of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
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Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT
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Volume 38, 5 / October 2023
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A message to our readers... |
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The Academy’s Call for Nominations for membership is in process and I expect this year, as always, I will be amazed and inspired by the breadth of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals in our state. These individuals, upon election, will be recognized for the value they contribute to the state and to the growth of their profession. Importantly for the Academy, these new members will add diversity of thinking to our organization and strengthen the resources we have to offer in service to the state.
To be considered, nominees must have achieved scientific distinction through significant original contributions in theory or applications and/or unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of applied science and technology. A reminder to members that the Academy values diverse and inclusive participation in its membership and activities, and this an important aspect for members to consider when thinking about whom to nominate.
New Members will be honored at our 49th Annual Meeting and Dinner on May 21, 2024, at the Woodwinds in Branford. More on this event will be shared in future editions of the Bulletin.
If you are interested in learning more about the election process, please contact Terri Clark.
Hope you can all get some time outdoors to enjoy the fall season,
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John Kadow, President CT Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT
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MEMBERSHIP |
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CASE Call for Nominations |
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The Call for Nominations for CASE Membership is open now through November 16. If you are interested in the process of nominating or becoming a CASE member, please contact Terri Clark or visit the Academy's website for more information.
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SOCIAL MEDIA |
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CASE LinkedIn Page
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The Academy has an 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, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine topics of interest to Connecticut. Follow CASE and stay up to date.
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ANNUAL MEETING |
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CASE Annual Meeting & Dinner |
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Save the date for the 49th CASE Annual Meeting and Dinner, to be held Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at The Woodwinds in Branford.
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To learn more about the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, please visit ctcase.org.
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Science and Engineering Notes from Around Connecticut
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Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition |
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The US Department of Agriculture approved a federal agriculture disaster declaration for Connecticut due to heavy rainfall in early July that caused significant flood damage to farms and crops statewide. This declaration means that farmers in all eight of Connecticut’s counties are eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance from the Farm Service Agency. Read more.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) released a new fact sheet providing an update and overview of current research on the biology and management of beech leaf disease. Since its first appearance in Connecticut in 2019, the disease has increased dramatically in both severity and distribution and is now widespread on American beech in all eight counties, as well as most of the Northeast and into Canada. Read more.
A previously undiscovered and genetically unique strain of the invasive weed Hydrilla has proven to be just as troubling as its southern relations. It was unknown in Connecticut two decades ago and has spread so explosively since that there is concern it could threaten the fifty years of environmental progress that has made the Connecticut River a $1 billion-plus-a-year contributor to the state’s economy. Read more.
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Biomedical Research & Healthcare |
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CASE Member Francis Starr, Foss Professor of Physics, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Professor of Integrative Sciences at Wesleyan, has received the 2023 faculty research award in science and mathematics. Starr’s work explores how nanoparticles can affect and adjust the properties of materials. His early work used molecular simulations to show that small quantities of nanoparticles can alter the structures of some polymers. Read more.
CASE Member Linda Pescatello, Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology in the UConn College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, worked with colleagues from Iowa State University and found that adding a relatively minimal amount of movement, about 3,000 steps per day, can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults. Her previous research demonstrated that exercise can have a significant immediate and long-lasting impact on lowering blood pressure in hypertensive adults. Read more.
Dangerous 'superbugs' are a growing threat and traditional antibiotics drive bacteria toward drug resistance so scientists are looking to viruses, CRISPR, designer molecules, and protein swords for better treatments. CASE Member Paul Turner, director of the Center for Phage Biology and Therapy at Yale University, sees promise in phage therapy that uses bacteria-infecting viruses to kill the germ, “And unlike with antibiotics, bacteria are unlikely to gain widespread resistance to phage therapy.” Read more.
CASE Members Susan J. Baserga, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, of genetics, and of therapeutic radiology, molecular biophysics, and biochemistry at Yale University, and Gail D’Onofrio, Albert E. Kent Professor of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and professor of medicine core addiction and professor of epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, were elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Read more.
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Communication & Information Systems |
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Elemental Cognition, an advanced artificial intelligence company, recently announced a global strategic partnership with Google Cloud to assist enterprise and consumer stakeholders in solving complex problems with greater reliability, faster time to value, and broader reach. The company was founded by Dave Ferrucci, one of Governor Lamont’s CASE Member appointments to the state’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group, which began meeting this fall. Read more.
