of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
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Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT
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Volume 36, 2 / April 2021
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A message to our readers... |
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I’m excited to share with you the Academy’s new tagline, adopted by our Governing Council following a lively debate this past winter. I believe Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT captures the essence of the work of the Academy, including
- Celebrating the rich diversity of scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicians (STEMP) who live and work in Connecticut
- Promoting our state’s assets in STEMP talent from K-12 to workforce
- Informing the people and the state on STEMP issues that impact our social and economic well-being
We are proud to have served the state for 45+ years since being chartered in 1976 by special act of the CT General Assembly and will continue to do so as we Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT.
Christine Broadbridge, President
CT Academy of Science and Engineering
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2021 CASE ANNUAL MEETING |
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Registration Open |
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Register now for the 46th Annual Meeting, May 27, 6:30 p.m. The meeting agenda includes the introduction of new members and student awardees, as well as the presentation of the 2020 CT Medal of Technology and 2021 CT Medal of Science.
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2021 CASE ANNUAL MEETING |
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Keynote Announced |
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CASE Member Radenka Maric, PhD, who serves as the Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship across all UConn campuses, including UConn Health, will be presenting on the “Connection between Nature and Scientific Discoveries.” Read more.
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CASE WEBSITE |
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Premiering in May |
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Watch for an announcement soon on the Academy’s new website. The new site design promotes STEMP and science literacy, communicates the Academy’s mission, and is flexible to grow with the needs of the Academy.
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SOCIAL MEDIA |
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CASE LinkedIn Page |
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The Academy has a new and active LinkedIn page that we encourage the Bulletin’s readership to follow; the page will connect you to news on the Academy, its members, and science, engineering, medicine, and technology topics of interest to Connecticut. Please click the blue "follow" button on the page to stay up to date.
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Science and Engineering Notes from Around Connecticut
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Agriculture, Food and Nutrition |
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A diverse group of organizations is supporting the growth of urban farming in many Connecticut cities including Bridgeport and New Haven with a program for Hartford in development. Read more.
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Biomedical Research & Healthcare |
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CASE Member Jacques Banchereau is a recipient of the 2020 Dr. William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award in Lupus and Autoimmunity. Dr. Banchereau is a professor and the director of Immunological Sciences at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. Read more.
Anthony Vella, a new CASE member from UConn Health, and his colleague Patrick Murphy received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of RNA binding proteins and alternative splicing in regulating inflammation. Read more.
Yale scientists Jeffery D. Kocsis, professor of neurology and neuroscience, and CASE Member Stephen G. Waxman, the Bridget M. Flaherty Professor of Neurology and of Neuroscience, authored a study with investigators at Sapporo Medical University in Japan demonstrating that spinal cord injuries could be substantially improved using patients’ own stem cells. Read more
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Communication & Information Systems |
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CTData Collaborative supports organizations in their efforts to collect, analyze, interpret, visualize, and use data through clinics, data analysis, visualization, strategic planning, consultation, training, and a helpline. Read more.
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CTforMe is Connecticut’s blog on living, working, and playing in Connecticut for young professionals. Sections of the blog include careers, living, change-makers, people, connecting, and news. Read more.
Connecticut Innovations, with BioCT and AdvanceCT, have launched a campaign to highlight the growing companies, top talent, cutting-edge research, and quality of life in Connecticut’s life sciences ecosystem. “Connecticut: Where Science Lives,” highlights opportunities with the aim of attracting new businesses to the state, while supporting existing businesses. Read more.
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Education and Human Resources |
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The University of Hartford will initiate Connecticut’s first undergraduate aerospace engineering program in fall 2021 to meet the demand for professionals in this growing sector. Read more
The Connecticut State Department of Education created the AccelerateCT Education Task Force to tackle pandemic learning loss and look at the future of Connecticut schools. Read more.
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Energy Production, Use, and Conservation |
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The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy manages local, state, and regional energy policy issues with the goal of establishing a clean, economical, and reliable energy future for all residents. Read more.
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FedEx made a $100 million gift to Yale University to support The Center for Natural Carbon Capture. The center focuses on developing carbon removal strategies. The gift will support professorships in science and engineering. Read more.
