of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT

Volume 37, 2  /  April 2022

As I reflect on the Academy’s accomplishments this past year in preparation for our 47th Annual Meeting, I am pleased to share that we continue to celebrate, promote, and inform science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine in service to the people and the state of Connecticut. We have done this in both new and traditional ways, including such activities as a revamped website as well as a new podcast series currently in development all while implementing our annual election of leading STEMM professionals.

However, I am most proud of the work we began this year to broaden participation in STEMM. To be successful in bringing about lasting change we must face and address barriers both outside and within our organization. The Academy’s leadership recognizes that we cannot truly serve all the people of the state without being an organization that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. So, challenging though it may be, we are committed to the process. As a loyal Bulletin reader, we invite your help with this effort. If you know of a strategy that has proven to be successful in broadening STEMM participation, share it with me by emailing tclark@ctcase.org.

Finally, I hope you will join us this year by registering to attend the Academy’s 47th Annual Meeting. You would be most welcome!

Christine Caragianis Broadbridge, President
CT Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE)
Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to CT

Comments about this edition of the Bulletin are welcome via tclark@ctcase.org.

To learn more about the
Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, please visit ctcase.org.

Science and Engineering Notes from Around Connecticut

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station announced an extension of the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine for Connecticut. This insect has the potential to severely impact farm crops, especially apples, hops, and several tree species.  Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is warning poultry producers of the highly pathogenic avian influenza that has been detected on Long Island. USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service has available materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit.  Read more.

CASE Member Harlan Krumholz, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, and Yale Professor Howard Forman joined Dr. Emily Wang from Yale’s SEICHE Center for Health and Justice to discuss the health effects of mass incarceration on the imprisoned and their families and communities. Listen to the podcast.

New research from the laboratory of CASE member Peter Glazer, MD, Ph.D., at the Yale Cancer Center shows the creation of a next-generation CRISPR “off-switch” and precision tool to aid safe gene editing therapeutics in patients with HIV, Fanconi anemia, sickle cell disease, beta-thalassemia, and others.  Read more.

The CT Office of State Broadband, created by statute and housed within the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, is directed to “…facilitate the availability of broadband access to every state citizen and to increase access to and adoption of ultra-high-speed gigabit-capable broadband network.”  Read more.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative is making it easier for towns to explore American Community Survey (ACS) 2020 5-year estimates, which have just been released. The survey is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau and covers a wide range of topics. Visit the Collaborative’s data hub for more information, access to analyses and tools, and sign-up for census data updates.  Read more.

Governor Lamont announced $1.3M in state funding to create a business incubator focused on job growth in the New London region. Services will include entrepreneurial training, technical apprenticeships, and business development, as well as advising entrepreneurs, including immigrants, of existing state and local permit requirements for forming a new company.  Read more.

Former Chief Operating Officer for Governor Lamont and former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services is now Yale’s senior associate provost for entrepreneurship and innovation. Yale noted his experience as a technology professional and the strength Josh Geballe will provide to their already “…robust regional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.”  Read more.

Connecticut Innovations announced in March a $15.1M investment in early-stage companies made in the 2^nd Quarter of 2022, with $5.7M toward companies in the technology sector, $4.8M for healthcare companies, and the remaining funds in other industries, including climate tech and consumer goods.   Read more.

CASE Member Jane L. Snowdon, deputy chief science officer for science operations at IBM Watson Health, received the Penn State University Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award - the highest honor bestowed by the College of Engineering in recognition of graduates who have reached exceptional levels of professional achievement.  Read more.

Fairfield University launched a new biomedical engineering master’s program – one of only five in the state – to help answer the high industry demand for employees with master's in the field.  Read more.

Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science and Yale University School of Medicine launched a new Master of Science in Personalized Medicine & Applied Engineering to educate the next generation of engineers, computer scientists, and medical professionals in the use of new technologies in 3-dimensional medicine and imaging.  Read more.

Marja Hurley, CASE member and founder and Associate Dean of Health Career Opportunity Programs at UConn Health is profiled for trailblazing and mentoring the next generation. Of note, Dr. Hurley is the first woman of color to graduate from the UConn School of Medicine and the first Black woman to be appointed a UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor.  Read more.

Connecticut manufacturers can now access free energy efficiency assessments at a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Assessment Center through UConn in partnership with the University of New Haven. Read more. 

Governor Lamont announced that the state is partnering with New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to pursue $8 billion in federal infrastructure funding to expand the use of clean hydrogen through the development of a regional hub.  Read more.

A newly published study, co-authored by CASE member Karen Seto, the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science at Yale School of the Environment, found that a projected urban expansion over the next three decades threatens the survival of more than 800 species globally — but adds that a focus on urban planning that protects habitats can mitigate the impact.  Read more.

The Yale School of Public Health, which historically has operated as a department within the Yale School of Medicine, will transition to an independent, self-sustaining school. The transition comes with $150M of endowment for the school’s teaching, research, and practice, along with additional university resources and support. CASE Members Peter Salovey, president of Yale, and Nancy J. Brown, dean of the Yale School of Medicine, were joined by Provost Strobel in stating, “The university is committed to building on the school’s historic strengths and ensuring its future excellence.”  Read more.

