The Huffington Post President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington spoke about the positives and negatives of the ever-changing participation-driven Internet April 30 as part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ third annual Distinguished Lecture Series.

The lecture, titled “The Brave New World of the ‘New Media’: How Social Media Has Revolutionized the Communications Landscape,” was held in the Main Auditorium. There was a question-and-answer session following the lecture.

“The Distinguished Lecture Series to us is a visible sign of this integration of the arts, sciences and changing society, and I believe we cannot have a better example of this than in our speaker today, Arianna Huffington,” College of Arts and Sciences Dean Donna Murasko said in her opening remarks. “Journalism communications is the essence of where we are in the liberal arts, this humanities-social side of the campus. But she understands better than almost anyone that if we don’t employ today’s technology, this essence of communication is not going to be maximized.”

Amy Weaver, director of marketing and communications for CoAS, and assistant professor of English Jennifer Yusin organized the event.

“This series was created in the spirit of intellectual curiosity and engagement with the interdisciplinary connections among the humanities and sciences and social sciences,” Yusin said during her introduction of Huffington. “Tonight and with every lecture, we hope to engage our community in the kind of intellectual endeavors that reveal how knowledge in today’s world is bounded not by the disciplines but by an ever-expanding frontier of human curiosity.”

Huffington took the stage, donning a dragon pin, to a round of applause from the capacity audience. She began the lecture by introducing herself and added in a few jokes.

“For those of you who have not heard me before, this accent is real,” Huffington said. “I say that because I joked recently during a speech that I was born in Fresno, Calif., and I cultivated this accent to give myself an air of being an ethnic minority, which is very popular everywhere except in Arizona.”

Huffington spoke about the shift in present-day media from presentation to participation. “It’s a much more engaged and interactive process,” she said. This principal- or participation-driven media is at the heart of the creation of The Huffington Post, she said. The Post serves as both a journalistic enterprise as well as a platform to share information.

The Huffington Post will be 8 years old May 9, and it has grown from five employees to 850 employees. It is now offered in seven countries and will be adding Germany as the eighth in the fall.

“We promise our readers the best of the Web, whether we produce it or find it and bring it to them and link back to the creators of the work,” she said.

Huffington explained that there is no hierarchy of contributors to the Post, and the thing that excites her most is bringing new voices on board. She sees the future of media as being a hybrid of traditional media moving more and more online while online media do more and more traditional journalism. This would not be possible without the Internet and social media, she said.

“It offers a certain platform for people who otherwise would not have had a voice,” she said. “And the results are amazing, whether it’s the Arab Spring or anything minor in our community, the impact is extraordinary. That is the kind of golden age of journalism, in a way.”

She then went on to explain that this journalism “Garden of Eden” has a snake.

Huffington described that the criteria of success online is changing from quality to “virality.” She is worried that journalists are focusing too much on getting the most Facebook likes and Twitter re-tweets that they are sacrificing the excellence of their work. “I think that is something which is becoming increasingly a problem,” she said.

She also believes that this new media is forcing the population to suffer from hyperconnectivity. “I don’t know about you, but I have to work hard to unplug and recharge. It’s becoming an addiction,” she said.

At this point, she realized that the cell phone ringing in the front row was her own BlackBerry, and she asked for it to be turned off.

“There’s a real paradox here that we are finding that technology is now being used to help us disconnect from technology,” she said.

Huffington shared the story of when she fainted from lack of sleep and too much stress when she went to visit colleges with her daughter. She now champions sleep and dubbed her bedroom as a “device-free zone” so she can “unplug and recharge.” She said she values sleep so much that she created nap rooms at The Huffington Post offices and is on the executive council of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

According to Huffington, 75 percent of the United States’ health care costs are for preventable chronic diseases, many associated with stress and lack of sleep.

Huffington also spoke about monetizing new media and how advertisers have had to adapt to the participation-driven Internet. She said that banner ads aren’t as effective now as they once were, and sponsorships are the new way to advertise on the Web. At The Huffington Post, brands sponsor a section for an extended period of time, which allows them to connect and interact directly with customers. “You have to stay in the arena,” Huffington said.

Huffington also invited the entire audience to become Huffington Post bloggers and shared her email address for people interested to email her directly: arianna@huffingtonpost.com.

“By 2020 we’re going to add 3 billion people to the Internet. That is absolutely stunning if you think of it. It can be incredibly powerful, or it can be incredibly troubling, and a lot will depend on how much we teach everybody to manage the technology rather than be managed by it,” Huffington said.

Huffington was named in the Time 100, Time Magazine’s list of the top 100 most influential people, in 2006 and 2011. Since 2010 she has been listed as one of Forbes’ most powerful women in the world.

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Deborah Riley Draper, film writer and producer of the fashion documentary “Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution,” presented at the URBN Annex April 18 about a major change in the fashion industry that happened overnight. Pat Cleveland, a supermodel and runway legend who walked in the runway show in 1973, joined Draper in a question-and-answer session with the audience after the screening.

The fashion documentary “Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution” was screened at URBN Annex April 18. The film discusses major changes in the fashion industry.

The documentary explores the “fashion faceoff” runway between French and American designers at the Chateau de Versailles that subsequently changed the conception of the fashion industry. This significant runway event gave recognition to African-American models and gave American designers a reputation overseas.

In order to conserve the Palace of Versailles, Eleanor Lambert, fashion publicist and creator of the runway show, decided to present a glamorous runway show to raise money. The documentary demonstrates the step-by-step process Lambert followed in order to create the spectacular fashion show. This includes getting the rights to use the Chateau de Versailles Opera House as the main venue for the show, choosing the French and American designers, choosing the models, conducting rehearsals, and much more.

Designers who were picked to present at the show included French designers Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy. American designers who were picked included Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass and Anne Klein.

The American designers used a large number of African-American models to present their clothes. Models included Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn, China Machado, Bethann Hardison, Barbara Summers, Charlene Dash and Norma Jean Darden, to name a few.

The guest list of 700 included important attendees such as Grace Kelly, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli and Josephine Baker.

After the documentary screening, Cleveland and Draper participated in a Q-and-A session with the audience. When explaining her inspiration behind the documentary, Draper said, “I was not familiar with the story three years ago, but I heard a little bit about it at National Public Radio, and I was obsessed with this story.” She began naming what attracted her into this story, “ I mean, like, fashion, New York, Paris, Pat Cleveland, Halston, Yves Saint Laurent.” What lured Draper more into researching this story was how this runway changed the recognition of African-American models and how it provided an international reputation for American designers.

Draper described, “It was actually one of the very first times American designers had staged African-American models as a collective to represent designers.” She continued to say how the runway show was “very cross-cultural; the American team was very diverse. I was very attracted to the innovation, the diversity, and the movements that were happening.” When Cleveland was asked what her impression of the runway show was, she simply answered that it was “very glamorous.”

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A business founded by a Drexel alumnus hopes to improve the quality of life in Guatemala. With profits from the production, manufacture and sales of sandals, Ix Style Inc. aims to provide clean drinking water to many impoverished children.

Drexel alumnus John Kennedy and his sister Francesca were concerned by the poverty they witnessed while visiting Guatemala. Both siblings were shocked by the abject realities that many Guatemalan children face. They were specifically concerned about water quality, especially around the Lake Atitlan region. The children of the community are forced to drink and bathe in the toxic water surrounding the lake, which has not only elicited several health concerns but also negatively affected local tourism and commerce.

“There wasn’t any real theatrical decision regarding a moral compass,” John Kennedy said.

This concern, coupled with many interviews with local officials and small-business leaders, brought the idea to fruition. Soon after, the brother-sister team started Ix (pronounced “eeks”) Style. The name stems from the Mayan word for jaguar and represents strength, energy and vitality. They established the firm to operate via electronic commerce, with the hopes to eventually become fair trade, according to Kennedy. Their business strategy hopes not only to improve the lives of many Guatemalans but also to give many of the undermarketed artisans a broader market for their goods.

The firm currently sells sandals at a price of $89 per pair. The shoes are inspired by the style of Mayan textiles, and each sandal is woven in a distinct pattern called huarache. Fifteen percent of profits from each purchase are donated to the nonprofit organization named charity: water. Currently the sandals are sold in Brazil, Malaysia, New York City and Philadelphia and can be purchased through their website.

The company is also in the process of forging close contacts with other businesses with similar strategies. While working closely with Blake Mycosie, president of TOMS Shoes, the brother-sister duo hopes to replicate what the TOMS brand has done for charity entrepreneurship in Guatemala.

Ix Style Inc. is currently hiring undergraduates of any major seeking an internship. “We would absolutely encourage any Drexel student to submit an application and cover letter,” John Kennedy said. As a graduate from Drexel, Kennedy believes Drexel students are prepared for the workplace.

Interested students should note that accepted interns would be based primarily in New York. There would also be substantial opportunities to travel to Guatemala to visit the various community leaders, diplomats and bureaucrats. Students who are interested in working in the nonprofit sector are encouraged to send a cover letter and resume to fkennedy@ix-style.com. Spanish fluency is not required.

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[media-credit name="Triangle File Photo" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Drexel softball team recently fi nished a tough stretch of fi ve road games in Buies,
N.C., and Washington, D.C. They ended the stretch with two wins and three losses.

Drexel kicked off the Camel Stampede Tournament in an afternoon meeting with the Morehead State University Eagles, who entered the contest 4-5 on the season. The Dragons started the game strong, scoring in the top of the first for an early 1-0 lead. Despite the good start, Drexel did not hold the lead for long. Junior pitcher Shelby Taylor started the game for the Dragons but struggled in her four innings of work, giving up six earned runs on nine hits before being relieved by senior pitcher Shyann Beach in the top of the fifth.

Over the final three innings, Drexel managed to tack on four more runs, due in large part to a big day for senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Hanna Parrish, who went 3-5 with two runs scored on the day. The small rally narrowed the gap to 6-3 at one point, but it was too little and too late for the Dragons. Morehead State added on two insurance runs in the fifth, which was more than enough to secure the win for the Eagles. The damage was done early, and it was too much to overcome, as Morehead State went on to win 8-5.

