Digging into Biotechnology  |  ​By Christina Levere for Southern Connecticut State University

Students enrolled in biotechnology — applied molecular and cellular biology — at Southern Connecticut State University get their hands dirty. No, really. Part of the required learning for the B.S. in biotechnology is to dig in the dirt. [Read complete article]

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Escape to Sunapee, NH  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

Sunapee, an Algonquian Indian word meaning “Goose Lake,” may just be one of southwestern New Hampshire's best kept secrets. The idyllic town is home to Mount Sunapee, which offers hiking, skiing and more, and Lake Sunapee, a 10-mile long sparkling body of water that stretches through Sunapee, New London and Newbury. [Read complete article]

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Food Pantry Changing the Conversation About Success  |  ​By Christina Levere for Southern Connecticut State University

The numbers can be disheartening. More than 30 percent of students at Southern Connecticut State University are food insecure.  And nearly 80 percent of students at Southern rely on jobs to provide for their basic needs yet many are still coming up short. [Read complete article]

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Make your own rustic grapevine tree  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

If you aren’t particularly crafty but aspire to make something for the holidays that turns out halfway decent, grapevine can be a great place to start, mainly because it’s so forgiving. Unlike other materials, you can bend it, snap it, twist it and, if it doesn’t come out the way you want, no one will know it is a redo. [Read complete article]

 

Look beyond the wall  |  ​By Christina Levere for Southern Connecticut State University

Nancy Green is no stranger to dark times, but as the 56-year-old graduating senior at Southern Connecticut State University lay in a hospital bed this March, deathly sick with the coronavirus, she had a thought she’d never had before. [Read complete article]

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"Queen of Quotes" Inspires Daughters With Degree  |  ​By Christina Levere for Gateway Community College

Barnetta Haywood’s daughters call her the “queen of quotes” and for good reason. Haywood, who graduates from Gateway Community College this June with an associate’s degree, can’t help but share inspirational maxims, even in casual conversation, because, as she puts it, she “lives through affirmations.” [Read complete article]

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A textural study — and lesson  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

When Tekla Zweir made her first coral sculpture, she sat back, looked at it and thought, “I have to make another. When I start creating something I think in series,” Zweir said. “I get curious. It comes from working in the classroom — kids are curious, and I am too.” [Read complete article]

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Sweet, sticky and good for you, too  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

Maple syrup is a growing business in Connecticut — and may have some real health benefits

Chances are you like to drown your pancakes in a sea of pure maple syrup. But have you thought of using your maple syrup in other ways, such as to sweeten your coffee? Or perhaps as an ingredient in your facial mask? [Read complete article]

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Students’ research aims to shore up eroding beaches  |  ​By Christina Levere for Southern Connecticut State University

Summer is finally here, and that means heading to Connecticut’s coast to splash in the waves and sunbathe on the beach. But you may want to go right now. According to analysis conducted by Brooke Mercaldi and Lauren Brideau, juniors at Southern and paid researchers for Southern’s Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies (WCCMS), those miles of beach are quickly shrinking, and unless the state changes the way it handles coastline management, they won’t be back any time soon. [Read complete article]

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ECPAA Jazz Festival: Cultivating a crowd  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

The folks at the Eastern Connecticut Performing Arts Association (ECPAA), a non-profit arts organization composed of performers, artists and prominent local business people, had been steadily plugging along since its 2011 inception, putting on small shows like plays and musical performances for locals and garnering favorable support when, in 2017, an idea popped into their heads: Why not put together a jazz festival? [Read complete article]

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Bringing different worlds to light  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist.” While one child’s adolescent artwork may merely be fridge friendly, another’s early artistic attempts can be evidence of a true gift; with those gifted few, the right mix of instruction and circumstance can turn all of those hours happily spent painting or drawing into a promising and lucrative career. [Read complete article]

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​The science of the very small  |  ​By Christina Levere for Southern Connecticut State University

If you are not familiar with a nanometer, it might be hard to imagine just how small it is (for reference: there are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch, and a fingernail grows 1 nm per second). It might be harder still to imagine just how important it is. [Read complete article]

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Couple Have a place to heal, and to create  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

On a shingle on the house that Meb Boden and her husband Tom Viaciulis built in Woodstock they wrote, in red marker, “Enjoy the process.” Says Boden, “That is our philosophy for our lives together.” [Read complete article]

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He Drew His Destiny  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

When Normand Chartier, 73, talks about the moment that changed the course of his life, he pauses a moment, which isn’t that surprising — what is surprising is that he isn’t wistful for what might have been, he’s wistful for what might not have been: a fulfilling and fruitful career in art that has spanned decades and earned him fame in the form of accolades, awards and dedicated museum space. [Read complete article]

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Colleagues, friends, family — forever. Backus nursing alumnae celebrate 110 years of
camaraderie  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

It’s been nine years since the Alumnae Association of the Backus School of Nursing celebrated its 101st anniversary at its annual meeting, but Madelyn Lyman still gets emotional when she recalls the event.  [Read complete article]

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A Growing Tradition: Sterling's Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm sells more than just  turkeys |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

Let's be honest. November isn't a great time of year to be a turkey. Unless you’re one of the lucky birds strutting in the grass, basking in the sunshine and gobbling with your buddies — all 4,000 of them — at Sterling's Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm. [Read complete article]

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Down to Business: Rings and Things  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

One word comes to mind when you walk through the door of Rings and Things in downtown Colchester: inviting. The smell of lavender, citrus and honeysuckle wafts through the air. Glass blown ornaments, hand-painted pottery, pretty trinkets and silver jewelry gleam from the shelves. [Read complete article]

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10 Scenic Spots to Visit in Norwich  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

A picturesque day of play is at your fingertips — and it won't cost you much. If you haven't visited these off-the-beaten path spots, you're missing out.

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Marching to success: Norwich St. Patrick’s Day Parade |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

It started as a casual conversation — a “Wouldn’t it be great?” type supposition. The “if” was this: Wouldn’t it be great if there were a St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Norwich. Five years later, the hypothetical parade is anything but.  [Read complete article]

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​A Seasoned Palette  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine​

The background of Jerry Weiss's childhood was rich with drawings, paintings, comic strips and illustrations crafted by famous artists who worked during the Golden Age of American Illustration, a period from 1880-1920 known for excellence in book and magazine illustration.  [Read complete article]

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​One Foot in Front of the Other: Rose City Walkers Are Out All Year Around  |  ​By Christina Levere for Norwich Magazine

The tone of the Rose City Walkers’ description on the city’s recreation website — “It’s good for you! Meets at 5 p.m. Sharp!” — tells you everything you need to know about the group’s leader, Irene Wirhol. She’s a motivator, a headcounter and though it’s not an official rule, the group hasn’t walked without her in the six years she’s been at the helm. [Read complete article]

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