The Alumni Magazine of the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering Fall 2014 Vol. 41 No. 2

ACADEMIC ALTERATIONS The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is injecting its Brooklyn facilities with a refreshing shot of modernity CABLE FALL 2014

24 Call for Nominations Polytechnic Institute Alumni Association Seeking Nominations for Officers and for International Board of Directors (5 seats)

Polytechnic Institute Alumni Association Seeking Potential nominees should have demonstrated Nominations for the following Officers for term service and leadership and display a strong 2015–2017: understanding and commitment to the mission of the Alumni Association and the advancement of PRESIDENT NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT Nomination deadline for the 2015 election is TREASURER February 23. Make nominations in writing to SECRETARY engineering.nyu.edu/alumni/nominate or by mail to the Office of Alumni Relations, 15 MetroTech (5) Seats for the International Board of Directors Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201 for the term 2015–18

2 Letter from the 24 Transformative Process Learn more about the PIAA by visiting http:engineering.nyu.edu/alumni or http:engineering.nyu.edu/PIAA. President The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is updating its look for the next age of discovery. From new classrooms with state-of-the-art technology to revamped study spaces in the library, 3 Letter from the some of your favorite old haunts are getting a much-needed makeover. Take a look back at the PIAA President past and peer into the future with our photo essay.

4 Alumni News 30 The Digital Revolution is Here The Governance Lab at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is home to innovative minds 14 Brooklyn Buzz determined to change the way public policy is approached and applied, using advances in tech- nology and science. Read about how the Lab is proving that 21st-century citizen engagement can Back to School Day make a difference and learn more about co-founder and director Beth Noveck, who once served as the White House’s Deputy Chief Technology Officer.

34 Encouraging Progress Through Diversity The Office of Alumni Relations and the Polytechnic Institute Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Jin Montclare is busy inventing useful proteins with important applications in tissue engineering, drug-delivery, medical imaging, and

The Alumni Magazine of the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering Alumni Association are pleased to invite you to return to Fall 2014 Vol. 41 No. 2 more. She still finds time, however, to mentor young women and make sure they understand the ACADEMIC world of possibilities that studying science, technology, engineering, and math opens for them. Brooklyn and your alma mater for our annual Back to School ALTERATIONS The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is injecting its Brooklyn facilities with a COVERrefreshing shot of modernityTK 38 Full STEM Ahead Day event, being held on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering’s Center for K-12 STEM Education is devising new

CB_Fall14_0_CV_v4.indd 1 12/12/14 10:42 AM ways to give students a leg up in science, technology, engineering, and math. Read more about

On the Cover: the Center’s people and programs and find out why they’re making an impact not only here in We would like to extend a special invitation to Looking forward to seeing you on New classrooms, a revamped Brooklyn but throughout the world. the Class of 1965, as we celebrate the 50-YEAR Saturday, April 25, 2015. library, and energy-efficient win- dows are all a part of the modern ANNIVERSARY OF YOUR GRADUATION. If you are a face of the NYU Polytechnic member of the Class of 1965 and are interested in Come celebrate, reconnect with fellow alumni School of Engineering. helping us plan a memorable event, contact Valerie and revisit all your great Poly memories! On the Web: Cabral, director of alumni relations at [email protected]. Access the Fall 2014 digital issue of Cable at engineering.nyu.edu/ cable! LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT engineering.nyu.edu/cable LETTER FROM THE PIAA PRESIDENT CABLE FALL 2014

Dear Alumni and Friends, Katepalli Sreenivasan Dear Fellow Alumni, DEAN OF ENGINEERING AT NYU Valerie Cabral The one constant in engineering is change. While we take DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS The issue of Cable that you’re now reading is packed with pride in being the school that educated James Wood (1879)— Melynda Fuller news about what’s going on at the NYU Polytechnic School DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS responsible for the machinery that produced the distinc- EDITOR, CABLE of Engineering, and I hope it inspires a great deal of pride tive cables of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge—and Jasper Kane Mari Rich in you to read about such cutting-edge research and so STAFF WRITER (’28)—who discovered a process to mass-produce penicillin, many accomplished students. I hope, however, that it in- Harvest Henderson thereby saving more than a million lives during World War Elinor Nauen spires more than mere pride (no matter how justifiable); I Wendi Parson II alone—we take equal pride in our engineers who helped CONTRIBUTING WRITERS hope it also inspires action on your part. develop the world’s first integrated circuits, made enormous Shruthi Aramandla I realize, of course, that a call to action is futile without practical suggestions for what form that action Regvina Oliveira strides in biotechnology, and those who are at the forefront EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS might take. To that end, here are just a few suggestions. today of information technology and the much needed Opto Design clean-energy solutions. PUBLICATION DESIGN • Give our students a glimpse of future career possibilities by arranging for them to visit Mathieu Asselin your company or shadow you at work. Everyone now knows engineers to be not merely the people who design Marian Goldman • Recruit a talented student for an internship or hire a graduate seeking employment. bridges and skyscrapers but also the ones who make possible wireless commu- Sam Hollenshead • Participate in collaborative research. Our professors are making discoveries that could Elena Olivo nication, protein engineering, big data analysis, and a host of medical marvels PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY directly benefit your company. that would have been inconceivable not long ago. Thanks to our Institute for Engineered Interfaces, Cen- • Need a respected expert? One of our faculty members could fit the bill. Address Correspondence to: ter for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Security and Melynda Fuller, Cable Editor • If you are an industry expert, consider volunteering to give a guest lecture. Our students Office of Marketing and Communications Privacy, NYU WIRELESS, and Media and Games Network and the Games Innovation Laboratory, we are at NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering could benefit from your wisdom. 15 Metrotech Center the forefront of those fields and more. Brooklyn, NY 11201 • Take part in your employers’ matching-donation programs, which double the impact of Email: [email protected] But the face of engineering is changing in many other ways as well. or call (718) 260-3971 your gifts. In this issue you will read more about Professor Jin Montclare, who is not only engineering protein Change of address: • Fund a scholarship or fellowship in order to help deserving students attain their Office of Development and Alumni Relations microfibers but making it her mission to mentor aspiring women scientists and technologists. Thanks to NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering educational goals. 15 MetroTech Center her efforts, and efforts like hers, the face of engineering is sometimes a female one. You’ll read about our Brooklyn, NY 11201 • Serve as a much-needed mentor. Email [email protected] Center for K12 STEM Education, which is creating innovative educational programs for middle schools or call (718) 260-3885 • Move your own career forward by taking part in our many executive education programs. and high schools around the city and around the world. Thanks to the Center, the face of engineering is NYU School of Engineering website: • Network and reconnect with fellow graduates at one of our alumni events. The Office of https://engineering.nyu.edu now sometimes also a young one. Alumni Relations is working hard to plan fun and enlightening activities. Produced by the NYU School of Engineering Elsewhere in Cable you’ll read about the new Governance Lab, located at 2 MetroTech Center. You Offices of Development and Alumni Relations and Marketing and Communications may never have thought that engineering and public policy shared a deep connection, but GovLab, as it As you can see from this list, staying involved with your alma mater is far from a one-way street. If you’re NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is an is known, brings together those who design, implement, and study technology-enabled ways to increase Equal Opportunity Employer. The school advancing your career with executive education, having fun at an alumni event, or finding a bright student is committed to provide equal employment civic engagement and solve public problems. The face of engineering can now be the face of every proac- opportunity to all employees and to all applicants to hire, you are enjoying some of the benefits that go along with being an alum of our fine school. (And for employment regardless of race, color, sex, tive and engaged citizen who seeks openness in governance. religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual speaking of benefits, are you taking advantage of the many discounts and facilities to which you’re entitled? orientation, marital status, genetic predisposition As we celebrate the changes taking place in engineering, we can also celebrate the changes taking or carrier status, military status or any other status See nyualumni.com/benefits for more information.) Please remember that the theme of my tenure as place right here at your alma mater. I encourage you to review the photo essay on the ongoing improve- protected by federal, state or local law. President of your Alumni Association is “Engagement” and the examples provided are just a few ways in NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is a ments being made to our facilities: classrooms renovated, well-equipped labs created, public areas made 501(c) (3) which you can become engaged. increasingly inviting, and more. But, of course, an institution is made up not only of its bricks and mortar Printed on partially recycled paper. Feel free to contact the Alumni Relations Office at [email protected] or call 718.260.3885 but of its people, and I am thus happy to announce that a large and impressive new group of faculty mem- Certified processed chlorine free. for other suggestions about how to become more involved—or to make your own creative suggestions. bers has joined us this year. Read about them in this issue and visit us to meet them in person when you POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ALUMNI Valerie Cabral and her staff are always thrilled to hear from you. Drive to be innovators, inventors and have the opportunity. Your old professors will also, no doubt, be gratified to see you. ASSOCIATION OFFICERS entrepreneurs. Just as previous generations of devoted alumni extended their support to us, we must do

