Patrick Walton, a senior mechanical engineering student, said what, at first, seemed like “a funny idea” for a project, quickly “turned into a serious one” for him and three classmates.

Walton was discussing the development of a Kinetic Fountain, a water fountain whose spouts are powered by music, thus connecting arts and science into a successful capstone project displayed at the University of San Diego Engineering Programs’ Spring Open House May 11.

“We’ve been building this version for four to five months, but the testing to get to this point was nine months,” said Walton, who worked with classmates William Lehman, Gabriel Mendiola and Michael Spies. “It’s been a lot of work, but it all came together and we got what we were hoping for.”

The team displayed the fountain in the Loma Hall/Warren Hall patio area for open house visitors to see. The blue rectangular box was designed, according to the team’s description, “to recreate the visual output of an equalizer with multiple fountain outputs. All jets of the fountain receive flow from one large pump that’s controlled by a ball valve connected to a CNC stepper motor. An Arduino board filters the musical input to then send the given outputs to the stepper motor controllers.”

The Kinetic Fountain was one of 13 senior capstone projects presented among the Electrical (EE), Mechanical (ME) and Industrial & Systems (ISYE) Engineering disciplines on Friday. There were also posters on the second and third floors of Loma Hall to showcase Six Sigma-infused products by ME and ISYE students: a durable “bulletproof” school binder; a spacious, daffy desk; tents that provide ample ground-up storage space; and a headphone storage device; as well as freshmen engineering projects.

The four ME capstones, in addition to the Kinetic Fountain, were: an Energy Relay Competition where students created four self-propelled devices utilizing the contest’s theme of alternative energy sources in a relay-race styled competition; a T-shirt folding machine; creation of new tennis ball designs that, through testing of their spin rates and velocity, attempt to slow down the sport of tennis for the sake of crowd entertainment; and continuation of a wind tunnel project that uses lab experiments involving fluid dynamics and heat transfer.

The five Electrical Engineering capstone projects: Biomedical Vision Sensor System (Bio VSS); Curl Environmental Lab; Electri-Cool Magnetic Slot Racing; Emergency Vehicle Alert System (pictured above, left to right, Brandon Kopinski, Scott Gump, Jenni Boles and Leah Fairhead); and a Java Cores, Inc.-sponsored project that had students develop a modern demonstration platform, using components found in current consumer electronics.

The Bio VSS student team, comprised of Anthony McConnell-Collins, Allen Cadreau and Matthew Jauregui, created a mobile device with biometric and environmental sensors. Their idea has three components: the sensors (EKG, core temperature, external temperature and gas sensors); a microprocessor to capture, run and send data; and a mobile device application to send information from multiple units to a central server. The Bio VSS was sponsored by KAB Laboratories, which sought to invest in a system that can provide automatic reports of field position and status in both civilian and military fields.

“There were sensors that examined temperature and heart rate, but we’ve plugged in more sensors,” said McConnell-Collins (pictured, left). The project had physical and functional specifications that aid its effectiveness, including, among the latter, Bluetooth capability, GPS access and real-time updates.

Each ISYE capstone assessed ways to improve existing businesses: Examining drive-thru throughput at quick-service restaurants; improving overall efficiency for L&T Precision, a machining and sheet-metal fabrication company; and improved layout of operations at USD’s E-Waste Collection Center.

A closer examination of the drive-thru layout at quick-service restaurants — where an estimated 60 percent of revenue is derived — was the goal of ISYE students Josh Schroeder (pictured, left), Tariq Abanumay (pictured, right) and Paul Price. Specifically, they sought to optimize the drive-thru layout so that it can be more efficient, especially during peak times.

The students worked with HM Electronics, Inc. and in the end proposed a simulation for individual restaurants to show the interaction between various components. Their data tracked factors such as how long customers waited at a service window for food after paying for it and whether having a menu preview board helped or slowed the process.

“It was a shock to us that there was no time benefit for the preview board,” Schroeder said. “Those that did not had faster times.”

Abanumay and Schroeder said they both enjoyed their capstone project, noting it incorporated many of the educational tools they’ve utilized through their coursework and experiences in USD’s Engineering Programs to put together something of real value.

No joke.

— Ryan T. Blystone

Abroad, it provides emergency relief and promotes human development. At home, it educates U.S. Catholics about the work it does on their behalf and with their support, and invites them to live their faith in global solidarity.

