of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to Connecticut

Volume 40, 6 /  December 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, I have been reflecting on an eventful year for the Academy and its members. In a period of considerable change and uncertainty for science and engineering, our members' contributions to the Academy and the state have been significant.

Throughout 2025, CASE delivered objective, high-quality support to policymakers and state agencies. The Academy updated the co-chairs of the Public Health Committee on public health topics. CASE initiated a new process for the Technical Boards, with the Energy Technical Board starting with members discussing potential topics of interest for Connecticut policymakers. We launched our Science and Technology Policy Fellowship and increased opportunities for members to share their insights through Academy committees, peer review panels, and public programs. None of this would have been possible without the time and dedication you all contribute.

Looking at the year ahead, CASE members will be presenting at the 2026 Moving Beyond Implications conference next month, speaking on Connecticut’s future in nuclear energy, EV charging, and technological innovation across the state. CASE is engaging with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop a study of on-site wastewater treatment systems as sources of nutrient impacts on Connecticut’s waterbodies. CASE continues to collaborate with legislative leaders to provide our next series of briefings on emerging topics. Additionally, the 2026 New Member Election will start in late January, and we are eager to expand our membership and boost participation so more of Connecticut’s top scientists, engineers, and medical professionals can help shape the Academy’s work.

You are part of a community dedicated to using our collective knowledge to improve the lives of others across Connecticut. On behalf of the Academy, thank you for your time, talents, and commitment. I wish you a joyful holiday season and look forward to the exciting opportunities that 2026 will bring for our Academy and our state.

Warm regards,

Amy R. Howell, President
Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE)
Celebrate, Promote, Inform in Service to Connecticut

Comments about this edition of the Bulletin are welcome via jorszak@ctcase.org.

Anthony Camilliere, CASE’s liaison to state government, to discuss how technical expertise informs smarter policy and why it’s important. Listen, subscribe, and never miss an episode.

To learn more about the
Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, please visit ctcase.org.

Science and Engineering Notes from Around Connecticut

A new method, developed by CASE Member Yi Li, a professor of horticultural plant breeding biotechnology at the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources at UConn, makes transgene-free gene editing even more promising by reducing the drawbacks of traditional gene editing techniques used in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Read more.

Some plants have benefited from easier movement between regions, while others have become problematic when they spread quickly, outcompete native plants, and alter entire ecosystems. To tackle this growing issue, a diverse team of UConn researchers, including CASE Member Michael Willig, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UConn, has created an AI-driven system to predict which plant species are likely to become invasive before they arrive in a new area. Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced that, through the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant program, $838K has been awarded to 21 innovative projects across the state. These initiatives are expected to positively impact more than 58,500 children by increasing access to fresh, locally grown foods and strengthening farm-to-school connections. Read more.

Two Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering Members are among three Connecticut researchers elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for 2025. All three are faculty at the Yale School of Medicine. CASE member Lieping Chen, professor of immunobiology, medical oncology, and dermatology, was recognized for his essential contributions to cancer immunology and immunotherapy that enhance our understanding of how cancers evade immune detection. CASE member Thomas Horvath, Jean and David W. Wallace Professor and chair of the Department of Comparative Medicine, was recognized for his work providing fundamental novel insights into hypothalamic regulation of systemic metabolism and establishing a key role for mitochondrial and neuronal plasticity. Martina Brueckner, professor of pediatrics (cardiology) and of genetics, was recognized for her groundbreaking research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive left-right asymmetry in vertebrates—an essential process behind the asymmetric structure and positioning of our internal organs. Read more.

CASE Member Yajaira Suárez, deputy chair and Anthony N. Brady Professor of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, received the Judah Folkman Award in Vascular Biology from the North American Vascular Biology Organization. The award honors outstanding contributions from vascular biologists at the mid-career stage. Read more.

The discovery of insulin transformed type 1 diabetes from a deadly disease to a manageable, chronic condition. Now, exciting developments by CASE Member Kevan C. Herold, the C.N.H. Long Professor of Immunobiology and Medicine (Endocrinology), along with colleagues, show that preventive treatments and stem cell-based therapies are moving us closer to stopping the disease and achieving insulin independence for people with type 1 diabetes. Read more.

CASE Member Andrew L. Goodman, the C.N.H. Long Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Director of Microbial Sciences Institute at Yale, has been named to the 2025 class of Innovation Fund investigators. Goodman will collaborate with a colleague at Columbia University on interdisciplinary research projects exploring key questions about human biology and disease, testing whether medical drugs and gut microbes can activate antimicrobial peptides in the mammalian gut to reshape the gut microbiome. Read more.