Six hours after their loss to Morehead State, the Dragons returned to the field for their second game of the tournament, a night game against the Norfolk State University Spartans. Similar to their game earlier in the day, the Dragons shot out of the gate in the top of the first with a 1-0 lead. Parrish reached on an error to lead off the game and was later knocked in on a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Jenn Reading. In her next plate appearance in the fourth, Reading showed her power with a solo home run, which put the Dragons up 2-0. Later in the same inning, junior shortstop Comfort Ahonkhai singled to score freshman pinch runner Lara Horwitz to push the lead to 3-0.

The Spartans answered in the bottom of the frame with two runs of their own, one of which was unearned due to an error by Ahonkhai at shortstop. The score remained at 3-2 until the sixth inning, when sophomore Jill Popek connected for a clutch two-run single, scoring freshmen Ellen Scott and Emily Baker on the play. Drexel headed into the bottom of the seventh with a 5-2 lead, but the Spartans did not go away quietly. After scoring one run on an error by Scott at third base, Norfolk State had the bases loaded with two outs. Despite the pressure, freshman starting pitcher Tara Konopka buckled down and induced a ground ball for the game’s final out, sealing her complete game and a 5-3 Drexel win.

After a short night’s sleep due to the late, exciting game the night before, the Dragons were back on the diamond the next morning to take on the Northern Kentucky University Norse. The teams played an even game through the first three innings, but the Norse finally broke through for four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Northern Kentucky put together the big inning with three hits, one walk and two fielding errors by Drexel. With the score at 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Horwitz scored on a ground ball by Ahonkhai, but that would be the lone run for Drexel in the game. In the end, the Dragons’ offense was limited to just one run on five hits, as they fell to Northern Kentucky 5-1.

The finale of the Camel Stampede Tournament pitted Drexel against the host team, the Campbell University Fighting Camels. The story of this game was Campbell’s ability to shut down the Drexel offense throughout the game. The Dragons managed only three baserunners in the game, with their only hit a single to center field off the bat of Parrish in the third inning. While Drexel struggled at the plate, the Fighting Camels broke through for one run in the second and three more in the fifth, which was ultimately the difference, as Campbell went on to win by a score of 4-0.

After a couple days back on campus, Drexel was once again on the road, this time in Washington to take on the Georgetown University Hoyas. The game was very uneventful early on, with both teams combining for only four hits and no runs in the first six innings. Neither team put together any real scoring opportunities until the seventh inning, when each team advanced a runner to second base, but both threats ended there.

The extra inning was a completely different story, as the bats came alive and any previous struggles at the plate were forgotten. Popek led off the top of the eighth with a single to right-center field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ahonkhai. Sophomore center fielder Maggy Fermo then stepped to the plate and delivered the game’s first big hit, a double down the left-field line, which scored Popek and gave the Dragons the game’s first lead at 1-0. Sophomore second basemen Sylvia Llamas was up next for Drexel and apparently liked what she saw from her teammate, as she too ripped a double, this time down the right-field line, scoring Fermo and putting Drexel up 2-0. A few batters later, junior catcher Maddison Timoteo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Drexel took a 3-0 lead. Georgetown was able to score one run in the bottom half of the inning, but it was not enough to keep the game going, with the Dragons securing the 3-1 victory.

The Dragons will return home for the first time in 10 days when they take on city rival Saint Joseph’s University March 15.

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I have two incompetent group members, and I’m going to be stuck with them for the rest of the term. Help!

Sincerely,
Three Heads Aren’t Better Than One

Dear Three Heads Aren’t Better Than One,

Incompetent group members, eh? I’ve had plenty of experience with that — in middle school, high school, marriage. Come to think of it, I’ve always been the common denominator of those groups. Huh. Being stuck in a group of people who aren’t up to your standards can be difficult, but maybe you should re-evaluate the qualities they possess that deem them incompetent. Are they really unintelligent, or do they just refuse to work? If it is the former, you have to treat it like a condition; unfortunately, you have to accommodate for what they lack. If they just won’t work, make them work, either by force or incentives. If they are both, then they should talk to my husband. They’d probably have a swell time together.

Toodles,
Granny

Dear Three Heads Aren’t Better Than One,

I’m sincerely sorry that you’ve been placed in such a dreadful position. To remedy such a situation, I suggest putting your heads together — quite literally — and becoming like Cerberus, the three-headed dog. This way you can not only learn to work together in a fast and easy manner but you may also win a science prize or two. However, if you’re working hard this quarter and your schedule is too busy for dismemberment of any kind, I suggest making the best of the situation. You should try bribing them with grilled cheese, threatening to break their kneecaps in dark alleys or leaving five-minute-long voicemails in which you rap about the importance of work. If all of this fails, you should eat the grilled cheese, publish your rap and simply talk to them.
Sincerely,
Eloise

Dear Granny and Eloise,

I’ve been sick with the flu all week, but I have plans with my friends this weekend. I’m really worried about getting them sick, though. What should I do?

Signed,
Social Sicky

Dear Social Sicky,

It depends on how you’re feeling and whether or not you’re contagious. If you’re just feeling a little under the weather, you can probably go. It’s good to occupy your mind with other things when you’re not feeling well, but you should know your limitations. If you’re constantly coughing and sneezing, don’t put your friends at risk (unless they’re not really your friends — just kidding). Personally, I’d stay home and knit a quilt to bundle up with; your real friends will come and visit you.
Toodles,
Granny

Dear Social Sicky,

Are you like Meg Ryan in that one scene in “You’ve Got Mail” where she’s incredibly ill, but even Tom Hanks won’t come and visit because he’s afraid of getting sick? Or are you like Ferris Bueller before his parents leave for work? If it’s the former, I suggest you either stay in and watch “You’ve Got Mail” or build a bubble so you can rendezvous with your friends without putting them at risk of the plague. If it’s the latter, I suggest you begin quoting John Lennon and buy a fancy bathrobe to hang out in. Either way, remember to drink lots of fluids — not the alcoholic kind!

Sincerely,
Eloise

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When most people hear the word “opera,” they think “opera house.” Yet that mistake shouldn’t be made in Philadelphia, home of the Academy of Vocal Arts, the only tuition-free vocal school in the United States that regularly provides its students with opportunities to perform before a wider public. This inconspicuous little building located just off Rittenhouse Square opens up its gates to reveal an even more unobtrusive yet pleasantly intimate room that you never would have thought was the opera hall. No props, no curtain, no orchestra and no fancy costumes (at this point you can forget about the smoke machine altogether). Instead, you get just opera.

Photo Courtesy Local Arts Live  - Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts, the only tuition-free vocal school in the U.S. ran ”Eugene Onegin” Jan. 15-22. The opera is adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s novel of the same title.

“Eugene Onegin” ran at the Academy Jan. 15-22, and it was a great opportunity to get acquainted with this Russian classic. Adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Konstantin Shilovsky, the opera is a window into Russia’s divided society in the beginning of the 19th century. It is a story of a young girl from the country, Tatyana (Chloe Moore), tormented by her love for Onegin (Stephen Barchi), an older dandy from St. Petersburg, and his overt rejection after she’s confessed her feelings to him. Remarkably, it isn’t until Tatyana marries Prince Gremin and starts appearing in high society that Onegin notices her and weeps over turning her down years before.

Maybe the realities of Russia in the 1820s seem hard to relate to for 21st-century college students in cosmopolitan Philadelphia. However, as Tatyana sings in lyric soprano, “I’m here alone. No one understands me, my mind is weak, and I have to die in silence,” doesn’t it remind us young women of the relatively recent drama and turmoil of high school? It’s comforting to see how few things have changed, and quite honestly, it can be hilarious, too.

The Academy performing “Onegin” is the quintessence of pure opera without the “side effects.” Instead of an orchestra, there is a one-man piano accompaniment by Ghenady Meirson. Instead of props there are simple wooden chairs, and only the change of lighting indicates when the curtain is supposed to be up or down.

However, despite this crudeness of packaging and awkward translation in the supertitles, the Academy’s reputation for equipping students who wish to become opera soloists is being lived up to year in and year out. This time is no different. All of the singers’ heart-moving interpretations and technical proficiency make us forget that we are in an operatic school and not a professional company. All of the vocalists, especially Margaret Mezzacappa as Filippyevna and Patrick Guetti as Prince Gremin, made the small-scale “opera house” tremble with applause.

The post Russian classic ‘Eugene Onegin’ shines during run at the Academy appeared first on The Triangle.

Under the creation of the new Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science and Drexel’s recent partnership with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, undergraduate students interested in environmental science are now being offered a new and exciting experience. A new course, Environmental Science 102: Natural History Collections and Research, allows students in the department to balance traditional classroom learning with hands-on experience within the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Twelve students are enrolled in the two-credit course and meet for four hours at the Academy every Friday afternoon. In each meeting, students are given a tour and demonstration of a specific collection of biological specimens by the collection manager. The students are then given a break to explore the exhibits independently and are taken to the library for a lecture corresponding with the collection. Collections include ichthyology, paleontology, malacology, herpetology, botany and ornithology, among others.

Rafaela Marano, a freshman environmental science major, explained that not only does the class offer valuable exposure that will ultimately allow her to narrow her focus within the field, but it also provides her the opportunity to connect with scientists she wouldn’t have otherwise met.

“We’re able to meet the lead scientists in each department and learn about their day-to-day life. Even in Environmental Science 101, I was meeting scientists from all over the place, and in this class we’re just being exposed to more and more,” Marano said.

Students learn the significance of each collection, as DNA or other chemical information can still be extracted from specimens. This information can teach scientists about the specimen’s original habitat, such as the condition of the atmosphere when it was collected or its position in the food chain.

John Lundberg, professor of the course and an Academy scientist, said, “This is the first time this course has run, and although I’ve been teaching for years and years, I’ve never taught any course like this.” He added, “Students see the real specimens. There’s no substitute for those. Advanced imaging can enhance the information, but they don’t replace the specimens.”

As an introductory course, students are learning the basics of each collection. “There’s a lot of detail, but we aren’t making the students memorize a huge amount,” Lundberg said. The exposure to multiple collections and the general science and care behind each allows students to narrow their interest within the field of environmental science.

Marano volunteers in a lab of the BEES department. She has also participated in a course designed for incoming freshmen prior to the start of fall term and Environmental Science 101, both of which incorporated labs performed in the field. She applauded the department for offering opportunities for hands-on learning.

“Just being out there experiencing it, I’ve learned so much more than I ever could by just reading a textbook,” Marano said.

