
Faculty & Staff Monthly Newsletter
August 4, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
While the academic calendar may have slowed during the summer months, the energy and impact of our College have been anything but.
Across CAHNR, our faculty and staff continue to push boundaries and engage communities. For instance, the Department of Nutritional Sciences took part in the third biannual Immunology, Metabolism, and Nutritional Sciences Symposium, an exciting collaboration at the intersection of health and scientific discovery. The Institute of Sports Medicine hosted athletic trainers from around the region for a vital workshop on Emergency Action Plans, helping keep our athletes safe. UConn Extension’s beloved Bug Week drew curious minds young and old, offering creative ways to explore the interesting world of insects. And faculty in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment are partnering with CT DEEP to shape the future of Connecticut’s Statewide Wildlife Action Plan, an important resource updated every 10 years to develop strategic plans for wildlife conservation.
In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, your dedication is our greatest strength. These stories, which are just a small sampling of our summer accomplishments, reflect the values and vision that define CAHNR and our amazing community.
Thank you for everything you continue to do to advance our land-grant mission.
Warm regards,
Kumar Venkitanarayanan
Interim Dean and Director
Have an idea for the newsletter? We are grateful for the creativity and diverse opinions of our College community.
Featured Story of the Month

Finding New Strategies for Treating a Catastrophic Disease
PVS Associate Professor Steven Szczepanek and PhD student Aishwarya Mogulothu recently published their work on a new target for Foot and Mouth Disease, one of the fastest replicating and spreading viruses known to man
CAHNR Impacts 2024
CAHNR makes an impact each and every year. We have an annual magazine to highlight some of the phenomenal work being done within our College's research enterprise, academic programs, and Extension activities.
Hallmark Husky Award
Nominations are Open
The CAHNR Staff Advisory Council is committed to Hallmark Husky as a staff recognition program and is intended to reflect appreciation for actions, accomplishments, services, innovations, or other special events deserving of praise.
Hallmark Husky offers a method for staff acknowledgement of achievements by staff and a means for publicly sharing accomplishments to the broader college community. This recognition celebrates staff for exceptional efforts, whether through consistently high performance or exceeding expectations, celebrating excellence independent of performance evaluations. There is one recognition per month through the academic year; activities during completed June-May of the academic year are eligible. Activities conducted during the summer months will be considered in the Fall.
Save the Date
Fall 2025
- August 25, 2025: Faculty submit PTR/PR forms to Department Heads
- November 14, 2025: One Health Conference
- November 15, 2025: Scholars Celebration
- December 5, 2025: CAHNR Gingerbread Competition
- December 15, 2025: Fall CAHNR Faculty & Staff Meeting
Update from the Business Office
What do you get when you combine an elephant with a fish? Swimming trunks!
There's more fun in this month's edition of the CAHNR Business Office newsletter. Each month, the team in CAHNR’s Business Office will update the CAHNR community on deadlines, policies, procedures, staffing changes, and all kinds of other useful information. Visit the CAHNR Business Office site for more.