Tanning Beds in Gyms Is Concerning Trend, UConn Study Finds

"By pairing exercise with tanning beds, gyms send the message that tanning is part of a healthy lifestyle. It is not," according to University of Connecticut researcher Sherry Pagoto in a study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology. Pagoto is a professor of allied health sciences and president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.  “The presence of tanning beds in gyms is a concerning trend.” Pagoto and her colleagues surveyed more than 600 people who had used a tanning bed at least once in their life. Nearly one-quarter (24%) had tanned in a gym at least once, the findings showed.  Those who had tanned at a gym tended to be heavier tanners overall, and were more likely to be what the researchers called "addictive" tanners.

Nearly half the gyms in the U.S. contain tanning beds.  Two of the largest American gym chains (Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness) with total combined membership of more than 13 million people offer indoor tanning, the study pointed out.  Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness each have 26 Connecticut locations.

Exercise and tanning are both activities people use to improve their appearance; and people who tan in gyms tan more often – and more addictively – than other people who use tanning beds, according to the study. Exercise reduces the risk of every cancer except one – melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. People who exercise heavily are at greater risk of skin cancer, and yet many gyms in the U.S. have tanning beds. In other words, tanning beds in gyms are targeting people who are already at higher risk of skin cancer, UConn Today explained recently in highlighting the study.

“Exercise and tanning are both things people use to look better, which may be why we see a connection between these two behaviors, and why gyms are providing tanning beds to patrons,” Pagoto said.

The study also found that greater tanning was associated with more frequent exercise, which is especially concerning, because of the connection between heavy exercise and skin cancer risk. Researchers don’t know why exercise is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. But they do know that the majority of skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light, which is what tanning beds produce.

Ongoing, occasional use of tanning beds triples a person’s lifelong risk of melanoma, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation, and the incidence of skin cancer has been rising for 30 years in the U.S. About 91,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2018, and about 9,000 will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Indoor tanning is the same class of carcinogen as tobacco, radon, and arsenic,” says Pagoto. “Those are not things you’d want around you while you’re working out.”

Pagoto is also Director of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist her research focuses on leveraging technology in the development and delivery of behavioral interventions targeting diet, physical activity, and cancer prevention behaviors. She has had federal funding for her program of research for 14 consecutive years, totaling over $11 million, and has published over 170 papers in peer-reviewed journals, according to the UConn website.

Among the statements from survey respondents: “My urges to indoor tan keep getting stronger if I don’t indoor tan,” and “at times, I have used money intended for bills to pay for my tanning sessions.”

Pagoto was joined in the study by researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Lincoln memorial University in Tennessee, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Pennsylvania State University and East Tennessee State university.  The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Nuclear Attack on NYC Could Impact CT, Report Suggests

The illustration in a recent edition of New York magazine has drawn some attention in Connecticut.  Accompanying an article describing the anticipated aftermath in the tri-state region of a nuclear attack on New York City, the potential path of nuclear fall-out was shown to extend through Connecticut towns including Greenwich, Stamford, Wilton and others, reaching as far north as the town of Monroe. Within two hours of an attack on Times Square, the article described, a plume of radioactive fallout would “unfurl 60 miles beyond the city, lingering for weeks, contaminating food and water supplies.”

The article explains that “In the hours and days after a nuclear blast, a massive plume of fallout would unfurl past the city’s borders and up the Eastern Seaboard, scattering radioactive dust on everything in its path: people, homes, farms, animals, forests, rivers. The most radioactive region of the plume would reach its full length of 20 miles an hour after the explosion, exposing every unsheltered person in the area to toxic levels of radiation; if it were to spread north from Times Square, it would reach as far as New Rochelle. Within a day, this danger zone would shrink to about a mile in length. Within a week, it would have dissipated completely.

A much bigger but less radioactive region of the plume, called the hot zone, would reach its maximum length of 60 miles — extending, say, as far north as Monroe, Connecticut — two hours after the explosion. A week later, the hot zone would still extend 20 miles from the city, and it would take many more weeks for it to disappear altogether. Although radioactivity in the hot zone would likely be too weak to cause any acute symptoms of radiation sickness, it could still subtly damage the human body and increase the chance of cancer.