Our doors are always open to you, our dedicated alumni and friends. I am delighted that you have Gerald Dawes ’84EE ’89EE the same for them. remained part of the changing face of the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. PRESIDENT

Josiane Arbouet ’96 ’99ISE Warm Regards, Sincerely, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Leonard Singh ’98EE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Neil Weiser ’73EE Gerald W. Dawes VICE PRESIDENT ’84EE ’89EE Katepalli Sreenivasan Christopher Clinton ’09ME PIAA President TREASURER

Eric Levenstein ’06CE, ’08TN, ’10MBA 2 SECRETARY 3 ALUMNI NEWS engineering.nyu.edu/cable ALUMNI NEWS CABLE FALL 2014 BRILLIANTLY BATTY A Protégé Makes Four Alum Nicole Abaid Lands on the baid’s inclusion in the 2014 “Brilliant 10” goes even deeper, however. Last year, Justin Cap- marks an historic circumstance: one of the pos, an assistant professor of computer science and “Brilliant 10” List for Her Research A very few times a “Brilliant” has been taught engineering, was dubbed a “Brilliant” for his creation on How Bats Communicate by a “Brilliant” from a previous list. In 2010, Maurizio of Seattle, an open-source cloud computing system Porfiri was dubbed the “Water Wizard” by the edi- that allows anyone to experience the Internet from tors of Popular Science, who wrote, “The waters that the perspective of any location around the globe. cover about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface are ba- For example, a student living under a repressive po- sically unexplored. But underwater vehicle systems litical regime that limits Internet access could use lag behind their surface counterparts in power (solar Seattle to circumvent censorship and view the same can’t be used in the deep) and communications sys- content that a student in New York City is seeing. tems (Wi-Fi doesn’t exactly crank through 300 feet of Cappos has said that he’d like to see the system liquid). Porfiri’s lab could close that gap.” used to surf the Web from the International Space If that wasn’t coincidence and connection Station one day. enough, Abaid is joined on the 2014 list by Jonathan Although that idea might appear at first to be un- Viventi, an NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering likely, Cappos is not prone to flights of fancy. The as- assistant professor of electrical and computer engi- tonishing fact that three professors from a school as neering. Viventi was honored as a pioneer in a field small as the School of Engineering have been named of biomedical engineering that utilizes flexible elec- to the “Brilliant 10,” he asserts, is testament to the tronics and for his design of implantable devices that university’s focus on real-world problems. “There’s a allow active circuitry to sit directly on the surface of common theme here that many of our faculty are ad- the brain with no tissue damage. dressing practical issues,” he says. “We’re rewarded The School of Engineering’s inclusion on the list for solving problems.”

A bat-filled cave in the mountains of Jinan, Popular Science’s prestigious fighter jets and lunar modules, I didn’t know well what engi- Department of Mechanical and now an assistant professor of China, hardly seems like the right milieu for a “Brilliant 10” list, comprised of and returned to school decades CLOCKWISE FROM FAR neers actually did, despite hear- Aerospace Engineering, was engineering science and me- young scientists who are poised later to earn a master’s degree LEFT: ABAID WITH HER ing my grandfather speak about doing math-oriented research, chanics at Virginia Tech. Deep- MENTOR, PROFESSOR Brooklyn-educated mechanical engineer-math- to revolutionize their fields. in electrical engineering. his work from time to time.” and when I got the chance ly involved in a K-12 education MAURIZIO PORFIRI; ematician. “It really feels more like Indiana Jones The road from Brooklyn to Her Brooklyn-born father, ABAID’S FATHER, DOUGLAS Abaid settled on mathemat- to work with him, it proved program called AMPS (Applying territory,” Nicole Abaid, a 2012 PhD recipient of Jinan was far from direct—one Douglas, was also drawn to ABAID, WHO IS AN ics, earning a bachelor’s degree life-changing. I was able to Mechatronics to Promote Sci- might even say Abaid’s jour- NYU, graduating from the den- ALUM OF NYU’S DENTAL in 2003 from the University of learn about the hugely diverse ence) while in graduate school, SCHOOL; THE BRILLIANT the school, says. Abaid traveled to that far-flung ney started in Syria, where her tal school in 1966. (He subse- North Carolina at Chapel Hill range of problems engineers she remains committed to 10 (CLOCKWISE FROM FAR and colorful locale not to retrieve valuable coins or paternal great-grandparents quently joined the military, LEFT): JUSTIN CAPPOS, and a master’s in 2008 from the tackle every day, which was re- spreading a love of engineering biblical artifacts but to leave infrared cameras and lived. Shortly after they moved served as a medical officer MAURIZIO PORFIRI, University of Kansas. When it ally exciting.” Porfiri (see side- to young people and current- to Manhattan, her grandfa- during the Vietnam War, and NICOLE ABAID, AND came time to decide her next bar) was doing groundbreaking ly organizes a LEGO robotics JONATHAN VIVENTI ultrasonic microphones. The goal: to gather data ther, George, was born; George currently still practices den- move, however, she had some- work designing underwater ro- team made up of girls aged 9 to that would confirm her mathematical model of Abaid earned a bachelor’s de- tistry.) Nicole Abaid gave little thing of an epiphany: engi- bots that emulate real animal 12 from Blacksburg, where Vir- gree in 1934 from NYU, back thought to following in the neering represented the inter- behavior, and it was, as Abaid ginia Tech is located. how the furry, flying mammals share information when the school’s engineering footsteps of either of the men. section of math and real-world calls it, “a rare experience” to It might pay to keep your with one another. Her work—which is expected program was located in the “I grew up hearing my father experience, and the NYU School work with him on mathemati- eyes on the “Brilliant 10” list to one day help engineers manipulate engineered Heights section of the city. He discuss the difficulties of med- of Engineering would be a great cally modeling how fish move. about 20 years from now; one worked for much of his career ical bureaucracy,” she recalls, place to study it. Abaid earned her doctor- of those girls could be making systems, like underwater vehicles that rely on at Northrup-Grumman, on “so I knew I didn’t want to do “I was very lucky,” Abaid ate in mechanical engineering an appearance if Abaid has any- sonar—earned her a spot on the 2014 edition of Long Island, helping design that. And as far as engineering, says. “Maurizio Porfiri, in the in Porfiri’s lab in 2012 and is thing to do with it.

4 5 ALUMNI NEWS engineering.nyu.edu/cable ALUMNI NEWS CABLE FALL 2014 AN ELECTRIFYING LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON DEVELOPMENT Bill Schmidt and His Father, William C. Schmidt (’37EE), Are Both Exemplars of Hard Work and Generosity BotFactory Is Changing the Face of Circuit Boards