CRS official Scott Campbell was fulfilling the second part of the agency’s mission April 26 when he delivered a presentation at the University of San Diego. Campbell, a graduate student in USD’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management program, shared his firsthand experience of disaster relief efforts in Indonesia and Haiti.

For four years, following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Campbell oversaw the emergency response in Aceh, an Indonesian province located on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra. He spent three and a half years in the region and, even after moving on to serve as the CRS country representative for the Philippines, continued to oversee the relief effort for another six months.

Campbell also spent 10 months in Haiti, where he directed all of CRS’ development programs in that country as well as its response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

For the first part of his presentation, Campbell focused on CRS’s post-tsunami efforts in Aceh. He then shifted focus to the agency’s response to the Haiti earthquake. He also compared and contrasted the two disasters as well as CRS’ approach to each.

The 9.2-magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake occurred on Dec. 26, 2004, lasting for about nine minutes and triggering a tsunami with 50-foot waves, Campbell said. Those waves reached the coast of Aceh within 20 minutes, resulting in “160,000 people killed, a half a million people left homeless and then billions of dollars’ worth of damage.”

On Jan.12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. The epicenter was just southwest of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Campbell said approximately 230,000 people died and two million were internally displaced.

In the face of both crises, CRS had a three-stage response that included: an emergency/immediate phase, a transitional phase and a long-term rehabilitation/rebuilding phase.

In the emergency phase, CRS primarily responded to the victims’ immediate needs for food, water and health care. Among other things, Campbell said, CRS distributed food, personal hygiene kits and other items, including tents, blankets, cookware and utensils.

The subsequent phase saw the construction of transitional housing – some 2,100 temporary shelters in Aceh alone – and potable water facilities. It also included the implementation of a CRS program known as “Cash for Work,” in which local people were encouraged to collect debris from the tsunami- and earthquake-ravaged areas and to exchange it for cash; this program also served as a boon for the local economy.

In addition to housing, Campbell said, CRS participated in many infrastructure projects, including the construction of roads, bridges, schools and a hospital.

Pointing out some similarities between the situations in Indonesia and Haiti, Campbell noted that “both countries had frequent disasters, both small and large,” and both disasters resulted in “overwhelming destruction” and “extreme trauma.”

But the differences between the two crises, he said, can be attributed to the comparative size of the two countries and to the location of the damage.

Indonesia is “a big country with lots of resources,” and the devastation from the tsunami was mostly a regional issue affecting Aceh, Campbell explained. The earthquake had occurred at sea, and the extent of the tsunami damage was mostly limited to Sumatra’s northernmost province.

On the other hand, Haiti is a smaller and poorer country, he said. Because the earthquake’s epicenter was just southwest of the capital city, it “hit the major hub” of the country’s political and economic life.

— Denis C. Grasska, ‘03

This story appears in the May issue of the Southern Cross where Grasska is assistant editor.

Since 2004, nationally known writers have come to campus to read their published literary works on occasional Friday evenings during the academic year. The next day, a Saturday Creative Writing Workshop gives students the chance to engage with the guest speakers, discuss different techniques and to improve their writing.

Halina Duraj and Jericho Brown, two of USD’s esteemed Department of English professors and both whom have been past speakers for the series, help to select the featured authors.

“We try to choose a person who writes high-quality work, whether in prose or poetry,” Duraj said. “We try to choose an excellent writer, keeping in mind that their work will be exposed to students, and which will hopefully broaden their literary world. Third, we want a writer who has an excellent rapport with students; approachability is key. Ultimately, it is for students and we want them to have a positive interaction with the writer we bring to USD.”

The series and the workshop were created when the Lindsay J. Cropper Center for Creative Writing was established. The center is named in memory of Cropper, a USD alumna, English major and aspiring writer, who died tragically in 2000. Her parents, Barrie and Dorothy, wanted the center to serve USD students with a creative writing interest and to promote the development of writing courses and granting of awards for creative writing.

Eight years later, the Cropper series and center and the workshop continue to provide a welcome outlet for student creativity. Tonight at 7, in fact, USD students from the current spring semester’s creative writing courses will be doing a reading of their original work in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Room 102.

