The Bridge - June 2005

Fred Costello Bids Farewell

This is my last message to you as president of the WPI Alumni Association. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve you at a truly interesting and challenging time for the university and the association. President Berkey, the Board of Trustees, the faculty, the administration, and the staff have been working together diligently to set the future direction for WPI and to determine the appropriate organization to make it happen. I am optimistic about the future of the university and the role the association will play in the months and years ahead.

I want to thank the Cabinet and the Alumni Office staff for their support and encouragement these past two years. I wish Mo Rees, our incoming president, and the association leadership the very best for the future.

Fred Costello '59

Question Of The Month

Eighty years ago this July, the famous Scopes "monkey trial" put the teaching of evolution before the courts. Today, some states are requiring or considering requiring the teaching of alternatives to evolution in the public schools. What is your opinion on this issue? Visit the alumni home page to register your vote.

Results of the May Question

Congress recently passed the Real ID Act to standardize driver's licenses. Some say this is the first step toward a national ID card that will store personal information electronically but will be difficult to counterfeit and duplicate. What is your view on this issue?

271 readers responded. Here's what they said:

The responses were very similar to the results of a national poll recently conducted for WPI by the firm of Penn Schoen & Berland Associates. In that poll on privacy in the electronic age, 45% of 750 adults polled said a national ID card would make us safer; 49 percent said it would infringe on our freedom; and 7 percent didn't know. The results of the poll will be available later this summer on the WPI Technology Confidence Index Web site.

WPI News Alerts

Ground Broken for First Gateway Park Building

Addresses by WPI President Dennis Berkey, Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressman James McGovern, Worcester Mayor Timothy Murray, and David Forsberg, president of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, among other dignitaries, underscored the historic nature of the event as ground was broken on June 27 for the WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park. "Today we stake out Worcester's claim to national and international leadership in the life sciences," Kennedy noted. The 124,600-square- foot building, which will house WPI's graduate and research programs in the life sciences and the university's Bioengineering Institute, will be the first new facility in the 11-acre campus being developed jointly by WPI and the WBDC. Read the news release.

Telemedicine Research Team Completes National Tour

The three faculty members who make up WPI's telemedicine research team spent a good portion of the spring showcasing their work at exclusive events around the country at the invitation of the U.S. Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, which oversees the federally funded project at WPI to develop a real-time troop monitoring system using new sensor, ultrasound, and wireless communications technologies. Read the complete news release.

Career Mentoring Program Is Making a Difference

Launched in October 2004, the WPI Alumni Association Career Mentoring program has helped alums searching for new employment or hoping to make a career change. The program provided Neil Schelly '03, who was paired with Timothy Starr '83, with resume tips and the chance to take part in a mock interview. Neil says the program works; he has a new job, which he attributes largely to Tim's help. "Tim helped me prepare for my interview; within a few days, I had a second interview and an offer."

Volunteers are available to provide counseling and mentoring on a one-to-one basis; e-mail alumni-office@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5600. Also, be sure to contact us if you can help out as an alumni mentor or if you have open positions. In fact, interest in the Career Mentoring Program has prompted a number of alumni to send WPI their open job postings so they can be made available to all alumni.

Inauguration and Graduation: Relive a Momentous Weekend

Over the course of two days, WPI inaugurated its 15th president and graduated its 137th class. Details, photos, and video clips of both events, including President Berkey's inaugural address and the keynote address delivered by Senator Edward Kennedy during the inaugural ceremony, have been placed online. Visit the Inauguration and Commencement Web sites.

Reunion Weekend: Sunny Skies and Happy Memories

What a weekend! Filled with entertainment, learning, banquets, and much more, Reunion 2005 brought together alumni and friends from the Classes of '40, '45, '50, '55, '60, '65, '70, '75, '80, and '85.

If you attended Reunion, please take a moment to complete the Reunion evaluation form. Your comments will help us make your next alumni event even better.

