Dr. Nettie Maria Stevens Science and Innovation Center
by Peter Currier, intern, WSU ’17
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University will hold the 4th annual Pathways to Excellence gala on Friday, May 5 in the new Dr. Nettie Maria Stevens Science and Innovation Center at 5:30PM.
The fundraising event will showcase the work and innovations by students and faculty at the university. Tickets are $75 per person or $700 for 10 tickets. They must be purchased by May 1st.
“Students and professors will be showing poster presentations and hands on demonstrations,” says Lisa McMahon, Director of Advancement at WSU, “One student will be doing Dr. Nettie Stevens’ fruit fly experiment.”
“We are so impressed by the students’ knowledge, poise and passion,” says McMahon.
The fruit fly experiment is a callback to the new buildings namesake, who discovered the X and Y chromosomes and was a student at Westfield State in the late 19th century when it was Westfield Normal School.
Guests will receive a booklet detailing all the events and giving information about the new building. The official ribbon cutting for the science building will occur at 11AM the same day.
There will be entertainment and dinner throughout the evening. Some students will be performing a portion of “Spring Awakening,” a play that recently ran at the University. The evening will conclude with a dessert finale in the Stevens courtyard just outside.
All funds raised by ticket sales and donations will be used by the Westfield State Foundation for internships, scholarships, and various student initiatives.
Some of the largest sponsors include Westfield Bank, Elm Electric, Westfield Gas and Electric, Baystate Dental, Berkshire Bank, and Six Flags.
The event will be co-chaired by Kristin Hagan, James Hagan, Westfield State Trustee Event Co-chair and part of the WSU class of 1984, George Flevotomos, clerk of the Westfield State Foundation, and Yolanda Flevotomos.
In 2015, the Pathways to Excellence event was held in Wilson Hall, an older science building on campus that is now connected to the Dr. Nettie Maria Stevens building.
“People questioned having the event in a relatively outdated building,” says McMahon, “But we really wanted to highlight the difference between the old building and the new one.”
