Public Safety is tracking a significant snowfall that will be arriving in our area late Sunday morning (Jan. 25). It will snow heavily throughout the day and evening eventually tapering off Monday (Jan. 26) with 10-14 inches expected statewide. A sleet and freezing rain mix is also possible along the shore. Temperatures will be in the teens and twenties.
Due to this significant winter storm and the extensive campus clean-up operations that will need to take place, all in-person day and evening classes scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2026 have been cancelled. All scheduled in-person classes will transition to being held online or remotely. Additional information on the virtual format for each class will be provided by your instructor.
Faculty have been asked to prepare for Online or Remote sessions in the event of in-person meeting cancellations. These options will be determined by the Faculty member and all questions should be directed to the Faculty teaching each course section. Faculty also have been asked to be very understanding and accommodating of the individual situations of their students who may have difficulty managing these alternative online or remote class meetings on short notice.
Please note that only essential employees, as previously determined by their respective department leaders, should report to campus. All other employees should fulfill the requirements of their role remotely.
Campus operations for residential students, unless otherwise noted, will operate as scheduled, though hours may be modified or changed based on the conditions. Separate messages will be sent from the Peterson Library, the Beckerman Recreation Center, and Dining Services regarding any changes to their normal hours of operation. The Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation will remain open for residential students to use for study space and to participate in online classes.
Off-campus students that live in the City of West Haven should abide by the city’s parking ban during inclement weather to avoid having their vehicle tagged and towed. Please check the City of West Haven’s website for further information on their snow parking ban.
The Charger Blog
For an independent study project, Tristan Cowan ’15 built a unique machine that measures a person’s height. The report gained attention in the academic community when it was published, and the experience set the stage for the engineering graduate to pursue a career developing simulation systems.
August 8, 2019
As a senior, Tristan Cowan ’15, who completed a double major in mechanical and electrical engineering, jumped at the opportunity to participate in an independent study.
Wanting to build something interactive that could be demonstrated to new students, Cowan designed and built a machine that uses sensors to measure a person’s height. When someone stands alongside the machine, a fan propels a ball upward, which stops and hovers at the person’s height.
"It took us a couple of tries to get a fan that had enough power to shoot the Nerf ball up high enough, so there was some trial and error there," said Cowan. "There was also some trial and error positioning the sensors to reliably pick up the ball."
Professor Cheryl Li, Ph.D. says the machine is one of the most interesting projects that students have created, setting the bar – or the ball – high for current engineering students. It is still popular on campus, especially at open houses.
"When students and parents come to visit our lab, we show them Tristan’s machine," said Li, an associate professor of mechanical engineering. "We demonstrate how the device works and also what kind of projects are students are capable of. People love it."
Cowan’s project has reached heights that extend beyond the University. An independent study report, which detailed the process of building the machine as well as the components that made it a valuable teaching tool, was published in the Computers in Education Journal.
"This project, in particular, was a good segue into my current job, which involves building things that other people use to test their ideas."Tristan Cowan ’15
Now chief engineer for simulation systems at Bloomy Controls, a Windsor, Connecticut-based company specializing in automated test, data acquisition, and control systems, Cowan is grateful for the opportunities that he had at the University.
"This project, in particular, was a good segue into my current job, which involves building things that other people use to test their ideas," Cowan said. "There’s mechanical engineering, a lot of electrical engineering, and there’s programming. Interdisciplinary projects like my independent study are a great opportunity to connect these disciplines."
University News
New University-wide council will advance strategic partnerships, immersive student opportunities, and innovative research, supporting the University’s strategic plan the development of its pioneering Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.
The Charger Blog
Entrepreneur David Sussman, Pompea College of Business Advisory Board Member and chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, is collaborating with University of New Haven students, faculty, and staff to create a program and app that helps Chargers support each other to achieve academic, personal, and professional goals. It’s called Uccountability.
University News
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie will serve on the Board of Directors and as America’s Chief Manufacturing Officer for the newly launched American Manufacturing Futures Institute.