NYSCAA Home July 2009 Newsletter

Alumni Newsbytes

If you've been wondering what you fellow NYSC alums are doing, this is the place to find out. This listing is rather lengthy because the Newsbytes were left out of the last 2-3 newsletters (we hope to make this a regular part of the newsletter once again) If you have news to share, or it has just been awhile since we have heard from you (out of nearly 4,600 alumni — we only get about 150 updates a year), so please fill out the Bio Update Form online. This will also allow us to provide better service with the "soon to be launched" Online Alumni Directory.

  • Halimah Ali Al-Qadi (GA 1984) is living in Doha, Qatar until next year, where she is the Head Science Teacher for grades 4-6 at the Safiyya Bint Abdulmuttalib Independent Primary School for Girls. She is also completing her Masters in Educational Leadership at Qatar University. She and her husband have five wonderful children (ages 8 through 17). Halimah earned her undergraduate degree in Microbiology from the University of Michigan.
  • Steve Allison-Brunnell (Staph 1988-90) has an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Oregon, an MA in the History of Science and a PhD in Science and Technology Studies (both from Cornell). He is a self-employed Digital Educator and Interactivity Designer of digital learning games and simulations. Steve and his lovely wife Jodi have one "sparkling" young son.
  • Michael J. Berry (IL 1964) obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry from UC, Berkeley in 1970 and is Director of Research (laser vision rejuvenation) with NTK Enterprises in Pebble Beach, He has two children and two grandchildren. His son Michael is a Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton. He writes that he still has fond memories of NYSC 1964.
  • Linda Boone (SC 1978, Staph 1984-1985) is an Emergency Veterinarian at Emergency Pet Care of Jupiter, Florida. Linda loves Whippets - and just adopted two new ones recently. She has a degree in Biology from Furman University and her DVM is from the University of Georgia.
  • Darcie Boschee (ND 1987, Staph 1991-1992) recently relocated with her husband Greg (and cats, "multiple" motorcycles, etc.) to Faribault, Minnesota after living/working for many years in Charleston, WV. Darcie still writes a yummy column on baking for the Charleston Gazette (you can access her online "bakin-n-bacon" blog at: http://bakin-n-bacon.typepad.com/
  • Christa Brown (NH 1991) has a BS in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is working as the Human Resources Information Systems Manager for Eastern Mountain Sports in Peterborough, NH. (Judging by her Facebook page - Christa does a lot of hiking and climbing in beautiful New England.)
  • John R. Calhoun (LA 1969) is the Heritage Planner for the City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He has a BS in Industrial Engineering from LSU and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from University of Texas, Arlington.
  • Nikki Carbonaro (MD 2002, Staph 2005) is a teaching and research assistant at the University of Maryland, College Park while she is working on her PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry (she also has both a BS and and MS in Chemistry from the University of Maryland.
  • Alex Carterson (MI 1995) reports that he is "STILL a student! I finished my PhD in 2005 at Tulane, and applied to go to medical school at Tulane when Hurricane Katrina hit. I moved to Pittsburgh at did a year-long post-doc at University of Pittsburgh then moved back to New Orleans for med school." Alex completed BS degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology and History of Art and Architecture (both at the University of Michigan), and his PhD was in Molecular Pathogenesis and Immunology.
  • Curt Clifton (IA 1988) is Assistant Professor of Computer Science & Software Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Curt says he enjoys teaching at Rose Hulman because "the small class sizes, shared interests, and intensity give the school much the same spirit as I remember from camp." Curt has three degrees from Iowa State University - a BS in Electrical Engineering, and an MS and PhD in Computer Science. He and Lisa Laxson (IA 1987) will have been married for 17 years in August.
  • Rob Crausman (RI 1981) is a man with many hats, he is a Physician at the Rhode Island Health Department, serves as Chief Administrative officer of the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, and is Director of the Center for Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases and Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University. His medical degree (and two other degrees) are from Brown.
  • Brett Crawford (LA 1984, Staph 1988) is an attorney with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP in Washington, DC. He has earned a degree in Public Relations from LSU, an MBA from Dartmouth, his JD from Georgetown and is currently completing his PhD in Government at Georgetown. He and his wife Cynthia live in Clinton, MD and have two young daughters.
