Scientists to study Connecticut River contaminants

Scientists in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources are working with colleagues from three other New England universities in the Connecticut River Airshed-Watershed Consortium to study how pollutants get into the environment. The studies will provide new insight into the movement and contaminatio n caused by pollutants such as mercury, nitrogen, and methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE).

Research has shown that many substances, including nitrogen and mercury, regularly move between the air, water, soil and vegetation. But the processes of how they move have yet to be defined and quantified, making control and cleanup of chemical spills or runoff difficult from engineering and legal perspectives. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of where contaminants in the Connecticut River Basin come from, UConn researchers participating in the consortium aim to define and model the entire pollution cycling process with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection.

"If you look at only one [environmental] system you can't really solve the problem," says David Miller, professor in the department of natural resources management and engineering. Miller will serve as principal investigator at UConn and will spearhead research into the cycling of pollutants between the atmosphere and Earth's surface.

Miller says the EPA funding will go toward a series of studies aimed at creating and testing models of the two-way flow of contaminants. The funds will also be used to purchase new equipment and fund several researchers.

Each of the four universities will focus on a specific component of the contamination cycling process.

UConn will lead research in the cycling between air, water, land and vegetation. The consortium - which includes the Universities of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont - will use a multimedia approach based on the Geographic Information System to track how nitrogen and mercury move through the river basin. The goal is to develop a complete understanding of the contamination cycle that combines previously understood concepts with new information as it becomes available. These GIS models, which will be constructed at UConn, will allow researchers and policy makers to better understand the entire cycle of contamination movement and then begin to contain and possibly reverse degradation of the Connecticut River Basin.

Cytogenetics grows as an area of specialty

As advances in medicine transform science fiction into reality, the field of genetics has become one of the cutting edge areas of research and study. In the School of Allied Health, the Diagnostic Genetic Sciences Program is attracting students at a time when there is an increasing demand for specialized allied health professionals.

"It's a really hot area," says Martha Keagle, director of the program, which is generally known as cytogenetic technology. "We're seeing that the future of diagnostic medicine is in the realm of genetics. Virtually all human disease and disability have some genetic component to it. The need for people with the specific skills they get at UConn will explode."

Cytogenetic technology is a highly specialized branch of cytotechnology, which is the study of cell samples from the body for the detection and diagnosis of disease. Cytogenetic technologists study the changes in chromosomes and their relationship to disease.

"Where cytology is looking at changes in the cell nucleus that may show a cell is cancerous, cytogenetics looks below that level," Keagle says. "We look at prenatal diagnosis, birth defects, couples experiencing infertility and other much broader areas."

Students seeking a degree in cytogenetic studies have already completed a bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline or in medical technology before pursuing the specialized

one-year graduate program that provides students with skills that can be used in several fields. The program includes a clinical practicum at the UConn Health Center followed by monthly rotations to cytology laboratories in Connecticut.

The UConn cytogenetics program is one of only eight in North America and one of two in New England, according to the Association of Genetic Technologists.

Business School climbs in rankings

The School of Business has been named one of the nation's best by Business Week. UConn and Yale were the only Connecticut schools included out of more than 1,200 business schools nationwide, and UConn was the only public business school in New England to be ranked.

"We are delighted to share company with the most elite business schools in the country," says C. F. Sirmans, interim dean of business. "It pleases us to have Business Week validate what we, our students, and stakeholders already know - that a UConn School of Business education is exceptional."

Business Week's ranking of the nation's top business schools, published every two years, is one of the most closely watched barometers among business schools. This is the first time UConn's School of Business has been ranked among the best in the nation and reflects the upward trajectory of the School during the past few years.

U.S.News & World Report also cites the UConn School of Business as the number-one public business school in New England. Forbes magazine ranks UConn's MBA program as having one of the highest return-on-investments in the nation. And, most recently, the Wall Street Journal elevated UConn to its list of Top Business Schools for 2003. The latest ranking by Business Week places the UConn School of Business among the top 30 at public universities nationwide. "While rankings do not drive our educational and research mission, they do help us to fulfill it by strengthening our ability to attract the best faculty and recruit the brightest students," notes Sirmans. "Prospective MBA students do consider rankings in their choice of an MBA program."

