The University Magazine Spring 2013
A Leader in Sustainability How RIT is making the world greener for the next generation
Photography alumni document hope A new approach to science education Containing the cost of higher ed
It’s always a good exercise to examine the family budget and see where potential cuts can be made or new thinking can be applied to strengthen your nances. At RIT, our scal health is very strong, but the same logic applies. Our overall scal health enables us to explore new educational paradigms and possible cost- cutting and revenue-generating models from a position of strength. In the past year, we’ve asked campuswide committees to study and make recommendations to improve our operating e cien- cies in areas of employee bene ts, information technology, procurement of goods and services, and organization structure. Our goal is to nd $3 million in the coming scal year by reducing administrative costs and/or increasing revenue RIT: e University Magazine outside of tuition increases. Executive Editors Why cost-containment e orts now? Deborah M. Stendardi Government and Community Relations Undergraduate tuition at U.S. colleges and Bob Finnerty ’07, University News Services universities has been increasing at twice the Editor rate of ination for 25 years. Mindy Mozer, University News Services Last year, four-year private colleges and Contributing Editors universities increased their tuition rates by Lisa Cauda, Development and Alumni Relations more than 4 percent on average, yet took in Kelly Redder, Alumni Relations Craig Smith, Development less money per student on average than the Cindy Sobieraj, Development and Alumni Relations year before due to discount rates. Alumni Relations Sta We have reached the limit of how much Art Director more families can a ord to pay for a college President Bill Destler addresses the RIT community. Colleen McGuinness-Clarke ’87, ’08 University Publications education, and we must try to bring our an- Designers: University Publications nual tuition increases down closer to the rate of ination. Je Arbegast ’93 We need to protect the quality of the educational experience and the quality of student life Alexander Gartley ’07 for our students. Michael Mooney ’85 In recent years, RIT has done a better job of holding down tuition hikes, including a 3.8 Photographer percent increase this past year. Our goal for this fall is to keep the annual tuition increase to 3.5 A. Sue Weisler ’93, University News Services percent or less. Here is a sample of some of the actions that will help us keep tuition increases Writers: University News Services Scott Bureau ’11 closer to ination: Michelle Cometa ’00 • Each university vice president will nd a 1 percent reduction in his or her administrative Susan Gawlowicz ’95 budgets. Rich Kiley Greg Livadas • Dependent tuition bene ts for undergraduate students enrolled at RIT will be limited to Vienna McGrain ’12 145 semester hours per dependent. is will still ensure a reasonable amount of time to Marcia Morphy graduate. Ellen Rosen Kelly Sorensen • We will adopt an “inside RIT rst” mindset in areas of food catering, printing and sup- Copy Editor plies in areas of procurement. Marie Lang, University News Services • Energy consumption reductions will be implemented, including the replacement of Print Production 18,000 uorescent light bulbs with LED xtures. Brenda Monahan, University Publications Perhaps the most controversial decision is to begin charging faculty, sta and students for University News Services parking on campus for the very rst time starting on July 1. e annual fees range from $50 to 132 Lomb Memorial Drive $150. e costs of providing parking are real, and most of the costs of our parking operations Rochester, NY 14623-5608 Voice: 585-475-5064 are borne by students via tuition.Visitor parking will remain free. Fax: 585-475-5097 e $3 million in projected savings and additional revenue will mostly be used to keep Email: [email protected] tuition increases moderate, while a portion will be used for some new initiatives. O ce of Alumni Relations I thought that you, members of the RIT family, should understand where we stand nancial- Crossroads 41 Lomb Memorial Drive ly within our $666.1 million annual operating budget at a time when the university continues Rochester, NY 14623-5603 Voice: 585-475-ALUM, Toll Free: 866-RIT-ALUM to be on a very positive trajectory. By numerous measures—undergraduate applications, SAT TTY: 585-475-2764, Fax: 585-475-5308 scores, student selectivity, major gis—RIT is extremely healthy. Let’s stay t and lean. E-mail: [email protected] Cordially yours, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, publishes e University Magazine. RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity within its workforce and provides equal op- portunity to all quali ed individuals regardless of race, Bill Destler color, creed, age, marital status, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, President national origin, veteran status, or disability. www.rit.edu/president
Vol.15, No.1, 106M-P1363-3/2013-LANE-CMcGC P.S.: Please join me Saturday, May 4, for Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Printer: e Lane Press; Burlington, Vermont © 2013 Rochester Institute of Technology Festival. Our festival is now in its sixth year, establishing itself as a community tradition. All rights reserved Visit rit.edu/imagine to learn more about the nearly 400 exhibits.
2 | WINTER 2011-12 The University Magazine Spring 2013
A new approach to science education 8 teaches critical thinking along with biology.
Seven photography alumni document How did RIT in less than 10 years create a world-class research and education hub for sustainability, 12 hope in struggling parts of the world. 18 establish one of the rst doctoral programs in sustainability and open a new building lled with cutting- edge technology that serves as a classroom? Read how one man’s vision became a reality.
Departments Other Features
2 Letters 3 How to make a project awesome 4 On Campus Alumnus Erhardt Grae ’06, ’07 provides his ve key qualities of awesome. 30 Tiger Talk 23 A living laboratory 36 Alumni Activities A graphic details the new home of Golisano Institute for Sustainability. 38 Class Notes 29 From farmworker to advocate
Meet the winner of the 2012 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Cover Photo illustration of Michele Goe, a third-year Ph.D. 33 Signing sensation uses stardom to educate candidate in sustainability, walking by the green wall grown for the new Sustainability Institute Hall with her Lydia Callis ’10 hopes to bridge the gap between hearing and deaf cultures. 2-year-old daughter, Boe Yee Chan. Goe says she is study- ing sustainability because she is interested in making sure 40 Best ‘bad day’ leads to love people have access to a healthy environment. (Photos by A new feature pro les one of the more than 4,600 RIT alumni couples. A. Sue Weisler. Illustration by Je Arbegast) Letters
Memories of an RIT professor Day—he liked the art students to show o to In addition, I chose to do an independent the machine papermakers. I usually took a study on the concept of dye resist qualities of couple of other textile students with me and di erent papers (basically testing papers to see we made all kinds of cool and fun things with how they would adapt to the batik process). the paper pulp. Professor Brown was always eager to see what Joe was my rst introduction to RIT and I was doing and the progress I was making from that I knew that my experience there with my research. He was an exceptional men- was going to be di erent and special. Joe tor. Finally, he was very helpful to the Genesee Brown will truly be missed! Valley Calligraphy Guild, of which I have been Janelle Delicata ’83 (weaving and textile design) a member for approximately 25 years. He of- fered tours and workshops in papermaking to I had Joe Brown for my freshman paper guild members and encouraged their experi- class in 1976-1977 and was amazed at how he ments with inks on various paper surfaces. could make what would seem like a mundane He will truly be missed. subject so intriguing! I had never before Kathie (Steinke) Lyke ’80 (printing management) thought to analyze a ream of copy paper... Joseph Brown, professor emeritus in the School of In seriousness, he was excellent at what he We welcome letters on subjects covered in the Printing, died Feb. 27, 2012. Brown joined RIT in 1958, taught and gave me a thorough perspective magazine and of broad interest to our readers. We teaching paper technology and hand papermaking. of the myriad papers on the market, which edit for space, clarity and style. Write to The University He was awarded the Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching came in very handy as my rst ve years Magazine, University News Services, Rochester Institute Award in 1989-1990 and served as chairman of RIT’s a er graduation were spent as a publications of Technology, 132 Lomb Memorial Drive—Brown Hall, Faculty Council. He was a Peace Corps volunteer. Brown director/print buyer for two Rochester-area Rochester, NY 14623. Email can be sent to umagwww@ retired from RIT in 1992. colleges. rit.edu.
I wanted to share my memories of Joe Brown. I had just moved to Rochester to start my MFA in textiles at the School for American Cra s. Being a textile person, I had tried It’s YOUR many “textile” media, including papermak- Alumni Network ing, and sported a bumper sticker on my car / Connect with classmates with that read “Papermakers Get Felt Between the Tiger Locator. e Sheets”—something you do in hand- / Network with more than 111,000 fellow graduates. papermaking to separate the sheets of freshly / Meet new alumni at an RIT made paper. I was stopped at a light near event in your area. campus with my parents in the car, and this / Share your latest milestone guy pulls up alongside and calls out, “Who’s or accomplishment with the papermaker?” I didn’t know quite what your classmates—submit a Class Note. to think but answered that I was. He said, “Hand or machine?” and I said, “Hand.” en Log In or Join Today. he said, “Come over and see me at RIT. I’m Membership is free. What are you waiting for? Joe Brown.” www.rit.edu/alumni I did get to visit the paper lab one day and introduced myself—he remembered my bumper sticker! I later learned that Joe’s wife, Helen, was a ber person and had a great shop for supplies. Joe always invited me to the paper lab when they were doing handmade paper for special projects like Valentine’s
2 | SPRING 2013 Erhardt Grae ’06, ’07 (information technology, international studies) is a founding trustee of e Awesome Foundation. Expert Advice He lives in Somerville, Mass., and works as a graduate student and research assistant at the MIT Media Lab. with Erhardt Grae ’06, ’07
How to make a project awesome
In July 2009, I helped start an organization called e Awesome Foundation in Boston. e basic idea is 10 “trustees” get together every month to pick the most awesome project submitted. at project then receives $100 from each trustee to create a $1,000 grant with no strings attached. We see this as lling a gap in philanthropy in which it’s nearly impossible to nd small amounts of money for inspiring ideas that fail to t into established categories of social good. While we deliberately maintain no speci c criteria for awesome projects, we have come to appreciate certain qualities that recur in the projects we fund. e following are ve key qualities of awesome that I rely on, and how they are reect- ed in one of our earliest grants to Lee Altman’s “Eco-pod Armada” project involving easy-to-assemble aquatic phytoreme- diation devices to clean New York City’s East River. Unique Playful Local e quality of unique or novel seems obvi- e other magic quality is fun. Playfulness is quality has become more important ous, but what quali es as unique is not neces- and humor create spaces that invite more as e Awesome Foundation has grown into sarily wholly original. Remixes or mashups people to engage with an idea or project. a many-chapter network. But even when our of ideas are strongly encouraged, especially Wild optimism is also encouraged to feed chapter funds projects like Lee’s outside of art + science. Lee’s project blended commu- excitement and possibility. What could be a Boston, we consider its connection to the nity cra s with scienti c activism, involving more enjoyable way to introduce others to location in which it’s situated—the commu- remote-controlled boats pulling water reme- environmental activism than by constructing nity a ected by East River pollution. Tailoring diating plant pods along the Brooklyn Bridge oating gardens powered by remote-con- a project to a locality creates opportunities for Park coastline. trolled toy boats? greater impact and maximum inclusivity and increases awesome by coming full circle to Do-It-Yourself Open enhance a project’s uniqueness. Real magic and learning occurs when We regularly encourage people to take The Awesome Foundation shares a lot of its philoso- you create something yourself. We have a one-o projects and turn them into events. phy of awesome with the slow food movement, which strong preference for grants like Lee’s that are Lee’s project was in part about a clever situates itself in contrast with “fast food.” For slow fund- designed and built by the grantee. Even if you prototype for water remediation, but it was ing, we believe it’s important to raise public awareness want to create a website for a cause, create the also about bringing people together around about, improve access to, and encourage the enjoyment website yourself. Pouring your own passion a cause. ink of any awesome project as a of funds that are local and sustainably grown. This directly into the project makes it awesome. platform that could be drives our preference for local, DIY and open projects. opened up to participa- A truly awesome project inspires others to participate tion from others. If and undertake their own awesome projects. Awesome you are making should pay itself forward. something, teach If you are interested in applying for an Awesome others how to make Foundation grant, go to www.awesomefoundation.org. it. Releasing your To learn more about Lee Altman’s project, go to www. awesome into the awesomefoundation.org/en/projects/608. And to nd world is a guar- out how to get involved or start a chapter in your area, anteed way to visit our website’s FAQ. There are already 60-plus chap- create more ters around the world and growing. More awesomeness awesome. is our mission.
SPRING 2013 | 3 On Campus
NOTEBOOK RIT collaborates with industry Super Big Shot RIT’s longtime com- Printed electronics and area of advanced printing in RIT’s Kate Gleason nano-inks that, once munity photography related advanced manu- devices and technologies. College of Engineer- fused, render conductive project known as the facturing technologies “In this region alone, we ing will be a resource to properties. e process Big Shot was expected have the potential to be a have a variety of compa- advanced manufacturing is essential in printing to capture a spectacular $45 billion global indus- nies that make printing rms in the region and electronic devices such nighttime photograph try, according to business or deposition equipment, throughout New York as sensors, smart cards, of Cowboys Stadium analysts. companies that make state for developing some photovoltaic devices and in Arlington, Texas, on RIT researchers, led nano-inks for printing of these technologies. e exible circuits. March 23. by engineering professor and another group of lab could play a key role With a $599,390 grant “ is is an amazing Denis Cormier, will play companies that use the in the region’s economic from the National Science opportunity for RIT a key role in advancing printers and inks for ap- development, which has Foundation, Cormier has because of the technical this industry as a result plications. e region has a signi cant employment also established a “Part- challenges to produce a of a university-industry a lot to o er, and we have base in advanced manu- nership for Innovation nighttime photograph partnership with regional the opportunity to trans- facturing. in Printed Devices and of a landmark of this and national high-tech form the manufacturing e lab’s most recent Materials,” which includes size,” says Michael rms, and the acquisition industry.” equipment acquisition is a Rochester-based Intrinsiq Peres, one of the orga- of new state-of-the-art Advanced manufac- NovaCentrix Pulseforge, Materials, located in the nizers of the Big Shot. advanced manufacturing turing is being used to de- an advanced curing sys- Eastman Business Park, as e Big Shot project equipment. velop applications such as tem for printed electron- well as NovaCentrix and relies on thousands of “We have the infra- smart sensors, biomedical ics. RIT is one of the only Optomec, national com- volunteers to provide structure here,” says devices, touch screens universities nationally to panies that manufacture the primary light Cormier, the Earl W. and fuel cells in a wide have such a highly spe- the equipment necessary source for the im- Brinkman Professor variety of industries— cialized instrument. to engage in the emerging age while RIT pho- in RIT’s industrial and medical, aeronautics, e Pulseforge uses elds of printing/deposi- tographers shoot an systems engineering de- military and automotive, high-intensity light at tion, nano-inks and print extended exposure. partment, and one of the for example. very short pulses to applications. Cowboys Stadium is premier researchers in the e Brinkman Lab heat materials such as Michelle Cometa ’00 RIT’s 28th Big Shot. Go to www.rit.edu/bigshot to see the image. Alumnus brings Watson to campus
Social friendly Answer: A supercom- ligence engine. Watson’s e E. Philip Saunders puter capable of answer- data crunching capa- College of Business ing questions posed in bilities could someday ranked fourth in the ordinary language that be used to help suggest “Top 10 Most Social visited RIT in January. diagnoses to doctors or Media Friendly Online Question: What is analyze massive amounts MBA Schools,” accord- IBM’s Watson? of data for insurance ing to a study conduct- IBM developer Stephan companies. ed by OnlineMBAPage. Roorda ’01 (computer sci- Students asked the com. ence) showed o Watson, supercomputer about e Saunders Col- which was made famous the meaning of life. lege was recognized by its 2011 appearance on When Watson came up IBM developer Stephan Roorda ’01 showed o Watson to a packed for its scores in “likes, the quiz show Jeopardy!, with answers like Monty crowd in the Golisano Hall auditorium. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) followers, subscribers to a packed crowd. A er Python’s e Meaning and members” on such the machine defeated for- of Life and exponential who had been the head (computer science), man- social media sites as mer Jeopardy! champions decay, Roorda explained football coach of RIT and ager of IBM’s Extreme Facebook, Twitter, You- Brad Rutter and Ken Jen- that Watson is only able Boston College—Tom Blue internship program, Tube, Linkedin, Google nings, IBM began looking to pull answers from the Coughlin, the current also attended to recruit Plus and Flickr. for ways to commercialize data it has access to. New York Giants coach. co-op students. Watson’s arti cial intel- Watson did know Randy Horwitz ’99 Scott Bureau ’11
4 | SPRING 2013 RIT inducts six into Innovation Hall of Fame NOTEBOOK New chairman Brian H. Hall ’78 (MBA) of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the new chairman of the Board of Trustees. Hall retired in 2007 as vice chairman of e omson Corp. Paul Taylor Bruce Smith Robert Fabbio Lynn Fuller Jackie Pancari John Schott ( omson Reuters), a global information company. is year’s six inductees only to other deaf people, Austin, Texas. His com- pioneer of creative glass- into RIT’s Innovation but also to the hearing pany has proven to lower blowing techniques. Female faculty Hall of Fame are pioneers world at large. healthcare costs, improve Pancari, based out of Researchers were and visionaries in their While at RIT/NTID, access to health care and Alfred, N.Y., has been a awarded $3.2 million elds. e recipients— Taylor developed and provide a better experi- visiting artist at the Mu- from the National Sci- Paul Taylor, Bruce Smith, marketed a device called ence. Fabbio founded seum of Glass in Tacoma, ence Foundation for the Robert Fabbio, Lynn C-Phone, which replaced Tivoli Systems, DAZEL Wash.; Seto City Museum project, “CONNECT: Fuller, Jackie Pancari and the old Western Union Corp. and Ventix Sys- in Seto, Japan; and RIT Increasing the Repre- John Schott—will be hon- teletypes with CRT units tems. Among his honors, to name a few. Pancari’s sentation and Advance- ored during a ceremony and was the forerunner of Fabbio was awarded the innovative body of work ment of Women at 5:30 p.m. May 3 in portable electronic TTYs. Ernst & Young Entrepre- combines physical prow- Faculty at RIT.” Webb Auditorium on the Bruce Smith ’86, ’89, neur of the Year Award ess and technological e university will RIT campus. ’95 (imaging science), di- in 1997 and named in mastery. Her work has address recruitment, “Many people in the rector of RIT’s program in 2002 to Forbes magazine’s been exhibited around retention and advance- RIT community are microsystems engineering Midas List of the Top the world. ment of female faculty unaware of the profound and professor of electri- 100 Technology Venture John Schott, the Fred- through reassessment impact our stakeholders cal engineering. Smith Investors (technology’s erick and Anna Wied- of its academic and hu- and friends have made is a respected leader in top 100 dealmakers). man Professor in RIT’s man resource policies, in the innovation space,” the eld of nanolithog- Lynn Fuller ’70 (elec- Chester F. Carlson Center expanding a faculty says Richard DeMartino, raphy through inven- trical engineering), RIT for Imaging Science and mentoring program chairman of the nomina- tion, innovation and the professor and founder one of the founders of the and increasing profes- tion committee of RIT’s dissemination of enabling of RIT’s microelectronic imaging science program. sional development Innovation Hall of Fame. technological advances. engineering program. His research has and leadership oppor- Here is more on RIT’s Many of his contributions He has designed, fabri- focused on solving tunities. fourth class of inductees: to the nanolithography cated and tested hundreds problems related to imag- Paul Taylor, retired eld have become main- of di erent microchips ing science and remote Improving lives NTID faculty member. stream for commercial at RIT. ese chips range sensing. Schott is part RIT has awarded more Taylor is a deaf pioneer semiconductor device from totally microelec- of the Landsat Science than $100,000 in seed who was instrumental manufacturing. He holds tromechanical systems Team that provides funding to 15 faculty- in not only develop- 27 patents in the elds of (MEMS) devices for drug scienti c support to the led student teams in an ing the TTY but, more optics, microelectronics delivery, MEMS pressure Landsat 8 satellite. e e ort to spur research importantly, in helping and nanolithography. U.S. sensors, accelerometers, U.S. Geological Survey in that will assist people to create the rst TTY and European companies optical-pyrometers, cooperation with NASA with disabilities in the network in the world have licensed many of his CMOS integrated circuits appointed Schott. His Rochester community. in St. Louis during the inventions for commer- for hearing aids and so- history with the program Last year, RIT had mid-to-late 1960s. He also cial use. phisticated CID imagers goes back to 1981. more than 70 research helped to develop the rst Robert Fabbio ’85 with more than 35,000 To learn more about projects related to e ec- telephone relay service, (computer science), seri- transistors per chip. this year’s inductees, go to tive access technology which connected deaf al entrepreneur and CEO Jackie Pancari, world- www.rit.edu/alumni/ihf. across the university. people by telephone not of WhiteGlove Health in renowned artist and Kelly Sorensen
SPRING 2013 | 5 About Students
IN THE NEWS
Katherine Bukys ’12 made this package while she was a student. It won rst place at an international packaging conference. A better fast food Katherine Bukys ’12 (packaging science) designed a happier meal. Her apple-themed package, “Lettuce Eat: A better way to do fast food,” won top honors at the Paperboard Packaging Alliance Student Design Challenge during the annual Pack Expo and Conference in Chicago. She was recognized for her sustainable and easy-to-use packaging for a quick-serve chain kids’ meal. is year, more than 200 students competed from 13 leading packaging and graphic design programs. ey Cyclocross team members Luke Thomas, left; Chris Hartmann, center; and Ian Gielar, right, are required to not only develop the package design but practice on campus. The team took rst place in its division this past season. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) detail the production process—use of sustainable mate- rials and how the package would be produced, shipped and assembled—and produce a marketing plan. Bukys’ design focused on these elements and has Pedaling to rst place three components including an entrée and side tray e cyclocross portion of the RIT Cycling Team secured rst place in its division this held together by an outer sleeve. A beverage cup and past season, with individual rider Peter Hagerty, a h-year mechanical engineering side dish nestle in the package. major, also qualifying for the national championships by placing rst in the Men’s A “It can be assembled quickly, it keeps everything in category. one place, even the drink, so that a parent doesn’t have Founded in 2008, the club, which has about 30 racing members, has quickly to worry about juggling bags and taking the time to transformed from a small group of casual riders into a nationally ranked competi- gure out which parts of the meal go to which child,” tive force. e cyclocross portion of the team, which competes in Divison II of USA says Bukys, who now works for Astor Chocolate as a Cycling Collegiate, has enjoyed a string of successful seasons recently, capturing h packaging engineer. place three seasons ago and second place two seasons ago. Michelle Cometa ’00 e cycling team is split into three main components: a mountain team, a road BY THE NUMBERS 82 38 ABOUT RIT’S Buildings added since the original Buildings added since 2000, including those construction of the Henrietta campus currently under construction. CAMPUS was completed in 1968.