ill Schmidt can speak with authority on any number and more.” In addition to being of interesting topics—from industrial and financial a good provider, Schmidt was Modern technology is arguably spoiling us. Streaming B history (he has amassed a museum-quality collec- a devoted husband and father, allows us to see almost any film we want with just a couple of tion of antique stock certificates) to protein crystallography who delighted in restoring an- clicks; Amazon, Fresh Direct, and a plethora of other compa- (he focused on the area while earning his PhD from the Uni- tique automobiles and building nies deliver goods right to our doors; and we can snap, edit, versity of Virginia Medical School in 1975). He speaks with a scale model live steam loco- and send photos with a few swipes on our smartphones. special passion about one particular topic, however: his par- motive with his son. ents. “They were saints,” he says emphatically. He also never forgot his So in this day and age, why His father, William C. Schmidt, had lost his own father alma mater and how the degree should an electrical engineer early on. “He was just 14 at the time,” Bill Schmidt relates, he worked so hard to earn had wait 10 days and pay $250 to cre- “so he didn’t get to have much of a childhood, and he enriched his life. He thus be- ate a prototype circuit board? worked hard as a bag boy at a local market to help support came a member of the Samuel BotFactory is a startup de- his family.” Those responsibilities did not prevent him from B. Duryea Society, which rec- voted to revolutionizing the focusing on his high-school studies, and after graduating in ognizes those who have named process with a product they call 1927, the elder Schmidt got a job in the mail room of AT&T, the School of Engineering as a Squink—the name is an amal- thanks to a sister who already worked at the company. Fol- beneficiary when planning their gam of “squeeze” and “ink”— a lowing a full day of sorting and ferrying mail, he attended estates. Bill Schmidt, wanting to personal electronic circuit facto- evening classes at what was known at the time as the Poly- honor the bonds his father had ry that can produce a prototype technic Institute of Brooklyn and then took the long train forged, has also made generous board in about 30 minutes for ride home to Carlstadt, New Jersey. “His days started well provisions for the school and is under $5. Squink can be used before 7 a.m.,” Bill Schmidt says, “and he had an incredible himself a member of the NYU by experienced designers to ac- work ethic in the face of grueling demands.” Society of the Torch. celerate their development cycle After earning a BS degree in electrical engineering in And although he maintains a and also empowers communi- 1937, William Schmidt remained at AT&T, where he focused hectic schedule writing articles ties with limited access to fab- on increasingly miniaturizing circuit boards. An inveterate for such publications as Finan- rication services. (Because com- researcher, he held several patents and had little interest cial History and Manuscripts, ponents are glued, rather than in moving into a management sitting on various boards, con- soldered, even children can pro- spot. “By the mid-1970s, when he ducting historical research, duce a working prototype.) retired, he was probably making WILLIAM C. SCHMIDT, and organizing his impressive A 1937 GRADUATE Nicolas Vansnick (PO- no more than $25,000 a year,” Bill collection, Bill Schmidt is never AND FATHER TO LY-ENG ’13), co-founder and Schmidt recalls. “But he made BILL SCHMIDT, too busy to extoll the virtues of CEO, and Carlos Ospina (PO- sure we had everything we needed WITH HIS WIFE one of the men he admires most LY-ENG ’14), co-founder and the initial version of Squink in the world. “My father led an CTO, are graduates of the NYU in the school’s Inno/Vention exemplary life and had very sol- Polytechnic School of Engineer- contest, where it placed in the id values,” he says. “Wanting to ing, and the pair met their third hardware category, and decided give back to his alma mater was co-founder, Professor Mike to join them in their enterprise. very typical of him.” Knox, back when they were stu- BotFactory’s connections to turing units on a larger scale, vast majority had promised $50 For more information about dents. Knox—part of a program NYU run even deeper, however: the company recently mount- or less, probable evidence that planned giving or joining the called Faculty Engineers in Resi- it is housed at the DUMBO incu- ed a Kickstarter campaign that the project enjoyed widespread THE TEAM BEHIND Samuel B. Duryea Society, dence, which connects budding bator, one of three such facili- raised more than $100,000 in support among students and BOTFACTORY WITH please contact Judy Sager, Asso- THEIR PROTOTYPE, A entrepreneurs to teachers with ties maintained by the School of pledges with the help of 260 amateur inventors—the very ciate Dean for Development and PERSONAL ELECTRONIC business experience—had men- Engineering. backers. While a handful had audience of consumers they’re CIRCUIT FACTORY Alumni Relations at jsager@ tored the two when they entered Hoping to begin manufac- pledged $9,999 or more, the addressing with Squink. CALLED SQUINK nyu.edu.

6 7 ALUMNI NEWS engineering.nyu.edu/cable ALUMNI NEWS CABLE FALL 2014

LEFT TO RIGHT: PAULO BELOW (LEFT TO RIGHT): NESPOLI (POLY- E N G ’88 WALTER HONCHARENKO, REACHING FOR THE STARS ’89), CHARLES CAMARDA BELL LABS FELLOW— NEWLY NAMED A BELL (POLY- E N G ’72), DEAN A Trio of Astronaut Alums Come to Brooklyn for NYU’s LABS FELLOW, IN HIS KATEPALLI SREENIVASAN, THAT HAS A NICE LAB; A SHOT FROM THE Annual Speakers on the Square Series LEE MORIN (GSAS ’78, CEREMONY HELD IN MED ’81 ’82) RING TO IT PARIS LAST FALL Alum Walter Honcharenko Is Accorded the Highest Honor Given to a Member of to many Ivy League schools, but the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Community ultimately decided on [what was then known as] Brooklyn Poly,” he said during his acceptance speech. “It was close to home and low cost, and they had a “In sixth grade, I ran an antenna wire around my class- tion and radio signal processing reputation for post-WWII radar room,” Walter Honcharenko (POLY-ENG ’89, ’90, ’93) not only in the company but in and radio research. Little did I recalls. “My teacher thought I was crazy, but we were the industry at large” and con- know I would have Henry Ber- able to receive an AM news broadcast on a crystal cludes, “Perhaps the highest toni, Bernard Cheo, Athanasois radio wound on an oatmeal container. Later, in high compliment one can pay Walter Papoulis, Leopold Felson, and Theodor Tamir as my profes- school, I was the one in the background at the one and is that he is a ‘blue-collar’ PhD; that is, not only does he possess sors … all those engineering only school radio station in and power amplifier technology a brilliant theoretical technical textbooks on communication NYC, WHIL Radio 680 on the and architecture. background, but he also knows theory and electromagnetics AM dial, turning the knobs and Being named a Bell Labs Fel- how to apply it in working with were written by these guys!” fixing the turntables.” low is a rare honor; only a hand- ‘real-world’ products.” His fans at Alcatel-Lucent are Honcharenko has moved ful are chosen each year, and His alma mater, Honcharen- awaiting Honcharenko’s com- well out of the background the selection process is lengthy ko acknowledges, provided the pletion of a book on technical since then. In November 2013, and exhaustive. The multi-page launch pad that allowed him to achievement and being a vital he was front and center at the form submitted by his enthu- soar in his field. “I was accepted asset to one's company. “It’s definitely the blue jumpsuits,” Lee Morin joked. Collectively, Camarda, Mo- reach for the stars both literally ceremony celebrating the new siastic nominator includes the “If we took these off, we’d fade into anonymity.” Mo- rin, and Nespoli—who were and figuratively.” class of Bell Lab Fellows, being assertion that Honcharenko “is rin was speaking while shaking hands, signing au- joined on stage by Lockheed Mitchell kept the discussion feted for his major contribu- widely recognized as THE expert tographs, and posing for cell-phone photos with Martin aerospace engineer Nich- lively, asking several compel- tions to the company’s radio in the area of digital pre-distor- excited fans who had come out to hear him speak, olas Mitchell (POLY-ENG ’92) ling questions—including why along with fellow astronauts Charles Camarda and as discussion moderator—have we need an international pres- logged 200 days in space during ence in space. “We live in a glob- Paolo Nespoli, at “Speakers B.S. in aerospace engineering a variety of missions, which have al society, and we need to be on the Square…Astronauts in (’88) and an M.S. in aeronautics included, in the case of Nespoli, able to work and communicate Brooklyn,” an event sponsored and astronautics (’89). a 159-day stay at the Internation- with others,” Camarda replied. by the NYU Polytechnic School “We’re feeling a lot of pride al Space Station. “Some technical problems are of Engineering and the NYU tonight,” Gerry Dawes (PO- The group was introduced addressed differently by differ- Alumni Association. LY-ENG ’84 ’89), the president to the audience by Dean Kate- ent people; there are no homo- It was something of a home- of the Polytechnic Institute palli Sreenivasan, who, despite geneous solutions, and it’s very coming for the three, since each Alumni Association (PIAA), as- his own accomplishments as a important to realize that with is an NYU graduate. Camarda serted, unable to resist quip- renowned physicist, admitted diversity comes imagination earned his undergraduate de- ping, “It feels out of this world.” that he never dreamed as a child and ingenuity.” Gesturing to a gree in aerospace engineering in Frank Namad (POLY-ENG ’68), that he could become an astro- slide of the International Space 1974; Morin’s NYU degrees in- a fellow PIAA officer sitting next naut. “I knew I could be a scien- Station, Nespoli concurred, and clude a master’s in biochemistry to him, added, “This just goes to tist, diplomat, or even poet, but added, “It gives me hope. If we (1978) and a doctorate of both prove how far an NYU education astronaut was out of the realm can accomplish this in space, medicine and microbiology (’81 can take you—even all the way of possibility,” he said. “These think of what we are capable of and ’82); and Nespoli holds a into space.” men are living proof that we can accomplishing on Earth.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: A RUNWAY AT JFK SUPERSTORM SANDY’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT; REMEMBERING THE VIEW OF TOWER 1 SALTY LEGACY OF THE WORLD TRADE A PROFESSOR’S CENTER FROM TOWER 4; Alum Sal DePrisco’s Company Is Helping THE TEAM ON THE 102ND FL OF TOWER 1 PATIENCE, the City on the Road to Recovery GUIDANCE, AND ACUMEN go ships; and the entire World Trade Center site. A Former Student Pays Tribute to In all, they recorded almost Phyllis Frankl with an Endowed Scholarship 250,000 inspection points, tak- ing some 18,000 photos. “These were not cursory inspections,” DePrisco says. “We were on our hands and knees with magni- fying glasses.” Conducting an ship money right away—if not, operation from the point of there would have been no way view of a chemical engineer, for me to undertake doctoral he explains, requires an eye for work—and she was instrumen- the minute. “After Sandy, any- tal in guiding me in that area.” one could see that entire piers Founding the Phyllis G. had been washed away and that Frankl Scholarship Fund, which buildings had flooded. That kind he’s established in her name, he of damage is obvious,” he says. explains, is a way of paying trib- “But salt water is insidious. It’s ute to his respected professor highly corrosive, and it doesn’t and ensuring that other students matter if it’s touched a surface benefit from the wisdom and for 30 seconds or 30 hours. The insight that she and her fellow damage will lay latent, and can School of Engineering faculty Sal DePrisco (POLY-ENG ’82) knows full well the value York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), manifest months, or even years, members provide. “Much of my of a degree in chemical engineering. Although he grad- inspecting and benchmarking later but it will occur.” professional success is due di- uated during one of the worst economic recessions in the damage caused by contact By the end of the first phase magine arriving at the NYU rectly to the education I received recent memory, he immediately received multiple job with the salt water that churned of the project, Sensible Tech- Polytechnic School of Engi- there,” he says, “and I hope this offers. He settled on a position with General Foods, during the storm, and to pro- nical Solutions had uncovered Ineering as a newly minted scholarship will allow others to doctoral student. You’re eager working as a Process Engineer in the Plant Engineering vide guidance as to future re- hundreds of millions of dollars gain those same advantages.” pairs and maintenance. of hidden damage that PANYNJ to start down the road to earning Frankl remembers the Department of Maxwell House DePrisco, who later launched It was, inarguably, a daunt- and the Federal Emergency your PhD, but there are a few sig- school’s newest benefactor Coffee, at the Hoboken, NJ, fa- his own consulting company, ing process. Among the struc- Management Agency (FEMA) nificant obstacles in your path, with special fondness. He was cility. “A million pounds a day Sensible Technical Solutions, tures they inspected were the had not found. like English being your second among the first PhD advisees of were processed there,” he says. is now focusing on a liquid Holland Tunnel, which in- DePrisco is looking forward language and coming to Brook- her career, and he arrived just as “And as a typical kid of the Space much less beloved—and mag- cludes numerous areas that to a new phase of follow-up, lyn with wife and child in tow. she received her first NSF grant. Age, growing up fascinated by nitudes more dangerous—than motorists never see, such as which may lead, he strongly It’s a daunting prospect, but “He was bright, motivated, and how things worked, I found our morning cup of java: salt vent buildings and pump rooms hopes, to standards for recov- now imagine that you are lucky hard-working,” she recalls. “He it was a terrific place to work. water. In early 2013, following and beneath the roadway; PATH ery from salt-water inundation enough to have as your advisor was really everything a professor Chemical engineers at Maxwell Superstorm Sandy, which had tunnels, passenger stations, the busiest runways to the qui- that could be used on a national Professor Phyllis Frankl. “From could wish for in a student.” House are involved in every unit devastated the area the previ- electrical substations, and etest nooks; Port Jersey, Port level. “It’s important that our in- the very first day I got here, she For information on estab- operation we ever learned about ous year, DePrisco and his team maintenance yards; every major Newark, Port Elizabeth and the frastructure not only get back to was an enormous help,” her for- lishing an endowed scholarship, in school, and many more we were called upon to examine airport in the region, includ- Brooklyn Piers, an assignment pre-catastrophe condition, but mer student, who prefers to re- contact Judy Sager, Associate didn’t—filtration, mixing, dis- the facilities under the control ing JFK International, Newark that included the massive gan- that it be even more resilient in main anonymous, says. “It was Dean of Development and Alum- tillation, reaction, you name it.” of the Port Authority of New Liberty, and LaGuardia—from try cranes used to offload car- the future,” he asserts. important that I find scholar- ni Relations at [email protected].

