By Louis DeLuke
For most of his life Chris Pecilli didn’t floss his teeth.
“I never understood the importance of flossing,” he said. "I thought that brushing my teeth was enough. Now my gums bleed and I have difficult chewing because of it.”
The American Dental Association reports that only 12 percent of people floss on a daily basis. Consequently, 80 percent of Americans live with some form of gum disease.
Why don’t people floss? For senior psychology major Katie O’Malley, time is the biggest issue.
“I usually only floss a few times a week. With rugby and all of my school work, it’s the last thing that I want to do at the end of the day,” said O’ Malley.
But according to Dr. Michael McGovern, a periodontist from Schenectady N.Y., a lack of proper education is the number one reason why people do not floss. “Dentists are not educating their patients on how to floss properly,” said McGovern. “The point needs to be made that if you don’t floss, you will lose your teeth eventually.”
Rick Pastrana, a general dentist who owns a private practice in Delmar N.Y., said that he tries to raise awareness of periodontal disease. “Patients are misinformed. They need to be told when and how to floss. And it is not just dentists: dental hygienists need to stress this as well,” Pastrana said.
Not flossing for a prolonged period of time leads to the mildest form of periodontal disease: gingivitis. In this stage, harmful bacteria invade the gums. The gums then get swollen and begin to bleed. Gingivitis is reversible as long as the individual begins to floss and visit their dentist regularly. The next stage, periodontitis, is irreversible. The gums begin to pull away from the teeth and bone loss occurs. This ultimately leads to tooth loss.
But there are rewards for those who do floss. For one, less money will be spent. A regular check-up can cost up to $200 and the cost could wind up as high as $2000 if treatment is needed.
The most important reward is a healthy lifestyle. Recent data published by Mayo Clinic shows there is a link between periodontal disease and other serious health complications, including coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and stroke. Maintaining good oral hygiene can lessen the chances of acquiring any of these life-threatening conditions.
For Brian Consoles, a sophomore biology major, flossing is a priority. “I floss everyday, sometimes twice a day,” said Consoles. Consoles has never had a cavity.
John Cardillo, 45, also flosses his teeth regularly. “As a teenager, I never used to floss. Then I went to the dentist for a routine check-up and had four cavities. My parents had a fit. From that point on, I flossed everyday. It’s been 40 years and I haven’t had a cavity since.”
With the proper education and commitment, periodontal disease is preventable, experts say. “Don’t make the same mistake that I made throughout my life,” said Pecilli. “Floss. It’s that easy.”
Friday, December 10, 2010
Michael Horne
By Brad Constant
Quantum physicist Michael A. Horne doesn’t need much to conduct his research, just a notebook and his mind.
“Just sitting in my rocking chair watching the Red Sox with my notebook in my hand and during timeouts or slow periods in the baseball game I’ll think about what’s in my notebook. I’ll sometimes put my notebook down and play music and then pick my notebook up again.”
This is a typical way to research for Horne, a physicist who can say he has disputed some of Einstein’s theories about how the world works.
However, Horne is not just a physicist, he also enjoys watching sports and movies, playing the drums in several bands, listening to music, and cooking. At heart though, Horne’s favorite hobby has always been thinking about quantum physics.
Quantum physics is the physics of atoms. It also deals with the fact that energy comes in discrete packets, quanta, which is essential to how electrons, atoms, and molecules behave. Essentially, Horne thinks about the little things that make up the world in which we live.
Despite saying he “certainly contributed” to the field of quantum mechanics, as his many publications and books would suggest, he consistently says his success has much to do with having equally brilliant friends and collaborators, “keeping things simple,” and most importantly, “being in the right place at the right time.”
“I am pretty slow, not quick on my feet, and can’t compute,” he jokingly added.
Horne’s interest in physics began when he was still in high school, not from a physics course but from discovering some paperback books, written in the late 50s by physicists.
