I heard from Kiersten Muenchinger, who is now an associate professor of product design at the University of Oregon. Kiersten founded the program and major at the university in 2008 and it now has about 150 students. The program will be launching graduate degrees in design and sports product design in Eugene and Portland, respectively, in the fall of 2016.

Kiersten’s on sabbatical this year and in January moved her family to Hong Kong for a Fulbright that runs through June. She’ll be working at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in industrial engineering and continuing a research project in the sustainability of polymers. She and her husband, Evan Bowen, have Josephine (7) and Spencer (10) and host Jingxuan “Harper” Fan (17). The family would love to see anyone who might be living in Hong Kong while they’re in town.

Kiersten said she keeps up with Julia Hammer, now a professor of geology and volcanology at the University of Hawaii. Kiersten said Julia sometimes visits Oregon and explains which volcano in the region will blow any day now. Kiersten said that Julia is also on sabbatical this year, doing her research and touring France with her family.

Though at press time it will be the middle of February, I can’t help but say happy New Year to all.

—Suzanne Spencer Rendahl, 224 Route 120, Plainfield, NH 03781; suzandj@comcast.net