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real world. Among the lessons A WINNING SPEAKER that should be gleaned from THE NOSE KNOWS his time at GE, he explained: John Trani Addresses the Engineering organizations are resilient and A Master’s Student from the NYU Polytechnic and Technology Forum find people who can deliver, be- School of Engineering Devises a Better Method cause while the brilliant idea is of Lie Detection important, executing it is mag- nitudes more important. Trani also gave “tips from here are many ways to de- one-time chairman and CEO and Technology Forum, which the top,” such as differentiate scribe John Trani: alum, of The Stanley Works, among introduces new students to the yourself; be an achiever not a T successful businessman, them. The descriptor that could core concepts of invention, in- talker; measurements matter, Cesare Lombroso, an Italian criminologist, created generous Promise Scholarship arguably go at the very top of that novation and entrepreneurship. so know the score; learn from the world’s first lie detection device at the end of the supporter, operating partner list is, however, straight shooter. In the 1980s a straight-shoot- both failures and successes; be 19th century. Modifying an instrument called a hydro- of the evocatively named pri- On September 22, Trani ing Trani had famously rescued a team player; don’t let money sphygmograph, which measured blood flow by means vate-equity firm Stonepeak, (POLY-ENG ’66 ’69 ’71, STERN GE’s ailing Mobile Communi- be your prime motivation, but of a fluctuating column of water, he recorded the protégé of the legendary Jack ’78) returned to the School of cation Division, which had lost don’t sell yourself short either. changes to pulse and blood pressure that occurred in Welch, former president and Engineering to address Profes- some $40 million in the years “If industry demand is high CEO of GE Medical Systems, and sor David Lefer’s Engineering before his appointment; un- in your chosen field and you are a suspect during a police in- master’s degree in electrical der his leadership the division very good at it, that’s obviously terrogation. While many of his engineering, turned his focus quickly generated $42 million a path you should pursue. If in- views have since been discred- to the problem of better lie and was ultimately sold for dustry demand is low and you’re ited—he believed, for example, detection. He was excited to $274 million—a turn-around a mediocre performer, stop right that jaw size directly correlated learn that the previous year, in that Jack Welch called, at the there and consider something to criminal tendencies—his as- 2012, Spanish researchers had time, the most impressive in else,” Trani offered as career sertion that the physiological found that when a person lied GE history. Trani opened his Fo- advice. And what if you’re really changes accompanying lying there was an increase in the rum lecture by succinctly out- good at something but indus- could be measured and used temperature around the nose lining the three-pronged attack try demand happens to be low? by law enforcement officials and in the orbital muscle, due that made such a feat possible: “That’s when you get creative,” formed the backbone of con- to increased blood flow to an simplify the business, restore he asserted. “Maybe you should temporary lie detection. area of the brain called the in- operating effectiveness, and be- start your own business.” In 1921, about a decade af- sula, which is activated during come competitive. His closing piece of advice: ter Lombroso’s death, Cana- periods of heightened emo- AN INFRARED Those lucky enough to be in Win! “Winning is fun,” he ex- dian psychologist John Larson tion—the so-called “Pinocchio IMAGE REVEALS the audience received a primer horted. “Who would ever want developed what is generally Effect.” THE “PINOCCHIO on running a business in the to lose?” acknowledged to be the first Azar approached Professor EFFECT,” AN INCREASE IN modern polygraph instrument, Matthew Campisi, renowned for TEMPERATURE adding the means to measure using a technique called ther- AROUND THE respiration in addition to blood mography, which produces an NOSE AND IN THE pressure and pulse. Except for infrared image that shows the ORBITAL MUSCLE quently; in 2005, for example, the introduction of computer patterns of heat and blood flow MASS APPEAL he was given the Sesquicenten- components, little has changed to tissue, for the early detection nial Medal commemorating the since then. of breast cancer. “Professor Using a proprietary algorithm Now readying himself for a Primex Honors Alum John Farber with school’s 150th anniversary. Un- Polygraph testing still not only Campisi was a terrific resource,” that he hopes to one day patent, stint in the military, Azar, who the Naming of Its Technology Center like that medal, his latest laurel requires expensive, non-porta- Azar says. “We did a lot of brain- Azar was able to correlate the in- earned his master’s degree in is far too large to hang on a rib- ble hardware, its accuracy rate storming and planned an experi- frared images and the incidents 2014, hopes to put together a bon. It is, in fact, an entire build- could unquestionably be better. ment in which we would seat our of lying with a high degree of team to continue his research ing. Primex recently announced (Research has shown an average subjects in front of an infrared accuracy—fully 95%. He points and ultimately commercialize ince graduating from cals industry. After joining ingredients for the paints that that they have named a new of just 83% accuracy.) Add to camera and take images while out, additionally, that infrared it. “It has enormous applica- what was then known his father-in-law at the Leslie his family once made in Roma- technology center in his honor. that the fact that many people asking them a series of easily an- cameras are relatively cost effi- bility in the areas of workplace Sas the Brooklyn Poly- Kleyman Corporation, a small nia. That company later became Company officials cited his busi- now know how to fake the re- swered questions, for example, cient, portable because they re- safety, law enforcement, airport technic Institute, John Farber import-export business, he ICC Industries, parent to the ness acumen, leadership skills, sults of their test by controlling their names. Sometimes they quire no wires, and non-invasive security, and other areas,” he ex- (POLY-ENG’57) has enjoyed formed a chemical trading divi- Primex Plastics Corporation. and devotion to science as pivot- their breathing and heart rate. were instructed to lie and some- because a subject need never plains. “It could be the solution a long career in the chemi- sion for the company, sourcing Farber has been honored fre- al factors in their decision. Yaniv Azar, studying for his times to tell the truth.” touch the camera or its operator. to a pressing problem.”

