July, 2009
College of Engineering Alum Accepted to NASA Astronaut School
U.S. Navy Commander Scott D. Tingle, a UMass Dartmouth mechanical engineering alumnus, is among nine people selected by NASA for the 2009 astronaut candidate class. The group, selected from 3,500 applicants, will begin training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in August.
Tingle, who grew up in Attleboro and now resides in Hollywood, MD, is a test pilot and assistant program manager-Systems Engineering at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. “"The excitement of being asked to join this incredible team was overwhelming," Tingle said in an interview posted on NASA's web site. “I planned an educational and training path focused on my interests which included science, engineering and flying, and then stuck to it.” More
UMD Key Partner in Ocean Explorium
First there was a vision. Then there was The Sphere. Now, after years of hard work and anticipation, the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford has gone "live". It is open daily to the public with a vibrant and charismatic collection of marine animals from around the world. The Ocean Explorium is a public center for learning about ocean science, located on the corner of Purchase and Union Streets in downtown New Bedford. The project is the outcome of a significant partnership between the New Bedford Oceanarium and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. More
SMAST Scientist Award $220,000 Federal Grant
French National Media Fosuses on "Changing Lives"
Philippe Boulet-Gercourt, a French journalist, visited campus several weeks ago to take a first-hand look at the Changing Lives Through Literature program, created by UMass Dartmouth English Professor Robert Waxler as a strategy to transform the outlook of criminals.The program, which requires individuals to read books as a part of the probation and parole requirements, has helped reduce recidivism rates among its participants.
"The discussion (about Of Mice and Men) is just as intense,'' Boulet-Gercourt wrote in the June 11 edition of Le Nouvel Observateur, one of the most influential news sources in France. "Bob Waxler is the one who initiates it, not an ounce of moralizing, but he is a skillful facilitator. In no time tongues become loose.What is the relation that ties George, the hero, and his buddy Lennie, the simple hulk? What do we think of the son of the owner, the bad guy in the story? The discussion lasts about two hours, dense, inspired, a thousand times more interesting than a conclave of Steinbeck experts." More
Karam Scholars Announced
The recipients of the 2009/2010 Robert S. Karam Scholarships for students who are attending UMass campuses were announced recently, including several attending UMass Dartmouth. The scholarship is named for former UMass Board of Trustees Chairman and UMass Dartmouth alumnus Robert Karam, who credits his college education with helping to launch a highly successful business career and active civic life. "Growing up in a working class Fall River, a college education was a dream for kids like me,'' Mr. Karam said. "UMass Dartmouth gave me and countless others an opportunity to achieve that dream, and now it makes me and my family very happy to play a part in making that dream come true for others. I want to urge all of my fellow UMass alumni to consider what their college education has meant to them, and return the favor to the next generation as soon as possible. It is especially important this year when working families are under financial stress." More
Mr. O'Brien Goes to Washington
UMass Dartmouth student Bryan O'Brien of Marshfield has earned the Washington Center Internship Scholarship presented by Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. O'Brien was one of four students chosen nationally based on academic merit and public service. He received $4,500 to participate in the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars this summer. More
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