6 | SPRING 2013 STUDENT LIFE
The fourth annual FreezeFest in February encouraged students and members of the RIT community to celebrate winter. The festival included a snowboard competition, carriage rides and comedian Joel McHale. (Photo by David Beyerlein)
ONLY AT RIT Sharing RIT’s quirks “#OnlyAtRIT do we stream the Puppy Bowl on one monitor and the Super Bowl on another, and then discuss the technologies behind each.” “Just experienced 15 whole seconds of sunlight. I feel spoiled. #OnlyatRIT” ese are the sentiments being shared by members of the RIT community on the social network website Twitter, where users post their thoughts in the form of “tweets.” e tweets are connected to a Twitter account, team and a cyclocross team. e cyclists compete in races across the northeastern named Only at RIT, by labeling them with #OnlyAtRIT U.S., as part of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference of USA Cycling Collegiate. or @OnlyAtRIT. James Parascandola, president of the RIT cycling club, says that the team’s growth e Only at RIT account is a place for members of and success are the result of intense weekly practices and the dedication of the riders. the RIT community to share experiences, photos and “We all know that it’s going to be a big commitment going in,” says Parascandola, a humorous anecdotes that they feel can only be found fourth-year mechanical engineering major. “We do it for our love of competition and at RIT. A second-year student started it a er she saw to try to grow our team.” similar Twitter accounts for area universities. e cycling team is one of 21 competitive sports clubs at RIT. “ e members of “I o en hear stereotypes about how weird and nerdy our club sport teams are incredibly self-sucient, passionate and engaged,” says RIT can be, and I will be the rst to admit they are true, Sarah Grith, assistant director for clubs and community outreach. “In many cases, but I choose to embrace it as something to unify us and they are representing RIT as the ocial team in their respective sports, even though something to laugh at,” says the student, who wishes to they aren’t a varsity program.” remain anonymous to keep the focus on the humor. Matt Gregory ’12 Matt Gregory ’12 3,685,101 59,453 112 ½ feet The increase in square footage from The square footage of the main The approximate height of new buildings since the Henrietta interior of Gordon Field House. Eastman Hall’s tower. campus was completed.
SPRING 2013 | 7 More than biology
Benjamin Davis, a second-year applied mathematics student, and Kalila Elahi, a second-year biology student, try to fold a model protein into a 3-D shape according to the rules of chemistry discussed in their cell biology class. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)
New approach to science education teaches critical thinking
he Amino Acid Starter Kit looks like and conducting research about science edu- of Science is moving to consolidate and grow a toy. At rst glance, the clear plastic cation, once primarily the purview of schools its various STEM initiatives under a central pieces and colorful foam-covered of education. nexus. wiresT don’t look like they belong in a college Educating students in science, technology, Nurturing young scientists through ex- classroom. engineering and mathematics, or the STEM periential learning—or “learning science by Don’t be fooled. e three-dimensional disciplines, is a national concern. College of doing science”—is a priority for Anne Hout- models convey the complexity of amino Science Dean Sophia Maggelakis cites the man, who joined RIT in 2011 as head of the acids and protein folding in ways that elude February 2012 report from the U.S. Presi- recently named omas H. Gosnell School textbook illustrations. Assistant professor dent’s Council of Advisors on Science and of Life Sciences. She oversees programs in Dina Newman asked the students in her cell Technology, which calls for more graduates biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biology class to construct a coherent picture with STEM degrees. environmental sciences. Nearly 500 students of a protein molecule for themselves. In order “Cultivating the younger generation’s inter- are enrolled in the programs, which draw ap- to build the molecule, they had to grapple est in science and mathematics is essential proximately 100 new students each year. with their understanding of its structure and for ensuring that the United States remains “All of us who are involved with science follow the laws of chemistry. a player in the research and development of education reform share a go-to idea,” Hout- e availability of commercial models new technology,” Maggelakis says. “We are man says. “ e goal you start with is to teach such as the ones Newman uses in her class falling behind and the importance of high students to think like a scientist. And if you’re hint at new research-based approaches to quality STEM programs is widely recognized teaching non-scientists, the goal is to help teaching biology, a trend echoing throughout as both fundamental to educational initiatives students understand how scientists think and the College of Science at RIT and in institu- and important to the country’s competitive- act so they have a better understanding for tions across the country. Scientists from ness and long-term economic health.” the process of science.” within their own disciplines are discussing Under Maggelakis’ leadership, the College Since 1994, Houtman has been an active
8 | SPRING 2013 member of Project Kaleidoscope, a national the investigative projects, experimental de- in physics, conducted physics education organization that focuses on science-educa- sign, generating and communicating data, the research from 1997–2000 during a National tion reform. Project Kaleidoscope advocates discussion and the active learning.” Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for strengthening undergraduate STEM Houtman’s arrival at RIT coincided with in Science, Math- education through experiential learning and a growing interest among a small group of ematics, Engineer- critical assessment. faculty in science-education research and ing and Technology “We’re doing such an amazing job in the reform. Education. upper-level classes but our students really With the support of Dean Maggelakis and “Physics was the need to experience hands-on research oppor- RIT Provost Jeremy Haefner, Scott Franklin, rst of the disci- tunities from day one,” Houtman says. professor of physics, established the Science plines to start taking Nick Fisk, a third-year student majoring and Mathematics Education Research Col- a rigorous look at in biology and biotechnology, appreciates the laborative to conduct discipline-based educa- teaching and learn- new approach. tion research, curriculum development and ing in ways that Scott Franklin “ e way I see it, improving the methods advocate for evidence-based teaching practice brought together and techniques used to instruct any life sci- as a metric of success. Members of the col- education research, cognitive science and ence course is vital to future student under- laborative include Newman and Wright, Tom their discipline,” he says. “Chemistry is now standing of biology.” Kim, associate professor of biochemistry, and doing it, biology is now doing it and math is Robert Teese, professor of physics. Together, beginning to. For whatever reason, physics is Active learning Houtman and the research group were in- the one that started it in the early 1970s.” Redesigned introductory biology courses rolled out this past fall with built-in pre- and post-assessment surveys to gauge learning gains. A special section was developed for in- coming majors who earned advanced place- ment credit in biology while in high school. Instead of repeating the class, this group of 24 students applies introductory concepts to a hot topic in the eld—“vanishing amphib- ians.” e idea to focus on this topic came from Harvey Pough, professor of biology, who joined RIT in 2004 for the previous transformation of introductory biology. “Advanced placement high school biology courses o en use condensed versions of college textbooks, and students don’t like to be told that they must repeat that material,” Pough says. “In the AP Scholars course we tell them, ‘OK, you learned that material in high school, now you’re going to use it to do research.’ Vanishing amphib- Assistant professor Dina Newman discusses how a protein folds with Kiara Hughey, a third-year biomedical sciences ians is an ideal theme student, and Michael Noble, a third-year bioinformatics student. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) because it involves biological processes that extend from uential in establishing the Project Kaleido- Big ideas molecules to ecosys- scope Upstate New York Regional Network, a A decade ago, RIT’s Department of Phys- tems.” branch of the parent organization. ics, now part of the School of Physics and Kate Wright Newman and Science-education reform—the trend Astronomy, changed how introductory phys- Kate Wright ’97 (biotechnology), assistant toward discipline-based education research, ics is taught by switching up the classroom. professor of biology, credit Pough’s approach experiential learning in the classroom and Team Physics, which includes eight sections of “learning biology by doing biology” as critical assessment of learning gains champi- of university and college physics, threw out in uential to their career development. oned by Project Kaleidoscope— rst took root the traditional lecture format in favor of a Next fall, Pough and Newman will be in physics 40 years ago, Houtman says. workshop-like setting. Now, students collabo- among the faculty teaching vanishing am- “Biology has been late to the table because rate in small groups on worksheets focusing phibians. Wright will be one of the professors we have so much content and it’s hard for on comprehension and problem solving. leading the revised, yet more traditional, faculty to let go of content and spend a little “ e workshop room allows students to introductory course for the majority of in- less time on the details of what’s inside a cell have a lecture for 10 minutes and a lab for coming biology majors. and a little more time to give students the 10 minutes and then have a worksheet for 10 “Our philosophy is that it’s the same chance to engage actively with their material,” minutes and solve a problem,” Franklin says. course content, it’s just delivered dierently,” she says. “It’s much more exible in terms of what you Wright says. “Many elements are the same: Franklin, who earned his doctorate can do in a classroom.”
SPRING 2013 | 9 Alexandra Valentine, a second-year biomedical sciences This model represents the backbone of a protein. Colorful objects stuck to it represent amino acid side chains. major, works on an activity. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)
Franklin is a strong proponent of scientists Education Research Collaborative on a panel core competencies that all undergraduate conducting education research within their focused on interdisciplinary discipline-based biology majors should know. e list includes respective elds. “Discipline-based educa- education research groups at the national the structure/function relationship that tion research is all about combining social meeting of the American Association of Newman reinforced in her cell biology class science theories and methods with a deep Physics Teachers. through the protein modeling activity. content knowledge to produce a new form Franklin’s ideas about education research “You focus on these concepts instead of of research,” he says. “You need to know the and reform resonate with Newman and trying to go over a ridiculous number of discipline to ask the right questions and to Wright in biology, who share a deep interest chapters in the textbook,” Wright says. “Be- understand what you are observing in addi- in student learning and investigating class- cause you can’t. I’ve also put the responsibility tion to using the curriculum in the right way room dynamics. back on the students. ey’re doing reading and assessing if it’s being taught better.” eir lectures also emphasize core con- and online quizzes. In class, I like to focus on He considers the collaborative “an op- cepts and overarching themes. Newman, a the key concepts—the main ideas. I’ve gone portunity” for RIT to become a leader in 2012 BEN Scholar, is developing resources back and looked at my slides for my classes discipline-based education research. e for the BioSciEdNet, a digital library of biol- and I thought ‘Did I really go over 48 slides in number of similar multidisciplinary re- ogy educational materials managed by the the past? Why did I do that?’ I’m trying to do search groups is small but growing. Pockets American Association for the Advancement things dierently.” of science-education researchers are active of Science. at the University of Maine, University of “I try to get the students to see how there New approach Colorado, Florida International, University of are patterns and how there are big ideas that Back in Newman’s cell biology class, teach- Illinois, University of Maryland and Rutgers come up over and over again,” says New- ing assistant Christina Catavero stops at each University. man. “For example, the structure-function table and talks to the students sticking amino Members of the RIT collaborative are relationship in proteins—or any biological acids to foam tubes representing protein working to add the university’s name to that molecule. e speci c molecular structure is backbones. list through their awards, publications and key to how it works. If you change the struc- “I’m learning how to ask them what they national presentations. ture, you change the function. Some students know and not tell them the information,” eir work has already gained notice. In do very well with that; other students are says the third-year honors student from December, Franklin led an American Asso- still trying to memorize the small details and Poughquag, N.Y. ciation for the Advancement of Science work- missing the big picture.” Catavero is majoring in biotechnology in ing group on research-based documentation Two years ago, the National Science Foun- the College of Science and biomedical sci- of teaching practice. dation published a document called “Vision ences in the College of Health Sciences and Prior to that, in August, Franklin rep- and Change: A Call to Reform Undergradu- Technology. resented the Science and Mathematics ate Biology Education,” which outlined six She published her rst paper with New-
10 | SPRING 2013 How to create an active classroom Dina Newman and Kate Wright work closely • Student Response Systems, or “clickers,” Science Foundation. “Digital video analysis together to introduce creative teaching tech- are wireless keypads that enable students to can help students master dicult physics niques into their classrooms. e two assistant answer interactive questions and surveys in topics using a full range of representations, professors of biology in RIT’s omas H. class. Harvey Pough, professor of biology, including analytic mathematical modeling,” Gosnell School of Life Sciences design a lot of introduced Newman and Wright to the he says. Newman and Wright are adapting their own instructional materials that trans- RIT-supported technology, which they have Teese’s ideas to biology topics. form their classrooms into active learning added to their repertoire. Now, Wright pep- environments. pers clicker questions to the 120 students • Social networking tools, such as Nota Bene, e synergy between the colleagues has led in her molecular biology lectures. “ is is an integrated so ware program, allow for them to co-author numerous articles and to a good way in a big class to keep people virtual group discussions about articles or explore dierent pedagogical tools, such as: involved and engaged.” other posted materials outside of class. It gives Newman and Wright a dierent per- • Medical case studies provide narratives • “Interactive Video Vignettes” are online in- spective and a dierent way of interacting and opportunities to explore biological teractive modules used by Bob Teese, pro- with their students. “I can see what they’re concepts, make predictions and hypotheses. fessor of physics and a member of the Sci- thinking, and it’s not what I would have “ e students like the cases because they’re ence and Mathematics Education Research thought they were thinking, many times,” real world,” Wright says. “It’s a transition for Collaborative. Teese led workshops in 2009 Newman says. “For example, the words getting them thinking in class.” as part of the LivePhoto Physics Project they choose to focus on very o en are sponsored by a grant from the National things that I would have passed over.”
man and Wright in the winter issue of CBE- Life Sciences Education about student failure to transfer their knowledge of chromosome structure to concepts of cell division. Catave- ro understands the value of using models like the Amino Acid Starter Kits to think about biological concepts on a dierent level. “When students are hands on and doing it themselves, they’re making their own knowledge.” Newman adds that it is an example of ac- tive learning. “Research shows that students learn more when they take responsibility for their own learning,” she says. “It allows them to build new knowledge on the foundations of previ- ous knowledge with input from peers.” She looks around the room. “Notice no one has their phone out. ey’re working together, talking and bouncing ideas o each other. It’s a much richer learning experience Dawn Fitch, a second-year biology major, and Jason Meyers, a fourth-year environmental science major, collaborate and it will stick with them longer than if I during cell biology class. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) stood in front of the classroom and showed them how to construct a protein.” e plastic-and-foam protein models have Other models include a water molecule and, if you think about it, that’s the way to replaced the simple pipe cleaners and beads kit, “the molecules of life”—plaster models of learn. Traditionally, this topic wouldn’t be Newman and Wright used to hand out to DNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates—a taught this way. You get a very dierent their students. DNA starter kit, and gene maps—12-foot picture when looking at a two-dimensional Irene Evans, professor of biology, pur- rolls in 12-point font. or three-dimensional drawing. Playing with chased several dierent models for the “Models like these are fairly new,” NewNew-- the things is a way of learning. Questions you omas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences man says. “But if you go back to Watson and didn’t know to ask, you nd the answers to.” with funding from a MERCK grant. Crick, they made their own model of DNA Susan Gawlowicz ’95
SPRING 2013 | 11 Documenting 10 FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS
DOCUMENTING THE STORIES OF FAITH BASED 10 ENTREPRENEURS
A child ies his kite in a garbage dump in Mumbai, India. (Michael Conti)
12 | SPRING 2013 DocumentingDocumenting: 10 10 FAITH-BASED FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS ENTREPRENEURS
Because of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, refugee children and their families are moved to an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Eastern Congo. (Steven Pfost)
any of them had never le the thrilled with this idea and are even more borders of the U.S., but when the thrilled now a er seeing the work that each STEVEN PFOST II ’10 M opportunity arose for seven RIT of these photographers has done.” PHOTOJOURNALISM photography alumni to donate their time e alumni took vacation time from their Pfost currently lives in to travel to developing countries ravaged regular jobs to take on these photo assign- Lindenhurst, N.Y., and is a daily by violence, malnutrition and poverty, these ments. e foundation paid for their travel contributor to Long Island’s photojournalists did not hesitate. eir expenses. Rea photographed two of the Newsday. Since graduation, he’s mission: to document unsung heroes, recipients in October 2011 and August interned at The Dallas Morning News, Concord Monitor faith-based social entrepreneurs transforming 2012, which gave him a sense of the kind and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Pfost has lives and bringing hope to some of the worst of photo graphers needed to cover the won honors and awards for his work including College parts of the world. remaining eight. Photographer of the Year in 2010 and the Associated Each year, the Opus Prize Foundation Steve Pfost ’10 (photojournalism) also Collegiate Press NPPA Contest in 2010. Pfost documented awards a $1 million prize to a faith-based covered two Opus Prize recipients in the work of two Opus Prize recipients, Maggy Barankitse innovator tackling global issues and a ecting Africa—traveling to Burundi at the end of in Ruyigi, Burundi, and 2011 Opus Prize recipient Lyn social change. Since its inception, the Opus October and then nishing in the Demo- Lusi, who created HEAL Africa in Goma, Democratic Prize has been awarded to 10 people. cratic Republic of Congo the rst week of Republic of Congo. RIT photo alumni got involved with the November. Opus Prize Foundation through a friendship “I saw it as a great opportunity for an all- between Doug Rea, RIT professor of photo- expense-paid trip to Africa, somewhere I’ve Shalom, or “House of Peace,” for orphans journalism, and Don Neureuther, executive always wanted to go,” says Pfost, who works with HIV and AIDS and child soldiers. director of the Opus Prize Foundation, which for Newsday on Long Island. “Burundi was Barankitse survived a rebellion in Burundi is based out of Minneapolis. all I had imagined Africa to be with clay huts, in 1993, but both her parents were killed. “Doug suggested we do a 10-year anniver- foliage everywhere. e rst day I woke up to Shortly a er the uprising, she began Maison sary book that would be photo driven to tell the a huge rainbow. e experience on a whole Shalom. e safe haven includes facilities stories of these 10 faith-based entrepreneurs,” was great as a photojournalist. ere were no such as a church, school and state-of-the-art Neureuther says. “With Doug’s history at RIT, distractions; it was all about concentrating on hospital. he had photographers that we could send to photographing.” “Miss Maggy’s work is impressive. Out of each of these countries who would do a great Pfost documented the work of Marguerite swampland, she’s created farms and invested job getting photos. We were just absolutely “Maggy” Barankitse, who launched Maison in cows and cheese machines so the residents
SPRING 2013 | 13 Documenting 10 FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS
DOUGLAS FORD REA PROFESSOR Rea is a professor of photography at RIT. He is also a freelance photographer working for NGOs (non-government organizations), news agencies and motorsports interests. His work has been published in numerous national and international newspapers and magazines. Rea documented the work of two Opus Prize recipients, traveling to Tabarre, Haiti, for 2012 Opus Prize recipient Father Rick Frechette and Karonga, Malawi, for Sister Beatrice Chipeta, the 2010 Opus Prize recipient.