  • Leona Day (CT 1996 and Staph 1997, 1998, 2000) obtained her BS in Physics from the University of Connecticut and is working for Zoë & Co. in Westerly, RI as a Corsetiere (professional bra fitter). She continues to live in Groton, CT.
  • Anna Diller (TX 2000) is now pursuing her MD at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (expected May, 2011) after obtaining her BS of Biomedical Science and BA in Psychology from Texas A&M in December, 2005.
  • Krista Dobbins Couturier (ME 1988) is teaching physical/earth/space science and astronomy at an inner city high school in Manchester, NH. She has undergraduate degrees in Geology and Computer Assisted Design & Drafting and lives in Deering, NH with her husband Bruce and two young children.
  • Tom Edwards (NE 1977) is Vice President for Academic Affairs at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. (He also recently served a term as Acting President there.) He has a degree in German from the University of Nebraska, Omaha; a Masters in German and a PhD in American Studies from Bowling Green State University. He and his wife Barbara have two children.
  • Keri Elam Larson (SC 1994) is working on her PhD in Management Information Systems at the University of Georgia (her undergraduate degree is in Law, Letters, and Society from the University of Chicago. She and her husband Thomas became first-time parents last May with the birth of Soren Finn.
  • Molly Freeman (ND 1994, Staph 1999) is a Microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Enteric Diseases and Lab Branch, Division of Foodborne and Mycotic Diseases. She earned a BS in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory,
  • Lisa Gareis Korslund (GA 1976, Staph 1977) is Senior Technology Manager and R&D Director with General Mills/Cereal Partners Worldwide where she manages the Packaging R&D team for their global breakfast cereal business (this also allows her to live in Lausanne, Switzerland after spending six years in the UK). She holds a degrees in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech. She and her husband Jim have three children.
  • Lisa Gibbs Butler (VA 1981) is a graduate of Berea College (KY) currently teaches Latin at a public school in rural Bedford County, Virginia. (She has also taught Chemistry, Chorus, and English.) "I am also the Student Council Advisor for the high school and every other year, I take a group of 40-50 students, teachers, and adults to Italy and Greece." She and her husband met in the local community theatre and are still extensively involved in it. They have four children (two in college and two done).
  • Nori Gilo (NM 1993) is just completing a Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Georgetown University (after earning her MD from Creighton University, and a Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology). Until June, she is a Physician Fellow in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, caring for high-risk pregnancies.
  • Daniel Goodenberger (NE 1966) is Professor and Chairman of Internal Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine (he was previously at Washington University in St. Louis for many years). He holds a undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Nebraska and his MD is from Duke University.
  • Glenn Gregory (VA 1974) lives in Oakland, CA where he is Chief Technology Officer for The PC Doctor Is In (after retiring as a Transportation Engineer). He designs web sites and browser-based applications, and develops GIS databases for economics, politics, medical research, real estate, hydraulics, and transportation. (He also designs elderly and handicapped friendly homes and has made three trips to the Peoples Republic of China.) He wonders if "anyone available to talk about solar or wind powered water filtration units for natural disaster areas?" He has a BS in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion.
  • "Sasha" Alexandra Grinshpun (NY 1996) is a career coach with Talent Mosaic in the Bay Area where she "works with individuals and within organizations on career transitions, executive performance, networking, developing effective job search strategies and negotiation." She regularly speaks on career development at leading business schools and workshops around the world and was recently selected as the youngest coach for the Harvard Business School executive education course, New Path, focused on executive women in career transition. She holds degrees from Yale in Economics and International Studies, and from Harvard (MBA). She especially enjoys Latin dance nights.
  • Nick Guerette (NH 2001) a Swarthmore College Electrical Engineering alum, is n Embedded Software Engineer with SunEdison, LLC in San Francisco, CA.
  • Jayleen Guttromson (ND 2000, Staph 2005) is the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Deputy Subsystem Manager at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She has a BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, and is working on her Master of Aeronautical Science (with a specialization in Human Factors in Aviation Systems).
  • Siri Hakala (MN 1994, Staph 1999) has a BA in Biology from the University of Minnesota and an MA in Psychology/Marine Mammal Behavior and Biology from the University of Hawaii. She is a Policy and Communications Specialist for the Protected Resources Division of NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service's Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California.
