Stockton News - May 24, 2024
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
H.S. Students Get Hands-On Look at Marine Field Station's Work
Denise Jenkins shrieked as one of her fellow Atlantic City High School students pulled the metal crab pot on board the boat.
The Atlantic City native didn’t expect the trap to be filled with blue crabs. The first cage the Stockton University professors removed from Nacote Creek on a recent rainy and gloomy day only had one of the crawly critters.
But not this one. Eight crustaceans of various sizes greeted Jenkins, and now she could get close enough to touch them.
“I'm not gonna lie, it was amazing,” said the 16-year-old.
Jenkins was one of about 20 marine and environmental science students from two classes taught by Emily Loeb ’23 to take a tour of Stockton’s Marine Field Station on May 16.
The outreach is an educational component of three research studies by three Stockton professors. Students helped build water drifters with Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, “flew” a new underwater remote operated vehicle (ROVs) with Peter Staub and used sonar to identify shipwrecks and marine debris with Stephen Nagiewicz and Mark Sullivan.
📸 View more photos on flickr.
Successful Aging Festival Fosters Connections with Seniors
Megan Rinaldo credits her grandmother with why she tends to “lean toward helping seniors more.”
“My grandmother got custody of myself and my brother when I was just a year old. And she raised us. She taught us to respect everybody,” said the Stockton junior. “I love helping people. That’s kind of my thing, but I especially love helping seniors.”
Rinaldo, 29, said she became more of her grandmother’s caretaker as she got older, and that led her to go back to school and transfer to Stockton’s Health Science program this year. It was also a big reason why the Millville native really enjoyed presenting a seminar on how smart devices, apps and artificial intelligence can benefit senior citizens at the University’s annual Successful Aging Festival on May 15.
Rinaldo joined Duo Helen Wei, associate professor of Computer Science, and fellow junior Emily Doto to discuss how apps such as Curable can manage chronic pain symptoms and Youper can address mental health issues.
Faculty Member Gift Endows Travel Scholarship
Mary Lou Galantino’s first international travel experience came as an undergraduate physical therapy student at the University of Pittsburgh in 1979.
“It just took one trip to Comitan Chiapas, Mexico, to cultivate my absolute love of traveling and contributing to underserved communities,” said Galantino, distinguished professor of Physical Therapy and program coordinator for the Integrative Health minor at Stockton.
That first study tour led to continued study abroad and a clinical rotation in Sweden, with other amazing opportunities and international travel. After joining Stockton in 1991, she turned the tables and later led and participated in service-learning trips to Haiti, China and Colombia with Stockton students. Two Fulbright fellowships and ongoing research, education and service brought her to South Africa six times.
Galantino said as a first-generation student at the University of Pittsburgh, Latin American and Scandinavian scholarships were essential to her study abroad experiences.
This led her to establish the Galantino Global Grant with a $25,000 commitment to the Stockton Foundation. Future stipends will be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in fields within health sciences to support opportunities to study abroad.
SPOTLIGHT ON
Pat Reid-Merritt, distinguished professor of Africana Studies and Social Work, was the first recipient
of the Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver Civil Rights and Social Justice Award, issued by
the NAACP at the 50th Anniversary Freedom Fund Gala.
Stockton administration, faculty, staff, students and alumni were all represented at the anniversary gala, held in April at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City.
"I feel so honored to receive this award," Reid-Merritt said. "The NAACP is to be congratulated on 50 years of service to the community, always a leader in the fight for civil rights and social justice. And what better way to honor the late Lt. Governor, who was also a fierce advocate in the ongoing fight for the protection of civil rights and the quest for a more socially just society."
FRAME-WORTHY
Chasing the American Dream: Naturalization Ceremony Held on Campus
Twenty-six people from 16 different countries, including two Stockton students, swore allegiance to the United States and became U.S. citizens during an annual Naturalization Ceremony hosted by the Stockton Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning (SCCESL) on Friday, May 17.
“Wherever your journey began, I’m happy that you’ve found your way here to where our paths are crossing. I’m so glad to have you all as part of our community. Your unique perspectives and experiences enrich our nation and make us all better,” President Joe Bertolino said to the audience of new citizens and their families.
Merydawilda Colón, executive director of SCCESL, mirrored Bertolino’s sentiments during her welcome remarks, thanking the new citizens for sharing this momentous occasion on Stockton’s campus and for utilizing resources such as the naturalization class offered by SCCESL at the Stockton Atlantic City campus.
📸 View more photos on flickr.
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
Instagram: Time flies when you are having fun!
Facebook: All smiles at our Transfer Jam ☀️ in AC Wednesday!
LinkedIn: Congratulations to Provost Michael Palladino on being named an NJ Innovate 100 Leader! Palladino was recognized as a STEM leader and visionary at a ceremony this month.
FROM THE SIDELINES
Czaczkowski & Tramp Voted NFCA All-Region First Team
Stockton juniors Charli Czaczkowski and Nerina Tramp were votedto the NFCA All-Region IV First Team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for the 2024 softball season.
Tramp and Czaczkowski received all-region honors for the second straight year and became the first pair of Stockton teammates ever to be selected First Team in the same season. The duo brought Stockton's total to nine NFCA All-Region First Team selections in program history.
Czaczkowski and Tramp led Stockton to a 24-17 record and the No. 4 seed for the NJAC Tournament with a 13-5 conference mark this season. The Ospreys reached the third round of the conference playoffs.
Coxson Voted IWLCA Boardwalk Region First Team
Stockton senior Drew Coxson was votedto the Boardwalk Region First Team by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) for the 2024 season. Coxson received all-region recognition for the first time, becoming the seventh different Osprey in the program's 11 seasons to earn all-region status.
Coxson, a defender, led the NJAC in caused turnovers (3.12/game) and finished second in the conference in ground balls (3.12/game) while spearheading a Stockton defense that topped the league in goals against average (7.06), ground balls (21.06/game) and caused turnovers (12.18/game).
OSPREY NOTES
Local Seniors Needed for Area Aging Services, Programs Survey
Atlantic County residents ages 60 or older are invited to participate in a brief survey designed to assist the Atlantic County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in setting funding priorities for 2025-2027.
The AAA supports a wide variety of community-based services and programs offered by provider organizations, designed to assist older adults to age in place and to maintain their quality of life.
The anonymous survey, conducted by the Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) and the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, will be available through June 14 at bit.ly/AtlanticCountyNeeds2024.
Residents who already responded to a text message request to take the poll should not retake the survey.
For more information on the Area Agency on Aging and its services, call 888-426-9243 or visit atlantic-county.org/intergenerational-services. For more information about the survey or SCOSA, email David.Burdick@stockton.edu or call (609) 652-4311.
Fun Fact Friday: 🐌 Today is National Escargot Day, which honors the famous French dish of cooked snails.
If eating snails isn't your thing, today is also Bob Dylan's birthday. He would have
been 83. Rock on. 🎸
UPCOMING EVENTS
👩💻 Professional Development Opportunities
June 1: 🚲 16th Annual G. Larry James Legacy Ride
June 15:EQUILIBRIO
June 28: 🌲 8th Annual Pinelands Summer Short Course