“I was captivated,” said Horne, “from the beginning I was interested in the whole of physics, it was so easy and simple and always made contact with real experiments, but it seemed like you could dream up anything you wanted to, I knew right away I wanted to study physics before I even took physics in high school.”
After high school Horne went to the University of Mississippi to study physics and then attended Boston University to get his Ph.D. in physics. Horne recalls “wanting to go to some place where there was a lot of physics activity.”
Boston was the place.
He worked with a professor who was interested in a combination of the history of physics, the philosophy of physics, and quantum mechanics, just like Horne.
Together, they started working on new evidence that the nature of quantum mechanics is incompatible with Einstein’s famous theories.
Horne’s thesis project was to create an experiment to disprove one of Einstein’s theories, a project he called “the thesis project from heaven.”
This is when Horne first mentioned “being in the right place at the right time.”
He was at Boston University looking for a thesis adviser and found a thesis adviser who had just come to BU, who just happened have a great idea that Horne was also interested in.
Within a few years Horne, along with his collaborators, published a paper designing an experiment to check and disprove one of Einstein’s hallowed theories. The experiment designed was later conducted and the results conflicted with Einstein’s theory of the way atoms behave, Horne was disproving Einstein.
Horne said that “[that experience] launched me into a career of being interested in the foundations and nature of quantum mechanics.”
After finishing his thesis project, Horne was hired at Stonehll College, which he said was very fortunate because Stonehill did not have a physics major for the first 40 years he worked here which also meant no big-time politics.
“I didn’t have to publish just to publish and could think about physics topics I was really interested in and take my time,” said Horne “Stonehill was just right for me.”
Being so close to Boston allowed him to still collaborate with his peers and make new contacts.
One of these “fortuitous contacts” came in the mid 70s when Horne attended a conference in Sicily. Horne met physicist, Anton Zeilinger, “now one of the most prominent physicists in all of Europe,” working in a similar field, neutron physics.
For years they worked together making quantum physics breakthroughs at MIT, along with Nobel Prize winner, Clifford Shull.
Later, also at MIT, Horne met Danny Greenberger, another collaborator. Together, Horne, Zeilinger, and Greenberg “had some good ideas” and collaborated on newsworthy quantum physics breakthroughs for many years, changing the way in which humans understand the world.
One of these projects was designing an experiment proving that “things out in the world do not have objective properties… until you look at them,” said Horne. “Reality develops when it’s observed.”
Some of Horne’s pioneering ideas have become major fields in quantum physics that are being worked on by thousands of people.
One of these is quantum cryptography, which Horne describes as encrypting information by using quantum entanglement, a branch of quantum physics that deals with the theory of an object being able to be in two different states at once.
Also, quantum computers are being developed that can hold and compute much higher magnitudes of information, another area that Horne’s work helped start up. Quantum computing states that a switch can be both on and off, not on or off, as classical computers function.
Horne also attributes a lot of his success to “being there before anyone else,” and “being the first one to think about things.”
“It’s easy to make contributions because no one else is even thinking about the same things,” he said.
When describing the type of thought research he does Horne says he “has one foot in experiments and one foot in theory,” thinking about interesting features, while also thinking about how to check them.
“I’m not an ivory tower theoretical physicist thinking big thoughts, but I’m also not an experimental building apparatus, I’m just a middle man.”
Horne was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and lived there until he went to college. He has been married to Carole Horne since 1965, who he met his sophomore year of college.
Horne plays the drums in Stonehill Jazz Band, along with other professors, as well as with other friends, several times a week, including last Sunday at a restaurant in Dorchester. He also practices playing drums by himself in his spare time, a hobby he has kept up since he was 10 years old.
Besides watching the Red Sox and Patriots, Horne enjoys watching Law and Order, mystery shows on public television, and “movies from all generations.”
Cooking is also one of Horne’s favorite activities and his best dish is a “meatless spaghetti called Spaghetti Marco Polo, which I got from Julia Child.”
With Horne, it always comes back to physics in the end “Just thinking about physics is my favorite hobby.”