development. One mother told us that when she got frustrated she would tie up her three sons and beat them until she was no longer St. Luke Foundation in Port-au-Prince serves as the largest pediatric hospital in Haiti. (Doug Rea) angry. She was beaten as a child, so that’s what she did to her own. During another home visit, I spent an a ernoon with a can make their own food and be self-su- e organization’s work she documented, mother who scrubbed the oors and washed cient,” he says. Pastoral da Crianca, is a public health dishes all day because her baby had started Pfost then went to the Congo photograph- program initially launched in Brazil to help to crawl and she was worried about cholera.” ing HEAL Africa, an organization that runs a pregnant women and children, teaching Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann, founder of state-of-the art hospital, which o ers health mothers about nutrition, childrearing Pastoral da Crianca and the 2006 Opus Prize care to the poor and provides stula and techniques and breastfeeding. e program winner, was among those killed during the clubfoot surgery, rape counseling and HIV/ has expanded into Haiti and the Dominican Haiti earthquake in January 2010 while in AIDS education. Republic. Haiti to meet with leaders on how to bring Pfost’s experience in Goma was much “It was amazing to go on these home visits the program there. more dangerous than Burundi. Rebel M23 with volunteers in the Dominican Republic,” “ e program was very dear to Dr. Neu- ghters were stationed outside the borders says Tannenbaum. “For the parents, it’s a big mann and she felt Haiti needed her help,” says of Goma during the weeks Pfost was there. deal to have volunteers come once a month Tannenbaum. “It’s this ongoing struggle of Rebels overran the city, killing many residents and monitor their children’s stages of trying to make people understand that your only days a er Pfost le to return home. neighbor’s problem is your problem, too. I “ e people of Goma kept saying the witnessed the positive e ects of the program rebels were coming closer,” says Pfost. “It was in the Dominican Republic. It gives you hope very tense. My rst night there I cried myself for the future of Haiti and what the program to sleep. United Nations helicopters were will become.” ying overhead and Congolese army soldiers Much like Tannenbaum who found carrying machine guns were patrolling the travel in Haiti to be dicult because the area. e experience is something I’ll never earthquake wiped out roads, Michael Conti forget.” ’11 (photojournalism) faced similar Communication barriers and hard feelings transportation issues while covering REAP were part of the overall experience for Emma Tannenbaum ’09 (photojournalism). e sta photographer at the Rocky Mountain Telegram traveled to Haiti and then the EVAN WITEK '10 Dominican Republic. Tannenbaum had a PHOTOJOURNALISM translator, but he wasn’t uent in English. Witek, an award-winning “According to the organization, there’s not multi-media journalist, has been a big culture of volunteering in Haiti,” Tan- taking mental pictures since before nenbaum says. “ e volunteers were resentful his ngers could work a camera. Witek is currently a that an American was own in and getting video journalist for the Beaver County Times in western paid. My translator was unable to convey that Pennsylvania. He traveled to Kigoma, Tanzania, to I also was a volunteer. I tried to overcome the photograph the work of 2007 Opus Prize winner Brother resentment with a positive tone and positive Stan Goetschalckx, the 2007 Opus Prize winner, runs the Stan Goetschalckx. body language to try and build good will.” AHADI International Institute in Tanzania. (Evan Witek)
14 | SPRING 2013 Documenting 10 FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS
BRITTNEY LOHMLLER ’11 PHOTOJOURNALISM Lohmiller, who lives in New York City, rst started taking pictures when she received a Nikon camera for her 16th birthday. Since graduating from RIT, Lohmiller has interned with photographer Lauren Green eld and interned at a variety of newspapers around the country. Lohmiller traveled to Casablanca, Morocco, to shoot images of 2009 Opus Prize winner Aïcha Ech-Channa.
(Reach Education Action Programme) in India the rst week of last November. “It’s inspiring how REAP is able to over- come so many challenges while covering such a large region of both urban and rural areas,” says Conti, who works for Journal Commu- nications, which produces travel magazines. Single mothers bene t from the services of the Association Solidarité Féminine in Casablanca. (Brittney Lohmiller) “ ere are signi cant issues with India’s infrastructure. For example, to drive 30 miles, we would be in the car for two hours on bumpy roads with no trac signs.” REAP runs more than 450 literacy centers in an e ort to combat India’s high illiteracy rate and mainstream children into school. “My experience with REAP was amazing. It was a great life experience. REAP has an incredible leader in Father Trevor Miranda,” Conti says. “I wanted to make sure to capture every aspect of the charity work because not only does he lead small classrooms for rural and urban children, Father Miranda runs boarding schools and has started self-help groups for women to empower them to become more nancially independent.” Miranda, the 2005 Opus Prize recipient, was impressed with Conti’s commitment to documenting REAP’s mission. “Michael was very adaptable to di erent situations,” he says. “He captured the depth of our work, the struggles and the dicult circumstances we work under. is itself is a telling story. We hope the images will generate a great deal of interest in more people
DAVE LONDRES ’08 PHOTOJOURNALISM Londres worked as a sta photographer at the Utica Observer- Dispatch for two years before deciding to be his own boss. He accepts assignments worldwide and is based in Philadelphia, Pa. Londres documented Monsignor Richard Albert in Kingston, Jamaica. Albert was awarded the Opus Prize in 2004. Siblings play in their home in Riverton, Jamaica, the site of the city’s garbage dump. (Dave Londres)
SPRING 2013 | 15 Documenting 10 FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS
collaborating with REAP to bring education and empowerment to the poorest.” e book came out in early February to commemorate a 10-year Opus Prize anniversary celebration hosted at Marquette University Feb. 4-8. In addition to the 100- page book, the images appeared on banners, posters and invitations to promote the university’s weeklong celebration of the Opus Prize recipients. Another idea is to use the images as part of a traveling exhibit. “ ese photos will be really important to the recipients themselves,” adds Neureuther. “It’s transformative what these organizations are doing and it’s conveyed in the images. You can’t walk away from spending time with these Opus Prize recipients without asking yourself, ‘What more should I be doing to make the world a better place?’” Kelly Sorensen
Children in Quito, Ecuador, watch as a 3-year-old classmate gets a routine teeth cleaning. (Adam Richins)
ADAM RICHINS ’07 PHOTOJOURNALISM Richins is an award-winning professional photographer specializing in high-end portraits, sports and documentary-style event photography in the greater Boston area. After graduating from RIT, Richins interned at the Poughkeepsie Journal, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and Newsday before landing a sta position as a photographer and multimedia journalist at the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa. In May 2011, he left his sta job to pursue his own photography business in his home state of Massachusetts. Richins traveled to Quito, Ecuador, to shadow Father John Halligan, the 2010 Opus Prize recipient.
Boys in Quito, Ecuador, break up chunks of cement mix as part of a volunteer e ort to build a home. (Adam Richins)
EMMA TANNENBAUM ’09 PHOTOJOURNALISM Tannenbaum is currently a sta photographer at the Rocky Mountain Telegram in Rocky Mount, N.C. Tannen- baum completed internships at the Birmingham News and the Fayetteville Observer. She documented the work of the organization Pastoral da Crianca (Pastoral of the Child) in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, started by Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann, the 2006 Opus Prize winner. Children in Welsh, Haiti, eat a free meal after a Celebration of Life ceremony. (Emma Tannenbaum)
16 | SPRING 2013 Documenting 10 FAITH-BASED ENTREPRENEURS
About theOPUS PRIZE The rst Opus Prize was awarded in 2004.
The Opus Prize Foundation awards a $1 million
faith-based humanitarian award and two runner-
up $100,000 awards each year.
The foundation partners with a di erent uni-
versity annually to identify potential candidates
and submit nalists. Past university partners
include the University of Notre Dame, Marquette
University, Fordham University and St. Catherine
University.
The 2012 Opus Prize recipient is Father Rick
Frechette, an American priest and doctor who has
lived in Haiti for 25 years and started St. Luke
Foundation. St. Luke Foundation provides health
care and education to more than 150,000 people
and employs 1,600 Haitians.
To learn more about the Opus Prize, go to
www.opusprize.org.
A child wades through piles of trash looking for valuable materials in Mumbai, India. (Michael Conti)
MICHAEL CONTI ’11 PHOTOJOURNALISM Conti is a photographer working in Franklin, Tenn. With his pictures, he helps promote small towns across America as well as documenting agribusiness and tourism. Conti shot images of the 2005 Opus Prize winner Father Trevor Miranda in Mumbai, India.
SPRING 2013 | 17 Nabil Nasr, assistant provost and director of Golisano Institute for Sustainabilty, stands in the recently completed Sustainability Institute Hall. The building is one of the greenest in the world and acts as a living lab for students to study. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)
18 | SPRING 2013 How RIT has become a Leader in Sustainability
abil Nasr had a vision: Create a world-class research and education hub for sustainability. Establish Nthe rst doctoral program in sustainability. Position RIT as a global leader in the eld of sustainable design and product develop- ment. And open RIT’s rst living lab, a building lled with cutting-edge tech nology that serves as a classroom and inspires students. e director of RIT’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies told all of this to the Board of Trustees in November 2004 as part of a discussion on big ideas to help the university grow. At that time, few people were talking about what happens to products a er they are done being used. “I can’t imagine what the Board of Trustees was thinking,” says Nasr. “ is crazy guy wants to build another Ph.D. program. He wants to build a sustainable building.” Chelsea Bailey, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in sustainability, is researching greener ways to recycle lithium-ion Soon Nasr had secured initial funding for batteries discarded after use in electric vehicles and consumer electronics. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) a study from the Henry Luce Foundation, which resulted in more funding, including a naming gi from B. omas Golisano, and RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability industrial leadership in sustainability,” says A di erent approach (GIS) was created. e educational programs, Owen Foster, senior vice president Nasr wasn’t always concerned about the research and partnerships with companies of marketing and sustainability at Rochester lifecycle of products. e Rutgers-trained followed, and in 2010, the U.S. Department Midland Corp., a manufacturer of specialty industrial and manufacturing engineer joined of Commerce’s National Institute of chemicals and a longtime partner with GIS. RIT’s College of Engineering in 1989 as an Standards and Technology granted the “In my travels and networking, I see other assistant professor teaching topics such as program $13.1 million for the construction universities involved in robotics and manufacturing of a green facility. sustainability but when I look processes. In April, GIS will dedicate its new at where their interface Nasr was attracted to RIT $40-million building, which is indeed a is with industry, there isn’t because of the applied-research living lab. e building even looks similar a lot. ere is nothing like nature of the university, its to the one Nasr, now assistant provost what I get at RIT.” resources and he could continue and the director of GIS, used in his 2004 Nasr’s vision, though, has his consulting work designing PowerPoint presentation to the trustees. always included an element manufacturing facilities one And it houses a program that has become bigger than RIT. e global This organic acid solution is day a week. One project was one of the best in the nation. population is increasing by used as a leaching agent to with Xerox, where he stumbled In the short term, the facility is expected almost 75 million people a recover precious and scarce upon a new concept. to create 75 new jobs at RIT and 1,000 jobs year and is predicted to reach metals from a lithium-ion “ ey called it remanuf- o site at regional manufacturing rms. Lon- 8 billion by 2025. ere are battery waste stream. acturing of equipment,” he says. ger term, Nasr projects signi cant additional not enough resources to supply (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) “We were never taught anything job growth related to GIS both on campus the world’s rapidly growing like that at engineering schools.” and throughout the upstate New York region. appetite for new and better products. At the same time, he was working with “We see RIT as a leader in the country in Something has to change and Nasr plans to Kodak to design a new facility for its ortho- the sustainability movement, if not No. 1 in be part of the transition. clinical diagnostics division and that com-
SPRING 2013 | 19 How RIT has become a Leader in Sustainability
pany, too, was talking about what happens to engineering to the newly opened Center for support his ideas and support his execution.” products when they are done being used. Integrated Manufacturing Studies, known on Nasr became director of CIMS in 2002 and To learn more, Nasr put on his blue jeans campus as CIMS. continued to grow the operation. CIMS and worked on the assembly line with Kodak CIMS focused on remanufacturing, contracted with the U.S. Navy and Marine employees during quarter break, disassem- lifecycle engineering and alternative energy Corps to apply its knowledge in remanufac- bling equipment, inspecting the parts and development. e center contracted with turing to large equipment, which resulted in cleaning and salvaging the materials. companies and government agencies to solve cost savings to the military by extending the “No one was thinking about what is going manufacturing problems. lives of aging vehicles, ships and planes. to happen at the end of life so we can reclaim Al Simone, RIT president from 1992 to Researchers also developed a system to monitor that material. You want to get a microphone 2007, was quickly won over by Nasr and pro- the performance of military vehicles. ( at and tell everyone in the design and engineering vided the initial funding for Nasr’s remanu- system was later expanded to the commercial community, we are making a lot of problems facturing and resource recovery program. freight industry and resulted in the spin-o here. We should pay attention to these issues.” Simone tells the story of a meeting he and company Vnomics, which recently graduated In the early 1990s, Nasr found himself with Nasr had with a senior U.S. senator in Washing- from RIT’s incubator Venture Creations.) such a microphone. He wrote a paper he called ton, D.C. e senator brought in his expert to ey studied ways to use fuel cells and “Turning Trash Into Cash” that was picked up quiz Nasr on his knowledge of remanufactur- alternative fuels in buses, trucks and other
Students identify materials and components on a circuit board extracted from an RIT server made in the early 2000s to quantify the environmental im- pact of its manufacturing. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)
public transportation. Engineers and technicians began analyzing components used in making toner cartridges to help manufacturers reduce waste. From left, Ph.D. candidate Erinn Ryen; Barbara Kasulaitis, a rst-year Ph.D. student; and assistant professor Callie And they worked with companies—big Babbitt disassemble computers to identify high environmental impact materials and test strategies for designing and small— to reduce their environmental electronics that can be more easily reused and recycled. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) footprint by changing their design method- ology and developing an innovative product that was greener or that would last longer. at by e Associated Press. Soon Nasr’s name ing. e expert realized that Nasr not only process helped to create more than 1,500 jobs appeared in hundreds of newspapers. knew the answers to his questions but also and retain more than 1,900 additional positions e stories caught the attention of people had new information to share. By the end of at manufacturing companies worldwide. in the then-small remanufacturing industry, the meeting, Nasr was mentoring the expert. All of this work fell under the umbrella and Nasr was named head of the Remanu- “ e rare person is one that can have the of sustainability. But Nasr wanted more. facturing Industries Council. He visited vision and then have the capability of actually “We want to have impact,” Nasr says. remanufacturing companies, learned as much executing that vision. Nabil is one of those “Education was the only way to spread the as he could about the process of rebuilding people,” Simone says. “To execute you have word. is was my dream.” equipment instead of replacing it and built to work hard, be dedicated, focused and com- strong ties to industry. mitted. But there is one key attribute Nabil Creating an institute He founded the National Center for Re- also has, which is his sincerity. His intel- Paul Stiebitz was four months into retire- manufacturing and Resource Recovery, and ligence and knowledge of the subject matter ment in 2006 when he got a call from his in 1997, Nasr’s operation was moved from comes through. He is able to get people to former colleague. e two met for lunch and
20 | SPRING 2013 If you build it Among the rst to help with the nal goal was the Rochester region’s state legislative delegation, which secured $10 million for the project in the 2008-2009 state budget. “ e building will be of tremendous value to RIT,” says state Sen. Joseph Robach. “But it will go above and beyond that by creating spino jobs, technology and products not only created here but developed here.” Two years later, RIT was awarded $13.1 million from the U.S. Department of Com- merce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology—the largest award in the NIST construction program that year. In December, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that GIS would receive $5 million as part of the Finger Lakes region’s funding award through the governor’s Regional Economic Development Council An open-air terrace on the third oor of Sustainability Institute Hall features large areas of sedum and plantings process. e funds will be used to equip the that are part of Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo Butter y Beltway project. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) institute’s unique suite of labs and testbeds. Stella Fiotes, former chief facilities man- agement ocer for NIST, says of particular Nasr told the retired professor, who taught $10 million and the Golisano Institute for interest to NIST was that the new facility industrial engineering at RIT for 22 years, Sustainability was created. “It is imperative will pull together a variety of sustainability of his plans to start a sustainability institute. that we accelerate strategies to promote a sus- researchers focusing on energy, transporta- Nasr invited Stiebitz to work with him. tainable society and ensure future generations tion, sustainable materials and systems for “I started the next morning at 8 o’clock,” the opportunity to address their own needs,” Stiebitz says. “What better thing to do in the Golisano said at the time. retirement period than to create education With the help of Destler, who shares and research that will help out on some really Nasr’s passion for sustainability, others got tough problems that the world is facing. on board with support, including Xerox So I came back.” Corp., Caterpillar Inc., Eastman Kodak RIT had already secured a $465,000 grant Co., Staples, Rochester Midland Corp., from the Henry Luce Foundation to create the Carlson Charitable Fund and the one of the rst multidisciplinary Ph.D. pro- Shumway Foundation. grams in sustainability. Each year marked additional growth. Stiebitz began working on a curriculum In 2008, RIT was named host of the New concept and formed a curriculum commit- York State Pollution Prevention Institute, which tee to help move the concept through the works to make the state more sustainable for approval process. at would be challenging workers, the public, the environment and because the programs were multidisciplinary the economy. and involved faculty and resources from e pollution prevention institute is a di erent colleges. partnership with three other universities and Nasr, Simone and Bill Destler, who had 10 regional development centers. just joined RIT as president, pitched the Other divisions in GIS continued to focus idea of a sustainability institute to Golisano, on remanufacturing resource and recovery, founder and chairman of Paychex Inc. and sustainable production and sustainable an RIT trustee. Golisano was familiar with transportation issues. sustainability through his work with the at same year, the rst four Ph.D. Clinton Global Initiative, which was formed students in sustainability were admitted to by former President Bill Clinton in 2005. the program. “He challenged us,” Nasr says about All that was le for Nasr was the construc- Golisano. “He is brilliant with numbers. He tion of a building, where it could all reside. Research labs, student work areas, classrooms and said, ‘I want to see value to the community. I But that building had to inspire people—as conference rooms in Sustainability Institute Hall all want to see it by design and not by accident.’ ” one of the greenest in the world and as a open onto a light- lled, four-story galleria space. In September 2007, Golisano donated living lab for students to study. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)
SPRING 2013 | 21 How RIT has become a Leader in Sustainability
When the programs are fully populated, the number of students will swell to more than 130. is May, four Ph.D. students and four master’s students in sustainable systems are on track to graduate. ey will then take their passion out into the world and work on their own pockets of sustainability. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter says she believes one of them could be the next Chester Carlson or George Eastman. “ anks to centers like GIS that bring the world’s top academics, researchers and students to Rochester, they will have the resources and expertise to realize their dream of creating the next big technological advancement,” she says. Nasr and the dozen faculty members of Nabil Nasr’s dream was to open RIT’s rst living lab, a building lled with cutting-edge technology that GIS continue to spread the message glob- serves as a classroom and inspires students. The dedication and ribbon cutting for Sustainability Institute ally. RIT is working with the Clinton Global Hall is scheduled for April 12. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) Initiative to create educational materials and guidebooks, curriculum advisory groups, faculty exchange programs and a mentor- ship program with the Dominican Republic, printing and imaging, products and produc- stayed ahead of sustainability is because of Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Peru in an tion systems and building systems. its work with RIT and the company’s com- e ort to share the model of sustainability. “ is proposal had the most comprehen- mitment to the issue, he says. Along with e federal government also tapped Nasr sive and broad focus on researching sustain- producing products in a more sustainable to help develop international sustainability ability issues out of all 92 proposals submit- way, the company has de ned its sustain- standards. He helped the Organisation for ted,” Fiotes says. ability mission and created a sustainability Economic Cooperation and Development e research generated in the building certi cation program. create the sustainable manufacturing toolkit, will be critical, as sustainability becomes the e company has even organized a special which will give companies metrics to use to next major movement in industry. GIS has interest group made up of representatives measure their environmental performance. already branched out into the eco-IT area, or from 40 area companies to talk about sustain- Closer to home, Nasr and his team hope reducing energy consumption of electronic ability issues. to use the new building to teach the Roch- devices. e new building’s computer server is spino e ect is what matters to Nasr. ester community about sustainability. e room will allow researchers to further explore For the world to use less energy and create educational e orts are all about preparing reduction possibilities, which could result in less waste, it is going to take everyone work- students for the future and playing a role in huge cost savings for companies. In addition, ing together for generations—from industry ensuring there is a future for this generation researchers in the new Staples Sustainable to educators. “ ere’s a lot to be done,” Nasr and the next. Innovation Lab in the building will gure out says. “We are scratching the surface.” State Assembly Majority Leader Joseph ways to better design and manufacture green Morelle, who has worked with Nasr since oce products and services. Spreading the word the early days of remanufacturing, says he Foster, of Rochester Midland Corp., More than 50 students are now enrolled in isn’t sure people fully appreciate how unique says sustainability issues today are on par GIS graduate programs, which by 2011 along it is to have a center like this in Rochester. with the environmental movement in the with the Ph.D. in sustainability included both Soon they will, and the Golisano Institute for 1960s and 1970s and quality concerns in the master’s program in sustainable systems, Sustainability will cement Nasr’s legacy in the 1980s and 1990s. and the Master of Architecture degree pro- Rochester and around the world. “Bids, government requirements, customer gram, which has an emphasis on sustainability. “My goal now in my career is that when requirements are demanding all of the Niles Barnes, senior programs coordinator I’m retired one day—if I ever retire—and documentation of our position in sustainability. for the Association for the Advancement of think back about what we were able to What do we have for a sustainability report? Sustainability in Higher Education, says his do, I want to have contributed to society What are our metrics? What have we done to organization calculates there are only about and feel good about it,” Nasr says, slowly lower our carbon footprint? All of these 145 sustainability degree programs at the more smiling. “ at is really my biggest goal. questions didn’t exist in 2007,” Foster says than 3,500 universities in the United States. It is not money. It’s not recognition. about the year he rst attended a conference “O ering a degree in sustainability is It’s making sure that when we had at RIT on sustainability. still very unique, especially at the Ph.D. a chance, we did the right thing.” One of the reasons Rochester Midland has level,” he says. Mindy Mozer
22 | SPRING 2013 a Living Laboratory e new home of Golisano Institute for Sustainability— called Sustainability Institute Hall—represents the ultimate manifestation of RIT’s commitment to the environment.
