FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2006

11 Honored by Rhode Island's
Speaker of the House and House of Representatives

Providence, RI—Ten current Rhode Island College student-athletes and one alumnus were honored by the honorable, William J. Murphy, Speaker of the House, and the Rhode Island House of Representatives at a reception held in the House Chamber at the Rhode Island State House on Monday, May 1.

The event was designed to give significant public recognition to men and women from the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island who have had significant achievements in their academic and athletic pursuits at their respective institutions. The honorees have also demonstrated exemplary citizenship and community service.

The ten Scholar-Athletes from Rhode Island College were: Liz Barrette, a senior women’s tennis player from North Providence, RI; Todd Bloom, a senior wrestler from Wantagh, NY; Kinsey Durgin, a junior men’s basketball player from Greenwood, ME; Colleen Feeney, a sophomore women’s basketball player from Providence, RI; Caitlin Gavin, a junior women’s soccer and lacrosse player from Portsmouth, RI; Kari Geisler, a junior women’s basketball player from Deerfield, NH; Eric Lonergan, a junior cross country and track competitor from North Kingstown, RI; Christie Lotti, a sophomore softball player from Waterford, CT; Kevin Payette, a senior men’s basketball player from Woonsocket, RI; and Kyle Teixeira, a senior men’s soccer player from Warren, RI.

Athletic Alumni from each school were also honored. Cranston native and current East Falmouth, Massachusetts native Dr. Chris Reddy ’92 was RIC’s Athletic Alumnus Award recipient.

He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rhode Island College in 1992 and was honored at that year’s Cap and Gown Convocation with two significant awards: the American Chemical Society's Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award in Analytical Chemistry, which showcased his academic skills, and the John E. Hetherman Award, given annually to the top graduating student-athlete, which underscored his athletic skills.

As a student-athlete, Reddy was a 1992 NCAA Division III Wrestling Academic All-American.  He was a three-time All-New England wrestler and a finalist in the 167 lbs. weight class his senior year, during which he served as team captain. The Anchormen captured the New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Championship in each of the years he was on the team.

After he completed his outstanding undergraduate career at the college, he went on to become a highly regarded graduate student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. He was recognized once again by the American Chemical Society, this time with the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry. He earned his PH.D. at G.S.O. in 1997.

Dr. Reddy first rose to major public prominence in 1998, when his expert analysis and testimony on the North Cape oil spill led to a $1.5 million increase in the damage settlement. For this work, Save the Bay with its 1998 Environmental Achievement Award honored him.  Dr. Reddy’s work has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times, and he has also participated in numerous television and radio interviews.

Dr. Reddy currently serves as an Associate Scientist in the Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at Woods Hole Oceanographic institution. He studies the source, transport, and fate of organic contaminants in the marine environment.

The author of over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications, Dr. Reddy is widely recognized as a world leader in using novel analytical techniques to study difficult and “real world” environmental problems. In 2003, he was awarded the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Prize, a prestigious award given annually to the “nation’s best and brightest academic researchers.”  More recently, he was named as a 2006 Leopold Leadership Fellow.

The Aldo Leopold Leadership Program provides scientists with intensive communications and leadership training to enhance their ability to communicate effectively with non-scientific audiences, especially policy makers, the media, business leaders, and the public.

Dr. Reddy is also an associate editor for the journal Environmental Forensics, and a member of the editorial board of Marine Environmental Research.  He has served on numerous conference and journal review panels and is an active member of the oceanographic community.

Reddy resides in East Falmouth, Massachusetts.

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