東南大學校友聚會

中國南京東南大學大波士頓地區校友會5月23日在布魯克蘭鎮（Brookline）安德森（Larz Anderson）公園，第三度舉辦春季校友座談，五十多名校友暢聚，野餐。

前身是國立中央大學的東南大學，三年前才由2000屆機械系畢業，如今從事保險大數據工作的潘曄，在波士頓創辦了校友會。

潘曄當天以創會會長身份，回顧過去三年種種。她指出，2012年時只有五十多人登記，後來一個傳一個，校友越聚越多，現在已有兩百多人，在金融界工作的，當大學教授、律師，醫生的，做企業高管的，自己創業的，各方面人才都有。

東南大學波士頓校友會為促進校友情誼，加強交流，辦過好幾次校友沙龍和講座。五月廿三日這天，該校母校的校友總會副秘書長曹軍也代表學校領導轉達了母校的慰問，祝賀波士頓校友會發展有成，也請校友們繼續關心母校的發展。曹軍還特地提起東南大學校訓，希望校友們秉持“止於至善”理念，進一步提升校友會的發展。

外婆橋餐館和東南大學校友會關係良好，當天友情贊助了特色菜，包括蔥油餅，鴨脖子，麻辣燙等，都大受歡迎。出席校友們在聚會中暢談人生，回想當年在校生涯，個個開懷十分。

聯繫東南大學波士頓校友會可上網seuboston@gmail.com，或上微信群：SEU_BOSTON。

圖片說明：

            東南大學校友聚會合影。（圖由東南大學校友會提供）

波士頓市高中畢業致詞生 三名華裔

李玉姿（左二）從波士頓公校總監麥當納（前右一起），波士頓市長馬丁華殊，
波市學校委員會主席歐尼爾手中接過獎品。（周菊子攝）

(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)波士頓公立學校（BPS)昨（廿六）日在海港酒店（Boston Harbor Hotel）舉行第17屆“畢業演說者午餐會（Valedictorians Luncheon）“。35名波市高中第一名畢業生中，有3名華人，全是移民。

 李雲暉（左二）從波士頓公校總監麥當納（前右一起），波士頓市長馬丁華殊，
波市學校委員會主席歐尼爾手中接過獎品。（周菊子攝）

            波士頓學校委員會主席 歐尼爾（Michael D. O’Neill）在致詞時以即將於七月上任的波士頓市首名華裔公校總監張欽棠（Thomas Chang）為例，指這名年紀未滿四十的新任公校總監，和昨日座中的許多畢業致詞生一樣的特殊，都是來自其他國家、地區的移民。

            他說張欽棠在台灣出生，小學一年級時才隨父母移民來美，當時一句英文也不會，如今卻能流利說四種語言，包括英文，西班牙文，中文及台灣話。張欽棠的能有今日，不全靠自己，他身邊的家人，學校，社會都提供了助力。他鼓勵畢業生們將來也要成為一個能夠幫助別人有所成就的人。

            波士頓市市長馬丁華殊（Martin Walsh )，波士頓公校代理總監麥當納（John P. McDonough）昨日也都一一致詞，鼓勵學生繼續努力求學，將來服務社會。

 昆士中學校長張可仁（右一），Stephen Cirasuolo（左一），恭喜李雲暉（中）
及其父母李伯朋（右二），劉麗貞（左二）。（周菊子攝）

            波士頓公校系統共有128 所中小學，五萬七千多名學生。在今年的三十五名高中畢業致詞生中，有三名華裔，至少一名越南裔學生。

            三名華裔畢業致詞生分別是波士頓拉丁學院（Boston Latin Academy），八歲才從廣州移民來美，將入讀塔芙茨大學的劉劍杰；查理士高中，十五歲才隨家人從廣東台山來美，將入讀波士頓大學的李玉姿，以及昆士高中，三歲從香港來美，將入讀東北大學的李雲暉。