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“Institutions are much more than bricks and has done pro bono work with a (STEM) fields. number of entrepreneurial ven- Assistant Professor Michael mortar,” Dean Katepalli Sreenivasan said on ACADEMIC YEAR tures in the media and sustain- O’Neil is one of the newest September 8, at a gathering in honor of the NYU ability space. He is primarily members of the Department of interested in sustainability-ori- Mathematics, with a joint ap- Polytechnic School of Engineering’s newest fac- WELCOMES NEW FACES, ented innovation and eco-in- pointment at the Courant Insti- ulty members. “They are also made of people and novation, in both for-profit and tute. His research focuses on the not-for-profit organizations. partial differential equations ideas. Thanks in part to our new faculty mem- AND NOT JUST STUDENTS Industry Associate Profes- (PDEs) of classical physics, for bers,” Sreenivasan said, “we are going to be an even sor Devorah Kletenik, an alum example, those that arise when Introducing the Newest Members of Our Faculty of the School of Engineering, working with electromagnetics, more vibrant, interesting, and exciting place.” has joined the Department of acoustics, heat flow and other Future issues of Cable are sure to have more in- Computer Science and Engi- such areas. neering to teach “Introduction Assistant Professor Davood depth coverage of the cutting-edge research, stim- to Programming and Problem Shahrjerdi, a new member of ulating teaching, and valuable mentoring being Solving.” Her own research, the Department of Electrical which focuses on machine and Computer Engineering, is done by those who joined us in the fall of 2014, but learning, explores how to re- studying solid-state materials in the meantime, read on for a brief introduction. duce the costs of using Boolean that are shrunk to extreme na- classifiers. noscale with the aim of creating Industry Professor Sergio financial management, having Assistant Professor Constantine new paradigms in solid-state Bianchi comes to the Depart- worked for the American Stock Kontokosta has explained that nanoelectronics for sensing, en- ment of Finance and Risk En- Exchange and International new ways of collecting and an- ergy harvesting, and energy-effi- gineering from the University Monetary Fund. alyzing urban data are helping cient computing, among other of Cassino in Italy. His research Assistant Professor Emilie advance a fundamental under- areas. He was named an IBM interests mainly concern the Dressaire, one of the newest standing of the science of cit- Master Inventor in 2013 and has modeling of stock markets by members of the Department ies—an area that requires an in- more than 100 publications and means of (multi)fractional sto- of Mechanical and Aerospace terdisciplinary focus bridging patents to his credit. chastic processes. In this field, Engineering, is focused on un- engineering, data science, and Industry Associate Professor his specific contributions con- derstanding and manipulating the social sciences. Kontokosta Jim Wielaard of the Department cern the dynamical estimation systems in which particles, in- has been at the forefront of of Mathematics focuses on in- of the regularity exponent. terfaces and fluids interact in this field, serving as the Depu- formation processing in early Assistant Professor Weiqiang fascinating and complex ways. ty Director of NYU’s Center for sensory pathways in mammals, Chen of the Department of Me- Assistant Professor Siddarth Urban Science and Progress particularly on its role in percep- chanical and Aerospace Engi- Garg of the Department of Elec- (CUSP) since its launch, and he tion, cognition, and conscious- neering has been the recipient trical and Computer Engineer- now joins the Department of ness. Using detailed large-scale of American Heart Association ing is doing exciting work on Civil and Urban Engineering. models and psychophysics, his and Baxter Young Investigator the safety, reliability, and effi- Lecturer Peter Li works in work aims to contribute to our Awards. He is currently work- ciency of computing devices. the General Engineering pro- understanding of sensory deci- ing to develop a new method He is particularly interested in gram and is himself an alum of sion-making in the brain. of cultivating stem cells that how electronic components the school. He also advises the The NYU School of Engi- is expected to open up myriad can be designed and manufac- oSTEM @ NYU club, which is neering also welcomes a host of possibilities for regenerative tured securely and how power dedicated to educating and fos- wonderful visiting faculty. They therapies and drug treatments. consumption can be better tering leadership for Lesbian, include Narges Mousavi, Simon Lecturer Michael D’Emic of controlled. Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Neidenthal, Zhigang Shen, and the Department of Technology Lecturer Tom Helling of Questioning, and Allied com- Beth Noveck, who is the Jerry Management and Innovation the Department of Technology munities in the science, tech- Hultin Global Network Visiting SOME OF THE NEW FACULTY OF THE NYU POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING. TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: SERGIO BIANCHI, DEVORAH KLETENIK, TOM HELLING; MIDDLE ROW, FROM LEFT: MICHAEL D’EMIC, DAVOOD SHAHRJERDI, WEIQIANG CHEN; BOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT: EMILIE DRESSAIRE, SIDDARTH GARG, MICHAEL O’NEIL has decades of experience in Management and Innovation nology, engineering, and math Professor.

MAY The SECOND ANNUAL RESEARCH EXPO on MAY 2 featured more than 40 hand-on exhibits and demonstrations; PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS What’s been happening around the MetroTech Commons if exhibitors are right, in the future we could be wearing calorie-burning clothing, intuitively interacting with 02 humanoid robots, and more.