  • Douglas Hamill (WA 1972) completed his MD at the University of Washington and went on to pursue a Masters of Divinity at the Franciscan School of Theology. He is a Staff Pediatrician with Kaiser-Permanente in Portland, OR and with the St. Theresa Clinic (in Sakolnakhon, Thailand). Douglas is one of many NYSC alums who have same-gender relationships - and he is married to Nakhonchai Sriworakul.
  • Robb Harvey (TN 1978, Staph 1979,1980,1982) after earning Engineering Science and Law degrees from Vanderbilt; is an Partner with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville. He manages the firm's Trial and Appellate Litigation practice. He and wife Nancy have one son (Benton - soon to be a Junior at William & Mary).
  • Nancy Henrickson Buset (KS 1992) is an Optometrist at several private offices, specializing in pediatrics and infant vision, vision and learning, and vision therapy. She earned a BA in Biology from Central College (IA) and an OD from Northeastern State University (OK). She and husband Ty reside in Gresham, Oregon.
  • Sue Hilton (Staph 1971-1976) is a School Counselor at York Comprehensive High School and also serves as Director of Secondary Guidance for York School District One (overseeing counselors at the secondary schools) in York, South Carolina. She has been married to Bill Hilton Jr. (SC 1964, Staph 1968-1976, 1987, 1990) for 37 years. They have two sons: Billy Hilton (SC 1995) — first child of a science camper to be chosen as a camper; and Garry. Sue writes, "I have such wonderful memories of my years at Science Camp. I'll never forget the opportunity I had to do the planning for opening up the camp experience to women in 1975. Hutch and I spent months working out the details and adjusting for that monumental change in camp operation! Serving as the first female Unit Leader and Cabin Counselor was an honor and privilege."
  • Emily Hoff Brown (KY 1997) is a 7th grade Special Education teacher for students with learning and behavior disabilities. She obtained her BA in Criminal Justice and History, and her MA in Education from Northern Kentucky University. She and her husband live in Erlanger, KY with their two young daughters.
  • Larry Hooper (NC 1971) received his AB Chemistry and Psychology and his MD from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. He is President/CEO of a small firm located in the Research Park at the University of Central Florida and client of the UCF Technology Incubator program (doing research on medical devices and has a retail website with health related products). Larry was also once the Chief Flight Surgeon for the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bomber. Larry and his wife have five children.
  • Tami Huisenga Nelson (SD 1982) is one of those devils living in Tasmania (chuckle), where she is the Managing Director for Caterpillar Underground Mining (responsible for two manufacturing facilities and a design team) on that Australian island. Tami has a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
  • Andrew S. Huntington (OR 1993) lives in Aloha, OR with his wife Sarah (and 1 young daughter) and is a Product Engineer: APD Devices with Voxtel, Inc. He has degrees from Caltech (Chemistry) and UC Santa Barbara (PhD Materials) and works in semiconductor device physics and engineering management. He also joined US Marine Corps Reserve after graduate school and learned to parachute and call in artillery and naval gunfire.
  • Mary Imig (NE 1978) is a physician in Monte Sereno, CA. She was board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA after obtaining her BS in Biology and Genetics at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and her MD from Howard University. She is married with two children and passes along a hello to all her fellow 1978 alums.
  • Bill Jacobson (WI 1992) is Owner and President of Pictoart.com and Braincog, Inc. in Matthews, North Carolina. He has a Electrical Engineering & Computer Science degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA and an MS in Information Management from Arizona State. Bill has been married since 1998 and has two young daughters.
  • Patricia Johnston McNussen (WY 1975) works as a Neuro-Ophthalmologist for the private multispecialty Carlyle Clinic Association. She is also a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Champaign-Urbana, IL. She has a. Chemistry degree from Hastings College and an MD from the University of Arizona. She also reports she has been married for 15 years "and still going strong."
  • Dottie Jung (WI 1975) reports that she "spent 22 years as a hospital administrator before taking a two year "retirement" when our family moved to France for my husband's sabbatical from the University of Minnesota." Her family is now back in Minnetonka and she is the practice administrator for Southdale Obstetric & Gynecologic Consultants. Dottie has a BS in Chemistry from William and Mary and Masters in Hospital Administration from Duke. She and husband Craig have three children.
