Emily Dubuc Receives Skookum Award at Western New England University

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(L-R) Alumni Board of Directors Vice President Ed Lavoie, Emily Dubuc, and University President Anthony Caprio

SPRINGFIELD, MA (11/25/2013)(readMedia)-- Emily Dubuc of Schenectady, N.Y., was recently named a recipient of the Skookum Award, an honor presented by Western New England University's Alumni Association. The Skookum is awarded to students who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in all their endeavors: academics, co-curricular activities, sports, and community service. "Skookum" is the Native American Chinook Indian word meaning "excellence." Dubuc was one of 15 outstanding seniors to receive the award during ceremonies on the Springfield, Mass. campus.

Dubuc is the first student to enroll in the Six Year Biomedical Engineering/Law program, an accelerated combined degree program at Western New England University, where she is a Public Interest Scholar in the School of Law. Following the end of the Spring 2013 semester, Emily flew to Guatemala for a Global Health and Technologies course, working with 12 other students as volunteers for the San Lucas Mission and in Guatemalan hospitals.

Dubuc serves as president of the Society of Women Engineers and is a member of the Dean's Board of Students, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and serves as vice president of the Biomedical Engineering Society. She entered her senior year having completed four research experiences, two of which were outside of the University. The first research project was completed at the University of Massachusetts in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department, where she made biosensors that were sensitive to different stimuli and changed color as a reaction. Her second was at The Scripps Research Institute, where she measured thin filament lengths in the skeletal muscle of mice throughout their development. The findings may have implications in pediatric orthopedic surgery. Dubuc recently presented her research at the annual Biomedical Engineering Society Conference in Seattle.

Western New England University is a private, independent, coeducational institution founded in 1919. Located on an attractive 215-acre suburban campus in Springfield, Massachusetts, Western New England University serves 3,800 students, including 2,500 full-time undergraduate students. Undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs are offered through Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy, and School of Law.