Sarah Jorgensen, a junior English major, has attended Cropper series readings since her freshman year. “It’s a very unique experience within the department and it’s a fantastic opportunity for young writers,” she said.

Claudia Rankine, an award-winning poet who appeared at USD in October 2011, helped Jorgensen focus on her poetry writing.

“When poetry is spoken in a live setting, the sound elements of a poem become obvious in the way the poet wants you to hear it,” Jorgensen said. “When listening to poetry readings, I became much more alert of the sounds within my own poems. I never considered how much impact sound could have.”

Natasha Trethewey, a contemporary poet who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007, read in Spring 2009. Senior Eloisa Amezcua said Trethewey’s appearance was a chance to learn from one of the best.

“It was wonderful to hear her read her work and to actually see someone read that I look up to,” said Amezcua (pictured, above, with Jericho Brown and Halina Duraj). “It was such a wonderful experience.”

That inspiration and with her own budding creativity through the workshop experience contributed to Amezcua’s powerful poem, “Psychiatrist’s Daughter,” which was selected as a winner in the 2011-12 Cropper Undergraduate Creative Writing Contest.

“The post-event workshops give me a space to feel comfortable, where I can share my writing with others,” Amezcua said. “It’s a place where other people are willing and want to read my work. It’s a core group of supporters where they support me and vice versa.”

Joe Holland, a junior English major, said he enjoyed a Saturday workshop with Jodi Angel, who spoke at USD this past February.

“She gave us a free write prompt and brought to our attention the importance of the first sentence in a piece of writing,” he recalled. “She taught us that the first sentence should get people to want to read your story.”

Taking Angel’s advice, Holland focused on the first sentence in the following writing sample: “I was four when I decided I wanted to die violently. Before my grandpa’s funeral my preschool teacher told me that if I felt his hand he would be cold and I walked into that church ready to conduct this science experiment. She was right; he was cold. He was also dead, but nobody had killed him.”

Senior Faye Mankowske is a double major in Biology and English. Her love for writing resurfaced when the Creative Writing Concentration for English majors became available and she began attending the Cropper series.

Mankowske said her writing tends to draw from personal experiences. One piece, she said, came from a childhood memory: “When I was seven, the circus came to town. I was fascinated by the painted ladies. One, in particular, flicked a blue tongue at me as I walked down the midway to the Big Top and reached out with a scaly cerulean arm through the bars of her cage.”

Mankowske said the series’ speakers, the wisdom they’ve imparted and the passion they display have immensely inspired her writing.

“Writing allows you the intellectual freedom to pursue any subject that interests you, synthesize your knowledge and respond in a creative form,” she said. “It’s empowering, it allows for a process of learning like nothing else and that’s something I love to do.”

— Alyssa Aninag ’13

In mid-to-late April, three University of San Diego student teams vied in three separate real estate competitions that pitted them against other top teams from colleges and universities globally, nationally and locally.

The team of Alex Leonard, Skye Morland, Dan Buoye, Mike Kelly and Bryan Grissinger (pictured above, left to right), all students in USD’s Master of Science in Real Estate program, entered the third annual Argus Software University Challenge. The team, which had Professor Charles Tu as its faculty advisor, earned a second-place finish, a $4,000 award and recognition as the top team from the United States. York University in Toronto won the title, but USD placed ahead of 27 other teams including schools such as Cornell, University of Chicago, Clemson, University of Colorado, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt and New York University.

The competition required each team to simulate a comprehensive, real-life development analysis of a fictitious commercial real estate project through the use of Argus software. A panel of academic and industry professionals judged the entries.

A second USD team, consisting of undergraduate students Brandon Arner, Eric Hertel, Dietrich Nascimento, Milan Brandon, Adrian Hochstrasser (pictured, left to right) and Cassie Wells (not pictured), competed in the International Case Competition hosted by the University of Southern California. Advised by instructor John Demas, the USD team earned third place in this invitation-only event. It marked the first time a USD team had placed in this competition, which included teams from Wisconsin, USC, University of Texas-Austin, Villanova, University of Auckland, University of Colorado and New York University.

The USC event required the teams to address a real-world real estate problem as posed by leading practitioners in the real estate industry. Cases were judged by 25 of the top real estate leaders in Southern California and beyond.

The third USD real estate student team, also comprised of undergraduate students, competed in a local event, the NAIOP-San Diego University Challenge, with teams from University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University.