How far and in what direction a plume of fallout travels depends on the altitude of the mushroom cloud, as well as temperature, wind, and other meteorological variables. Within an hour of an explosion, FEMA’s Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center would begin to track the plume’s movement, providing updates and projections to federal, state, and local authorities. They would use the information to evacuate people in the opposite direction of the plume and warn people in the plume’s path to seek shelter and avoid consuming any exposed water or food.”

Nearly a decade ago, a New York Times story on the subject included this:  Suppose the unthinkable happened…Do not flee. Get inside any stable building and don’t come out till officials say it’s safe.”  That advice, the Times indicated, was “based on recent scientific analyses showing that a nuclear attack is much more survivable if you immediately shield yourself from the lethal radiation that follows a blast, a simple tactic seen as saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Even staying in a car, the studies show, would reduce casualties by more than 50 percent; hunkering down in a basement would be better by far.”

“We have to get past the mental block that says it’s too terrible to think about,” W. Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the time, told the Times. “We have to be ready to deal with it” and help people learn how to “best protect themselves.”

Connecticut's state website focuses on nuclear preparedness related to an emergency at a nuclear power plant in the state.  The Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security site indicates "While the Dominion Energy- Millstone Station in Waterford is the main focus of emergency planning in Connecticut, the fuel storage site at the former Connecticut Yankee site in Haddam, CT and the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, New York, are also included in Connecticut's radiological emergency preparedness and response program."

Communities near those sites are linked, and a calendar of upcoming training is provided.  The United Way also provides information related to evacuation and taking shelter on the agency's website. New Haven conducted an exercise of their host community reception center to prepare for the unlikely event of a nuclear release at the Millstone power plant in 2015; video here:  https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/109671

(New York magazine illustration)

K-12 School District Regionalization May Do More Harm Than Good, Analysis Reveals

“Generalizations about regionalization oversimplify a complex topic,” according to a new report on K-12 School District Regionalization in Greater Hartford, which warns that “K-12 regionalization can actually increase costs and harm educational outcomes.” As some school districts in Connecticut have been considering regionalizing their K-12 education services as a way to reduce costs, the 23-page report prepared for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving raises some red flags, noting that “policies that call for wholesale regionalization based on imposed criteria (e.g., minimum/maximum number of students) can have unpredictable, and often adverse, consequences.”

In an effort to get a clearer understanding of the potential educational and community impacts of school and district regionalization, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving sponsored the comprehensive analysis to help inform those efforts gathering data on what is known about the effects of K-12 regionalization on education expenditures and educational achievement, based on recent empirical studies.

“The Hartford Foundation is committed to the availability of high-quality, impartial research,” said Scott Gaul, the Hartford Foundation’s Director of Research and Evaluation. “As policymakers continue to consider strategies to reduce the costs of government, the issue of regionalizing services continues to draw attention. This research is intended to provide a clearer picture on the potential benefits and challenges of regionalizing school districts in an effort to support a shared understanding and to support informed decision-making.”

K-12 regionalization generally includes combining school districts, boards of education, and central office staff. This can result in closing schools, eliminating teaching positions, reducing administrative staff, and increasing student-to-teacher ratios, among other consequences, according to the report.  Connecticut, like other New England states, relies mainly on municipalities to provide government services, including K-12 education, to its residents.  In 2017, there were 196 public school districts including town districts, charter school districts, regional districts, and regional education service center districts.

The review of the research, conducted by Connecticut-based Rodriguez Data Solutions, points out that policymakers often promote K-12 regionalization as a way to achieve cost savings, but often fail to consider the consequences for student educational achievement. The report reviewed initiatives to promote K-12 regionalization in several states including Connecticut, Maine, New York and Vermont.  Among the findings:

• While there is no definitive answer on optimum school size, research on Connecticut suggests that a district with 2,500 to 3,000 students may be both cost-effective and foster educational achievement. This roughly matches the range suggested in research from other locations. In at-risk communities, research suggests that elementary school enrollment should not exceed 300 students, and high school enrollment should not exceed 500.
• In rural communities, closing a town’s school can cause the social fabric of a community to unravel. Research also suggests that “impoverished regions often benefit from smaller schools and districts and they can suffer irreversible damage if consolidation occurs.”
• The literature review suggests that deconsolidation of large school districts be considered as an option for cost savings.  In Connecticut, it is estimated that the total savings from the 129 smallest school districts would match the combined equivalent per-pupil savings from the three largest school districts.  Consequently, a significant reduction in statewide education costs requires reducing per-pupil spending in urban areas, not just in small rural districts.