  • Melissa Kido Soule (HI 1992) obtained her BS from Carleton College, MS from UC Berkeley, and PhD from the University of Oregon (all in Chemistry). She is a research scientist in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute where she manages a mass spectrometry facility that houses several instruments including a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. "I use mass spectrometry to analyze a wide variety of environmental and marine samples." She and husband Samuel have been married since 2003.
  • Kirsten Kinegak-Friday (AK 2000) received her JD in May from the UCLA School of Law (congratulations!) and is studying for the Alaska Bar while living in Anchorage.
  • Dale Kleinsmith (NM 1971) and his wife of 23 years (1 son) live in Belen, NM where he is a Field Engineer. He has a BS degree in Mathematics.
  • James Krapfl (IA 1989) is an Assistant Professor of History at McGill University in Montréal, Canada after earning his PhD from UC Berkeley in 2007. He also has a BA in History from Stanford and an MA in History from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.
  • Dana Kunz (IA 1984) is a Broker Associate and Director of Business Development/Training with Pacific Union GMAC Real Estate in the Bay area. She holds a BS in Economics from Iowa State, MS in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dana has also become quite the mountain biker in her leisure time.
  • Tom Langen (IN 1979) earned his BS from Purdue University and a Ph.D from the University of California - San Diego (both in Biology). He is an Associate Professor of Biology at Clarkson University (and was a Fulbright Scholar in Costa Rica in 2007). He is married to Married 1999 to Esther Oey and they have three children.
  • Ben Lazarus (PA 1971, Staph 1972) is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is in practice as Senior Partner in the largest (14 member) GI Group in Pennsylvania. Ben has a BS in Biology from Pitt and a DO from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has two sons studying to be lawyers and one more still in college. Ben also says he is one of the few people who can remember when Woody McCallum was young.
  • Michael B. Leslie (CT 1996) is an attending Psychiatrist at McLean Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (along with private practice in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology). His undergraduate is from Harvard (Cognitive Neuroscience) and his medical degree is from Dartmouth. He has been married to Dane Rasmussen for 4 years and they live in Boston's South End with their two cats.
  • Terry Lessly (IA 1976) is a Senior Application Architect for EDS Warranty Services Group in Plano, Texas (EDS is a Hewlett Packard Company). He has a BS degree in Physics from Harding University.
  • Samantha C. Lewis (OR 2004) completed her BS in Zoology at Oregon State University last year and is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary PhD in Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of California-Riverside. She married Tyler WH Backman in August, 2007.
  • Cory Lindsay (NE 1998) is a Post Doctoral Associate at the University of Florida College of Medicine and the Shands Cancer Center after receiving his PhD Molecular Cell Biology from Florida in 2008. (It was also a big year for Cory in that he also managed to get married to Jewell Walters.)
  • Kimberly Lou (NV 1998) works as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Stella Marquez Ng (DE 1984) earned her BS in Chemistry and German at Tufts University and her MBA at Babson College. She is a Senior Segment Manager with JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Wilmington, Delaware with responsibility for engagement and loyalty programs. She and her husband Steve have at least one daughter (note: information from an older bio update).
  • Tanya Mazur (NH 1994) is an Associate with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Washington, DC where she practices in the areas of appellate litigation, antitrust, and intellectual property law. She also clerked in 2007-2008 for the Honorable Daniel M. Friedman on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Tanya holds a BS in Chemistry and Physics from Vanderbilt, a PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, and a JD from George Washington University. She was married in August 2007 to Robert H. Havlin, Jr. "No kids, but we have an adorable dog."
  • Haywood D. "Woody" McCallum (VA 1969, Staph INFINITY SYMBOL) - The "Old Man" of the Science Camp (something like 25 summers at camp) retired from his music teaching job last year. Unfortunately, Woody was shot twice outside his home in Richmond, Virginia on October 11th in a robbery attempt. After long weeks in the hospital he actually recovered (and it didn't look good there at first). He spent more time recuperating at his aunt's house and at this writing is ready to start the next phase of his life. Woody had a lot of alumni worried (judging by the phone calls, e-mails, and message boards flying about) - and if you ever had the great gift of attending a camp session where Woody was in residence - you know why.
