Human Rights: Close to Home

Santa Sirota, Ed.D.

Director of Human Rights Close to Home, UConn's Dodd Center for Human Rights

Assistant Professor in Residence, UConn Human Rights Institute

Sandra Sirota, EdD, is Director of Human Rights Close to Home at UConn's Dodd Center for Human Rights and Assistant Professor in Residence in human rights and experiential global learning with the Human Rights Institute. Her work explores human rights and social justice education in formal and non-formal settings in the United States and South Africa. Her current research, funded by the Human Rights Institute, focuses on how youth-led social movements may disrupt systemic racism in education. She is conducting a new research project in conjunction with Human Rights Close to Home. Sandra’s recent articles have been published in Open Global Rights, Comparative Education Review, The Journal of Human Rights, and Prospects. She serves as Book Review Co-Editor for The Journal of Human Rights and Faculty Coordinator for UConn’s Early College Experience in Human Rights.

Sandra has collaborated and consulted with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and other human rights and education organizations. She is co-chair of the executive committee of the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education. She earned her doctoral degree from Columbia University Teachers College’s Department of International and Transcultural Studies with a concentration in peace and human rights education. She completed her master’s degree in international human rights at the University of Denver Korbel School of International Studies and her bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Cornell University.

Design & Hype

Design & Hype: Creative Advertising for the Digital Age is a fast, hands-on workshop where high school students explore how creativity fuels marketing and design. Using iPhones, iPads, and laptops, students mix visual storytelling, short-form video, and branding to build mini advertising campaigns that reveal how ideas attract attention and shape audience behavior.

Students learn key concepts in visual hierarchy, typography, color psychology, and audience targeting, alongside discussions of current trends like social media and influencer marketing. They engage through workshops, critiques, and collaborative projects, designing logos, short videos, and moodboards while developing persuasive visual communication and teamwork skills.

The course blends mobile technology with design thinking, ending in a Pitch Day where students present campaigns and receive creative awards. Its mix of collaboration, feedback, and real-world advertising challenges encourages confidence, originality, and critical reflection on how design and hype shape culture.

John O'Donnell

Associate Professor, UConn Art & Art History

John O’Donnell is an artist, performer, and Associate Professor of Printmaking at the University of Connecticut. He is the founder and designer of Weird Music Night, an experimental sound and performance series; Skullbook’s Intaglio Academy, an immersive printmaking and cosplay-based learning experience; and the ÆMPIRE exhibition series, a curatorial project exploring power, collapse, and cultural mythologies. His work spans printmaking, performance, installation, and design, engaging with the intersections of media, pop culture, and identity. O’Donnell has exhibited and performed at Miami Art Week, SXSW in Austin, Texas, and in numerous galleries across New York City. His teaching combines historical craft and contemporary innovation, encouraging students to approach creativity as both critical inquiry and playful experimentation.

John O'Donnell's website: https://www.johnodonnellprojects.com/

NYT Article about his work: Domestic Discombobulation in an Odd Kitchen

Pre-Med: Explore the Medical Field

This course takes place at UConn Health- Farmington. Students reside at UConn Storrs.

Medicine is a long-term commitment that requires many years of training. Given this, many students find it difficult to decide whether medicine is the right career path for them. Through this one-week long program, students will gain insight into what it is like to be a physician. Students will have an opportunity to engage directly with physicians who are passionate about their work. Simultaneously, students will get to explore the state of the art UConn Health Center which is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care.

In addition, students will have an opportunity to gain guidance from UConn's Pre-Med academic advising staff. Moreover, students will be provided supervised transportation from the UConn Storrs campus to the UConn Health Center in Farmington. Students will return to the Storrs campus at the end of each academic day.

The UConn Pre-College Summer Pre-Med: Explore the Medical Field course will be taught by various doctors, professionals, and consultants from UConn Health. UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center that is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care. A commitment to human health and well-being has been of utmost importance to UConn Health since the founding of the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine in 1961. Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, we have expanded our medical missions over the decades. In just over 50 years, UConn Health has evolved to encompass more research endeavors, to provide more ways to access our superior care, and to innovate both practical medicine and our methods of educating the practitioners of tomorrow.

Shobhana Pathani, M.D

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Lead Physician

Dr. Shobhana Pathani is a hospitalist physician at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She completed her training in Internal Medicine at the University of Massachusetts. She has a deep passion for teaching as well as mentoring residents and medical students which she explores through her work as a faculty member at the University of Connecticut. In addition, she plays an active role in the success of an annual university summer program centered around providing high school students with exposure to a career in medicine.