Physicians now spend more than half of their workdays on computers documenting appointments in electronic health records. But AI might help. In a new study, researchers found that using ambient AI scribes—tools that work in the background to document patient visits into structured medical notes—significantly reduced physicians' administrative workload and burnout after just one month of use. Read more.

Alzheimer’s disease is the primary cause of age-related dementia, responsible for 60% to 80% of cases. Evidence shows that Alzheimer’s begins many years before symptoms show—up to 20 years—but there is currently no easy way to test for it during these early, silent stages. Researchers at UConn have created a quick, inexpensive test for Alzheimer’s disease markers, and these methods could eventually be used to diagnose many illnesses rapidly right in the doctor’s office. Read more.

A Yale research team, called the Quantum Laser Across the Sound, led by CASE Member Hong Tang, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to send laser beams from Yale to New York over Long Island Sound to test a type of quantum technology. The project aims to engage the public with the fascinating world of quantum science. As Tang and his fellow researchers stated in their proposal, the idea of quantum particles traveling across Long Island Sound “will incite the public’s curiosity in quantum sciences and help propel the next generation of engineers and scientists.” Read more.

Connecticut’s proposal to the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program received $144 million to expand high-speed internet access throughout the state. This funding, provided by the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration, will support broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption initiatives. Read more.

Connecticut has committed $121 million to QuantumCT to bolster the state’s leadership in the expanding quantum economy through accelerating technology development, workforce training, and commercialization. The funding will support the launch of the QuantumCT incubator, a groundbreaking, fully operational deep-tech hub in New Haven that provides coworking and lab space, along with engineering and materials characterization tools, quantum testbeds, and on-site technical support. Read more.

Connecticut Innovations invested $11.3M in 25 companies and venture funds during the first quarter of its fiscal year, with more than half of the funding, $6.9M, allocated to the healthcare sector, while the rest went to the consumer and technology sectors. Read more.

After four decades, CASE Member William Jorgensen, the Sterling Professor of Chemistry at Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, water simulations continue to make waves as one of the most cited scientific studies of all time – with more than 45,000 citations. Published in 1983, the study has dominated the field of modeling liquid water, with a trail of related work extending into the age of machine learning and supercomputers. Read more.

Southern Connecticut State University has received a $398,176 grant from the National Science Foundation through its Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity program. The three-year award will support the university’s efforts to expand academic-industry partnerships, improve research capacity, and promote workforce development across Connecticut and nearby regions. Read more.

East Hartford Public Schools and the Connecticut Science Center have teamed up to create the STEM Lab, offering elementary students hands-on experience in science, technology, engineering, and math. The first fall session is called Planet Hunters, where students have the opportunity to simulate a real NASA mission. Read more.

State, municipal, and technology industry leaders joined UConn to explore the evolving workforce needs of the state during the University’s second Economic Development Forum on November 13th. CASE Member and UConn President, Radenka Maric, stated that Connecticut is well-positioned to train and supply the workforce necessary to support the growth of these rapidly expanding industries. Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is awarding $7.5M in grants to 18 municipalities and regional organizations through the second round of the Sustainable Materials Management Grant Program. The funding supports municipalities and regional entities to address the waste crisis by implementing various waste diversion and reduction programs to lower solid waste costs. Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is starting an informational process to assess new nuclear capacity in Connecticut. Advanced nuclear reactors, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), fusion systems, and other innovative designs, are drawing significant national interest as a potential source of safe, reliable, dispatchable, carbon-free power. This process will involve stakeholders through a series of informational workshops designed to raise awareness and understanding of current issues and opportunities for new nuclear development. Topics will include advanced reactor technologies, siting considerations, safety, environmental impact, community engagement, workforce development, and fusion technological development. The specific schedule, format, and agendas for these meetings will be posted on DEEP’s Public Notices website, here.

Connecticut is now the 40^th “Agreement State” with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and has oversight of radioactive materials used by more than 100 Connecticut businesses in research, manufacturing, and healthcare. The agreement allows the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to manage licensing, inspection, and enforcement related to radioactive materials in medicine, academia, and industry within the state. Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is implementing extra protections on brook trout after monitoring showed a declining population. As the only trout species native to Connecticut, brook trout depend on cold water to survive and thrive, making them especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Read more.

In a recent interview, CASE Member Megan Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, explains the importance of framing firearm injury as a public health problem, how this will help society find common ground on the issue, and why it will improve interventions. Read more.

