| Graduation Year | Class of 1985 |
| Date of Passing | Jul 10, 2017 |
| About | Peter S. Chines June 27, 1967 to July 10, 2017 Peter is survived by his wife of 25 years, Sujata Roy, of Silver Spring, MD. He is the son of Salvatore and Mariena Chines of South Yarmouth, MA. He is also survived by his brother Anthony Chines and fiancé Lynn Stocking of Grapevine, TX; his sister Maria Claffey and her husband George Claffey of Newington, CT and their children Ryan and Caitlin; and his brothers-in-law and their families: Subhash Roy and Mona Das Roy of Lexington, MA with their two sons, Aloke and Paulak; Suresh Roy and his son Jacob of Cupertino, CA.; and his father-in-law Joydeb Roy of Gaithersburg, MD. Peter graduated from Windsor High School, in CT in 1985 where, as valedictorian, he stressed that human values, and not money, are what matter in life. He referenced the work of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and urged the class to serve as a drumbeat for change and be individuals who can give life meaning by serving others. He encouraged graduates to have an inner sense of purpose and ethics. He graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Chicago in 1989 where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science and Medicine. He received his Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2002. Peter was a smart, skilled, passionate person. He spent two decades working for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Throughout his career at NHGRI he contributed to countless advances in research about type 2 diabetes and other genetic disorders. He combined his love of computer programming, science, and biology to design complex databases and developed programs to interact with these large scale complex data sets. Peter’s coworkers from NHGRI discussed his giving nature, his thoughtful approach to assisting with their problems, and being an individual who was always available to help consult during a challenge. Though he could often solve a given problem himself, he believed it was best to help talk through the solution and teach others while he was assisting. His contributions were formally recognized in over 20 different journal articles or papers related to genomic projects which occurred both nationally and internationally. Peter was passionate about many things including music, biking, nature, and the environment. As an avid cyclist, he not only commuted by bike, but promoted riding as a daily life change to colleagues and friends. In 2016, his work was recognized by NIH when he received the Carl Henn Memorial Bicycle Advocacy Award. When he wasn’t composting or recycling, Peter was studying wildlife, traveling, or learning something new. In June he began an online course of study in music theory from Berklee College of Music. While Peter’s dedication to science and his work was enormous, he made sure that there was time to have fun. He would dance at every wedding, join skits, take yoga, Pilates, or martial arts classes. He loved spending as much time as possible playing with his niece and many nephews. He was a true lifelong learner, who always had a helping hand, a smile, and warm personality that often encouraged others to try something new. We will miss him every day. |
