PHOENIX CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
                June 2025

2024-2025 Officers

President: Sydney Fox. Vice Presidents: Fund Development - Anna Maria Matteucci; Membership - Kate Thompson. University Relations: ASU - Kimberly Olney; NAU - Laura Martin; UofA - Janet Castner. Recording Secretary: Kay Berry. Treasurer: Marilyn Hayes. Corresponding Secretary: Sophann Schleifer

Above: current Scholars from NAU, U of A, and ASU, respectively, in April 2024.
President's Message

Dear ARCS Members and Supporters,

This has been a year of extraordinary momentum. Across the nation, ARCS Foundation supported more than 600 brilliant PhD scholars pursuing groundbreaking research in STEM fields—from sustainable energy and climate resilience to biomedical engineering and quantum computing. These young scientists inspire us every day with their passion, ingenuity, and tireless dedication to shaping a better world.

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated supporters, chapter members, and friends. Your belief in the power of science and your commitment to fostering the next generation of STEM leaders continue to drive our mission forward.

Looking ahead to the coming year, our chapter is energized by dedicated leaders who are planning exciting field trips, site visits, and engaging opportunities for members who share a passion for learning and championing STEM. Please mark your calendar for our June 2nd Board Transition Meeting and luncheon at my home.

Warm regards,

Sydney
 

Upcoming events:  

June 2  -  Board Transition Meeting 11:00am and luncheon noon at the home of Sydney Fox, 5804 E Via del Cielo, Paradise Valley

June 19-21  - ARCS National Board Meeting, Seattle, Washington (see below)

September 9 - Board Meeting: 11:30am social and noon meeting lunch at the home of Sandra Matteucci
Chapter News
49th Awards Dinner
 

On April 24, members and guests gathered at The Camby to meet the 50 Scholars selected to receive awards from our Chapter for the 2025-2026 academic year. Dinner attendees remarked on how particularly lively the conversations were this year. See below for the names of the Scholars awarded under the guidance of University Relations chairs Kimberly Olney, ASU, Laura Martin, NAU, and Janet Castner, U of A.

Dr. Kathey Plenge, a member of our Chapter and the first woman to head the Maricopa Medical Society, gave the keynote talk. In describing her path to a medical career at a time when women made up 1-2% of medical school students, Kathey illustrated the value of perseverance in following one's dream. Listening to her, it was clear that having a healthy sense of humor was equally vital. Kathey captivated the audience with her inspiring journey through science, philanthropy, and beyond—earning a well-deserved standing ovation. Dr. Plenge is pictured at the left, below, with Anna Maria Matteucci and Sandra Matteucci, 

The 2025-2026 Scholars are:

Arizona State University 

Amanda Acuna, Allison Bayro, Jessica Chee-Williams, Claire Cropper, Jenna Diefenderfer, Margaret Dugoni, Stephen Gallegos, Josh Gilman, Samantha Harker, Lillian Hensleigh, Razine Hossain, Allison McMinn, Briana Ondatje. Keely Orndorff, Taylor Pennington, Dominic Saiz, Nora Shapiro, Amberlyn Simmons, Nathaniel Stromberg, Maya Suzuki, Savannah Tallino, Kelvin Tran, Christopher Vito

 Northern Arizona University 

Anna Baker, Beatrice Bock, Mairead Brogan, Keven Griffen, Emma Lathrop, Laura Lee, Nicholas Link, Lucas McClure, Gillian Trimber

 University of Arizona 

Kayleigh Berthiaume, Madeline Dailey, Keila Espinoza, Nathan Hadland, Catherine Hoover, Aaron Larsen, Dilara Long, Priscilla Martinez, John McLean, Maria Mutz, Anna Roche, Anu Sethuraman, Kama Svoboda, Holly Thomas, Catherine Vasquez, Daisey Vega, Ryland Wala, Ateh Zinkeng

Congratulations and thanks go to Paulette Dalke and Dawn Senger for organizing and presenting an inspirational and lovely evening.
 
Annual Meeting Luncheon

On May 5, members gathered at The Henry to celebrate the activities of the past year and to swear in the next slate of officers, committee chairs, and directors. Sydney Fox will continue as President for a second year, assisted by President-elect Andrea Moseley. Our bylaws stipulate that leadership positions cannot be held for more than two consecutive years, so many of our hard-working board members will be taking on new roles. They are:

Vice Presidents: Fund Development - Marilyn Hayes; Membership - Libby Worsley-Crouch; University Relations: ASU - Judy LeMarr; NAU - Denise Belt; UofA - Janet Castner. Recording Secretary: Laura Martin. Treasurer: Anna Maria Mattuecci; Corresponding Secretary: Sophann Schleifer. Parliamentarian: Kay Berry.

