Archived News - Fall 2011

UEP Graduate Student Named to U.S. World Triathlon Team
It's been an interesting few months for GSAS urban and environmental policy and planning student Julia Ledewitz. In August, she was one of only twenty graduate students nationwide to receive a 2011 Switzer Foundation Fellowship, and in September she was named to the U.S. World Triathlon Team for her age group. Ledewitz earned a spot after finishing in the top twenty at the August 2011 U.S.A. Triathlon National Championships. Read more by clicking here.

Child Development Graduate Student to Present at Social Media Summit
Jill Plevinsky, a GSAS child development student, was one of five individuals in the country chosen to participate in the Mayo Clinic's Social Media Summit through its Patient, Caregiver Scholarship program. Plevinsky, who has Crohn's disease, was picked on the strength of a personal essay, her advocacy work on behalf of the more than 1.4 million Americans who have Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and her interest in the role social media and online communities can play in engaging patient communities. Read more by clicking here.

Biology Graduate Student Shares Research at National Conference
Biology doctoral student Adam Thomas presented a poster at the July 2011 Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements Conference held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Thomas's poster was titled "Repair of Camptothecin-induced DNA Damage in Drosophila melanogaster"; the poster explained Thomas's research on how cells repair DNA damage caused by a drug called camptothecin. Read more by clicking here.

Occupational Therapy Alumni, Students Help Make Driving Safer for Elder Drivers
Last month, alumni Kristen Keilty, G01, and Scott Trudeau, A85, G98, came together with a single goal in mind: to help make driving safer for older adults. Through a partnership involving the GSAS Department of Occupational Therapy and the Emerson Hospital of Concord, Massachusetts, Keilty brought the CarFit program to Tufts' Medford campus. Read more by clicking here.

Drama, English Graduate Students Chosen as Center for the Humanities at Tufts (CHAT) Fellows
Each year, CHAT chooses two graduate students to serve as fellows. The fellows for 2011 are Catherine Vrtis (drama) and Erin Kappeler (English). As fellows, each received an $18,000 stipend and office space in the CHAT house; Vrtis and Kappeler will also have the opportunity to present their work during an upcoming CHAT seminar. Read more by clicking here.

Osher LifeLong Learning Institute Seeks Graduate Students
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts offers arts, sciences, and engineering graduate students the opportunity to design and teach courses to "third agers" during portions of the spring (March to May) semester. In the past, Osher scholars have taught study groups (courses) in areas such as American architecture, on the origins of species, Irish theatre, creative writing, e-learning, and environmental sustainability. Read more by clicking here.

Preparing For Careers in Academia Workshop
Date: November 18, 2011
Time: 8:30AM to 2:00PM
Location: Alumnae Lounge
For more information on this event, including how you can attend it, click here.

Recent Drama Graduate Selected for Prestigious Arts Retreat
Meron Langsner, who earned a Ph.D. in drama from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) in August 2011, was one of nine Boston-area artists chosen for the annual Playwrights' Commons Theatre Retreat for Emerging Boston Artists. Read more.

Music Graduate Aims to Rule Local Airwaves
"Musical Asia with Jean," the new radio program hosted by GSAS music alumna Jean Foo, G09, debuted in June 2011. The program—which airs every other Sunday at 11:30AM on WUNR 1600 AM—covers topics related to Asian folk music, Asian musicians performing in the United States, and music events of interest to the local Asian Community. Read more.

Chemistry Graduate Student Wins International Prize
April Jewell, a GSAS chemistry doctoral student, received the Young Scientist Prize at the 10^th International Conference on the Structure of Surfaces (ICSOS-10) in August 2011. The conference—which was held in Hong Kong, China, and takes place every three years—is an opportunity for graduate students and leading researchers in areas such as atomic positions; bond lengths and bond angles of clean and adsorbate surfaces; and interfaces and nanostructures to present their research and discuss the future of their disciplines. Read more.

Music Graduate Makes Her Mark on International Stage
Music GSAS alumna Livia Lin, G11, has received the St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist award for 2011 and had one of her compositions, Illustrious, chosen for the 29^th annual Asian Composers League (ACL) conference and festival, which will be held from November 23, 2011 to December 2, 2011. Read more.

Graduate Student Receives 2011 Switzer Foundation Fellowship
GSAS urban and environmental policy and planning (UEP) graduate student Julia Ledewitz was one of only twenty graduate students in the United States to be awarded a 2011 fellowship from the Switzer Foundation. Read more.

Biology Graduate Alumnus Believes Pigeons May Help Move Modern Navigation Forward
As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Concord Field Station, GSAS biology alumnus Huai-Ti Lin, G11, is researching how birds like pigeons fly. His goal: to help change the face of navigation. Read more.

Studio Art Graduate Alumna One of Three Artists Chosen for Alpha Gallery's "New Talent" Exhibit
The art of Biying Zhang, G11, was included in the Alpha Gallery's "New Talent" exhibition in June 2011. The annual event features the work of three artists "fresh out of Boston-area art schools." Read more.

Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Alumna Named Town Planner for Foxborough, Massachusetts
Sharon Wason, G05, a GSAS UEP alumna, was named the town planner for Foxborough, Massachusetts in June 2011. In this role, Wason works closely with the Town Planning Board and takes a lead role in obtaining and monitoring grants, coordinating subdivision and site plan applications, ensuring approved work is in compliance with permits and conditions, and undertaking long-range planning studies as required by the board. Read more.

Biology Graduate Student Researches New Way to Measure Stress in Birds
Christine Lattin, a GSAS biology graduate student and member of Professor L. Michael Romero's lab, is exploring how feathers can be used to measure stress in birds; this work was featured in an August 2011 ScienceDaily article. Read more.

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Awarded Prestigious Scholarship
GSAS occupational therapy student Svea Van Langenhoven was one of only two students in the United States to receive a $5,000 NorthCoast Medical Scholarship in 2011. Read more.

UEP Faculty Member, Graduate Student Receive Scientific Visualization Award
Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Assistant Professor Justin Hollander, A96, and graduate student Rui Guo won first place (non-interactive multimedia) in the 2011 Visualizing Research @ Tufts competition. The pair's winning project was a digitized map of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Read more.

Biology Graduate Alumnus Hopes to Protect Honeybees Through Company
Noah Wilson-Rich, who earned a Ph.D. in biology from GSAS in May 2011, is working to protect honeybees through Best Bees, a company he launched in January 2010. The Massachusetts-based company delivers, installs, and manages honey bee hives in and around Boston and Cape Cod. Read more.

Book Written by Graduate Alumnus To Be Adapted Into Film
Graduate alumnus Steve Moysey's book, The Road To Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London, is being adapted into a film. Variety announced on May 12, 2011 that the film version will be directed by Elliot Lester. The book, which Moysey published in 2007, focuses on the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) involvement in London between October 1974 and December 1975. During this period, a team of IRA operatives carried out more than thirty bombings in London and the surrounding area. Tracking down the operatives were the men and women of London's Metropolitan Police Bomb Squad, many of whom Moysey interviewed for his book. Read more.

Child Development Graduate Alumna Brings the Circus to Somerville
Child development graduate alumna Christina Zagarino, G11, and her work with Big Top Fitness was featured in the May 15, 2011 edition of the Somerville Patch. "Big Top Fitness" consists of a series of television segments each of which focuses on a different circus skill or exercise focus. Zagarino was the creative force behind the program, writing the first five episodes after realizing that the combination of circus arts and television was a great way to "get kids active." Read more.

Alumni from GSAS and Engineering Honored with Awards for Career Achievement, Service
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering announced the winners of the annual graduate alumni awards in May 2011. Read more.