Agnest S. Kim, M.D., Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging and Echocardiography Lab
Director, Cardio-Oncology Program

Dr. Kim provides care to patients with a wide range of cardiovascular illnesses, including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathy. She has expertise in advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, including echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiac MRI, and vascular ultrasounds. She has a particular interest in the cardiac care of cancer patients.

Dr. Kim received her bachelor’s degree at Yale College. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After residency, she completed a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Yale-New Haven Hospital, during which she also obtained a Ph.D. in investigative medicine.

Debapriya Datta, MD, FCCP

Professor of Medicine
Director, Critical Care Clerkship, UConn SOM

Associate Program Director, UConn Pulmonary-Critical Care Fellowship Program
Director, PFT laboratory, CPET Program & PERT Program, UConn Health

Dr Datta is a pulmonary, sleep medicine and critical care medicine physician at UConn Health. She has completed her medical training including residency and fellowship at UConn Health Center. She treats patients with a wide variety of pulmonary disorders as well as patients with critical illnesses admitted to the ICU. Her clinical interests include dyspnea evaluation, exercise physiology, pulmonary embolism and ventilator weaning and ICU outcomes.

She is actively involved in teaching medical students at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine during their clinical rotations in the ICU, hospital floors, and outpatient clinics. She also works closely with trainees- medicine residents and pulmonary–critical care medicine fellows. She is passionate about medical education and has won several teaching awards. She is also involved in medical outcome research and has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international scientific meetings to her credit.

George Y. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Hepatology Section, Herman Lopata Chair in Hepatitis Research

University of Connecticut Health Center

He graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Rochester, and received an M.D. and Ph.D. (biochemistry) from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and received subspecialty training in digestive diseases at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has been a pioneer in the field of targeted delivery of biological substances specifically to liver cells, hepatocytes. He developed the concept of targeted rescue, targeted gene delivery, an immunocompetent model for HCV infection, and most recently targeted delivery of mitochondria. He has received numerous awards and prizes including the American Liver Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award, and an American Gastroenterological Association/Industry Research Scholar Award, American Liver Foundation Research Prize, American Gastroenterological Association-Gastroenterology Research Group Young Scientist Award, and a Chinese American Medical Society Scientific Award, was elected a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Association for the Study of liver Diseases. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians, and was a Fulbright Specialist. He has received 10 patents, and founded two startup companies to commercialize inventions. He has published more than 210 peer-reviewed articles, and edited 12 books. He is the comprehensive editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology, and series editor for the Clinical Gastroenterology series published by Humana/Springer Press.

Jennifer P. Kanaan, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of critical care point of care ultrasound

Site Director, Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship

Dr. Kanaan received her bachelor's degree in biology at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. She returned to her home state to attend UConn medical school. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Rhode Island Hospital, Brown School of Medicine. Following a year at locum tenens where she worked in Alaska, California, and Arizona, she completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at New England Medical Center, Tufts School of Medicine. After graduation, she worked as an attending physician at Danbury Hospital and transitioned to UConn in 2007.

As an Associate Professor in Medicine, Dr. Kanaan divides her time between clinical care and teaching. She is passionate about bringing ultrasound to the bedside and has developed an ultrasound curriculum for pulmonary and critical care fellows as well as hospitalists. She directs a statewide ultrasound course for physicians.

Outside of medicine, she is a mom of four children. Her hobbies include cooking, travel, and sports.

Climate Science

A planet’s climate is primarily driven by the energy received from its Sun, which varies with latitude, season, and orbit. The complex interplay between the energy influx and atmosphere, ocean, and land has made Earth a unique planet with stable climate conditions for hundreds of millions of years. This long-term stability has allowed plants and animals to flourish, including humans! What sustained Earth’s temperate climate? What do projections say about future climate? How do we make climate predictions? How likely are our predictions to become reality? This summer experience program will guide you through building a computer model to answer these questions. This class will provide an immersive and interactive learning experience.

