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UPFRONT
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Sustained Momentum
The word “multidisciplinary” gets a lot
of currency at Tufts, but one can really see it in
full swing during Sustainability Week. The event, held
March 28–April 1, mobilizes like-minded folks
on three campuses, including those involved with Tufts
Institute of the Environment (TIE), the Fletcher School,
and the Tufts Food Awareness Project. Events covered
issues such as sustainable food strategies and environmental
justice and included a visit from keynote speaker Gary
Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm. “It’s
a great way to show how Tufts embraces the concept
of sustainability,” says organizer Melissa Bailey,
assistant director of the Center for International
Environment & Resource Policy at the Fletcher School. “We
are showcasing how undergraduates, for instance, are
working on a sustainable landscape initiative and how
Dining Services have highlighted the virtues of locally
grown, organic, and natural foods in the dining halls.” Julie
Lampie, R.D., nutrition marketing specialist in Dining
Services, explains that Tufts is participating in the
nationwide Farm to College Program, a movement in which
colleges and universities partner with local farms
to purchase their produce. “For us, primarily
because of the short growing season in the Northeast,
we have targeted foods such as apples and winter squashes
in the fall,” she says. “We hope that as
we gain ground, we will help show how sustainability
is ultimately about being a conscious and responsible
consumer. Sustainability Week brings it all together.” |
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Jumbo
Tsunami Relief
Jocelyn Halim, A07, was home in Jakarta, Indonesia, when
the tsunami struck on Dec. 26. She emailed her Tufts
friends to see what they could do to help and found quick
support from the Thai Club, “and from there we
just spread the word” to friends, she says. After
sharing ideas via email, the students agreed to set up
the Jumbo Tsunami Relief Fund, complete with a slogan, “Let’s
lend a Jumbo hand,” and a logo for T-shirts and
pins. Once back at Tufts, the students wasted no time
launching a flurry of events that included a Singaporean
Dessert Sale, an Indonesian Food and Items Sale, paper
crane folding hosted by the Japanese Culture Club, and
a Service Auction. By press time, Halim happily reported
that the Relief Fund had exceeded its $10,000 goal by
nearly $3,000; all proceeds will be donated to UNICEF. “Tufts
students are sympathetic to the countries hit by the
tsunami,” says Halim, who last fall founded the
Indonesian Club at Tufts. “Because many of us are
from those countries, we could really personalize what
might seem a distant tragedy. Also, once we got going,
even more groups joined us by planning events too, which
was really great. Together we have helped remind students
that the human suffering is far from over, and we all
have to do our part.” |
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| Kindness
Matters
Senior dinners highlight
memories of life’s lessons
Where did the past four years go?” It’s
a question President Lawrence S. Bacow asked more than
once this past winter, as he and Adele Fleet Bacow
welcomed seniors and alumni hosts to the Senior Dinners
in Gifford House. These students arrived on the Hill
just as Bacow was settling into Ballou, and time has
surely flown for all. The Senior Dinners, though, give
seniors a moment to reflect on what the past four years
have meant and to share those memories as part of the
evening’s informal program. One night the recollections
were as varied as discovering a passion for leading
Wilderness Orientation to a hilarious college prank
involving a student’s fixation on ducks.
“You never know what the students will say—but
invariably they remember people,” said Bacow,
who also closes each evening by asking students to
thank someone who has helped them over the four years. “Kindnesses
matter,” said Bacow, “and from the stories
we hear, we are encouraged that the students experience
them here, and carry them throughout their lives.”
Alumni hosts spoke about life’s unexpected twists
and turns after graduation; many stressed the importance
of positive relationships and attitudes. John Bello,
A68, a self-described “small-town boy” who
went on to become a highly successful entrepreneur,
said, “Life is what you make it. You are the
total of your experiences and the people you meet.”
Lisa Lax, J86, embellished with lessons she learned
on the Tufts playing fields. “Tufts was the greatest
four years of my life,” said Lax, who played
three sports as an undergraduate and went on to work
for NBC Sports, and who most recently formed LOOKALIKE
Productions with her identical twin sister, Nancy Stern,
J86. “The camaraderie I had with my teams I took
with me into life, and that has made all the difference.”