The three-person USD team, consisting of junior Jameson Johnson, seniors Kelly Ness and Cowas Jehangir and advised by faculty member Vivek Sah (pictured, left to right), vied in this case competition that was ultimately won by SDSU.

The students were asked to provide their recommendations on the highest and best use of a piece of property owned by Policy Advisory Board Executive Committee member Ash Israni. The property in question, located at 2045 Pacific Highway in Little Italy, is one block from the San Diego harbor. The USD team’s recommendation was to build a boutique hotel there, capitalizing on the location’s viewing opportunities and a demand for hotel space in the San Diego region.

The competitions proved to be a formidable task for all students involved. It gave them a real-world experience, showcased critical thinking skills and expanded their knowledge base.

— Inside USD staff

Learn more about USD’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, graduate and undergraduate degree programs.

The only thing USD pitcher Paul Sewald likely focused on in the above statement is the word Friday.

“Friday’s the most important game because a win gets us off to a good start in the series,” said Sewald, a senior right-hander (8-1, 1.99 ERA) who will start for the Toreros. “Winning a series is our goal. It’s a big spotlight starting Friday and I enjoy the challenge. LMU is a very good team. I know I have to come out with my best stuff and we have to play well.”

The series, which continues with 1 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday and serves as the final games in the current Cunningham Stadium (which will be renovated and reopened as Fowler Park and Cunningham Field in 2013), showcases the WCC’s first-place Toreros and second-place Lions. It’s no surprise that 14th-year Head Coach Rich Hill and his Toreros are in the thick of the WCC title race, but Sewald’s focus for a Friday game indicates a season-long approach for all players on a Hill-coached team.

“Do you remember as a kid when your parents took you to a carnival? There’s the booth that has the milk bottles and the goal is to knock them all down? Your parents give you a dollar, you try to knock them down, but when you don’t, you ask your parents for another dollar and you get to do it again,” Hill said. “Our mindset is that we get a dollar and that’s it. You get only one chance that day. We fill out the starting lineup, ‘our dollar,’ and we focus on that. Every day’s a one-game season. We want to play our best Friday against LMU.”

That mantra will repeat on Saturday and Sunday and in four remaining regular season games at UC Irvine (May 15) and at Pepperdine (May 25-27). It’s worked well for the 18th-ranked Toreros (37-11 overall, 13-5 WCC) so far. The chance to win a fourth WCC title in six seasons and earn USD’s seventh NCAA Tournament bid in the last nine years loom, but Hill does all he can to keep those “attachments to the task” at bay.

Hill earned his 800th career win as a college coach (Cal Lutheran, University of San Francisco and USD combined) earlier this season, but his greatest satisfaction comes from directing a program the right way, with quality assistant coaches, key administrative support and competitive student-athletes who can stay and play in the moment.

“Every year you coach is another year of experience,” he said. “When I stepped into the third-base box at Sam Houston State for the first game this year, you just don’t know what you have until you play. The team’s handled success well and when there’s been adversity, when we’ve had cold water thrown in our face, they’ve responded.”

USD has a solid pitching rotation of Sewald, Calvin Drummond (8-4, 2.90) and Dylan Covey (6-3, 3.27), a dominant closer in sophomore right-hander Michael Wagner, whose nation-leading 19 saves is a USD team record and a WCC single-season record. Getting the ball from the starters to Wagner (pictured, left) has been a bright spot, too. Lefty relievers James Pazos (1.12 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 24 appearances) and Max McNabb and freshman Drew Jacobs, key an effective bullpen.

Wagner, who took on the closer’s role this season, has a 1.96 ERA in 27 appearances and 42 strikeouts. He’s earned a spot on the midseason watch list for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s best college baseball player. Though he’s thriving, Wagner looks at his role as part of something bigger.

“Individually, it hasn’t meant too much,” he said. “I’m just having a lot of fun being part of this team. I’ve never been part of a team that’s this good.”

And then there’s the offense. The Toreros’ prowess was on full display in a three-game road sweep of WCC newcomer BYU last week. USD scored 39 runs, hit .402 (51 for 127) with 14 doubles, a triple, four homers and 36 RBI. The Toreros’ season batting average (.322 through May 6) ranks fifth among all NCAA Division I teams.