  • Anne McDonough (MD 1984) did her undergrad degrees in Biology and Art History at Columbia and an MPH in Health Policy and Management at Emory. She is self-employed as Director of McDonough Clinical Research Ltd in London, UK (has lived there since 1997)
  • Rebecca Miksad (Staph 1995) is busy as an Instructor at Harvard, an attending Physician in Gastrointestinal Malignancies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and as Senior Scientist at the Institute for Technology Assessment at Mass General. She earned her MD from Cornell and received an MPH from Harvard in 2007. Rebecca is married to John Roseman, MD.
  • Becky Miller Vail (SD 1981) has a BS in Secondary Education from Black Hills State University and after teaching for many years returned to school to pursue a BS in Electrical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. She is now employed as an Application Engineer in Offboard Information Products, Service Tool for Caterpillar.in Peoria, IL. She and her husband Chuck will celebrate their 25th anniversary this month (and their daughter graduated from high school in May).
  • Heidi Miller Duncan (MT 1982) is a Family Physician at the Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana. Heidi has a degree in Human Biology from Stanford and her MD is from the University of Washington. She and her husband Jim have one young daughter.
  • Steve Mushero (ME 1984) is the Founder and CTO of China's largest managed services company (China Net Cloud), running the backend servers and systems for Chinese Internet and gaming companies. Steve holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer, and an MBA from Rensselaer and International University of Japan. He "commutes" between Seattle and Shanghai.
  • Kayla "Ket" Nguyen Anderson (HI 1995) completed her Meds-Peds Residency at MCW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last June (her MD is from the University of Hawaii). Kayla is married and has one 3 year old daughter.
  • Bob Opaluch (RI 1969) is a "Distinguished Member of Technical Staff" for Verizon in Waltham, MA. He received degrees in Philosophy and Applied Mathematics from Brown, and an MA and PhD from UCLA in Psychology. He taught Psychology for five years and has spent twenty years in high tech at Verizon, Bell Labs and elsewhere. He is currently working on new product and service ideas; conducting consumer research, competitive analysis, task analysis and modeling. He has a 13 year old son who is an exceptional lefty baseball player and a good student with a wide variety of interests. Bob also built a passive solar house in Colorado in 1983.
  • Joe Parse (AR 1977) is a part-time Lecturer in Materials Science at MIT and a self-employed consultant and expert witness in Failure Analysis; Contract R&D, and IP Issues. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia. He and his wife Kamlyn live in Stow, MA with their two young children.
  • Nathaniel Paust (AK 1994) completed his PhD in Physics at Dartmouth in 2006 (BA in Physics and Astronomy at Whitman College and MS in Astronomy at New Mexico State). He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Ted Poppke (ND 1977) lives in Greenfield, Massachusetts where he is the Regional Sales Manager for Permaflex. He earned a Chemistry degree and a Masters in Chemical Engineering from the University of North Dakota. Ted and his wife Connie have three children.
  • Janice Purfield Nelson (CO 1986) is a housewife and mother (3 young children - including 5 year old twin boys). She and her husband live in Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. Janice has a BS in Mathematics from the Colorado School of Mines.
  • Joe Rhodes (FL 1971, Staph 1975) is a Project Engineer in StorageWorks Division, supporting new product introductions of storage arrays with Hewlett-Packard in Houston. Joe received his BS in Computer Science from Florida Institute of Technology, and his MBA from Florida Atlantic. He has two children - son Joe works for AMD designing quad-core processors and daughter Christina works for Microsoft as a Project Manager in the Windows Division.
  • Cortny Riblett-White (NE 1999) is the Editor for Oriental Trading Co., a toy magazine, (and hopeful copywriter). He was married in June, 2006 and he and his wife bought their first house the next year. Cortny also has a small side business making lampshades.
  • Evette Robinson (SC 1996) is a Senior Associate (Healthcare Consultant) with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in New York. Evette received her undergraduate degree in Genetic, Cell, and Developmental Biology from Dartmouth and her MPH in Health Policy and Management from Emory University.
  • Arthur Rooks (MS 1986) is the Creative Director for Quintessentia GmbH (a design firm in Zurich, Switzerland). He has a Degree in Communications and Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.
  • Jed Rose (FL 1998) is a Project Manager for Microsoft where he works on product management for incubation technologies in developing countries. Jed obtained his degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Stanford.