Olive oil has been valued for its health benefits in both ancient and modern medicine. At the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health, CASE Member Vasilis Vasiliou, Department Chair and Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, called for further research into the optimal doses of olive oil for specific populations, as well as its long-term effects on diverse groups. He emphasized the need for randomized clinical trials focused on disease-specific outcomes. Read more.

New research by scientists at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Yale used DNA analysis to show that the mosquito that spread yellow fever – Aedes aegypti – originated in Africa and was brought here on slave ships 320 years ago. Read more.

The UConn Quantum Alliance is breaking down disciplinary barriers by bringing together faculty members working in quantum-related fields on one platform to share ideas, collaborate, and pursue interdisciplinary grants. Eighty-three faculty members across 13 departments, who incorporate quantum principles into their research, are working to advance computing, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aerospace, defense, fintech, and energy security. Read more.

Quinnipiac University obtained a patent for the artificial intelligence technology developed by students and faculty, which can facilitate hands-free mobility. Read more.

With plans for an advanced research center at the UConn Tech Park, Connecticut is set to become a hub for the global semiconductor industry, offering on-site manufacturing, technological innovation, and workforce development. This new partnership will accelerate research and commercial use of ultrashort pulsed micro and nanomachining laser technologies being developed at the university. Read more.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected Peraton as the Prime Integrator for the Federal Aviation Administration’s new air traffic control system. With a target completion date of 2029, this comprehensive upgrade aims to reduce outages, enhance efficiency, strengthen safety, and support growth in the nation’s airspace. Read more.

The State of Connecticut is providing nearly $12 million in grants to 17 towns and cities for projects aimed at improving transportation safety and mobility. Awarded through the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Grant Program, the funding will support local infrastructure projects that enhance safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Read more.

Women are 73% more likely to be injured in a head-on car crash and 17% more likely to die in a crash than men. In response, the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced a new crash test dummy design that advocates believe will improve car safety for women. The original dummy was created in 1978, modeled after a 5-foot-9, 171-pound man, while the new female dummy, endorsed by the department, better reflects differences between men and women, including the shapes of the neck, collarbone, pelvis, and legs. Read more.

Connecticut’s Department of Transportation is investing $5.4M to install dozens of direct-current fast chargers for electric vehicles along major highways in the state. Connecticut received $52.5M from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, a federal initiative to add more fast chargers to highways nationwide. Read more.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently chose New York-based STV, a professional services firm that plans, designs, and manages infrastructure projects, to provide engineering and procurement support for MTA’s new battery electric locomotives. The locomotives will be part of a new service that will bring Metro-North’s New Haven Line directly to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. They are among the first battery electric passenger rail vehicles in the United States. Read more.

Federal clean transportation programs have supported $4.6B in investments and created 14,400 jobs in domestic manufacturing, according to a recent report by Atlas Public Policy and the Coalition Helping America Rebuild and Go Electric (CHARGE). Read more.

Items that appear in the In Brief section are compiled from previously
published sources including newspaper accounts and press releases.  

The following is excerpted from press releases and other news reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (nationalacademies.org).

COVID-19 upended societies and economies worldwide, clearly showing the need for all nations to invest in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). At the same time, major drivers of pandemic risk are increasing, and epidemics are happening more often, with greater severity, and with wider potential for global impact. To develop an international strategy to coordinate resources, garner support, and secure political will for PPR financing, the G20 South African Presidency assembled the High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, with the U.S. National Academy of Medicine serving as Secretariat. The resulting report recommends five solutions to improve access to medical countermeasures during public health emergencies and to boost the financing and mobilization of domestic resources for pandemic preparedness. Read more.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) hold the promise of significantly boosting productivity, but many questions remain about how AI might impact jobs and workers. Recent technological breakthroughs have accelerated the development of generative AI systems that create text, images, or other content based on user requests - advances that could either supplement or replace human labor in certain tasks and alter the demand for specific skills in the labor market. This report examines recent AI innovations and their potential effects on economic productivity, the workforce, and education in the United States. It emphasizes that AI is a tool capable of improving human work and generating new kinds of valuable employment - but this is not a certain outcome. Read more.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Immunization Safety Office (ISO) is responsible for studying vaccine risks after they are administered to the public. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ISO played a key role in evaluating vaccine safety. This publication summarizes the review by The National Academies’ expert committee of ISO's statistical and epidemiological methods for monitoring and assessing vaccine risks, including processes to detect, evaluate, and report potential issues related to COVID vaccines. The committee also looked at CDC's external communication strategies and provided recommendations to improve ISO's vaccine risk monitoring and communication systems. Read more.