Researchers found that “regionalization may lead to diseconomies of scale resulting from: higher transportation expenses because of longer bus routes, overall increases (leveling up) in staff salaries because of seniority and/or contract renegotiation, and increases in the number of mid-level administrators and administrative support staff.”

Warning of the perils of large, consolidated schools, the report also included the finding that “Students who are involved in extracurricular activities (e.g., band, sports, clubs) have higher graduation rates and it is widely accepted that participation in extracurricular activities decreases as enrollment increases.”

The report also provides a cautionary tale regarding demographics and the impact of school closing decisions:  “While it seems apparent that the closing of school buildings will reduce costs, savings are limited because there may not be buyers, and the facilities still must be maintained by the school district. In already struggling neighborhoods, these now empty school buildings (with boarded windows)

contribute to a downward economic spiral by attracting scavenging, dumping, drug users, and graffiti. The neighborhood children who previously attended the now closed school are then exposed to an increase in crime resulting from the blighted property.”

“Connecticut’s Black and Hispanic children,” the report adds, “are already disproportionately overexposed to crime in their neighborhoods.”

In addition, the report explains, “Students from advantaged (i.e., high socioeconomic status) households have similar educational achievement in both small and large schools. However, the situation is much different for students from low-income communities for whom “… smaller [school] size mediates the association between

socioeconomic status and achievement.” The potential for high educational achievement diminishes for at-risk students when they attend large schools that are disconnected from their communities.”

The report also included an update on the state’s student population.  From 2010-2011 to 2016-2017, the state’s public school enrollment dropped by 25,606 students – a decline in enrollment of 4.5 percent. The analysis found that “most Connecticut school districts have declining enrollments and it is more prevalent in rural areas.”

The report also cited a survey of Vermont voters, who expressed preferences for saving money and maintaining local control of local schools. “Vermont voters had not grasped that saving money may inherently include loss of local control,” the report indicated, concluding that “Vermont voters had conflicting goals, which could also be expected from Connecticut voters.”

Community College Manufacturing Program Continues to Expand

Tunxis Community College in Farmington is establishing Connecticut’s eighth advanced manufacturing education programme as employers struggle to keep up with demand for workers. Brian J. Fries, president of Atlantic Precision Spring Inc., a Bristol-based metal-stamping manufacturer, said the college training program, set to launch in August, can’t come soon enough.

“The last thing I need is to have jobs and not have personnel,” he said following a meeting of employers and state education officials at Tunxis in Farmington.

Jim Lombella, president of Asnuntuck and Tunxis community colleges, said he receives phone calls daily “from employers looking for skilled workers.”

Connecticut is benefiting from rising demand for commercial and military jet engines, submarines and helicopters. However, thousands of manufacturers in the state are scrambling to hire qualified workers to keep up with production and fill jobs left vacant by retiring baby boomers.

More than 13,600 manufacturing workers — machinists, welders, tool and die makers and others — are needed, according to a survey by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

The state currently operates advanced manufacturing programs at Asnuntuck, Housatonic, Manchester, Middlesex, Naugatuck Valley, Quinnebaug Valley and Three Rivers community colleges.

“Now we have an opportunity to build on that at Tunxis,” Mark Ojakian, president of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, said at the meeting.

Many central Connecticut manufacturing industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense and medical equipment, are expected to also benefit. The Tunxis program is close to what Ojakian called a “ripe market for manufacturing” in Bristol, Hartford, New Britain, Newington, Plymouth and Southington.

It will offer associate degrees in manufacturing and machine technology. It also will offer certificates in machine technology and manufacturing electro-mechanical maintenance technology.

The program, accommodating 30 to 50 students, will provide course work that meets the needs of manufacturers and avoids a “disconnect between employers in the region and programs on campus,” Ojakian said.

Citing the state’s fiscal troubles, he asked business representatives to lobby the General Assembly for funding for the advanced manufacturing centers.

“We cannot scale this without additional support,” he said.

Lombella said the initial cost will be $700,000 for laboratory equipment, renovation and other requirements. But, he said, there will be a funding gap between the $16,000 it costs the college to educate each student and tuition of $8,500.

___________________

This article first appeared in The Gulf Today, a 36-page English-language daily newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates.