This course will prepare you for continued learning in disciplines such as earth and environment sciences, political science, and social justice in college. More specifically, upon completion of this course you will be able to:

Explain the unique nature of ongoing climate change in the context of Earth’s climate history
Make sense of climate projections
Be able to conduct basic statistical analysis with a computer language

Ran Feng, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, UConn Department of Earth Sciences

Dr. Feng is a professor of Earth Sciences at UConn. She leads the Computational Climate Change Lab. Her research and teaching involve the study of climate evolution through Earth’s history and the implications of past warm climate states for future climate change. She develops computer simulations of past climates, which she uses to identify the physics that drive past climate states. Her work has improved the understanding of hydrological cycle, the role of vegetation and ice sheet in driving climate evolution, and the sensitivity of climate models. She has recently won the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation.

Introduction to Equine Science and Horsemanship

Introduction to proper management, care and basic handling of horses for students that are interested in the animal sciences but would like a refresher on basic horse handling or have no experience with horses. This is a broad introduction course that covers health, basic anatomy, management practices and the basic handling of horses. Students interested in a prevet track will gain insight into the equine industry and the team of professionals it takes to manage and care for horses of all ages. Students will have daily classroom material and labs interacting directly with the horses. Topics to be included are anatomy, physiology, behavior, sports therapy, management and equine first aid. In addition to hands-on daily activities students will attend demonstrations and discussions with industry leading guest presenters where they can ask questions in areas of interest. This course will give students experiences that they can use to build a career in the veterinary or equine industries. Students must come prepared to be in the barn around large animals with proper safety clothing and shoes.

Upon completion of this course students will be able to evaluate a horse's basic health and condition. Identify basic horse breeds, color and conformation. Evaluate horse gaits for soundness. Gain insight into career paths in the equine industry and practical skills in horse care, management and behavior. Understand horse behavior and psychology as it relates to health and management. Students will learn practical skills and knowledge to prepare them for a career in the equine or veterinary sciences.

Students will be engaged in hands on learning activities like grooming, bandaging, TPR and first aid; optional activity at the end of the week to ride the UConn horses
Industry professionals demonstrating and presenting in class; researchers, farriers, veterinarians and more.
We will learn about 6 key points of horse care: turnout management, digestion and feeding, farrier care, vaccination, worming, and dental floating.
Evaluation of conformation and gaits of horses as it relates to health
Evaluating soundness and body condition of horses

Melissa Tindall

UConn Dressage Team Coach

Melissa began her equestrian journey in hunter-jumpers and eventing, but for the past 25 years, she has dedicated herself to dressage. She currently competes at the FEI Prix St. Georges level, participating in recognized shows, and has earned her USDF Bronze Medal in 2016. She achieved this milestone on a self-trained mare, whom she purchased as a yearling and developed from the ground up to the PSG level.
As a UConn alumna with a BFA in Illustration, Melissa brings a unique blend of creativity and discipline to her work. At UConn she serves as coach of the UConn Dressage Team, and she teaches both dressage and jumping lessons. These lessons, available to students and community members of all levels, emphasize using dressage principles to improve rider balance and enhance communication between horse and rider. Under her guidance, the UConn Dressage Team has consistently competed at the IDA National Championships, with one of her students winning the IDA National Championship in 2024 and others securing top-three finishes in recent years.
Melissa’s extensive teaching experience includes an apprenticeship with FEI rider and USDF Instructor Melanie Tenney at the BHS-approved Woodcock Hill in Connecticut, where she completed the British Horse Society Instructor training program. Her focus there was on eventing, horse management, and training. Over the years, she has managed several young horse training and sales barns, but her true passion lies in teaching.
Her approach to teaching is rooted in positive reinforcement and a deep understanding of biomechanics. She incorporates both in-hand and mounted work to foster connection and mutual understanding between horses and riders. Melissa’s riding and teaching have been shaped by the guidance of several national and international instructors, including Jan Ebeling, Eric Horgan, and David Marcus, among others. These experiences, along with her ongoing interest in biomechanics, continue to influence her approach to training and teaching today.

Robotics Engineering

Prerequisites: Basic programming skills and any prior robotics experience is useful but not required.

The robotics engineering course is tailored for high school students, aiming to equip them with fundamental knowledge about the perception, action, and behavior of robots. Throughout the course, participants will delve into cutting-edge robotics technologies and their far-reaching implications across various sectors, including manufacturing, service, and defense. By offering an engaging blend of theory and hands-on practice, our primary objective is to inspire students to explore robotics as a potential engineering discipline. Through interactive group sessions featuring video lectures and robot programming activities, students will embark on an exciting journey into the fascinating world of robotics.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Demonstrate a beginners level understanding of the robotics as an engineering discipline, state of the art in robotics and the relevant skills and knowledge required to become a roboticist.
Describe the nature and type of research work conducted in robotics in various robotics disciplines and the impact of those on our world.
Develop problem solving, critical thinking, and programming skills.
Automate a robot for performing simple tasks.

