Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Photos from the senior class gathering
Check out a few photos from last week’s Senior Class Gathering, a special evening to honor all senior students with special recognition for mid-year graduates of the college. See more photos.
Photos from last weekend’s holiday performances
Take a look at a few photos from our variety of music performances last weekend, including Jazz at Saint Mary’s, Lessons and Carols, and Saint Mary’s Concert Band.
Father James P. Burns (right) participated in his first Lessons and Carols event at Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels on Dec. 8, which featured the Saint Mary’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.
Saint Mary’s University students shared their musical skills with the public during their Red Bird Club show “Christmas in New Orleans” on Dec. 7 at the Valéncia Arts Center.
The Saint Mary’s Concert Band played holiday favorites on Dec. 9 in Page Theatre.
Brother Frank Carr interviewed on Cardinals’ Nest [video]
Learn more about Brother Frank Carr and his role as athletic liaison by watching the latest episode of Cardinals’ Nest, a TV program that airs on Winona cable access HBC TV-25. Cardinals’ Nest is co-hosted by Donny Nadeau, sports information director, and Dean Beckman, Communication Department chair and faculty athletic representative.
Watch Brother Frank’s interview:
An entrepreneurial concept to help others
Over Christmas break, James Perreault ’20 is taking his UVCanopy concept one step closer to production.
The junior finance major at Saint Mary’s had an opportunity to pitch his idea for a sanitizing system for wheelchairs and other hospital equipment to medical professionals at Mayo Clinic on Dec. 7 as part of the Mayo Walleye Tank competition.
To qualify for the Walleye Tank competition, he first had to qualify during a Student Entrepreneurial Showcase, a collaboration between Saint Mary’s Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Collider Coworking, and the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship. Perreault not only qualified for the junior angler division of Walleye Tank, he also won the Audience Favorite Award and was the only undergraduate student to qualify for the competition.
As such, Perreault — a Batavia, Ill., native — competed against a group of medical professionals and graduate students from Ivy League Schools.
“It was one thing to be presenting in front of 500 people, but to also be presenting alongside people with that kind of background — Harvard and Stanford medical school graduates, Mayo Clinic professionals — was an honor,” Perreault said. “I was nervous but as soon as I got up there, I felt good. I feel such a sense of gratitude to Dr. Christine Beech and the Business Department for helping me get here.”
It helps that Perreault chose to pitch something he believes will truly benefit seniors in healthcare facilities. As Perreault’s family was researching nursing home facilities for his grandparents this past year, they read articles that contained disturbing facts about wheelchair sanitation. They discovered that 71 percent of wheelchairs failed to pass disinfectant tests and thought about how quickly viruses spread in nursing homes.
To improve the overall health of those living in these facilities, he began devising a way to sanitize wheelchairs and other devices. He originally pitched the idea during a Kabara Institute Elevator Pitch Competition at Saint Mary’s a couple of years ago and won. From there, his idea — and interest for the product — grew.
UVCanopy uses germicidal Ultraviolet-C light to kill bacteria in a tunnel-shaped device. Perreault explains that medical equipment or wheelchairs would be pushed through the tunnel via a conveyor belt, eliminating human error, saving time, and reducing dependency on hazardous sterilization chemicals. Target users would be nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.
The idea was a perfect fit at Walleye Tank. Although he didn’t win, Perreault said several angel investors contacted him to tell him they’d like to hear more. “It’s cool that people see the potential marketability in my idea,” Perreault said. “The experience was jaw dropping.”
Over break, Perreault has partnered with senior biology-pre-echocardiography major Daniel Narveson of Chatfield, Minn., to test different light volatility in the disinfection process. “He’ll set different bacteria on different materials to see how well the UVC lighting works in destroying the bacteria,” Perreault said. “Hopefully we’ll have enough evidence to move on and create our minimum viable product. Eventually I’d like to find an angel investor or collaborate with someone to produce this product. It’s something that’s a real problem, and I would like to see a solution.”
His grandparents, he said, especially love the idea. “They love anything I do because I’m their grandson, but they think this is a great idea.”
Experience Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
When students set foot on the Saint Mary’s Winona Campus, they instantly feel like they’re a part of our vibrant undergraduate community. They find real-world experiences; plenty of clubs, sports, and other activities to enjoy; professors who know them by name; and friendships that can last a lifetime. Experience what it’s like to be a Saint Mary’s Cardinal in this new video created to help recruit students.
An invitation to the Cardinal Virtue lecture event on Dec. 12
You’re invited to the first of our Cardinal Virtues presentations, scheduled throughout the 2018-19 academic year. These speakers and topics have been chosen to create thought-provoking dialogue as Saint Mary’s University cultivates virtues that will guide learners throughout their educational journeys and as they enter the world as leaders in their professions and communities.
Economic Justice
“Justice, Dynamism, and Social Order”
Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. with a reception following.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Events Center
2540 Park Ave.
Minneapolis, Minn. 55404
A bus for faculty, staff, and students will depart Winona from the Toner Student Center at 1:30 p.m. Pizza will be served on the return trip to Winona.