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Graduate
Remembered for
“Fearless Commitment” to Equality
Cristi Gadue dies in plane crash while working in Afghanistan
Cristi Anne Gadue, J00, followed her calling to a country
in which few Americans have lived, worked, or even dreamed
of visiting: Afghanistan. “She really fell in love
with Afghanistan, and when she was offered a two-year
post there, it gave her a chance to flex her muscles,” said
her father, Michael Gadue, of Burlington, Vermont.
Tragically, Cristi died February 3, when she, along with
103 other passengers, was killed in a plane crash near
Kabul. She was 26.
Cristi had been working in Afghanistan as an employee
of Management Sciences for Health, Inc. (MSH), a Cambridge,
Massachusetts, organization focused on strengthening
health programs in developing countries. Co-workers Amy
Niebling and Carmen Urdaneta were also on-board when
their plane went down in the mountains due
to bad weather.
Michael Gadue recalled lengthy emails his daughter sent
home, and how he believed Cristi had “crossed over
an imaginary boundary from being an employee to holding
a position where she stretched and challenged.” It
was perhaps a kind destiny. “Her whole life, she
was like a lioness on issues that concerned her,” he
said. “She was fearless in her strength and commitment
to equality and justice. I take solace from the fact
that Cristi was the most fulfilled, satisfied, and happy
that she had ever been in her life” [when
she died]. Afghanistan is where she was supposed to be,
and she knew it with a fervor and strength that was remarkable.”
Peg Hume, director of new business development at MSH,
and Cristi’s supervisor, said she was impressed
with Cristi’s commitment to her professional development.
In only four years with MSH, Cristi rose from an entry-level
to a pivotal position in the organization’s biggest
field project. “She always wanted to know what
stood between her and her next step, she was very passionate,” she
said. “What really stays with me is how rigorous
she was with herself—she was going to go places.”
A native of Burlington, Vermont, Cristi double majored
in history and political science at Tufts, where she
was captain of the women’s fencing team. After
graduation, she went to work for MSH as a development
assistant.
In late 2003, she was awarded the prestigious Paul Alexander
Fellowship that took her to Afghanistan for three months.
She stayed on in Afghanistan when she accepted a two-year
position in the REACH program in Kabul as a reporting
and communications officer.
She is survived by her mother, Nancy Murphy, and stepfather,
William Anderson; her father, Michael Gadue ,and his
partner, Terry Stone; her stepsiblings; and other extended
family. The MSH/Gadue/Niebling/Urdaneta Memorial Fund
has been established under the auspices of MSH for the
purpose of enabling deserving recipients to receive funding
for health-related fieldwork in the country of Afghanistan. |
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B12
and Bone Health
Vitamin may ward off debilitating osteoporosis
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of bone, or so
the saying goes. An estimated 40 percent of women and 13
percent of men are at risk for an osteoporotic fracture
in their lifetime. When these fractures occur in older
individuals, they can decrease the quality of life, sometimes
dramatically.
New research conducted by Katherine Tucker, director of
the Dietary Assessment and Epidemiology Research Program
at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center
on Aging at Tufts, has found that vitamin B12 deficiency
may be an important risk factor for osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis is becoming a much greater issue now
that people are living so much longer,” said Tucker,
also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science
and Policy. “Our study provides support for a way
in which people can actively lower their risk of osteoporosis
and help to preserve quality of life.”
Tucker and her colleagues measured bone mineral density—a
measure of bone quality—and vitamin B12 levels in
more than 2,500 men and women participating in the Framingham
Osteoporosis Study. They found that both men and women
with low vitamin B12 levels had on average lower bone mineral
densities—putting them at greater risk for osteoporosis—than
men and women with higher levels.
“This is the first large-scale study of its kind
to show an association between low vitamin B12 and low
bone mineral density in men, and it confirms other reports
of this association in women,” said Tucker. “It
shows that getting enough vitamin B12 from meats, poultry,
fish, and dairy products may be important for both men
and women in maintaining strong bones. Some individuals,
particularly older people, have difficulty absorbing vitamin
B12 from foods, however, and the inclusion of breakfast
cereals fortified with vitamin B12 or the use of vitamin
B12 supplements offers additional protection.”
The research was published in the January issue of the
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. |
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