People / South
TAKING THE NEXT STEP A student at Wheaton College in Norton hopes to encourage minority high school and college students to pursue careers in science, math, and technology by connecting them with professionals in science industries.
Roxana Mesias, a biochemistry major from Queens, N.Y., organized a free conference this month called ''Taking the Next Step." Mesias said that according to statistics from the National Science Foundation, minority students lag behind others in pursuing careers in science, math, and technology. They account for less than 13 percent of all undergraduates earning bachelor of science degrees and 4 percent of those earning doctorates in the sciences, she said.
''I have found encouragement for studying science here at Wheaton, but I would love for students to meet and talk with minority people who are pursuing successful careers in science, math, and technology," said Mesias, who moved to the United States from Ecuador five years ago.
The Wheaton junior said she was inspired to organize the conference by a similar gathering she attended in Boston last year. ''I came back from those conferences feeling powerful, and I wanted to share that feeling with other students," she said.
The Wheaton science conference featured minority scientists and science-related professionals from a variety of institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School, Mount Holyoke College, Mass. General Hospital, Genzyme, and the University of California at San Francisco, and Wheaton.
High school and college students from Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut attended, Mesias said.
NEW CANTOR Congregation Sha'aray Shalom in Hingham has expanded its religious, educational, and spiritual leadership with the addition of cantor Steven Weiss, according to the congregation's rabbi, Shira Joseph. This is the first time the congregation has a cantor who has full rights and privileges as a spiritual leader, Joseph said. Before joining Congregation Sha'aray Shalom, Weiss was cantor at Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Ga.
SUCCESSFUL TOURNEY The Talking Information Center in Marshfield recently hosted its 25th annual charity golf tournament at Hingham's Black Rock Country Club, drawing more than 150 golfers and raising about $12,000. The center is a nonprofit service that broadcasts readings of newspapers, magazines, books, and special consumer information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for visually impaired listeners. About 20,000 listeners in Massachusetts rely on TIC, center officials said.
WORNICK TO DISH IT OUT Channel 5's Susan Wornick has a full calendar of charitable events this fall, first taking part in the Old Colony Hospice's annual fall fund-raising gala tomorrow night at the Boston Marriott hotel in Quincy. The event will feature dinner, dancing and a live auction. Tickets $100, or tables may be reserved for groups. To reserve seats, call 781-341-4145 or visit www.oldcolonyhospice.com. And next month, she is scheduled to host the annual ''Dishin' It Up for the Homeless" fund-raising dinner and auction for the MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless, being held this year Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Christina's on Route 1 in Foxborough. For ticket information, contact Julie Vaitkus, director of development for MainSpring, at 508-427-6448, ext. 19, or visit www.mainspring.org. Tickets are $75 each or $600 for a table of eight.
BUSINESS BRIEFS Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's charitable arm has awarded $22,000 to the Home for Little Wanderers to support a facility in Norwood that provides services to 16- to 18-year-olds who have lived in mental health institutions and child welfare homes.
Weymouth resident Maureen Murphy has been named nurse manager of the maternity center at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. She began working at the hospital in 1982.
Malcolm Weiner has been named vice president of operations at Brockton Hospital, where he oversees several medical departments, including radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, behavioral health, and cardiopulmonary services.
Bryan D. Kelly of Scituate has joined the Jack Conway & Co. real estate office in Scituate Harbor. Tom Melanson of Weymouth has been appointed manager of Conway's real estate sales office in Columbian Square in South Weymouth. He recently worked in Conway Commercial's Norwell division.
Serra Langone, a behavior specialist at the May Center for Education and Neurorehabilitation in Brockton, has received certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, the highest credential granted to people with extensive experience in the field.
Dr. Arnaa
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