Three 2022 biology graduates have had the research they completed at Dominican University New York published in Microbiology Resource Announcements, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.  Bernadette Connors, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, said students Madison Newman, Darlenys Sanchez and Anna Acosta studied the impacts of pollution in our local waterways and the persistence of potentially harmful bacteria in the water.  The students worked in summer 2021 and throughout the 2021-2022 academic year on the research.  The work was supported by a National Science Foundation grant to Connors (award #1950018).

Connors said students who work on research projects at Dominican University have a unique opportunity to understand science from the perspective of research scientists.  It is particularly impressive that the students had two articles published.  “Publishing in a peer-reviewed journal means that other scientists in the field have recognized the quality and value of this work,” she said. “These publications not only promote science but are necessary to advance students in the STEM field, be it the workforce or graduate school.”

Two of the students, Newman and Acosta,  will start their Ph.D. in fall 2023.  Newman presented the work at the Beta Beta Beta NE1 regional convention at Elmira College in 2022, earning second place in the poster category.  She also presented the work at a joint lab meeting at UMass Amherst with the Ma Lab.  The papers published were titled “Taxonomic Profiling of Microbes in Glyphosate-Treated Sediment Microcosms” and “Amplicons, Metagenomes, and Metatranscriptomes from Sediment and Water.” 

The 2022 Spirit of the Founders Award was presented to students Gee Salim and Elena Vilanova during a ceremony in the Lawrence Room on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.  The event was one of the highlights of the weeklong celebration of Founders Week. 

The Spirit of the Founders Award recognizes the contributions of student leaders who hold the promise of carrying the Dominican spirit into the future.  Salim said he was honored to receive the award and admitted that it can be difficult to juggle school and activities when you are an involved student. “It’s good to see that what we do matters.  We want to do what is best for Dominican University,” he said. Salim is from Brazil and has served as President of the International Students Association for two years.  He is also a member of the men’s tennis team, a Resident Assistant, and the Senior Class Representative for the Student Government Association.

Vilanova said being involved in student activities has been an incredible experience.  “I’m so proud to be able to be involved on campus and have the opportunity to take on such great leadership roles,” she said.  “I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Vilanova has served as President of the Student Government Association for two years and President of Alpha Lamba Delta, the Freshman Honor Society.  She also was a Peer Mentor. 

Both honorees thanked President Sr. Mary Eileen, O.P, Ph.D., and Chancellor Sr. Kathleen Sullivan, O.P., for all they do for the university.   

Emily Griffin ’21 was awarded a scholarship from the NYS Association for the Education and Visually Impaired (NYSAER).

A Dominican College student finishing up her master’s degree in the Teachers for the Blind and credits her sister who has multiple disabilities – including a visual impairment – with being one of the reasons she chose this profession.

“While we were growing up, she was home-schooled, so we always had different therapists and teachers – including teachers of the visually impaired – coming in and I loved how happy she was, how she loved school, and how her teachers knew her so well. That definitely made me want to do the same for someone one day.”

In addition, Emily was inspired by her mom,  who is a teacher of the visually impaired and very passionate about her job. Emily is employed as an itinerant teacher for Eastern Suffolk BOCES, working with students who are visually impaired in a number of different schools.

Kennee Torres is one of the students who benefited from the TD Bank grant by receiving a new laptop to use for schoolwork.

The TD Bank Charitable Foundation has awarded Dominican College a $5,000 grant to support its Student Success Program.  Students in the program who need laptops to do schoolwork are able to access them through this grant.

Kennee Torres, a junior communication studies student, is among the students who received a new laptop.  He is using it to do schoolwork and log into his classes remotely.  “It benefits me in a lot of ways,” he said.  “It’s much easier than having to use my cell phone.”

The Student Success Program provides regular enrichment labs and a “ReCharge” class that educates students on effective study habits, notetaking, time management, and personal finance.  The additional structure and support put students on a path to improved academic performance.

Regeneron scientists gave students career advice on Zoom as part of the Regeneron Day for Doing Good.

Scientists who work at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. shared their educational background and career paths with Dominican College biology students during a Zoom panel discussion on Monday, October 26, 2020.

The advice from Lyndon Mitnaul, Ph.D., Senior Director, Research Program Management at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., was to be exposed to a lot of different careers so the students could find where they would “fit” best.   Mitnaul told the students he had a “take-home lesson” for them.  “Make your future where you can make a difference.  I think that’s really the take-home,” he said.  “There’s a lot of opportunity where you can play a role if you are interested in drug discovery and development.  You just need to find out where you can make that difference.”

The panel discussions with students are part of Regeneron’s Day for Doing Good project where Regeneron employees volunteer in the local community.  Volunteer New York! and the Dominican College Career Development Center coordinated the event.

