UConn’s Commitment to Human Rights

Hundreds of faculty, staff, students and friends joined President Joe Biden and former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd in celebration and rededication of UConn’s Dodd Center for Human Rights on Oct. 15.

The assembly witnessed powerful comments from a host of luminaries including current Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, Governor Lamont and many others, culminating in a compelling speech from President Biden. Not present, but powerful in his absence, was the long-serving former U.S. Senator Thomas Dodd, the father of Chris Dodd, and a distinguished prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials. Continue Reading

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Startup Strives to Simplify Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Reduce Toxic Waste

UConn Today – Did you know that the prescription you picked up at the pharmacy likely once contained a host of toxic materials that were used as a catalyst for its creation?

Don’t panic. In the development process, the toxins are stripped from the medication, and the FDA has stringent guidelines ensuring its safety.

But UConn chemistry professors Eugene Pinkhassik, Sergey Dergunov, and Ph.D. candidate Kevin Rivera have an innovation that they believe can offer a better, safer, less expensive, and more environmentally sound alternative.


Supply Chain Disruptions Create Shortages of Goods Just in Time for the Holidays

UConn Today – For weeks, the media has been warning us to shop for the holiday season now or risk being shut out of the hot-gift market. Equally troublesome is finding a new car to buy, as many dealerships have limited inventory. Even that American staple, our beloved chicken wings, have been in short supply recently.

To make sense of all this, UConn Today spoke with School of Business assistant professor Tao Lu, of the Operations and Information Management Department. Lu researches supply-chain management, transport logistics, sharing economy and socially responsible operations. We asked him about the backorders, delays and consumer-goods shortages.





The Next Inning: Student’s Company Prepares to Sell New Iteration of Baseball-Training Invention

UConn Today – Since he was identified as one of the most promising entrepreneurs at UConn this summer, Elijah Taitel ’22 (BUS) hasn’t rested on his achievements.

His company, Extra Base Sports, is preparing to launch a new youth-sized version of its popular baseball/softball training device called the ProVelocity Bat next month, targeting players between 8 and 13.



Education by Intention

Years ago, driving through Oklahoma, I stopped for gas. In those days, attendants pumped your gas, and my attendant was a high school student heading for college. When he learned I was a college professor, he asked if college would be better than high school. I asked what motivated his question and he cited discipline problems and unruly behavior by classmates who hated high school.

My own high school experience was in sharp contrast to his, but, more importantly, I could assure him that I had never had a day as a professor when I felt I was more of a guard than a teacher. I encouraged him to anticipate four years of enthusiastic growth with other highly motivated, hard-working, and interested students.

As we enter the Fall of 2021 at UConn, I am pleased to say that I believe our new and returning students face that same optimistic future that I envisioned for him. Our students are not only interested, but interesting. They come together from different places with different specialties and goals.Continue Reading

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