Much of the spotlight shines on corner infielder Kris Bryant, the 2011 WCC Co-Player of the Year as a freshman. Bryant hasn’t slowed down as a sophomore. He earned his third WCC baseball player of the week honor this season with an 8-for-15 (.533) performance at the plate with three home runs and seven RBI against BYU.

“The biggest thing I wanted to do this year is cut down on the number of strikeouts,” Bryant said. “(Associate Head Coach Jay) Johnson widened my stance out and I’m seeing the ball really well.”

Bryant’s 13 home runs this season accompany his .372 batting average — second only to senior Corey LeVier’s .382 — a .689 slugging percentage and team-high 52 RBI. Bryant, who was recently named to the USA Baseball National Team roster, is also on the Golden Spikes watch list.

Bryant and Wagner lead a talented group of young Toreros, including juniors Dillon Haupt, A.J. Robinson, sophomore outfielder Louie Lechich and freshman shortstop Andrew Daniel. The latter, in his first season of college baseball, is hitting .348 with 16 doubles and 39 RBI and was recently added to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation’s top shortstop.

“I was excited to come to a program that already had good players in place,” Daniel said. “I’ve come in, practiced hard and listened to the coaches. They’ve helped me develop. It’s a great honor to be recognized, but I know I need to keep improving.”

Daily improvement isn’t limited to the baseball field for a USD baseball player. Hill’s teams participate fully in charity events, work with San Diego’s Miracle League players, host youth baseball skills clinics and for the last few years, pose for a team photo after each home win. The photo is then sent to a USD baseball supporter as a personalized “thank you.” It’s this kind of commitment that produces winning results beyond just games.

“It gives me a sense of calmness,” Bryant said. “I have the luxury of getting to play a game I love, but when we’re out helping kids who are less fortunate or if we’re participating in a charity walk, it’s a really cool thing to do. More people should be a part of that. I’m thankful Coach Hill does this because it makes us better people.”

Every day.

— Ryan T. Blystone

Photos courtesy of scottphoto.net

She also passed along the request to students in her three classes and the result was a shower of needed supplies for Christie’s Place. Following the generosity of her colleagues and students, Reimer-Berry (pictured, left) delivered a load of donations to the nonprofit this week that included more than 1,000 diapers, some 3,000 baby wipes, eight bags of assorted soaps, shampoos and other hygiene products, three huge bags of clothing and more than $100.

Her request to students was timely because representatives from Christie’s Place had just spoken to her Sexual Ethics class that explores moral questions on a variety issues from a Catholic Christian perspective. Kimberly Moore explained the housing, meal, educational and other services the center provides to clients, most of whom are below the poverty level. Martha Zarate talked about how she works with Latinas who are HIV positive to help them get the medical care they need.

Student Kara Waters said she was inspired by the presentation.

“Catholic social teaching tells us that human dignity is a valuable principle that we must honor and respect in our daily lives.”

Reimer-Berry said she impressed by the generosity of her colleagues and students.

“Events like this remind me of what a special place USD is.”

— Liz Harman

The institute will be called the Betty and Bob Beyster Institute for Nursing Research, Advanced Practice, and Simulation, announced Sally Brosz Hardin, PhD, APRN, FAAN, dean of the nursing school. “There is no other institute for nursing research of this kind in the United States. I am so grateful to Mrs. Beyster and the whole Beyster family. They understand the importance of nursing research and advanced practice for the future of healthcare for San Diego, for all of California and the country,” she said.

Dr. Beyster, a respected physicist, founded SAIC, the largest employee-owned research and engineering firm in the United States in 1969.  Today, SAIC is an internationally respected company with offices and employees around the globe. Dr. Beyster is also the founder and chairman of the Foundation for Enterprise Development, which assists organizations considering employee ownership.  Mrs. Betty Beyster is a devoted volunteer, who has served on many boards in San Diego and is an accomplished gardener.  Together, the Beysters are generous philanthropists who have supported the arts, culture, education, employee ownership, the environment and health and human services.

“We are very encouraged by the work the USD School of Nursing is doing to dramatically increase the number of nursing educators.  We want to help the school further their work in this area and expand its teaching and research facilities,” said Mrs. Beyster. “There is still so much work to do and so we hope our gift will inspire others to contribute to the school and help them dramatically increase the number of advanced practice registered nurses, nurse educators and nurse scientists in our region.”

