The Bridge - July 2004
Contents
- WELCOME: WPI's 15th President Hits the Ground Running
- NEWS:
- EVENTS:
- JOB POSTINGS: Instruction Coordinator, WPI Gordon Library
Director of Office of Bus and Truck Standards & Operations, U.S. Department of Transportation - ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NOTES: Call for Class of 1999 Volunteers
- SPORTS: WPI Gridiron Goes to Liberty
- DID YOU KNOW: 75 Years Ago at WPI
- BOOKMARKS
1. WELCOME: WPI's 15th President Hits the Ground Running
On behalf of the Alumni Association, I want to welcome Dennis Berkey, WPI's 15th president, to our campus. On his official start date of July 1, Dr. Berkey met with Worcester Mayor Tim Murray, City Manager Michael O’Brien, and editors of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. He also greeted faculty and staff via e-mail, conveying that he and his wife, Cathy, "join the WPI community with great enthusiasm for the university and optimism about its future."
I hope you are planning to come to campus for Homecoming Weekend, October 8 and 9. You will be able to greet Dr. Berkey in person and learn more about WPI's new leader. Until then, I wish you a safe and happy summer!
Fred Costello '59
President, WPI Alumni Association
View Dr. Berkey’s message to the WPI community
2. NEWS
Research Awards Top $12M for 2003-04
The continuing efforts of faculty and staff involved in seeking extramural funding resulted in $12.3 million in awards handled through the Office of Research Administration during the 2003-04 academic year. This is the first time in the university's history that the $12 million funding level has been reached.
WPI's REU Program Receives Nearly $3K from NSF
WPI has received a $299,773 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for three more years of funding for the university's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Industrial Mathematics and Statistics.
Read the complete news release
Bernie Brown, Longtime WPI Administrator, Dies at 66
Bernie Brown, vice president for student affairs at WPI, died on July 12 after a short illness. He was 66. Brown joined the WPI staff in 1966 as assistant dean of students and devoted decades to interacting with and advising students. When the university first opened its doors to women in 1968, he was a champion for them; he took a lead role in organizing club sports for women. He was instrumental in elevating men's and women's crew to the varsity level, and also provided vision for the Campus Center and for the soon-to-be-constructed admissions and financial aid building. At the request of the family, donations may be made in Brown's name to the WPI Crew Endowment Fund, c/o Development Office, WPI, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280.
Professor Weathers Receives Prestigious Appointment
Pamela Weathers, professor of biology and biotechnology, was recently elected public policy chair of the Society of In Vitro Biology, a national scientific society that helps members and the scientific community better understand in vitro biology, biotechnology, and current research and public policy issues affecting the scientific community.
More information about the society
WPI Hosts Display of Fire Fighters Memorial Designs
Nearly five years after six Worcester firefighters died while battling a fire at the abandoned Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co., a juried panel viewed more than 160 memorial design entries, which were set up on display in WPI's Alden Memorial. From these entries, the Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Committee selected five finalists. The memorial will be built on the banks of Salisbury Pond, at the south end of Institute Park.
Corporate Gifts Near $1M in First Half of 2004
From January 1 to June 30, 2004, WPI received close to $1M in gifts from corporations. Gifts include robotics CAD simulation software from Tecnomatix; software and equipment from EDS, Haas Automation Inc., and Intel Massachusetts; scholarships; and funding from the NCAA for an alcohol awareness program.
View full list of corporate gifts since January 2004
3a. CAMPUS EVENTS
Through July 28: Summer Concert Series at the Campus Center. Free hour-long concerts each Wednesday at noon on the Burt Terrace (rain location, Forkey Commons). Bring your own lunch or purchase food in the Campus Center Food Court. For more information, call +1-508-831-5291. Here's the remaining schedule:
- July 21: Woodvale String Quartet (classical)
- July 28: New England Brass Guild Quintet (classical)
Aug. 12: Join WPI faculty, staff, and alumni at the 2004 Cigna HealthCare 5k (3.1 mile) walk/run in Manchester, N.H. Start time is 6:20 p.m. WPI will have a table set up at the event. Download the application and release form [PDF].
