SienaSIENA NEWS • A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS • SPRING 2010 The $2 Million PENGUIn INSIDE: Siena Serves A Run Like No Other c1-c2_03-27sien_spr10.indd 1 5/4/10 5:29:57 PM from the president A small school making Message from a big splash. the Editors This is the way I would describe Siena over the past several months, making it the In an effort to enhance Siena- perfect time to spread the good related news to alumni and friends news about Siena beyond of the college, we have been our community. developing and posting videos. I am hoping you will help With that in mind, me in this endeavor. you may notice This issue of Siena News is that throughout filled with stories that readers this issue we will want to share with others. have placed a It includes the announcement camera icon next of Siena’s largest federal grant to the stories that ever, the success of our men’s have supporting videos. basketball team and its impact If you are looking for other on the College as a whole and ways to stay connected to the continued dedication of serving others by our students, Siena, join the conversation at staff and alumni. www.facebook.com/sienacollege. It doesn’t matter which Siena stories you decide to emphasize. Siena has more than 5,000 But, as a member of the Siena community, you have a Facebook friends! responsibility to open it up to others. If you are headed on a Just wearing your old Siena cap or sweatshirt is a great way summer vacation this year, post to spark a conversation. After the conversation begins, put in a picture of yourself wearing a plug for our rigorous academic programs, the character of our a Siena College shirt, hat, etc. graduating students, the College’s Catholic Franciscan tradition, wherever you are having fun on or our commitment to making Siena accessible and affordable. Siena’s Facebook page or send to Or tell your own Siena story. You, who have lived the Siena [email protected]. We experience and know firsthand the value of belonging to the hope to run these photos in an Siena community, are the best person to answer the question: upcoming issue. “Why Siena?” Thank you for your continued support. Enjoy! Fraternally, Jim Eaton and Allison Maloney ’06 Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D. President SIENA 2 c1-c2_03-27x1sien_spr10 2 5/10/10 3:14:32 PM 2009 - 2010 Board of Trustees Ronald E. Bjorklund ’85 J. David Brown Michael Bucci ’73 Robert F. Campbell ’66 Robert M. Curley Robert T. Cushing ’77 Susan Law Dake Virginia L. Darrow ’83 4 The $2 Million Dollar PENGUIn John J. Dawson, Esq. ’68 contents Scott C. Donnelly Howard S. Foote ’74 Shari Golub-Schillinger ’86 Robert L. Guido ’68 Douglas T. Hickey ’77 Rev. Kenneth R. Himes ’71, O.F.M., Ph.D. Edward J. Johnson ’63 Walter T. Kicinski ’62 Rev. Jerome J. Massimino, O.F.M. Pamela McCarthy Robert J. McCormick ’87 Rev. Dominic V. Monti, O.F.M., Ph.D. James J. Morrell ’66 Very Rev. Kevin J. Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D. John F. Murray ’79 John J. Nigro Very Rev. John F. O’Connor, O.F.M. 10 Siena Serves Walter A. Osterman ’87 Joseph M. Pastore, Jr., Ph.D. Kenneth M. Raymond, Jr. Mark S. Rose ’65 Rev. Peter A. Schneible, O.F.M., Ph.D. David M. Stack ’73 Christine L. Standish Br. Daniel P. Sulmasy, O.F.M., M.D., Ph.D. Nimmi M. Trapasso ’98, M.D. Dennis L. Winger ’69 Siena News - Spring 2010 Published by Siena College 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211-1462 E-mail: [email protected] • Publisher: Delcy Fox • Editors: Jim Eaton, Allison Maloney ’06 12 A Run Like No Other • Contributing Editors: Mark Adam, Lisa Dussault ’10, Jodi Ackerman Frank, Ken Jubie ’04, Christine Maccarone ’10, Hildy Marinello ’11, Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D., Jason Rich ’97 and Lynn Ryan • Director of Art and Design: Sergio Sericolo departments • Alumni Class Notes Design: Jean Higgs • Alumni Class Notes Editor: Janice Goca and Victoria Abdulla ’07 • Back Page Design: Jim Knox On Campus News | 13 Alumni Connection | 23 • Photography: Athletics Office, Alumni Office, Dave Boswell ’12, Faculty News | 20 Alumni Class Notes | 28 Celeste Gross, Ken Jubie ’04, Billy McHugh ’13, Tony Purificato, Saints Corner | 22 NASDAQ, Sergio Sericolo, Virgina Sherwood/NBC and University of Tampa • Printer: The Lane Press, Burlington,Vt. SIENA 3 c1-c2_03-27x1sien_spr10 3 5/10/10 2:08:56 PM COVER STORY n TheBy Allison Maloney ’06 and Ken$2 Jubie ’04 Million PENGUI In February, Congressman Paul Tonko joined Fr. Kevin Mullen,O.F.M., and Associate Dean of Science Allan Weatherwax, Ph.D., to announce the grant, which is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. “The Recovery Act has made an unprecedented investment in research and