“The Beysters’ $7 million gift covers nearly half the costs of this crucial $15 million project,” Hardin said. “We are confident other donors will join the Beysters to help us raise the additional funds.”

Built in 1978, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science was intended to serve just 100 students. Today, the school enrolls more than 450 students, and has provided up to 43 percent of the faculty for other nursing schools in San Diego. Moreover, the school is an incubator of nurse scientists, who guide and shape health care practice and policy at the local, national, and global level.

The new institute will be built immediately adjacent to the existing Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science building on the south side of the USD campus. The three-story, LEED Gold Certified building will provide the most technologically advanced equipment available for students, faculty and area nurses.

The first floor will house an expanded Simulation and Standardized Patient Nursing Laboratory (USD’s is a nationally recognized model lab). The second floor will provide faculty, doctoral students and alumni with access to biomedical and nursing literature in a dedicated Doctoral Research Library. The building’s centerpiece will be the third floor that will house The Research Center, the heart of the school’s research efforts, seminar rooms and classrooms featuring moveable glass walls.

In her announcement, Hardin said, “We believe the idea-brokers, the ambitious researchers, will find the third-floor incredibly inspiring. However, the building will feature something for all of our nursing students, our outstanding faculty, and practitioners. Most importantly, this building will allow us to significantly increase our enrollment and our impact on the nursing profession locally, regionally and nationally.”

– Pamela Gray Payton

“USD received the Changemaker designation in 2011 because it’s an institution true to its mission, where social justice and ethical behavior is essential to everything we do,” said USD Business Professor Patricia Marquez, who is also co-chair of USD’s Changemaker Hub. “At USD, teaching, research and service are geared to harness student creativity and commitment towards building a better, more sustainable world.”

In the spirit of that commitment, Ashoka U officials have announced that USD will host the February 2013 Ashoka U Exchange conference, which connects 650 of today’s most innovative and influential leaders of social entrepreneurship and social change in higher education.

Being chosen as the 2013 host, Marquez said, means “having the opportunity to share the pioneering work done at USD in social change teaching, research and service with approximately 650 individuals from all over the world, representing the most innovative institutions pursuing similar goals.”

The first Ashoka U Exchange took place at Duke University in 2011. Arizona State University, the 2012 host, brought 400 leaders together to collaborate over different types of social impact initiatives. The theme of the ASU conference was “Disruptive Innovation in Higher Education.”

“The conference offers a wide variety of workshops in the areas of teaching, research and institutional change that can enable even larger numbers of changemakers — students, staff, and faculty — to have a larger impact with their ideas and their actions,” said Marquez, who attended the ASU event as part of a large USD contingent.

By the end of the conference, there are three winners chosen to execute strategic plans presented in projects committed to initiating change amongst their campus community and, subsequently, the world. The winners are also awarded free registration to attend the following year’s conference to share their progress and developments.

USD has a longstanding tradition of commitment to social change. Members of the campus are encouraged to partner with and provide service to the community through academic courses and opportunities such as student organizations, Greek Life, University Ministry and the Center for Community for Service-Learning/Center for Awareness, Service and Action. USD strives to motivate the leaders of tomorrow to be agents of instigating social change through the integration of academics and service.

The chance to host the 2013 conference, a weekend event, provides an opening to demonstrate USD’s successes as a hub for changemakers.

“The designation is an opportunity to share with others what USD stands for,” Marquez said. “USD can lead the way in this pioneering initiative for changemaking through purposeful, cross disciplinary initiatives in teaching, research and community action.”

While the program’s content is in its early stages of development, USD officials look forward to the innovative and energetic atmosphere that will envelop the campus during the Exchange.

“The main opportunity is that we will learn from our institutional partners and a myriad of Ashoka social entrepreneurs working all over the world,” Marquez said. “From them, we can gain knowledge about best practices and what needs to be done in order to enable our own changemakers on campus.”

— Ann-Marie Auger-Andrews ‘12

USD School of Law has a remarkable number of law graduates going on to judicial clerkships this fall, which is a testament to the rigorous curriculum and the distinguished faculty that train USD School of Law students. Six students will begin their clerkships this fall: Jihong Lou, U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, DC (federal circuit); Kevin Kwon, U.S. District Court in San Diego (Judge Janis L. Sammartino); Adam Bondy, Utah State Court of Appeals in SLC (Judge J. Frederic Voros, Jr.); Krystal Norris, U.S. District Court in San Diego (Judge Anthony Battaglia); Matt Van Gorder, U.S. District Court in San Diego (Judge Mitchell Dembin); and Craig Ten Broeck, U.S. District Court in San Diego (Judge Roger T. Benitez).