 多名出席的波市公校畢業致詞生們在典禮結束後，海邊合影。（周菊子攝）

            李玉姿透露，當年在台山，她從小學三年級就開始學英文，移民來美後，上課聽講，閱讀，都沒問題，但英文的說，寫，沒那麼順。也因為這樣，儘管她住在奧斯頓（Allston），還是被分派到波士頓唯一開辦有雙語班的高中，查理士高中。因為父親做搬運工，母親在餐館工作，無法分身，昨日她由同班同學陪同出席盛典。

            三歲從香港移民來美的李雲暉，在父母庇蔭中順利成長，不但學業全A，還充分利用閒暇時間，悄悄寫了四萬字的小說。他父親李伯朋在麻州眼耳醫院做財務分析工作，母親在達納法伯癌症研究中心做翻譯。他倆都是虔誠基督徒，坦言儘管初來乍到時，面對很多適應新生活的挑戰，但波士頓是個包容的地方，昆士中學校長、老師們對他們的小孩也關愛有加，東北大學發給全額獎學金，李雲暉未來五年可心無旁騖的修讀機械工程，更是讓他們心存感激。

            在銳跑（Reebok)等企業贊助下，波市公校的三十五名畢業致詞生都可獲得一個背包，以及一百元現金獎。

全美城市上班通勤排行榜

全美城市上班通勤排行榜

密歇根大学调查发现，全美上班通勤每天用时26分钟。  全美30个大城市中，通勤时间最长的城市分别是：纽约（40分钟），芝加哥（34分钟），费城（32分钟），巴尔的摩（31分钟）， 洛杉矶（30分钟），华盛顿特区（30分钟）和波士顿（30分钟）。  

密歇根大学交通研究中心研究教授迈克尔·西瓦克（Michael Sivak）发表的研究，全景式地报告全美大城市通勤上班状况。通勤方式，包括开车、使用公共交通系统（汽车、火车、轮船），骑自行车和走路均纳入考量。

通勤时间最短的城市是：俄克拉何马市（21分钟），俄亥俄州的哥伦布市（21分钟）， 肯塔基州的路易斯维尔(22分钟 )。

研究调查还发现， 纽约人使用公共交通工具上班最多，高达57%； 华盛顿特区（39%）， 波士顿（33%） 三藩市（33%），芝加哥（28%） 。因完善的交通系统，这些城市开车上班的人数百分比也很少。

约15％波士顿人走路上班，为全美之最。华盛顿特区（14%）、三藩市（11%）， 纽约（10%） 也有相当数量的居民走路上班。最少人走路上班的城市是德州的沃思堡(Fort Worth) 、俄克拉何马市、艾尔帕索（El Paso ）、圣安东尼奥（San Antonio), 圣荷西、拉斯维加斯、凤凰城、达拉斯、印第安纳波利斯。 以上城市，均少于2%的人走路上班。

波特兰约有6%的人骑自行车上班，为全美各大城市之最。其次是华盛顿特区（5%）， 三藩市（4%）和西雅图（4%）。

最多人在家办公的城市是－波特兰、丹佛、三藩市和德州的奥斯丁。这4个城市均有7%的在家办公者。

MASSACHUSETTS LIFE SCIENCES CENTER JOINS BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEWLY RENOVATED KARP AQUATICS FACILITY

MASSACHUSETTS LIFE SCIENCES CENTER JOINS BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEWLY RENOVATED KARP AQUATICS FACILITY

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Capital Grant Funded New Renovations to Noted Zebrafish Research Lab

Boston, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and Boston Children’s Hospital today joined members of the healthcare community for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the official opening of the newly renovated Karp Aquatics Facility at Boston Children’s.

The renovation of the Karp Aquatics Facility has dramatically improved the ability of Boston Children's scientists to leverage their zebrafish model system to better understand stem cell biology and various forms of cancer.  The renovations included: 1) replacement of the original aquaculture systems (installed in 2003) with state of the art, custom designed systems; 2) addition of a customized, automated breeding system that incorporates BCH-patented technology to produce embryos for drug screening; 3) addition of three robotic feeders to deliver diet to the fish; 4) rearranged/improved wet workspace for fish research; 5) installation of a new, dedicated aquatic tank washer; and 6) upgraded feed production infrastructure.