  • Heather Saffert (MN 1992) reports that she and her husband Matt (and cat Mystic) recently moved into an 1860s farmhouse near the Jersey shore. She is working as a Staff Scientist with Clean Ocean Action after earning her PhD in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island last year.
  • Bianca Santoro (Brazil 1997) is an Assistant Research Professor in Mathematics at Duke University. She has earned an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Rio de Janeiro Catholic University, and a PhD in Mathematics from MIT (2006).
  • Paula Schaffer (CA 2001) just earned her DVM from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. No news yet on where she has relocated. She also holds a BS Honors in Marine Biology from Stanford.
  • Joe Serene (PA 1965, Staph 1966-1967) lives in Washington, DC and is the Treasurer and Publisher of the American Physical Society (with responsibility for their 40 million dollar budget, and publishing policy and pricing of their nine journals, which publish approximately 17,000 papers each year). He is also Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University.
  • Arthur Sipe Goldsipe (TN 1993) is a Senior Software Developer for MathWorks in Natick, MA where he works as a developer in the Systems Biology group on the SimBiology toolbox for MATLAB, which is a modeling tool for biological and pharmaceutical research. From 2006 - 08 he was a postdoc in biological engineering at MIT, where he modeled the inflammatory signaling of rheumatoid arthritis. He holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Tech, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT.
  • Larry Smart (AR 1975) works in Rehabilitation Management as the Directory of Physical Therapy of the Rockwall Clinic in Rockwall, Texas. Larry has an Engineering degree from Southern Arkansas University and a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Central Arkansas. He and his wife Kathy have two daughters in college.
  • Todd J Strand (ND 1981) is Software Development Manager for a team working on the Space Based Infrared System for Lockheed Martin Corporation (but is currently mobilized at Fort Bliss as the medical XO of Joint Readiness Center until November). He has undergraduate and master's degrees in computer science (from North Dakota and North Dakota State), and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. He and his wife Debbie have two children in their teens.
  • Bill Steers (OH 1973) is the Hovey Dabney Professor and Chair of Urology at the University of Virginia Health System. He is also an NIH clinical trials chair, Trustee of the American Board of Urology, and Assoc. Editor of the Journal of Urology. Bill and his wife also run Three Notched Vineyard in Monticello Wine appelation of Virginia (they have two sons, one of whom is Pre-Med).
  • Dawn Stover (NE 78) is a self-employed science and environmental Writer and Editor. She works primarily in magazine journalism and her clients include Scientific American, Popular Science, New Scientist, Earth 3.0, Conservation, and MSN.com. Dawn has a BA Biology from Carleton College and an MA in Journalism from New York University. She and her husband Jay Letto, live in White Salmon, Washington.
  • Julie Stutzman Faulkner (NE 1989) is an Optometric Physician and partners with her husband (Dr. Lee Faulkner) in the Faulkner Eye Clinic in Marion, Arkansas. She earned a Biology degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and an OD from the Southern College of Optometry (Memphis). Julie also did her first triathalon in 2008.
  • Bob Taft (Staph 1980-1982) (Former NYSC Associate Director) is Lead Scientist with the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. An attendee at the 45th NYSC Reunion in 2008 - Bob now reports that one of his 4 children has made him a grandfather.
  • Thuy Tran (PA 2004) reports that he is now a Project Coordinator/Research Assistant at the University of Chicago after finishing his BA in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University last year.
  • Jeannette Tremblay (VT 1998) is undertaking a Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (Bethesda, Maryland) after completing her DO from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. She has a BS in Biology from Northeastern University (and she has been married for two years to John Andrews).
  • Heather Tyreman (NV 1976) retired after 20 years in the Army as a Healthcare Administrator, Logistician and Healthcare Financier; and along with her husband Bill Finney is Owner and Innkeeper of an award-winning bed and breakfast (Bronze Antler B&B) in the art colony town of Joseph, Oregon. Heather has a BS in Botany from Pomona College, an MS in Systems Management from USC, and an MBA from Syracuse.
  • Maria Vachino (MD 1991) is a Software and Systems Engineer with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. Maria has holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
  • Karen Yee (MD 1987) has a BA in Biology from Dartmouth and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington. Karen is an Instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/ Harvard Medical School. She and her husband Lewis Wadsworth have two young daughters.