utting-edge “green” technology has been incorpo- continuous electric power; heat generated as a by-product of electrical rated into every inch of the new 84,000-square- generation helps heat this and other buildings on campus. foot building, from the solar panels on the soaring Microgrid: is system takes power inputs from variable sources canopy to the vertical wind turbines at the en- (including wind turbines and solar panels) and stores energy in a trance. e facility was designed to exceed Leader- battery bank to provide 50 kilowatt-hours of energy. is will power ship in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) some of the building’s lights and electrical outlets. Platinum standards of the U.S. Green Building Water conservation: e building is designed to be 66 percent Council—the highest standard that can be achieved. more ecient than a typical building. For instance, rainwater is col- “We felt that we needed to walk the talk,” says Paul Stiebitz, associate lected and ltered and used to ush the toilets. Cacademic director of Golisano Institute for Sustainability. “We also saw Geothermal system: Liquid will circulate from eight wells drilled an opportunity to include technologies for investigation into sustain- into the ground through pipes in the galleria oor, helping to keep it able materials and systems. is building is truly a living laboratory.” warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Here are some of the unique features: LeChase Construction and SWBR Architects led the construction Fuel cell: A UTC Power Model 400 Purecell System is the primary and design with additional support from FXFowle architects, Stantec energy source for the building. is unit produces 400 kilowatts of civil engineering consultants and M/E Engineering.
ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE BOERNER FOR RIT: THE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE SPRING 2013 | 23 Cutting-edge technology rooted in new facility for sustainability e building maximizes energy eciency through the building’s envelope, which consists of the components that separate the exterior of the building from the interior of the building. ere are some of RIT’s signature bricks, but most of the building is sheathed in several varieties of glass. Opaque Spandrel panels have an insulation value comparable to masonry walls. Trans- A sunshade lucent panels with nanogel lling also have excellent insulating system of characteristics while admitting light. Transparent, high-eciency stationary heat-mirror glass made by Serious Energy (company founder louvers reduces Kevin Surace is a 1985 graduate) outperforms conventional heat buildup triple-pane glass and is thinner, lighter and less expensive. Build- from direct sun exposure. ing windows in oces and conference rooms feature a coating that conducts electricity, so the glass can be heated to room temperature to eliminate dra s when the room is occupied. is eliminates the need for baseboard heating. e extensive glazing reduces the amount of arti cial light required. A sunshade system of stationary louvers on the south side of the building reduces heat buildup from direct sun exposure.
Energy-saving touches include three electricity-generating wind turbines (right), placed on the north side of the new building.
A green wall is near the west entrance and O ces for sustainability faculty contributes to air quality as well as aesthetics. members are grouped together. Eight geothermal wells help Innovative fuel regulate the building’s temperature. cell ideas and technology are being tested in the When the Decision Theater is Fuel Cell Test Bed. not being used, it doubles as a state-of-the-art computer lab.
A 65-seat auditorium will be used for conferences and seminars.
Level 1: Monitoring the building Level 2: Space to innovate Three 65-inch at-screen panels display the performance of building This level contains two areas where graduate students can work. systems in real time on a video wall. The building is equipped with The Eco-Design Lab is where students actively innovate, develop, 1,200 sensors to monitor and control lights, heat and other systems. and potentially commercialize their best ideas. Graduate students In the Microgrid Test Bed, information about the building’s energy can present their ideas to other students and faculty in the Decision production and use are analyzed. Researchers in the Materials Theater. At the eastern end of the galleria, there is a collaboration Science Lab test and develop materials. Electric hybrid vehicles are room enclosed within amber-colored glass walls. tested in the Electric Propulsion Test Bed.
24 | SPRING 2013 The green roof absorbs runo from rain and snow. Solar panels provide a portion of the building's energy needs.
The fuel cell produces 400 kilowatts of continuous electric power.
The Staples Product Students in the Sustainable Innovation Lab is where Manufacturing Test Bed o ce products of the extend the lives of products. future are designed.
O ces for the architecture program are grouped together.
Level 3: Sustainability labs Level 4: Green roof The third oor is similar to the second with classrooms and An open-air terrace features large areas of sedum and plantings conference rooms and a collaboration room along the west end. that are part of Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo Butter y Beltway Labs on this oor include the Sustainable Building Materials Lab, project. The green roof also provides some insulation value and an Environmental Chemistry Lab and an Eco-IT Test Bed. In this lab, absorbs runo from rain and snow. The only lab at this level is the researchers work on reducing energy use in computing. Researchers Sustainable Manufacturing Test Bed, where students research and in the Staples Product Innovation Lab design o ce products with a develop remanufacturing and recycling processes that extend the lower environmental impact. lives of products.
ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE BOERNER FOR RIT: THE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE SPRING 2013 | 25 How RIT has become a Leader in Sustainability
First Ph.D. making a difference “ is new facility will enable RIT, and the Greater Rochester region, to become a world-class hub for sustainability research and education.” RIT President Bill Destler
“ e way we are going with waste in this country is unsustainable. I am pleased that RIT is in the forefront with this needed direction for our world. is is indeed a vision for our future.” RIT Honorary Trustee Catherine Carlson
“As I have seen rsthand, the Golisano Institute for Sustainability will lead the way by merging sustainable develop- ment, strong research and education as well as creating new opportunities in high-tech manufacturing.” U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
“Golisano Institute for Sustainability RIT’s rst Ph.D. in sustainability graduate Annick Anctil ’11, right, meets with Ph.D. student Kayla Collins at promises to make not only the Rochester area, but the whole country more Clemson University in South Carolina. Anctil is an assistant professor of environmental engineering and earth e cient, increase our productivity, sciences at Clemson University. (Photo by Craig Maha ey) reduce energy consumption, decrease pollution and improve our economy.” ust two years a er receiving RIT’s rst “Annick has a very strong, analytical U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer Ph.D. in sustainability, Annick Anctil ’11 background in physics,” says Ra aelle, is already making an impact on the eld. RIT’s vice president for research and JAnctil, assistant professor of environmental associate provost. “It was such an asset “ e Golisano Institute for Sustain- ability set Klein Steel up for success engineering and earth sciences at Clemson when we were discussing problems in through both the Center for Integrated University’s College of Engineering and materials science, or microsystems, or Manufacturing Studies and GIS. Our Science, has been elected to the President’s sustainability. We talked the same language relationship with CIMS was transfor- Commission on Sustainability, a group of and came at the problem-solving aspects mational with respect to lean and qual- students, faculty, sta and community of her research in a similar way.” ity, setting us up to be designated one of members who coordinate the university’s One particularly noteworthy experience 10 North American IndustryWeek Best e orts to become a model of sustainability was an internship in the United Nations’ Plants in 2011. Recently, both CIMS for institutions of higher education. Department of Economic and Social A airs and GIS are working with us to take a “It’s a huge honor, considering I’ve just Division for Sustainable Development, new, high-strength steel to market in Bu alo. Upstate New York businesses started at Clemson,” Anctil says. “ ey where she worked on projects including are indeed blessed to be supported by believed that I had a unique background sustainability metrics and an educational RIT and GIS.” and knowledge about sustainability and simulation tool for sustainable tourism in John Batiste, president and CEO could therefore greatly contribute. I think developing countries. of Klein Steel Service Inc. my Ph.D. from RIT has given me unique skills “It was a really good experience,” she that are highly in demand.” says, “and actually I’m still working with “Golisano Institute for Sustainability is Anctil received her bachelor’s degree my supervisor on some projects.” a critical component of the Rochester in materials engineering from Ecole She joined the Clemson faculty in region’s position as a hub of alternative Polytechnique de Montreal. She earned a September 2012 a er spending a year as energy innovation. e opportunity for master’s degree in materials science from a research associate at the National Photo- business leaders to collaborate with RIT before starting the Ph.D. program in voltaic Environmental Research Center GIS faculty and students on next- microsystems engineering. She switched at Brookhaven National Laboratory. generation sustainable materials helps to the sustainability doctoral program “I enjoyed the research, but I wanted to us attract new companies to our region.” when it began in 2008. It’s an excellent have opportunities to interact with more Mark S. Peterson, president and CEO blend of skills, says Ryne Ra aelle, people,” she says. She was impressed with of Greater Rochester Enterprise Anctil’s thesis adviser in microsystems Clemson’s commitment to sustainability engineering. and the way the concepts are incorporated
26 | SPRING 2013 throughout the curriculum. Meet sustainability students “Dr. Nasr is viewed as one of the In addition to teaching, Anctil is continu- foremost leaders in the domain of ing her research in the area of renewable Motherhood spurred Jacqueline Ebner’s passion sustainability and remanufacturing. energy, particularly photovoltaics. She uses for sustainability. He is highly regarded by industry, lifecycle assessment to identify the main Ebner already had a B.S. government agencies and academia issues of current technologies and propose in mechanical engineering, as a leading expert who is able to speak alternative solutions. A primary focus of an MBA and 13 years experi- from an independent perspective.” her work is in the environmental impact of ence working for Xerox in Mark Stratton, Caterpillar Inc. remanufacturing general manager nanomaterials and ne chemicals for energy a variety of positions. When her children—now ages 7, 9 applications, in particular as it relates to and 11—came along, she became active in com- reducing the impact of industrial production. munity organizations such as the Sierra Club, “ e research, the students, the “My goal is to make solar energy as particularly the organization’s Zero Waste com- innovations and the ideas being green and as a ordable as it can be,” she mittee. Now in her second year in the Ph.D. produced by the Golisano Institute says. “My passion is showing how to program in sustainability, her research focus is for Sustainability at RIT are changing integrate sustainability into products.” turning waste into energy, including biodiesel. the way we understand the challenges Ebner hopes to work with industry, particularly of the present, while developing the Her Ph.D. thesis adviser, Brian Landi, small businesses, on sustainability issues. Eventu- solutions needed for a sustainable is certain Anctil will make important ally, she would like to teach and inuence another and prosperous future in Western contributions to the eld. generation of professionals. New York and across the globe.” “Annick is a talented problem solver and New York State Sen. Patrick M. Gallivan highly motivated to succeed at each endeav- Michele Goe’s interest or,” says Landi, assistant professor, chemical in sustainability starts with people. “I am very and biomedical engineering. “She brings both “I don’t think any of this could have interested in social justice— been done without Nabil. He sees creativity and passion to an emerging eld, making sure all people have things other people don’t see. It is which when combined with her experiences access to education and fortunate we have been able to keep in government-funded research and working a healthy environment,’’ says the third-year Ph.D. him in this community.” at the United Nations, will allow her to New York State Assembly Majority Leader candidate in sustainability. contribute to sustainable solutions of the Joseph Morelle Goe says she grew up in an area of Detroit highest order for society.” where that wasn’t the case. Her long-term goal is to return to that community and build “Long before it was common practice, Nabil a school that focuses on science, technology, looked for ways to improve manufacturing engineering and math for underprivileged kids. processes to increase e ciency and decrease She came to RIT a er getting her under- graduate degree in mechanical engineering waste. e positive e ects include cost from the University of Michigan, she says, savings for manufacturers and a cleaner because she liked the collaborative nature of environment.” the program. Her research is in solar photo- U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter voltaics and material availability. “We want to develop renewable energy for the future but we need to understand now if “ e Golisano Institute for we are using materials in the right amount and Sustain ability is another example if they have a low environmental impact.” of RIT’s commitment to engage in multidisciplinary education and the ere are more than critical importance of working with 656,000 dairy cows in business and industry to achieve Annick Anctil '11 is already making an impact in the New York state, and each sustainability goals.” produces approximately sustainability eld. (Photo by Craig Maha ey) Niles Barnes, senior programs coordinator 55 pounds of manure per for the Association for the Advancement day. With manure manage- of Sustainability in Higher Education ment being a critical issue, waste-to-energy conversion In addition to a focus on sustainability, processes such as anaerobic “Innovation through public-private part- Clemson has other similarities to RIT, Anctil digestion are being developed at more and more nerships is critical to Governor Cuomo’s says. e buildings are red brick, the mascot dairy farms across the state. But for some small vision for the state’s energy future. farms, that’s not economically possible. is a tiger, and there is a strong reputation NYSERDA is proud to partner with the Matthew Rankin, a master’s degree student Golisano Institute for Sustainability and for engineering. in the sustainable systems program, is working on UTC Power in support of the purchase e faculty position “is a perfect t the problem. “My thesis research objective of advanced fuel-cell technology that will for me,” she says. “Utilizing my technical is to determine the optimal locations for biogas assist in lowering the greenhouse gas background gets people to take notice and production facilities in New York so that farms emissions of this extraordinary facility.” realize how important sustainability is to and food manufacturing rms can share the eco- Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO, New nomic and environmental bene ts of anaerobic York State Energy Research and Development our environment.” digestion technology,” says Rankin. Authority (NYSERDA) Kathy Lindsley
SPRING 2013 | 27 Save the dates! October 10th–13th, 2013
Plan to attend these signature events:
Comedian (to be announced this summer) Thursday, Oct. 10th at 8:00 p.m.
Presidents’ Alumni Ball at RIT’s Gordon Field House Friday, Oct. 11th at 6:00 p.m.
Student Government Horton Distinguished Speaker (to be announced this summer) Saturday, Oct. 12th at 2:00 p.m.
Men’s Hockey vs. Michigan at Blue Cross Arena Saturday, Oct. 12th at 7:05 p.m.
Don’t forget about other Brick City traditions: Golden Circle Luncheon, Brick City 5K, Brick City BBQ, Pumpkin Chunkin and much more! The full list of weekend events will be available in July. Sign Up to attend events & purchase tickets online as soon as they are available! Reserve your hotel room now! Visit our website for a list of hotels with special rates.
Visit www.rit.edu/brickcity today!