Through Aug. 14: Summer Day Trips. Enjoy a New England lobster bake in Maine or sail on a whale watch from Gloucester, Mass. The Campus Center staff invites members of the greater WPI community to join them on these day trips. Learn more about the trips.
Through Aug. 13: "Portraiture Abstracted," the photography of Kimberly Taberner, an exhibit in the Gordon Library 3rd-Floor Gallery. For more information, call +1-508-831-5410.
View the complete calendar of campus events...
3b. ALUMNI EVENTS
August 7: New England Revolution Soccer at Gillette Stadium. Come see the Revolution take on the Columbus Crew, 4-7 p.m., Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass. Limited number of tickets available at the group rate of $24 per person. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at +1-508-831-5600 or regional-events@wpi.edu. Purchase tickets online.
September 4: "The Producers" at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford. Limited number of orchestra seats available for matinee performance at $72.50 per person. Purchase tickets online. Direct questions to the Office of Alumni Relations at +1-508-831-5600 or regional-events@wpi.edu. Sponsored by the WPI Alumni Association.
Oct. 8-9: Homecoming. The Class Boards of Directors meeting will be held on Saturday, October 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. More details will follow.
Dec. 11: Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 2 p.m., Wang Theatre in Boston. Welcome in the holidays and join fellow alums for this production featuring the Radio City Rockettes. Limited number of orchestra seats available at the group rate of $74.50 per person. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at +1-508-831-5600 or regional-events@wpi.edu. Purchase tickets online.
View the complete calendar of Alumni events
4. JOB POSTINGS
WPI: Instruction Coordinator, Gordon Library. Provides leadership and management for the library instruction program, incorporating appropriate technologies, skills, innovations, collaborations, and training to deliver high-quality, state-of-the-art service to the WPI community. Read the full job description.
U.S. Department of Transportation: Director, Office of Bus and Truck Standards & Operations. Provides policy, program, and technical interpretations on motor carrier safety, and proven executive leadership skills. Read the full job description.
5. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS
Call for Class of 1999 Reunion Planners
The Class of 1999 will hold its five-year reunion during Homecoming Weekend, October 8 and 9. Volunteers are needed to assist the Office of Alumni Relations in planning this event. To volunteer, e-mail alumni-office@wpi.edu or call +1-508-831-6500.
Pictures from Reunion 2004, held June 10-13, have been posted!
Please visit the redesigned, more user-friendly Alumni Web site.
6. SPORTS...
WPI Touches Down in the Liberty League
WPI's football team joins the Liberty League as associate members this fall. Formerly known as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association, the league sponsors championships in 24 sports and includes members that place a high priority on quality of education. The newly named league includes founding schools Clarkson, Hamilton, Hobart and William Smith colleges, University of Rochester, RPI, St. Lawrence, Skidmore, Union, and Vassar; the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S Merchant Marine Academy also joined this year.
Read the full press release7. DID YOU KNOW...
75 Years Ago at WPI
Richard K. Irons '27, a longtime faculty member at the Groton School in Massachusetts, was WPI's first Rhodes Scholar. After graduating, he decided that the engineering profession was not his true calling. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Johns Hopkins University in 1929, the same year he won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford. He taught history at Groton for 42 years.
The name of the student yearbook (known then as the college annual) was changed from "Aftermath" to "Peddler" to honor the profession through which founder John Boynton's tinware was marketed.
Tuition increased from $230 to $280.
8. BOOKMARKS
- Class Notes - Share news with classmates
- Alumni Job Opportunities
- Career Development Center
- Alumni Web Site - Your source for alumni information and events!
- Alumni Events
- Transformations: WPI's Alumni Magazine
- Athletics: Weekly Roundup
- Athletics: Schedule
- Campus Events
We'd love to hear your suggestions or comments. Please send them to us at thebridge@wpi.edu.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: Aug 11, 2006, 10:04 EDT