UConn faculty, including civil and environmental engineering professor and CASE Member, Baikun Li, along with a Florida Atlantic University professor, received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program to study mussels combined with microplastic-degrading bacteria. Read more.
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Dr. Krishna R. Pattipati, Distinguished Professor at UConn School of Engineering, and CASE Member, co-authored two papers, Quickest Detection of COVID-19 Pandemic Onset, and Decision support for the quickest detection of critical COVID‑19 phases, that deal with important questions relating to the decisions made during a pandemic. Dr. Pattipati was a member of the CASE team that a paper on COVID-19 for consideration by the Office of the Governor.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health urges private well owners to test water quality based on a new US Geological Survey report showing high arsenic/uranium levels in some Connecticut wells. Read more.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) has recently documented the expansion of native and introduction of invasive tick vectors into Connecticut including lone star, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks, associated with numerous human diseases. The CAES has expanded surveillance programs and efforts to mitigate the risks.
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A UConn data science technology incubator opened in Stamford. CASE member, Radenka Maric, UConn’s vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship and keynote speaker for the CASE Annual Meeting to be held virtually May 27, 2021, noted the new technology incubator will “become an engine for the new company and job creation.” Read more.
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Sikorsky and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) conducted an autonomous flight of a UH-60 Black Hawk under on-board piloted supervision in late 2020 in Stratford, Connecticut. According to CASE Member Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations, the goal is to address emerging mission requirements and the pilot demonstrated autonomous take-off, landing, and two simulated obstacle avoidance scenarios. Read more.
Geoff Hunt, CASE Member and senior vice president of engineering for Pratt & Whitney noted the achievements of the company’s engineers who the American Society of Mechanical Engineers honored as 2021 Distinguished Engineers of the Year. Read more
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Items that appear in the In Brief section are compiled from previously published sources including newspaper accounts and press releases.
Compiled and edited by Wendy Swift
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From the National Academies |
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The following is excerpted from press releases and other news reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (nationalacademies.org).
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The National Academy of Medicine has undertaken a sector-by-sector review of the health system, how the sector has responded to the pandemic, and opportunities for strengthening and transforming how the health system operates in the US after COVID-19. Papers will be published beginning April 2021 and with all papers bundled as a special publication in Fall 2021. Read more.
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Plasma Science and Engineering transforms fundamental scientific research into powerful societal applications, from materials processing and healthcare to forecasting space weather. This study report discusses the importance of plasma research, identifies important challenges, and makes recommendations on funding and workforce. Read more.
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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the careers of women in academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). This study report considers how these disruptions might shape future progress for women, and informs the academic community to work to mitigate any long-term negative consequences for the continued advancement of women in the academic STEMM workforce and build on the opportunities that have emerged. Read more.
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The transition of the US energy system - from one dominated by fossil fuel combustion to one with net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide - is critical to mitigating climate change, protecting human health, and revitalizing the U.S. economy. This report identifies key technological and socio-economic goals that must be achieved for the US to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and presents a policy blueprint outlining critical near-term actions for the first decade of this 30-year effort, including ways to support communities that will be most impacted by the transition. Read more.
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The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering |
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The purpose of the Academy is to "provide guidance to the people and the government of the State of Connecticut... in the application of science and engineering to the economic and social welfare."
OFFICERS OF THE ACADEMY
Christine Broadbridge, President Southern Connecticut State University
John Kadow, Vice President ViiV Healthcare
Eric Donkor, Secretary UConn
Edmond Murphy, Treasurer Lumentum (ret.)
Baki Cetegen, Past President UConn
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Terri Clark
EDITORS Leon Pintsov, Executive Editor - Engineering Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Mike Genel, Executive Editor - Medicine Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics Yale University School of Medicine CASE President, 2008-2010
Amy R. Howell, Executive Editor - Science Department of Chemistry University of Connecticut
COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT Rebecca Mead, INQ Creative
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The Bulletin is published by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Inc, 222 Pitkin Street, Suite 101, East Hartford, Connecticut, 06108. 860.282.4229, tclark@ctcase.org. To subscribe, visit ctcase.org.
The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering is a private, nonprofit public service organization established by Special Act No. 76-53 of the Connecticut General Assembly.
COPYING PERMITTED, WITH ATTRIBUTION
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