Questions? Contact the Office of Mission at 507-457-1646.
Catherine Ruth Pakaluk (Ph.D, 2010) joined the faculty of The Catholic University at the Busch School in the summer of 2016 and is the founder of the Social Research academic area, where she is an assistant professor of Social Research and Economic Thought. Formerly, she was assistant professor and chair of the Economics Department at Ave Maria University. Her primary areas of research include economics of education and religion, family studies and demography, Catholic social thought, and political economy.
The CARDINAL VIRTUES
Prudence (Practical Wisdom) is an intellectual aptitude that enables us to make judgments that are consonant with our proper end as human beings.
Temperance, in a general sense, denotes a kind of moderation common to every moral virtue and is directed to the good.
Courage (Fortitude) moderates those desires that prevent us from undertaking more daunting, difficult tasks — even allowing us to endure pain and discomfort when necessary in pursuit of truth and good.
Justice is a sustained or constant willingness to extend to each person what he or she deserves in relation to what is truly good for that individual and having both community and individual elements related to it.
Saint Mary’s ‘Jazz Final’ to be performed during Island City’s December Jazz Jam
WINONA, Minn. — Jazz at Saint Mary’s and the H3O Jazz Trio will join forces during Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s twice-yearly “Jazz Final” on Sunday, Dec. 16, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. during Island City Brewing Company’s monthly Jazz Jam.
Saint Mary’s two jazz combos and the entire big band will kick off the first hour with a recap of their favorite selections from the fall semester. H3O Jazz Trio will lead for the rest of the evening.
Now in its fourth month, the Jazz Jam at Island City Brewing Company, 65 E. Front St. in Winona, is an open mic night for jazz. Whether you play an instrument or sing, the Jazz Jam is your chance to sit in with a professional rhythm section. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to perform some of their favorite jazz standards.
Interested jammers can choose from a wide selection of jazz tunes. Performers can choose music from Hal Leonard Real Books, bring their own, or ask the trio if they can play their favorite. It’s as simple as signing up on a clipboard.
Island City Jazz Jams are the third Sunday of each month from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the tap room. The event is free and open to all ages. If you’re not quite ready to sit in, you are welcome to come and enjoy a great evening of jazz.
For more information about this event, please contact Ashley Haig, Island City events coordinator, at 507-961-9743 or events@islandcitybrew.com.
About the H3O Jazz Trio
The father and son’s jazz trio H3O began performing together when bassist Max Heukeshoven was only 14 years old. Along with older brother Hans on drums and vibes and dad Eric on the piano, the group was asked to play for a private pool party and haven’t stopped since!
A. Eric Heukeshoven is an assistant professor of music and director of Jazz Studies at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Hans Heukeshoven is a 2015 graduate of Saint Mary’s. Max Heukeshoven is completing a degree in Music Industry at Saint Mary’s.
H3O Jazz Trio performs a wide variety of jazz styles including original music. They have worked as the rhythm section for numerous area professionals including Minnesota Music Hall of Fame’s Les Fields and Dr. John Paulson. Recent appearances include Midwest Music Fest, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Free Family Concert Series, and many other venues. The trio hosts a monthly Jazz Jam at Island City Brewing Company in Winona on the third Sunday of every month from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
More information about the H3O Jazz Trio can be found at H3OJazz.com.
Photo caption: Jamal Mayfield of La Crosse, Wis., amazes the crowd with his trumpet.
Saint Mary’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter asks for book donations
It’s that time of year again! The Saint Mary’s English Honor Society is hosting its annual Sigma Tau Delta Book Drive in affiliation with Better World Books. We are seeking donations of any books, especially those used in classrooms and preferably newer than 10 years old. Better World Books then sells, donates, and recycles your donated books around the world, with profits going to a variety of causes. Our chapter has designated literacy efforts as the cause our drive supports. Additionally, a small percentage comes back to the Saint Mary’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter.
To donate, place books in the green collection boxes located in Saint Mary’s Hall, Science and Learning Center, and Toner Student Center or contact Dr. Carolyn Ayers at cayers@smumn.edu. Let us know if your books are too heavy to cart, and we can pick them up for you. Donations will be accepted through Tuesday, Dec. 18, the end of final exams.
Students participate in Lasallian retreat
Last weekend, 38 students participated in the LIFT Retreat (Lasallians in Faith Together), formerly known as TEC (Together Encountering Christ). Students spent the weekend building community, reflecting on the Paschal mystery, and participating in faith-centered activities and discussion.
This retreat takes place each semester as an opportunity to further engage students in our Lasallian Catholic identity and give the space needed for reflection and growth. Among talks from several students, the retreat also started with a presentation by Brother Guillaume Yame, FSC, on Lasallian pillars and the work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. At the core of La Salle’s work in catechesis is the spirit of evangelization through an authentic lived faith and a free and welcoming spirit of community.
Next semester’s retreat will take place the weekend of March 29-31.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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