Greetings on behalf of the Human Ecology Alumni Association Board! The HEAA Board had a productive year full of activities and initiatives designed to connect alumni with the College and its students. With lessons learned from the pandemic, we effectively leveraged our virtual environment to host events, provide career networking opportunities, and recognize alumni for their contributions to the College and its mission.

Building on our successful wellness webinar series, we hosted a signature event in January on the topic of precision nutrition featuring faculty members Martha Field and Angela Poole, assistant professors in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, facilitated by Lisa Drayer ’96 and Wendy Sterling ’99. The program coincided with the receipt a prestigious NIH grant to support further research in this emerging area. The replay can be found at “New Year, New Approach to Nutrition.”

In collaboration with the Human Ecology Young Alumni association (HEYA), the HEAA Board hosted a virtual “Career Huddle” for recent graduates, creating a forum to meet and network with alumni in the fields of policy, healthcare, law, medicine and psychology. We’re planning to hold a second Career Huddle— in person, this time — later this spring in New York City!

The HEAA board supported 16 student research projects through the Alan D. Mathios Research and Service Grants fund (8 in the fall and 8 in the spring). Year after year, we are impressed by the vital contributions made by our faculty and students through cutting edge research in their respective fields. These projects spanned many disciplines including health and nutrition, human development and well-being, design and technology.

Our annual Alumni Achievement Awards will be announced soon. This includes the Helen Bull Vandervort Award of Excellence, the Young Alumni Award of Distinction, and the Outstanding Senior Award. We will recognize the 2022 award winners on campus at a senior reception in May and during Reunion weekend in June. 

As we again start gathering and socializing in person, we are eager to connect with alumni in myriad ways — whether in Ithaca, New York City, around the world, or through a virtual screen. We look forward to welcoming new members to our HEAA Board and leadership team next fall, collectively sharing our passion as volunteers and ambassadors. Thank you for your commitment to Human Ecology!

Sincerely,

Andréa

Andréa (Meadow) Danziger '88
President, Human Ecology Alumni Association Board

Image at top: Andréa (Meadow) Danziger '88, president of the Human Ecology Alumni Association, and a screen from the precision nutrition webinar.

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