Kevin Smith, a doctoral candidate in the BEES department and teaching assistant for the course, described the course as an “exciting way to get a lot of a resource like the Academy.” Smith explained the mutual enthusiasm from Academy staff and compared it to that of a proud parent. “They’ve been great because they have all of this wonderful stuff, and they want to show their collections to people,” Smith said.

Upon the start of the collaboration with the Academy and creation of the new department, Smith explained that the amount of faculty has exploded. Academy and Drexel staff are working together in a partnership to design higher-level courses that will maximize the utility of the Academy’s resources.

The Academy, the Western Hemisphere’s oldest science institution, is now celebrating its 150th year. It houses plants collected from the expedition of Lewis and Clark, marine specimens caught by the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and a number of discoveries made by railway engineer Stephen Long. These are among 18 million other specimens that are now accessible to students of Drexel University’s BEES department.

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Drexel’s College of Engineering awarded its 2013 Engineering Leader of the Year honors to alumna Linda M. Abriola, the dean of the School of Engineering at Tufts University, Dec. 19.

Abriola is the first female engineer to receive the award and is being honored for her leadership in the field of environmental engineering as well as her effort to improve society’s problems and her dedication to the National Academy of Engineering.

“I was very honored when I heard I received the award. When I looked at past recipients, just to be considered in that group was an honor,” Abriola said. “As a Drexel graduate it’s an extreme honor to receive an award from your alma mater.”

Abriola was the only female in Drexel’s 1976 graduating class of civil and environmental engineers and was often referred to as the “class mascot” because of it.

“I’m very grateful for the education I received at Drexel as an undergraduate, and it set me on the path to where I am today. I have had a very fulfilling career, and I hope that I can help inspire others to go into the profession because I believe it is a very creative and very rewarding one,” Abriola said.

Joseph B. Hughes, dean of the College of Engineering, chooses the recipient of the award by putting each nominee into the context of his or her industry and assessing each one’s success and achievements. He also takes into consideration his colleagues’ opinions.

“She is a person who I have great respect for, and she’s a person of deep integrity. One of the things that really stood out to me was that she is a Drexel graduate and so is her father. And she is part of a small group elected to the Academy of National Engineering; she has that distinction,” Hughes said.

Abriola was the first woman to be elected to the NAE’s civil engineering section in 2003.

The Engineering Leader of the Year award represents a lifetime of achievement at the highest possible level. The recipient embodies the values of Drexel by being entrepreneurial, hardworking, successful and a leader in the profession, but he or she does not have to be a Drexel graduate.

Nominations for the Engineering Leader of the Year award are primarily accepted from alumni who have demonstrated tremendous careers.

Abriola was appointed dean of Tufts’ School of Engineering in 2003. She is also a professor in two departments —c civil and environmental engineering as well as chemical and biological engineering.

“I’m tremendously proud of the work I’ve done as dean here, and I was given the opportunity to build infrastructure and hire faculty. I’m proud to see the growth of scholarship and the school here at Tufts,” Abriola said.

Abriola’s research focuses on trying to understand how organic chemical contaminants move into groundwater and how to restore that water to safe drinking water standards. She developed one of the first mathematical models to describe nonaqueous phase migration of organic liquid contaminants in the subsurface.

“When I was a student at Drexel and then at Kutztown, that was a time when they were just starting to understand these chemicals could get into drinking water supplies. Before, they believed the ground filtered out the chemicals, and they wouldn’t get to drinking water and well,” Abriola said. “It was a time of being aware that the environment was at risk, and I got involved at the forefront of that issue.”

Currently, Abriola is trying to discover how researchers can better investigate contamination sites and identify the best approaches to contain or remove pollutants from aquifers in a cost-effective manner.

Abriola has also been a member of the National Science Foundation and the National Research Council. She received her doctoral and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Princeton University.

She has received a number of honors and awards, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Project of the Year Award in Environmental Restoration in 2006 and 2012, the Association for Women Geoscientists’ Outstanding Educator Award in 1996 and the NSF’s Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1985.

Previous recipients of the Engineering Leader of the Year award are James F. Albaugh, retired president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and executive vice president of The Boeing Co.; Drexel alumnus Christopher Ferguson ‘84, commander of NASA’s STS-126 Endeavour and STS-115 Atlantis; and Bernard Amadei, founding president of Engineers Without Borders USA and co-founder of Engineers Without Borders International.

The Engineering Leader of the Year award will be presented to Abriola Feb. 22 at an honorary dinner.

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Do you really remember what you were given for Christmas or Hanukkah three years ago? I’m guessing probably not — I sure don’t. However, isn’t it true that our best memories come from new and exciting adventures? I’m proposing adventure-filled, activity-based, nonmaterial gifts this year. Below, see my curated list of the top five experiential gifts for everyone on your list. Spread your gift giving wings and expanding to this whole new territory of gift giving, and who knows, they may even take you along!

Cooking classes at Audrey Claire COOK

COOK | 253 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | 215-735-COOK

COOK is a self-proclaimed part cooking class, part chef’s table. Give the gift of COOK and have your loved one learning from top chefs like Michael Solomonov of Zahav and Federal Donuts or mixologists like Christina Rando from Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. Prepay for a class or order a gift certificate.

Warning to all foodies out there: These classes fill up quickly!

Classes priced from $65 to $225

Private lessons at Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

Philadelphia School of Circus Arts| 5900A Greene St., Philadelphia, PA 19144 | 215-849-1991

Have your loved one swinging from the rafters with a private lesson from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. With lesson options ranging from tightrope, Chinese pole and acrobatics to trapeze, juggling and unicycling, this experience is sure to leave lasting memories. Availability of these private lessons is based on teacher schedules.

Lesson options and costs: $70 for one hour with one or two people, or$150 for 75 minutes with three to five people.

Spa services from Juju Spa & Organics

Juju Spa & Organics | 728 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 | 215-922-3235

Give the gift of mind, body and spirit with a little pampering mixed in. This all-natural and organic salon and spa is the perfect treat for the on-the-go man or woman. With intriguing spa offerings including Thai massage, Japanese warm-stone shiatsu, men’s facials and acupuncture, this gift is the perfect way to say “I love you.”

Spa services are priced individually by the hour, and spa packages start at $105.

Art classes from Fleisher Art Memorial

Fleisher Art Memorial | 719 Catharine St., Philadelphia, PA 19147-2811 | 215-922-3456

Extract the artist within with the gift of art classes. Classes in Nigerian and Ghanaian pottery as well as classes on building terrariums, a type of sustainable ecosystem, are available at Fleisher Art Memorial. Of course, basic drawing and painting introductory courses are also offered. Most adult classes are offered from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Classes are priced from $90 to $270 per term.

Rock climbing at Go Vertical

Go Vertical | 950 N. Penn St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215-928-1800

For active loved ones, give the gift of a rock climbing class. This two-hour introductory class covers what one needs to know to climb in the gym without assistance. Start them off with this course, and if they enjoy it they can become certified in no time. Class fee: $65

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Looking for a chic new way to style your hair for the holidays? Or maybe just a way to style your hair between shampoos without looking like a slob? We visited Crimson Hair Studio in Rittenhouse Square, where hair stylist Francesca Brittingham showed us how to create two perfectly polished top buns for an of-the-moment look. These hairstyles work on mid-length to long hair of any hair texture. The first is a classic top knot, which is easy enough to do on your own. The second is a more advanced version, which is French braided in the back. It might require you to enlist a friend if you’re not an expert at French braiding.
Materials Needed:
-Comb
-Hair tie
-Bobby pins
-Styling wax
-Hairspray
Classic Top Knot
Difficulty Level: **
Steps:
1. Start with dry hair. Flip your head upside down and comb your hair into a sleek, high ponytail on the top of your head. Secure the ponytail with a hair tie. Brittingham used small, nude-colored hair elastics. If you have curly hair, feel free to comb your hair with your fingers for a more natural look.
2. Fan out your ponytail so that your hair is distributed equally around the base of the ponytail. Then wrap sections of hair around the base of the ponytail and pin the ends in with bobby pins until all hair is incorporated to form a bun.
3. Pin any stray hairs, and finish off the look with a touch of styling wax and a light mist of hairspray for a long-lasting, polished style. Brittingham used Bumble and Bumble’s Styling Wax and Does It All Styling Spray.
French-braided Top Knot
Difficulty Level: ****
Steps:
1. Flip your head upside down and section off the top-center layer of hair. Divide this section into three even sections and French braid starting at the scalp.
2. Continue braiding up until where your ponytail will be secured. Comb hair into a high ponytail.
3. Continue with steps 2-3 detailed in the classic top knot instructions above to finish the look.

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Having had the good fortune to attend nearly all the annual Drexel Convocations held since I joined the faculty in 1967, I write in salute to this year’s Oct. 2 event, easily one of the best in the past 45 years.
The event satisfied each of five criteria by which such an informational ritual might be assessed. First, the packed audience learned about strategic gains in enrollment; for example, 67 percent of entering students come from the top quarter of their high school graduating class — a new Drexel record. They are from 41 states and 74 countries and have a 1226 combined average SAT score — a most impressive and auspicious profile.
Second, the keynote speaker, National Science Foundation Deputy Director Cora B. Marrett, traced many empowering linkages between the University and the NSF. Attendees welcomed touches of humor, as with references to Mario the Magnificent, Marrett detailed the many ways in which ongoing NSF-funded research at Drexel holds promise of soon helping America and the world meet major pressing concerns.
Third, President John A. Fry continued his Convocation practice of updating Drexel’s progress as a pioneer. Drexel has provided a model for higher education in how an urban university can ally with a nearby major educational institution (the Academy of Natural Sciences), even as it fosters development of an “Innovation Neighborhood” in collaboration with Powelton Village and Mantua institutions.
Fourth, the Convocation audience heard brief, heartfelt greetings from well-spoken representatives of both the undergraduate and graduate student governments, along with the head of the Faculty Senate, thereby reminding one and all that Drexel is a “community” of mutually respecting allies.
Finally, attendees were treated to an awesome demonstration of the high-order place of the arts at our technological University. The rendition by the chorus of the spiritual “Soon Ah Will be Done” readily earned a second round of enthusiastic applause. Likewise, the post-event dance/engineering/music collaborative performance in the Great Court, a surprise “gift” titled “Attempting Connections,” was outstanding — just the sort of cutting-edge artistic venture one would hope to be able to experience when matriculating on a cutting-edge campus.
Convocation 2012 raised the bar high for such an event, and our founder, A.J. Drexel, looking on from his larger-than-life bust atop the second-floor plaza, seemed to have had many reasons to be pleased with the entire event.