The CT Data Plan: 2023 – 2024, was released in late December by the Office Policy and Management. The plan serves as the framework for the state’s executive branch agencies to engage in a consistent approach to data stewardship, use, and access. The plan is applicable to all data in the custody and control of the executive branch agencies and covers open data, data sharing, and data analysis, in accordance with C.G.S. § 4-67p. Read more.
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Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state’s venture capital arm, announced it invested $42.2M in 71 companies in the 2023 fiscal year, generating $38.2 million in cash proceeds through company exits, which includes acquisitions and IPOs. Additionally, CI officially launched two new funds – the ClimateTech Fund and the Future Fund. Read more.
CASE Member Mostafa Analoui joined Quinnipiac University for the purpose of expanding its innovation and entrepreneurship efforts. Analoui also will be responsible for creating and sustaining an external network of collaborators to boost community engagement and economic development. Read more.
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Energy Production, Use, and Conservation |
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A new joint report by a coalition of local and national environmental groups including Save the Sound, the Sierra Club, and the CT Conservation Law Foundation reveals that almost a quarter of Connecticut’s nitrogen dioxide pollution could be blamed on fossil fuels from burning home furnaces and water heating equipment — eight times more than is released by all the state’s power plants – and recommends federal, state and municipal leaders help homeowners invest in low or zero emission vehicles and appliances. They also ask that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection develop air quality standards for home heating, home cooling, and water heating appliances. Read more.
The Connecticut Green Bank is the nation’s first green bank. A green bank accelerates the green economy using limited public dollars to attract multiples of private capital investment. Learn more about the Connecticut Green Bank and sign up for their newsletter.
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Greenwich High School senior Naomi Park was awarded the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her research that turns waste – Styrofoam that would otherwise sit in a landfill for over 500 years – into a device that can remove two significant ocean contaminants: oil and carbon dioxide. Naomi received a 2023 Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Award for this project and a precursor project received the H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence in physical sciences, senior division, at the 2022 Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair. Read more.
Sustainable CT is a statewide program that supports municipal sustainability initiatives, and its 2023 Fellows are currently working on developing strategies and materials for an outreach campaign to support the implementation of EPA-funded Climate Action Plans across the state. Climate Action Planning is made possible by the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program and provides $5M in grants to support governmental efforts to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Read more.
CASE Member Michelle L. Bell, the Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health at the Yale School of the Environment, contributed to a recent report published in Nature on the effects of air pollution caused by the increase in the frequency and severity of wildfires from 2010 to 2019, finding that the global population is increasingly exposed to landscape fire-sourced air pollution. Read more.
With a $5M cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a UConn team, including CASE Member Marisa Chrysochoou, professor and head of civil and environmental engineering (CEE) and director of UConn’s Technical Assistance for Brownfields (TAB) program, will continue providing technical assistance to communities encountering the challenges of assessment, cleanup, and revitalization at brownfield sites while protecting public health and promoting environmental justice. Read more.
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Human Resources and Education |
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CASE Member Barrett Wells, professor and former department head of physics, has been named the new Dean for Life and Physical Sciences at the UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Wells will oversee the division which comprises the Departments of Chemistry; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Geography; Marine Sciences; Molecular and Cell Biology; Mathematics; Physics; Physiology and Neurobiology; Psychological Sciences; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; and Statistics. Read more.
CASE Member Pamir Alpay has been appointed the Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at UConn. Pamir has been the interim vice president since 2022, overseeing the University’s $320 million research enterprise at Storrs, UConn Health, the School of Law, and regional campuses. Prior to that, he served as executive director of the Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Tech Park. He served as the university’s chief advocate for industry-informed research and primary liaison between the research community and government partners during his service at the tech park. Read more.
UConn recently announced a new center and a new college. UConn’s Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center, one of the first of its kind in the nation, will advance health care, workforce, and economic development through interdisciplinary collaborations. Read more. And, the UConn School of Engineering will be renamed as a college effective November 1, 2023. According to UConn Today, the decision will enhance UConn Engineering’s external profile, streamline operations internally, and allow for future growth. Read more.