The UConn School of Business now occupies one of the most technologically advanced research and learning facilities in the nation for business education. Its brand-new, state-of-the-art building opened its doors in 2001.

Training for bioterrorism readiness

The University is taking a leadership role in helping Connecticut's healthcare professionals prepare for the threat of bioterrorism by offering a leadership training program through the College of Continuing Studies and the UConn Health Center.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York City, and the subsequent anthrax incidents that led to the death of a Connecticut woman, the state's emergency preparedness plans have been revised to include a Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Training program for emergency and health care professionals.

Training is free and offered through a cooperative agreement between the state Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control. The series of eight sessions began in December and will continue through July 2003 at UConn's Hartford campus.

The 20-hour training program includes 14 hours of classroom work and six hours of Web-based learning activities in subject areas such as basics about biological, chemical and nuclear agents; public health preparedness; developing an organizational response; and effective project management.

There is also a full-day computer-based simulation of a bioterrorism crisis situation. The simulation provides participants with the opportunity to demonstrate teamwork, problem solving, leadership, decision-making, crisis management and negotiating skills.

Initial content for the program was developed in consultation with Michael Grey, division chief of occupational medicine at the UConn Health Center.

A variety of health care professionals representing organizations from throughout the state, including the Connecticut Hospital Association and the Department of Public Health, worked to finalize the program.

"The demands on state and local public health groups concerning readiness are extensive," says Martha McKerley, program manager in the College of Continuing Studies, who helped develop the content areas for the program. "The college's training program provides information and practical guidance to help public health professionals enhance their agency's level of readiness."

Dental School expands service to state

The School of Dental Medicine, already the largest single provider of dental care to the state's neediest residents, will more than triple its services to underserved populations over the next five years with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The $1.4 million grant helps the dental school revise its curriculum by increasing its students' commitment of dental care to inner city and other disadvantaged populations in the state from 22 days to 75 days. In addition, the dental school will expand its affiliation with community health centers, a step that provides additional sites around the state where dental care is provided. The grant will also provide additional funds to the Health Center's Health Career Opportunity Programs to strengthen its minority student recruitment.

"Although Connecticut has a high per capita income and a relatively large number of dentists, the state suffers from a severe and growing problem of lack of access to dental care," says Monty MacNeil, associate dean for academic affairs for the School of Dental Medicine. "The grant will also help us step up our efforts to recruit minority students into dentistry."

According to a state Department of Social Services report, 71 percent of poor children did not visit a dentist in 1999. The problem is underscored, according to public health officials, by the fact that 54 percent of needy children live in large urban areas where only 18 percent of the state's 2,680 dentists practice.

Currently, more than 50 percent of the 80,000 annual patient visits to the faculty practice at UConn's dental school are by adults eligible for state-assisted health care. And, through its dental clinics around the state, the dental school provides nearly 30 percent of all treatment to needy youngsters under 18.

"In addition to curriculum changes, we will add a public health policy course, so our students gain a better awareness of the environment and the issues they will face as health care professionals," MacNeil says.

Teaching out of the classroom

If you want adults to learn, forget the classroom.

That advice comes from Barry Sheckley, recently named Neag Professor of Adult Learning, who has devoted more than 20 years to understanding how adults learn best.

Barry Scheckley, Neag professor of adult learning.

"Most research shows the classroom-based process used

to develop proficiency among our adult workforce is not effective. It simply does not work," Sheckley says. "We try to teach adults 'answers' as if we know what future problems they will face. Instead, we should be focused on developing their proficiency, the ability to use information skillfully."

A relatively young field of study, adult learning is one of the key areas for growth identified by the Neag School, which is one of only a few such schools to focus on the discipline. Labor experts predict that 75 percent of the nation's workforce will need retraining over the next five to seven years as different skills are required for new jobs in the changing workplace. Sheckley collaborates with a team that includes two colleagues from his department, Marijke Kehrhahan and Sandy Bell, and about 30 UConn doctoral students.

