The Dartmouth College chapter of Habitat for Humanity began building its first energy-efficient home in West Lebanon on July 10, according to a Tucker Foundation press release. The house the fifth home built by the Dartmouth chapter of Habitat will include features such as solar-heated hot water, floors and insulation built from recyclable materials, as well as double and triple-glazed windows, according to the release. Students at the Thayer School of Engineering designed the house to significantly reduce its heating costs compared to past Habitat buildings. The Dartmouth Habitat chapter plans to use this design as a model for future homes and will share the blueprints for this energy-efficient house with other Habitat collegiate chapters. Dartmouth Habitat, which has been working in the local community since 1998, will partner with Upper Valley Habitat chapter to construct the house.
Dartmouth Medical School professor and surgeon Robert Zwolak was elected president of the Society for Vascular Surgery at the society's annual meeting on July 11, according to a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center press release. In addition to teaching at DMS, Zwolak is the director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratory at DHMC and the chief of surgery at the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt., which is affiliated with the College. Zwolak played an important role in the 2007 drafting and passing of federal legislation that requires Medicare to cover ultrasound screenings on patients at risk for abdominal aortic aneurysms and served on the Ambulatory Payment Category Panel of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the release. Zwolak also served as the governor of the American College of Surgeons for two terms. Zwolak previously chaired the SVS Governmental Relations Committee and has served on the SVS board of directors since 2003, according to the release.
One hundred and thirty students, including 32 trip leaders, participated in the 12th annual Sophomore Trips known to students as STRIPs, according to Sarah Jewett '12, who co-directed the program. The trips, which are run by the Dartmouth Outing Club, allow students to relive their First-Year Trips and spend a weekend participating in one of a variety of outdoor activities. Satoshi Harris-Koizumi '12 served as the other program co-chair. 15 trips were originally planned but due to a large number of student cancellations only 13 trip groups participated in STRIPs.