28 | SPRING 2013 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER #RITBrickCity & FACEBOOK RIT BRICK CITY HOMECOMING From farmworker to advocate
Librada Paz was 15 years old when she le Oaxaca, Mexico, with her older sister for what she hoped would be a better life in the United States. ey joined their brothers in Ohio and immediately went to work in the elds harvesting tomatoes. When tomato season ended, they migrated with other workers to New York to pick apples and then to Florida to pick oranges. “I did not like farm work,” she says. “ e bending was so painful. And you get so tired and dirty. As a farmworker there is no option but to accept all working and living condi- tions as they are.” e living conditions were just as chal- lenging as the long hours and grueling heat. Paz slept on the oor in a small room with as many as 10 other people. She was one of only a few females and was sexually and physically abused. She knew education was the way out. She didn’t know back then, as a teenager, that it would be a way to make a better life for other Librada Paz ’03 works with Rural Migrant Ministry to make conditions better for migrant laborers. Paz is a former migrant farmworkers. farmworker herself who realized as a teenager that education was the way out. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler) In November, Paz ’03 (mechanical engi- neering technology) received the 2012 Robert didn’t have enough time. I F. Kennedy Human Rights Award because didn’t know enough English. of her leadership in New York’s farmworker Engineering English was human rights movement. e Robert F. Ken- hard. But I loved it.” nedy Human Rights Award was established Paz made time to create in 1984 to recognize people who stand up awareness about the poor to oppression at grave personal risk in the conditions of farmwork- nonviolent pursuit of human rights. ers. Richard Witt, executive Paz received the 29th annual prize for her director of Rural Migrant work with Rural Migrant Ministry, an orga- Ministry, met Paz more than nization that focuses on erasing the systemic a decade ago at a protest. violence and human rights violations that Soon Paz was leading America’s farmworkers and migrant labor- workshops for migrant ers face. She joins past recipients from 26 workers and lobbying in countries. Albany for better work- “I do not have the words to describe how ing conditions. She began Martin Gordon, an associate professor in CAST, stands with Librada Paz ’03 honored I feel to receive this award,” she says. volunteering at an over- after she received the 2012 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. “I wasn’t expecting that high of an honor.” night camp for children, A er three years of migrating, Paz settled helped organize a statewide down in Brockport, N.Y., and attended conference for rural female farmworkers and the College of Applied Science and Technol- high school. From there she took classes organized visits to migrant camps so others ogy, says Paz was one of the most inspirational at Monroe Community College and trans- could see the sub-standard housing. “Librada students he has known. Gordon attended the ferred to RIT a er talking to professors, who is rst and foremost a bridge builder,” Witt awards ceremony in November. helped her zero in on mechanical engineer- says. “She helps bring people from dierent “ is is a great example of someone using ing technology because she wanted to design backgrounds into a relationship.” their RIT education in unexpected ways,” he machines. e partnership with the Robert F. Ken- says. “ e mechanical engineering technology Paz continued working in the elds to pay nedy Human Rights Center will strengthen program has always prepared its students to for college. She also raised her son, Brandon that bridge and help extend Paz’s voice. Paz solve real-world problems. Libby has certainly Nieves, who is now a hospitality student in the says her next goal is to help get a farmwork- been instrumental in tackling a very dicult College of Applied Science and Technology. ers labor protection law passed in New York. real-world problem.” “It was tough,” she says. “We struggled. I Martin Gordon, an associate professor in Mindy Mozer
SPRING 2013 | 29 w Tiger Talk Todd Pagano Todd Pagano, an associate professor and director of the Laboratory Science Technology program at the Na- tional Technical Institute for the Deaf, was named 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for Advance- With a 2012 ment and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Pagano was U.S. Professor of the Year selected from more than 300 nominations. Pagano began teaching at RIT in 2002 and puts students rst in every aspect of his job, from his research to his creative demonstrations in the classroom. The more than 100 students who have graduated from the two-year Laboratory Science Technology program either continued to pursue four-year degrees or began working as laboratory technicians in areas such as environmental analysis, food analysis, biotechnology and forensics. I think I knew I wanted to be a scientist rst and then a teacher. But it was much to my surprise. I was working on my doctoral degree and I went to my mother’s retirement party. She was a teacher in Victor (N.Y.), where I went to school. After the ceremony, my second-grade teacher came up to me and asked me if I could guess what I said that I had wanted to be when I grew up. My immediate response was it had to be a baseball player. She said, ‘No, you said you wanted to be a scientist.’ And, as proof, she had a picture I had drawn of a guy with beakers and in a lab coat. The teaching came later. At some point I started to like to get up in front of my classes and give presen- tations and teach others about research topics. I enjoyed it and started to think, ‘Hey, I’m pretty good at this.’ While I was nishing up my doctorate (Ph.D. in chemistry from Tufts University) somebody sent me the job description for this position here. It had a list of very speci c things they wanted the new hire to have. I was stunned at how well I satis ed the lengthy list, except for the bottom bullet, which said ‘should know sign language,’ which I did not. I was hired to teach in the Laboratory Science Technology program and to be the founding director. This was an opportunity to build an entire program, to learn a new language, a new culture, which was exciting for me. The decision to work with this population of students has had a profound and positive impact on me. I really wanted to have direct communication with my students. That was the motivation for me to learn sign language. As a result, I picked up sign language quickly enough where by my second quarter I was teaching my own courses using sign language. I think a classroom has to be student-centered. If you involve the students in a student-centered way, they are going to take ownership of their own learning process not only in the courses you are teaching but hopefully in subsequent courses. It’s a lifelong learning skill. You are teaching students how to be productive learners unto themselves. When you get a concept through to a student, it changes their lives. It can change their lives if it means they get a job. So I will teach it 10 di erent ways if I have to in order to get the concept across. I think I could see early on that there is a place for these students in scienti c labs. Getting there was a challenge because you have to build these industrial relationships. It’s hard for students to just cold call companies or send their résumés and get jobs. So many jobs are based on networking. But I could see how this program could be very successful and provide needed scientists to the workforce. The attention I have gotten has been good for NTID. That’s what I am most happy about. It gives me a national platform, a stage where people will take notice when I talk about the things I’m passionate about, which is hiring these deaf and hard-of-hearing students into science careers. Don’t be reluctant to do it. They are good. You are going to be satis ed. It is going to make a di erence for you like it did for me. I want to be remembered as a professor who legitimately cared. If I haven’t convinced these students that I take an interest in their education or in their success after graduation, I haven’t done my job. I hope that’s how they remember me. This guy was funny. This guy was a good teacher. He helped me learn. But more than anything, he cared about my success in more ways than just the classroom.
30 | SPRING 2013 Todd Pagano was named 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year. (Photo by Elizabeth Lamark/RIT Production Services)
SPRING 2013 | 31 A NUMBER WITHOUT A NAME IS JUST A NUMBER.
As we build the new Gene Polisseni Center, you have the unique opportunity to make your name WE’D BUILD IT a permanent part of RIT Hockey history. When you give a gift of $1,000 to the Tiger Power Play Campaign, we’ll mount a personalized plaque on a seat in the arena to recognize your commitment OURSELVES IF to RIT Hockey. Because Section 101, Row 8, Seat 3 is just another number until it’s your name WE COULD written across it. Then it becomes the best seat in the house.
Visit rit.edu/powerplay to learn more about our seat-naming campaign and how you can give Tiger Hockey an assist.
32 | SPRING 2013 Signing sensation uses stardom to educate
A er working as an American Sign Language interpreter at RIT for six years, Lydia Callis ’10 (American Sign Language and interpret- ing education) decided last summer to face new opportunities and challenges working as a freelance interpreter in New York City. Little did she know, within a few months, she would be a topic of national conversation, she would be referred to as an Internet sensa- tion and portrayed in an opening skit of Satur- day Night Live as the interpreter used by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the Hurricane Sandy press conferences. “I actually had no idea what was going on,” Callis says. “ en one day I walked out of a press conference and people started clapping for me. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ ey said I was famous. I was trending on Twitter. People were posting pictures of me in action on Instagram and Tumblr. People were setting up fan pages on Facebook. People were invit- ing me to be a guest on their talk shows. I Lydia Callis ’10 became an Internet sensation after she interpreted for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. was shocked. All the attention was completely Now she is using that fame to educate people about deaf culture. (Photo by Spencer T. Tucker/O ce of NYC Mayor) overwhelming.” Callis was ooded with media requests for “The interpreters at RIT are just wonderful. I wanted to work with interviews. But, as her interpreter training taught her, she was reluctant to be the story. people who could mentor me and help me be a better interpreter.” She was merely doing her job well, facilitating Lydia Callis ’10 (American Sign Language and interpreting education) communication. e clear, expressive man- nerisms she used when she worked weren’t so much an extreme style of signing, but rather “When the hurricane hit, the agency picked part of both cultures.” demonstrated the public’s lack of understand- me to be the main interpreter for Mayor In January, Callis accompanied NTID ing of how sign language and interpreters work. Bloomberg’s press conferences. And the rest President Gerry Buckley to Capitol Hill, Born and raised just outside Chicago, ASL is history.” where they met members of Congress and was Callis’s rst language. Her mother and She received letters and emails from across talked proudly of NTID and its interpreting three siblings are deaf, including her brother, the country, thanking her for her work. Some program, the oldest and largest in the nation. Joey Ouimet, a current student at RIT/NTID. young people said they were considering “Lydia’s presence by Mayor Bloomberg’s When she was 18, Callis moved to Phoenix being an interpreter a er seeing her. She is side during and throughout the a ermath of and received an associate degree from Phoenix recognized daily and has a huge following. Hurricane Sandy reminds the public of the College’s interpreter training program. A er “I was starting to ask, when are the 15 important role interpreters play in providing graduation, RIT recruited her to come to minutes of fame going to be over?” she says. access to vital information,” Buckley says. Rochester in 2006 and work as one of 125 in- “I decided to turn it into something positive, And Callis worked with Aidan Mack, terpreters on campus. She interpreted in class- to open the eyes of people who don’t know a deaf entrepreneur who is attempting to rooms and for many non-academic events. much about deaf culture. Why was I getting start her own television talk show to help “I came to Rochester from sunny, beautiful this reaction? Because people have not been lessen the gap between the deaf and hearing Arizona because of the diversity in Rochester, exposed to sign language.” communities. the culture,” she says. “You see everybody Callis decided to use her fame to edu- “I want to show hearing people that deaf from every dierent walk of life on a daily cate others about communicating with deaf people can do the same things they can,” she basis. It was a great career move not only for people and the interpreting profession. She says. “ ey are not disabled. ey commu- my profession, but for my family. My sister consented to a few national interviews, in- nicate through a signed language instead of was at RIT/NTID at the time and I wanted to cluding CNN. She is in the process of starting a spoken one. at’s my destiny. at’s what be exposed to more deaf culture. e inter- her own business, LC Interpreting Services, I’ve been put on Earth for.” preters at RIT are just wonderful. I wanted to where she provides ASL interpreting and Greg Livadas work with people who could mentor me and mentoring to recent interpreting graduates help me be a better interpreter.” and one-on-one ASL training. To learn more When she turned 30, Callis decided it was “I’m not out there to be a shiner,” she says. For more information on Lydia Callis, go to time to move on. Her motivation and passion “I’m trying to help bridge the gap between her website at www.signlanguagenyc.com. for new challenges led her to New York City. hearing and deaf culture. I’m grateful to be a She posts weekly blogs about cultural issues.
SPRING 2013 | 33 College Alumni Programs
The ways to stay engaged with RIT keep growing. In addition to regional activities for all alumni, your alma mater also supports special programming designed for you and fellow graduates of your department and college. Check out upcoming events posted to your col- lege’s alumni Web page. Go to www.rit.edu/alumni/groups and click on your college.
Meet RIT’s distinguished alumni What do the Oscars, the Grammys, the seeming de ance of the laws of physics. e serving America’s heroes while working for Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prizes and the application of this hands-free gaming the Veterans Health Administration. He RIT Distinguished Alumni Awards have in technology now extends into areas such as began his professional life as a clinical common? ey all celebrate creativity and health care and education. dietician a er earning his bachelor’s degree passionate performance in one’s profession, Kipman is the primary inventor and from the University at Bualo. As he rose to a and they elevate the very best representatives holder of more than 60 patents since 2001. managerial role, he looked to his hometown in a competitive eld. He was recently named IPO Foundation’s of Rochester to further his Each year, the senior leaders select one 2012 Inventor of the Year. education and enrolled in graduate from each college who embodies the RIT’s health systems best of RIT. is year, RIT honors nine distin- College of Applied Science administration online guished alumni who stand out amongst the and Technology master’s degree program. more than 111,000 accomplished graduates. A er graduating from SUNY Morrisville, As a nontraditional President Bill Destler and the leaders of RIT’s George Peterson IV ’88 (computer engineer- student, he values the colleges will present the Distinguished Alum- ing technology) joined the second graduating quality of his RIT ni Awards on April 12. For more information, class of his program. Peterson credits one of education and feels that it Paul Russo go to www.rit.edu/alumni/recognition. his most admired gave him the essential professors, Robert E. Lee, skills to succeed in hospital administration. B. omas Golisano for not only shaping Russo was recently named director of the College of Computing and students’ technical skills Bruce W. Carter Veterans Aairs Medical Information Sciences but also honing the Center/Miami VA Health Care system, and At an early age, Alex Kipman ’01 (so ware non-technical components he has also served as director of the W. G. engineering), fell in love with what he calls of students’ coursework— (Bill) Hefner VAMC in Salisbury, N.C., and the art form of so ware because it is the speci cally spelling and associate director of the West Palm Beach, youngest of all art forms. grammar skills. Fla., VA Medical Center. He lives in Miami “For epochs we have been George Peterson He also values RIT’s with his wife, Karen, who has also dedicated building bridges, painting co-op program, which led him to his rst job her career to America’s veterans. caves and creating at Telog Instruments, where he worked for He enjoys mentoring rising healthcare amazing music while 11 years. Peterson is still friends with Telog’s administrators through various professional discovering and philoso- owner and considers him a mentor and life organizations including his role as a Fellow phizing about our coach. Currently, Peterson is an analog eld in the American College of Healthcare universe,” he says. “In application engineer for Texas Instruments, Executives. contrast, we have been assisting electronics companies throughout Alex Kipman creating so ware for less upstate New York with the design of elec- College of Imaging Arts than a century.” He sees tronic circuits. He has been an active member and Sciences so ware as the only art form in which the of RIT’s Computer Engineering Technology Over a career spanning 25 years, Bruce James laws of physics can be easily and purposely Industrial Advisory Board. He has worked ’64 (printing) founded and led 13 printing ignored, making it “the only medium where with Texas Instruments engineering and and publishing organizations, each built on nothing is impossible ... and with a little management teams to recruit RIT students. an emerging new technology. e businesses imagination and a lot of pixie dust we yield He lives in Henrietta, N.Y., with his wife, varied from the Polish signal from noise and make the improbable Laura, and their three daughters. His advice to American Printing Co. possible.” Today, Kipman is the general students and recent graduates is to “always seek with high-tech newspaper manager of incubation for the Interactive people out who are willing to invest in you.” plants in Warsaw, Gdansk Entertainment Business at Microso where and a castle in Krakow, to he has led three major innovations for the College of Health Sciences Barclays Law Publishers in company. e Kinect sensor is one of his and Technology San Francisco, which Inc. best-known creations and anyone who has Paul M. Russo ’05 (health systems manage- magazine ranked for ve used this gaming system has experienced the ment) has dedicated more than 30 years to Bruce James years as one of the
34 | SPRING 2013 country’s 500 fastest growing companies. clearance cases and submissions for applicants Everyone starts at the bottom. ere is a bot- Since retiring from business in 1993, for security clearances for U.S. government tom rung on the ladder for a reason. Stand on he has served on seven higher-education- agencies. it and climb your way up.” related boards, including RIT where he is He also personally holds more than 50 U.S. chairman-emeritus of the Board of Trustees. and foreign patents and he counsels U.S. and Kate Gleason College Additionally, in 2002 he was appointed by foreign clients on development and protec- of Engineering President George W. Bush, and con rmed by tion of intellectual A er 18 years with IBM, where he became the Senate, to follow in Benjamin Franklin’s property. He previously known for establishing IBM’s blade server footsteps as the nation’s 24th Public Printer. worked for the CIA while product line, Je Benck He led the U.S. Government Printing Oce he nished his Ph.D. from ’88 (mechanical engineer- through a complete transition into the digital Syracuse University and ing) made one of the world for which he was recognized in 2006 as then took night classes to toughest but best decisions the Federal Executive of the Year. earn his law degree from of his career—to move his Asked about the most important deci- George Washington family across the country sion he ever made, he said it was letting go University National and to take on a new set of of the past. “You can’t move forward and do Jon Roberts Law Center. challenges in California. dramatic new things unless you’re willing to roughout his busy career, he has main- He is now president let go of the past and embrace the future.” tained a steadfast passion for the arts and Je Benck and chief operating ocer music, singing with the National Symphony of Emulex Corp., where he guides the cor- College of Liberal Arts Orchestra and acting in theater productions porate strategy. Benck led the company into Jerey Culver ’82 (criminal justice) never with his wife, Jessie. the groundbreaking converged networking imagined that his career would take him to He was a student at RIT during the “big space. While his vocation at Emulex is time where he is now: director of corporate move” from downtown Rochester to the Hen- consuming, he still makes time for his family: security for the World Bank. Yet as soon as rietta campus and credits the excitement and his wife, Nina, and daughters Gabrielle, 14, Culver enrolled in RIT’s fond memories of that time for his dedication and Gracyn, 12. criminal justice program, to RIT. He serves on the President’s Round- He believes in giving back and volunteers he knew he was on the table and has established a scholarship with with several organizations. He’s on the board right track. He spent 24 his wife in support of science students who of the Discovery Science Center of Orange years working for the participate in the performing arts. County, the University of California Irvine Bureau of Diplomatic CEO Roundtable, and the UCI Paul Merage Security, the government E. Philip Saunders School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. At agency responsible for College of Business RIT, he is an active member of the KGCOE providing a safe and Even as a child, William J. Prentice ’99 Dean’s Advisory Council, and he has shared Je rey Culver secure environment for (business administration nance) was lessons learned with students as a featured the conduct of U.S. foreign policy throughout industrious and motivated. When he was 10 KGCOE Dean’s Alumni Speaker: “Never stop the world as well as managing reciprocity and years old, he worked on a learning, take risks but learn to fail fast, and immunity issues for foreign diplomats in the farm and mowed his don’t make the same mistake twice.” United States. neighbor’s lawn. At 12, he A member of the Senior Foreign Service washed dishes at a local National Technical with the rank of Minister Counselor, Culver restaurant, worked in a Institute for the Deaf served as principal deputy assistant secretary bowling alley washing Robert W. Rice ’94, ’97 (management and and director of diplomatic security from pins, and helped his father leadership, MBA), is the founder, president October 2009 until his recent retirement paint re hydrants one and managing partner of BayFirst Solutions from public service. Moving from govern- William Prentice summer. LLC, a government contracting rm ment to the private sector has given Culver Today, he owns Prentice specializing in risk more control over his schedule, making it Wealth Management LLC, overseeing whole- management, information possible for him to spend more time with his family accounts focused on disciplined nan- technology and homeland family. cial security and goal-based wealth manage- security. Rice, who lives in In his current position at the World Bank, ment. Prior to establishing PWM, Prentice Chevy Chase, Md., started he is responsible for the safety and security of served as vice president at Westminster his career with Coopers & the bank’s operations and personnel in Wash- Financial. He began his career in nancial Lybrand LLP and went on ington, D.C., and in 128 country and regional services as a representative with Northwest- to work as an information oces around the world. ern Mutual Financial Network. technology consultant at He established an annual scholarship for Robert Rice Booz Allen Hamilton and College of Science rst-generation college students. He serves PricewaterhouseCoopers before founding Jon Roberts ’70 (imaging science) has taken his on the Saunders College Alumni Advisory BayFirst. He served as chairman of the NTID father’s advice seriously: Do what you have to Board, chairing the annual golf tournament Foundation Board of Directors and RIT do so you can then do what you want to do. As committee. He is a member of the Dean’s Ad- President’s Roundtable. He now is a member a senior partner in the Marbury Law Group, visory Council. He has participated in Junior of the RIT Board of Trustees. He advises he practices in security clearance law, patent, Achievement team teaching. He has been a others to “surround yourself with people who copyright and trademarks. He has counseled, mentor and coach to the Saunders students, think along similar lines, but have dierent tried and documented more than 100 security advising them to “take that entry level job. skills that complement your own.”
SPRING 2013 | 35 Regional Alumni Activities
Events are being planned in all cities. Check www.rit.edu/alumniactivities for details.
Atlanta Chicago On Nov. 8, alumni in Atlanta held a multicul- On Feb. 16, alumni gathered at the Tavern tural happy hour at Frank Ski’s Restaurant & at the Park for lunch and networking. Fol- Lounge. lowing lunch, alumni visited McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park for
l Bay Area an a ernoon of ice-skating. On Nov. 17, alumni braved rainy weather for a day of bike riding through Sonoma Dallas Wine Country. Riders stopped at vineyards e RIT Big Shot event at Cowboy’s Sta- for wine tastings and enjoyed dinner a er dium on March 23 attracted alumni from the ride. around the country. A special alumni event was planned for inside prior to the shot. Denver/Colorado Springs Pittsburgh On Dec. 2, alumni gathered at Gleneagle Golf Alumni cheered on the Tigers as they took Club for dinner and a pre-game pep talk with on Robert Morris University Feb. 9. Special men’s hockey head coach Wayne Wilson. Af- thanks to alumni host Phil Amsler ’12. ter dinner, alumni watched the Tigers battle Atlantic Hockey Association rival Air Force. Portland On Nov. 18, alumni gathered to cheer on the Hawaii Trail Blazers against the Bulls. Alumni gathered for their rst event March 23—a University of Hawaii baseball game and Raleigh-Durham l reception. Stay tuned for future events for our On Jan. 19, 28 alumni gathered at e Pit newest chapter. Authentic Barbecue for an a ernoon lunch. anks to chapter leaders Mike Pail ’98 and Boston Hudson Valley Sue Pail ’98. On Nov. 17, alumni from throughout New Hockey fans came out on Jan. 19 at e England came to Worcester to cheer on the ayer Hotel for a pre-game reception. e Rochester men’s hockey team against Holy Cross. group then watched the Tigers beat the Army On Dec. 6, alumni enjoyed a delicious hors On Jan. 25, more than 75 alumni gath- Black Knights. d’oeuvres cooking class at the New York Wine ered at M.J. O’Connor’s for a networking & Culinary Center. anks to hosts Terry reception. e Alumni Association Board of Houston l Palis ’77 and Alina Palis ’79. Directors hosted the event and President Bill Alumni gathered Jan. 5 at Lucky Strike for a On Jan. 22, more than 40 alumni en- Destler joined the festivities. reception and to watch the Houston Texans’ joyed beer samples and BBQ at Roc Brew- rst playo game. ey then went to the Toy- ing. anks to Roc Brewing owners Chris Bu alo ota Center to watch minor league hockey as On March 2, 30 alumni gathered at J.P. the hometown Aeros battled the San Bullfeathers for a reception before the men’s Antonio Rampage. anks to Mark hockey game at Canisius. Biscone ’99 for hosting the event.