Sheckley's method for making learning more effective for adults is based upon a model known as Professional Learning as Inquiry. Adult learners are guided to frame a

task in terms of best practices. The learners then use those principles as a basis for testing ideas to solve problems and complete the task. The goal is to enhance adults' problem-solving, analytical and creative-thinking skills.

"The workforce needs people who can work independently. Those are the skills valued by employers, but they are a by-product, not the central focus, of our current workforce development system," he says.

Sheckley, who works with Connecticut state agencies, local school districts and private industry, does not conduct quick one-day seminars, saying such sessions are not effective. Instead, he works with employers to set up programs that minimize classroom instruction and maximize the educational potential of the "ecology," or environment, within an individual's workgroup - the forum in which most learning actually occurs.

Shaw receives international award

In a state known as the "Land of Steady Habits," if your time is spent trying to change things, the result had better be good.

In the case of Montgomery T. Shaw, professor of chemical engineering, his achievements changing the chemical structure of materials have been recognized as among the best.

Shaw received the 2002 Society of Plastics Engineers International Award, which has been awarded since 1962 to acknowledge outstanding achievement by distinguished scientists and engineers.

Shaw has established an international reputation in the process of mixing chemicals into new components, known as polymer science and engineering. More specifically, he is known for his pioneering work in polymer rheology, the science of changing the shape and flow of molecules to create new substances. He is also considered one of the foremost authorities on the thermodynamics of polymer mixtures, how heat is used to create new mixed substances.

His activities in thermodynamics began in 1970 on his first work assignment when he was at Union Carbide. "My job was to come up with a commercial polymer alloy that could combine the properties of some of their existing products," he recalls. "It sounds like a fairly straightforward assignment. You just take them and mix them. But it's not very easy at all. It started my interest in thermodynamics that has kept me busy for a long time."

The challenge of polymers is to be able to combine substances to create a better material without losing the key properties of the original materials. Shaw cites the example of making parts for optical lenses in cameras by using pre-cast molded polymers instead of grinding glass. "You don't want a lens that is going to distort the image simply because it was molded quickly," he says.

An emerging area of polymer development is electro-responsive materials - studying how substances react to the introduction of an electrical field. For example, if a gel can be charged with electricity so that it stiffens, it could be used possibly to dampen sound or other types of vibrations, Shaw says.

"Being selected by a panel of experts from a list of very highly competitive and prestigious people is an honor," Shaw says about the award, which includes an honorarium and a plaque made of acrylic, which is, of course, a polymer.

Innovative approaches to truancy reduction

Anita Garey spends a lot of time before a judge, but she's not in trouble. Her research has taken her to truancy court.

Garey, an associate professor of family studies and sociology, is conducting research on the team approach to truancy reduction. She is performing observational research in three truancy courts in Rhode Island, taking detailed field notes on the interactions among the participants - a magistrate, truant officer, guidance counselor, social worker and family members. Garey is aided in her research project by Marina O'Leary, a doctoral student in family studies who is serving as a research assistant for the study.

The truancy court program, an arm of the state family court, is an intervention aimed at reducing school absence, preventing youngsters from dropping out of school, and improving each child's opportunity for academic achievement. The courts, located in middle schools, are set up much like real courtrooms.

"The truancy court team works together to discover and address the underlying causes of truancy in each case," says Garey, who was awarded a UConn Humanities Institute Fellowship for the current academic year to pursue her study of truancy.

According to Garey, in most states truancy is dealt with in a punitive manner that has not proven effective in increasing school attendance. Most youngsters choose truancy court over family court, where they could receive a sentence, be put on probation, and have the charge recorded on their records.

Although there is much research on truancy itself, little research has been done on intervention processes, such as truancy court. Garey's presence at the sessions allows her to see first-hand how the team approach works. One of the goals of her research is to find out what works in the team process and what doesn't. What is most important about truancy court, says Garey, is that it offers an intervention that can prevent bigger problems: "Having more people looking at the whole picture can help."

First Sackler Composition Prize awarded

Composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank received the first Raymond and Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize, a $20,000 award that supports and promotes composers and the performance of their new musical works.

