Susan Masino and Sarah Raskin Nominated for Academic Innovation and Leadership

HARTFORD, Conn., December 6, 2007 – The Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation planning committee has announced the finalists for its fourth annual Women of Innovation awards program, and two Trinity College professors and a Trinity student are among them.

The program recognizes women who are innovators, role models and leaders in their fields. The winner in each of the eight categories will be announced at the 2008 Women of Innovation Awards Dinner on Jan. 30 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

“These finalists are outstanding leaders in technology, science and engineering, as well as pioneers who are making a significant difference in their workplace and academia,” said Beth Alquest, chair of the planning committee. “They serve as esteemed role models to their peers and women interested in pursuing a career in the sciences.”

The finalists were selected based on their professional experience, history of innovation, ability to solve problems, and demonstration of leadership.

Two members of Trinity’s faculty -- Susan Masino and Sarah Raskin, both associate professors of neuroscience and psychology – are among the six finalists in the Academic Innovation and Leadership category. Haley Lepo, a member of the Class of 2008, is one of four finalists in the Collegian Innovation and Leadership category.

Masino joined Trinity’s faculty in 2003 and holds a B.S. in biopsychology from Tufts University and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Irvine. In her faculty profile, Masino says that she wants “to use my opportunities here at Trinity to learn from students and their ideas, demonstrate and support a core set of human values, share my passion for my work, and facilitate students moving on from Trinity feeling self-empowered regarding their future and their potential to have a positive impact on both local and global issues facing us today.”

Raskin, who has been a member of Trinity’s faculty since 1994, holds a B.A. in behavioral biology from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Raskin’s scholarly interests focus on investigating techniques to improve cognitive functioning after brain injury. She encourages her students to look for information from varied sources and synthesize the information into new knowledge. She also guides her students into adapting the basic content of her courses into community life. As a result, her classes include activities at Hartford Hospital, The Institute of Living, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, nursing homes and battered women’s shelters.

The Connecticut Technology Council is the state’s industry association for the technology sector, and its mission is to connect people, ideas and opportunities to the global technology and innovation community.