Author: Claire Hall

Alumna Toni Boucher’s $8 Million Gift to Benefit Science, Tech Entrepreneurship at UConn

Posted on by Claire Hall
Students Aria Penna (left) and Luis Quisumbing (right) pose for a photo with donor Toni Boucher ’02 MBA (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business
Students Aria Penna (left) and Luis Quisumbing (right) pose for a photo with donor Toni Boucher ’02 MBA (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business

Luis Quisumbing’s eyes light up as he talks about his membership in the student-run UConn Formula SAE race car organization. The latest car took first place for acceleration in a recent college competition, beating more than 100 other entries. The technology and innovation it incorporates might also be applied to other fields, including the defense industry.

Aria Penna is developing expertise in investing, and is particularly intrigued by companies developing technology that can make the world more green. She has become more knowledgeable about sustainability, and can quickly identify promising startups.

Although five decades separate the two business students from UConn alumna Antonietta ‘Toni’ Boucher ’02 MBA, their perspective is the same: Who better than UConn students and alumni to create, support, bolster and lead companies that are going to change the world?

“When I talk to these students, I see my own children, I see my own grandchildren. The School of Business is a place of innovation. There is wonderful talent here,’’ said Boucher, a former Connecticut state legislator who served for 22 years.
Continue Reading

UConn Women in Baseball: ‘You Never Know Who Is Going to Have the Perfect Role for You’

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Alumna Lindsay Adams ’22 (BUS), a law student at Fordham University, didn’t know a soul who worked in Major League Baseball, but she didn’t let that prevent her from landing her dream internship.

She scrolled through LinkedIn and sent messages to everyone she could find who was affiliated with MLB. She ended up connecting with the woman who would become her supervisor.

Read article

Wolff Entrepreneurship Competition Crowns Startup That Brings Emotional-Coping Skills to Elementary-Age Kids

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – The entrepreneurs who created Feel Your Best Self, a startup focused on social-emotional learning for elementary school-aged students, won the highly coveted Wolff New Venture Competition and a $25,000 prize on Tuesday night.

Read article

In Memory of Larry Gramling

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – With the passing of professor emeritus Larry Gramling on Tuesday, the School of Business has lost a beloved leader, who taught tens of thousands of accounting students during his 38-year tenure at UConn.

“Larry was a much-loved, much-admired colleague and friend, not only within the School of Business but across the University and in the professional community of accountants,’’ said School of Business Dean John A. Elliott. “Our hearts are heavy.’’

Read article

Marketing Students Played a Pivotal Role in Creating a Safer UConn

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Capt. Justin Gilbert believed the new LiveSafe app offered by the UConn Police Department could be a potential lifesaver for students—if only they knew about it.

But after a semester of availability, the app had only 400 active users.

“We weren’t getting much traction,’’ Gilbert says. “And that was really frustrating because this app has really great safety features.’’

Read article

Green-Energy Tech Startup Founder Optimistic About the Future: ‘You’re Going to Hear About Us!’

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Most startups aspire to achieve great things, but Particle-N, a UConn-affiliated technology company, has a particularly inspiring mission.

The company is preparing to enter the $19 billion, global precious-metal catalyst market and to simultaneously support the clean-energy industry in Connecticut.

Read article

A Wave of Inspiration Led UConn Student to Become a Surfboard Entrepreneur

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Amelia Martin ’23 ’25 (CAHNR) never saw herself becoming an entrepreneur.

An enthusiastic environmentalist, she thought maybe she’d work as a farmer, with plants and animals, or in a lab. In her spare time, she planned to make frequent trips to the Rhode Island shore, where she loves to surf.

Read article

Startup ‘Feel Your Best Self’ Helps Young Kids Express, Address Their Emotions

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – When Sandy Chafouleas and Emily Wicks recently told an audience of business experts that there is an epidemic in children’s mental health, no one seemed surprised.

For years, the increase in depression and anxiety among children has been painfully and repeatedly documented in the media, in classrooms, and in overwhelmed emergency rooms.

Read article

UConn Ph.D. Student Is Working to Clean Up One of the World’s Dirtiest Chemical Processes

Posted on by Claire Hall

UConn Today – Before he became a UConn Ph.D. student, Laron Burrows worked as an engineer in the renewable energy industry.
His interest in making chemical processes more “planet friendly” isn’t just a passing interest, he says. It is his life’s work. His passion has led to the creation of a new company, called Andros, that is trying to disrupt one of the dirtiest chemical processes in the world: ammonia production.

Read article