New York City l On Dec. 14, alumni gathered to cheer on the Brooklyn Nets at the Dan Christner ’07 and Mia Hodgins ’11 are your contacts Barclays Center in Brooklyn. anks in the O ce of Alumni Relations for regional alumni to host Ken Holley ’02. activities. Don’t hesitate to contact them toll free at 1-866-RIT-ALUM. To learn more about the events listed New York North Country go to www.rit.edu/alumni. Alumni gathered Jan. 5 to cheer on the men’s hockey team. Former hockey player and Hoot Owl owner Bill Helmer ’67 hosted a pre-game reception.
36 | SPRING 2013 | www.rit.edu/alumniactivities ALUMNI CHAPTER PROFILE Meet Bu alo Alumni activities involve more than just going to sporting events. at’s the philosophy that omas Stumpf ’89 (marketing) brings to his alumni chapter. Stumpf is the head of the Bu alo, N.Y., chapter, where he is trying to diversify alumni outings. He joined the chapter at Singapore a time when several members were leav- Spinelli ’08 and Jon Mervine ’07 for hosting Alumni were treated to an event at the Singa- ing Bu alo for new jobs. He was given the group. pore Cricket Club on Nov. 9. anks to hosts the opportunity to organize an event for Alumni participated in RIT’s Expression Howard Wang ’81 and Gilbert Ong ’02, ’05. the chapter in 1991, and he has been the of King’s Legacy celebration on Jan. 28, which leader ever since. featured a talk by Julianne Malveaux. South Florida “People had this idea that all the chap- Alumni enjoyed several family events President Bill Destler toured South Florida ter does is go to Sabres hockey games,” he in February, including the h annual RIT cities in early March, making stops in the says. “I really wanted to broaden the base father/daughter dance at the RIT Inn & Con- Delray Beach and Ft. Myers areas. anks to of things that we do.” ference Center on Feb. 9. Delray Beach host Paul Finkelstein ’91. In recent years, the chapter has attend- Alumni skied and snowboarded at Hunt ed a wine tasting, visited an art gallery and Hollow on Feb. 23. anks to alumni hosts St. Louis taken a tour of Niagara Falls, in addition Kristy Mooney Graves ’00, Tony Kocienski On Feb. 1, alumni cheered on the women’s to the standard sporting events. Stumpf ’78 and Frank Lucas ’75. hockey team against Lindenwood alongside says that having a variety of outings is im- A sold-out group of hockey fans enjoyed NTID President Gerry Buckley. perative to growing alumni involvement a reception in the Ritz and the men’s hockey and also helps to showcase the chapter’s
game on March 1 as part of Tiger Sports l Syracuse city to its own residents. Night. anks to hosts Donna Bell ’83, President Bill Destler joined alumni Nov. 18 “Making alumni happy encourages Draga Haboian ’84 and Bary Siegel ’66, ’68, for a reception at the Lodge at Welch Allyn them to promote RIT,” he says. ’75, ’90. in Skaneateles, N.Y. anks to host Howard Stumpf, a native of Freedom, N.Y., was Alumni and guests enjoyed dinner and Higgins ’86. attracted to RIT because of the co-op pro- a movie at e Little eatre on March 12. On Feb. 23, alumni cheered on the Orange gram, which he says was instrumental in anks to hosts Terry Palis ’77, Alina Palis against the Georgetown Hoyas a er a pre- helping him secure a job immediately a er ’79, Rita Haschmann ’79, Tony Kocienski game reception at the Sheraton. graduation. He says that he feels more con- ’78, and Fran Versace ’08, ’09. nected to RIT now than he ever has, and More than 60 alumni and he returns regularly to campus for events guests enjoyed an evening at such as Brick City Homecoming & Family the Genesee Brewery Tasting Weekend and the Imagine RIT Festival. Room on March 19. Rollin Shoemaker ’60 became involved Coming Up: Wicked and with the Bu alo chapter a er attending a Gallery r reception, April 4; business-networking event. He saw it as Charlie and the Chocolate Fac- an opportunity to expand his business, tory at Panara eatre, April Career Management Systems, where he 27; campus Art Walk, June serves as president. 16; and Niagara jet boat tour rough the alumni events, he has been and lunch, July 20. able to make numerous business connec- tions, but he has also become more closely San Diego connected with RIT. On March 2, 30 alumni gathered at the Tor- Vermont “Even at the age of 74, I still have a reyana Grill for a morning brunch. anks Alumni slid down the snow tube hills in continuing passion for my alma mater,” to Pamela Wick ’94 and Phil Ohme ’99 for Killington and enjoyed a pizza party Feb. 2. says Shoemaker. “I o en attend events on hosting the event. anks to host Mike Larson ’93. campus, including hockey games, and I have a wonderful time every time I visit. Seattle Washington, D.C. I’m looking forward to the next Bu alo On Nov. 17, alumni gathered for lunch at On Jan. 24, more than 50 alumni gathered at alumni event.” Purple Café and then went to Chateau Ste. the Dog sh Head Alehouse in Falls Church. For more information, contact Stumpf Michelle winery for a tour and tasting. anks to Carlo Costino ’04, ’07 and Phil at [email protected] or 716-289- Jones ’02, who are the new chapter leaders. 0170.
www.rit.edu/alumniactivities | SPRING 2013 | 37 conduct ISO 9001 audits for Colorado- Westchester as well as photo stories for based Orion Registrar. He was elected 1970 the publication that are accompanying Class Notes president of the Ann Arbor Recorder James Langone ’70 (GAP) was awarded the videos. He lives in Saugerties, N.Y. Society and continues his 32-year a li- the annual Pioneer Valley Photographic ation with Consort Anon., a Maryland- Artists award. Langone received the Key to abbreviations based early music performing group. award for his work in commercial 1974 photography, as a teacher of photog- omas Taber ’70, ’74 (GAP) writes CAST College of Applied Science and raphy at Spring eld (Mass.) Technical that in August 2012, 150 years a er the Technology 1966 Community College and as one of the unit’s formation, e Orleans Battery-A CCE College of Continuing Education Annette (Bellavia) Hills ’66 (CCE) founders of the Valley Photo Center in History of the 17th New York Light released her rst album, Annette Hills Spring eld. Artillery in the War of Rebellion was (now CMS) Sings, in 2009. published by Almeron Press in Albion, CHST College of Health Sciences Her second N.Y. It is told through letters from 12 album, 1971 soldiers, from private to captain, writ- and Technology ten during their nearly three years of Inspirations Robert Kiss ’71 (GAP) showed 10 College of Imaging Arts and Sciences service. CIAS From Annette mural-sized prints of celebrities that he Hills, won the CLA College of Liberal Arts photographed Michael Furman ’74 (GAP) writes, Album of the CMS Center for Multidisciplinary Studies in the 1980s “Our latest book, Vitesse-Elegance: Year Award in for Interview; French Expression of Flight and Motion, 2012 from SCB E. Philip Saunders College of Business Paris, British, was a nalist for Publication of the Year Catholic Music Express. She also was Kate Gleason College and German in the International Historic Motoring KGCOE nominated for Female Vocalist of the Vogue; and Awards competition held in London this of Engineering Year and her version of “ e Prayer” Town and past November. e title was the third was nominated for Best Song of the COS College of Science Country. book produced by Coachbuilt Press Year. She released her third album in Celebrities he for the Mullin Automotive Museum in FAA Fine and Applied Arts (now CIAS) January. For details, go to www. photographed include Andy Warhol, Oxnard, Calif.” GAP Graphic Arts and Photography annettehills.com. Abdul Jabbar, Jodie Foster, Oscar de la (now CIAS) Wallace Stuart ’66 (GAP) received the Renta and more than 40 others. e GCCIS B. Thomas Golisano College of Com- Dottie Grover Leadership Award show in February and March was at Cin 1975 at the 2012 Cin, a restaurant on the West Coast of puting and Information Sciences Steve Beiser ’75 (GAP) was certi ed for Honors Barbados. CHCQM (Certi ed Health Care Quality NTID National Technical Institute Awards cere- Manager). He also was appointed to be for the Deaf mony of the the medical director for Con dent Care New 1972 Home Health Care. SVP NTID “Summer Vestibule Program” Hampshire Coalition for Ronald Janicki ’72 (SCB) was hired to Community lead the Arizona Small Business 1977 Media. e About Class Notes coalition is a statewide, nonpro t orga- Alan Frohlichstein ’77 (GAP) has been nization formed to support public, edu- re-elected to a cational and government access televi- four-year term Class Notes are edited for space, sion in New Hampshire. as a board clarity and style. Share details and member at photos of special occasions and large of the 1967 Ophthalmic professional achievements in your Photographers’ James “Jed” Dertinger ’67 (GAP) Society. life by going to www.rit.edu/ retired from e Ohio State University Association’s business development aluimni/news. in Columbus. “A er 45 years of pri- eorts in Tucson and Southern Arizona. vate and public sector employment, I He is on the board of directors with the have chosen to take the ‘y’ in the road Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. Barry Gottlieb ’77 (CAST) accepted a marked retirement. Karen and I plan to Harvey Duze ’72 (GAP) writes that the position at Bioquell Defense in Horsham, travel, hone stained-glass skills, continue 1953 “C&O Canal Railroad Bridge— Pa., as director of production. Bioquell university classes, volunteer and develop Neil Montanus ’53 (GAP) was honored Defense is the leader in the design, a better golf game.” by an exhibition of his photographic development and manufacture of Vehicle CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological 1968 and nuclear) ltration systems. Barbara Welsh ’77, ’91 (SCB) accepted Jan Detanna ’68 (FAA) and his doo- a position at Old Sturbridge Village wop group, Deke and e Blazers, were in Sturbridge, Mass., as vice president of development. She was president of Dollars & Sense, a nonpro t consulting rm, since 1993. Williamsport, Maryland” took second place at the 2012 Patuxent Art League achievements at RIT’s University Gallery Juried Exhibition at Montpelier Arts 1978 from Nov. 28 to Feb. 22. Montanus, one Center in Laurel, Md. e annual exhi- of Kodak’s most illustrious photogra- bition features a collection of 52 works Deb (Poetsch) Hall ’77, ’78 (GAP), phers, has a portfolio that includes 55 of of art by artists living in and around associate professor in art at Skidmore the massive Kodak Coloramas, numer- metropolitan Washington, D.C. is ous celebrity portraits and his most photo of the railroad li bridge, built in recent work—the bacteriographs. 1923 over the C&O Canal, was taken at asked to sing at the funeral of Cleve the Cushwa Basin outside of Duncan. Duncan was the lead singer of Williamsport, Md. 1964 e Penguins on the classic ballad, “Earth Angel.” Deke and e Blazers Kevin Gilson ’64 (GAP) relocated had been backing Duncan on several to Ann Arbor, Mich., last spring. In 1973 national tour shows until his sudden his semi-retirement, he continues to Michael Nelson ’73 (GAP) is producing death on Nov. 6. 30 online videos for the Journal News of
38 | SPRING 2013 College, is the recipient of the 2012 responsible for implementing the bio- Photographers’ Fellowship Fund from medical informatics systems that will 1984 1987 the Center of Photography at enable the Penn Medicine clinicians and John Villard ’84 (CAST) and Kathleen Bonnie Hammer ’87 (FAA) is a com Woodstock. “Artifacts” is among the researchers to achieve the promises of Villard are puter instruc- images that Hall included in her award- personalized medicine.” proud to tor, teaching winning portfolio, which included announce the artist, adjunct images taken in 2010 during her sabbat- birth of a baby professor and ical trip to document the Columbia 1981 boy, John social media River from the mouth to the source. Mercedes O’Connor Case ’81 (CAST) Robert Paul. guru. She was awarded the Harry Denman Award He was born teaches com- for Evangelism at the 2012 Eastern on Nov. 28, puter classes at 1979 Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the 2012, in Adult Costena Walker ’78, ’79 (SCB) is cur- United Methodist Church in May. She Canandaigua, Community rently the sole proprietor of Walker is the senior pastor of the New London N.Y. Enrichment at Enterprises, an income tax prepara- United Methodist Church in New Gregory Fiorito ’82, ’84 (GAP) was Sarasota County’s Technical Institute tion company. Walker was featured in London, Pa. promoted to Midwest regional vice and at Ringling College of Art & Design Network Rochester. president from regional production in Sarasota, Fla. 1982 director at Gannett Publishing Services Tracey (Schipp) Graney ’85, ’87 (COS) 1980 in Appleton, Wis. and Martin Graney ’88 (GAP) are Owen Kassimir ’81, ’82 (GAP), owner Linda White-McKelvie ’83, ’84, ’98 happy to announce their marriage on David Price ’80 (GAP) and John Henry of Owen (SCB) accepted a position at Xerox Dec. 14, 2012. ey live in Rochester. ’76 (GAP) again traveled Photography Corp. in Webster, N.Y., as senior project Barbara Grunbaum ’87 (GAP) was in Syosset, manager. She was employed at Xerox awarded an Emmy for the documentary, N.Y., has been Corp. as senior business systems analyst. Life in a War Zone: Montgomery County the president during the Civil War in June 2012. of the Produced for Heritage Montgomery, the Professional 1985 nonpro t organization dedicated to pro- Photographers moting heritage tourism in Montgomery Society of New Jill Weiner ’85 (FAA) has launched Inky Dinky Artworks with Deborah County, Md., the hour-long video York State explores how the Civil War impacted (www.ppsnys. DePasquale. ey create the residents of Montgomery County. com) since May 2012, following in the She was producer, writer and director. together in November 2012 on a third footsteps of the late Henry W. Leichtner, hand-drawn adventure with their wives, this time who was one of Kassimir’s professors in “pen and ink” visiting Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus 1981. He is also involved in Photo North pet characters 1988 and Turkey. e two met in 1973 in the East (www.photonortheast.org), an orga- on greeting graduate program of the School of nization that puts on a convention for cards, gi items Kevin Vining ’86, ’88 (SCB) writes that Printing. Both have recently renewed professional photographers in the spring. and custom pet the Tech Valley global Business Network contact with Joseph Noga, their former caricatures. For has selected Vine Street Marketing as Gary Sutto ’82 (GAP) is a cor- details, go to www.InkyDinkyArtworks. the Trade Partner Globie Award winner. RIT professor. Henry is research and porate/industrial photographer development and technical manager of com. ey have been accepted to exhibit e Globies recognize individuals or for the Department of Defense at at the 2013 National Stationary Show in organizations that have demonstrated Metalcra in Mason City, Iowa, and the Bremerton Naval Shipyard in Price is an Apple Certi ed Support New York City. excellence in international trade. Vine Bremerton, Wash. He provides photo- Street Marketing is a sales and market- Professional with TekBasics in graphic service and products for the Dunstable, Mass. ing company that is responsible for the shipyard, forces aoat, contractors and 1986 exports of consumer branded products. omas Grotta ’78, ’80 (GAP) and his other government agencies and com- wife, Rhonda Brown, celebrated the 25th mands. Rhonda Cox ’84, ’86 (GAP) accepted Marc Raco ’86, ’88 (GAP) has been a position at Nickelodeon in New York hosting and producing the podcast City as supervising producer/Bubble show Monkey Radio with Marc at www. 1983 Guppies. She was employed at MTV as monkeyradio.info. He also has been supervising producer/Beavis and Butt- directing animated shorts for the pro- Timothy ompson ’81 (SCB), ’83 Head. gram and starring in the O-Broadway (CAST) accepted a position at Jakks musical A Mermaid’s Tale. He appeared Paci c Inc. in Santa Monica, Calif., as Je rey Mullen ’84, ’84, ’86 (CAST) is putting the nishing touches on a short in an episode of NBC’s Law and Order: vice president of new business develop- SVU and was proclaimed an honorable ment. Jakks is one of the world’s largest Kentucky Colonel by the governor toy companies. of Kentucky. anniversary of their contemporary art John Letteney ’83 (CLA) accepted Lynn Sullivan ’88 (SCB) accepted a business, browngrotta arts (http:// a position at the Town of Apex in position at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in browngrotta.com). ey represent more Apex, N.C., as chief of police. He was Rochester as chief nancial o cer. than 100 artists worldwide and have employed at Town of Southern Pines as chief of police. omas Taber ’88 (CCE) designed placed work at places such as the the lighting for the recently completed Metropolitan Museum of Art, Galaxy Michael Unger ’83 (KGCOE) has been Hurst Convention Center in Hurst, Macau Casino, Royal Caribbean Cruise working on embedded systems rmware Texas. He is now designing the lighting Line and private collections around for most of the 29 years since he gradu- for the city’s new courts building. Taber the world. ated from RIT. “I have ve children is a lighting representative with e Brian Wells ’80 (CAST) was promoted from 11 to 26... they keep me young... story that will soon be available on ama- Lighting Alliance in Dallas. sort of. ey are all great kids.” zon.com as a Kindle le. to associate Bruce Bennett ’88 (GAP) started a new vice president, David Jankowsky ’83 published a new Steven Morse ’86 (SCB) is the recipient job as a Health book in September. Order it online at of the Rochester School for the Deaf human Technology www.createspace.com/3991598. Perkins Founder’s Award in recognition resources pro- and Academic James Power ’83 (KGCOE) has been of 13 years of volunteer service on the grams and Computing at serving as director of breakthrough school’s board of directors, including bene ts man- Penn Medicine platforms for Covidien, a maker of two years as president. ager at in medical devices, in Shanghai, China, Carin (Peter) Calano ’85, ’87 (FAA) Responsys, Philadelphia, since August 2011. He lives there with accepted a position in Westchester, N.Y., based in San Pa. “I am now his wife, Joan Tarasevich ’82 (GAP), as a spinning instructor. She was certi- Bruno, Calif. fortunate to be daughter Kyra and son Cullen. ed through Madd Dogg Athletics Inc.