Arthur Shostak
Emeritus Professor of Sociology
Drexel University

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A Drexel professor was awarded a National Science Foundation grant May 18 for his development of wireless networks on microchips.

Baris Taskin, an associate professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, has been researching how to implement wireless interconnects on microchips for several years. Kapil Dandekar, an associate professor and associate dean of research in the College of Engineering, is a main collaborator in the research.

Wireless interconnects are used with more than one wireless communication device, such as antennas or couplers, on the same integrated circuit system. This technology has the advantage of freely placing communication nodes on the chip as long as they are within the wireless communication range.

The wireless nodes replace the resource-demanding, wire-based interconnects. Wire-based interconnects are similar to the human intestine, where wired interconnections can have great length despite being condensed into a small space. This means to make a chip functional it must have a large volume of wired connections, which take up a large area on the chip.

“Unlike wire-based interconnects, wireless interconnects have broadcasting capability to communicate with more than one node at once, for instance to be used for a system-wide reset,” Taskin said.

Wireless interconnects allow communication over integrated circuits that would normally not be possible with wire-based connections due to the circuits’ layouts.

“This is the roll-call for wireless technology to establish wireless interconnects, which can be used instead of having bulky, long wires amongst the millions of other components on the chip,” Taskin said.

A hybrid version of the chip is a happy medium because both wired and wireless connections have their pros and cons. Traditional wire-based interconnects perform better over short distances because they do not have the power overhead or the footprint of a wireless communication node. There is also a point where wireless connections become favorable because devices that use more wire for wire-based connections cost more.

Wireless connections have the ability to perform better over long distances as long as nothing comes between communication nodes, which is the case in the crammed integrated circuit world.

“The hybrid use of the two is ideal given that an integrated circuit has millions of paths spanning a wide range of interconnections that need to be established,” Taskin said.

The communication bandwidth is increased a great deal compared to wires. Using wires when connecting multiple cores that are not close in proximity requires more area and resources, and the data would transfer substantially slower.

Bus technology, a collection of wires, is what is currently used to connect distant cores.

“But bus technology is not scaling to 16 or 32 core processors. We are working with 1,000 core systems, where the connections resemble a small network, a term coined ‘network-on-chip.’ Wireless interconnects are working wonders in improving communication over distant nodes of the network, while wired buses still rule the local communication between nodes in vicinity of each other,” Taskin said.

Two microchips were created for proof-of-concept studies, including a scaled-up version for fast prototyping. Scaling up is not a good thing in microelectronics, however. In order for a chip to house more than one wireless link, it would have to be between 10 and 20 micrometers on one side alone.

“These chips are not economically feasible on a research budget. Instead, we are perfecting the design of a single wireless link on the tiny chip and simulating scalability to the larger systems,” Taskin said.

The price of creating a simple four-square-millimeter microchip containing one wireless connection is almost $90,000. This price includes discounts given to educational institutions.

In Drexel’s very large-scale integration laboratory, the microchips are developed through a process called “tape-out.” The tape-out experience is seeing an integrated circuit design go from its computer-aided design form to silicon.

Taskin was awarded $400,000 to use to further the wireless microchip’s research over the next three years.

“Our agenda is to build two other chips within the next three years. While we lose some of these researchers to Silicon Valley, we bring new people on board,” Taskin said.

One new student has already been recruited to work on the research, and Taskin plans to hire more.

The post Antennas allow microchips to go wireless appeared first on The Triangle.

The pub-dwelling Irishman in me is pleased. Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant, located at 1500 Locust St., fulfills the standards expected of such an establishment.

To start, customers are granted the privilege of self-seating, though, in no seat will a customer be shortchanged. Fado’s layout ensures that no visitors will be confined to a dark, musty table in the corner with cobwebs and associated inhabitants as their only company. Granted, the entire restaurant was cast in the obscured lighting of a seedy dive bar, and while this would be cause for concern in some (or most) cases, it contributed to the genuineness of the joint. So, whether perched at the deep mahogany bar or cozied up in a booth, every part of the restaurant offers a memorable experience.

Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant is located on 1500 Locust Street and appeals to the family and party scenes alike. Notable items on the menu include fish and chips, “Boxty straws” and a brownie sundae with Guinness ice cream.

Really, it’s what you make of it. The rowdier of us can gather around the bar for game night — rugby and soccer are pub favorites — and enjoy a 20-ounce imperial pint of a selection of quality Irish and European draft beers. On the other hand, those looking for a more intimate or family-friendly time are no less satisfied, having their choice of small and large tables and booths surrounded by fireplaces and antique Irish handiwork. Once settled in, patrons of all sorts must then make their primary decision of the night: what to eat.

Although Fado’s menu caters to a variety of palettes for both adults and children, it still has its idiosyncrasies. For one, it serves up authentic Irish fare, notably fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash — for those of you who don’t know (since I’ve never heard of it myself), this dish is Irish pork sausages on colcannon, a mixture of mashed potatoes and cabbage, with gravy. There was also what is known as “poor house bread,” more commonly called boxty.

In fact, Fado was the first of its kind to serve this dish in America. Fado keeps its recipe simple with just potatoes and seasonings but still manages to make it contemporary. On that note, it appears on the menu in several forms, such as a quesadilla wrapping (instead of a tortilla) and fries, and it even takes the main stage in traditional entrees with fillings like steak, chicken, shrimp and corned beef (an Irish staple). I was able to try the fries version, or what they called “boxty straws.” They were denser than typical fries and tasted more like French toast than potatoes. All in all, it was a nice change, and my eating partner couldn’t help but eat more of my boxty straws than his regular fries.

Along with my boxty straws came a chicken cheesesteak, which held its ground among the ranks of the Philly cheesesteak, smothered in mushrooms, caramelized onions and American cheese, and finished with a horseradish mayo that was so tasty that I forgot my distaste for mayonnaise.

Nevertheless, my companion’s Guinness Barbecue Chicken Sandwich stole the show. Admittedly, it was the Guinness; I’m already a fan of barbecue sauce, but the added flavor of the beer took it to the next level. Actually, Guinness seemed to be the featured beer of the night for us, as we ended the meal with a black and tan brownie and Guinness ice cream. A warm brownie sundae is hard to top, unless it’s with Guinness ice cream. The whole dish was decadently rich and the perfect way to wrap up an already indulgent meal.

Although I’ve never been to Ireland, Fado matched my expectations of it. The food is comforting and hearty, the interior is warm and inviting, and the ambience is appropriate for any occasion. Whether it’s a night out with a few buddies or a family dinner in the city, Fado will provide a pleasant, assuredly Irish experience.

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Bodyrock Bootcamp gym owner Nate McIntyre poses in front of his newly opened gym’s logo on 38th and Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia. The gym’s regular hours are normally from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bodyrock Boot Camp, located at 38th Street and Lancaster Avenue, offers a variety of workout methods to local residents of University City, especially college students. They offer classes for people with all types of experience, including those new to fitness. Convenient for college students who are busy during the day with classes, Bodyrock Boot Camp offers classes in the mornings as early as 6 a.m. and in the evening up until 7 p.m.

Among the workouts are the boot camp classes. Nate McIntyre owns the gym, and he calls these classes the “toughest class you’ll take in your life.” He tries to focus on things that some other gyms do not, such as the experience. The experience includes the neon green scenery and rap music blasting through the speakers as you work out.

“We make it more of a workout experience and not just a workout,” McIntyre said.

Being in Philadelphia, the gym helps a great amount of people, reaching out to people of all fitness levels with varying fitness goals.

“In Philadelphia, people have a million reasons to work out,” McIntyre said. “We have classes for people new to fitness or classes for the experienced.”

Whether you want to lose weight, build more lean muscle, tone up or get in better shape in general, the gym offers classes that can help you with that.

The gym also offers classes that allow people to work out and have a personal one-on-one experience working with McIntyre. One class, B2B (Back to Basics), has a maximum capacity of only eight people, which means no one will go unnoticed.

Working with the gym as part of her senior project, Drexel senior Caitlin Bookman took a class and was able to enjoy the small, one-on-one workout. She benefitted from the advice and feedback that she was able to receive in a small group.

“When I took the class with him, it was me and one other girl, and so he was able to work really closely with us and show us how we can improve.”

Bookman is studying public relations and works on PR strategies with the gym.

The gym is now offering a new yoga class. However, this isn’t your typical yoga class, as the Bodyrock Boot Camp focuses on your core and cardio. So if you don’t like typical yoga because it is “glamorized stretching,” this one is sure to work the different muscles in your body. The class, called the Rock Body Yoga class, launched Feb. 1 on “College Night.” The event allowed college students to participate in the class for free, interact with McIntyre and have the chance to win monthly passes, which were raffled off to the attendees.

Twenty-eight women representing some of the Greek Organizations at Drexel, members of the dance team, nursing club and others packed the gym and took part in the free Rock Body yoga class. The gym was filled to capacity.

“It was great to see so many girls come out to take the class, and everyone really enjoyed it and felt it was a good workout,” Bookman said. “A lot of the girls were saying they want to come try out some of the other classes.”

The yoga class was designed with college students in mind, but that’s not the only thing Bodyrock Boot Camp is working on that would interest college students. The gym is working on putting together payment packages and deals with other areas of interest for college students, such as Rocket Tan and some of the bars in the area.

College student or not, classes at Bodyrock Boot Camp could be a good way to get your body in the condition you desire. McIntyre even has a client close to 70 years old.

As Bookman adds, it is not the most typical gym.

“It’s not like a gym where you go in and you swipe your card and then go run on the treadmill,” Bookman added.

Still, it is effective, and the classes can get your body into shape in three months, according to McIntyre. Taking only three months at most to get into shape, the gym could be an aid to those preparing for spring sports. It should also give plenty of time to be in shape for summer.

Bodyrock Boot Camp and its rates and hours can be found online at www.bodyrockbootcamp.net. They can also be reached by phone at 215-240-ROC1.

