UNH Magazine - University of New Haven

SURF-ing Their Way
to Discovery
Agenerous gift from alumnus Frank Carrubba ’69 B.S., ’79 M.S.,
and his wife Pat is allowing inquisitive UNH undergraduates
to spend their summers delving into the unknown through
extensive research projects.Working with their faculty mentors, students
are developing new ideas and achieving ground-breaking results
and significant recognition both within and beyond the University.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, also known
as SURF, is another example of the commitment UNH places on
hands-on, experiential learning to prepare students for rewarding
careers in their chosen fields.
To date, approximately 65 students have participated in the SURF
program and the competition to be accepted is stiff. In 2009, 15 research
projects were funded including an examination of current green
practices among top hotels by Jai Rathore ’12 B.S., Biotechnology,
and Dipti Gawankar ’12 B.S., Hotel and Restaurant Management;
a study of whether a victim’s race affects homicide investigative
outcomes by Andrew Myruski ’11 B.S., Criminal Justice-Crime Analysis;
and an exploration of the relationship between economics and human
trafficking by Stacey McMillin ’10 B.S., Forensic Science. Projects for
2010 include studies into the music industry,
Lyme disease and salt marshes.
Pat and Frank
Carrubba ’69 B.S.,
’79 M.S.
The Carrubbas established the fund in 2007, with the hopes
of expanding undergraduate research opportunities at UNH.
Since then, other donors have followed the Carrubbas’
lead and supported this worthwhile program.Those donors
include William L. Bucknall, Jr. ’65 B.S., the Tagliatela family,
Heidi S. Douglas ’82 M.S., and Joel S. Douglas ’82 M.S.,
James C. Reilly, and Steve and Anemone Kaplan.
Frank Carrubba has a distinguished history in research.
In 1997, he retired as executive vice president and chief
technical officer of Royal Philips Electronics headquartered
in the Netherlands.Among his many responsibilities were
corporate research and advanced development. Prior to working
for Royal Philips, he worked for Hewlett Packard in Palo Alto, Calif.,
where he was the director of HP Laboratories and Global Science
Centers. His experience also includes 22 years at the IBM Corporation
T.J.Watson Research Center.
He holds several patents and received the coveted Patent of the Year
Award in 1993 from the U.S. Intellectual Property Office. Carrubba
received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UNH in 1988 for
his work in computer systems engineering and industrial research.
He also is a 2005 recipient of the University’s Distinguished Alumni
Award and serves on the University’s Board of Governors.
Carrubba says he values the research tools
that were given to him many years ago by the
University, and he has carried that “tool bag”
with him throughout his life. Now he and Pat
want others to share in the journey of discovery.
“SURF provides students and faculty mentors
with a chance to work together outside of
the classroom and to collaborate in areas of
research that can benefit humankind. Over time
this program will grow in size and funding.
Pat and I are honored to be able to drive the
first stake into the ground.“
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