Engineering Entrepreneurship Leads Three CT Institutions to Collaborate in Masters Program

The latest effort to attract talented entrepreneurs from around the world to the state of Connecticut is a new partnership between the University of Connecticut, Trinity College and the University of New Haven, launching a joint Master’s of Engineering in Global Entrepreneurship. It is the first engineering-focused entrepreneurial graduate degree in the state.

The new master’s degree program aims to create what officials describe as “a nurturing ecosystem” to enable novice entrepreneurs to learn best practices, receive mentorship from veteran entrepreneurs, and be “set-up for success.”

The program, which is fully funded, will recruit individuals from all over the world who are in the early stages of developing start-ups, or who have shown an impressive penchant for entrepreneurship, to apply to the program. Accepted students will receive full tuition remission, a yearly stipend, and significant other resources to help them commercialize their ventures.

“This program, and its related initiatives, will be a major step towards bringing in the best and the brightest from all over the world, giving them the tools they need, and turning them into major entrepreneurial advocates for the state of Connecticut,” said UConn associate dean of engineering Mei Wei. “If we can bring them in early, train them, and open up doors toward commercialization, then we can literally help create start-ups from scratch, and help them to grow roots in this state.”

Similar programs are being offered by universities across the country, including at Brown, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova.  Some include a focus at the undergraduate and graduate levels, while others are certificate, rather than degree, programs. Support for the Connecticut program comes from CTNext, with a funding match from UConn’s Schools of Engineering and Business, Trinity College, and the University of New Haven.

Kazem Kazerounian, dean of UConn’s School of Engineering, says it is essential to spread the net wide when recruiting in order to bring in the most talented students, regardless of their state or country of origin, in the same way student-athletes are recruited. “We have to search nationally and internationally to assemble the best possible collection of talent.”

John Elliott, dean of the School of Business, says that creating more entrepreneurial programs in a wider variety of academic concentrations will have a significant impact on Connecticut’s economic future.

“At the School of Business, we have a tremendous opportunity to help other entrepreneurs, in the sciences, engineering, medicine, and other specialties, to develop the business knowledge and meet the mentors and advisers who can help them take a great idea and bring it to the marketplace.

The three institutions will work during the next few months to develop the curriculum, establish an advisory board, create a virtual inter-institutional platform, and plan to start recruiting for the first cohort of students. All three institutions have a lengthy pedigree in engineering, and effective programs to advance entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level.  UNH offers the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), focused on fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students.  Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney has described engineering, entrepreneurship and innovation as part of the college’s DNA.

The program is being co-led by David Noble, professor-in-residence in management, director of the Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and co-director of the UConn Entrepreneurship and Innovation Consortium; Hadi Bozorgmanesh, professor of practice in engineering entrepreneurship and co-director of the UConn Entrepreneurship and Innovation Consortium; Sonia Cardenas, dean of academic affairs and strategic initiatives at Trinity College; and Ron Harichandran, dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering at the University of New Haven.

Report: Connecticut's Medicaid Expansion Increased Coverage, Access to Preventive Care and Behavioral Health Treatment

A recently issued report found that emergency department visits are down; coverage seen as critical in fight against opioids has expanded, and preventative care and mental health care have become more prevalent – all resulting from a 2010 policy decision made by Connecticut’s elected officials to expand Medicaid coverage. That decision, made collaboratively by a Republican Governor (M. Jodi Rell) and Democratic-controlled legislature – helped to reduce Connecticut’s uninsured rate from 9.1 percent in 2010 to 4.9 percent in 2016 and created a significant source of coverage for preventive health services and behavioral health care, according to the report developed by the Connecticut Health Foundation.

The report examines the impact of HUSKY D, as the Medicaid expansion is known, and highlights a number of key findings:

• Most people covered by HUSKY D are using their insurance to get care. Just over 80 percent of people with HUSKY D used the coverage for preventive or outpatient health services in 2016.
• Emergency department usage among HUSKY D members is down significantly. The rate of emergency department visits fell by 36 percent from 2012 to 2016.
• HUSKY D is a significant source of coverage for behavioral health care. In 2016, more than one in three HUSKY D members – 36 percent – used their coverage to get care for a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
• Outcomes have improved for diabetes patients with HUSKY D. A review of more than 500 HUSKY D members with diabetes found that the percentage whose blood glucose was under control rose from 31 percent to 50 percent from 2012 to 2016.