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Giarelli, currently an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, also serves as the president of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics, a global nursing organization that promotes the “scientific growth of nurses in human genetics.”

By joining the NACHGR, she will be part of an organization that has advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health on issues related to the human genome initiative. The council performs peer reviews for grant applications relating to this initiative and is represented by liaisons from outside organizations, including the American Society of Human Genetics and the Genetic Alliance.

“This position is important symbolically and practically, [as] I am one of only five liaisons from professional organizations, and I am the only nurse on the Council,” Giarelli said.

The Council, which is comprised of 25 members, identifies the priorities for the National Institutes of Health and advises the government’s efforts in the International Human Genome Project.

As ISONG Liaison, Giarelli will represent the interests of the Council’s members, which include “incorporating the principles of human genetics into all levels of nursing education and advancing nursing research in human genetics,” among others.

“The ISONG vision is caring for people’s genetic and genomic health. My main role will be to monitor the activities of the NHGRI as they relate to ISONG’s goals,” Giarelli said.

Other goals of the group include encouraging the development of standards of practice of nurses in human genetics and promoting integration of the nursing process into delivering genetic healthcare services.

Giarelli has worked in cancer and autism genetics, dealing with the scientific component of both the disease and the disorder.

“My research and careerlong scholarship has been to study the lifelong experiences of people with genetic disorders diagnosed in childhood,” she said. “The disorders are chronic, have variable expression over a lifetime and often require those who are diagnosed to watch and wait for symptoms.”

“As scientists sponsored by the NHGRI learn more about genetic contributions to health and illness, nurses and other health care providers will need to understand the patients’ and families’ perspectives and experiences in order to teach and treat their patients,” she continued.

Giarelli will officially begin as liaison at the Council’s first meeting of 2012 in Rockville, Md., which will take place Feb. 13-14. The upcoming meeting will be the Council’s 64th and will focus on providing stakeholders in genetics with the opportunity to share ideas and expectations, Giarelli said.

“Attendees can comment on such items as large-scale genetic sequencing programs, human heredity and health in Africa,” she explained. “These meetings are the forum for public input as well as an [opportunity] for free and open exchange among scientists, health care providers and public health advocates, as well as the general public.”

She continued, “I hope to be the voice of nurses, our patients and their families in the council’s discussions.”

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The liquor that I am reviewing this week is Bluecoat Gin. This liquor is distilled right here in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Distilling LLC. This new craft distillery utilizes a hand-hammered copper pot still, requiring true batch production. The ingredients used in this gin are all American sourced, organically grown and include juniper berries, orange peel and lemon peel (plus a secret third citrus peel). These ingredients, coupled with the batch process overseen by the master distiller, results in an American dry gin that focuses on a much more citrus and floral aroma than the traditional London dry gin.

When tasted neat, Bluecoat is much more palatable than most gins. The juniper is balanced by the citrus notes, providing a much more complex floral aroma than a gin like Tanqueray. This gin is still quite dry, however, and does not rise to its full potential until it is mixed. The first cocktail I tried, and the true baptism of fire for any gin, is the martini. Now I’m not talking about the watered-down mixed drinks that are commonly sold as martinis in college bars. The rules for a proper martini are quite strict. A traditional martini consists of two ounces of gin stirred on ice with half an ounce of dry vermouth. This mixture is then strained into a cocktail glass with an olive as a garnish. The amount of vermouth has varied historically, with Winston Churchill famously declaring that a martini was ice-cold gin with a bow in the direction of France. One of the few historic variations is the perfect martini, substituting half the dry vermouth with sweet vermouth. A related drink is the Gibson, which substitutes a cocktail onion for the olive. My personal favorite drink of this family is the Perfect Gibson, but for the purposes of the review I restrained myself to the classic recipe. This particular drink was drier and more floral than I had expected, with the citrus taking the front seat, backed up by both the pine from the juniper and the wine character from the vermouth. One of the characteristics that really set this drink off, though, was the slight salt tang from the olive, which accentuated the other flavors.

The other two drinks I tried were the gin and tonic and the Tom Collins. The gin and tonic is a mixture of two ounces of gin topped with four ounces of tonic water over ice and a lime wedge or two. I actually mixed mine using lemon instead, at the suggestion of the master distiller, and I found this to work quite well. The tonic water provides a bitter counterpoint to the sweetness of the lemon, and the gin adds much complexity to the drink. A word of caution is due, however: Too much citrus ruins this drink. I actually added too much lemon juice (half an ounce plus another wedge), and the cocktail did not shine until it was diluted with more gin and tonic water. This drink is a classic English summer drink, dating back to the consumption of quinine (the bitter component in tonic water) by British officers in India as a way to ward off malaria.

The Tom Collins consists of two ounces of gin, one ounce of lemon juice, a quarter ounce of sugar and three ounces of club soda over ice, a lemon wedge and a maraschino cherry. I actually found this cocktail to be rather boring. It is very smooth and enjoyable but lacked the bitterness of the tonic water or sufficient gin to make it really stand out. I still liked the drink, but this is a bit fruity for my tastes.

Overall, Bluecoat Gin is an excellent liquor, adding more citrus to classic gin drinks. I highly recommend giving this a shot, as it’s more approachable than many other gins and supports the local economy.

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Drexel University’s annual convocation ceremony was held Sept. 27 to celebrate the start of the 2011-12 academic year. President John A. Fry spoke at the event about the University’s future in many capacities and elaborated on the benefits of Drexel’s affiliation with the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The ceremony, held in the auditorium of the Main Building at 11 a.m., began with a procession of Drexel faculty, all outfitted in their personalized academic regalia, marching into the auditorium behind their respective college banners.

In his opening speech, Provost Mark Greenberg praised the teachers, whom he called “the foundation of Drexel’s reputation.” He acknowledged the students they teach and the “idea of the research university.” Greenberg spoke at lengths about Drexel’s “capacity to transform lives through teaching and learning, neighborhoods and cities as an engine of innovation … and the fundamental texture of human life through technological and scientific discoveries, artistic interventions and cultural interpretations.”

He continued, stating “The modern research university has one additional capacity that helps characterize it, and that is the capacity to transform itself through growth, partnerships and affiliations.”

Many of the convocation speakers, including Greenberg, Fry and Richard A. Greenawalt, chair of the board of trustees, mentioned the University’s affiliation with the Academy of Natural Sciences, which was announced this past spring.

“This is an exciting development for Drexel, the Academy and all of Philadelphia,” Greenawalt said.

In his second-ever Drexel convocation address, Fry spoke extensively about the University’s partnership with the Academy.

“Bringing these two world-class institutions together is the sort of bold move that enhances a city, a region and an entire scientific community,” Fry said, before praising ANS president and CEO George Gephart for his effort to create the partnership.

“The synergies between Drexel and the Academy are incredibly promising as we bring together two outstanding teams of scholars and researchers,” Fry said. “All of these researchers will have access both to the extraordinary scientific collections of the Academy and the advanced laboratories and technology of Drexel, especially those found at the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building.”

Another benefit of the merger is the creation of the new Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, which will begin enrolling students next fall pending the new department’s approval.

Additionally, Fry stated that members of the Goodwin School of Education will be partnered with Academy educators to develop new programs for students of all ages and to expand teacher training programs

The Westphal College of Media Arts and Design will also team up with the Academy to create new ways to share the Academy’s resources with visitors through media-rich exhibitions and cell phone applications.

In a move that further established the importance of the partnership with the Academy of Natural Sciences, the keynote speaker of this year’s convocation was Robert McCracken Peck, senior fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Fry was last year’s convocation keynote speaker, having just recently beginning his tenure a few months before the ceremony.

Introducing Peck, Fry said, “He has served as natural history consultant to Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Princeton University Library, Reader’s Digest, David Attenborough and the BBC. And, in 1989, a new species of South African frog, one of three new species he discovered during an exhibition to Ecuador, was named in his honor. That makes him unique, I think, among Drexel faculty.”

Peck recently spent two months this summer living and traveling with a tribe of nomadic Mongolian families, documenting the effects of climate change on the lives of the people in central Asia as part of a five-year study funded by the National Science Foundation. Having spent more than 35 years working with the Academy, he is currently working on a history of the Academy for its bicentennial in March of 2012.

The Academy was founded in 1812, during America’s war for independence from Great Britain. During this time, American natural scientists were fighting for recognition for their discoveries, which included species of plants, animals and other natural specimens. Most of these were sent to European natural scientists, who often took great liberties with the sent specimens.

“Numbered among the Academy’s 18 million specimens are the plants collected by Lewis and Clark on their historic journey across the country, the fossils that Thomas Jefferson kept at Monticello and at the White House while he was president,” he said.

Peck added that the Academy also holds collections of fish caught off the coast of Cuba by Ernest Hemingway, who he joked “liked to fish for the Academy.”

He stressed the advantages of the affiliation for the members of the University community, saying, “Just a short Dragon bus ride away from where we have gathered this morning lies one of the most comprehensive and historically significant repositories of biological information to be found anywhere in the world. The discoveries you can make there with it are limited only by the effort you are willing to exert and the challenging questions you are willing to ask,” he said.

“We are enormously strengthened by an institution that is known worldwide for its innovative thinking and its strong commitment to addressing environmental and social problems of universal concern,” Peck said. “Together, the Academy of Natural Sciences and Drexel University, the dinosaur and the dragon, create an extraordinary union that is sure to have an impact here in Philadelphia and around the world.”

A large part of Fry’s speech also dealt with Drexel’s impact in Philadelphia, but in terms of housing and community interaction.

“Last year when I addressed convocation, I had only been here two months. I look forward, by necessity, to taking the opportunity to lay out a comprehensive investment in the neighborhoods adjacent to our campus. This year, we certainly could look back, and with enormous pride. Our neighborhood initiatives, although they work on a long-term timeline, had some real successes and received some big votes of confidence,” he said.

He referenced the $1 million boost PECO gave Drexel to create the Drexel PECO Community Education Collaborative. The University also received $15 million from philanthropist Philip Lindy to establish the Lindy Neighbors program and name the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement. As discussed in his address last year, Fry mentioned the expansion of the Employee Home Purchase Assistance Program that grants eligible facility and staff loans to purchase a home in a nearby neighborhood; he reported that 10 families had already moved into new homes.

“This is a great start — but much, much more needs to be done,” he said.