“The capital investments made by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center in the research capacity of hospitals and academic institutions across the Commonwealth have been crucial to our growing global leadership in the life sciences,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We congratulate Boston Children’s Hospital on the grand opening of its newly renovated Karp Aquatics Facility and look forward to seeing the new treatments and therapies that will come from their state-of-the-art zebrafish research.”

This ambitious project incorporates an impressive blend of state-of-the-art, sophisticated recirculating aquaculture systems, BCH scientist-patented and licensed breeding tanks for producing embryos on demand, and bar-code reading robots that deliver experimental diets to the fish in precise quantities. The newly remodeled infrastructure has the capacity to support a population of over 250,000 fish, all of which can be used by researchers to characterize genes involved in stem cell renewal and maintenance, and to rapidly identify potential new therapeutics for human blood diseases and cancers. 

“The zebrafish field has had a great impact on understanding biology and disease,” said Leonard I. Zon, MD, director of the Stem Cell program at Boston Children’s. “Several therapies have been developed at Boston Children's Hospital that originated from the zebrafish. Massachusetts is a leader in the world for this research.”

“This project is a great example of the goals of our capital program, as this newly-renovated facility will serve as a unique resource that will strengthen Massachusetts’ position as the global leader in life sciences innovation,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the MLSC. “The mission of the Karp Aquatics Facility at Boston Children’s Hospital is the be on the cutting-edge of research and development of new therapeutics for blood diseases and different forms of cancer, and I’m excited to see the results of their work using the zebrafish model system.”

In 2013, the MLSC awarded a $4 million capital grant to Boston Children’s Hospital to help establish the Children’s Center for Cell Therapy (CCCT) and support new equipment and facility renovation, including the renovation of the Karp Aquatics Facility.  The project will allow for additional cell culturing facilities and a robotics area designed to perform highly specialized chemical screening on stem cells. The CCCT is a specialized center focused on developing novel stem cell therapies for currently untreatable or incurable diseases.

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board approves first round of Milestone Achievement Program (MAP) grants

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board approves first round of

Milestone Achievement Program (MAP) grants

WALTHAM, Mass. –  The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), a quasi-public agency charged with implementing the state’s 10-year, $1-billion Life Sciences Initiative, announced today the awarding of over $2 million in Milestone Achievement Program (MAP) grants to twelve early-stage life sciences companies.  This is the first round of grants awarded under the newly established MAP program.

The Milestone Achievement Program (MAP) was launched in late 2014 with several goals including filling a gap in the funding environment and empowering early-stage life sciences companies to attract additional outside funding.  The program awards grants between $50,000 and $200,000 to Massachusetts companies in order to perform and complete essential value-creating milestones.

Applicants proposed and outlined the milestones they need to complete in order to further the development of their technology. Fundable milestones could include product development tasks, clinical and regulatory processes, business strategy undertaking, and market validation studies.

“The MLSC’s Milestone Achievement Program provides an excellent opportunity for early-stage companies to grow and develop within Massachusetts’ fast-growing innovation economy,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I congratulate these companies and look forward to their contributions to our thriving life sciences ecosystem.”

“The Center’s Milestone Achievement Program is designed to fill a gap in the availability of funding to help young companies achieve milestones and position them for success in attracting private capital, while further strengthening our life sciences ecosystem here in Massachusetts,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the MLSC. “I congratulate the awardees and look forward to seeing their contributions to our thriving life sciences community.”

