Spring 2019
Georgetown Magazine
Featured Stories
Justice Served
Georgetown now offers full-time credits classes at the D.C. Jail. It's just one of the ways the Prisons and Justice Initiative is making an impact on mass incarceration in America.
Raising Children in the Digital Age
Children's use of digital media presents parents with lots of questions. Meet three Georgetown researchers who are working on science-based answers.
A Good Laugh
Three noted alumni comedians—Mike Birbiglia (C'00), John Mulaney (C'04), and Jim Gaffifan (B'88)—raised more than $1 million to support first-generation Hoyas at a sold-out New York City show.
Anger and Anguish
Georgetown's John Carr is a leading voice on the moral crisis of sexual abuse in the Church. He talks about how to address the devastation and how to move forward.
Canine Campus Celebrity
Think you know Jack the Bulldog? Read on. Spoiler alert: He wasn't always Jack and wasn't always a bulldog.
Campus News
Georgetown Researcher Partners With NASA to Detect Alien Life
If life exists on other planets, would an Earth-bound scientist even be able to detect it? Georgetown Assistant Professor of Biology Sarah Stewart Johnson is throwing out all assumptions and building new life-detection systems with the help of nearly $7 million from NASA’s astrobiology program.
‘Generation I’ Fosters Whole Selves and Vulnerabilities
For the growing number of Georgetown School of Medicine students who are the first in their families to pursue medicine, navigating the path into and through medical school can be especially challenging. The pressure to excel in competitive undergraduate coursework, score well on the MCAT, and gain admission to medical school is itself overwhelming for many.
Washingtonian Magazine Honors Epidemiologist for Alleviating Health Disparities in D.C.
Washingtonian magazine named Lucile Adams-Campbell a Washingtonian of the Year. She's a national leader in minority health and health disparities research.
App Studied at Medical Center Empowers Women’s Fertility Planning
The Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University Medical Center has completed an efficacy study of a new fertility-awareness app called Dot. Developed by Cycle Technologies, Dot uses algorithms to determine the probability of pregnancy on each menstrual-cycle day and gives women a clear picture of their fertility status.
Endogenous Protein May be Used to Reverse Metabolic Disorders
A study of obese mice by a Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center research team has found a natural protein to be a powerful regulator in metabolism.
An Innovative Way to Engage Students? What is Jeopardy! Style?
Professor Maria Trujillo came up with a fresh idea for educating at SCS while watching her husband and his daughter jockey to be the first to answer questions while viewing the TV game show Jeopardy!
Professor and Former Student Develop ‘23andMe’ for Mosquitoes
Georgetown biology professor Peter Armbruster and a former student, Jacob Crawford (C’03), reunited through a $2-million NIH research grant to control disease-carrying mosquitoes.
School of Foreign Service Marks 100 Years of Global Service
In the aftermath of World War I, the United States emerged as both a military and economic power. “This critical moment in world history inspired the creation of the first U.S. school of international affairs,” says Joel Hellman, dean of the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Law Center Partners with Ward 7 to Build Climate Resilience
Georgetown Law’s Climate Center works to help state and local governments prepare for the impacts of climate disruption. Now the center’s Adaptation Program has been recognized for its innovative local partnership with residents of Washington, D.C.’s Ward 7, a community with few climate policy resources, to address current climate challenges.
Alumni News and Profiles
A Letter from Richard M. Hluchan (F’71), Alumni Association President
Academic excellence, a D.C. location, and service to the world are at the core of Georgetown's global identity, writes Rich Hluchan, alumni association president.
Alumni Bring D.C.’s Unique Jazz History Center Stage
With the recently released book DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC, Georgetown alumni and faculty are shining a spotlight on the city’s important role in the genre’s development.
A Life-Saving Device That Could Save the Inventor
In fall 2018, Shavini Fernando (G’18) swept two Georgetown entrepreneurship pitch competitions, won four awards, and earned a total of $40,500 for her invention of OxiWear, a wearable tech device that alerts users when their oxygen levels drop critically low. The first person to benefit from this life-saving device? Fernando herself.
‘If Not Me, Then Who?’
When Dr. Ayaz Virji (C’96, M’00) and his family moved to rural Minnesota, they were the only Muslims in their community. Things went well until the election of Donald Trump. Somewhat reluctantly, Virji gave a community lecture on Islam. Two years, four states, more than 20 lectures, and a book later, he's still at it.
Providing Health Care In A Social Change Model
At age 33, Maria Gomez (N'77) with a group of idealistic friends opened Mary’s Center in a D.C. basement to offer prenatal care for women migrants. Thirty years later, they are serving more than 50,000 women, men, and children annually.
You Don’t Need an Engineering Degree to Be a Hoya Tech Success
Here’s a piece of advice from the Forbes magazine Coaches Council, published last summer: Recruit for “learnability,” wrote one expert coach. “With changes in organizational structures that require agility, collaboration, and communication, it’s critical to find people with creative mindset who are able to innovate and adapt.”
Q&A with Melissa Tidwell (C’99), VP and General Counsel at Reddit
There is no one journey to end up in tech. After an American Studies degree from Georgetown and a law degree from NYU, Tidwell decided she wanted to work in tech. Now she has Google and Reddit on her resume.
A Deeper Calling: Four Georgetown Alumni Reflect on Their Spiritual Journeys After Becoming Jesuits
The journey to Jesuit priesthood—called formation—is not for the faint of heart. From the first days of the novitiate to final vows, the process requires years of arduous academic study, ministry to the ill and needy around the world, and deep interior reflection.
Moving Forward and Pushing Boundaries
Every three months, Dr. Christina Hanna (F’08, M’14) packs her bags and travels from Philadelphia to Butaro, Rwanda, where she treats young cancer patients.
Olympian Crosses Borders in Life and Sports
Rookie bobsledder Chris Kinney (C’11) was at the starting line for his first Olympic run at last year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea, when a chant of “Hoya Saxa!” pierced the air.
Georgetown University Alumni in Congress
More than two dozen Georgetown alumni were sworn into the 116th Congress on January 3, continuing Georgetown’s long legacy of alumni serving the public. A total of 28 alumni, who represent 21 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, took the oath of office in the U.S. House of Representatives (21) and Senate (7).
Lives Well Lived
Lives Well Lived honors a few alumni who have recently passed away with short obituaries. We share with you these portraits of alumni beyond the headlines who have made an indelible impact living day-to-day.
Developing Inspired and Effective Interfaith Leaders
Rabbi Rachel Gardner says that meaningful interfaith work is hard. It takes practice. It entails making mistakes.
