It's been a busy summer...

College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter

Volume 3, Number 8, August 2015

A First for Professor Patrick Cappillino

It was only a year ago that Professor Patrick Cappillino joined the UMass Dartmouth Chemistry department. Since joining the department, he's brought a unique perspective to the department. With a background in inorganic materials and nanomaterials synthesis, Dr. Cappillino plans to work in several areas of energy research and he plans to introduce electrochemistry into the classroom. "You can get a Ph.D. in chemistry and never study electrochemistry in any detail," Cappillino said. "I hope to expose students to this area."

This summer, Cappillino's research got him noticed. In June 2015 , the Electrochemical Society (ECS) notified him that he had won the 2015 Electrochemical Society (ECS) Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship. Along with Professor Yogesh Surendranath of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Professor David Go of University of Notre Dame, Cappillino received $50,000 to continue his research on nonaqueous redox-flow batteries (NRFBs). "This was the first award that I've gotten," he said. "My proposal was geared at an issue that hasn't been addressed yet."

In his proposal, Cappillino argues that NRFBs are durable, cost-effective, and flexible means of storing energy; however, they are limited by poor stability and limited battery lifetimes. So he is investigating how Amavadin, a naturally occurring compound found in mushrooms, can help make NRFBs more stable and flexible. "We are seeing what nature is doing, and we are trying to replicate it," Cappillino said. "It is a powerful approach to solving energy problems."

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Microbiology: Connecting Students All Over the World

For two weeks this summer, Nora Cox and eight other Biology students traveled 2,622 miles away from home for three credits. The students joined Biology Professor Mark Silby and four other universities - the University of Reading, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Universidad Eafit and Universidad de Antioquia - for a cross-cultural two-week field trip to Colombia. "This trip was three years of thinking and planning," said Silby. "We had to have a good plan and assess the risks in order to get the green light."

Once i n Colombia, the faculty and students investigated the soil of field sites in Parque Arví, Santa Fe de Antioquia and Urabá. And using theory alongside field practice, the students looked at the diverse climates and growth rates in the tropics, and they questioned whether the microbes found in the soil influenced growth. Not only did the trip teach the students how to conduct field research, it also taught them about Colombia. "Columbia has a bad reputation, but the trip opened my eyes to such a new and exciting place," said Cox, a senior Biology student. "Medellin, Colombia is so beautiful, and the people are so kind and friendly."

Ultimately, Professor Silby wants to transform this experience into a capstone class for biology students. But to do that, it must first meet university requirements. So for now, Silby can just enjoy the memories of what he witnessed - a cultural connection. "It was great to watch the students go out of their comfort zone and meet students from the UK and Colombia," he said. "It was interesting to watch friendships evolve."

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Augustus Silva's Legacy Continues

In 1968, Joseph E. Driscoll, the first Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute president, presented Augustus Silva with an honorary degree - Doctor of Letters. In his address, Driscoll gave many reasons why SMTI was honoring Silva. "It is because you taught generations of young scholars a love of and respect for literature," Driscoll said. "And because with a thoroughness as free and easy as your discourse, you have equipped the same adventurous and honorable youths to meet life with a quiet mind."

Known by his colleagues in the English department as Gus, the English chairperson lived what he taught - a quiet life. Charles White, the only professor left in the English department to have worked with Gus, witnessed his courteous, old-fashioned ways. "Gus lived a quiet life in New Bedford, reading books and doing charity work," White said. "He even converted books to Braille." As courteous and kind as he was, one thing always bothered Gus. He was embarrassed about the state of the liberal arts at SMTI. Gus wanted to help create a more vibrant environment.

And about 55 years later, Gus is doing just that. When he died in the 1980s, he left all of his money to the English department. With that money, the department needed to make something vibrant happen, create some excitement. They decided on the Augustus Silva Award, which gives $3000 to three English students - a writing student, a literature student, and a graduate student - every semester.

Last spring, Sarah Kramer won the graduate award. At first, she wasn't even going to apply because the deadline was so close to final projects, exams, and graduation. But the award committee's chair, Professor Stanley Harrison, urged her to apply. She did, and a few weeks later she found out that they chose her to receive the scholarship. For Kramer, the award provided her with opportunities outside of her studies, especially when she graduated. "The award helped my studies outside of academia," Kramer said. "It gave me the start-up funds to launch my career as a Freelance Writer, and now I am traveling and enjoy writing like I never have before."

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