Cybercrime presents serious threats and financial costs to individuals and businesses in the United States and around the world. Reports of data breaches and ransomware attacks on governments and companies have become common, as have incidents involving individuals (e.g., identity theft, online stalking, and harassment). However, comprehensive, consistent, and reliable data and metrics on cybercrime still do not exist—mainly due to a lack of vital information caused by the decentralized nature of data collection at the national level. This publication addresses the absence of credible cybercrime data and metrics. It offers a taxonomy for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to measure different types of cybercrime, including both cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crimes experienced by individuals and businesses, and discusses the need for periodic updates. Read more.

Early career professionals in STEMM — those entering graduate school or pursuing postdoctoral positions - face diminishing programmatic support, leading to smaller cohort sizes. Amid rising tension and uncertainty, important questions about the role of trainees within the system and their place in a rapidly changing future. This combination of factors has created a landscape that calls for a thorough examination and a fundamental rethinking of the STEMM enterprise, to clarify priorities for reform and progress. This publication highlights the outcomes of a summit convened to examine training and career development for STEMM graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Read more.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the life sciences have the potential to enable advances in biological discovery and design at a faster pace and efficiency than is possible with classical experimental approaches alone. At the same time, AI-enabled biological tools developed for beneficial applications could potentially be misused for harmful purposes. Although the creation of biological weapons is not a new concept or risk, the potential for AI-enabled biological tools to affect this risk has raised concerns during the past decade. This report assesses how AI-enabled biological tools could uniquely impact biosecurity risk, and how advancements in such tools could also be used to mitigate these risks. Read more.

Early relationships are essential for lifelong health, learning, and well-being. Mutual, meaningful, and supportive moments of connection in the youngest relationships promote brain development, resilience, and social-emotional growth. These experiences, called early relational health (ERH), can also lessen the effects of adversity and create pathways for children, families, and communities to thrive. This publication offers evidence-based strategies to advance ERH and highlights practices, policies, and research opportunities to strengthen supportive relationships. It focuses on asset-based approaches, family and community leadership, workforce support, and cross-sector collaboration to enhance ERH across health care, education, and social systems. Read more.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause long-lasting physical, cognitive, and emotional health effects that go beyond the initial event. In March 2025, the National Academies' Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury held a workshop to examine TBI as a chronic condition and find ways to improve lifelong care. Participants reviewed evidence supporting the classification of TBI as a chronic condition, explored the biological mechanisms behind long-term outcomes, and discussed the complex comorbidities that can develop or persist years after injury. Lived experience perspectives shared during the workshop highlighted the human impact of these issues and the need for ongoing, multidisciplinary support for recovery and well-being. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the event. Read more.

Federal tax credits are among the nation's most effective tools for reducing child poverty. Temporary expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 showed how impactful these policies can be, lifting more than 2 million children above the poverty line and indicating that alternative designs could cut child poverty even more. This publication offers a detailed analysis of how these credits operated in 2021, their effects on different groups of children, and the potential trade-offs of long-term policy options. It also provides evidence-based insights for policymakers, funders, researchers, and advocates. The report emphasizes how various credit designs could influence children's well-being, employment incentives, and fiscal costs, and highlights opportunities for future research to support better policy decisions. Read more.

The purpose of the Academy is to "provide guidance to the people and the government of the State of Connecticut... in the application of science and engineering to the economic and social welfare." 

OFFICERS OF THE ACADEMY

Amy R. Howell, President
University of Connecticut

Mike Ambrose, Vice President
MH Ambrose Consulting,
Ambro Enterprises LLC

Tanimu Deleon, Secretary
General Dynamics, Electric Boat

Regis Matzie, Treasurer
RAMatzie Nuclear Technology Consulting, LLC

John Kadow, Past President
Alphina Therapeutics

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jeff Orszak

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Kerry Shea

EDITORS
Leon Pintsov, Executive Editor - Engineering
Pitney Bowes, Inc. (ret.)

Mike Genel, Executive Editor - Medicine
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
Yale University School of Medicine
CASE President, 2008-2010

Carolyn Teschke, Executive Editor - Science
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of Connecticut

COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT
Rebecca Mead, INQ Creative

The Bulletin is published by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Inc, 222 Pitkin Street, Suite 101, East Hartford, Connecticut, 06108. 860.282.4229, jorszak@ctcase.org. To subscribe, visit ctcase.org.

The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering is a private, nonprofit public service organization established by Special Act No. 76-53 of the Connecticut General Assembly.

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