development to help foster the innovations of the future,” said Tonko, who joined members of the news media on tours of Siena’s physics labs, and even on the roof of Roger Bacon Hall, to see how Siena students and faculty members are studying science. “Congratulations to Siena College and to the Science Department,” Tonko added. “This grant will help Siena continue its goal of creating a culture that is advancing student skills, understanding and opportunity in SIENA 4 c1-c2_03-27x1sien_spr10 4 5/10/10 2:09:38 PM The $2 Million PENGUIn Siena’s School of Science was awarded a $2 million National Science Foundation grant. It is the largest federal grant in the College’s history. science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Siena will serve as the science and engineering lead on this PENGUIn (Polar Experiment Network for Geospace Upper-atmosphere Investigations) project. The team under the grant includes collaborators from Dartmouth University, Stanford University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the University of New Hampshire, Augsburg College of Australia and the University of California, Berkeley. Weatherwax, who is the principal investigator under the grant, his fellow scientists and Siena SIENA 5 c1-c2_03-27x1sien_spr10 5 5/10/10 4:15:31 PM “This NSF grant validates that Siena is equally strong in the sciences.” - Alfredo Medina, assistant vice president for academic affairs students will collect data from autonomous observatories in Antarctica. These Images taken by observatories will provide year-round “space-weather” data from some of the Earth’s harshest environments. The data will be used in conjunction with NASA satellites to Weatherwax during a reveal information about Earth’s upper atmosphere and the sun. The research could lead to advances in astronaut and aircraft safety and developments in “green” power. recent trip to Antartica. “We want to go to some of the most remote places in the world that have some of the The research team harshest climates to study what’s going on in space, just above the atmosphere in this tenuous region called the Ionosphere,” Weatherwax said. “It’s where the space shuttle will collect data from flies. It’s where many of our satellites live. They could be in trouble if there is a huge solar eruption, and we want to be able to predict when these things might happen.” observations like The grant symbolizes an important feat for Siena as a liberal arts school. “This NSF grant validates that Siena is equally strong in the sciences,” said Assistant this from the Vice President for Academic Affairs Alfredo Medina. “Building a track record of grant polar continent. procurement is much like building an institution’s credit score. This grant will not only position Siena to receive additional grants from NSF, NIH (National Institutes of Health) and NASA, but it will also help to attract and recruit top-notch faculty with postdoctoral research experience and prospective students who value research and learning outside the classroom.” That is why, Mullen said, these types of grants are so valuable at a small school like Siena College. SIENA 6 c1-c2_03-27sien_spr10.indd 6 5/4/10 5:35:16 PM Physics majors Jennifer Williams ’11 and Bobby Carroll ’11 are two of the 12 students employed by Weatherwax under various research grants. “I am particularly excited about the opportunities that our undergraduate students will have in working alongside renowned scientists on cutting-edge research that could improve our quality of life,” he said. Among those undergraduates is Jennifer Williams ’11, who is one of the 12 students employed by Weatherwax under various research grants. “Researching in the Science Department instills confidence in students like myself,” said Williams. Last summer, students helped to build satellites on the roof of Roger Bacon as part of a collaborative project with MIT and Cornell. These satellites, used to track global positioning systems, were made possible by a previous NSF grant. Weatherwax’s student researchers now await the exciting prospect of traveling with him to Antarctica for the PENGUIn project, as well as working with scientists from the other collaborating higher education institutions. To see video about this story visit www.siena.edu/news and search “Weatherwax” SIENA 7 c1-c2_03-27sien_spr10.indd 7 5/4/10 5:35:33 PM Siena Serves By Ken Jubie ’04 Lady Gaga’s smash hit “Poker Face” blared in a cluttered and busy room while students smiled and sang along. That may be the only similarity between a typical spring break and the Habitat for Humanity construction site in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where about 20 Siena students helped to build affordable housing.