Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Quick
Article Index . . .
Westport's Senator Michael Rodrigues feted by MSMR.
Westport receives funding for local planning, zoning,
housing and open space initiatives.
|
Westport's
Senator Michael Rodrigues feted by MSMR. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, November 03, 2011 MSMR Names
Its 2011 Biomedical Research Leaders. Ceremony in the State House Recognized Researchers and Educators for Massachusetts Biomedical Research Day. Against the backdrop of Massachusetts
Biomedical Research Day (October 21), the Massachusetts Society for Medical
Research recognized its 2011 Biomedical Research Leaders. Senator Michael J. Rodrigues of the First Bristol and Plymouth district, Dr. Jerald Silverman
Director of the Department of Animal Medicine and Professor of Pathology at
the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Adjunct Professor at the
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Osamu Shimomura,
Senior Scientist emeritus at the
Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole and Professor emeritus at Boston University School of Medicine, are recognized
by MSMR for the depth of their contributions to biomedical research and
education in the state and the entire region. Senator Rodrigues’s award cites his “Legislative
support of biomedical research within his district and throughout the
Commonwealth.” Dr. Steven M. Niemi,
Board Chair of the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research, said,
“Biomedical Research Day celebrates the passion and work of every person who
spends a career working for a better health for all. On this day MSMR is
particularly pleased to recognize four outstanding individuals for their
contributions throughout their careers. They are involved in research and
education in very different ways, highlighting the diversity of talent that
makes Massachusetts the premier location for biomedical research in the US.”
Massachusetts Senator Michael Rodrigues (right) with Alan
Dittrich, President of the Massachusetts Society
for Medical Research. The three Biomedical
Research Leaders were honored at the Grand Staircase in the State House on
Thursday, October 20. Senator Rodrigues’s
award cites his “Legislative support of biomedical research within his
district and throughout the Commonwealth.” Dr. Silverman’s recognizes him “As a Teacher, Mentor, Author and Strong
Advocate for Laboratory Animal Science.” The honor to Dr. Shimomura recognizes him
for “His discovery of Green Fluorescent
Protein and for a Lifetime of research in Biochemistry and Marine Biology.”
Massachusetts Biomedical Research Day
(October 21) was created by the Legislature in 2006 to celebrate the people
and the benefits of biomedical research. Research performed here in the
Commonwealth helps to save countless lives and improve health and healing for
millions of people around the world. The research enterprise also contributes
significantly to the State’s economy. The Massachusetts Society for Medical
Research (MSMR) is a non-profit educational and research support organization
whose members are biotechnology firms, colleges and universities, hospitals
and institutes, pharmaceutical companies, and others that support research. The
2011 Biomedical Research Honorees Senator
Michael J Rodrigues was born in 1959 and at the age of 22 he
took over his family's business, ABC Flooring, upon the death of his father.
He continued to grow the business while earning a BS in Accounting from
Southeastern Massachusetts University - now the University of Massachusetts -
Dartmouth. His time on the Finance Board further
spurred his interest in public service and in 1996 he was elected to the
Massachusetts House of Representatives. Senator Rodrigues continues keeps a
close eye on his company and often relies on his experience as a small
business owner when he considers the implication of issues that are debated
before the Legislature. Senator Rodrigues served in the House of
Representatives from 1997 to 2010. During his he served as a member of the
Committee on Housing and the House Committee on Ways and Means. He was
appointed by the Speaker of the House to serve as the Vice-Chairman of the
Committee on Public Service and as the Chairman of the Committee on Labor and
Workforce Development and later as the Chairman of Consumer Protection and
Professional Licensure. Representative Rodrigues was a founding
member and Co-Chairman of the Legislature’s Bio-Technology Caucus. As a
member of the House leadership he was instrumental in the formulation and
passage of the $1 billion life sciences legislation. That legislation
provided $11.4 million to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth to buy
the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center in Fall River. The law has
also resulted in the award of $17 million for the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth to build a bio-processing center to spur related biotechnology
manufacturing at the new Northern Sector Industrial Park. In November of 2010 Michael was elected to
serve in the State Senate for the 1St Bristol & Plymouth
Senate District which comprises the City of Fall River and many of the
surrounding communities. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Committee
on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and is the Vice-Chairman
of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. In September of 2010 then Representative
Rodrigues was awarded the Medal of Prince Henry the Navigator on behalf of
the President of Portugal by the Portuguese Ambassador to the United States
for his service on behalf of the Portuguese Community. He was the sole
American to be honored with Portugal’s equivalent of a knighthood. Jerald
Silverman, DVM is Director of the Department of Animal
Medicine and professor of pathology at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School. He is also adjunct professor at the Tufts Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine. After nearly a decade of private practice, Dr. Silverman
moved to laboratory animal medicine and biomedical research almost 35 years
ago. He has mentored nearly 100 masters and PhD students, most of whom
entered veterinary medicine and laboratory animal science. He views himself
as an educator and clinician working in the field of laboratory animal
medicine. Dr. Silverman received his degrees in
vertebrate zoology and veterinary medicine from Cornell University. He also
holds a masters degree in nonprofit organization management from the New
School for Social Research. His appointments have included the American
Health Foundation, New York Medical College, Mercy College, The Ohio State
University, Hahnemann University and then UMMS (2002). Dr. Silverman is a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal
Medicine, past president of the American Society of Laboratory Animal
Practitioners, past president of the Central Ohio Branch of the American
Association for Laboratory Animal Science, a full member of the American
Association for Cancer Research, the American Veterinary Medical Association,