  • Bonnie Welcker Bishop (WV 1996) received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and now works as a Process Engineer for Teflon® for E.I. DuPont in Washington, West Virginia. Bonnie was married in 2003 and has one son.
  • Liza Wickline (VA 2003) is an Analyst/Project Specialist with the Automotive Lease Guide, where she "manages a database of vehicle sales metrics, provides data analysis for consulting projects, and creates graphs and charts for client deliverables." Automotive Lease Guide is a subsidiary of DealerTrack Holdings. She completed her BA in Economics at Lewis and Clark College in 2007 and currently resides in Portland, OR.
  • Richard Wofford (AR 1981) is Senior, Group Planning and Controlling with Allianz SE in Munich, Germany. He holds an undergraduate degree in from Hendrix College and an MA from Clemson (both in Math), and he is a Fellow of Society of Actuaries. Richard and his wife Brigitte have one daughter and one son.
  • Amanda Woodard (CO 1984) continues to work toward creating vibrant earth-and-people-nurturing homes and communities (including her own passive and active solar strawbale home) as President of Soltactic, Inc. in Crestone, CO. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering, an MS in Architecture, and a PhD in Design and Planning, all from the University of Colorado. She and her husband have two young daughters.
  • John Worth (GA 1984) is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of West Florida (specialty is Historical Archaeology). John has both undergraduate and master's degrees in Anthropology from the University of Georgia, and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida. He is married with two sons.
  • Danae Yurgel (OR 1975) is busy in LaGrande, Oregon with many different enterprises: she is an Instructor at the Take Musu Kai dojo (which she owns with her husband, David Tift); Owner, Shoto Farms (fresh flowers, herbs, fruit). In addition, she works for several non-profit organizations: she is Office Coordinator of the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Administrative Assistant of the Union County Library District Project, Board member for the La Grande Farmer's Market, and Program Coordinator of the Friendly Visitor Program.
  • Konny Zsigo (MI 1984) says that "Science Camp is still the most awesome thing that ever happened to me." (PS - don't tell your wife.) Konny is the President of Wireless Development Agency — a mobile content company. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State. Konny and his wife live in East Lansing, Michigan with their three boys.

Marriages

  • Jay Blanchard (LA 1977), our own NYSCAA President, will be wed to Connie Kay Hayes Hilburn on August 1. Both are 1977 graduates of H. L. Bourgeois High School in Houma, Louisiana. Connie is a teacher of the visually impaired in the New Caney I.S.D. in Kingwood, Texas. Jay is the Director of Information Technology for Pocket Communications in San Antonio, Texas. All together they have five children (in college!) and will reside in New Braunfels, Texas.
  • Jessica Eastman (AL 2001) was wed to Jonathon Stewart in May. Jessica is currently the Operations Manager at the Elmhurst Community Prep Middle School in Oakland, CA.
  • Billy Hilton (SC 1995) was married in December (but the bio update he filed didn't say to whom). He is a Survey Programmer with The Jackson Group in Hickory, NC (after earning a degree in Sports Medicine from Lenoir-Rhyne College).

Newborns

  • Betsy Atkins Miller (WV 1981, Staph 1982-1990) and Paul Miller (WY 1987, Staph 1988-1991, 1994-2001) had their second "blessed event" in December, giving son Griffin a little sister — Nora Wren. Betsy works as a Nurse/Midwife in Morgantown, West Virginia and Paul left teaching to pursue his PhD in Plasma Physics at West Virginia University.
  • Jenny Dehne Finney (MO 1994) and her husband Lance welcomed their second son Matthew Walter on Oct. 14, 2008. They have one other son Douglas Edwin - who will soon turn three. Jenny is also working part time as a Career Consultant at Washington University - St. Louis, helping students with job search strategies, resume writing, etc. She also earned her Electrical Engineering degree from Washington U.
  • Semele Halkedis Heller (PA 1986) and David Heller added daughter Katherine Marie to their mix in December. She joins her older brothers George and Stephen. Semele has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Penn State and a Master's in Technical and Science Communication from Drexel. They live in the San Francisco Bay area.
  • Samantha Hopkins (TN 1994, Staph 1996-1997) delivered son Grahm in May (with some help from husband Edward Davis). Grahm has an older sister - Rowan. Samantha holds a PhD in Integrative Biology from UC, Berkeley and Biology/Geology degrees from the University of Tennessee. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Oregon, where she teaches Vertebrate Paleontology, and Paleoecology.
