New Haven and Yale celebrate activists who strengthen town-gown ties

President Richard C. Levin and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano presented seven individuals and two groups with Yale University Seton Elm-Ivy Awards at a ceremony on campus on April 10.
April 12, 2012

President Richard C. Levin and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano presented seven individuals and two groups with Yale University Seton Elm-Ivy Awards at a ceremony on campus on April 10.

The Elm-Ivy Awards honor people whose efforts support the collaboration of the university and its hometown. According to Levin, the awards are a special opportunity to recognize those whose work “may not always make the headlines” but “is the essential foundation on which our community’s progress rests.”

Elm Awards are given to members of the New Haven community beyond Yale, and Ivy Awards are given to Yale faculty, staff, and students. The awards were established at Yale in 1979 by Fenmore R. Seton ‘38 and his wife, Phyllis.

This year’s Elm Awards were given to Bruno Baggetta, marketing manager of Market New Haven; Nan Bartow, retired education and board member of the Urban Resources Initiative; and Robert Smuts ‘01, chief administrative officer of the City of New Haven.

Ivy Awards were given to James Boyle ’94 Ph.D., director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute; Sarah Demers, assistant professor of physics, and Bonnie Fleming, associate professor of physics, for their work together in Girls Science Investigations; Gordon Geballe ’81 Ph.D., associate dean of alumni and external affairs, and lecturer in the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; Kurt Zilm, professor of chemistry and chemical engineering; the Neighborhood Health Project of the Yale Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health; and LaTisha Campbell ‘12, a student in Yale College.

The award citation follows.

Girls’ Science Investigations (Bonnie Fleming and Sarah Demers)

At a time when our nation needs more qualified scientists and engineers and women are making great strides in nearly every sphere but are behind in many Science Technology Engineering and Math (“STEM”) fields, Girls’ Science Investigations addresses a critical need.

The mission of Girls’ Science Investigations (GSI) is to motivate, empower, and interest girls in developing the skills they need to pursue careers in science. Yale students and professors act as mentors and provide a context for exploring and understanding the various disciplines of science through hands-on activities in a laboratory environment. Through student scientific engagement and parental awareness, Girls’ Science Investigations strives to close the gap in science found between males and females today.

The GSI program, now in its fifth year has brought hundreds of 10- to 13-year-old girls to the Yale University physics department on Saturdays to conduct supervised experiments, see exciting demonstrations and begin to imagine their own future as a part of the world’s scientific community.

This story is adapted from the Yale News story of April 10, 2012. Please see below for a link to the original story.

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