SPRING 2013 | 39 Tiger Love Best ‘bad day’ leads to love
Ken Krug ’10 (so ware engineering) wasn’t in the best mood on that January day in 2007 when he walked into Gannett Hall to help recruit freshman orientation assistants. at morning, he found a parking ticket on his Dodge Neon in the lot behind Kate Gleason Hall and he was late to his 8 a.m. class. A er class, he discovered a second ticket on his car parked in S Lot. Frus- trated, he ditched the car and pedaled his bicycle through the slushy campus to get to his recruiting assignment. at’s where he met Julie Zepke ’09 (industrial design), who thought it was odd that out of the more than 100 recruiters, her part- ner wasn’t from her college and she hadn’t met him when they both worked as orientation assistants the previous summer. But they connected. ey both listened to country music. ey both cheered for the Boston Red Sox. And they both drove Dodge Neons. (Ken’s Neon was white; Julie’s was red.) “I wrote his name in my assignment planner to look him up on Facebook,” says Julie, from Glastonbury, Conn. Ken, a native of Great Bend, Pa., also was thinking about Julie that night. “I was telling my roommates how terrible my day was with the exception of meeting this girl.” e two connected on Facebook and planned a rst date for the following Friday—only Ken’s bad luck continued. An ice storm hit Rochester and the weather was too terrible to go out. Ken trudged from his residence hall to Riverknoll, where Julie lived, and they watched e Boondock Saints. ey began spending more time together. Ken le his job in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center ticket booth to play his trumpet in the Pep Band with Julie, who played alto sax. Ken also started playing Ritchie during the Presidents’ Alumni Ken Krug ’10 (software engineering) and Julie Zepke ’09 (industrial design) were Ball at Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend. Julie tagged along married in 2011. Ken plays Ritchie at the Presidents’ Alumni Ball during Brick City as Ritchie’s helper. In August 2010, they got engaged and they were Homecoming & Family Weekend each year and Julie is Ritchie’s helper. married a year later on Aug. 6. Orange was their wedding color. Ken, who works as a so ware engineer at Brand Networks in Roch- ester, continues to play Ritchie at the alumni ball, with Julie’s help. Julie is a product designer at Skooba Design in Rochester. ey also About Tiger Love continue to attend hockey games. Both say they were attracted to RIT in high school because it was There are more than 4,600 RIT alumni couples. Tiger Love is a new series one of the few universities at the time to oer programs in their areas that pro les some of them. If you have a suggestion of a Tiger couple to of interest. Ken looked at a cheaper in-state school but he says he was feature from any decade—they don’t have to be newlyweds, email The swayed by RIT’s reputation. University Magazine at [email protected]. “Good decision,” Julie says, smiling at Ken. “Good decision.” Mindy Mozer
40 | SPRING 2013 Lady Michelle Obama presented the announce the 1989 awards at a White House luncheon in 1996 birth of their Paul Maples ’89 (GAP) nished work 2012. James Laidley ’96 (CIAS) accepted baby boy, on e Hobbit a position at Children’s Healthcare of Kellan Gehrig. in July, a er Atlanta as director of clinical IS&T busi- He was born spending 1992 ness partners. on Aug. 20, seven months David Naess ’79 (CAST), ’77, ’92 2012, in Fort Gregory Kehn ’96 (CAST) accepted Collins, Colo. in New (CCE) accepted a position at St. Tikhon a position at C.T. Male Associates in Zealand. He of Zadonsk Monastery in South Canaan, Latham, N.Y., as site civil engineer. He was given the Pa., as aspirant. “ e rst thing that was employed at Foit-Albert Associates task of on-set, the abbot wants me to do is become an as project engineer. real-time scal- ASL interpreter. I am therefore going to 1999 ing of Gandalf, start classes at NTID in the interpreter Nicole (Harding) Chapell ’96 (CIAS) and Donald Mark Biscone ’99 (COS) passed the the dwarves program.” Board of Governors Exam and is now and Bilbo, as well as others. A descrip- Chapell are Denika (Simmons) Reid ’92 (COS) is proud to board certi ed in healthcare administra- tion of the work is in Popular Mechanics, co-owner to a private ultrasound facil- tion. He is also currently working on http://bit.ly/Uad83S. announce the ity with her husband in Bermuda. ey birth of a baby a Black Belt certi cation in Lean Six have been in business since June 2008. boy, Nathaniel Sigma. 1990 Terry Myers ’90, ’92 (GAP) was pro William Luke Murphy ’99 (SCB) published his moted to qual- Chapell. He debut novel, Dead Man’s Hand, a er a David Ne ’89, ’90 (GAP) became ity/continuous was born on six-year career as a professional minor owner of David Ne Photography improvement Sept. 25, 2012, league hockey player. While recover- in Brooklyn. He was employed at manager from in Lansdowne, ing from a hockey injury, Murphy, of Makerbot Industries LLC as general production Va. He joins big brother Braydon Shawville, Quebec, discovered his pas- manager. “A er a two-year stint with a control super- Renner, 2½. sion for writing. Brooklyn, N.Y., startup, I happily return visor at RR to shooting freelance and rejoining the Samantha Powell ’99 (CIAS) and her Donnelley in partner, Jen ompson, celebrated their creative world.” Jeerson City, 1997 Je rey Zagon ’90 (FAA) is a wood- Mo. Myers has Angelo Santabarbara ’97 (COS), ’98 working instructor at Holy Childhood served a vari- (SCB) in Rochester, teaching woodworking ety of roles including time in prepress, accepted a to school-age students and adults since bindery, customer service and produc- position at 2010. He received a master’s degree in tion control before taking the quality Siena College childhood and special education from manager role and has been with RRD in Roberts Wesleyan College in 2009. for 10 years. Loudonville, Stephen Ingkavet ’90 (FAA) has N.Y., as direc- launched an emoji app for the iPhone tor of net- called Emoji My 1993 works and sys- Face. Now emoji David Finkelstein ’93 (GAP) is co- tems. He was 20th anniversary. ey met at RIT. ey fans can put their founder and chief technology o cer of employed at are actively involved as Realtors in the own faces into Prosado.com, a bidding website helping New York State Public Employees Women’s Council of Realtors, Chicago emoji shapes. people nd a tax preparer. Federation as IS director. chapter, and volunteer as managers for Learn more at Brian Martens ’97 (KGCOE) is an the Chicago Force, a women’s profes- http://bit.ly/ engineering manager at Harris RF sional tackle football team, which went EmojiMyFace. 1994 in Rochester. He lives outside of to the championships in 2008 and 2012. He also has cre- Harold LaRock ’94 (COS) is the Spencerport with his wife Candace ated uSit iSit, a division chief of the programs and (Dixon) Martens ’98 (CAST). He also mobile app that analysis division of the NATO Training is a blacksmithing instructor at the new 2000 reinvents the Mission—Afghanistan, nishing a year- Rochester Arc and Flame Center and a Anthony Calabria ’00, ’02 (COS) babysitting co-op idea of swapping long tour. His biggest accomplishment chief instructor at the Kokikai Aikido accepted a position at Benjamin Moore babysitting duties with local parents to involved developing the scal year 2014 dojo in downtown Rochester. Paints in New Jersey as color technol- save money. With uSit iSit, parents swap budget estimate for the Afghan National ogy project manager. He was employed only with friends they invite into their Army and Police. at Benjamin Moore Paints as a color circle. Learn more at www.usitisit.com. Paul Rogusz ’94 (KGCOE) was pro- 1998 scientist. moted to manager, electrical engineering, Rachel Doucette ’96 (CIAS), ’98 Raymond DeJohn ’00 (SCB) was 1991 from lead electrical engineer at Meggitt (CAST) is one of the 2013 Boston Go promoted to electronics commod- Training Systems in Suwanee, Ga. Red Women for the American Heart ity manager (strategic sourcing) from William Stegner ’91 (SCB) accepted Association. To see her story, go to senior procurement analyst (materi- a position at Emcien Inc. in Atlanta as www.heart.org and search “Local als) at Welch Allyn Inc. in Skaneateles professional services consultant. He was 1995 Women are Making it eir Mission to Falls, N.Y. He previously worked for employed at Vertafore Inc. as technical McNeil Consumer Healthcare in Fort Jennifer Goyette ’95 (CLA) started her Fight Heart Disease.” Her rst practi- support analyst II. Washington, Pa., for seven years as a own business, cum in the BS in nutrition management senior strategic planner and senior plan- Elisa Skop ’91 (COS) transferred to a e Cusp program was with the American Heart ner/buyer. position at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Association, in Association. She went on to complete Inc. in Tarrytown, N.Y., as senior Los Angeles her internship at the Frances Stern omas Rossman ’00 (SCB) and Matt project manager. She was employed providing Nutrition Center/New England Medical Miller are at Regeneron as senior manager, marketing and Center and get a master’s degree in proud to Preclinical Development-Sample management nutrition at Tu s University. announce the Analysis Group. services to art- Allison Ferencz ’98 (CLA) was married adoption of a Scott Wilson ’91 (CIAS) was a recipient ists. She was Jan. 11, 2013, in Yonkers, N.Y. She met baby boy, Ryan of a National Design Award, granted employed at her husband, Jonathan, on eHarmony in James Miller- by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Sony Pictures 2006. ey are expecting a baby in May. Rossman. National Design Museum. Wilson is Entertainment as director of media and Jim Crocker ’98 (CAST) is a network Ryan was born the founder and principal of Chicago- promotions for almost 10 years. “I’ve engineer at Google in Denver. on Aug. 25, based design rm MNML, which is the been helping my artistic friends for 2012, in creative force behind products includ- years and enjoyed it so much I decided Melissa (Answeeney) Reese ’98, ’07 Phoenix, Ariz. ing the Xbox 360 + Kinect sensor. First it was what I wanted to do full time.” (SCB) and Andy Reese are proud to ey live in Manchester, N.H.
SPRING 2013 | 41 Olga Zilberbourg ’00 (SCB) was Alumni Updates promoted to senior associate editor at Narrative Magazine. “I combine my own writing with work as an editor at www.NarrativeMagazine.com, a digital platform for literature, where we have published original work by Alice Munro, E.L. Doctorow, T.C. Boyle and many established and emerging writers.” Tomonori Hemmi ’00 (CIAS) was pro- Tigers make a tiger moted to director of graphic and
medical at Fuji lm South Africa in Johannesburg. “I joined Fuji lm in May 2010 for the medical systems division. Now, I am in South Africa for both medical systems and graphic systems (printing), divisions for the sub-Saharan region.” Scott Doepper ’00 (CIAS) lives in Las Vegas and accepted a position at AT&T as an industry manager, mobile security. He was employed at Research in Motion as technical manager. Paul Tracy ’00 (CIAS), ’00 (GAP), ’00 (CIAS) is working part-time as the video specialist at Browncro Community Church in Rochester. Many of the videos he creates for the church are used during services and can be found at: https://vimeo.com/ album/1702483. He continues to run his video business called Envision Productions, where he creates commer- cial videos. Scott Vosbury ’04, Rich Enders ’02 and Jen Stratton ’05 helped create the digital tiger in Life of Pi. (Photo by Rhythm & Hues) 2001 ree graduates from the School of Film and tained a high degree of quality and would assist Vladimir Boulatnikov ’01 (SCB) Animation helped create the digital Bengal tiger my team in growing each individual’s skill set,” accepted a in Life of Pi, which won an Academy Award for she says. position at Best Visual Eects in February. An actual tiger was used in 24 of the 170 shots Ameriprise Financial in Scott Vosbury ’04 ( lm and animation), Rich in the movie, but the animation is so lifelike, it Pittsford, N.Y., Enders ’02 (computer graphic animation) and isn’t obvious which tiger image is real. as nancial Jen Stratton ’05 ( lm and animation) work for Vosbury says about 600 people from Rhythm adviser/vice president. He Rhythm & Hues, a character animation and & Hues worked on the lm. But only four names was employed visual eects studio in Los Angeles. could be listed on the Oscar nomination ballot; at Merrill Vosbury worked as a lead digital compositor two are from the studio. Rhythm & Hues artists Lynch as for the lm with a team responsible for scenes won Visual Eects Oscars for e Golden Com- senior nancial adviser. involving Pi being stranded at sea, animal attacks pass in 2007 and Babe in 1996. Ryan Trombino ’01, ’01 (SCB) accepted a position at and ying sh. “More than any other project we have worked Delmonico “It’s my job to take all the elements and assets on so far, I was astounded by the quality of work Insurance from every other department and seamlessly we had produced,” Stratton says. “I am proud to Agency in Syracuse, N.Y., integrate them on screen. It’s my job to make you tell others I was a part of the process.” as director of believe the unbelievable.” Being a devoted RIT alumnus, Vosbury said operations. He Enders was a tracking supervisor for the lm, the thought did occur to him to call the digital was employed one of about 40 artists who made sure the char- tiger “Ritchie” a er the RIT mascot. at Empire State acters’ positions were in sync with the movement “Apparently the author, Yann Martel, sold a Container of other objects, such as waves and the boat. couple million copies of the novel with the tiger as an executive. And Stratton was responsible for delegating named ‘Richard Parker,’ and I don’t think the Michael Attebery ’01 (CIAS) and tasks and managing the texture team, ensuring fans of the book would have been too pleased Stephanie (Esmond) Attebery ’01 (CIAS) are proud to announce the image surfaces looked the way they were sup- with the change.” birth of their daughter, Charley Mame posed to look. “I helped make sure we main- Greg Livadas Attebery. She was born on Oct. 12, 2012,
42 | SPRING 2013 in Seattle. Michael released his fourth Paul Gebel ’03 (CIAS), ’09 (SCB) and live in Denver. Jennifer received the Nancy Coogan ’07 (NTID) has a novel, Bloody Pulp: A Brick Ransom Abbey Gebel are proud to announce the Director of the Year Award for It’s Just new job as a teacher of the deaf and Adventure, on Nov. 13, 2012. All four Lunch, where she is currently the senior hard-of-hearing in Bullitt County, Ky. of his books are available at the RIT director and matchmaker in the Denver She obtained her Kentucky Teaching bookstore. ey can also be ordered on o ce. David has been named general Certi cate and is grati ed to be teaching Amazon. manager at the Hilton Garden Inn in at the high school level. downtown Denver. He was employed at Atila Hirsch ’07 (CAST) and Paula Embassy Suites Denver Downtown as Depine are happy to announce their 2002 director of operations. marriage on Nov. 24, 2012. ey live in James Reale ’02 (GCCIS) accepted a Curitiba, Brazil. position at VMware in Los Angeles as 2005 Michael Metz ’07, ’07 (CIAS) was hired technical account manager. as an R&D engineer at ApniCure in birth of a baby girl, Evelyn Tess. She was Kyle Bechtel ’05 (GCCIS) accepted a Charles “Chuck” MacDougal ’02 born on Aug. 31, 2012, in Rochester. Redwood City, Calif., to work on the (GCCIS) and Julie MacDougal are position at the BMW Group Technology WINX sleep apnea therapy system. proud to announce the birth of a baby Arica Guthrie ’03 (COS) accepted O ce USA in San Francisco, Calif., as a position at University of Maryland an advanced technology engineer. He Jessica Mills-Juart ’07 (CIAS) accepted boy, Liam Francis MacDougal. He was a position at born on Nov. 4, 2012, in Albany, N.Y. Medical Center in Baltimore as clini- was employed at Bose Corp. as a rm- cal nurse. “I wanted to help others so ware engineer. Mercury in Janis Hansen ’02 (CIAS) and Travis Brentwood, I switched careers from a laboratory Ashley (Behrens) Gross ’05 (CIAS) Jensen are happy to announce their scientist to a RN.” Tenn., as art received a MBA in marketing from director in Bhairav Mehta ’03 (KGCOE) accepted Rutgers University in December 2011. March 2012. a position at Apple Inc. in Cupertino, Alex Ludwinek ’05 (GCCIS) and She was Calif., as sta engineer. Mehta was Amber Ludwinek are proud to employed at employed at Qualcomm Inc. as senior announce the Cabedge.com, engineer. Mehta received a MBA in birth of a baby prior to its general management from Cornell girl, Mariana acquisition by University on May 19, 2012. Josephine. She a local so ware development company. was born on Cheri (Tilburg) Chandler ’07 (COS) Oct. 20, 2012, and Dave Chandler ’04 ’07 (KGCOE) 2004 in Atlanta. marriage on July 25, 2012, in Manti, Michael Winters ’99, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’04 Utah. (CAST), ’11 (GCCIS) was promoted to director at Ericsson in Piscataway, N.J. Seth Schapiro ’05 (GCCIS) accepted Ryan Testa ’02, ’06 (CIAS) accepted a a position at e MITRE Corp. in position at Techkon as the global sales Sarah Smith ’04 (KGCOE) and Robert Annapolis Junction, Md., as lead systems manager. Smith are engineer. He was employed at Northrop proud to Grumman as senior systems engineer. announce the He received a Master of Science in sys- 2003 birth of a baby tems engineering from Johns Hopkins Krista (Rivet) Prall ’03 (KGCOE) and boy, Colin University on Aug. 26, 2011. Michael. He John Prall ’02 are proud to announce the birth of a (KGCOE) are was born on April 19, 2012, 2006 baby boy, Roy Richard. He was born on proud to March 3, 2012, in San Diego. announce the in Reston, Va. Christopher Adams ’06 (SCB) accepted Rachel Robbins ’07 (CAST) is happy birth of a baby a position at NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. boy, Bryce Denise Herrera ’04 (CLA), ’08, ’07 in New York as a compensation analyst. Evan. He was (NTID) com- He was employed at Mercer as an asso- born on Sept. pleted ve ciate in the company’s human capital 21, 2012, in years working practice. Lawrenceville, at RIT’s Ga. Alka Uroda ’06, ’06 (CAST) received Department of a MBA in global management from Amado Figueroa ’03 (SCB) accepted Access underbird School of Global a position at Advance 2000 in Services as an Management on Dec. 14, 2012. Williamsville, N.Y., as corporate trainer. associate inter- Figueroa was employed at ITT Technical preter. Dean Ganskop ’06, ’10 (GCCIS) taught Institute as an instructor. Web programming at the American College of Management and Technology to announce her marriage on Aug. 4, David Fuehrer ’02 (CLA), ’03 (SCB) is Ara Hagan ’04 (SCB) is manag- in Dubrovnik, Croatia, for RIT’s winter 2012, at Shadow Lake in Pen eld, N.Y. seeking partnerships for cureLauncher, ing director/partner at Kaza Hagan academic quarter. e wedding party included alumni a crowdfunding website for cancer Associates in Burlington, Vt., a full- Dean Rzonca ’07 (GCCIS) and Jon research. Fuehrer, a two-time cancer Timothy Johnson ’06 (GCCIS) Hatalla ’08 (GCCIS). e couple lives service marketing communications accepted a position at Endevor LLC in survivor, helped to found the organiza- company. in Webster, N.Y. tion in 2012. Wilmington, Del., as co-founder. Go to Timothy Trapp ’04 (KGCOE) was pro- www.ExperienceEngage.com to learn Kimberly (Rosenthal) Oliver ’07 Michael Sadovnick ’03 (CAST), proj moted to manager, reliability and analy- more. (CIAS) and ect engineer sis engineering from product integrity Craig P. with Balfour engineer at Mattel/Fisher-Price in East Oliver ’06 Beatty Rail Aurora, N.Y. 2007 (CAST) are Inc., com- proud to Jennifer (Wicus) Belden ’04 (CAST) pleted the Matthew Weit ’07 (SCB) and Jessica announce the and David newest light Brooks are birth of their Belden ’04 rail transit happy to baby boy, (CAST) are expansion to announce William happy to the west side their marriage Henry. He was announce of Los Angeles on Nov. 1, born on Oct. their marriage in Culver City 2012, in 31, 2012, in Sun City West, Ariz. on June 21, 2012. is marks the return on Oct. 20, Wai’alae Beach 2012, in Park, Oahu. Anne (Froustet) Gupta ’07 (KGCOE) of passenger rail service to one of the and Rahul Gupta ’08 (KGCOE) are most densely populated areas of the city. Riviera Maya, ey live in Mexico. ey Rochester. happy to announce their marriage on