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Governor Lamont announced the formation of an advisory panel of state agency leaders responsible for collaborating on a multi-agency approach toward positive outcomes related to the well-being of children and young people in Connecticut. The Governor’s Kids Cabinet will include commissioners from agencies that are responsible for protecting the health, safety, and access to educational opportunities of children. The cabinet’s efforts will focus on several child well-being indicators, such as behavioral health, social determinants of health, and housing stability. Read more.
CASE Member Joel Gelernter, Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry, professor of genetics and of neuroscience, and a colleague at the Yale School of Medicine, are co-principal investigators on a five-year, $2.75 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study genetic risk factors in cannabis use disorder. The research will include the biology of a person’s response to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active constituent of cannabis, and how genetic factors influence that response. Read more.
CASE Members Nancy J. Brown, the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine, and Vishwa Deep Dixit, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Pathology and Professor of Immunobiology, and director of the Yale Center for Research on Aging, are part of a new YSM initiative studying the biology of aging to increase the healthy life span of individuals. This initiative brings together diverse physician investigators and scientists in areas that are relevant to aging, such as infectious diseases, pulmonary medicine, rheumatology, cardiology, ophthalmology, hematology, and endocrinology, and provides a platform for faculty, trainees, and others to advance geroscience. Read more.
A new digital one-stop-shop portal for health and human services in Connecticut has launched to provide health and wellness services to residents at every stage of life. Resources available include a health benefits eligibility screener, healthy living tools, insurance and financial resources, emergency health service information, and heating and utilities assistance. Read more.
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Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, and Raytheon have been selected by Boeing as collaborators on the X-66A flight demonstrator, part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership dedicated to developing technologies that will help the aviation industry achieve net-zero CO2 emissions. CASE Member Geoff Hunt, senior vice president of engineering & technology at Pratt & Whitney, emphasized the significance of NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, stating, “[This] is a leading example of how public-private partnerships can help foster the technological breakthroughs needed to deliver on the industry-wide goal of a more sustainable, net-zero emissions future.” Read more.
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Office of Manufacturing has been awarded a $2M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the rapid deployment of smart manufacturing technologies into Connecticut’s supply chain. The goal of the initiative is to help small and medium-sized companies in the state reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and improve energy efficiency. The two-year pilot program is in partnership with UConn, the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), and CONNSTEP. Read more.
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The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has implemented new Complete Streets design criteria to be incorporated into all projects. Part of a larger strategy to improve safety and mobility and reduce roadway crashes and injuries, it ensures that every project includes a focus on pedestrian and bicyclist facilities and public transportation operations to create stronger intermodal transportation networks and improve safety. Read more.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation has launched a pilot program equipping vehicles with sensors to detect drunk driving by testing the air. Unlike a breathalyzer, the new breath sensor technology does not require individuals to blow directly into a tube. Sensors measure the blood alcohol percentage through numerous instantaneous readings and are installed on the driver’s side dashboard. 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.
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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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As of 2020, nearly 50 percent of the bus operator workforce was over 55. Evidence indicates that many younger job seekers are often not aware of the potential career opportunities and employee benefits that are available at transit agencies. This research report provides recommendations and resources enabling transit agencies to better assess, plan, and implement their operator workforce management programs. Read more.
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The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and biomedical big data holds promise to transform understanding of human health and disease. Driven by the increasing availability and ability to generate, collect, and analyze environmental and biomedical data along with advanced computing power, AI and machine learning (ML) applications are rapidly developing in research and health. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshop held in June of this year focused on recent developments in AI and other data-driven approaches to integrate biomedical and environmental health data; the exploration of promising applications in human health and disease; and the ethical, social, and policy implications and challenges of health data collection and integration. Read more.
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State highway safety offices (SHSOs) manage behavioral traffic safety programs at the state level. At the regional level, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) develop safety performance measures and targets. This research report presents evidence-based information and tools to help improve coordination between SHSOs and MPOs on behavioral traffic safety. Read more.
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Advances in biomedical science, data science, engineering, and technology are leading to high-pace innovation with the potential to transform health and medicine. These innovations simultaneously raise important ethical and social issues, including how to fairly distribute their benefits and risks. This publication describes a governance framework for decisions throughout the innovation life cycle to advance equitable innovation and support an ecosystem that is more responsive to the needs of a broader range of individuals and is better able to recognize and address inequities as they arise. Read more.