"The prize is part of a broader program promoting innovation and the creative spirit within the UConn School of Fine Arts," says David G. Woods, dean of the school. "It recognizes cutting-edge creative exploration and reflects the essence of creativity that is the heart of the school."

Frank's composition for solo violin and a chamber ensemble of 11 players, "An American in Peru," will have its world premiere in Storrs in the spring. A second performance will take place at UConn's Stamford campus.

"An American in Peru" tells the story of Frank's Jewish father and his experiences in Peru as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s. The piece documents the blending of her father's Jewish roots and Klezmer tradition of Jewish folk music with his Peruvian experience and the music he heard in Peru's coastal deserts, Andean mountains, and Amazonian rain forests.

Frank's winning proposal for the inaugural Sackler Prize was chosen from entries submitted by composers in 20 states and nine other nations.

"Words can't adequately express the pleasure and honor I feel at having been selected as the first winner of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize," says Frank. "It is not just an opportunity to bring to life a large work using the talents of terrific players but also a chance to set a high standard of imagination and craft for future recipients of the prize.

The prize was established through a gift from Raymond and Beverly Sackler, distinguished philanthropists and frequent donors to the University. The Sacklers fund several important initiatives at the School of Fine Arts, including an artist-in-residence program, the Master Artists and Scholars Institute, and the Art and Archeology Lecture Series. The Sacklers were also instrumental in forging a partnership between the Metropolitan Opera and UConn, the first collaboration of its kind between the historic opera company and an institution of higher learning.

Strongest first-year class for School of Law

The current first-year class in the School of Law is the strongest ever, with a median LSAT score of 160 and a higher undergraduate grade point average than that of previous classes.

Students in the class were drawn from the largest applicant pool the Law School has ever seen, up 46 percent over the previous year. Applications for this fall are also at a pace exceeding previous years.

Dean Nell Jessup Newton says applications are soaring because of the School's growing national reputation, which includes a ranking in the top tier of law schools listed by U.S.News & World Report and the quality of its programs.

"Applicants are drawn to us because we foster a sense of community among our students and faculty and we have a very appealing 13-to-1 student-faculty ratio," she says. Our excellent programs in insurance, international, and intellectual property law are also big attractions.

As she works to increase the Law School's programs and reputation, Newton keeps a close eye on national trends in legal education. Nationwide, clinical programs have grown in the last decade and will continue to do so, she predicts. In response, the School has expanded its clinical opportunities for students, adding a low-income tax clinic and an asylum/human rights clinic.

With trends in law school education nationally beginning to focus on interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship, the Law School finds itself in the enviable position of already having one of the strongest interdisciplinary faculties in the country. In the near future, Newton plans to add faculty with expertise in health law.

"It's challenging to maintain an upward trend," she notes. "To continue on this path, we will rely increasingly on partnerships with our alumni and our friends in the legal community to maintain a law school that is a continuing source of pride for all Connecticut citizens."

Identifying autism early
Bio/Physics Building brings departments together

Identifying autism early

If Deborah Fein had her way, every young child in Connecticut would be screened for autism, because early detection and intervention are more likely to result in successful treatment of the disorder.

Deborah Fein, professor of psychology

Fein, a psychology professor, received two federal grants to conduct screening for autism, a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is disruptive to social relationships, communication and imaginative play. It is a common developmental disability, affecting at least 1 in 500 children.

The grants allow Fein and her fellow researchers to screen thousands of children through pediatricians' offices and early intervention centers and compare three different screening devices in the form of questionnaires. One grant is for nearly $2.5 million for five years from the National Institutes of Health. There is a separate $800,000 grant over four years from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

In Fein's project, parents of children aged 18 to 24 months are asked to spend five to 10 minutes completing the screening devices when they take their children to the doctor, who then send her the completed questionnaires to be scored.

The project also evaluates treatments for autism. Children who were diagnosed with autism and received treatment at an early age will be examined again at age 4 to determine what type of intervention results in the most successful treatment. Screenings will also be given to the younger siblings of children who have already been diagnosed with autism, to determine whether they also will work for the younger siblings.