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from the U.S. Army, DARPA, DESAI AND FAYAR D IN THE SCHOOL’S and NASA and was eventually EVOLVING POWER GREENHOUSE acquired by Stryker Instru- AN ETHOS ments for $20 million. PLAY Remembering Erich Kunhardt’s Once he arrived back at First Year Dialogue the School of Engineering the support of Professor Evg- Passion for Invention, Innovation, in 2006, Kunhardt, who had Speaker Talks enyVulfson and Associate Dean and Entrepreneurship and How it been born in the small town Inspiration, for Special Projects Brad Penuel Changed the Face of the School of Monte Cristi, in the Domin- Determination HOW TO NURTURE A and the generous sponsorship of ican Republic, in 1949, found the Department of Technology a kindred spirit in then-Pres- CULTURE OF INNOVATION Management and Innovation. ident Jerry Hultin. Together, Among Desai’s ideas are an n 2006, when Erich Kun- of the Arthur E. Imperatore the two formulated a philoso- illiam Kamkwamba, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP innovation space, where stu- hardt was named provost School of Arts and Science phy and motto that has been who hails from a dents could collaborate and gain New University Innovation Fellow Sarth Desai Is I and chief academic of- at the Stevens Institute of a hallmark of the school ever W village in Malawi, hands-on experience creating ficer of what was then called Technology, in Hoboken, NJ. since: Invention, Innovation, spoke at the First Year Dia- Focused on Constructing an NYU-Wide Community of prototypes; an annual i2e show- Polytechnic University, a cov- While at Stevens he and his and Entrepreneurship (or i2e, logue Talk on the 25th of Sep- Design Thinking and Venture Creation case, where they could display er story in Cable trumpeted, colleague Kurt Becker (now as it was generally known). tember, 2014 at the NYU Poly- their inventions and projects; and “New Provost to Spur Inno- Vice Dean for Academic Af- During his three-year technic School of Engineering. an interactive, shareable “map,” vation and Invention at Poly.” fairs at the School of Engi- tenure as provost, Kunhardt The author of a memoir, The When Sarth Desai was chosen by the National Center now on a dual biotech/entrepre- which would include clubs, key Kunhardt, who had earned a neering) had invented and played a central role in the ne- Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter) as neurship track here. people, and entrepreneurial op- gotiations with NYU that re- Kamkwamba had been forced a University Innovation Fellow and attended his first The University Innovation portunities across NYU. sulted in the agreement that to drop out of school at the age gathering of Fellows from across the nation, he was Fellows program is a national If you’re wondering why led to the recent merger of the of 14 because his family—cop- understandably excited. “Students can make a dif- initiative that calls upon student those things are so important, two institutions. He spent his ing with the serious drought Humera Fasihuddin, leader of ference—on our campuses and in the world,” he says. thought leaders from 85 schools final years here doing what he and famine that had hit their to increase campus engagement the University Innovation Fel- arguably loved most—engag- country—could not afford the “The other Fellows and I shared the same, we can spread a real with entrepreneurship, inno- lows program for Epicenter, ing in research and teaching required annual fees (about our ideas about how to build epidemic of innovation and en- vation, and creativity. Desai— explains, “It is so critical for stu- bright, young people. $75). Determined to educate a culture of innovation at our trepreneurship.” whose energy and intelligence dents to have an entrepreneur- For Kunhardt, invention, himself, he discovered a text- schools, and the enthusiasm It’s a fitting metaphor; De- impress everyone he encoun- ial mindset in today’s economy. innovation and entrepre- book called Using Energy and was infectious. I want to infect sai—who earned his undergrad- ters—was nominated by Profes- They need more than just tech- neurship had a higher pur- subsequently built a 5-meter everyone here at NYU with sim- uate degree at the Vellore Insti- sor Anne-Laure Fayard, his facul- nical skills to solve the big prob- pose. “I have always tried to windmill from scrap materi- ilar zeal, and if all the Fellows do tute of Technology, in India—is ty advisor for the program, with lems our world is facing.” join two very divergent per- als, which he used to power doctoral degree in Electro- patented a method of gen- spectives,” he said back in light bulbs and a radio for physics from the school ex- erating and stabilizing cold 2006. “One is touching God his family and charge his actly three decades earlier, atmospheric-pressure plas- or understanding the basic neighbors’ mobile phones. told the reporter, “I want to mas, an invention which was elements of nature and the Introduced to the Western a past president of the ACS. It has a string of professional ac- create a distinctive commu- the basis for the formation of other is touching humanity world by the head of a Malawi ELI PEARCE: was, he later said, like meeting complishments to his credit, nity of higher learning that two start-up companies, the or how to make life comfort- NGO, Kamkwamba has since a rock star. Thus was born the including directing the Polymer values and nurtures creativ- Plasmion Corporation and able for humans.” earned a degree from Dart- ROCK STAR idea for a new ACS initiative, and Research Institute from 1981 to ity—in particular inventive- the PlasmaSol Corporation. Despite Kunhardt’s death, mouth and been named to in August, at a national meeting 1996 and serving as a dean here ness and innovation.” Ultimately, Kunhardt and on August 4, 2014, genera- Time magazine’s list of the “30 held in San Francisco, the group from 1982 to 1990. He is delight- Kunhardt was eminently Becker would hold more than tions of students will contin- People under 30 Changing the honored Pearce as an inaugural ed to be considered an official qualified for the task. Before a dozen patents. PlasmaSol ue to gain that duel perspec- World.” When the American Chemical attendees became very excited Rock Star of Chemistry. ACS Rock Star and quips that the joining the school as a facul- was soon winning major con- tive, thanks to the ethos he His inspiring story shows Society (ACS) held its national to spot Eli Pearce, a research Pearce, who studied with title is somewhat fitting. “I was ty member, he had served as tracts for decontamination fostered and the lasting legacy how engineering can change meeting and exposition in Dal- professor at the NYU Polytech- such luminaries as Herman quite a good dancer when I was institute professor and dean and sterilization applications he left. the world. las in early 2014, one of the young nic School of Engineering and Mark and Charles Overberger, younger,” he asserts.

MAY More than 1,600 fellow graduates watched during the MAY 23 commencement ceremony as PEDRO CRUZ III JUL On JULY 10 New York City Department of Education Chancellor Carmen Fariña helped launch this year’s #STEMNOW received his diploma and a surprise congratulatory video from his father, stationed with the U.S. Army in Kuwait summer initiative, involving 19 different programs and nearly 500 middle and high school students. For more on our K12 23 and unable to attend. 10 STEM activities, see page 38.

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TOP: A VIEW FROM MEN (AND WOMEN!) OF STEEL 2 CITY POINT; MINDING THE GAP BELOW: STUDENTS Steel Day Festivities Come to the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering EAGER TO TOUR THE The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering Is Fast PROJECT Becoming a Hotbed for Women in Cybersecurity

Ask most people what autumn means to them and you might hear about Halloween costumes and tur- key on Thanksgiving. But every civil engineering and construction management student knows that it also means Steel Day, an annual celebration sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and and hosted by its members and School of Engineering allowed partners. Steel Day events—in- students to mingle with and cluding tours, presentations, learn from industry experts. and open houses—are orga- “Everyone was particularly im- nized all over the country, pressed that the students asked making it the industry’s largest such intelligent questions,” educational and networking Jacinda Collins, an AISC offi- function. cial, says. “They were bright, ccording to the Computing Research book employees

Thanks to the efforts of Pro- enthusiastic, and a pleasure to Association, a group comprised of and asking ques- SELLIE TEACHES fessor Lawrence Chiarelli and meet, and their presence added members from across academe and tions,” she recalls. A CLASS OF HIGH A SCHOOL GIRLS ABOUT the Department of Civil and Ur- immeasurably to the success of industry, women represent only 8 to 13 percent “I can already imag- PROGRAMMING, ban Engineering, more than 100 the event.” of the cybersecurity workforce. The Depart- ine them applying DIGITAL FORENSICS, attendees gathered at the School A highlight of the day was ment of Computer Science and Engineering that curiosity to the AND MORE of Engineering on September 16 the chance to don hard hats is doing its part to close that gender gap, run- technical problems to hear a presentation from the and actually tour the project, ning an intensive two-week summer program of the future.” developers of 2 City Point—at 1.8 which is located within blocks introducing female high school students to Gessiou had the opportunity to return to million square feet, the largest of the MetroTech Center. “That the field. Organized by Professor Linda Sellie, the school again in October, when she joined mixed-used center in Brooklyn. proximity made the School of who acknowledges the support of the Alfred P. other powerful women in cyber security—in- Most important to those cel- Engineering the ideal spot for Sloan Foundation, the program touched upon cluding Joanne L. Martin of IBM and Candace ebrating Steel Day, the center the gathering,” programming, digital forensics, and more. Worley of McAfee—at “Career Discovery in Cy- will include the tallest building Chiarelli says. Among the highlights were visits to the ber Security: A Women’s Symposium,” orga- in the world constructed us- “And any oppor- New York Offices of Google and Facebook, nized and hosted by members of the Depart- ing an innovative steel framing tunity we have to where the young women had a chance to net- ment of Computer Science and Engineering. system called the Girder-Slab® strengthen our work with accomplished female engineers, Sellie asserts that cybersecurity is a fantas- System, which is less costly and friendship with including Eleni Gessiou, a Facebook security tic career path for women, saying, “Women quicker to erect than typical the AISC, which expert and former School of Engineering stu- tend to want to do jobs that help the world,” cast-in-place concrete systems. also co-sponsors dent, who not only arranged the visit to the and Gessiou firmly concurs. “Working in cy- (Dan Fisher, the head of Gird- the National Stu- social media giant but returned to the Metro- bersecurity is equivalent to protecting mil- er-Slab®, was on hand to explain dent Steel Bridge Tech Center during the program to teach UNIX lions or even billions of people at the same the proprietary technology and competition in commands and, not incidentally, serve as an time,” she says. “Doing the job well requires the company’s unusual policy of which our stu- incomparable role model. The visit to her em- a certain level of empathy and compassion to- making it available to any fabri- dents take part ployer, she explains, was as enjoyable for her ward people, and I believe women can be just cator who asks.) each year, is very as it was for the students: “It was so much fun as capable if not more so in bringing those Holding the event at the welcome.” to see the girls interacting with different Face- qualities to their work.”

In early OCTOBER Popular Science published its annual “Brilliant 10” list, and PROFESSOR JONATHAN VIVENTI was on it. AUG The academic year officially kicked off on AUGUST 25, when the 700 members of the CLASS OF 2018 were OCT Recognized for designing sensors that can be placed directly on the brain, Viventi is “poised to transform the way scientists welcomed during convocation with bagpipe players, inspirational speeches, and a video presentation. 25 understand neurological disorders.”