The report also examines the role HUSKY D plays in other policy work in the state, including addressing the opioid crisis and helping those leaving prison get medical and behavioral health treatment when they return to society. The report notes that before HUSKY D, individuals with substance use disorders were generally not eligible for Medicaid, creating a major barrier to treatment.

“Health insurance coverage is a critical first step to health, but it is also important to ensure that people are able to use that coverage to get care, and for that care to make a difference in people’s health,” said Patricia Baker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “This research underscores the importance of HUSKY D in giving low-income state residents the tools to take care of their health.”

HUSKY D covers adults ages 19 to 64 who do not have minor children and whose income falls below 138 percent of the poverty level – the equivalent of $16,643 for an individual. (For comparison purposes, a person working 30 hours per week at Connecticut’s minimum wage – $10.10 per hour – would earn $15,756 in a year, the report indicates.)

The report concluded that “nearly eight years after Connecticut expanded HUSKY to cover more low-income adults, HUSKY D has made a significant impact on the state’s uninsured rate and the lives of thousands of people. The majority of those covered are using this insurance to get preventive care, and the rate of emergency department usage has declined, a promising trend.”

The report also notes that the federal government has “financed more than 90 percent of the cost of the program, allowing Connecticut to cover more than 200,000 people with a relatively small budgetary impact.” Currently, the federal government pays 94 percent of the cost of coverage and the state pays 6 percent. The report also identifies challenges associated with HUSKY D, including concerns raised by health care providers about Medicaid payment rates and uncertainty in federal funding.

The report’s analysis indicates that HUSKY D enrollees live in every city and town in Connecticut.  The largest number of covered individuals live in Hartford (18,404), Bridgeport (16,330), New Haven (15,583), Waterbury (13,989), New Britain (8,439) and Stamford (6,110).

The Connecticut Health Foundation is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving lives by changing health systems. Since it was established in 1999, the foundation has supported innovative grantmaking, public policy research, technical assistance, and convening stakeholders to achieve its mission – to improve the health of the people of Connecticut. Since its creation, the Connecticut Health Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $60 million in 45 cities and towns throughout the state.

Dangers of Distracted Driving Focus of New Documentary Produced in CT

A decade ago, local producer/director/writer Jennifer Boyd’s documentary Teens Behind the Wheel brought an EMMY Award and generated impactful airing on Connecticut Public Television and PBS, along with much discussion on news programs and increased awareness at driving schools across the country.  Well, it’s a decade later, and technology has provided the foundation for a sequel that is, in many ways, more troubling than the original. 3 Seconds Behind the Wheel, which debuts on Connecticut Public on Thursday evening, is a new documentary and podcast series that follows the lives of eight drivers over six months using in-car cameras and tracking technology to expose the often-hidden behavior of distracted drivers.

The documentary is scheduled for national release in this fall.  It has been described as a “window into our own lives,” by its realistic depiction of the pervasiveness – and dangers - of districted driving.

Why three seconds? That is the amount of time it takes to send a text message, choose a song, or engage in other activities that can impact safe driving behavior. That is also how long it takes to drive across a football field.

Producers gathered weekly data from subjects in Florida and Connecticut to get an honest picture of the many activities drawing drivers’ attention off the task of driving. Experts from MIT, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Safety Track, and the University of Connecticut provided monitoring equipment, data storage, and expert analysis. The production took well over a year to complete.

The film also gives audiences a firsthand look at emerging technologies that could one day offer solutions to rising crash statistics. The documentary follows researchers at Google who are using driving simulators to develop next-generation in-car infotainment systems, and explores how one Swedish company is experimenting with technology that could one day allow cars to understand human feelings and make driving decisions based on individual needs.

“While many of these drivers’ habits will shock you, this is a very honest and intimate look at human nature,” said Jennifer Boyd, producer, director and writer of 3 Seconds Behind the Wheel. “And it provides a little insight into some truths about all of us.”

State DOT Commissioner James Redeker noted that distracted driving is a major contributor to crashes and deaths on highways.  Officials also noted that “it only takes three seconds to take a life or to end your own.”