"By giving the screening devices to parents, pediatricians allow parents to get a diagnosis without waiting to get into autism specialty clinics, which often have lengthy waiting lists," Fein says. "Though a diagnosis of autism can be upsetting, getting the diagnosis increases the amount of help available from the state and improves the child's prognosis."

In other cases, Fein says, parents are concerned about autism, but it turns out the child has mild developmental delays and is not diagnosed as autistic.

Bio/Physics Building brings departments together

Professor David Benson no longer has long walks through the Torrey Life Sciences Building, trying to meet with colleagues in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology who were located on various floors.

"It's a wonderful facility," says Benson of the new Biology/Physics Building that now stands as the tallest building on the main campus at 110 feet high. "This facility will help us recruit graduate students, post doctoral students and faculty."

Dozens of high-tech research laboratories line two hallways, and a series of bridges span a six-story atrium, connecting the research and office wings on one side of the building. Another enclosed bridge connects the complex with the Torrey Life Sciences Building, which is scheduled to be renovated during the 21st Century UConn program in 2005.

Like other UCONN 2000-financed projects, the Biology/ Physics Building offers data jacks throughout the facility for laptop computers. There is also audio-video capability in each of two 150-seat lecture halls and in every conference room and lounge. The building's labs and offices are located in separate wings and the space is climate-controlled.

The 111,000-square-foot building includes 22,000 square feet for physics labs and offices that will focus on laser technology research. Members of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology will work in a rooftop greenhouse and will display collections on the first floor. The Biotechnology Center will share the new building.

The building also will become home to more than 125,000 specimens -birds, mammals, fish, parasites, and vascular plants among them - from the University's natural history collection.

Poison Control Center helps save lives

When anthrax mysteriously began to sicken and even kill people in 2001, panicky calls started coming into the UConn Health Center's Connecticut Poison Control Center.

"People wanted information about anthrax and their chances of getting sick from it - immediately," says Laura Caperino Crean, a lead poison control specialist. "We had to gear up quickly so we could answer their questions."

The same thing happened several years ago when a chemical explosion at a pool supply company rocked a neighborhood in Manchester, Conn. The calls - about 100 a day - come in from around the state, around the country and the world, asking Health Center staffers about the consequences of exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances.

Most calls come from the public. Nearly two-thirds are related to accidental poisonings in children. Other calls about the toxicity of a substance come from doctors, emergency rooms, police departments or companies around the state.

"Our staff has access to a vast amount of expertise and information that helps us respond immediately to calls," says Marc Bayer, a board-certified toxicologist and medical director for the Poison Control Center.

The Center is linked to the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, which contains detailed toxicological information on more than 24 million poison exposures reported to U.S. poison centers. The risks of poisoning often come from everyday substances found in the home, such as cleaning materials and medications.

The practice of toxicology has changed dramatically in recent years, says Crean. She recalled that in the past most people were sent to emergency rooms routinely because there was not enough information available about how most toxic substances affected children or adults. Now the Poison Control Center provides life-saving information that can be communicated quickly over the telephone. The phone number is: 1-800-222-1222.

Nursing professor: AIDS patient's drawings
a useful assessment tool

Elizabeth Anderson, an assistant professor of nursing, is using art as a tool for assessing quality of life and coping strategies among AIDS patients.

Anderson interviewed 58 men and women from a long-term care facility and AIDS clinic in Connecticut, inviting some of the patients to draw and discuss images of their perception of AIDS. Many of the resulting drawings offered dramatic insight into the patient's world, which she categorized as either positive or negative images.

Negative images depicted AIDS as an over-powering force that dashes hope. In one such image, a grave adorned with red and white flowers lies beneath a darkened sun. The headstone reads "RIP sister and daughter." Anderson says the image is a patient's representation of what happened to her after being diagnosed with AIDS. The red and white flowers represent love and purity, and their green stems, a world of living things. The sun, concealed by a black cloud, represents the family's sadness.

In the positive category, patients viewed AIDS as a challenge or danger that needs to be faced and fought daily. One patient's drawing depicted AIDS as a wild cat that could be kept at bay as long as he was attentive. If he didn't maintain his grip, the wild cat would reach out and scratch him.