The companies that have been authorized to receive MAP grants are as follows:

·         Akita Innovations, Inc. (North Billerica - $168,955)       Product Development   

·         Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Cambridge - $200,000) Product Development

·         Cognition Medical Corp. (Cambridge - $190,000) Product Development

·         Cre8MDI LLC (Chelmsford, $200,000) Product Development

·         Energesis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Cambridge, $200,000) Product Development

·         Extend Biosciences Inc. (Cambridge, $200,000) Business Milestone

·         InsomniSolv, Inc. (Beverly, $83,380) Clinical/Regulatory

·         LayerBio Inc. (Arlington, $200,000) Manufacturing Scale-up

·         MCC Global Laboratories Inc. (Beverly, $200,000) Clinical/Regulatory

·         Micro-Leads Inc. (Boston, $200,000) Product Development

·         PathMaker Neurosystems Inc. (Boston, $200,000) Product Development

·         Platelet BioGenesis Inc. (Chestnut Hill, $200,000) Product Development

“The Center’s Milestone Achievement Program is a wonderful resource for early-stage companies looking to reach their next level of development,” said Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D., former President and CEO of RiboNovix, Inc. and a member of the MLSC’s Scientific Advisory Board. “Through this program, small companies will have a chance to grow and succeed in Massachusetts’ prosperous life sciences industry.”

“Early-stage and milestone funding is critical to the long-term growth of the industry in Massachusetts,” said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio, the life sciences trade association. “We appreciate the commitment from Governor Baker and the MLSC to support companies as they seek the next level of their development and fuel the ecosystem here.”

“The MAP Program provides support to medical device companies at the earliest stage of development,” said Thomas J. Sommer, President of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC). “The grants that were approved today will help device companies move forward with prototype and product development, so that they can bring new technologies to the marketplace and to patients”.

Applications were subjected to a rigorous joint peer review and MLSC Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) review, followed by a question and answer evaluation and an in-depth discussion by the reviewers. Applicants were then further screened by the MLSC’s Investment Sub-Committee of the Board of Directors. Final awards were determined by the MLSC’s Board of Directors.

MAYOR WALSH GRANTS BOSTON YOUTH AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON HOW $1 MILLION WILL BE SPENT

MAYOR WALSH GRANTS BOSTON YOUTH AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON HOW $1 MILLION WILL BE SPENT

BOSTON--Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that young Boston residents can cast a vote this week on how to spend a $1,000,000 of the city’s budget. This is made possible through Youth Lead the Change, a project of the Mayor’s Youth Council.

“Boston is fostering young, talented leaders to create change in our communities that will affect their future and generations to come,” said Mayor Walsh.  “This is a chance for all young people in Boston to have their voices heard and share in the opportunity to shape our neighborhoods.”

Throughout the year, Mayor Walsh held youth forums in neighborhoods across Boston to gather ideas on how to make Boston even better. Teens facilitated these meetings and gathered over 1,500 ideas ranging from policy changes to construction projects. Since then, teens have been busy taking those ideas and working with city staff to craft 10 project proposals that are eligible for capital funding.

This is the second year that young people are voting on how city funds should be allocated. Last year, youth voted to renovate Paris Street Park and American Legion Playground, deliver Chromebooks to three public high schools, construct art walls, and fund a skate-park feasibility study. This year, the ballot includes expansion of Wi-Fi in schools and community centers, water bottle refill stations at parks, bike lane installations, and additional Hubway stations in residential neighborhoods.

“My favorite part about Youth Lead the Change is that it’s entirely youth led, entirely your voice. We get to decide which ideas are on the ballot and where that money goes”, says Shihua Wu, a junior at Boston Latin Academy. “Usually adults do that, but it’s very cool that youth get to decide on that.” In addition to the Mayor’s Youth Council, young people from 24 organizations in Boston collaborated to write the rules and manage this process.

"Youth Lead the Change is the nation's best example of true collaboration between young people and city administration," said Pam Jennings of the Participatory Budgeting Project, a nonprofit leading the development of Participatory Budgeting in North America. "Participatory Budgeting empowers our young leaders to understand how government works while giving them the tools to make informed decisions. We are excited to spread the innovations introduced by Youth Lead the Change, to make democracy better for communities around the world."