Over the past 20 years, Boyd has produced public television documentaries on topics ranging from climate change to gun control, and she's won 9 Emmy Awards for that work.  Assisting her on the latest project were Catherine Sager, Senior Producer/Corporate Liaison; Cecilia Prestamo, Video Editor/Producer and Script Supervisor; Paul Smith, Director of Photography; and Tom Nelson, Editor. Nancy Bauer, Connecticut Public’s Vice President Sales/Corporate Support, is credited a being a driving force in the decision to research and produce the documentary.

3 Seconds Behind the Wheel premieres Thursday, June 21 at 8 p.m. on Connecticut Public Television and will rebroadcast Tuesday, July 17 at 10 p.m. and Saturday, September 15 at 7 p.m. More information about 3 Seconds Behind the Wheel can be found at 3seconds.org. Funding for 3 Seconds Behind the Wheel is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Travelers with additional support from General Motors and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

US DOT Looks to Future of Transportation Infrastructure, Taps College Consortium Including UConn for $14.2 Million Initiative

Connecticut’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure, and the lack of sufficient funding to make needed improvements, have been in the news often in recent months.  While not an immediate solution to pressing challenges, an announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation may provide encouragement for those seeking longer-term remedies. The U.S. DOT has selected the University of Maine to lead the creation of a highly competitive University Transportation Center (UTC), to focus on “improving the curability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure.”

The initiative, to include the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, will be called the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC). TIDC aims to help save taxpayer dollars by extending the life of transportation assets, including bridges, roads and rail.

The U.S. DOT will provide as much as $14.2 million over five years for the UMaine-led coalition including UConn, University of Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Vermont, and Western New England University.

Additional partners include representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), Vermont Agency of Transportation, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT), Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Transportation and Development Institute.

“Along with our partners from all New England states, we look forward to leading research to extend the life of existing bridges, construct longer-lasting assets, and reduce costs for the DOT and the public,” said Dr. Habib Dagher, founding executive director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center, and center director of the newly formed TIDC Center.

Officials explain that working with state DOTs, the new TIDC will seek to identify new materials and technologies that maximize the impact of transportation infrastructure investments. The center will work along four pathways:

1. develop improved road and bridge monitoring and assessment tools;
2. develop better ways to strengthen existing bridges to extend their life;
3. use new materials and systems to build longer-lasting new bridges and accelerate construction; and
4. use new connectivity tools to enhance asset and performance management while promoting workforce development, the release said.

According to the U.S. DOT, each University Transportation Center is a consortium of two- and four-year colleges and universities that come together to form a unique center of transportation excellence on a specific research topic.

“Together, they advance U.S. technology and expertise in the many disciplines comprising transportation through education, solutions-oriented research and technology transfer, and the exploration and sharing of cutting-edge ideas and approaches,” USDOT explains.

The U.S. DOT invests in the future of transportation through its University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, which awards and administers grants to consortia of colleges and universities across the United States.  In the Northeast, other consortia with the same policy focus include a 9-institution UTC led by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and a 6-institution group led by Pennsylvania State University.

Other groupings include a 10-institution consortium led by the University of Florida devoted to reducing congestion; a 6-institution effort to promote safety led by the University of Michigan and a 8-institution initiative to improve mobility of people and goods coordinated by the University of Southern California.

The newly announced TIDC will harness the experience of 28 faculty researchers, including a team of five engineering faculty members from UConn, led by Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Professor Ramesh B. Malla, and will train 280 student researchers from all New England states. It will focus on real infrastructure needs identified by DOT partners, and prioritize extending the life of existing transportation assets to ensure cost-effectiveness.

“As a regional and national leader in transportation-related research, UMaine is prepared and ready to take on this work,” said U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine. “The creation of this new center will allow the university to expand its efforts to tackle the infrastructure problems facing communities not just in Maine, but across the country. This project has the potential to save taxpayer money and improve quality of life.”

“We are eager to partner with this program to support research that will offer new technologies and techniques that ensure taxpayer investments continue to be maximized while also extending the lifespan of our investments,” said Maine DOT Commissioner David Bernhardt.  Officials noted that member universities of the new TIDC have an extensive record of accomplishments in transportation infrastructure research, education and technology transfer.

New England’s transportation infrastructure faces unique challenges due to harsh winter weather and short construction seasons. According to ASCE, Nearly 30 percent of New England roads are rated in poor condition which, on average, costs each motorist $584 annually in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs. Nationally, driving on roads in need of repair costs U.S. motorists $120.5 billion.

