Feature Stories Alumni: A natural fit

As lifelong SouthCoast residents, John and Gail Sampieri hold a deep appreciation for the unique landscape that surrounds us. From Gail’s childhood on a Dartmouth farm to birdwatching in South Dartmouth to enjoying the majestic coastline of Cape Cod, the natural beauty found right outside our doorsteps has been at the heart of the Sampieris’ life.

They shared this love of nature with their children, who also embraced the gifts of the SouthCoast, especially their daughter, Sara Horvet, a 2012 graduate of the master’s program in coastal systems science UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST). Gail was also 1970 graduate of UMass Dartmouth who later enjoyed a long career in social services.

Sara is a research associate and analytical lab manager in the Coastal Systems Program at SMAST—the logistical, educational, and data synthesis center for water quality monitoring throughout southeastern Massachusetts that maintains operational and analytical support for all the region's towns. Inspired by the late Professor Brian Howes, who founded the Coastal Systems Program, Sara and her colleagues uphold a commitment to environmental health. The team conducts research on saltwater and freshwater wetland ecology and hydrology areas, including water quality monitoring, nutrient cycling, coastal ecosystems and wetlands ecology to provide essential data that cities and towns use to investigate and develop innovative solutions to complex environmental restoration and management issues within the region.

The summer internship program is a key part of the Coastal Systems Program research. Interns participate in a wide range of field and laboratory work, including conducting nearshore and offshore sampling, citizen-based environmental monitoring, maintaining long-term experiments in wetlands, sample preparation, and a variety of laboratory analytical procedures. By the end of the summer, interns have collected a range of critical water samples from the region’s most vulnerable bodies of water and have learned to process and synthesize that data with the latest research into effective, forward-thinking and working clean-water management plans.  

The Sampieris have been dedicated to supporting local environmental causes for years. It was Sara’s passion for the Coastal Systems Program that inspired John and Gail to expand their philanthropic commitments to include UMass Dartmouth among the organizations that benefit from their generosity.

“Sara loves to talk about the Coastal Systems Program,” said John. “Gail and I became fascinated by what she and her colleagues at SMAST do. We believe in this work.”

The Sampieri’s contribution to the Coastal Systems program began with an initial donation of $5,000 to support a summer intern, based on Sara’s concern around the ability to fund the essential position. This year, they deepened their commitment to the program by increasing their donation to establish an endowment that would provide long-lasting support for the program. The Sampieri Coastal Systems Program Endowment will support the program’s summer interns.

“We want to see our coast cared for, and that means supporting Sara’s team to obtain the data and research needed to make the important decisions to preserve the health of our environment,” said John.

The timing was perfect for John and Gail, who were motivated to increase their financial support by the Massachusetts Public Higher Education Endowment Incentive Program (PHEEIP).  Under the program, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts contributes $1 in appropriated state funds for every $2 raise from private donors to support endowment gifts. This matching gift incentivizes many donors to establish endowments or add funds to existing endowments, becoming an important tool in growing the University’s endowment and securing long-term support for scholarships and academic programs.

“Unquestionably, the matching incentive program gave us the push to increase our support of the Coastal Systems program,” said John.

As John and Gail spot native birds in the summers while sitting on their porch and encounter winter ducks on walks along the local coastline, they do so knowing that their generous support will leave a legacy to preserve the things they treasure most. 

“UMass Dartmouth is so important to our region,” Gail said. “It opens up so many opportunities for students and families. We are believers in public education and acknowledge the value of having this research university in our backyard.”

For more information about establishing an endowed fund for an area of UMass Dartmouth, please contact us at giving@umassd.edu.

“UMass Dartmouth is so important to our region. It opens up so many opportunities for students and families. We are believers in public education and acknowledge the value of having this research university in our backyard.”