Fry also announced that the new LeBow College of Business academic building will open in 2014 and that the University will begin construction this fall on the URBN Center at 3501 Market St. and 3401 Filbert St. for the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.

“The URBN Center is an approximately 155,000 square-foot complex consolidating the existing space of Westphal College from eight buildings to a unified location on the main street of University City, Market Street,” he said.

According to Fry, the studio-based programs will be housed at the 3501 Market St. building, which was designed by the famous local architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The building at 3401 Filbert St. will host an art gallery, a black box theater and a film screening room “to make important new spaces available supporting the fine and performing arts available to the Drexel community and all of our West Philadelphia neighbors.”

The board of trustees approved constructing both buildings after receiving successful construction bids, and the two facilities are expected to be open and ready for occupancy next fall.

Fry also honored the incoming freshman class, which is composed of over 3,000 students, the largest in the University’s history, hailing from 42 states and 54 countries. One-third of the students graduated in the top 10 percent of their class in high school, with 55 students being valedictorians or salutatorians and another two-thirds placed in the top 25 percent. Additionally, the incoming class of freshman contains 50 Liberty Scholars, or outstanding Philadelphia high school students who received a full scholarship to Drexel.

“The Drexel today is not the same Drexel I matriculated at, and that is a great thing,” Adam Trosko, president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association, said before urging his fellow students to challenge themselves so that in five years they can take pride in what will be a new and improved Drexel University.

Sophomore music industry major Brett Rodgers also voiced his opinion about the ceremony.

“I think what I like most about convocation is the promise for the coming year, in that the speakers each try to relay their hopes and goals for the University, and the progress is a nice concept at least.”

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Drexel University will host the 2011 U.S. Open Squash Championships Oct. 1-6 at the Daskalaskis Athletic Center, which will feature internationally ranked players for both men’s and women’s squash.

With Delaware Investments as the title sponsor, the tournament offers $175,000 in prize money and the most prestigious squash title in the country.

For the second time in its history, the championship tournament will be held simultaneously for both men and women. The first occasion was in 2010 at the Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

President John A. Fry spoke about Drexel’s acquisition of hosting duties, saying, “One thing led another. The tournament led to the conversation about the courts, which led to the gift, which led to the decision about the men’s and women’s teams — which were great club sports and had a lot of student support, but obviously they needed a coach. And we did the whole package together.”

The enthusiasm of Fry, who officially joined the U.S. Squash board of directors in July 2010, played a large part in Drexel hosting the championship. Another deciding factor was the University’s capacity to hold large-scale events, having previously hosted the 2008 USA Table Tennis Olympic Trials and a Democratic presidential debate in October 2007. Along with the upcoming U.S. Open Squash tournaments, the University plans to host the 2013 Division I, II and III Men’s Lacrosse Championships.

“I think when the U.S. Squash people visited Drexel and did the site visit, they were sort of blown away by the kind of capability of the place, which we got because of the debate and because of the table tennis. So we understand what it means to host large events,” Fry explained.

According to Eric Zillmer, the director of athletics, Drexel will host this championship for the next two years.

The men’s main draw will hold 32 athletes, of which 22 are ranked in the top 25. The 16-player women’s draw will feature 13 of the 16 ranked women. Players from over 23 different countries, including Egypt, India and Malaysia, are also competing in the championship.

Due to Drexel’s urban location, many of the players, both national and international, will be able to explore Philadelphia in their down time.

“The partner hotel is the Crowne Plaza downtown, so players could theoretically walk to the venue or take a short subway ride. Many elect to stay with friends too,” Zillmer wrote in an email.

The opening ceremony and cocktail reception for the event was held Sept. 29 at the Paul Peck Alumni Center for all players and invited guests.

The qualifying round for the tournament started Sept. 28, with over 16 games played at the DAC, the Germantown cricket club, the Merion Cricket club and the Philadelphia racket club.

A glass squash “show court” was constructed on the basketball court in the main arena of the DAC, and all of the bleachers were pulled out to surround it. The regular squash courts at the front of the athletic center will be used more for practice, according to Fry.

All Drexel students, staff and faculty can watch the U.S. Open free of charge, as a Drexel ID will allow them entry into the general admission area.“We know how to run these things. We don’t know how to run a squash tournament, but we’ll figure that out,” Fry said of the attitude he and Zillmer had while deciding whether Drexel had the capacity to host the major championship.

According to Fry, Zillmer fought to include the two squash courts into the now-completed DAC expansion.

“We had a bunch of squash courts in the basement that were old hardball courts — the game has changed from using a hard ball to a soft ball, the dimensions of the courts have changed, so we had six courts down there that weren’t really playable — and he was trying to figure out a way of getting those converted,” Fry said, crediting Delaware Investments for making the expansion happen.

According to DrexelDragons.com, plans have been revealed for the construction of five playing courts complete with a team room and seating areas to be located in the lower level of the DAC. The renovations are expected to be completed and ready for use at the end of the Drexel varsity squash season.

The event, which starts Oct. 1, will be streamed online at psasquashtv.com, and the broadcast of the semifinals and finals is expected to reach over 250 million households worldwide. And specifically within the United States, ESPN3 will also broadcast the semifinals and finals of the Men’s Championships online to reach over 60 million households..

John White, a former top-ranked player in the world who is still ranked among the top 10 players nationally, was brought in to develop the men’s and women’s squash team at Drexel. White helped upgrade Drexel Squash from a club team to a varsity team. He came to Drexel for the squash program’s first season of competition in the 2011-12 school year after spending four years as the director of squash and head coach at Franklin & Marshall.

White, who lost his qualifying game played Sept. 28, was ranked No. 1 in the world in March 2004. He also had one of his shots clocked in at a world-record 172 miles per hour and holds 12 Professional Squash Association titles.

According to White, his squash players will also participate at the tournament by volunteering at the show court at the DAC and either working as ushers or helping the professional players.

“Squash is an emerging sport — it’s very international and there’s a nice buzz about it. And that’s why we picked it,” Fry, who plans on attending several matches in the tournament, said.

Though White defeated Fry several weeks ago at the Drexel Employee Olympics, he agreed with him on the cultural importance of squash at an urban school like Drexel.

“The demand for squash has always been out there in the Philly area. To get the U.S. Open here at Drexel is great. It has come at the perfect time with Drexel introducing squash to the varsity level,” he wrote in an email.

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The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery of Drexel University opened the “Half the Sky” art exhibit Sept. 23, which is composed of over 60 art pieces from 22 contemporary Chinese female artists.

The full title, “Half the Sky: Women in the New Art of China,” refers to Mao Zedong’s communist manifesto in which he declared that in society, “half the sky” rested on the shoulders of women. The exhibit, co-curated by Fa Di’an and Xu Hong of the National Art Museum of China, is a survey-scale exhibition — the first of its kind to appear in the United States.

The opening of the exhibition was marked by an afternoon question-and-answer panel that included some of the contributing artists. The women were asked to share their thoughts about the struggles of female artists in China as well as in the world in general. Some expressed the belief that women have cultural barriers to overcome before they can be successful artists in China and internationally.

“This is the long-term definition of a woman in our culture,” exhibit curator Xu Hong said. “It’s an externally applied definition [that] somehow becomes internalized and works to jeopardize our own self-confidence as female artists.”

Others among the panel had alternative opinions regarding gender struggles for artists in China.

“Asking how we feel about being female artists is like asking the President of the United States, ‘How do you feel about being a male president?’” artist Liu Liyun responded.

The artwork encompassed a scope of artistic styles and media. Pieces range from classic drawings by artist He Weina to the black-and-white photography of Cui Xiuwen. Weina’s work features flowers, fruit and dresses, while Xiuwen’s photos focuses primarily on dark-haired girls captured against vacant backdrops.

“Art is a way to explore our own existence,” Xuiwen said. “It’s a form of discovery, with the destination being totally unknown.”

In addition to sketches and photography, there are also many three-dimensional art pieces present in “Half the Sky,” including Jingjing’s “Never Ever.” The piece, composed of foam packing peanuts suspended with red thread, imitates snow, which appears to be falling on a solitary pair of shoes atop a round mirror.

The exhibition, which is open until Nov. 12, includes a series titled “Portable Cities” by artist Yin Xiuzhen. She used scraps of old clothing to form miniature metropolises within opened suitcases, the clothing composing the skyscrapers.

Televisions set up around the room continuously broadcast various video productions created by some of the artists. One such video by artist Chen Qiulin combines fantasy with reality. In the film, a woman dressed in a brightly patterned kimono dances in the rubble of a demolished building.

Hong honored the artists for their various exhibits, stating “you’ve really shown your potential.”

She continued, “In doing so, you’ve reached a certain level of self-discovery – a noble achievement for any artist, or indeed any human.”

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Drexel hosted the National Science Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics  conference Sept. 19. to introduce high school teachers to better education methods in science, technology, engineering and math.

The conference, called “STEM Smart: Lessons Learned from Successful Schools,”  was an all-day educational event comprised of exhibits, panel discussions and informational speeches centered around the NSF’s report, “Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying effective approaches in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia requested the report from NSF in 2010 in an effort to increase America’s competitiveness in the global economy, according to a statement made by Wolf on his website. American students were recently ranked near the bottom of Western nations for STEM achievement.

“One of the main goals of the conference was to get the STEM community talking about it,” Holly Burnside, graduate and research programs manager of the College of Engineering, said.

Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah arranged for the conference to be held at Drexel in recognition of the university’s leading role in STEM education.

“As a university committed to science and technology, Drexel considers STEM education vital to our mission in all of its dimensions. K-12 STEM education is a driver for research, for scholarly activities, and for community initiatives. STEM education is also a national issue that has clearly been embraced by greater Philadelphia,” Drexel President John A. Fry said in his welcome speech.

In addition to over 20 exhibits lead by NSF representatives to demonstrate some of the best STEM methods for education, Drexel presented its own effective STEM projects.

SeaPerch, an underwater robotics competition that Drexel hosts with the Navy each year for high school and middle school students, had a pool set up to demonstrate some of the underwater robots.

Members of the College of Engineering’s Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory, under the direction of Youngmoo Kim, also demonstrated some of their work. In addition, the Drexel Autonomous Systems Lab showed their Jaemi Hubo humanoid robot.