Anderson hopes that pictorial representations of AIDS will help nurses evaluate a patient's ability to cope and identify those who need further assistance. She recommends that art be regularly considered as a method for assessing how a patient feels about having AIDS.

She also thinks that the process of imaging AIDS is itself helpful to patients, because it provides them with an opportunity for reflection and self-discovery.

Anderson is conducting another study of people with HIV/AIDS, focusing on the effects of nausea, self-efficacy, and relationships with health care providers on medical advice. She also is asking all individuals in this study to draw images of the disease.

Ultimately these findings could help better train nurses and other health care professionals to care for their patients.

First year experience

Last fall, freshman students interested in pharmacy were eased into the field with special living arrangements and a new First Year Experience (FYE) course. They spent time with deans and fraternized with pharmacy students. Some even joined professional organizations.

The School of Pharmacy's new living and learning community is part of a broader initiative by the Department of Residential Life to allow students with similar academic interests to live and learn together.

"It was a great opportunity for the School of Pharmacy to work with freshmen," says Pat Toce, director of experiential education for the School of Pharmacy, who designed and taught the introductory FYE course. "They took classes and dined with our deans and faculty and participated in many pharmacy activities." While the focus in the course was pharmacy, it also covered basic university learning skills.

Toce says that having upper-level pharmacy students such as Elizabeth Palillo '06 (PHR) as mentors in the class was invaluable: "They understand the needs of freshmen coming into the program and are there to answer questions."

Introducing freshmen to the world of pharmacy early in students' careers is particularly important because UConn's future pharmacists must complete two years of pre-pharmacy requirements before being admitted to the School of Pharmacy for an additional four years.

"It was an amazing semester," says Palillo, who is also a resident assistant. "In the past, a pharmacy student wouldn't have a link to pharmacy until the fifth semester at UConn."

The course gave students "a real inside look at pharmacy," she says. "We had some classes with the dean and associate dean. We had pharmacy students at all levels come and talk to the class. We even discussed the application process and future classes they'll need."

Freshman Tyson Thornton says he was impressed with the program. "We got to talk to the dean and students already in the program. It took some of the fear away of what was coming," he says.

Interim dean Bob McCarthy says the program helps students begin to establish a connection to the School of Pharmacy early on. "This is a way for us to connect with brand new students right out of high school," McCarthy says. "They feel they're part of pharmacy even though they're not in the program officially. One of the most exciting things about it is that the students gain a clearer understanding of what to expect when their formal pharmacy training begins."

Borrero reaches out to some of
Hartford's most troubled youth

Seven youngsters at Hartford's South Middle School filter into the room, greeting Professor Michael Borrero like an old friend: "Hey, Mister. Whatup?"

The group is one of three that Borrero, professor of social work and director of the Institute for Violence Reduction, runs at the school: two for boys, one for girls. The groups, which meet weekly, are part of an initiative to reduce violence among young people. Taking responsibility is at the heart of the program.

Many of the students come from homes that range from neglectful to abusive, say the school's counselors. Parents have a hard time making ends meet and spend little time with their children.

Borrero, who began working with gangs in New York City in the 1950s, has spent his career trying to help troubled youth. During his work with gangs in Hartford he realized the need for intervention at an earlier stage and launched the South Middle School program in 1997.

The students in the state-funded Institute for Violence Reduction program are South Middle's most troubled. They are referred to the program for being frequently late or absent from school, disruptive in class, or disrespectful to their teachers. Most have previously been suspended and have come before the juvenile justice system.

Participation in the program is voluntary. Borrero emphasizes that if they want to be involved, the kids must behave appropriately and speak candidly. If they act responsibly, Borrero provides them with rewards, such as coveted tickets to UConn Husky basketball or football games.

The program's year-long curriculum features a series of 45-minute sessions examining themes such as violence, courage, love, respect and loyalty. The groups also discuss coping strategies, decision making, anger management, and goal setting.

Borrero is assisted by a graduate student participating in an internship as part of UConn's social work program. They work closely with the school's guidance counselors, who provide support to students on a daily basis.

Principal Jim Fagan says, "Mike does things we just can't do. He's made a difference in our school and a difference in kids' lives."