Since 1987, the UTC program has advanced transportation research and technology at colleges and universities across the country. Every five years, academic institutions nationwide compete to form their region’s UTC.

Fiscal Commission’s Work is Done (Technically), But Members Aren’t Going Away

They may be disbanded, but they’re sticking together – driven by a belief that the state’s future hangs in the balance. The Connecticut Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, a panel of primarily state business leaders appointed by the state legislature and Governor last year to help the state grapple with its ongoing fiscal challenges, went out of existence on March 1 when they issued a comprehensive 119-page report following three months of public hearings and deliberations. 

Nonetheless, the 14 members, mostly prominent business leaders, continue to seek opportunities to discuss their recommendations in public forums, regularly advocate for substantial changes in the management of state fiscal affairs, have begun meeting with gubernatorial candidates, and are urging business leaders across the state to keep up the pressure on state elected officials to take comprehensive action consistent with their wide-ranging recommendations.

“We committed to see it through,” said Commission co-chair Jim Smith, Chairman and former CEO of Webster Bank. “We knew it wouldn’t be one (legislative session) and done.  This is about policy, not politics.  We’ve all checked our politics at the door.  This is about the greater good, and how we change the course of Connecticut’s future.”

With all 187 legislative seats and the six state’s statewide constitutional offices – including Governor - up for election this November, the Commission co-chairs believe Connecticut’s best opportunity for much-needed systemic structural changes will be in the next legislative session, which begins in January. They intend to “actively engage” throughout this election season and in next year’s legislative session, and have already met with about half of the current field of gubernatorial candidates.

Smith and Robert Patricelli, former CEO & Founder of Women's Health USA, who co-chaired the panel, were featured along with Commission member Cindi Bigelow, CEO of Bigelow Tea, at an event coordinated by the Hartford Business Journal last week. It was one of nearly 100 forums, discussions and one-on-one meetings that the co-chairs and other commission members have had since their findings and recommendations were issued.

The Commission uses the analogy of a “burning platform” to describe the current budgetary process, fiscal structure and economic status of the state, a frame of reference that reflects the public’s concern about the state’s precarious standing.  Smith said he is encouraged by the response they’re receiving.

“When we talk about the platform burning, people are riveted.  They’re anxious to hear solutions,” Smith explains, noting that the approaches proposed by the Commission are resonating with audiences because they provide a comprehensive – if challenging – path to douse the flames and stimulate economic growth, achieve sustainable budgets long-term, and re-establish the state’s competitiveness.

“Our findings are irrefutable, inescapable and require action,” Smith told CT by the Numbers.  “That comes across loud and clear.”

The Commission leaders are committed to generating a spirited public conversation about their findings and recommendations.  They told an attentive audience in Hartford last week that the 14 members remain in communication, and have now been working longer since they ceased to exist as a Commission than during the 76 days that they were officially constituted by law.  And they have no plans to walk away from the work they began.

In underscoring their commitment to remain involved beyond the life of the Commission, the co-chairs have evoked the memorable phrase from the 1976 movie Network – they’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take this anymore.  In fact, their goal remains to do something about it.  Pursuing a public conversation and meeting privately with leading gubernatorial candidates are parts of the strategy.

Smith indicates that as the Commission’s work unfolded, members were concerned that the “platform was even hotter than we knew,” but encouraged that creation of the Commission reflected a willingness to involve the private sector in charting the path forward.

Patricelli, in fact, has floated the idea of having 500 businesses to sign a letter to the state’s elected officials urging action on the Commission’s recommendations, which include changes in spending, tax policy, investments, infrastructure, transportation and competitiveness. Only with sustained pressure, he argues, will the incoming legislature and Governor take action.  They point to the sustained drop in Connecticut’s Gross State Product (9.1% over the past decade), while the state’s New England and Tri-State neighbors saw growth, as among the numerous factors that led to their conclusion that substantial changes are needed in the state’s fiscal policies.

The co-chairs say it is understandable that more was not done with the Commission’s recommendations during the short 2018 legislative session, largely because an election was just around the corner.  Instead, the legislature opted to have the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) coordinate two studies, soon to get underway.  One would look at the Commission’s recommendations that involve “rebalancing of state taxes to better stimulate economic growth without raising net new taxes”; the other would conduct a study of the proposal for reform of the Teachers' Retirement System.