Afraid of the Dentist?
By John Vasko
For many people, going to the dentist is a dreadful task
“No matter what I went to the dentist for, whether it was for a regular cleaning or because I needed a filling, I always ended up bleeding or in pain,” Marissa Brodbeck, a senior at Stonehill College, said. Brodbeck is one of a number of Americans who avoids the dentist.
According to Phobia-Help.com, more then 50 percent of Americans suffer from dental phobia and 9 to 15 percent avoid getting dental treatment because their fear is so severe.
Jim Deluke, a dentist in the greater New York area said, the number one reason people fear the dentist is because of a bad childhood experience in the dental chair.
Older brothers and sisters, who love to terrorize their younger siblings, can perpetuate this problem he said. Deluke said some children come in to the office after hearing stories from siblings that the dentist is going to give them a needle or drill their tooth.
In other cases, however, having an older brother or sister can be an asset.
Deluke often has the older sibling come in first. “It makes the older brother feel important and eliminates fear in the younger child who likes to model his older sibling,” he said.
Many dentists are also using more local anesthesia to reduce slight pain during routine procedures.
“The techniques for administering novocaine are so much better than they were years ago. If injections are given slowly and with topical anesthetic first, they can be given almost painlessly,” Deluke said.
For others it’s not the slight pain that scares them, it’s the sound of the drill.
“The sound terrifies me, and to this day it always reminds me of the sound of nails scratching against a chalkboard,” said Senior Stonehill student Kyle Brown of Yarmouth, Mass.
To curb this problem, some dentists are giving their patients headphones to wear to drown out the sounds of the drill.
These new practices are being done to send more people to the dentist and save their teeth.
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, getting an early start in daily dental hygiene is critical. Good oral hygiene can prevent tooth decay and other dental problems as they age. Pediatric dentists also teach children what foods contain lots of sugar and why it is harmful to their teeth, so eliminating the fears of the dentist at an early age are key.
Nick Mavroides of Yarmouth, Mass. says he isn’t afraid of the dentist. “It’s uncomfortable sometimes but when I leave the chair I feel more confident in my smile and that makes me more confident in myself.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, they are just taking care of your teeth,” said Kevin Smith from Rocky Point, N.Y. Smith has had the same dentist for his entire life and explains that because of this they have developed a level of trust.
James Dimino from Rocky Point, N.Y. said he is trying to conquer his fear of going to the dentist.
“Every time I go to the dentist I make sure I have my iPod and a magazine which help me draw focus away from what the doctor is doing.”What Motivates Women to Exercise?
Published Dec. 11, 2010
AOL Patch
By Erin Kelly
Nancy Street works out at Curves, an all women’s gym, three to four times a week.
“If I don’t go, things slow down,” she said.
Street, who never gives her age to anyone, is one of several women that can be found at Curves in Easton each day and is part of the growing number of women hitting gyms locally and nationally.
But it wasn’t always that way for women.
Patricia Leavy, a Sociology professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. said the reason why women never used to work out had to do with society’s view of femininity.
“I think American culture has closely associated femininity with being small, pretty, delicate and above all, not masculine. Therefore, anything that has been socially coded as masculine, such as working out, is viewed as socially unacceptable for women,” she said.
Women thought that working out made them unattractive, said Leavy.
While this view has changed, some women feel uncomfortable going to the gym and even working out. Leavy, the 2010 New England Sociologist of the Year, said it’s because there is a lack of comfort.
“Women are often judged based on their bodies, and are made to feel insecure about their bodies through media culture. As a result, many women feel uncomfortable in venues when their bodies might be judged.”
Street said when she was growing up few women worked out. That seems to be changing, as more and more women are trying to stay fit.
Studies show that even moderate weight training can increase a woman’s strength by 30 to 50 percent. Curves has found a way to get women motivated to work out.
Street, of Easton, a professor at Bridgewater State University for 35 years, would much rather be at Curves than any other gym.
