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July 30, 2012
by Courtney West
The Society of Prevention Research annual awards honors excellence for a wide range of achievements, from major lifetime contributions to the field to early career excellence.
This year, they also rewarded great music.
The Mothers of Prevention – a band that includes two talented musicians from Colorado State University - received the Service to Society of Prevention Research award for gracing the stage at the annual Minority Scholarship Dance for the past 10 years.
Randy Swaim, director of the Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, plays bass and John Jiminez, an IT professional, plays lead guitar in the band.
The band formed among a group of prevention scientists who regularly attend the Society for Prevention Research and also happen to be musically inclined, said Swaim, a senior research scientist at CSU.
The Society for Prevention Research, according to its website, is dedicated to advancing scientific investigation on the etiology and prevention of problems associated with social, physical and mental health, and academic problems and on the translation of that information to promote health and well being.
“Our music is a mix, but we play mainly classic rock and soul, with some contemporary stuff as well, such as Maroon Five and Black Crowes,” Swaim said. “We’ve even done some Miles Davis jazz a couple of times. We have a blast doing this and hope to continue in the years to come, even though several of us are old guys.”
The national organization was founded in 1991, and the first meeting was held at Colorado State at the Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, which is a research center in the Department of Psychology. About 35 people showed up for the first meeting, but that number has grown to about 1,000 annual attendees annually.
At the time that The Mothers of Prevention formed, David Hawkins, president of the society, made it a part of his presidential platform to form a band to play for the annual minority scholarship dance that was held every year, Swaim said.
Hawkins contacted society members that he knew were musicians or had played in bands over the years, Swaim said.
The Mothers of Prevention includes other prevention scientists from all around the country:
Contact: Emily Wilmsen
E-mail: Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu
Phone: (970) 491-2336