The legislature also voted to have OPM issue a request for proposals to hire a national consultant to study and make recommendations regarding efficiency improvements in revenue collection and agency expense management that will result in a savings of at least 500 million dollars.

Each is a potential step forward, but not nearly enough, the co-chairs have indicated since the session ended on May 9. Some aspects of the Commission’s work is evident in those actions, and the timing of those efforts, to be ready in January as newly elected officials take office, may provide pieces to build on.

Patricelli has also suggested that the state’s part-time legislature is not up to the task of governing a 21^st century state, by its very nature.  The legislature is in session for 5 months in even-numbered years and 3 months in odd-numbered years, in accordance with the state constitution.  That’s just not enough, he says, suggesting that a comprehensive study be done on the legislative systems in other states to determine what might be best for Connecticut.

In addition to Smith, Patricelli, and Bigelow, Commission members were Pat Widlitz (Vice-Chair), former state representative from Guilford and Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding; Jim Loree, President and CEO of Stanley Black & Decker; Chris Swift, Chairman and CEO of The Hartford; Bruce Alexander, Vice President of State Affairs and Campus Development at Yale University; Greg Butler, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Eversource Energy; Roxanne Coady, Founder and CEO of R.J. Julia Booksellers; David Jimenez, Partner at Jackson & Lewis and a member of the state Board of Regents for Higher Education; Paul Mounds, Vice President for policy at the Connecticut Health Foundation; Frank Alvarado, Veterans Affairs Officer, Small Business Administration; Eneas Freyre, New York Life and Michael Barbaro, President, Connecticut Realtors.

High School A Risky Time for CT Students, Survey Finds

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was designed to focus the nation on behaviors among youth related to the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among both youth and adults and to assess how these risk behaviors change over time. In Connecticut, the times they are a changin’.  Data released this week by the state Department of Public Health highlights changes over the past decade, and disparities among current students depending upon their grades in school.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System measures behaviors that fall into six categories:

• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence;
• Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection;
• Alcohol and other drug use;
• Tobacco use;
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors; and
• Inadequate physical activity.

The 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) includes randomly chosen classrooms within selected schools, and is anonymous and confidential.  It was completed by 2,425 students in 38 public, charter, and vocational high schools in Connecticut during the spring of 2017. The school response rate was 76%, the student response rate was 81%, and the overall response rate was 61%. The results are representative of all students in grades 9-12, according to the state Health Department.

The survey found that during the past decade, the percentage of students who rarely or never wore a seat belt has declined by one-third, as has the percentage who drove a car at least once in the previous month after they had been drinking.  That drop was between 2013 and 2017.

The percentage of students who “felt sad or hopeless” almost every day for a two week period “so that they stopped doing some usual activities” during the previous year climbed from 228% in 2007 to 26.9% in 2017 – more than one-quarter of students.  The survey found that in 2017, 13.5% of students seriously considered attempting suicide and 8.1% attempted suicide during the past year.

More than one-third of students (34.6%) of students did not eat breakfast every day in the week preceding the survey, and 14.1% did not eat breakfast on any of those days.  The percentage of students who got 8 or more hours of sleep on an average school night dropped from 26% in 2007 to 20% in 2017,

The survey also found that 25.8% of students with mostly A’s and 48.6% of those with the lowest grades (D or F) have used marijuana at least once in their lifetime.  More than one-quarter of students, across all academic grades (A-F) responded that they drank alcohol at least once in the month prior to the survey.

The survey found that 38 percent of students whose grades were mostly A’s texted or e-mailed while driving a car on at least one occasion in the 30 days prior to the survey.  The percentage was slightly less among students with lower grades:  31% of students with mostly B’s, 30% of students with mostly C’s and 23% of students with mostly D’s and F’s.

When it came to the percentage of students who rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (one or more times during the 30 days prior to the survey), students with better grades did so less often, ranging from 12% of students with mostly A’s to 26% of students with mostly D’s and F’s.

The survey also found that 1 out of 5 students (20.1%) whose grades were mostly D’s and F’s did not go to school because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school, on at least one day during the 30 days prior to the survey.  Among those with mostly A’s, that percentage was just under 4 percent.

Among those with the lowest grades, 38.9% were in a physical fight at least once during the previous 12 months, and 19.7% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, such as a gun, knife, or club, at least once during the past year.  Among those with mostly A’s, the percentages were 10.2% and 3.6%.

https://youtu.be/d63xyYs9s94