Bruno Garcia ’21 is one of 20 students nationwide to be awarded the HACU Miller Lite National Scholarship.

Senior Bruno Garcia has been awarded the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Miller Lite National Scholarship.  Garcia is one of just 20 students nationwide to receive the award.

“The world has been significantly changing.  The unpredictable times challenge us to believe in a brighter future.  After four months of uncertainty, faith, and high expectations, I am thrilled to receive the National Miller Lite Scholarship,” Garcia said. “I would like thank HACU and MillerCoors Company for supporting Latin-American communities across more than 500 colleges and universities.”

HACU champions Hispanic success in higher education.  Garcia is an honors business major and a soccer player.  He has earned a 3.92 GPA, is Senior Class President, and the Founder and President of Dominican College’s International Students Association.

Student Shailei Kraft started selling eco-friendly T-shirts like the one she is wearing in this photo as an assignment for her Climate Science and Action class.

Student Shailei Kraft said choosing to take a class called Climate Science and Action as an elective this past spring was one of the best decisions she ever made.  It opened her eyes to global warming and made her want to spread awareness.  When Shailei was assigned a class project to encourage others to pay attention to their carbon footprint, she launched an online business called ecoly-cute.

“I started creating these eco-friendly products in hopes that people would buy them because they are eco-ly cute, but also because they will act as posters hung up all around the world,” said Shailei. “The only way to stop climate change is having everyone on the same page.”

The women’s T-shirts, which are made of 65% recycled polyester and 35% cotton, have sayings such as “Save our  Earth” and “There is no Planet B.”  In addition, Shailei tries not to generate any waste in making the shirts, reusing her scraps of fabric.  The T-shirts are modeled by Shailei on her website www.ecolycute.com

The Climate Science and Action class that inspired Shailei was taught by Professor Kathleen Hinge.  Student Maddie Walker also worked on the class project.

Recent nursing graduate Claudia Charles at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, showing handwritten thank you notes from residents to healthcare workers.

Recent nursing graduate Claudia Charles is among the Dominican College nursing students who have helped to care for patients with COVID-19.  Claudia has worked for several years as a Patient Care Associate at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in Nyack, NY.  She credits her professors with preparing her to handle any situation.

“I find myself not panicking.  I am there and I’m doing what I was taught to do,” said Claudia.  “And I was like, ‘Wow, my education paid off.’”   Because family members were unable to visit the hospital at the height of the outbreak, Claudia would hold the patients’ hands and listen to them.  “I express to them that I can’t replace your family member, but I can be a comfort if you need to talk to me about anything,” she said.

Claudia was impressed with the teamwork she saw as hospital workers were redeployed from other areas to help care for COVID-19 patients.  She was also touched by the outpouring of support from the community – local residents hosting dinner for the healthcare workers, writing thank you notes, and cheering for the healthcare workers.

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Recent nursing graduate Claudia Charles at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, showing handwritten thank you notes from residents to healthcare workers.

Recent nursing graduate Claudia Charles is among the Dominican College nursing students who have helped to care for patients with COVID-19.  Claudia has worked for several years as a Patient Care Associate at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in Nyack, NY.  She credits her professors with preparing her to handle any situation.

“I find myself not panicking.  I am there and I’m doing what I was taught to do,” said Claudia.  “And I was like, ‘Wow, my education paid off.’”   Because family members were unable to visit the hospital at the height of the outbreak, Claudia would hold the patients’ hands and listen to them.  “I express to them that I can’t replace your family member, but I can be a comfort if you need to talk to me about anything,” she said.

Claudia was impressed with the teamwork she saw as hospital workers were redeployed from other areas to help care for COVID-19 patients.  She was also touched by the outpouring of support from the community – local residents hosting dinner for the healthcare workers, writing thank you notes, and cheering for the healthcare workers.

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Joshua Guzman, a senior nursing student, is working as a Patient Care Assistant at the Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, NJ.

Senior nursing student Joshua Guzman is one of the many Dominican College students who are on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.  Joshua is a Patient Care Assistant at the Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, NJ, where he has worked since November 2018.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Joshua has taken on extra shifts and rotated between two COVID-19 floors, the Intensive Care Unit, the Critical Care Unit, and the Emergency Room.  He pointed out that nurses who have been on the job for 20 or 30 years have never seen anything like this pandemic, and he is experiencing it with them. “I definitely feel very blessed that I am able to help out,” he said. “Besides the fact that it’s obviously an experience that’s unfortunate, it’s definitely one that is going to be useful in my career.”

In addition to helping the nurses provide patient care, Joshua has also been assisting families in communicating with COVID-19 patients though face-time.  He said the use of technology is comforting to family members who are unable to visit patients, but who long to see and communicate with their loved ones.