Saturday’s keynote speaker is another distinguished alumni of the School of Law. A 1978 graduate, Representative David Camp (R-MI), is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which is one of the oldest and most powerful committees in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Dave Camp represents the people of the 4th Congressional District of Michigan. As the head of Ways and Means, Camp is one of the most influential policymakers in Washington D.C., helping to set the nation’s economic, health care and social welfare policies. His committee has sole jurisdiction over tax policy and oversees tariff and trade laws, Medicare, Social Security, as well as welfare and unemployment programs.

Recognized for decisive breakthroughs on significant legislation, Camp’s signature issues include making America more competitive by lowering and simplifying tax rates for individuals, families and employers; reforming health care to focus on wellness and prevention; expanding access to quality, affordable health care through tax-free savings accounts; protecting the welfare of our nation’s children through family focused foster care and adoption programs; and, promoting the production and use of alternative energy, which is a growing industry in Michigan and the Fourth Congressional District.

Saturday’s Commencement Ceremony will begin at 9 a.m., with the procession of students beginning at 8:45 a.m., in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The law graduation ceremony can be viewed live on the USD website.

— Melissa Wagoner and Raymond Penney

The research project, which casts a wide net on assessments, has enabled Gray, a USD Marine Science and Environmental Studies professor, to utilize more than a dozen USD students and to put their research skills to work.

Gray’s environmental sustainability project, annually funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has included a few undergraduates, but mostly students in USD’s Marine Science graduate program. The project gives them valuable, hands-on experience and data that gets published. In one instance, a student’s research helped nonprofit organizations in this tropical community reap nearly $3 million in stimulus funding to build and repair the watersheds and reduce the amount of sedimentation going in the coral reefs.

The latest student to get involved Gray’s project is Robert “Bobby” Harrington, a second-year Marine Science graduate student who arrived after earning his undergraduate degree in geology at the University of Maine. Prior to that, he served six years in the U.S. Navy.

Harrington’s passion for studying rocks and his interest in geochemistry fit Gray’s needs as other graduate students concluded their research in St. John.

“We don’t have a geology major (at USD) so I was really happy when Bobby came. He gives us a geologist capable of doing this important research,” Gray said.

Harrington showcased his work in poster form at last Thursday’s Graduate Research Day, titled “Ridge to Reef Assessment of Metal Concentration and Mineralogy in Rocks and Sediments on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.”

His work is tailored to Gray’s examination of sedimentation and how “development around the island has increased (land-derived) sedimentation in coastal bays with coral reefs.”

Harrington explained further: “Hydrothermally altered bedrock in the watersheds contributes metal-rich sediment to ephemeral streams and bays around St. John. To determine if land-based sedimentation is affecting sensitive benthic reef environments, we’ve compared the chemistry and mineralogy among bay sediment (reef and shore) and watershed sediment and bedrock.”

The geologist’s two visits to the research site were successful: “The objectives are to determine how the distribution of metal concentrations and mineralogy change as bedrock and sediment are eroded from the ridge and transported to reefs and how much land-derived metals are present at fringing reefs.”

Harrington used “X-ray fluorescence” to measure major and trace concentrations of rock and sediments. Mineralogy determination involved the analysis of 35 sediment and rock thin sections.

His data ultimately showed “major and trace elements that derive from (land-derived) sources are present at fringing reef sites in Coral Bay and Great Lameshur Bay.” It also showed “higher concentrations of terrestrial-derived metals are detected below developed watersheds compared to undeveloped.”

While his work on the project is not completed — his summer will mainly be spent on writing his research — Harrington has thrived on the experience and is proud of his contribution to something that will have a lasting impact.

“Geochemistry can be done anywhere, but I like finding and studying rocks and, at the same time, doing research in a beautiful place,” he said of St. John. “It’s been great, too, because what I really like about this project is we’re using science to make a change in the community. This is science that’s educating people, it’s helping them better understand how the environment is working.”

— Ryan T. Blystone