“Other places are not as comfortable,” she said. “Here, a person can be as alone or as lively as they want to be,” she said.
Street admits that she goes to Curves not to lose weight. “I’m not one pound heavier or lighter than I was in 1992,” she said, “but Curves makes me stronger and gives me more energy.”
There seems to be many reasons, other than weight loss, as to why women are choosing to go to Curves.
“Here women can take advantage of a complete fitness program that adds a personal touch,” said Bonnie Arruda, owner of Curves in Easton.
Arruda has been the owner for four years, and credits the regimented circuit-training as a main reason for success.
“These women know the importance of exercise,” she said.
The structured, 30 minute total body circuit is equivalent to an hour and a half workout.
With music and 30 second intervals, women are constantly moving and strengthening different muscles, Arruda said. “It’s the perfect amount of time,” she adds.
The women’s only gym also creates a comfortable and intimate atmosphere, something most co-ed gyms cannot do. That’s the reason why Judy Marsh of Taunton goes.
Marsh used to work out at Curves in Raynham, until it closed down.
“When it was gone, you never saw a sadder group of women,” she said.
Marsh’s friend group consisted of all different people with various occupations, but because of Curves, they became “great friends” she said. “Curves was the one thing we all had in common.”
Marsh feels the same way in Easton. “There’s a great support system, and it not only helps me physically, but mentally too,” she said. In order to exercise, people have to be motivated, said Marsh.
“I really am,” she said.
Intimate and comfortable perfectly describe Curves in Easton.
It is very small compared to other facilities, with several types of equipment all in a circle. On certain days of the week, there is a “boot camp” which lasts an hour, and also something called “The Curvettes,” which incorporates dance with exercising. And the best part is that everybody knows everyone.
“I really like the exercises, music, and friendships,” said Judy Gorman, of Brockton.
Gorman goes to Curves three times a week, and said that she has seen more women going to gyms.
“I used to do aerobics 20 years ago, but now there’s so much more,” she said. “All women’s gyms make working out more comfortable, and great friendships do form," said Gorman.
Dana Klana of Easton also said the size of the facility is a factor. “Walking into a big gym is like walking into a bar,” she said, “I did my thing and left…the smaller the better.”
Klana, 63, was first a member of Curves, but then became the boot camp instructor six years ago. “I only wanted to go to all women gyms,” she said.
“I love to help people,” she said.
The strength training really benefits the whole body, and Klana is finding ways to keep women motivated.
“I don’t feel uncomfortable here at all,” said Klana. “I love it.”
AOL Patch
By Erin Kelly
Nancy Street works out at Curves, an all women’s gym, three to four times a week.
“If I don’t go, things slow down,” she said.
Street, who never gives her age to anyone, is one of several women that can be found at Curves in Easton each day and is part of the growing number of women hitting gyms locally and nationally.
But it wasn’t always that way for women.
Patricia Leavy, a Sociology professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. said the reason why women never used to work out had to do with society’s view of femininity.
“I think American culture has closely associated femininity with being small, pretty, delicate and above all, not masculine. Therefore, anything that has been socially coded as masculine, such as working out, is viewed as socially unacceptable for women,” she said.
Women thought that working out made them unattractive, said Leavy.
While this view has changed, some women feel uncomfortable going to the gym and even working out. Leavy, the 2010 New England Sociologist of the Year, said it’s because there is a lack of comfort.
“Women are often judged based on their bodies, and are made to feel insecure about their bodies through media culture. As a result, many women feel uncomfortable in venues when their bodies might be judged.”
Street said when she was growing up few women worked out. That seems to be changing, as more and more women are trying to stay fit.
Studies show that even moderate weight training can increase a woman’s strength by 30 to 50 percent. Curves has found a way to get women motivated to work out.
Street, of Easton, a professor at Bridgewater State University for 35 years, would much rather be at Curves than any other gym.
“Other places are not as comfortable,” she said. “Here, a person can be as alone or as lively as they want to be,” she said.