the Laboratory Animal Management Association, and the Phi Zeta veterinary
honor society. He has served on numerous professional and community
committees and editorial boards. Jerald Silverman continues to be an active
teacher, writer, and researcher. His initial research was focused on the
nutritional prevention of mammary and colon cancer. He then investigated the
use of the protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila
as a substitute for the ocular testing of chemicals in rabbits. His current
work includes studying Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
structure, function, and decision making processes. He has 50 peer reviewed
publications and 17 books and chapters on subjects as diverse as cancer
research to public relations tactics in the debate over animal
experimentation. His current books, The
IACUC Handbook (as senior editor) and Managing
the Laboratory Animal Facility have received critical acclaim, and his Protocol Review column has been
published monthly for nearly 25 years. Osamu
Shimomura, PhD was born in Kyoto, Japan, Osamu Shimomura
lived within 15 miles of the epicenter of the Nagasaki bomb site. He recalls
hearing, as a 16-year-old boy, the bomber plane before the atom bomb
exploded. The explosion flash blinded Shimomura for about thirty seconds, and
he was later drenched by the "black rain" bomb fallout. He
overcame great odds in the following 11 years to earn an education and
achieve academic success. Dr. Shimomura graduated from Nagasaki College of
Pharmacy in 1951 and worked as a research student at the laboratory of
Professor Hirata at Nagoya University from 1955 to 1958. He obtained his PhD
in organic chemistry from Nagoya University in 1960. He was a research
biochemist at Princeton University from 1960 to 1982. Dr. Shimomura is an emeritus senior
scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, where he
worked from 1982 to 2001. He is also professor of physiology emeritus at the Boston University
School of Medicine. In
1961, while he was a researcher at Princeton University, he discovered green
fluorescent protein (GFP) in the jellyfish Aequorea
at the same time that he discovered the animal’s bioluminescing
molecule, a blue-light-emitting protein that he called Aequorin.
Dr. Shimomura purified both GFP and Aequorin from
10,000 jellyfish that he collected at Friday Harbor Laboratories, University
of Washington. Today, GFP is a guiding star for biochemists, medical
scientists, and other researchers. With the aid of GFP, researchers have
developed ways to watch processes that were previously invisible, such as the
development of nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread. He has devoted his career to characterizing Aequorin, GFP, and bioluminescence in general. For his
work, Dr. Shimomura was awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry in 2008. “Most of my knowledge came from self-study,”
says Dr. Shimomura. “If you find an interesting subject, study it through to
the finish. If you confront difficulties, overcome them. Don’t be
discouraged. There are always difficulties in research.” School
Committee Chairwoman Michelle Duarte is the guest of Westport ROMEOs. EverythingWestport.com Friday,
November 04, 2011 In
these trying times, Michelle Duarte is lucky to have a job. It's not a
high-paying job; in fact the Westport native isn't paid anything at all. But
the Chairwoman of the Westport School Committee is lucky, nevertheless, because
she is in a position to help determine her three children's educational future. "My
kids are my fulltime job," the soft-spoken, yet determined young woman
told the Westport ROMEOs at their weekly luncheon. "And the best way to
insure they receive a quality education is to get involved." The
educational activist edified the seasoned men's social club in the ABC's of
overseeing a $15 million budget and a school district that is facing enormous
challenge in paying a $3.2 million bill for removing PCBs from the Westport
Middle School. All
this in an economy that is the worst America has faced since the Great
Depression. "This
($3.25 million PCB remediation cost) is a town problem, not just a school problem,"
Selectman Antone Vieira told the seasoned citizens. Michelle
Duarte schooled the ROMEOs in the daunting tasks that lie ahead for the
School District and the Town of Westport. Could
other Westport schools be infected with PCB material? Westport
receives funding for local planning, zoning, housing and open space
initiatives. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, November 05, 2011 RAYNHAM
–The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development today
announced that 18 communities will receive technical assistance awards in the
fourth round of the South Coast Technical Assistance Awards for local
planning, zoning, housing, and open space initiatives. The awards, ranging
from $5,000 to $25,000, were announced at the Southeastern Massachusetts
Commuter Rail Task Force Meeting. The
South Coast Rail Plan demonstrates the Patrick-Murray Administration’s
commitment to intentional and targeted state investment to enhance the
development and sustainable growth of communities. Unveiled in 2009 by
Governor Deval Patrick, the plan provides a
framework for maximizing the economic and environmental benefits while
preparations begin for the new rail line. "The plan
provides a framework for maximizing the economic and environmental benefits
while preparations begin for the new rail line." State Representative Paul Schmid In
order to ensure that growth occurs equitably and evenly while preserving the
region’s distinct character, MassDOT and the
Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development have partnered with the
region’s planning agencies, the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic
Development District (SRPEDD), Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and
Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC), to assist communities’ proactive local
planning and preservation efforts. Westport
was awarded $15,000 in technical assistance. The $15,000 grant to
Westport will assist the town in developing zoning and permitting to support
a mix of uses to accommodate current housing as well as light manufacturing,
packaging and warehousing, which were identified in the plan as economic
development opportunities in this area. Senator
Michael Rodrigues is please his communities received technical assistance and
commends the administration for continuing to support local cities and towns.
“Five of the seven communities have received this technical assistance,” he
said. “The Governor’s office continues to provide support, aid and assistance
even during times of economic struggle.” Representative
Paul Schmid (D-Westport) was optimistic about what this could mean for the
Narrows Redevelopment Area in Westport. “I would really like to see what
plans can be put in place from an economic development standpoint in this
part of Westport and this technical assistant grant allows us to study the
issue further.”
© 2011 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
