Anthony Verna (CWR '99)
Anthony M. Verna III, Esq., is a member of both the New York and New Jersey bars and recently started his own practice in trademark, copyright and entertainment law in New York City. Check out his blog and read more about his work.
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Ready to Get Smart-er?

Interested in running a marathon, planning the perfect date night or organizing your tweets (for free)? The new Smart magazine is packed with advice for alums from alums that covers these topics and more. Smart offers quick tips for our young alumni on the go. Check out the inaugural issue and let us know what you think.

What's Next for the New CLE Chapter

Just a few months in the making, the new Cleveland Chapter of the Case Western Reserve University Alumni Association is gaining major momentum. In March, the chapter's first official event—an open house and brainstorming session at the beautiful Alumni House—drew more than 100 area alums. "It was a great turnout, especially on a cold day in March," Verespej says. "Event number one is usually the smallest, so having more than 100 people in attendance really says something."

During that first gathering, alumni shared ideas for Cleveland chapter events that they'd like to see. Popular ideas included a monthly engagement series, cause-based service events and social outings to local sporting, arts and dining destinations. Check back often for more Cleveland chapter news and events and contact Jeffrey T. Verespej to find out how you can get involved. [Photo by Katie O'Keefe.]

Case School of Engineering

Professor Develops Cheaper Fuel Cells

Liming Dai, Kent Hale Smith Professor for Case School of Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and his research team have discovered a cheap fuel cell catalyst. Their goal is to ultimately replace costly platinum catalysts with nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution. In addition to being less expensive, the new catalysts—which build on Dai's earlier work with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes—equal the energy output of their more expensive counterparts. Read more.

» More School of Engineering news

College of Arts and Sciences

Senior Awarded Churchill Scholarship

Stephen Fleming, a senior majoring in physics and biochemistry, is one of 14 students from 103 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Churchill Scholarship award, which will enable him to continue his studies at Cambridge University. Read more.

» More Arts and Sciences news
 

Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing

Dean May L. Wykle Featured in New American Academy of Nursing Video

The FPB School of Nursing was a major contributor to a special video produced by the American Academy of Nursing's geropsychiatric collaboration with the John A. Hartford Foundation. It features FPB's own Dean May L. Wykle, who was one of the first nurses to receive an academic award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In the video, she discusses her legacy of research in both gerontology and psychiatric/mental health.

» More School of Nursing news

Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Stereotypes and Teenagers Facing Mental Illnesses

Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences alumnus Derrick Kranke, PhD (SAS '09) researched the other side of the battle for adolescents with mental illnesses—dealing with the stereotypes projected on them by their peers in school. According to Kranke, research shows that 90 percent of participants—youths ages 12 to 17 who took medication for mental illness—experienced some form of stigma. Participants also reported that the attitudes of parents and schools had a substantial impact on their feelings. Read more.

» More MSASS news

School of Dental Medicine

Dental Researchers Join Excavation Team

In September, professor and chairman of the department of orthodontics, Mark Hans, DDS, MSD (DEN '79, '81), will travel with a team of researchers and students to Manot, Israel, to study the craniofacial formation of our ancestors. The focus of their research is a skull—found in a cave that's been sealed for 20,000 years. Read more about this fascinating discovery.

» More Dental Medicine news | Event listings

School of Law

Law Clinic Students Obtain $1.12 Million Verdict for Client

School of Law students in the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic recently obtained a jury verdict of $1.12 million in favor of their clients—a family victimized by a fraudulent home-repair and financing scheme. The students tried their damages case to a jury on February 10, 2011, in the courtroom of Cuyahoga County Visiting Judge John E. Corrigan. This verdict was the largest in the clinic's history and included compensatory damages, treble damages under the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act and punitive damages.

Current third-year students Brant DiChiera and Jennifer Hadley represented the client. DiChiera explained how it felt to hear the verdict read: "As Judge Corrigan read the verdict, I realized the jury gave us the full amount for which we asked. In fact, they gave one of our clients $9,000 more. It was a complete adrenaline rush. Absolutely thrilling." Read more.

» More School of Law news | Event listings

School of Medicine

Researchers Identify New Biomarker for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Neena Singh, MD, PhD and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified the first disease-specific biomarker for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a universally fatal, degenerative brain disease for which there is no cure. sCJD is one of the causes of dementia and typically leads to death within a year of disease onset.

The finding, published in the March 9 issue of PLoS ONE, a scientific journal produced by the Public Library of Science, provides a basis for developing a test to diagnose sCJD while patients are still alive. Presently, the only definitive diagnostic test for the disease requires brain tissue be obtained by biopsy or after death. Read more.

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Weatherhead School of Management

Turning Designs Into Businesses

For the third consecutive year the Weatherhead School of Management will host the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Spring Design Show, held April 19–21. The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) Spring Design Show features the work of more than 100 industrial, interior, and communication design students, and displays hundreds of ideas that represent the seeds of future business ventures. Read more.

» More Weatherhead School of
Management news