Street admits that she goes to Curves not to lose weight. “I’m not one pound heavier or lighter than I was in 1992,” she said, “but Curves makes me stronger and gives me more energy.”
There seems to be many reasons, other than weight loss, as to why women are choosing to go to Curves.
“Here women can take advantage of a complete fitness program that adds a personal touch,” said Bonnie Arruda, owner of Curves in Easton.
Arruda has been the owner for four years, and credits the regimented circuit-training as a main reason for success.
“These women know the importance of exercise,” she said.
The structured, 30 minute total body circuit is equivalent to an hour and a half workout.
With music and 30 second intervals, women are constantly moving and strengthening different muscles, Arruda said. “It’s the perfect amount of time,” she adds.
The women’s only gym also creates a comfortable and intimate atmosphere, something most co-ed gyms cannot do. That’s the reason why Judy Marsh of Taunton goes.
Marsh used to work out at Curves in Raynham, until it closed down.
“When it was gone, you never saw a sadder group of women,” she said.
Marsh’s friend group consisted of all different people with various occupations, but because of Curves, they became “great friends” she said. “Curves was the one thing we all had in common.”
Marsh feels the same way in Easton. “There’s a great support system, and it not only helps me physically, but mentally too,” she said. In order to exercise, people have to be motivated, said Marsh.
“I really am,” she said.
Intimate and comfortable perfectly describe Curves in Easton.
It is very small compared to other facilities, with several types of equipment all in a circle. On certain days of the week, there is a “boot camp” which lasts an hour, and also something called “The Curvettes,” which incorporates dance with exercising. And the best part is that everybody knows everyone.
“I really like the exercises, music, and friendships,” said Judy Gorman, of Brockton.
Gorman goes to Curves three times a week, and said that she has seen more women going to gyms.
“I used to do aerobics 20 years ago, but now there’s so much more,” she said. “All women’s gyms make working out more comfortable, and great friendships do form," said Gorman.
Dana Klana of Easton also said the size of the facility is a factor. “Walking into a big gym is like walking into a bar,” she said, “I did my thing and left…the smaller the better.”
Klana, 63, was first a member of Curves, but then became the boot camp instructor six years ago. “I only wanted to go to all women gyms,” she said.
“I love to help people,” she said.
The strength training really benefits the whole body, and Klana is finding ways to keep women motivated.
“I don’t feel uncomfortable here at all,” said Klana. “I love it.”
College Students: Extreme Sports
By Sydney Maxey
It was the pin-pricking, tingly feeling in the tips of her fingers. The steadied thumps; a rhythmic one…two…three of her heartbeats. And my goodness, it was the view: she could see the very universe below her feet.
She breathed in the cool pure air, and then, she jumped.
Erin Johnson, 21, a college student at Stonehill College, is among many of the young adults who are participating in extreme sports. This past March, while studying abroad in Florence, Italy, Johnson, a native of Centerville, Mass., along with a few of her classmates decided to go skydiving.
In her blue jump suit, at a base jumping company nestled in the Swiss Alps, Johnson and her friends waited for the fog to clear from the sky, boarded a helicopter and were strapped to their trained tandem jumping partners.
“It was like we didn’t even have time to change our mind before we were up in the air,” Johnson said.
“At first my eyes were watering so much I couldn’t see. But them after a second, it was like I could see everything. Like below me was a little map, and I was in the mountains. For the first second after jumping out, it felt like I was falling. But then the falling sensation stopped, and it was more like I was just suspended in the air.”
There is a muted ecstasy still in Johnson’s eyes as she relives her experience, one she says she wished she would have written down somewhere, “in a diary or something,” so she could put into words just how she felt that day.
An extreme sport is any activity perceived as having a high level of inherent danger. This can range from mountain climbing, cliff jumping, snowboarding, skydiving, parasailing, bungee jumping, water rafting to many more activities. Participation in these sports is rising as men and women are more willing to venture outside the realms of comfort for an adrenaline rush. Moreover, the participation of young adults in extreme sports is rising.