"Our mission is to scale up collaboration and decision-making. We envision an era in which large communities can deliberate and brainstorm with one another on important issues with the aid of intelligently designed algorithms and digital communication platforms. We are fortunate to partner with the Boston School District. The forward thinking, the willingness to innovate, and the commitment to inclusive democracy that we see from the city and the district has been a great motivator for our team."  Ashish Goel, Professor at Stanford University, who leads the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team which developed the digital voting tool used for voting.

Boston residents between 12 to 25 years old can go to www.youthleadboston.org to access the online ballot and view ballot locations. Voting is open from May 25 until June 1.  On Friday, May 29 at 5PM, a teen Vote festival will be held at the BCYF Tobin Community Center on Friday, May 29 at 5pm. Voting results will be announced to the public on June 9, 2015 at City Hall.

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES ACTION PLAN TO ENSURE CITY’S FOOD SYSTEM CAN WITHSTAND DISRUPTION

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES ACTION PLAN TO ENSURE CITY’S FOOD SYSTEM CAN WITHSTAND DISRUPTION  

BOSTON – Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released Resilient Food Systems, Resilient Cities: Recommendations for the City of Boston, an action plan to ensure the city’s food system is able to withstand and recover from disruptions and natural disasters. Boston is now the first city of its size to study and assess food system resilience.

“This winter’s historic snowfall showed how much weather can impact daily operations," said Mayor Walsh. "As a City we need to be fully prepared when these storms or other natural disasters occur. With these recommendations, we will be working to prepare our food systems from any disruption.”

Boston has a complex food system of producers, processors, distributors and retailers that feeds more than 645,000 people. More than 100,000 people in Boston are food insecure, living without adequate access to fresh, healthy food. Today’s report will allow Boston to develop a resilient system in which all constituents have access to food, both in their daily lives and in the wake of a natural disaster.

The report was released by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Food Initiatives. The report was funded by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation and the Local Sustainability Matching Fund, a project of the Funder’s Network for Smart Growth and Livable Cities and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The report identifies points of vulnerability in food availability and access that could arise as a result of a natural disaster and created a set of recommendations for implementation.

Five areas for improvement are identified within the report, and focus on strengthening Boston’s food system to ensure that the City is able to return to normal operations following a natural disaster:

1. Greater public-private food system coordination, within Boston and the region;
2. Investment in critical food system infrastructure, including buildings and roads;
3. More national chain grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods;
4. Robust resilience plans for small grocery stores and corner stores; and
5. Expanded capacity and increased efficiency of Boston’s food safety net.

These areas will be improved through a coordinated strategy with lead agencies and organizations including the Office of Food Initiatives, the Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space, Boston Redevelopment Authority, Office of Business Development, Boston Transportation Department and The Greater Boston Food Bank.

Among the report’s recommendations, some include:

• Establishing a food system resilience committee that includes representatives from public and private sector food organizations;
• Developing a “playbook” of best practices in contingency planning and provide technical assistance to support food resilience planning for corner stores;
• Reviewing future development plans for Boston to assess impact on food distribution and retail;
• Incorporating insights from the study to the Go Boston 2030 transportation plan; and
• Developing and disseminating “storm action plan” guidelines for food safety net organizations.

"We are grateful for being included on Boston's Food Resilience Steering Committee and we are excited about the opportunity of furthering our work with the city to implement the ICIC recommendations in order to insure and improve food access for all of the city's residents," said Catherine D'Amato, President and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank.

To view the whole report, please visit: http://www.icic.org/research-and-analysis/resilient-food-systems

MAYOR WALSH, FWD.US, LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS DISCUSS BENEFITS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ACTION ON IMMIGRATION

MAYOR WALSH, FWD.US, LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS DISCUSS BENEFITS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ACTION ON IMMIGRATION

DACA/DAPA Eligible Immigrants, Care.Com CTO Join Mayor to Call for Passage of Legislative Reform

BOSTON - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston-area immigrants, and local business leaders and advocates today discussed the economic and moral benefits of President Obama’s executive action on immigration, while calling on Congress to pass legislative reform without delay. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) will help an estimated five million immigrants and children of immigrants stay in the United States, continue contributing to our economy and create American jobs.