Subra Suresh , the director of NSF, announced the importance of STEM education in his speech, “Innovate to Educate: Science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning for tomorrow’s world.”

“In Asia, 21 percent  of all the college graduates major in engineering. In Europe, 13 percent of all the college graduates major in engineering. In the United States, 4.5 percent of all the college graduates major in engineering. That’s a very worrisome sign,” Suresh said.

Suresh explained that a generation ago, the U.S. was No. 1 in the world in terms of the fraction of the population  with a college degree. But within one generation, the country dropped from first place to eighth.

Additionally, Suresh stated that proper STEM education in grades K-12 is the foundation for the number of kids going to college.

“Today’s event is just the beginning. The next steps will inevitably involve broad dissemination of best practices and also discussion on what is the best way to implement the great ideas that are known to work and the great ideas that we may not have tried yet,” Suresh said.

Panel discussions were also held to report examples of successful STEM programs across the United States.

“If we’re teaching [high school students] any science at all, we’re teaching them that science is something that you get to after you’re finished preparing for the reading and math tests. We’re never going to innovate our way forward if that’s the way we’re teaching,” Chris Lehmann, founding principal from the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, explained.

“We have to understand, especially in our schools that contain high numbers of socio-economic need children, that STEM education has to be about not just training for a job but [about] citizenship development. There is not a problem that we face today in our society that we should not be facing a STEM lens on,” Lehmann added.

Panels also involved discussion on out of school learning, making science education a reality, and the role of common standards in STEM education.

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But before we critique the rest of the University, it is only fair that we start by looking within our own organization. The 2010-11 school year was a time of great development at The Triangle. We expanded on the social media front, covered major stories such as President Fry’s inauguration and Bennett S. LeBow’s record-setting $45 million gift to the University, and launched an updated version of our website. But like any strong organization, there’s plenty of room for us to improve in the coming year. Our most recent endeavor was a decrease in our print circulation. The field of journalism is shifting to focus more on digital content, and we are proud to follow suit by promoting online journalism and more environmentally conscious reporting. We have exciting plans to continue the progression of features on our website this year, and we look forward to unveiling these improvements in the coming months.

We also hope to see improvements within the University’s administration in the 2011-12 school year. With great pride, we had the opportunity to watch as the Drexel administration made fantastic improvements last year. President Fry jumped into the Drexel pool head first, setting major initiatives into motion, including a partnership between Drexel and its surrounding neighborhood. He emphasized safety with an expanded police patrol area, provided a home improvement grant for faculty and added more blue light safety phones around the Drexel community. Our hope for the administration in the coming year is simple at first glance: we want to see more of these impressive efforts. But what we’d like to emphasize is a sense of priorities. Recently, we’ve noticed a growing trend of overlooking the basics in favor of the more grandiose plans. The current chaos of freshman housing is a great example of this point. Regardless of the multitude of ongoing projects that will improve the University, these changes are only worth it if the students are happy to be on campus. Forced triples and RA/freshman dorm pairings do not promote a satisfied student body.

Of course, as students, we want to get even more of our peers involved in the Drexel community. We encourage everyone to speak up, write a letter into our Op-Ed pages, talk to your friends and go to the great open forums that President Fry has set up through the year. Make yourself heard — this is our University and we really want it to be as great as possible.

At the end of the day, remember that there are many fantastic things that happen on our campus every day. The Drexel experience is truly a unique one, and we could all take the time to appreciate that fact on a daily basis.

Good luck to students, staff and faculty alike as we head into another year as Dragons!

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Heading into their first season of the post-Christina Mastropaolo era, the Dragons will be looking to host the Colonial Athletic Association Championships for the third consecutive season by earning the title of regular season champions.

After starting the season with three consecutive victories, they lost two of three games on the trip. Even though it was a tough week for the Dragons, there were some bright spots. Sophomore forward Elise DiDonato had two assists in the shutout win over Sacred Heart and goalie Kim Chiarelli had four saves in the big game at Connecticut.

Lafayette has had Drexel’s number over the years, posting 21 wins to just four losses. Drexel will be trying to reverse its fortune this time around and start a winning streak heading into conference play.

The Dragons will stay home and face city rival Temple Sept. 18 before entering CAA play. The Dragons are hoping to use their home field advantage to lift them into the CAA schedule with some positive momentum.

These next two games will be tough, however, because Lafayette is also coming off a loss to a top team in the league, UNC. Lafayette know that they cannot afford to fall to 1-4 in the non-conference schedule, so Drexel will be facing a desperate Leopards opponent. They will then go on to face Temple, and there is never any need for extra motivation in the city rivalries. The Dragons have already beaten St. Joseph’s and so they know what kind of energy is needed in this league.

Every one on the team and coaching staff knows it is imperative to be playing at the highest level entering the conference schedule, so these games are there to be a good tune up and measuring stick for the team. In order to win the conference, the team must be able to get up for every game on the schedule — so having a city rivalry game right before the CAA schedule is a very good move.

The Dragons have a very solid team this year and hopefully as the school year starts they will be able to continue their solid play and enter the CAA a confident bunch.

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Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick runs with the ball during training camp at Lehigh University July 29

The pre-season is just that: a period before the regular season. It has almost no bearing on what will happen when wins and losses count, but when you are the self-proclaimed “dream team” of the National Football League, you tend to be under a microscope.
The Eagles were anything but dreamy against the Pittsburg Steelers Aug. 18. Can zero touchdowns by your first and second unit be overlooked? More importantly, quarterback Michael Vick threw three interceptions and back up QB Vince Young threw one pick. Vick was wild, overthrowing a post to wide receiver DeSean Jackson on the first play of the game, and then throwing a weak ball in the general direction of WR Riley Cooper that was picked off by the Steelers.
On Vick’s second, he threw into triple coverage — that’s right, triple coverage. I’m sure fans were screaming in their living rooms at that point: “Hey Vick, we’re wearing white, not black!” The third INT was just another drop in the bucket at that point, while Vick was under pressure and just threw the ball up to be tipped and caught by the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu. To be fair, though, Vick wasn’t getting much help from his offensive line.
He just didn’t look comfortable in the pocket. He looked like a boxer out there, dipping and ducking out of the way of incoming rushers, but that’s his game. He still looked rushed and uncomfortable, not the normal Vick from last season.
The defense, on the other hand, was not much better. Cornerback Asante Samuel was pretty peeved when the Eagles acquired CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and coveted CB Nnamdi Asomugha. He felt left out of the picture and he wanted to prove his worth to his teammates and fans.
So Samuel was beat on the Steelers’ first touchdown when he over-committed to a pump fake by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and left his man wide open. There’s Samuel earning his keep. The improved secondary of the Eagles didn’t show their faces in this one; Asomugha, Rogers-Cromartie and Samuel all showed a zero in the passes defense department.
However, the big boys up front showed up. New additions Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin, both defensive ends, had a sack a piece and three total tackles. Babin and Jenkins also hit the QB two times each. The pass rush will no doubt be a huge threat this season for the Eagles. The Eagles are stacked at DE with veteran Trent Cole rounding out the group.
So should we be panicking? Should Eagles fans start to “boo” at the next home game (if they haven’t done so already)? The answer is no.
It’s been a shortened offseason; practices and team activities have been missed. What’s most difficult about this offseason, especially for the Eagles, is all of the new pieces they’ve acquired. The talent is there, but the schemes, plays and trust aren’t  there yet.
This is why having four preseason games is important, especially in a lockout-shortened offseason. This is the time of year where mistakes can be made, and until Sept. 11 all mistakes will be forgiven.
Winning the NFC East is in reach for the Eagles, but are they better than the defending champion Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints?
These are the questions that can’t be answered during the preseason; talent isn’t a true indicator of a champion. Cohesion, teamwork, endurance and heart are the marks of a champion. Quite frankly, these players haven’t been together long enough to give an accurate measure of those four qualities. We’ll learn a lot more about this team as the season goes on.

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Sean Michael Buehrle, who had been planning on returning to Drexel in the fall for his senior year, was found by Pennsylvania State Police Aug. 13. Though police did not release where his body was found, they did announce that foul play is not suspected in the death.

Buehrle went missing after leaving his supermarket job early in the morning of Aug. 9, prompting an outpouring of support and discussion among other Drexel students on social networking sites. Buehrle was living in Pennsburg, Montgomery County at the time of his death.

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Joseph Lambert Sr. passed away at his residence at Riddle Village in Media, Pennsylvania on June 15, 2011 at age 96. Joe Lambert was the founder of the Construction Management Program at Drexel University. Joe launched the Construction Management program while serving as a Professor and Department Head of Civil Engineering at Drexel University Evening College in the late 1960’s. Since then, the program has thrived, initially as a part-time offering and becoming a full-time undergraduate cooperative education program in 2004. The Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM) was launched in 2009. The curriculum that Joe Lambert established all of those years ago has blossomed into a strong, well-respected program which hasproduced outstanding graduates that have gone on to become industry leaders.

Joe Lambert was born in Philadelphia in 1914. He was an only child. His father was a brick-layer who died when Joe was nine years old. Joe spent the remainder of his formative years living with his mother and her sister, who was a bank clerk. Joe graduated from St. Joe’s Prep where he played basketball and as a member of the track team threw the discus and pole- vaulted. He spent a year or so after high school working to help support his household and to obtain tuition to attend college. Joe attended and graduated from the then named Drexel Institute of Technology with a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering. Joe played football, baseball and was captain of the basketball team at Drexel. When Joe first starting playing basketball, the ball had laces and there was a center jump after each goal. Joe completed his formal education at the University of Pennsylvania receiving a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Joe initially worked at the Philadelphia shipyards. He was transferred to the west coast in 1940. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the project he was working on was moved back to Philadelphia. When World War II ended, Joe began parallel careers. He set up a small civil engineering consulting office initially specializing in wooden structures. In the mid 1950s this small group became Lambert, McGee and Costello Engineering with offices in the sixteenth block of Chestnut Street. By the mid 1960s the firm had grown to over twenty engineers and draftsmen. McGee and Costello had left the business and Joe was spending too much of his time managing a business rather than practicing engineering. So he reduced the size of the company. Lambert Consulting Engineering was created. He achieved national stature in his profession as a Registered Professional Engineer in six states and Washington DC.