A representative of Salado Skydiving Company, in Salado, Texas had this to say about the rise of popularity in skydiving, “The most common response we get from first time jumpers is ‘I love it, let’s go again!’”
The Salado Skydiving Company jumping site has quite a few regular “jumpers,” but clients ranging from 20-30 years old are very common, according to Salado’s representative. “Once though,” she laughed, “we had a 90 year old man come here and tandem jump.”
This question is whether young are adults participating in extreme sport for an adrenaline rush or is there more than meets the eye in their involvement in the risk-prone sports.
College senior Laura Noonan, an avid snowboarder, once went parasailing on a family vacation. She describes the two extreme sports as completely different from one another.
“The thing about snowboarding is it’s a challenge. I’m always pushing myself. It’s like one of those things that’s impossible to master the first time. There’s adrenaline but it’s more about the physical difficulty for me,” Noonan, of Hampstead, New Hampshire said.
“There’s nothing better than after a long day of boarding to lay back with your body throbbing, and look at all of your bruises,” said Noonan.
Participation in snowboarding has increased by 263 percent since 1990, according to the website http://www.natives.co.uk/.
“Whereas parasailing,” Noonan said, “was calming, it was beautiful and serene. In a heartbeat I’d do it again.”
Innovations in technology and advancements in safety devices are both leading factors in the influx of participation in extreme sports. Most notably though, researchers are suggesting the growing trend of extreme sports in the media is leading to everyday people looking for a thrill in extreme sports.
Today, a number of college students are trying a high extreme sport at least once.
Lauren Brode, a college freshman at Saint Edwards in Austin Texas, is a white water rafter. The Houston native reminisces about family vacations to Colorado, where the foundation for her rafting hobby began. She says the danger in rafting makes the sport more fun.
“The water is ice cold. There’s such an adrenaline rush, its loud, rocks are everywhere and there’s so much shouting, communication. There’s nothing like it in the world.”
It was the pin-pricking, tingly feeling in the tips of her fingers. The steadied thumps; a rhythmic one…two…three of her heartbeats. And my goodness, it was the view: she could see the very universe below her feet.
She breathed in the cool pure air, and then, she jumped.
Erin Johnson, 21, a college student at Stonehill College, is among many of the young adults who are participating in extreme sports. This past March, while studying abroad in Florence, Italy, Johnson, a native of Centerville, Mass., along with a few of her classmates decided to go skydiving.
In her blue jump suit, at a base jumping company nestled in the Swiss Alps, Johnson and her friends waited for the fog to clear from the sky, boarded a helicopter and were strapped to their trained tandem jumping partners.
“It was like we didn’t even have time to change our mind before we were up in the air,” Johnson said.
“At first my eyes were watering so much I couldn’t see. But them after a second, it was like I could see everything. Like below me was a little map, and I was in the mountains. For the first second after jumping out, it felt like I was falling. But then the falling sensation stopped, and it was more like I was just suspended in the air.”
There is a muted ecstasy still in Johnson’s eyes as she relives her experience, one she says she wished she would have written down somewhere, “in a diary or something,” so she could put into words just how she felt that day.
An extreme sport is any activity perceived as having a high level of inherent danger. This can range from mountain climbing, cliff jumping, snowboarding, skydiving, parasailing, bungee jumping, water rafting to many more activities. Participation in these sports is rising as men and women are more willing to venture outside the realms of comfort for an adrenaline rush. Moreover, the participation of young adults in extreme sports is rising.
A representative of Salado Skydiving Company, in Salado, Texas had this to say about the rise of popularity in skydiving, “The most common response we get from first time jumpers is ‘I love it, let’s go again!’”
The Salado Skydiving Company jumping site has quite a few regular “jumpers,” but clients ranging from 20-30 years old are very common, according to Salado’s representative. “Once though,” she laughed, “we had a 90 year old man come here and tandem jump.”
