The lighthouse at UConn's Avery Point campus, part of
the maritime history of the University's campus by
the sea, has been listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. Accordingly, the 55-foot-tall beacon
now qualifies for federal funding for restoration and
preservation. The 60-year-old sandstone structure is
one of only 23 lighthouses remaining in Connecticut.
This distinctive landmark is perched majestically on
the edge of Long Island Sound. Internationally recognized for achievement
UConn researchers received two of the three top awards at the International Society of Plastic Engineers annual conference. Montgomery T. Shaw, a distinguished professor of chemical engineering, received the society's top award, the International Award. Robert Weiss, a professor of chemical engineering, received the society's International Research Award. Both awards recognized fundamental contributions and outstanding achievements in the field of plastics.
Scholarships provide fast track to teaching excellence
The Northeast Utilities Foundation has given UConn's nationally acclaimed Neag School of Education a $330,000 gift to launch a program based at UConn's campus in downtown Stamford. The full-time, yearlong Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates will recruit people who already have bachelor's degrees, providing them with an opportunity to earn a master's degree in education. Thirty scholarships will be awarded over three years to people who aspire to become secondary school teachers in the region's critical need areas, including foreign languages, math and science. An emphasis will be on recruiting underrepresented populations into the teaching profession.
UConn's Emeka Okafor won accolades as an academic and
athletic champion when the Husky standout was named
to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America Men's
Basketball First Team. He was also named the Big East
Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Enrolled in UConn's Honors Program, Okafor has
consistently been on the Dean's List as he completes
within three years UConn's rigorous four-year School
of Business finance major. In addition, he frequently
speaks to school groups about the importance of hard
work and commitment.Puppet arts progressing
Forty years after its founding, the puppet arts program at UConn continues to break new ground. This year Muppet co-founder Jane Hensen made a substantial donation to the program, and the state legislature designated UConn's Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry as Connecticut's Puppet Museum. UConn's puppetry program is recognized nationally. It is the only program to offer an advanced degree in the field of puppetry and one of two universities in the nation offering undergraduate degrees in the field. UConn's program rigorously prepares its creative students, making them highly sought after in numerous areas of the performance arts and elsewhere.
Experts on Indian law
UConn's School of Law is establishing itself as a national authority on Indian law. This year a New York Times feature reported on the Law School's growing Indian law program. Dean Nell Jessup Newton and several School of Law colleagues are routinely sought out for expert opinion on legal issues related to Indian affairs. UConn law professor Richard Pomp is publishing the first-ever textbook on taxation of American Indians. Assisted by newly retained research professor of Indian law Bethany Berger, Dean Newton is overseeing the revision of the most widely cited casebook on federal Indian law.