Connecticut residents continue to be urged by Governor Ned Lamont to visit ct.gov/coronavirus or text by keyword COVIDCT to 888-777 for the most up-to-date information on COVID- 19.  Read more.

Housatonic Community College has been awarded $1 million in federal funding to support the college's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center.  Read more.

CASE Member Lee S. Langston authored an article in the latest issue of the American Scientist, a magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The article, “Gears Drive the World,” shares how this ancient technology is driving innovation today.  Read more.

Pratt & Whitney received a $4M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop high-efficiency hydrogen engines for use in commercial aviation. CASE member Geoff Hunt, P&W’s senior vice president of engineering and technology, shared, “This truly is an exciting opportunity to start developing the key technologies that could bring the industry’s first hydrogen steam injected, inter-cooled engine from concept to reality.”  Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation released its updated 5-year Capital Plan with a renewed sustainability commitment. CTDOT anticipates utilizing $2.25 billion in total capital program funding in the federal fiscal year 2022, which began October 1, 2021, including approximately $1.36B for roadway and bridge infrastructure, $844M for bus and rail, and $49M in support of agency facility repairs and improvements.  Read more.

Governor Lamont announced the Connecticut Department of Transportation will award $8.2 million in state grants to support transportation safety upgrades and improve accessibility in 17 towns and cities as part of the Community Connectivity Grant Program.  Read more.

Items that appear in the In Brief section are compiled from previously
published sources including newspaper accounts and press releases.  

The following is excerpted from press releases and other news reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (nationalacademies.org).

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a refugee crisis in Europe, and many scientists and researchers are among the millions of Ukrainians who have fled their country. To assist these researchers in continuing their work in safety, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has launched the Safe Passage Fund to support the Polish Academy of Sciences as it helps fleeing Ukrainian scholars and their families relocate to Poland and neighboring countries and is now collecting contributions from individuals and foundations in the U.S. and elsewhere to help support displaced researchers.  Read more.

Demand for tech professionals is expected to increase substantially over the next decade and increasing the number of women of color in tech will be critical to building and maintaining a competitive workforce. Despite years of efforts to increase the diversity of the tech workforce, women of color have remained underrepresented, and the numbers of some groups of women of color have even declined. This study report provides recommendations for increasing the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women of color in tech.  Read more.

An estimated 8 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste enters the world's ocean each year and it is now found in almost every marine habitat. The United States is a major producer of plastics and has generated more plastic waste by weight and per capita than any other nation. This consensus report calls for a national strategy by the end of 2022 to reduce the nation's contribution to global ocean plastic waste at every step and recommends a nationally coordinated monitoring system to track plastic pollution.  Read more.

Sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation are key indicators of the demographic diversity in the United States. The growing visibility of transgender and intersex populations, as well as efforts to improve the measurement of sex and gender across many scientific fields, has demonstrated the need to reconsider how sex, gender, and the relationship between them are conceptualized. LGBTQI+ people continue to experience disparate and inequitable treatment, including harassment, discrimination, and violence, which in turn affects outcomes in many areas of everyday life, including health and access to health care services, economic and educational attainment, and family and social support. This report recommends that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopt new practices for collecting data on sex, gender, and sexual orientation to improve data quality, as well as the NIH's ability to identify LGBTQI+ populations and understand the challenges they face.  Read more.

Biological physics, or the physics of living systems, has emerged fully as a field of physics, alongside more traditional fields of astrophysics and cosmology, atomic, molecular, and optical physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and plasma physics. This is the first decadal survey of this field and communicates the importance of biological physics research; addresses what must be done to realize the promise of this new field; and provides guidance for informed decisions about funding, workforce, and research directions.  Read more.

Starting in early childhood, children are capable of learning sophisticated science and engineering concepts and engaging in disciplinary practices. Educators can develop learning environments that support the development and demonstration of proficiencies in science and engineering, including making connections across the contexts of learning, which can help children see their ideas, interests, and practices as meaningful not just for school, but also in their lives. This report provides evidence-based guidance on effective approaches to preschool through elementary science and engineering instruction, helping teachers to support the success of all students.  Read more.

Each year, the individuals and organizations in the U.S. organ donation, procurement, allocation, and distribution system work together to provide transplants to many thousands of people, but thousands more die before getting a transplant due to the ongoing shortage of deceased donor organs and inequitable access to transplant waiting lists. This new consensus study provides expert recommendations to improve fairness, equity, transparency, and cost-effectiveness in the donor organ system.  Read more.

The United States Preventive Task Force (USPSTF), with support from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ), was formed to provide recommendations regarding various preventive services - screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medication. This committee was charged with developing a report to improve coordination of efforts to describe and communicate priority evidence gaps among funders and researchers and proposing new opportunities for collaboration among researchers, funders, and guideline developers.  Read more.

A sibling journal to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS Nexus provides comprehensive scientific coverage through the timely dissemination of original research from the fields of engineering and medicine, as well as studies in the social, political, and economic sciences, and the biological and physical sciences and mathematics more broadly. The Editorial Board of PNAS Nexus includes NAS members, as well as select nonmembers who work in emerging fields not yet covered by academy membership.  Read more.

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

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.

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