Other committee officers for next year are: Newsletter - Hansa Magee. Web Administration - Christine Hawes. Alumni Scholar Relations -Kate Thompson and Liz Nofen. Awards Dinner - Pautlette Dalke and Dawn Senger. Field Trips - Nancy Rink. Endowment - Jane Lawson. Historian - Sandra Matteucci. Hospitality - Ceda Austerman and Carol Browner. Public relations - Julie Bowe-Berry.

During the luncheon, Beatrice Bock, left, with Laura Martin, gave a talk about fungi. A fourth year graduate student at NAU and a Windrow and Templin Scholar, she explained how closely intertwined fungi are with both plant and human life. She mentioned that a 5,000-year-old man found preserved in ice carried mushrooms on his belt--as medicine perhaps? Beatrice hopes to help modern people use fungi to improve crops and restore forests devastated by wildfire, among other things.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

June:

Di Alexander:  6/5

Pat Elder: 6/21

July:

Liz Nofen: 7/4

Kay Berry: 7/9

Sheila Grinell: 7/15

Nancy Rink: 7/17

Betty Hayes: 7/29

Jane Lawson: 7/29

August:

Sandra Matteucci: 8/8

Jocelyn Stoller: 8/15

Anna Maria Matteucci: 8/23

Paulette Dalke: 8/29
Member Spotlight

NEW MEMBER:  Jean Schulman, MD

Born and raised in New York City, Jean remembers first realizing "that girls could have ambition" at Hunter High School, an all-girls magnet school. She studied biology in college, and close to graduation, she decided "the lab was not for me." Because she wanted to collaborate with people, she enrolled in medical school, which she managed to finish by dint of loans, scholarships, and working part-time. "I remember being in a position of needing help just to get by, so I'm happy to support bright, diligent people" through ARCS. Jean practiced oncology and hematology in Sun City for 33 years. She retired in 2020. Jean and her husband, Maynard Bell, live in Phoenix.
ARCS National News
 

Beth Wainwright is about to complete her second year as ARCS National President. A long-time member and former President of ARCS Pittsburgh Chapter, she wrote to our membership last winter to express National's support for STEM research in the US. The letter reads in part: 

We believe reduction of reimbursement of key costs may put the important research of our PhD scholars at risk. More broadly, we are deeply concerned that these cuts will impact critical US scientific progress, drastically reduce the scientific competitiveness of the United States, and harm a long-standing partnership between academic institutions and the federal government.

A new page has been created in our ARCS website dedicated to monitoring "Government Investment in Research," maintained by Cheryl Ernst, Hawaii Chapter. You can find it by searching on the ARCS National page.

 

Members are invited to join the (free) National Forum presented via Zoom on June 14 beginning at 2:00pm Eastern. Board members and officers from all chapters will discuss issues of importance to ARCS' future. As Beth Wainwright has said, "the strength of ARCS as a viable and thriving organization is more important now than ever. . . .  Help ensure ARCS is sustainable for the next 66 years!"

Following the Forum, the National Board will meet in Seattle June 19-21 to further the discussion and enjoy visits to ARCS-related venues. (For those unable to travel, a virtual alternative will be provided.) For registration, see events on the ARCS National page. 

Alumni Update

Sharon Ponce, this year's Alumni Relations chair, explains that alumni are "playing hard to get." We have information about graduates from the past five years or so, but data from before then is scarce, even after scrubbing LinkedIn and Google. Representatives of our three universities have agreed to help us locate long-ago alumni, although their time is limited.

Our Chapter is far from unique. Alumni Relations chairs from across the country are meeting virtually in a Collaboration Network to deal more systematically with the issue. They have agreed to work collectively to improve the national data base, among other things, and to initiate activities that will be beneficial--and therefore attractive--to alumni. One of their ideas is to create reunion opportunities at various professional scientific conferences. The hope is that alumni already in attendance will take the time to meet with each other and find the connections both useful and enjoyable. The reunions will also help raise ARCS' profile in the larger scientific community.

If you have news of a former Scholar whom you have supported or interacted with, please send a note to fellow Phoenix Chapter member Hansa McGee, who will be taking over this newsletter in July.

OUR MISSION

ARCS Foundation advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding United States citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research.
 

OUR IMPACT

Since 1978, the Phoenix Chapter has committed more than $9.9 million to fund 1,317 Scholar Awards at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona.

ARCS Foundation Phoenix (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists)
3104 East Camelback Road, PMB 975
Phoenix, AZ 85016
phoenix@arcsfoundation.org

a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Corporation
Tax ID: 86-0319947

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