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time for, identifying and tag- the site and begin tagging pho- ROBOTS ROVING ging objects (plants, trash, and tos. “Our citizen scientists are TINKERING AROUND… animals, for example), so that helping us immeasurably,” he THE GOWANUS researchers can detect patterns says. “It doesn’t take any formal WITH A MISSION With the Help of Citizen-Scientists, School and trends. training, but the information Students Devise an Award-Winning Way to Recently, the project’s 800 or they’re providing is absolutely of Engineering Researchers are Monitoring so volunteers began analyzing essential to our efforts to moni- Empower Women the Health of the Superfund Site and tagging even more photos, tor conditions in the canal and because Brooklyn Atlantis II, track its cleanup.” And while which was launched over the you’re at it, he adds, if anyone summer, is able to travel lon- has an idea for a better name, the veryone knows that engineering erable attention and was one of only five ger throughout the canal and is team would like to stop referring schools can train students to pro- selected to receive funding from Amplify, The Gowanus Canal is an unwelcoming place for a hu- many sensors, which can check equipped with a powerful pan- to their aquatic robotic vehicle by E vide communities with potable a program of the the British Department man diver. Named a Superfund site by the Environmental water temperature, pH levels, oramic camera that captures the admittedly unexciting moni- water and sturdy bridges. But what hap- for International Development (DFID). Protection Agency (EPA) in 2010, the almost-two-mile- and more. Real-time findings are 360-degree images that will ker Brooklyn Atlantis II. “Maybe pens when they’re asked to help solve oth- (Almost 600 ideas from around the world long waterway was deemed one of the most polluted transmitted to the project’s web- soon be reflected on the website. we could have a contest and give er types of complex social questions? had been submitted to the Challenge.) The canals in the country, thanks to decades as a dumping site every 30 seconds. “We’re happy to report that the a small prize for the best idea,” Associate Professor Anne-Laure Fa- Design Tinkering students are also devel- yard’s Design Thinking Class and the De- ground for industrial run-off and raw sewage. One year, Brooklyn Atlantis can send images we’ve been capturing he muses. One thing is quite oping a downloadable open-source toolkit thousands of images each lately show a marked improve- certain—Brooklyn Atlantis II is sign Tinkering Club, which she advises, for other NGOs, as well as a web documen- a healthy baby whale blundered technic School of Engineering week—many more than a small ment in water quality,” Jeffrey making important contributions regularly take part in OpenIDEO, an open tary to raise funds for making the program into the canal and was almost Professor Maurizio Porfiri had a team of students could reason- Laut, a doctoral candidate in- to the health of the Gowanus Ca- innovation platform that asks the public sustainable after the pilot phase. immediately covered in sludge; solution. In 2012 he worked with ably be expected to monitor. volved in the project, says. “The nal, and that’s a winning propo- to brainstorm solutions to a wide variety “Collaborating with WHR in Kathman- it died within days, providing a a team of mechanical engineer- Luckily, the School of Engineer- EPA has activated what’s called sition for all New Yorkers. of important problems. du gave us the chance to have an impact stark warning to any living crea- ing students to design, build, ing has on its faculty Profes- a flushing tunnel from the East To learn more or to register This past year Fayard’s students tack- on the life of women in the slums,” Fayard ture who might think of ventur- and launch Brooklyn Atlantis, a sor Oded Nov, an expert in hu- River to the canal, and that’s as a citizen-scientist, visit www. led the question of how to make low-in- says. “Getting their input on our original ing into the lead- and mercu- remote-controlled, robotic ves- man-computer interaction, who bringing in much-needed clean- brooklynatlantis.org. come urban areas not only physically idea, the design of the badge, and the con- ry-tainted waters. sel capable of closely monitoring thought of harnessing the power er water, as noticed in our water safer but more empowering for women tent of the training have been crucial in the How, then, could anyone conditions in the canal thanks to of citizen-scientists. Anyone can quality data.” and girls. Their ideas demonstrated the development of a program which, we hope, hope to collect detailed data re- its two cameras (one above the now register on the site and re- Laut and his colleagues en- A PANORAMA FROM THE CAMERA school’s commitment to producing cre- can really empower these women socially lating to the Gowanus? NYU Poly- water line and one below) and its view as many photos as they have courage everyone to register at ATOP BROOKLYN ATLANTIS II ative, deep-thinking, problem-solving and economically. This project proves that professionals, no matter what their major. our club, if we needed proof, can develop Students from Design Tinkering pro- and implement innovative solutions that posed to identity and train female lead- address important social issues.” ers in low-income urban areas: these community “concierges” would gather and share infor- mation and connect other wom- en across their communities. The students involved are cur- rently collaborating with Wom- en for Human Rights (WHR), a Nepal-based NGO, to prototype and pilot the idea of providing women in Kathmandu slums with a training program encom- passing leadership skills, health, and craft. That idea attracted consid-

OCT Happy Anniversary! On OCTOBER 22 the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering celebrated the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY NOV Thousands of young tech wizards participated in the largest set of student cyber security competitions in the OF ITS INCUBATOR SYSTEM—a half-decade of driving invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for the benefit of New world—the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS WEEK (CSAW)—and from 22 York City and the world. 13 NOVEMBER 13 TO 15, competitors gathered in Brooklyn for the hotly contested finals.

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The newest laurel, signaling degree in addition to our grad- paper award at the European NYU Polytechnic School of their personal connections. A TRIFECTA OF that a school boasts a deeply uate program,” he explained, FACULTY Symposium on Algorithms in Engineering Department of In a paper to appear in technical, interdisciplinary pro- “and one day we plan to have Wroclaw, Poland. Professor Technology Management Quantitative Finance, NSA HONORS gram with extensive opportuni- industry leaders in residence, NOTES John Iacono, Postdoctoral and Innovation and Professor NYU Polytechnic School ties for hands-on learning, was much like some schools have Teaching Fellow Özgür Nasir Memon, head of of Engineering Professor presented at a celebratory lun- artists or writers in residence.” Özkan, and Postdoctoral the school’s Department Charles S. Tapiero cheon by Steven LaFountain, the He also stressed the need for in- The Max Planck Institute for protection scheme for Researcher Pooya Davoodi of Computer Science and examined a classic financial Distinguished Academic Chief dustry to partner with academia. the Science of Light held institutions and corporations authored the paper, along Engineering—won a National pricing model in which There was good reason to celebrate early in August, for Information Assurance and “Businesses will need the next a weeklong seminar on that offers an unprecedented with Jeremy Fineman of Science Foundation grant of investors were not financial when the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering was Cyber in the Associate Director- generation of experts we are ed- biosensing at the very smallest level of security for password Georgetown University. $203,648 to study ways to equals. His analysis showed officially honored as a National Center of Academic ate for Education and Training ucating,” he asserted. “There is a extremes, during which servers, making it immensely The European Association address the threat. that investors big enough Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operations by the National (ADET) at the NSA. strong case that now is the time research developed at the difficult forhackers to for Theoretical Computer to affect a market hold an NYU Polytechnic School of decode even small numbers Science (EATCS) chose their arbitrage advantage. Security Agency (NSA). The school was the first in New Speaking to the attendees for collective action.” Engineering played a key role. of individual passwords. paper, “Cache-Oblivious Associate Professor Oded York to earn that prestigious designation, which will be following the presentation, Pro- fessor Nasir Memon excitedly Professor Stephen Arnold PolyPasswordHasher is Persistence,” from more Nov of the Department of limited to just 25 institutions tions, having been previously outlined his vision for the future presented his research on being tested as part of than 250 submissions to the Technology Management and The National Bureau FROM LEFT: NASIR MEMON, across the country, and it is now named a CAE in Information As- of cybersecurity studies at NYU. the Whispering Gallery Mode the Password Hashing symposium. Innovation has been awarded of Economic Research THOMAS REDDINGTON, Resonator, which senses at Competition, a global a $150,000 grant by the Innovation Policy recently one of only a handful to have surance Education and a CAE in “We’re thinking of instituting STEVEN LAFOUNTAIN, AND earned all three CAE designa- Information Assurance Research. an undergraduate cybersecurity PETER BLONIARZ the molecular level. Associate effort organized by security National Science Foundation selected NYU Polytechnic Professor Iwao Teraoka, professionals to improve Assistant Professor of to study how human-computer School of Engineering’s who collaborated in early security practices. Mechanical Engineering interaction can help non- Zhaoxia Xu as one of work on the Whispering Joo H. Kim of the NYU experts understand and two recipients worldwide Gallery Mode Resonator, was Polytechnic School of engage with their personal of a research grant of invited to present research NYU Polytechnic School Engineering has won a genomic information. $10,000 for the academic on a new biosensor that he is of Engineering Associate three-year, $350,000 year 2014–2015. Xu, an developing. Professor Nikhil Gupta National Science Foundation assistant professor in the has developed a fiber- grant to develop a novel Google has granted a Faculty Department of Finance and optic sensor that provides joint-based method of Research Award to Professor Risk Engineering, focuses Springer Science+Business a safe way for engineers modeling and computing Torsten Suel to support his her research on government Media, a leading global to closely monitor the human metabolic energy study of new index pruning economic policy and scientific, technical, and safety and durability of the expenditure. In addition, and index tiering techniques corporate innovation. medical publisher, has composite materials used in his paper, “Joint-Space that could significantly reduce selected NYU Polytechnic aircraft and spacecraft. The Dynamic Model of Metabolic hardware and energy costs School of Engineering patented extensometer is Cost with Subject-Specific for large web search engines. The premiere conference for Professor of Applied Physics, exceptionally sensitive, able Energetic Parameters,” has This is the third Google award data visualization will feature Professor of Mechanical to detect a single micron in won the Best Paper Award given to Professor Suel, eight research papers co- and Aerospace Engineering, displacement. Earlier this from the Advanced Modeling who holds a Diplom degree authored by NYU Polytechnic and Vice Dean for Academic year, Gupta earned a second and Simulation Technical from the Technical University School of Engineering Affairs Kurt H. Becker for patent for a method of using Committee 2014. of Braunschweig and a faculty members from the two editorial positions. He will his device, which works by doctorate from the University Department of Computer serve on the Board of Editors sending out a beam of light of Texas at Austin. Suel’s Science and Engineering. of the European Physical and measuring how much Internet users have long latest award provides him with The papers will be presented Journal ST (Special Topics) passes through the material been warned about phishing $55,500 in funding. at the IEEE (Institute of and will be a series editor for being tested. scams, in which criminals Electrical and Electronics Graduate Texts in Physics. indiscriminately send out mass Engineers) VIS 2014, which emails to trick consumers into New research in quantitative will be held November This September, research revealing sensitive personal finance indicates that the 9–14, 2014, in Paris, and Assistant Professor on persistence by three data like social security wealth divide in financial includes conferences on of Computer Science members of the NYU and credit card numbers. markets may be both mental Visual Analytics Science and Engineering Justin Polytechnic School of Two faculty members at the and structural—not a matter and Technology (VAST), Cappos has introduced Engineering Computer NYU Polytechnic School of large investors’ access Information Visualization DEC On DECEMBER 10 former Secretary of the Navy and current government advisor RICHARD DANZIG presented PolyPasswordHasher, an Science and Engineering of Engineering—Associate to faster computers for (InfoVis), and Scientific “Surviving on a Diet of Poisoned Fruit: Reducing Risks from Cyber Dependency.” The eagerly anticipated event was open-source password faculty will receive the best Professor Oded Nov of the stock trading or a factor of Visualization (SciVis). 10 part of an annual lecture series funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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TRANS-From new classrooms with state-of-the-art technology to