Concurrently, Joe began teaching in the Civil Engineering Department of the Evening College at Drexel. At that time, Evening College departments were distinct entities from the “Day“College counterpart. Evening College credits were not transferable to the Day College. Over his tenure in the Evening College Department of Civil Engineering he served as instructor, assistant department head from 1951 – 1967, and department head from 1967 – 1975. He servedas chair of the Curriculum committee from 1969 – 1975 and was instrumental in the achievement of the curriculum. He developed the Evening College’s certificate program in Construction Management in 1974 and the degree curriculum initiated in 1975. He was a member of the Consulting Engineers Council, serving them as both state and national chairman of the Education Committee and was recognized as Outstanding Educator in America in 1971. He also spent many of his years at Drexel advocating a Drexel credit as a Drexel credit and applicable to all Drexel degrees.

In his ‘day’ job, Lambert Consulting became known for its work with wood trusses ensuring that complex architectural designs could bear the loads being imposed on them. Much of the work was commissioned for churches in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Joe retired from both his ‘day’ and ‘evening ‘jobs in his mid sixties. Retirement lasted approximately six months as Lambert Consulting, eventually a one man shop, continued to bill over 1500 hours a year until Joe finally stopped practicing as he approached his late eighties. Joe was a much- loved and respected member of the Drexel University AEC Community. In 2010, the Drexel Construction Management Advisory Council (CMAC) presented Joe with a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his significant contributions to his profession, to Drexel University, and especially to the Construction Management Program.

Joe is survived by his son, Joseph Jr., daughter-in-law, Carolyn, grandson, Brian Lambert and granddaughters Karen and Kathleen Lambert. There will be a Memorial Gathering and a luncheon to follow at 11:30 AM on Thursday, June 30. These will take place in the Aster Room which is located in the main building of the Riddle Village, 1048 West Baltimore Pike • Media, PA 19063. Please inform the family if you plan to attend the gathering and luncheon via email to lambert@ist.psu.edu at your earliest convenience.

Article Submitted by the Construction Management Program at Drexel University

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Silverman, a member of the University’s board of trustees and the College of Medicine’s board, replaces Manny Stamatakis, who will step down in May after 13 years as chairman of the board.

“We are extremely thankful for Manny’s tireless leadership over the years and are grateful that he will continue as a member of the College of Medicine board as he steps down from his role as board chairman. I am confident that Stan will pick up right where Manny left off, resulting in a seamless transition going forward,” President John A. Fry said in a press release announcing Silverman’s new position.

After attending Drexel for both his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering (‘69) and his master’s degree in business administration (‘74), Silverman has been a committed member of the Drexel community.

Having served four years on the College of Medicine’s board prior to being announced chairman of the board, Silverman is well aware of his responsibilities.

“The college has a long and venerable history. It is the largest private medical college in the U.S., and educates one out of 73 physicians. My goal and that of each member of the board of trustees is to ensure the College of Medicine continues to move forward and provide a great education to our students,” he said.

Silverman has also served for 11 years on the University’s board of trustees and plans to continue in his role as chairman of the finance committee.

“I am proud to have been part of all the initiatives that have been taking place over the past few years that have transformed Drexel University, and look forward to being part of the new initiatives to come,” he said.

A member of the Drexel 100 and of the College of Engineering’s advisory council, Silverman received the College’s Alumnus Award in 1995. More recently, he received the A.J. Drexel Paul Award in 2009 for his service to his alma mater.

“I received an incredible education at Drexel that led to my success later in life. I can think of no better legacy than helping the next generation become successful,” Silverman said.

Silverman credited his Drexel education for teaching him the skills he used during his 33-year career at PQ Corp., a global company in chemicals and engineered glass materials. He started as a chemical process engineer and worked in many other positions before serving as president and CEO of the company from 2000 to 2005.

Additionally, Silverman has served as a guest lecturer at the LeBow College of Business, where he holds the position of executive in residence. He is also on the advisory board for the college.

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For the first time in a long time the men’s and women’s crew teams have swept the Kerr Cup.

Both the men and women’s varsity eight boats placed first in their races April 16 to bring home the trophies together.

“Its great to bring home the trophies,” head coach Paul Savell said. “We had a great day on the Schuylkill and we were able to come out on top; it feels great, I’m so proud of our team.”

Dr. Thomas Kerr, namesake for the men’s race, founded the Drexel team. His wife Lela Kerr has the women’s race dedicated in her name and so the Kerr family comes out to present the trophy to the winners.

“It is really special to see the family come back because Dr. Kerr meant so much to the school and the team, and he really cared about us,” Savell said.

On the men’s side, the Kerr Cup was not their only win; the novice eight, pair and freshman four all finished first in their races as well. The team showed its current skill, but has a very bright future to look forward to.

“The freshmen are a real promising group,” Savell said. “They have really bonded together well all year and are really picking up speed toward the end of the year and that is what it is all about.”

The varsity eight of Marc Smith, John Pieper, Vanja Busic, Sebastian Ryan, Marcus DeMarici, Ryan Mcspedon, Steven Miner, Matthew Ryan and Ross Morris crossed the finish line with a 5:40.8 time — a full 10 seconds ahead of second place Fordham.

The second varsity eight placed third in that race, giving Drexel two of the top three finishes with twelve schools racing in the event.

For the second straight year, the women captured the Lela Kerr Cup with a time of 6:40.00.

The boat included Cate Khella, stroke Elizabeth Bratton, Emily Coyle, Kayla Wroblesky, Alexa Antonioli, Julia Jackson, Mallory Sykes, Casondra Clawson and bow Dana Haneman. Villanova finished behind them by a full 10 seconds.

“I thought both the men and women were going to do well over the weekend because we had seen all these teams before and we were in a good position comparatively,” Savell said.

The women also fared well in the other races that day with a second place finish in the novice eight and varsity four races, and third in the freshman four final.

The Drexel men’s crew team finished in first place April 16 on the Schuylkill River. The men’s varsity eight boat finished with a time of 5:40.8 to take the Kerr Cup and the second varsity eight placed third.

Up next are the CAA Championships before the City Championships and the biggest race of the year — the Dad Vail Regatta.

“We are in the fine tuning stages, just trying to prepare for these last three races, and bring our best stuff to them so we can show who we really are,” Savell said.

The teams are confident and now it is time to perform and show what they can do but finished the tournament as the best team in the CAA.

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The Drexel women’s lacrosse team is tied with James Madison University atop the Colonial Athletic Association standing with an undefeated record after going 2-0 in their first two CAA contests.

The Dragons (8-3, 2-0 CAA) started off their weekend on the road against Towson (6-6, 2-1 CAA) April 8 in Towson, Md. Drexel defeated the Tigers in a hard fought 7-5 victory. This was the Dragons first win over Towson on the road in school history — Drexel had lost its previous 17 games against the Tigers.

Drexel fell behind early, 3-0, but they came back strong, scoring four straight goals to put themselves in the lead 4-3 at the end of the first half. After a brief tie for the opening minutes of the second half, sophomore attack Alyse Maiden scored both of her goals back-to-back, putting the Dragons in the lead for good. Junior attack Jaclyn Klunder also put two goals in the back of the net.

Next up for Drexel was rival Delaware (6-7, 1-2 CAA) at home April 10 for another tight knit CAA matchup. The Dragons were led by junior attack Charlotte Wood, who scored four goals — she now has 33 on the season.

The Dragons managed to hold off the surging Blue Hens team that came all the way back from a 7-3 deficit. Drexel took that matchup 11-8. Along with Wood’s four goals, senior defender Katie Blazer and freshman midfielder Amanda Norcini each recorded two goals apiece. Norcini’s first goal came with seven minutes left in the first half,  which put the Dragons in the lead for good.

“We’re all really excited about the wins,” Wood said. “We have five games left and we really need to win two more to be able to go to the CAA playoffs. So we’re taking it one game at a time, but [the CAA playoffs are] our main goal. This past weekend was really big for us, and I’m really excited that hopefully that will carry on to this weekend.”

Head coach Anne Marie Vesco also commented on the two wins over CAA opponents, saying that they were must-wins — but not only that, they were expected wins. She also praised her team for the job they did on the road at Towson because the conditions were cold and rainy, but they fought through it for a tough win.

As mentioned by Wood, these two wins are key to the Dragons’ success within the CAA, as well as earning a berth in the playoffs. Wood went on to say that if her team were to qualify for the CAA playoffs, it would be the first time in Drexel history. The Dragons also have a shot at earning one of the top two seeds as it sits right now, and Wood says that her team is really excited for the possibilities.

“We’ve been really close [to a CAA playoff berth] a couple times and these two wins in particular are against middle tier teams, so in the standings we’re looking very good,” Vesco said. “ODU and George Mason are a little weaker so we’re hoping to take those, and then if we can get one or two others that’s just icing on the cake.”

Drexel’s chances to earn a berth as a possible top seed in this year’s CAA playoffs did not just fall into their lap; they earned it. At this point in the season the Dragons are having one of their best ever, including one of their best starts in the conference.

Vesco discussed the topic of her team’s success this season, saying that it all goes back to her players’ chemistry and how they are always together both on and off the field.

“There’s really a determination to get to the CAA Tournament this year,” Vesco said. “I mean that’s always been the goal, but this year they are backing up the talk. They are talking the walk, walking the talk and it looks good.”

Wood also talked about the fact that her teammates are just very confident in each other. They have been able to fight through a few tough games this season in which they have fallen behind early, but manage to come together as a team to pull out the victory.

Some of that confidence might be due to that fact that Wood is having a stellar season — and she is getting noticed.

Wood has recently been named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s lacrosse equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy. The Tewaaraton is awarded to the nation’s top player in both men’s and women’s lacrosse. To even be nominated is quite an honor, and Wood is very aware of that fact.

Vesco is also proud of the fact that her star player has been able to raise some eyebrows around the NCAA and shed some light on Drexel’s ever-improving program.

“Charlotte’s done really well, not only this year but in her career,” Vesco said. “She’s a great athlete, and she’s a scorer and people are noticing. She’s our leading goal scorer and it’s nice to get noticed; it’s really great.”

Next up for the Dragons is Old Dominion (2-8, 1-1 CAA) in Norfolk, Va. April 17.

Vesco says that her team and coaches are definitely expecting a win.

Also, Wood expressed her expectations for the game against the Monarchs, saying, “That’s just one more step closer to the CAAs.”

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