"I want to make it clear that Boston welcomes and supports immigrants; Boston is a city of immigrants, and a city that’s made stronger by immigrants," said Mayor Walsh. "A complete federal legislative solution on immigration has taken too long and the need is too great. I support President Obama’s executive actions and I call on the courts to lift this order and let these sensible actions be implemented."

According to a study by the Center for American Progress, the DACA/DAPA programs could boost wages for eligible immigrants by $103 billion, as well as drive a $230 billion increase in the nation's gross domestic product over the next 10 years. Additionally, given Massachusetts' current share of the U.S. economy, the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that executive action will increase Massachusetts’s GDP by $2.4 to $5.6 billion over the next decade.

“Americans across the country clearly support immigration reform that grows our economy, creates jobs, and allows millions of hardworking immigrants to come out of the shadows and live free of the fear of family separation,” said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us. “President Obama’s executive immigration actions are a critical first step to helping end the deportations which tear families and loved ones apart, while costing our economy billions of dollars. We will continue working every day to help pass a permanent legislative solution to finally fix our country’s terribly broken immigration system.”

“As an eleven-year-old child, I had little comprehension of the challenges that awaited us when my family and I arrived in the United States,” said Cesar Boc, an aspiring lawyer and a 2012 DACA recipient. “My dream was to work hard, attend school, and live a normal life. Yet, my journey in the United State has been a constant struggle to affirm my dignity as a human being in the midst of hostile and inaccessible immigration laws. DACA has made a considerable difference in my life since I now have a job, a driver’s license, and do not have a fear of deportation.”

“We immigrants are honest, hard-working people who have done everything we can do to be part of this community,” said Perla, a mother of two. “We come here in the pursuit of better opportunities that lead to a better quality life. We've been in the shadows for too long without a voice, and I believe that now is the time to speak out. With the President’s executive actions on immigration reform, now is the time to make change.”

“Highly skilled care workers provide essential services that are necessary to growing Massachusetts and the U.S.’ economy, and they deserve the same protections any professional is entitled to, such as overtime and leave,” said Dave Krupinski, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Care.com, and Boston FWD.us Co-chair. “By allowing these smart, hard-working individuals to continue working in our country and contributing to our economy, we are filling a critical need in our labor pool and growing our nation’s economy, while also helping working families find the care they need.”

A federal district court in Texas has issued an order that temporarily blocks the DAPA and expanded DACA programs from being implemented, preventing millions of immigrant families and thousands of Bostonians access to work authorization and relief from deportation. The ruling does not affect current DACA recipients.

The City of Boston's Office of New Bostonians has launched a “Know the Facts” campaign to make sure the City's residents are aware of their eligibility for these actions. This Saturday, May 30, the Office of New Bostonians will host a clinic on eligibility at the Umana Academy in East Boston. Legal Services and other partners will be on hand to give free one-on-one screenings and consultations.

夏星草藥之旅 5/30

Special Plant Journey You are invited to this special Plant Journey event at: SUMMER STAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY Nature Walk Series   on Saturday May 30th Presents  Native Herbalism Workshop  a day with Tommy Priester  Native Herbalism is amazingly inspirational. It's a journey to the Plants and into their world.  We'll meet at 10am.  We sit in Circle, connect in Native based ceremony and then we'll be guided to meet and learn from the plant teacher of the day.  Break for a quick lunch.  We'll then do a live plant walk here on the grounds of SUMMER STAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY. Cost: Free or donations can be made to the Sanctuary. Please RSVP the Sanctuary: info@SummerStarWildlife.org 690 Linden Street, Boylston, MA 01505 508-869-3434 Please arrive a few minutes early. Blessings on your journey, Tommy