#b#Consumer Bowl Champs#/b#
A team of students from High School North took the top honor at Mercer County’s High School Consumer Bowl, beating out seven other area schools in a quiz-show style competition on good consumer practices. Team members include Joe Gonnella, Lauren Miele, Chris Orsini, Jack Paley, and Roberta Schapiro. The team’s adviser is teacher William Totaro. The North team will compete at the Central Jersey Regional Consumer Bowl in Monmouth County on Tuesday, April 8.
The annual competition, held by the Mercer County Division of Consumer Affairs in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, pits teams from local high schools against each other to test their knowledge on being a smart shopper. The bowl was created in 1994 to encourage students to become smarter consumers, to be wary of scams and unfair business practices, and to be knowledgeable when obtaining services like home improvements or buying products such as vehicles or appliances.
This year’s competition was held February 26 at the Stone Terrace in Hamilton. Other schools participating included Ewing, Hamilton West, Hightstown, Nottingham, and Steinert high schools, Villa Victoria Academy, and High School South.
The Mercer County office handles complaints about fraudulent and unconscionable business practices from individual consumers against local businesses. It also provides consumer counseling and complaint resolution services to close to 350,000 county residents. Call 609-989-6671 for information.
#b#Bard Winner#/b#
Alicia Kabia, a senior at High School South, won the English-Speaking Union’s national Shakespeare regional competition. She will attend the national competition at Lincoln Center in New York City from May 4 to 6. Close to 15,000 students participate each year, and the winner of the nationals is awarded an all-expenses-paid summer trip to study Shakespeare in London.
Students read, analyze, perform, and recite Shakespearean monologues and sonnets in three qualifying stages. Visit www.esuus.org for information about the program and the contest.
#b#Youth Arts#/b#
Ambrose Liu, a 1990 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, is the project director of the Olney Youth Arts Festival under the umbrella of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia. The three-hour outdoor celebration showcases diverse groups of young performing artists from a variety of Philadelphia neighborhoods, all on one stage.
The festival was originally Philadelphia Education Funds’ ArtsRising, but due to lack of funds, it was unable to continue. “I’ve taken it upon myself along with my co-conspirators to continue this event on our own under the auspices of another non-profit, CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia,” says Liu. “They act as our fiscal sponsor, but we have to raise the money.”
“It’s a demonstration of what wonderful talent exists and what happens when caring mentors and groups take the time to nurture this talent,” says Liu. “Last year’s event was a wild success, and that is why I’ve chosen to volunteer my time to spearhead the effort to keep it alive.”
The event, piloted last June, under a different organization, is now in need of support in order for it to sustain and grow. An Indiegogo campaign is underway through March 28 to raise $5,000 for the event. Visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/olney-youth-arts-festival-2014 to donate.
In addition to the main stage performances, there is a resource fair featuring organizations that address issues of health, youth engagement, and community improvement. The attendees are invited to learn as much as they can on the resources in their midst.
The festival’s goals: “Showcasing different ethnic expressions towards cross-cultural awareness, and bringing positive energy to a languishing business district along North 5th Street,” says Liu. “The event addresses some of the challenges including diminishing economic vitality and sense of safety, lack of a high-profile platform to promote youth programs to families, and general misunderstanding between the various immigrant and ethnic groups that call Olney home or a place of business.”
Liu was raised in West Windsor. His parents, John and Millie Liu, still live in town. Liu received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1994 from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. He worked at NJPAC for eight years and has been the outreach manager for the college access and postsecondary success program of the Philadelphia Education Fund, helping under-served youth get into college.
His wife, Tamala Montgomery, is an elementary teacher. The couple lives just outside of Philadelphia.
#b#New Partner#/b#
Frank Liao of Plainsboro is a new equity partner at Meagher Emanuel Laks Goldberg & Liao, LLP, an intellectual property law firm based in Princeton.
Liao has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, a master’s degree in systems engineering from University of Pennsylvania, and a juris doctorate from Rutgers Law School-Newark. He is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and New York, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin) and Taiwanese.
Liao was formerly the vice president of U.S. patent operations at Technicolor/Thomson Licensing. In addition to his licensing experience, he has proven success in worldwide patent prosecution, having prosecuted patents that have been licensed, asserted in litigation, or deemed essential to industry standards and patent pools.
“Like my other partners, Frank has substantial patent licensing experience and has successfully conducted patent assertion and licensing activities globally,” says managing partner Thomas Meagher in a press release. “He was in charge of patent pools (e.g., MPEGLA, Premier BD, Japan Uldage, HDMI, etc.) and licensing programs (e.g., digital TV and PC/Laptop) that generated more than $2 billion of patent royalties. Frank has also successfully defended patents in various appeal and invalidation proceedings in the United States, Europe, China and Japan. He is an important addition to our firm.” Visit meagheremanuel.com.
#b#In College#/b#
Boston University: Sara J. Lieber of Plainsboro received a bachelor of science degree in hospitality administration, cum laude. Maya Inozemtseva and Lieber are on the dean’s list. West Windsor students Imran Hossain, Shannon M. MacKay, Sridevi Suresh, and Stefanie J. Wisotsky are on the dean’s list.
Colgate University: Students on the dean’s list include Kory Beach of West Windsor, a graduate of High School South; and Jessica Li of Plainsboro, a graduate of High School North. Both are members of the Class of 2015.
University of Delaware: Jack Janick of West Windsor is on the dean’s list. He is a 2013 graduate of High School South.
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s College at Florham: West Windsor residents Daniel Pungello and Mariane Herte are on the honors list.
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck: Matthew McCann of West Windsor is on the dean’s list; and Kenneth Lemley of West Windsor is on the honors list.
Georgia Institute of Technology: Ted Lee of West Windsor earned a doctor of philosophy in bioengineering.
Loyola University Maryland: West Windsor residents Rachael Degnan, a member of the class of 2015; and Maria DiCindio, a member of the class of 2017, are on the dean’s list.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Dean’s list recipients include Plainsboro residents Timothy Chambers, who studies information technology and web science; Rani Kalaria, who studies civil engineering; Irina Matos, who studies architecture; and Akeem Thorpe, who studies aeronautical engineering.
Rochester Institute of Technology: Veronica Santoso of Plainsboro is on the dean’s list. She is a second-year student in the industrial design program in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.
Rockford University: Cui Zheng of Plainsboro was named as a distinguished scholar.
Trinity College: Connor McElligott of West Windsor received faculty honors for the fall semester.
Tufts University: Prachi Sharma of Plainsboro is on the dean’s list.