Shalabh Gupta, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, UConn School of Engineering

Shalabh Gupta received his M.S. degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering, and his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA, in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut. His current research interests include distributed autonomy, cyber–physical systems, robotics, network intelligence, data analytics, information fusion, and fault diagnosis in complex systems. Dr. Gupta has published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers with his graduate and undergraduate students.

Shauak Roy

PhD Student, UConn School of Engineering

Shaunak Roy is currently a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He earned his bachelor's degree in Electronics and communication Engineering from St. Thomas College of Engineering and Technology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, and he worked as a research assistant in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Oklahoma, USA. His academic and research focus spans robotics, machine learning, deep learning, sensor fusion, signal processing, image processing, and embedded systems. Shaunak has hands-on experience in organizing and mentoring robotics workshop, and he actively works on projects involving Raspberry Pi, autonomous vehicles, and edge-AI applications. His goal is to make robotics accessible and engaging for students from all backgrounds for students from all backgrounds through practical, interactive learning.

Early Introduction to the Nursing Profession

Step into the world of nursing with this immersive program designed to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals. Students will explore the history of nursing, the healthcare delivery system, and core concepts like medical terminology, nutrition, wellness, and self-care, all while discovering how STEM connects to nursing practice. Content highlights include nursing across the lifespan and the wide variety of career opportunities within the profession. Hands-on learning will take center stage with engaging lab simulations, group collaboration, and a hospital field trip to shadow a practicing nurse. By the end of the course, students will be CPR and Stop the Bleed certified, equipped with teamwork and problem-solving experience, and walk away with practical life skills that last a lifetime, all while seeing themselves in this high-demand, rewarding profession.

MaryAnn Perez-Brescia, Ph.D., R.N.

Assistant Clinical Professor, UConn School of Nursing

MaryAnn Perez-Brescia is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the UConn School of Nursing. Her research focus is on access to care in underserved populations.

Perez-Brescia has practiced nursing for 33 years in a variety of settings including academia, acute care, mental health, and community. She serves the University by participating in the Racial Healing Curriculum Steering Committee to advance the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center Initiative at UConn. Her efforts at the SoN include steering the Holistic Admissions Committee for the CEIN_BS accelerated program as well as other program committees. Perez-Brescia is committed to serving communities by serving on boards and community nursing organizations that promote health equity.

Future Leaders: Personal Leadership Planning and Skill Development

Future Leaders: Personal Leadership Planning and Skill Development is a course designed specifically for high school students enrolled in UConn's Pre- College Summer program. Throughout the course, students will engage in group discussions, lectures, leadership development activities, class projects, a challenge course, and hear from guest speakers. The course’s aim is to create and enhance awareness of student’s personal leadership strengths, unique styles, values, identities, as well as group dynamics and effective communication. This course will challenge students to think of their personal styles, as well as to think critically about their role as leader in the current and future spaces.

Tiffany Hoxie, MSMOL

Interim Director of Leadership and Organizational Development, UConn

Tiffany Hoxie began her journey in education 18 years ago, working primarily in Youth Development and Early Childhood Education. Tiffany holds an associate degree in early childhood education and a bachelor's degree in child studies. Invested in the non-profit sector while in college, Tiffany climbed the ladder to Director of Education with the Boys & Girls Club organization, where the passion and desire for working with underserved and often unseen communities was born. This is also the time when the seed for leadership and organizational development was planted.

Tiffany achieved a Master of Management and Organizational Leadership in 2015, and that time, the pivot into higher education and entrepreneurship occurred. She pursued an entrepreneurial path that focused on “quality educational services from baby and beyond”. Additionally, she was the Assistant Director of Early Childhood and Child Studies programs at a state university, and currently serves as the Interim Director of Leadership and Organizational Development at UConn. In this role, she oversees a unique set of programs including the Cohen Leadership Scholarship program, Student Leadership Awards, Leadership Certificate Series, and the Four Arrows Challenge Course. She also teaches UNIV courses, facilitates career and leadership workshops, and serves as a support for students.

