Brother of the Month - September 2023

The brothers would like to extend a wholehearted congratulations to Dale Roe for winning September's Brother of the Month! As a senior living in the chapter house, Dale has been an involved leader and role model for the younger brothers. He was a big contributor in Fall recruitment and particularly excelled at developing closer connections with rushees. Most significantly, as you may have seen, Dale has begun updating our website for the first time in three years. Above all else, Dale always has a positive attitude and goes out of his way to help the chapter. Thank you Dale!

The Brother of the Month award is a new program in development this Fall designed to recognize outstanding individual effort and involvement. The recipient is decided by the High Zeta before the first house meeting of each month. Chapter Officers are not eligible to win. It is part of a larger program, Brother of the Semester, which goes to the brother with the most exemplary service to the chapter. The Brother of the Semester award includes a $250 scholarship provided by Epsilon-Eta’s Educational Foundation.

Brother Axel Batlle and Biomedical Engineering Team Pioneers Breakthrough in Skin Cancer Diagnosis

In a groundbreaking collaboration between SurgiVance Inc., a New York City-based startup, and a team of talented biomedical engineering students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a revolutionary method for rapidly diagnosing skin cancer at the point of care is on the horizon pending FDA clearance.

Brother Axel Batlle and his team played a pivotal role in developing a critical component of SurgiVance's innovative biospecimen processing platform. Their task was to create a secure and contained sample preparation method, and to accomplish this, they invented a multi-chamber device that promises to transform the landscape of skin cancer diagnosis.

The device involves a sequence of chambers for optimal sample preparation. A tissue sample is inserted into a staining confinement chamber, followed by the release of a stain onto the sample through a valve. Subsequently, a third chamber releases a washing solution, resulting in a properly stained and washed sample ready for analysis under a microscope. What sets this solution apart is not only its efficacy but also its cost-effectiveness and passive nature, relying solely on gravity for reagent exchange, eliminating the need for mechanically active components.

The team’s effort were nothing short of impressive, with the team winning the prestigious "Best Design" award at the capstone research team projects ceremony. Their contribution is not only acknowledged within the academic sphere but has significant real-world implications.

Daniel S. Gareau, M.C.R., Ph.D., founder of SurgiVance, expressed his appreciation for the students' efforts: "The Rensselaer students were immensely helpful to SurgiVance in developing a diagnostic surgical pathology solution. It is, effectively, a histopathology lab in a box. It has the potential to transform skin cancer diagnosis and really improve patient care."

The impact of Axel and his team's work goes beyond the accolades they received; it has the potential to revolutionize the field of skin cancer diagnosis and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

From the Brothers at Epsilon Eta, a huge congratulations to Axel and his entire team!

EHZ Chapter Takes Strides for Ovarian Cancer Research

Brothers finish 5k run to raise money for ovarian cancer research and to support their brother.

From Left to Right: Matt Regan, Jules Phillips, Joe Mergen, Evan Owens, Matt Emerson, Clayton Wrinn, Nick Khoo, & Krista Wozniak

Since its founding in 1937, the Epsilon Eta Zeta Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha has demonstrated a strong commitment to philanthropy and community involvement. Our efforts were continued last month on Sunday September 10th, when 7 of our brothers accepted the challenge of running a 5k to raise money for ovarian cancer research.

The Teal Ribbon Run/Walk is hosted annually by Caring Together Inc., a non-profit organization in New York State’s Capital Region that donates to promising ovarian cancer research projects. This year, the event raised over $70,000, and the funds were donated to local research efforts led by Dr. Cheon at Albany Medical College and to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer.

For brother Evan Owens, this event carries more personal meaning. Evan explains, “This event has become a tradition in my family ever since ovarian cancer took my aunt’s life in 2003. Over the years we have run, walked, volunteered, and today my mom is the president of the board of directors. Since the cause is so important to me, it meant a lot to see brothers sacrifice their Sunday morning to run with me. It takes a special group of people to run a 5k at 9am on a Sunday to support a cause that doesn’t affect them personally, but thankfully that is exactly what we have here”.

Article by Evan Owens EHZ 1514

Fall 2023 Food Drive

This September, the brothers of the Epsilon Eta chapter once again partnered with the Hope 7 Food pantry in Troy and the sisters of the Theta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi to raise food for families who are in need. Together, we were able to collect 2369 pounds of food for the food bank. This event’s success would not have been possible without the organization and execution from our High Theta Rob Podesta and Alpha Phi’s Katherine Barney. A huge thank you to all of the brothers and sisters who assisted with the tag distribution and food collection!

Spring 2023 Food Drive

This April, the brothers of the Epsilon Eta chapter partnered with the Hope 7 Food pantry in Troy and the sisters of the Theta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi to raise food for families who are in need. Together, we were able to collect 2469 pounds of food for the food bank. This event’s success would not have been possible without the organization and execution from Rob Podesta, our High Theta, and all of the brothers and sisters who assisted with the tag distribution and food collection!

Pumpkin Bash 2022

The chapter hosted its annual Pumpkin Bash this fall during RPI’s Parents Weekend! Turnout was excellent, with 15 participating teams and over 200 pumpkins. Thanks to the great turnout, the chapter raised $870.69 for Feeding America!

Fall 2022 Food Drive

This September, the brothers of the Epsilon Eta chapter partnered with the Hope 7 Food pantry in Troy and the sisters of the Theta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi to raise food for families who are in need. Together, we were able to collect 2469 pounds of food for the food bank. This event’s success would not have been possible without the organization and execution from Sai Avula, our High Theta, and all of the brothers and sisters who assisted with the tag distribution and food collection!

Spring 2022 Food Drive

The Lambda Chi Brothers and Alpha Phi Sisters proudly smile in front of the food ready for donation.

This March, the brothers of the Epsilon Eta chapter partnered with the Hope 7 Food pantry in Troy and the sisters of the Theta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi to raise food for families who are in need. Together, we were able to collect 3769 pounds of food for the food bank. This event’s success would not have been possible without the organization and execution from Dale Roe, our High Theta, and all of the brothers and sisters who assisted with the tag distribution and food collection!

Winter 2021 Food Drive

Epsilon Eta Brothers pose next to the food they collected from donations the local area.

This winter, the brothers of the Epsilon Eta chapter partnered with the Hope 7 Food pantry in Troy to raise food for families who are in need. Together, we were able to visit over 3000 houses and collect 2869 pounds of food for the food bank. This event’s success would not have been possible without the organization and execution from Matthew Carluccio, our High Theta, and all of the brothers who assisted with the tag distribution and food collection!