SPRING 2013 | 43 (GCCIS), maid of honor Sarah Stark Alumni Updates ’09 (CAST), Grace Reid ’09 (COS) and Keri Tobin ’09 (CAST). Sandy Arias ’08 (CAST) and Harlington Obando are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Darien Abel Obando. He was born on July 14, 2012. ey were Grad nabs spot in 40 under 40 list married July 16, 2011, in Somerset, N.J. ey live in North Brunswick, N.J. Christopher Palmieri ’00 (health systems admin- “ e recruiter called me back at the end of Ericka (Orrego) Lezama ’08 (SCB) istration) experienced RIT by VHS cassette. September and asked if I wanted to reconsider attended the wedding. As a student in the early years of RIT’s dis- my move given everything that had happened,” tance learning program, Palmieri was FedExed Palmieri recalls. “And I said, ‘Actually, now is the 2009 graduate school lectures on cassette. He watched best time to go to New York City. If I am ever Travis omas ’09 (GCCIS), ’09 the lecture, participated in conference calls and going to have an opportunity to enter, now is (CAST) and Erica (Binotto) omas took the same tests from his home in Utica, N.Y. probably the time when everyone else is leaving ’06 (CIAS) are “I really liked the program,” he says. “It was or scared to be there.’ ” proud to announce the spot-on in terms of being very applicable.” Palmieri went to work for Home First, a sub- birth of a baby During his 17-year sidiary of the Metropolitan boy, Arthur career in health care, Jewish Health System, Michael. He was born on Palmieri has been quick and expanded its services Nov. 28, 2012, to jump o the path most from Brooklyn to all of in Montgomery traveled and do things the New York City area. County, Pa. in a non-traditional way. In 2005, a er a brief time at approach landed him with Amerigroup Corp., Edward Wolf ’09 (KGCOE) accepted a in the 2012 Crain’s New he landed at the Visiting position at LongTail Video in New York as a product manager for the JW Player. York Business 40 under 40, Nurse Service of New York He was employed at Time Inc. as busi- which recognizes those CHOICE Health Plans, ness analyst. who have achieved success a provider of home and Eric Kerby ’09 (CIAS) and Lindsay before the age of 40. community-based health Block ’10 (CIAS) are happy to Palmieri attended RIT services. He became presi- a er getting his Bachelor dent in 2009. of Science degree in health Christopher Palmieri ’00 is president of the Visiting When he started, the care administration in 1996 Nurse Service of New York CHOICE Health Plans. company served about from Ithaca College. As an 3,000 people with $400 undergraduate, he focused his studies on man- million in revenue. Today, it serves 31,000 people aged care and insurance, even though his advisers and boasts about $1 billion in revenue. at the time told him to go into long-term care if he e company recently expanded beyond the announce their marriage in September wanted a job. New York metropolitan area to all of New York 2012 in Maryland. ey live in Northern Palmieri was oered a job at Slocum-Dickson state, which means a lot to Palmieri to bring Virginia. Debbie Kingsbury of CIAS Medical Group in Utica, N.Y., where he had the company’s services to his hometown and participated in the ceremony. Alumni Tim Wallenhorst ’09 (SCB), Jim Spoth worked as an intern. He was one of few people in Rochester. ’10 (KGCOE) and om Siegwarth ’11 the o ce who had experience in managed care. “It is amazing how thankful people are that (KGCOE) also attended. at’s where he worked when he took RIT classes. these types of programs exist—programs that Maria Soto ’09 (CAST) and Mike By the age of 23, Palmieri was building a man- allow people to stay in their own homes or Cleary are happy to announce their marriage on Nov. 10, 2012. ey live in aged health care plan for Senior Network Health apartments,” Palmieri says. “To be able to do this Seymour, Conn. Alumni who attended in Utica. He moved to the New York City area in across the state is really special to me.” the ceremony are Jamie Mallonga 2001 shortly a er the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Mindy Mozer ’08 (COS), Jen Casella ’07 (GCCIS), Deepika Gosain ’09 (COS), Aman Verma ’08 (KGCOE) and Santiago Florez ’10 (CIAS). Nov. 3, 2012, at St. Michael’s Catholic at the National Institutes of Health Logan Nedo ’08 (GCCIS) and Sadie Church in Richmond, Va., where (Bethesda, Md.) to become a post-doc- ( ornton) Nedo ’09 (CLA) are happy 2010 they live. Alumni who attended are: toral associate at the Whitehead Institute Julie Blackwood ’06 (COS), brides- for Biomedical Research at MIT. Yiyi Lu ’10 (CIAS) and Ye Jin (GCCIS) celebrated their rst anniversary on Dec. maid; Allison Tentis ’07 (KGCOE), Stephen Shachtman ’08 (CIAS) was bridesmaid; James Perkins ’07 (SCB), commissioned groomsman; Timothy Wesley ’09 by the city of (KGCOE), groomsman; Aaron St. John Denver Public ’09 (SCB), Rachel Deutschman ’09 Art program (COB) and Chris Reed ’07 (KGCOE). to create a sculpture titled Bridge out of 2008 steel, glass and Brian Abraham ’08, ’08 (GCCIS) le his granite. It was to announce their marriage on Nov. 20, pre-doctoral IRTA fellow position at the completed 2012, in Negril, Jamaica. ey live in National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Oct. 4, 2012. Fairport, N.Y. ey were joined by best man Brandon MacDonald ’08
44 | SPRING 2013 15 at their new house near the RIT cam- Ronald Lee ’10 (SCB) was promoted pus. “ is is a huge change and challenge to senior vice president and global head Alumni Updates for an international couple to end their from partner at SunGard in Toronto, rent life and own their sweet home.” Ontario. Stephanie (Walter) Hicks ’10, ’11 Trevor Mack ’10 (CLA), ’10 (GCCIS) (KGCOE) and Kevin Hicks ’10 was promoted to senior so ware engi- (KGCOE) are neer from so ware engineer at e happy to MITRE Corp. announce their marriage Well-rounded on May 5, 2011 2012. ey live Sandra (Hillhouse) Moats ’11 (CMS), in King of ’12 (CAST) accepted a position at Loth Prussia, Pa. Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, as GE account alumnus is square Attendants manager. She was employed at Oak were Caitlyn Ridge National Laboratory as facilities It’s not every day that Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twit- Ostrowski ’11 planner. (CAST) and ter, asks you to start a business with him. But for Tristan Matthew Piatkowski ’10 (KGCOE). Mandi Viles ’09 (GCCIS), ’11 (CIAS) O’Tierney ’08 (computer science), that’s what happened. and Scott Tryanowski are happy to Nicholas Cheong ’10 (CLA) accepted ey co-founded Square — the electronic payment a position at service that allows people to accept credit cards with only FirstBank in a tablet or mobile phone and a Wheat Ridge, Colo., as bank- square-shaped card reader that ing o cer. He attaches through the headphone manages four jack. branches with 50 employees Today, the company is valued and supervi- at more than $3 billion. sors in a e roots of O’Tierney’s suc- $400-million announce their marriage on Sept. 2, market. cess were nurtured in Computer 2012, in Lancaster, N.Y. Science House at RIT, where he Erin (Schmidtmann) Purington ’10 Brendan Lokes ’11 (CIAS) accepted a was able to jump from one obses- (COS) and Jonathan Purington ’10 position at Carhartt Inc. in Dearborn, (COS) are happy to announce their Mich., as a marketing consultant. “It was Tristan O’Tierney ’08 sion to the next. From Linux a big move from Western New York to to Objective-C to human com- Michigan.” puter interaction to Macs, he would stay well-rounded by Christine Foster ’11 (CLA) is the mar- nding something new to master every year. keting automation manager at Billtrust Before landing at Square, O’Tierney worked at Yahoo! in Hamilton, N.J. on the Messenger for Mac, at Apple on Safari for Mac OS X Jay Hyun Kim ’11 (CIAS) joined a startup company that develops smart and at so ware company VMware Fusion. He also had the phone appli- opportunity to work on the o cial Obama ’08 iPhone app cations and and for Twinkle, one of the rst Twitter client apps on the became one marriage on Oct. 13, 2012, in Rochester. of the found- Mac App Store. e bridal party included alumni ing members “I initially met Dorsey through Twinkle, because he loved Douglas Tusch ’10 (COS), Jennifer in charge of the location so ware embedded within our app,” O’Tierney (Purington) Stitt ’08 (CIAS), and graphic user says. “He was so impressed with my work, that later on Travis Stitt ’07 (GCCIS). ey live in interface Henrietta, N.Y., and both are employed design. e down the road when he was looking to start a new company, as imaging scientists at Exelis. company he asked if I’d be interested in joining.” Erika Soltis ’10, ’10 (KGCOE) accepted launched its In early 2010, Dorsey and O’Tierney began brainstorm- rst app on a position at Capital One headquarters ing along with Jim McKelvey, a computer science engineer in Plano, Texas, as a senior operations the Apple analyst in Capital One Auto Finance. App Store for iPhone called CliQs, and glassblower, who happened to have the problem that She was employed at SPX Corp. as a which is a social game app. Users can would cement Square’s future. McKelvey’s glass blowing stu- supply chain engineer. pick their friends to answer questions. dio in St. Louis was losing sales because he could not accept James Douglas ’10, ’10 (CIAS) won expensive charges from American Express. Style Weekly’s (Richmond, Va.) annual 2012 comic com- “Jack realized that everyone has mobile computers petition Elizabeth Shaw ’12 (COS) accepted a in their pockets and everyone carries credit cards,” says with Andy position at Tu s University in Boston as O’Tierney. “He thought, ‘Why can’t we level the playing Rees ’10 Web specialist/designer. eld for small businesses by letting everyone accept credit (CAST) and omas Gamer ’12 (KGCOE) and cards?’” they now Priscilla Gamer are proud to announce have a the birth of a baby boy, Arthur. He was A er about 18 months, the company had something users biweekly born on April 12, 2012, in Rochester. could download, sign into and swipe. By August 2012, Star- comic pub- Gamer accepted a position at Erdman bucks announced it would begin processing all credit and debit lished in the alternative newspaper. is Anthony in Rochester as a mechanical continues their collaboration making engineer. He was employed at Rochester card transactions using Square. comics for Reporter magazine. Automated Systems as a project engineer. “We are continuing to perfect and add on to Square’s Matthew Syska ’10 (KGCOE) accepted Samantha Whalen ’12 (CHST) capabilities,” says O’Tierney. “In the future, we’d like to raise a position at Deloitte Consulting LLP accepted a job as an orthopedic sur- the bar by reinventing the way people think about digital in Washington, D.C., as a strategy and gery physician assistant with Eastern payments.” operations consultant. He was employed Connecticut Health Network in at Lockheed Martin. Manchester, Conn. Scott Bureau ’11
SPRING 2013 | 45 Leadership Giving Counts!
IGNITE AN IDEA. OPEN A DOOR. CHANGE A LIFE.
“Many of my talented, inventive students are only able “Without my scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to attend to attend RIT because of scholarship support. Since I RIT. Now, I cannot imagine myself being as successful was looking to ‘give back’ to RIT, I decided that a great and happy anywhere else! I learn from amazing professors way to do this was by supporting scholarship funding. and thanks to the Center for Student Innovation, I’ve It’s gratifying to know that I am helping students get already been able to do a research project in just my much-needed assistance in attaining an RIT degree—and first year. I am very grateful for all the opportunities I know that can be a life-changer.” my scholarship opened up for me.” —Thomas Gaborski, Ph.D. —Camila Gomez Serrano ’16 (mechanical engineering) Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Scholarship Recipient Kate Gleason College of Engineering Leadership-Level Scholarship Donor
Leadership donors like Tom are helping to change the lives of students like Camila when they support RIT at the Nathaniel Rochester Society giving level of $1,000 or more. As an NRS-level donor, your gift will have a significant impact on the future of RIT and its students, and you will be recognized as one of RIT’s most appreciated advocates. So fan the flames, unbolt opportunity, and be a life-changer. BE NRS.
Rochester Institute of Technology | 585.475.4958 or 888.636.7677 | rit.edu/NRS Find us on Facebook.com/RIT.Tiger.Pride Follow us on Twitter @RIT_Alumni BOOKS Books recently published by the RIT Press. To place an order, call 585-475–6766 or go to ritpress.rit.edu. With Fire: Richard Hirsch: A Life is is the story of ceramic artist The Albumen and Salted Paper is is a descriptive history of Between Chance and Design Richard Hirsch, and an examina- Book: The History and Practice the major photographic printing Scott Meyer tion of the work for which he is of Photographic Printing processes that were used between so widely celebrated. is richly the years 1840-1895. ese rst illustrated book presents the life 1840-1895 50 years of photography estab- of an artist whose career spans James M. Reilly lished a tradition of individual some of the most important de- experimentation and cra sman- velopments in the American Clay ship where each photographer Movement. Hirsch established a participated in the manufacture connection with the legendary of the printing materials that Raku and Ohi families, whose were used. is book describes inuence created a lasting peda- both the technical information gogical and creative link to the of these historical materials and West that continues today. oers the reader an organized approach to this process. In MEMORIAM Alumni Clarence E. Lamb ’50 (KGCOE), Nov. 1967 1981 16, 2012 Ojars Vidas ’67 (KGCOE), Dec. 19, Betty J. Glasenapp ’81 (CCE), Nov. 1, 1932 Norman G. Moeller ’50 (GAP), Oct. 2012 2012 H. Judson Gregory ’32 (KGCOE), Sept. 22, 2012 1968 1984 14, 2012 Mary Ellen (Spaulding) Murray ’50 John S. Levisky II ’68 (GAP), Nov. 3, omas E. Hellaby ’84 (CCE), Dec. 1936 (SCB), Oct. 22, 2012 2012 6, 2012 Margaret (Iggleden) Gilbert ’36 (SCB), 1954 1969 John Walter Kozik ’84 (CAST), Sept. Oct. 31, 2012 John D. Stonely ’54 (KGCOE), Dec. Joseph F. Hurzy ’69 (CCE), Nov. 16, 27, 2012 1939 7, 2012 2012 1986 eo E. Wiggins ’39 (COS), Nov. 19, 1955 1970 Jay S. Sellstone ’86 (NTID), Oct. 26, 2012 Christopher Kellogg ’55 (GAP), Sept. Richard Mather ’70 (CCE), Oct. 5, 2012 2012 1940 13, 2012 Raymond Welch ’70 (CAST), Nov. 13, 1987 Frank Martin Jr. ’40 (GAP), Nov. 3, 1956 2012 Kathleen E. (Cleary) Losert ’87 2012 Edward N. Annechino ’56 (CCE), Nov. 1972 (NTID), Aug. 31, 2012 Merritt Sweet ’40 (KGCOE), Dec. 13, 25, 2012 Robert E. Bartell ’72 (SCB), Oct. 20, 1996 2012 1957 2012 Rebecca L. Robinson ’96 (CIAS), Sept. 1942 L. Cameron Hyers ’57 (FAA), Sept. Martin F. Ho mann ’72 (CCE), Oct. 18, 2012 Carlton D. Goebel ’42 (KGCOE), Oct. 11, 2012 20, 2012 1998 2, 2012 Robert C. Putnam ’57 (GAP), Sept. John Jackman ’72 (CAST), Dec. 8, 2012 Judith Ann Cross ’98 (COS), Nov. 26, Leslie D. Stroebel ’42 (GAP), Nov. 14, 27, 2012 1973 2012 2012 1958 George S. Kubitz ’73 (CCE), Sept. 21, Shawn M. Fadden ’98 (CIAS), Nov. 1943 Kenneth A. McAlpin ’58 (GAP), Sept. 2012 19, 2012 Elizabeth (McLeod) Hanrahan ’43 9, 2012 Edward N. Shirey ’73 (SCB), Oct. 4, 2003 (SCB), Oct. 19, 2012 1959 2012 Ryan P. Alisanski ’03 (SCB), Dec. 17, William G. Jacob ’43 (FAA), Nov. 17, William C. Coveney ’59 (CCE), Nov. Toby ompson ’73 (FAA), Oct. 7, 2012 2012 12, 2012 2012 2006 1944 1961 1974 Deanna Campagnini ’06 (CAST), Sept. Clarence A. Rugg ’44 (CCE), Sept. 3, Douglas H. Cullen ’61 (KGCOE), Aug. Douglas A. Hunt ’74 (SCB), Nov. 16, 24, 2012 2012 28, 2012 2012 2009 1947 1963 1975 Zachary J. Boyce ’09 (CAST), Nov. 4, Edgar E. Moore ’47 (GAP), Dec. 5, Mary Ellen (Carr) Harkness ’63 (SCB), Dominick J. Arigo ’75 (CCE), Nov. 2012 2012 Dec. 1, 2012 12, 2012 2010 Donald C. Rose ’47 (CCE), Nov. 23, 1964 David M. Storandt ’75 (CCE), Nov. Alexis F. Stanley ’10 (CAST), Nov. 1, 2012 Holcomb V. Huse ’64 (GAP), Sept. 6, 14, 2012 2012 1948 2012 Ken L. Whitman ’75 (CLA), Oct. 12, Eleanor (Hayden) Kaiser ’48 (FAA), omas L. Ippolito ’64 (CCE), Nov. 2012 Faculty and sta Oct. 6, 2012 17, 2012 1976 Jean Bondi-Wolcott, NTID, 1949 1965 Suzanne Eileen Moyer ’76 (SCB), Nov. Feb. 8, 2013 John A. Decker ’49 (KGCOE), Nov. Anthony R. Sears Sr. ’65 (GAP), Dec. 8, 2012 Edline Chun, CIAS, Feb. 3, 2013 8, 2012 15, 2012 David H. O en ’76 (SCB), Dec. 10, Frank Hutchins, Board of Trustees Robert F. Holroyd ’49 (GAP), Dec. 7, 1966 2012 chairman emeritus, Dec. 20, 2012 2012 Sue (St. James) Cortese ’66 (SCB), 1977 1950 Sept. 25, 2012 Janet M. Switzer ’77, ’78 (CCE)(CCE), Our apologies to Sean Conklin ’11 Gerard C. Bogart ’50 (KGCOE), Nov. Winston V. Hamilton ’66 (COS), Nov. Dec. 8, 2012 (museum studies/new media pub- 23, 2012 6, 2012 1978 lishing), who was included in the In omas Hischak ’50 (KGCOE), Sept. David P. Hayden ’66 (SCB), Dec. 7, J. Craig Person ’78, ’80 (FAA)(FAA), Memoriam list in the Winter 2012-2013 14, 2012 2012 Sept. 6, 2012 issue. He is alive and well. To read more about him, go to bit.ly/W6BIRz.
No. 1, March 2013 RIT (USPS-676-870) is published 15 times annually by Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603, once in March, once in April, three times in June, once in July, seven times in August, once in September, and once in November. Periodicals postage paid at Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603 and additional mailing o ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603.
SPRING 2013 | 47 from the Archives 1968
When Ritter Arena was new
Construction of the Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena was completed in 1968, coinciding with the opening of RIT’s Henrietta campus. (RIT Archives)
RIT’s new ice arena, the Gene Polisseni interior walls and a ceiling, improved lighting Center, is currently under construction, and sound systems and a new scoreboard. just south of the Student Alumni Union. Most recently, in 2011, an addition was con- More than four decades earlier, there was a structed with new locker rooms, o ces and dierent arena being built on RIT’s campus— training facilities. Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena. With a crowd capacity of 2,100 spectators Designed by architectural rm Roche-Din- and ice dimensions of 185 feet by 85 feet, the kloo, Ritter Arena was constructed in 1968 as 52,125-square-foot arena is a small, intimate one of the original buildings at RIT during its venue that frequently draws sellout crowds move from downtown Rochester to suburban for RIT’s hockey contests. Henrietta. It sits adjacent to the George H. In October 2012, ground was broken on Clark Gymnasium at the heart of campus. the Gene Polisseni Center. Slated to open Named in honor of Frank Ritter, one of the in the fall of 2014, the arena will be about founders of the Mechanics Institute, Ritter 105,000 square feet, with an NHL-sized Arena has served as the home of the RIT Ti- 200-foot-by-85-foot ice surface. e Polisseni gers men’s and women’s ice hockey programs, Center will have the ability to accommodate Ritter Arena will remain a host to gure skating as it the Genesee Figure Skating Club and various an audience of 4,500 for hockey games. has since it rst opened. (RIT Archives) events for more than four decades. RIT’s home hockey games will be played While the arena’s monolithic brick exterior at the Polisseni Center starting in the 2014 host for local hockey tournaments and public has remained largely unchanged since 1968, season, but Ritter Arena will not be aban- skating, and the newly added locker rooms the interior has bene ted from several reno- doned. It will continue to serve the RIT and will serve other sports teams at RIT, includ- vations. Improvements have included new Rochester communities for years to come as a ing baseball, lacrosse and soccer.
48 | SPRING 2013 FREE! • SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013 • RIT CAMPUS
A Day of Discovery What: Imagine RIT: Innovation Parking is also available at and Creativity Festival has Monroe Community College become the university’s with a free shuttle service to RIT. signature event, a showcase that displays the ingenuity What you’ll see: Nearly 400 of students, faculty and sta . interactive presentations, exhibits, research projects, When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hands-on demonstrations Saturday, May 4. and live performances. Admission: Free and open Plan your day: Build an itinerary to the public, rain or shine. of your favorite exhibits and live Parking: Available on RIT’s performances. Check out the Premier Sponsor campus on a rst-come, entire festival program at rst-served basis. www.rit.edu/imagine. Periodicals
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