This question is whether young are adults participating in extreme sport for an adrenaline rush or is there more than meets the eye in their involvement in the risk-prone sports.
College senior Laura Noonan, an avid snowboarder, once went parasailing on a family vacation. She describes the two extreme sports as completely different from one another.
“The thing about snowboarding is it’s a challenge. I’m always pushing myself. It’s like one of those things that’s impossible to master the first time. There’s adrenaline but it’s more about the physical difficulty for me,” Noonan, of Hampstead, New Hampshire said.
“There’s nothing better than after a long day of boarding to lay back with your body throbbing, and look at all of your bruises,” said Noonan.
Participation in snowboarding has increased by 263 percent since 1990, according to the website http://www.natives.co.uk/.
“Whereas parasailing,” Noonan said, “was calming, it was beautiful and serene. In a heartbeat I’d do it again.”
Innovations in technology and advancements in safety devices are both leading factors in the influx of participation in extreme sports. Most notably though, researchers are suggesting the growing trend of extreme sports in the media is leading to everyday people looking for a thrill in extreme sports.
Today, a number of college students are trying a high extreme sport at least once.
Lauren Brode, a college freshman at Saint Edwards in Austin Texas, is a white water rafter. The Houston native reminisces about family vacations to Colorado, where the foundation for her rafting hobby began. She says the danger in rafting makes the sport more fun.
“The water is ice cold. There’s such an adrenaline rush, its loud, rocks are everywhere and there’s so much shouting, communication. There’s nothing like it in the world.”
Students Pursue Post-Grad Service
By Erin Horan
They have big hearts, big ideals, big ambitions- but not necessarily big bank accounts.
That’s what recent college graduates and some soon to be grads are finding as they turn to service programs as an alternative to entering the workforce.
Programs such as Teach for America and the Peace Corps are seeing more applicants than ever before. In response to a 40 percent increase in applications from 2008-2009, Teach for America expanded their corps by 10 percent. The Peace Corps also accepted a record-high number of applicants last year. Currently, 8,655 Peace Corps Volunteers are serving in 139 countries around the world.
Samantha Hunt, 20, of Cumberland, R.I. and a senior at the University of Chicago said post-grad service programs attract her because she needs more time to figure out what she wants to do career-wise.
“It’s not a huge time commitment, and you can make money in some programs,” said Hunt, who recently applied to Teach for America and is also considering the Peace Corps.
Colleges around the country are now expanding career services department to include advising on post-grad service programs.
Kris Silva, the post-grad service specialist at Stonehill and head of the college’s new International Extension programs, said her predecessor, Nuala Boyle, saw an increase in service applications last year.
“I would theorize that service is now an option for people who wouldn’t have considered it otherwise,” said Silva.
Still, the decision to serve is “really personal,” said Silva. “Some people know they want to go somewhere outside the U.S., and some people just want to serve.”
Silva said that as of Nov. 4, 63 Stonehill seniors expressed interest in post-grad service- that’s roughly one out of every ten students.
Silva’s advice to students interested in post-grad service is to start volunteering locally and participate in Stonehill sponsored service programs, such as H.O.P.E. alternative spring break trips. H.O.P.E. offers the opportunity to travel to one of eight service sites both in and outside the U.S. and spend spring break volunteering for a community in need.
Silva said prospective volunteers should be open to learning from the people they meet.
“Be open to experiencing new things, and be passionate.”
Silva is hosting information sessions for specific Extension programs for interested seniors. The Stonehill Extension programs are open to graduates as old as 25 who wish to serve abroad, experience another culture while living and working with other alumni volunteers. Since its inception just three years ago, the Stonehill Extension Program has established three sites: India, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras. So far, students who have completed the program have made lasting impacts on the communities they served, said Silva.
She said three Stonehill graduates left their mark in the Dominican Republic, where they served at a day care/ elementary school.