Graduates Invited to Apply for Rotary Scholarships

The Worcester Rotary Club invites WPI graduates to apply for two Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships for 2006-07. The scholarships promote international understanding and friendly relations among people by sending ambassadors of goodwill to study for nine months to a year in another country. They were established by a gift from a WPI alumnus to the Rotary Foundation; preference in awarding the scholarships is given to WPI graduates. The application deadline is June 30 for scholarships beginning this fall.

More information, including selection criteria and the application process, is available online (49KB PDF file). You can also read this Transformations story about a graduate who received a scholarship.

Berkey Speaks at Firefighters Memorial Kick-Off

President Dennis Berkey delivered the keynote address at the kickoff for a campaign to raise $4 million to build a memorial in Institute Park to honor the memory of the six firefighters who died in the Worcester Cold Storage warehouse fire in December 1999. The event was held in the Campus Center. Other speakers included Worcester Fire Chief Gerard Dio, Denise Brotherton, whose husband, Paul, was among the fallen firefighters, and Worcester Mayor Timothy Murray. Read Berkey's address online. To learn more about the campaign and the memorial, or to make a donation, visit the Fallen Heroes Web site.

Servprise International Wins Business Plan Contest

Kevin Menard '04 and Cory Wallenstein '05 are the winners of the 2005 CEI@WPI ALL-OUT Business Plan Challenge. Menard and Wallenstein founded Servprise International, which manufactures WebReboot, a high-tech appliance that enables crashed computer servers to be rebooted remotely. The two alumni received $10,000. The contest, run by the WPI Venture Forum, is open to New England entrepreneurs who have business plans involving technology-based ventures. Read the complete news release.

Darensbourg in the Spotlight Again

For the second year in a row, a play by Catherine Darensbourg '02 has been selected to be performed at the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival in New York City. The top prize in the prestigious 12-night festival is publication of the new play by French, the world's largest theatrical publisher. Passing, one of two Darensbourg plays featured in New Voices this past spring, will be mounted by a cast and crew of WPI students and alumni at the Chernuchin Theatre on July 22. This year, Darensbourg will have competition from another WPI graduate, Patrick Brennan '89, whose play BITS, nominated by Playwright's Platform in Boston, will be performed on July 17. Read more about the festival.

Library Exhibit Dedicated to WPI Graduate

"The Portrait: Index of the Heart" is an exhibition of works by Nilgun Yilmazipek Sarioglu. Of her art, Sarioglu writes: "What draws me to a face is the recognition that, 'There! That face shows a life lived.' We carry our experiences in our faces, as we go about having good days and bad. When I see people at a funeral, at a wedding, or waiting to cross the street, I can be inspired." This exhibition, dedicated to the memory of Nilgun's son, Turgut Sarioglu '01, will be on display on the third floor of Gordon Library from Monday, July 11, to Friday, August 19. A reception for the artist is scheduled for July 14. Learn more about this and other exhibits online.

Alumni Events

View the complete listing of alumni events online.

Sept. 7: GOLD Committee Meeting, Campus Center, Mid-Century Room, 6:30 p.m. For more information, e-mail gold@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5600.

Sept. 30 to Oct. 1: Homecoming. Festivities include cookouts, the Homecoming parade, varsity football vs. Hobart College, soccer vs. Babson College, and more. The Classes of 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005 will have reunions. If you would like help planning your Reunion, contact Pam DiScipio at discipio@wpi.edu.

Dec. 3: "The Lion King" at the Providence Performing Arts Center. A limited number of seats are available for $62.50 each. Tickets must be purchased by July 26; purchase them online. For more information: 508-831-5600 or regional-events@wpi.edu.

Dec. 17: "Wicked" at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford. A limited number of seats are available for $57.50 each. Tickets must be purchased by October 14; purchase them online. For more information: 508-831-5600 or regional-events@wpi.edu.

University Events

View the complete listing of campus events online.

July 14-16: Sunburns Summer Theatre presents "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" by Steve Martin ($9 general public, $4 WPI students), Riley Commons, 8 p.m.

July 18: A concert by the Summer Band, comprised of students, faculty, staff, and their families, conducted by Doug Weeks, administrator of applied music, 7 p.m., between the Campus Center and Reunion Plaza.

Bookmarks

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Last modified: May 25, 2006, 14:11 EDT