In addition to her role at UConn, she is an adjunct professor at external colleges, focusing on courses related to childhood education, career development, and business. Tiffany is passionate about ensuring that all students have access to a quality and equitable education.

Chemistry

Everyone tells you that STEM education is important and that being a scientist, engineer or doctor is an excellent career path. Most people know Engineers build stuff and doctors heal people but what do scientists (specifically chemists) do? We’ll use each session to carry out fun hands on experiments that show different career paths open to chemists or other basic science majors.

There are hundreds of career paths you can follow as a science major. Helping sick people is a noble profession but it isn't for everyone. When you finish the course we hope you will have a better idea of some of the professions that STEM classes can prepare you for.

Pharmaceuticals: Aspirin synthesis
- Chemists do drug synthesis
Natural products and pigments: Ultramarine- making one of the most expensive paints
- Chemists make all of your favorite colors
Metallurgy: The golden penny experiment
- Chemists use metals for all sorts of things
Innovative materials: Superconductor synthesis and things that glow
- Chemists developed all of your LEDs and OLED screens.
Cosmetics: The chemistry of scents
- Chemists were involved if it smelled good or was a pretty color. Chemists also make lots of things that look like mud and smell bad.
Food: Molecular gastronomy and artificial flavors in food.
- Chemists had something to do with all those ingredients on a food package that you can’t pronounce.

Clyde Cady, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor in Residence, UConn Department of Chemistry

Clyde Cady, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Cady received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota where he was introduced to bioinorganic chemistry, the chemistry of the elements as pertaining to life events. He moved to Connecticut for his Ph.D. at Yale University where he studied photosynthesis. After postdoctoral studies at Uppsala University, Sweden, and Rutgers University he started teaching general and inorganic chemistry at UConn. His special interests are directed toward introducing pre-college students to the thrills of experimental chemistry.

Social Work: Becoming a Change Maker

This is a survey course that will assist students in developing the ability to help people and communities improve their quality of life through the field of Social Work. Students will gain an understanding of the social work profession, focusing on its mission to promote social and economic justice and enhance human well-being. Get excited to learn about social work careers in various settings. In this course students will engage in:

Dialogue
Journal Reflection
Role-Playing
Skill-Building Exercises
Community Service Projects
Local Resource Mapping

Regina Lester-Harriat, LMSW
Assistant Professor in-Residence, UConn School of Social Work

Regina Lester-Harriat, LMSW, is an Assistant Professor in-Residence at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and a proud alumna of both UConn and Howard University. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in K–12 education and social work, her teaching and professional interests focus on school social work, school mental health, trauma-informed practice, behavioral health, and the ways relationships, regulation, and context shape human behavior and well-being.

Before joining the UConn faculty, Professor Lester-Harriat worked in independent, charter, and public schools, including many years as a school social worker with Bloomfield Public Schools, where she also led the district’s Student and Family Assistance Centers. Her practice experience included supporting students and families, collaborating with multidisciplinary school teams, supervising social work interns, and developing approaches to improve school climate and support students with disabilities.

At UConn, Professor Lester-Harriat teaches graduate courses in micro practice and school social work and contributes extensively to curriculum development, student advising, and faculty governance. She serves as Co-Chair of the Individuals, Groups, and Families Practice (IGFP) sequence and Chair of the Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan Focused Area of Study (FAS). She is also a Co-Investigator on the federally funded Mental Health Service Professionals grant, which supports the preparation of school social workers to serve high-need communities across Connecticut. Her emerging scholarly and professional work explores how adults understand and respond to student behavior, with particular attention to regulation, relationships, attachment, and meaning-making.

Professor Lester-Harriat is committed to preparing social workers who approach children, families, and communities with curiosity, compassion, cultural responsiveness, and an understanding of the systems and environments that shape their experiences. Her teaching bridges theory and practice and draws heavily from her years working alongside students, families, educators, and school communities.

Take action for human rights in your community

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Creative Advertising for the Digital Age

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Is Medicine for you?

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This course includes daily lab and hospital visits @ UConn Health.

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Agnest S. Kim, M.D., Ph. D.

Debapriya Datta, M.D., FCCP

George Y. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Jennifer P. Kanaan, M.D.

Understand Climate Change and Prediction

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Exploring Equine Management, Health, Care and Training

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The Impacts of Robotics on our World

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Experience Nursing. Build Skills. Shape Your Future

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Grow your potential as a dynamic leader!

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The starting point of STEM

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Learn, Guide, Transform

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