Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — A Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) professor of Optics and Photonics Technology has joined 16 recipients from institutions worldwide in receiving awards and medals from the Optical Society (OSA).

The 2021 OSA prizes include the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal, which went to Nicholas Massa. According to a news release from the OSA, Massa was recognized “for outstanding leadership in photonics technician education, including the development and dissemination of innovative educational materials.”

Massa has taught at STCC since 1986, and has led the Optics and Photonics program since 1990.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be recognized by the OSA and be part of an esteemed group of colleagues dedicated to advancing the field of optics and photonics,” Massa said. “I’m proud to have helped prepare and inspire students to pursue careers in a rewarding and exciting field.”

Added STCC President John Cook, “we cannot thank Professor Massa enough for his significant stewardship of this program over many decades. To be recognized with this award is not only a testament to his investment in the field of optics and photonics, it is also a credit to the STCC mission, which has a distinctive technical and workforce focus.”

Geraldine de Berly, vice president of Academic Affairs at STCC, said Massa has dedicated his career to developing the Optics and Photonics program, the only one of its kind in the region. Students can pursue a two-year associate degree or one year certificate. The program prepares aspiring engineering technicians with knowledge and skills in lasers, optics, and electronics needed to design, test, and maintain complex optics and photonics systems.

“Dr. Massa inspires students and shares with them his passion for the program,” de Berly said. “He is to be congratulated on his work over the years, which has had a lasting impact on so many students. The award is well-deserved.”

The Optics and Photonics Technology program at STCC serves as a pathway into positions at high-tech companies throughout the region, including Coherent/Nufern, which makes optical fibers for telecommunications and high power fiber lasers used in industry and defense technology.

“For many years our Coherent locations in Connecticut have relied on Springfield Tech’s Optics and Photonics degree program to fill our job openings with well-trained and well-qualified employees,” said Meg Feinberg, Coherent representative. “STCC graduates not only have hands-on optical fiber handling and laser building skills, they understand the science behind these always-evolving technologies, which can lead to jobs with increasing responsibility and career opportunity.”

Massa joins an elite group of award and medal winners that include educators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Lund University in Sweden, among other institutions throughout the U.S. and the world. Read the full list of recipients and their institutions at osa.org.

Massa’s award, the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal, was established in 1993 and is presented for outstanding contributions to education in optical science and engineering. Consideration is given to outstanding teaching, original work, or both in optics education that enhances the understanding of optics.

Daily News

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Visiting Angels West Springfield received the 2021 Best of Home Care Provider of Choice Award, which is granted to the top-ranking home-care providers in North America according to Home Care Pulse. The Provider of Choice Award recognizes Visiting Angels’ dedication to client satisfaction and commitment to offering quality, affordable in-home care services.

Visiting Angels West Springfield was established in 1999 and has served the elder population of Western Mass. for more than 20 years. It has grown to provide more than 70,000 hours of care annually by helping seniors to maintain a sense of independence, dignity, and quality of life in their own home. Visiting Angels strives to foster lasting client-caregiver relationships by offering family-like compassionate care and dependability.

Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — Ona Egbue, associate professor of Informatics and Engineering systems at University of South Carolina Upstate, will give a talk titled “Factors that Influence Electric Vehicle Adoption” as part of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) Green Living Seminar Series on Wednesday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m.

Green Living Seminar Series webinars are free and open to the public. Community members can register for each lecture at mcla.edu/greenliving. All seminars take place weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. through April 14.

Prior to becoming a professor at USC Upstate, Egbue was an assistant professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She received her PhD from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and is a certified professional in engineering management.

Egbue’s research interests include socio-technical system analysis, critical infrastructure resilience, management of sustainable engineering systems, technology and innovation adoption, optimization and decision making for complex systems, and engineering education. She has an extensive record of peer-reviewed publications and funding, including funding from the National Science Foundation.

Every semester, MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series hosts lectures by local, regional, and national experts organized around a central theme related to the environment and sustainability. The 2021 series theme is “Individual Actions and Environmental Sustainability.” The series is a presentation of the MCLA Environmental Studies Department and MCLA’s Berkshire Environmental Resource Center.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley received a $145,000 grant from the Amelia Peabody Foundation, which will enable the organization to further develop its virtual programming, help prepare for the time when in-person programs may resume, continue its Learning Pod collaboration with Holyoke Public Schools, and ultimately bring staff together in one building, fostering even greater creative and collaborative synergies.

The foundation awarded $25,000 to Girls Inc.’s general program and $120,000 to its comprehensive campaign, “Her Future, Our Future.” This commitment will help Girls Inc. to establish a new, permanent home and provide the space, resources, and opportunities needed to enable more girls to participate in the transformative Girls Inc. experience. The grant will support both program planning and implementation; funds will be used for staffing, expanded outreach, and program supplies. Additionally, the grant will facilitate bringing all Girls Inc. staff together under one roof to create greater collaborative and economic efficiencies.

“We truly value and appreciate the continued support of the Amelia Peabody Foundation,” said Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley. “We thank them for this tremendous generosity toward operations and our campaign, which will be made over the next two years.”

Girls Inc. of the Valley aims to inspire all girls to see themselves as leaders with the skills and capabilities to improve and influence their local communities. The goals of its Staying Connected with Girls Project are to:

• Successfully engage girls during this period of extreme isolation, providing fun and skill-building activities paired with mentoring support from our trained staff;

• Maximize growth opportunities that virtual programming provides to reach a broader cross-section of girls and gain new volunteers; and

• Position Girls Inc. of the Valley to be ready to seamlessly transition back to in-person programming when appropriate.

“The Amelia Peabody Foundation’s support will be instrumental as we expand and enhance Girls Inc. of the Valley’s center and school-based programs in Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, and beyond, and give 1,000-plus girls per year the chance they deserve,” Parker said.