The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/277771
62 Spring 2014 class notes be read at lawrencebusinessmagazine.com. He writes, "A happy coincidence for me was that my daughter's middle school writing class analyzed another article about the project in which I was quoted several times, and she gained a little more insight into my work." 2001 Paul Lamson-LaPlume (née LaPlume) reports, "This year marks my ninth year teaching high school math in Yarmouth, Maine. Next year will fnd me entering new territory: I'll add an introduction to robotics course to my teaching load as the culmination of two years of a pilot study. I still play trombone, although not as often as when I was involved in six of the instrumental ensembles at WPI. I've keep my radar on as I work with students, looking for those who would be a good ft for WPI. This year marks the frst such excellent ft: Devon Bray, who was essentially born to attend WPI, is now a freshman. I keep trying to build awareness in all students who have a Lehr and Kunst bent. I wouldn't have predicted my current situation when I graduated back in 2001, but I don't regret my choices, and I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing had it not been for the excellent examples of teaching shown to me through most of my WPI professors." Johanna (Tenczar) and Matt Shaw '00 welcomed their third son on Oct. 5, 2013. Jackson Daniel weighed in at 9 pounds, 8 ounces. He joined older brothers Brechin and Riley. Stacey Leisenfelder Ward writes, "Lots has happened since I graduated from WPI! I earned my PhD in microbiology/immunology from SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2007, and married my husband, Jeff Ward, in 2010 (with Tom Solodyna, Matthew Lewis, and Nikole (Howard) Lewis '02 in attendance). We then moved to St. Louis so I could complete my postdoctoral studies in cancer biology. We welcomed our frst child, Benjamin George Ward, on Nov. 16, 2013, and are adjusting to our new expanded family!" 2002 Juan Chaves (PhD MFE) writes with this news. "I had successful cancer surgery, and my son, Juan Ignacio, started his second year at the United States Naval Academy." Daniel Young was elected to the Board of Governors of the Boston Patent Law Association for 2014. He is a patent attorney at Wolf Greenfeld in Boston. 2003 Mark Blackburn ('04 MS FPE) has been promoted to director of the Warwick, R.I., offce of Hughes Associates, where he works with many WPI FPE alumni. 2004 Becca (Hanifen) and Kevin Derwin welcomed their frst child, James Timothy, into the world on July 18, 2013. "He arrived seven weeks before his due date, while we were visiting my family in Virginia," writes Becca. "After a relatively short stay in the NICU, we took Jamie home with us to Massachusetts, where he has been growing into a healthy, happy baby boy!" Greg Kronenberger reports that he still lives in Germany and is working for Booz & Company (soon to be PwC). He continues his focus on supporting companies in planning and executing large-scale transformation programs, typically implementation of new ERP systems. 2005 Barrett Franklin was awarded the AAMI's (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) 2013 Young Professional Award. The award is given annually to a professional under the age of 40, who exhibits exemplary professional accomplishments and a commitment to the healthcare profession. Barrett was the award's inaugural recipient. On Sept. 12, 2013, Jonathan Mulla and Melissa (Costello) Mulla '06 welcomed their frst child, Isolde Pamela, into the world. "Everyone is happy and healthy," they report. '07 Sunny Manivannan (left) and Sid Rupani '05 summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Christmas Day. Climbing Kilimanjaro does not require technical skills, but endurance and altitude can be challenging, they note. The climb involves passing through ecosystems and climate zones from rainforest to moorland to alpine desert to glacier, and climbers experience landscapes of surreal beauty. WPI_classnotes_final.indd 62 3/9/14 2:42 PM