Thursday, August 2, 2012

New Hamphire Alumnus magazine cover

Top row, from left: Erik Froburg '88, '02G, Jesse Dallery '90, Debra Richards Thibodeau '88 and George "Steve" Wall '88. Middle row: David Gray '89, Nicholas Mantis '88, Colin C. Frost '88, '90G, Daniel Therrien '88 and Scott Wudyka '88. Bottom row: Dean T. La Pierre '88, Amy Beasley Cronin '89, Donna Gerety Eager '89 and Karen Verny Henny '88.

Where are they now?

Erik Froburg '88, '02G

Erik Froburg '88, '02G
Major: the arts, environmental education
Job title: Educational Coordinator, Leitzel Center, UNH
Hometown: Lee, N.H.

"My particular focus has been in promoting authentic research by students, and in providing schools with more direct access to scientists and contemporary research in the geo-sciences." READ MORE >>

 

Jesse Dallery '90

Jesse Dallery '90
Major: psychology
Job title: Associate professor, psychology, University of Florida
Hometown: Gainesville, Fla.

"When they took the photo for the cover, I remember that I didn't have any props—I had prop envy. I just had a book and some notebooks, and others had diving gear, movie reels, drills." READ MORE >>

 

Debra Richards Thibodeau '88

Debra Richards Thibodeau '88
Major: psychology
Job title: Elementary school guidance counselor, Georgetown Elementary School
Hometown: Georgetown, Maine

"I remember that I bought pigeons with my grant money. I had to drive all the way to Logan Airport to meet them at the gate! Needless to say, getting through the gate was quite interesting." READ MORE >>

 

George "Steve" Wall '88

George "Steve" Wall '88
Major: English
Job title: Lead Summit Optics Technician, W.M. Keck Observatory, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii

"My work was a mixed media large-scale sculpture installation and I had no props for the photo shoot, so I showed up with a chainsaw, which I thought would seem pretty butch and might end up impressing girls. But in the end I felt like kind of a dork because I had never actually used a chainsaw before." READ MORE >>

 

David Gray '89

David L. Gray '89
Major: communication
Job title: Regional vice president, marketing and sales, Time-Warner Cable
Hometown: Darien, Conn.

"For me [the UROP project] was a very real lesson of getting out of an experience what I had put into it."

READ MORE >>

 

David Gray '89

Nicholas Mantis '88
Major: microbiology
Job title: Research scientist, Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health
Hometown: Williamstown, Mass.

"I was going to major in microbiology and minor in business administration, with the goal of becoming a big shot executive in biotechnology. I entered the lab as an undergraduate and I haven't left since." READ MORE >>

 

Colin Frost '88,'90G

Colin Frost '88, '90G
Major: mechanical engineering
Job title: Senior Research Engineer, Space Science Center, UNH
Hometown: Dover, N.H.

READ MORE >>

 

 

Daniel Therrien '88

Daniel J. Therrien '88
Major: mechanical engineering
Job title: Project manager, Office of Construction and Facilities Management, Veterans Affairs
Hometown: Kenosha, Wis.

"I still remember the 'eureka' moment on this project like it was yesterday. We didn't have a milling machine at our disposal, but we needed some way to figure out if the load cell could measure force being applied to it. So after finally building the thing and wiring it up to the oscilloscope, late one evening in the lab, exhausted and frustrated, I jumped up on the table, stood on the load cell, and shook my whole body back and forth. Lo and behold, a sign wave showed up on the screen! I screamed at the top of my lungs for Woody to load paper into the machine and start recording the output. It worked! It actually worked!" READ MORE >>

 

Scott Wudyka '88

Scott Wudyka '88
Major: mechanical engineering
Job title: Systems R&D Manager, Covidien
Hometown: Marlborough, Mass.

"Being on the cover initially didn't have a big impact—I was busy with a new job, moving and beginning a new life. But every time I saw the cover, which to this day is still on my mom's refrigerator, it brings back the memories and how proud I am of my time at UNH." READ MORE >>

 

Dean T. La Pierre '88

Dean T. La Pierre '88
Major: chemical engineering
Job title: Chief Underwriting Officer, Technical Risk Underwriters
Hometown: Andover, Mass.

"Like anything in life, you're never quite sure how what you do at any one time might direct your future. Because of my research, the insurance industry recognized me as someone who might know a little bit about how things burn. That knowledge took me in the direction of fire protection and has led me to a wonderful career in the financial industry. There's no way I could have ever predicted that at the time, but I can look back now and say my life would have been very different had I not chosen to work on this particular project during my upperclass years at UNH." READ MORE >>

 

Amy Beasley Cronin '89

Amy Beasley Cronin '89
Major: chemical engineering
Job title: Division manager, National Fire Protection Agency
Hometown: Plympton, Mass.

"My UROP project was my first opportunity to present my research publicly. Although I was horrible in the beginning at public speaking, I kept practicing and I'm now comfortable presenting regularly in front of large—and sometimes hostile—audiences."

READ MORE >>

 

Donna Gererty Eager '89

Donna Gererty Eager '89
Major: medical technology
Job title: School librarian, Heatly School; itinerant librarian, Capital Region BOCES; school librarian, Rotterdam Academy I, a K-5 BOCES school
Hometown: Green Island, N.Y.

"My focus was on finding out the percentage of women that were anemic at college. I remember trying really hard to get volunteers to actually have their finger stuck to determine if they were anemic. I felt strongly about making women aware of the possibility that the reason they were so tired may be because they were anemic. I enjoyed the research project and it definitely gave me more confidence in my ability to successfully work in the medical field. I was fascinated with learning about red blood cells and always loved later as a medical technologist understanding the possible medical implications of the test results of the various patients." READ MORE >>

 

Karen Verny Henny '88

Karen Verny Henny '88
Major: biology
Job title: Kinesiology instructor, paramedic, McGregor Memorial EMS, UNH
Hometown: Barrington, N.H.

"I firmly believe everyone should be given an opportunity to investigate things that interest them—it helps to develop maturity to strive for a goal." READ MORE >>

 

Remarkable faculty mentoring of students is the hallmark of the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research.  See the results first hand, and come to the International Undergraduate Research (IROP and SURF Abroad) Symposium during Homecoming on Friday, October 12 from 2-5 in the MUB theaters. You’ll be amazed at what UNH’s best and brightest can accomplish!

Originally published by:

UNH Magazine