Pumerantz also served as an education professor at the University of Bridgeport (UB), co-founder of UB’s College of Continuing Education, and director of education for the American Osteopathic Association.

“I’ve always been extremely driven, similar to what I see in many WesternU students,” Pumerantz continued. “In fact, one of the things that distinguishes Western from other medical schools is that because students tend to be older, they bring a maturity that’s quite distinctive. The fact that a huge number of graduates are chief residents of medical programs speaks volumes about the quality of our program and our students.”

Dr. Philip Pumerantz addresses first-year optometry students at Western University of Health Sciences. (Photo Credit: WesternU).
Dr. Philip Pumerantz addresses first-year optometry students at Western University of Health Sciences. (Photo Credit: WesternU).

However, as excited as Pumerantz is about his students’ futures, he is equally excited about his own: “Life is a work in progress. Every day the world around us changes, so every day we should learn something new. That’s one of the things I try to do.”

He hasn’t been to the UConn campus since receiving UConn’s prestigious selective Distinguished Alumni Award in 1995. But the school is never far from his thoughts. He courted his wife Harriet there when there were both UConn undergrads and remembers waiting underneath her sorority house’s kitchen window for “drumsticks, sandwiches or whatever else she could sneak out to me,” as well as eating ice cream cones with Harriet at the nearby dairy farm.

Many of the books he used in UConn classes also still sit on his shelves.

“UConn prepared me for many things, and it was there I discovered I wanted to be an educational leader,” he added. “At the time I attended, UConn was considered one of the best teacher and administrator preparation programs in the region. It’s exciting for me to see that UConn’s Neag School of Education now has one of the best teacher and administrator preparation programs in the entire U.S. ”

 

 

UConn’s Neag School Hosts Training Sessions to Prepare Educators for Crises

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High School HallwayWhile policymakers and pundits are still debating what changes should be made in the wake of the Newtown school shooting, the Neag School of Education is giving graduate students, teachers, and administrators from across New England practical training in how to prepare for and respond to crises of all sizes.

The nationally acclaimed PREPaRE program, developed by the National Association of School Psychologists, will be held next week in Storrs for the first time. Faculty in the school psychology program have worked to organize the event, with co-sponsorship by the Connecticut Association of School Psychologists.

Co-organizer Shamim Patwa, assistant professor-in-residence of educational psychology, says, “The workshops are a valuable service that UConn can offer to the larger community at a time when schools across the country are examining how to keep our schools safe and to meet needs in the face of crisis.”

The PREPaRE model consists of two workshops: a one-day training on school safety and crisis prevention, and a two-day session on responding to crises. The training sessions are highly sought after by school safety professionals, psychologists, administrators, and others. Thanks to a financial commitment from the Neag School of Education, Neag students will attend the workshops free of charge, while other participants can register at a substantially reduced cost.

“Both of these workshops are sorely needed right now,” says educational psychology professor Sandra Chafouleas, one of the eventʼs organizers. “Connecting with local school administrators and teachers in the weekend following Newtown, there was a lot of discussion around being prepared yet still scared about opening schools on Monday morning.”

Patwa says the response has been overwhelming, with the two-day workshop over-enrolled and only a few spots remaining in the one-day crisis prevention session.

“The first part of understanding the need for this training is knowing that at some point, there will be a crisis that impacts every school,” Chafouleas says. “Itʼs not necessarily going to be one of huge magnitude that gets so much media attention, but you still need to be prepared. Schools see it all.”

The first workshop will train participants in everything from how school buildings can be made as safe as possible to designing a crisis response plan. The two-day workshop, aimed more at mental health professionals and school crisis response teams, will train participants in what to do once the crisis has occurred.

“An important piece of that workshop is learning whether a crisis is something you can handle in the school, or whether additional connections to resources in the community are needed to successfully address it,” says Chafouleas.

The program is scheduled to run in May at Storrs, under the direction of Melissa Reeves and Amanda Nickerson, two of the professionals who developed the PREPaRE program.

“I am incredibly proud of the work that the faculty in our Neag School of Education is doing to promote effective practices for school safety,” says Provost Mun Choi. “We are delighted to host the PREPaRE training workshops to ensure that school-based professionals have recent, evidence-based training.”

 

Undergrad Kinesiology Student Receives National Research Award

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Belval in the KSI offices, taking a quick break. (Source: Shawn Kornegay)
Luke Belval in the KSI offices, taking a quick break. (Source: Shawn Kornegay)

Neag School of Education senior kinesiology student Luke Belval was recognized as a 2013 Undergraduate Research Excellence Fellow from the American Physiological Society (APS). The award targets undergraduate students with significant prior laboratory research experience and encourages students to pursue a career as a research scientist.

Belval, one of six students in the United States to be recognized with this award, will conduct a 10-week research study focused on the effects of fitness on body temperature changes during intense exercise in the heat. Among his study subjects will be runners at the Falmouth (Mass.) Road Race in August.

“It is an amazing honor for Luke to be chosen as an American Physiological Society Undergraduate Research Fellow,” said Dr. Douglas Casa, Belval’s research advisor, kinesiology professor and chief operating officer of UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute (KSI). “Only six people in the country were selected. This is a testament to the dedication Luke has made to push himself to be the best possible researcher. He was selected because he was like a Ph.D. student as an undergrad. He started with us as a senior in high school.”

It was a science project that brought Belval and KSI together. Assigned to research someone working as a scientist or researcher, Belval—a long-distance runner on his school’s track team at Glastonbury High School —decided to reach out the Casa, also a long-distance runner, after reading about him in Runner’s World Magazine.

Sure that Casa would “never in a million years” respond to his request for an interview, Belval was thrilled when Casa invited him to come tour KSI and his research lab. The result was Belval not just successfully completing his science project, but being offered an advanced research mentorship. It gave him an up-close look at the cutting-edge research into ways to prevent athletes’ sudden deaths that the nationally known KSI was performing.

As a UConn undergrad, Belval has stayed involved with KSI, including traveling to Hawaii this past fall to study Ironman triathletes. His future plans include presenting his research findings at the Experimental Biology Meeting of APS in April, as well as pursing master’s and doctorate degrees.

He’s “tremendously” honored, he said, by the APS fellowship: “It comes from such a prestigious organization and is particularly special because it allows me to continue my work at the Korey Stringer Institute with Dr. Casa. I think it’s very rare to be able to work in a place like KSI that not only conducts first-class research, but also applies it to help save lives.”