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Road tunnels employ a multitude of functional systems that include a variety of equipment: lighting, ventilation, power supply, fire protection systems such as fixed fire-fighting systems, fire detection systems, communications systems and operational devices, supervisory control and data acquisition, closed circuit television, variable message signs, and radio. Maintenance of these systems is critical to the operation of the tunnel and to the overall roadway network. This research report documents methods and practices employed by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and how DOTs define critical findings, the specific criteria they employ in identifying critical findings, and the processes they follow to address these systems-related issues. Read more.
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Experiencing poverty during childhood can lead to lasting harmful effects that compromise not only children’s health and welfare but can also hinder future opportunities for economic mobility, which may be passed on to future generations. This cycle of economic disadvantage weighs heavily not only on children and families experiencing poverty but also on the nation, reducing overall economic output and placing an increased burden on the educational, criminal justice, and healthcare systems. This publication examines key drivers of long-term, intergenerational poverty, including the racial disparities and structural factors that contribute to this cycle, and examines the disproportionate effect of disadvantage on different racial/ethnic groups. In addition, the report identifies high-priority gaps in the data and research needed to help develop effective policies for reducing intergenerational poverty in the United States. Read more.
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Research in biological and physical sciences in space provides the critical scientific and technological foundations that make space exploration possible. As humanity looks towards the Moon and Mars for future missions, this work is needed to help astronauts adapt and live in the harsh environments of space. This publication provides a roadmap for increasing national investment in biological and physical science research, from experiments to infrastructure to education. This report identifies key scientific questions, priorities, and ambitious research campaigns that will enable human space exploration and transform our understanding of how the universe works. Read more.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to aid new mathematical discoveries. Particularly as the amount of data available grows beyond what any person can study, AI can be useful in its power to identify patterns in data and refine relationships between properties. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the recent workshop, held in June of 2023, bringing together stakeholders to discuss the state of the art and current challenges and opportunities to advance research in using AI for mathematical reasoning. Read more.
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Pediatric subspecialists are critical to ensuring quality care and pursuing research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for children. However, there are substantial disincentives to pursuing a career as a pediatric subspecialist, which are often heightened for individuals from groups underrepresented in medicine, and more effective collaboration with primary care clinicians is needed. In response, the National Academies, with support from a coalition of sponsors, formed the Committee on the Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce and Its Impact on Child Health and Well-Being to recommend strategies and actions to ensure an adequate pediatric subspecialty physician workforce to advance the health and health care of infants, children, and adolescents. This report outlines recommendations that, if fully implemented, can improve the quality of pediatric medical subspecialty care through a well-supported, superbly trained, and appropriately used primary care, subspecialty, and physician-scientist workforce. Read more.
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Airport economic impact studies are used as an indicator of the growth and sustainability of the aviation industry. The collected data demonstrate the importance of an airport and the economic growth of regional, statewide, and national airports. It can be difficult to effectively leverage an airport’s economic impact study by demonstrating how the airport contributes to economic growth. This publication provides information on how airport economic impact studies have been communicated to stakeholders, how the studies have been implemented to achieve objectives, and what the resulting effects were to the agencies and airports included in the studies. Read more.
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Evidence-based medicine arose from a clear need and represents a major advance in the science of clinical decision-making. Despite broad acceptance of evidence-based medicine, however, a fundamental issue remains unresolved: evidence is derived from groups of people, yet medical decisions are made by and for individuals. This publication is based on a workshop that considered patient and stakeholder perspectives on the importance of understanding heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE) and best practices for implementing clinical programs that take HTE into account. Better population-based outcomes will only be realized when we understand more completely how to treat patients as the unique individuals they are. 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
John Kadow, President ViiV Healthcare (ret.)
Sten Vermund, Vice President Yale School of Public Health
Eric Donkor, Secretary UConn
Edmond Murphy, Treasurer Lumentum (ret.)
Christine Broadbridge, Past President Southern Connecticut State University
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Terri Clark
EDITORS Leon Pintsov, Executive Editor - Engineering Pitney Bowes, Inc. (ret.)
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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