Kerri Young, ‘09, noticed that toddlers were confined to cribs almost all day long. She cleared space in their room for play areas where they could stretch and move around.
Jose Ramirez, ‘09, noticed an interest in basketball among the boys at the elementary school and organized a tournament.
Chris Ryan, ‘09, was an Education major at Stonehill with a focus in Early Childhood. Ryan single-handedly created a curriculum for the center’s three, four, and five year olds.
Kathleen Stephan, 22, of Albany New York is a 2010 graduate of Stonehill College currently working for the Border Servant Corps in Texas. As an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer, Stephan said she helps immigrant women who were victims of domestic violence apply for residency.
One of her main assignments is to translate the victims’ first-hand accounts of their experiences.
“I want to convey how sorry I am, but it’s hard, because I have to speak Spanish,” said Kathleen Stephan. “I have to use the passive voice and gentle vocabulary…they’re all alone, and afraid of their status.”
Stephan said she chose the Border Corps program because she enjoys working with immigrant populations, wanted to live in a new place for awhile, and wanted to improve her Spanish.
Stonehill senior Laura Sidla, 21, of Burriville, R.I. said she doesn’t see joining a service program as postponing joining the work force.
Sidla said she wants to work in the field of non-profits and international development and believes getting involved in service programs now will strengthen her resume.
“If I could do service as a career, I would, but you don’t get paid for it,” she said.
The program that interests her most is Stonehill’s Extension India program.
“It’s far away and it’s for a long time, but I love Indian culture.”
Sidla said job satisfaction is much more important than a big paycheck.
“Work should be 100 percent personal. What’s the point of living if you can’t live your life?”
Still, money is a big concern for many graduates.
Many service programs offer loan deferment, living stipends, and/ or education grants to entice people during these tough economic times.
Kathleen Stephan is accruing $5,300 towards her student loans and looking into AmeriCorps programs in Boston for next year. Eventually, she said she plans to get her Master’s in Conflict Resolution.
Whether the economy has influenced the post-grad plans of today’s seniors or not, there is no doubt volunteering is good for the world at large, and individuals only stand to gain from the experience as well.
“I don’t know if I can afford to work in non-profits,” said Stephan, “but for now, it’s great to be doing something I love.”
Biologists Discovered Method to Clean Up Toxin
By John Vasko
Begley and her staff test water samples that have been filtered with the bacteria to ensure that the bacteria are really performing their jobs. Her staff are also responsible for identifying and characterizing these bacteria. As of now these bacteria are the only known bacteria that degrade VC. “The reason why this is really important is, everyone wants to drink his or her tap water,” Bagley said.
Dr. Gail Begley of North Eastern University visited Stonehill College last week to talk with students and faculty about her new research in bacteria. Why is this important? Dr. Begley and her staff are trying to use special bacteria that are grown in a lab to clean the environment of a certain contaminate called Vinyl Chloride, VC.
For those who don’t know about vinyl chloride, it is a very harmful toxin and carcinogen that is found in approximately 40% of our hazardous wastes. It is used in the plastic industry to make pipes and other products. It is also present in a different form in dry cleaning products. Sometimes it can be released at certain industrial sites and travel into our drinking water supplies making our water harmful for us to drink. What makes it even worse is that once in water, the compound becomes very motile and can spread fast.
Scientists and biological engineers have discovered that certain bacteria actually feed on VC and completely breakdown the compound. This is a major discovery because these bacteria grow naturally and do not have any harmful effects on the environment. This method is thereby a “green” solution to the VC problem. Engineers have developed a filter system with these special bacteria that is inserted into the ground at sites of contaminated water. Contaminated water passes through the filter and the bacteria breakdown VC.
Begley and her staff test water samples that have been filtered with the bacteria to ensure that the bacteria are really performing their jobs. Her staff are also responsible for identifying and characterizing these bacteria. As of now these bacteria are the only known bacteria that degrade VC. “The reason why this is really important is, everyone wants to drink his or her tap water,” Bagley said.
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