Neighbors in the News
• Wheeling resident Tim Lazicki, a junior at Dominican University, was awarded first place in the Undergraduate Poster Competition at the 2010 Chicago Society for Neuroscience meeting on Thursday, March 25. Lazicki won for his presentation, "Samatosensory Evoked Magnetic Fields Following Mild and Moderate Head Trauma."
In his research, Lazicki used a high-tech brain imaging technique (MEG) to look for indicators of those who will suffer serious consequences from mild head injury. Currently, when a patient comes to the hospital after suffering a mild concussion, there is no way to know if they will end up with persistent side-effects from the brain trauma, a disorder known as post-concussive syndrome (PCS). Lazicki was able to look at brain scans of patients and found abnormalities in some patients that accurately predicted the later development of PCS. The hope is this could lead to early interventions that would prevent PCS from developing.
Lazicki's research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Jeff Lewine at Alexian Brothers Health Care Systems.
• Barrington resident and dance instructor/choreographer Ellen Werksman has returned from a two-weekend tour of teaching with the national organization Dance Masters of America. Certifying and setting standards in dance education since 1884, Dance Masters focuses on technique, teaching skills and the nurturing of camaraderie among fellow teachers. Over 300 dancers from Michigan and Missouri were in attendance in each respective city for Werksman's classes in lyrical and jazz.
Werksman is a nationally-known dance instructor and choreographer. She is director of Midwest Dance Collective, Dancewerks Werkshops and Production Company, and the dance program at Barrington Performing Artz Center in Barrington and dance adjudicator for several national dance competitions.
• Tom Leonard, superintendent of School District 220, in Barrington has received a five-year contract extension, extending his tenure in the school district through June 30, 2014. Leonard has been superintendent of the pre-K-12 school system since July 2007. Previously, he was principal of Barrington High School for six years.
• Hersey High School graduate and current faculty member Bruce Janu will be recognized as one of the 2010 Outstanding Eastern Illinois Alumni on Friday, April 16, at an awards ceremony hosted by the dean of the graduate school and the Graduate Alumni Advisory Board at EIU. He is one of 13 alumni, who will receive the honor.