  • Barbara Kumpf McManus (VA 1993, Staph 1994-1995) is running out of maternity leave from Hewlett-Packard after the birth of Benjamin George in January. Ben joins the other two men in the family - father Richard and brother Owen. (Barbara has a degree in Chemical Engineering from UMass, Amherst.)
  • Chris Taylor (WV 1991, Staph 1992-1995) and his wife Teri welcomed their first-born (a girl !!) Zoe Lynn to the world in early May. Chris had recently returned to Austin, Texas (after living in Los Angeles for many years) and is President/CEO of Oceanus Automotive; (Oceanus helps Automotive OEMs set strategic direction, optimize profitability, and rebuild systems). Chris has a degree in Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences, Cognitive Science from Carnegie Mellon.
  • Erin Vining Mueller (ND 1992) and her husband Craig had their 3rd child - Annika Lin, in January. She joins her big brothers Erik and Lukas. Erin has an undergraduate degree in Biology from North Dakota State and an MS in Plant Ecophysiology from Arizona State. She is currently staying home to run the household and take care of the children.

Deceased

  • Burnell "Burnie" Newsome, Jr. (MS 1982) Burnell Newsome, Jr., 44, died Monday, April 20, 2009, at University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson. Mr. Newsome had been employed by SkyTel as a technology support representative. Among those left to cherish his memory are: his wife and best friend, Carolyn Clark Newsome, Jackson, MS; daughter, Tia Camille Newsome, Jackson, MS; parents, Rev. Burnell Newsome, Sr. and Mrs. Gloria Wilson Newsome, Hazlehurst, MS and one brother, Kenneth Earl Newsome, Jackson, MS. He was preceded in death by his son, Christopher Brandon Newsome in January.
  • Donald O. "Don" Nickey (OH 1969) age 57, of Plain City passed away Friday, June 13, 2008 at Grant Medical Center, Columbus, surrounded by his loving family, after an extended illness. Born April 5, 1951 in Bradenton, FL. Don received his BS in Chemistry from Kent State University and his Jurist Doctorate from the University of Toledo. He had special interest in innovations and science. Survived by loving wife, Cynthia Anne (Harris) Nickey whom he married in 1973; sons, Ian Abraham Nickey of Bexley, Donald O. Nickey II of Nashville, TN, Jonathan William Nickey of Columbus; and one granddaughter, Also survived by his brother, Ronald O. Nickey (OH 1972) of Bowling Green; Memorial contributions may be made to the Jonathan Alder Education Fund for the Donald O. Nickey, Sr. Scholarship Fund for Science, P.O. Box 165, 154 N. Chillicothe St., Plain City, Ohio 43064.
  • Joseph McKee Hutchison III ("Hutch"), 76, (Staph 1964-1975) The 2nd Director of the National Youth Science Camp, of Morgantown died Saturday, July 26, 2008 Excerpts from his obituary follow:

    A graduate of Charleston High School, he earned his undergraduate degree from Muskingum College in Ohio in 1953. He received a master's degree from West Virginia University in 1957 and stayed at WVU to be a professor of recreation and parks administration for 40 years, first in the WVU School of Physical Education and later in the Division of Forestry within the WVU School of Agriculture. During his 40-year teaching tenure at WVU, he twice served as president of the West Virginia Parks and Recreation Association.

    He became Assistant Director and later Director of the National Youth Science Camp, which he helped start as a part of West Virginia's Centennial Celebration in 1963. The camp is still operating today in its 45th year. Joe later became Chairman of the National Youth Science Foundation and held that post until recently. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ann R. Hutchison, whom he married in 1955 and loved to travel with; a daughter, Suzanne Skidmore, son-in-law, Daniel Skidmore, and their three children, Logan Bailey, Laura Bailey and Wesley Skidmore of Flatwoods; a son, Joseph “Jay” McKee Hutchison IV, daughter-in-law, Dacy, and their son, Victor, of Jupiter, Fla.; and a daughter, Mary Katherine “Kate” Fragale, son-in-law, Michael Fragale, and their two children, Anthony Joseph and Emme Grace of Morgantown.