FORMArevamped study spaces in the library, the NYU Polytechnic School TIVE

PROCESSof Engineering is updating its look for the next age of discovery

The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering and its home in the MetroTech Center—dreamt up by Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden and then Polytechnic University President George Bugliarello in the mid-1970s—have experienced DIBNER profound transformations through the decades. Where there were once elevated train tracks for the Myrtle Ave. El, there now lies a bustling four-lane road; Rogers Hall, once the site of a razor LIBRARY

factory, now houses some of the most exciting engineering research going BEFORE on in the country. The Dibner Building, home to the Bern Dibner Library and built in 1991 at MetroTech Center, is at the heart of intellectual life at the NYU School of Engineering. Dedicated in 1992 in honor Since 2010, the then-named i2e Campus Transformation has been of alum Bern Dibner, the library is a buzzing landscape of young engineers and innovators day reshaping and updating the School of Engineering with projects like and night. Recently the space has experienced a profound transformation: Most stacks have outfitting newly acquired academic spaces at Two MetroTech to the opening been removed, with the material digitalized or available by request, and the floor packed with of the Center of Innovation for Technology and Entertainment (CITE) to more study spaces, new computers, and a flood of sunlight from the windows. Seating capacity has increased by nearly 30% to include 294 new workstations with power outlets for charging renovating restrooms and corridors. This year, a new phase has begun: electronic devices, carrels for individual study and tables for groups, and the space has been Let us take you on a tour of the most exciting improvements and changes revised with fresh furnishings, carpeting, and paint. happening at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering.

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Hit the Books Classroom renovations on the 2nd floor of Rogers Hall revamp academic life

When construction of six new classrooms and upgrades to six existing rooms began this year it meant a few things: Moving classrooms to lower floors would alleviate demand on the building’s elevators by allowing students to use the stairs; lab renovations could begin on upper floors; and the classrooms themselves would welcome new furniture, flooring, windows, and paint, along with “smart” audio/ visual systems and new lecterns. Improvements to corridors and hallways—including new sound-absorbing wall-structures and a lounge for students—extend the feeling of transformation outside the classroom.

ROGERS

Read It Here HALL The “Our Authors” publication display enlivens the first floor of Rogers Hall BEFORE and the minds of aspiring engineers When the massive Rogers Hall was converted from the American Safety Razor factory to an academic building able to house most services for what was then known as Polytechnic This year a nearly 40-foot-long display Institute of Brooklyn in 1958, things like laboratories and classrooms were at the forefront of with striking environmental wall graphics the minds of administrators and planners. Since then, the building has gone through several was installed on the first floor of Rogers iterations, and currently houses many academic departments, the cafeteria, undergraduate Hall directly outside the cafeteria, where academics, the STEM center, and the gymnasium, among other facilities. This year, high-impact more than 80 publications from the projects have taken the building into a new era of research, learning, and student engagement school’s faculty are on view in a couple of with renovations to dining rooms, hallways, classrooms, and windows. contemporary display cases with embedded LED lights.

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Through the Looking Glass A Massive Window Replacement Project Gives Rogers Hall a New Face

In an effort to elevate the building’s exterior appearance and efficiency, an ambitious project to replace the exterior windows of Rogers Hall began this year. Beginning with the Jay St.-facing side of the building and newly renovated classrooms, the window replacement finds 45 bays updated with 183 new windows as of the summer of 2014. The new windows meet the latest New York City specifications for wind resistance and are approximately four times more efficient at retaining heat than the previous windows.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The transformation doesn’t stop there. In 2015, construction is expected to begin on labs on the upper floors in Rogers Hall for the new faculty hires. In the basement, a new student health center, which will incorporate Café Culture counseling services, begins this fall. Coming up next year, the building will Cafeteria expands to include the see Phase II of its window replacement project. private dining room, opening Nearby, Dibner Library will see the renovation of its fourth floor, which the new school year with fresh furnishings and new flooring could include a new conference center, more collaborative study rooms for students, and an expansion of academic spaces. Once reserved for special events, the Across the commons, historic Wunsch Hall began renovation in private dining room is now open to all and features new furniture, carpeting, October of this year to house Graduate Admissions, Undergraduate and paint. The main cafeteria also has Admissions, and the Wasserman Center for Career Development. been updated with new wood-look There’s even more to come in the distant future. We hope you’ll stop by flooring and furniture for eating and lounging. for a visit to witness it firsthand.

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THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IS HERE GOVLAB THE GOVERNANCE LAB IS HOME TO INNOVATIVE MINDS DETERMINED TO CHANGE THE WAY PUBLIC POLICY IS APPROACHED AND APPLIED

THE BAT CAVE: If you weren’t looking for it, you might walk past the new Governance Lab without even seeing it. GovLab headquarters moved into Two MetroTech at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering in September, setting up in an open, concrete-floored space at the end of a narrow, unadorned hallway that is soon to be totally renovated (see “Transformative Process” on page 24); a handful of arrows printed on foam-core quietly announced its arrival. But what many people don’t notice might be one of the most exciting experiments in public policy today—an “action research” organization focused on facilitating innovations in governance at the intersection of law, policy, and technology that improves people’s lives.

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“It’s like a secret, underground opera- Experts warn that the effects of climate change will soon be the cause of as tools to monitor and report neighborhood “None of the content [of this work] is tion of brilliant thinkers and doers trying many as 250,000 deaths per year. The British Medical Journal said that the much- noise pollution; encourage cardiovascular proprietary,” Kantrow points out. “It’s all

discussed death toll of this year’s Ebola outbreak will “pale into insignificance when WORKING to imagine, test and deploy the bottom-up health; track library usage among educa- available for use and dissemination.” solutions that every government needs, compared with the mayhem we can expect for our children and grandchildren if tionally at-risk minority This is key to the Gov- even if they don’t realize it yet,” notes one the world does nothing to check its carbon emissions.” John Farrell, an NYU law DEMOCRACY boys; and improve the liv- Lab’s efforts because, ac- online participant in “Solving Public Prob- student, hopes that his team’s project will give people “a platform for education and ing conditions of women cording to Verhulst, the lems Through Technology,” the flagship action on climate change” in their everyday lives. The specifics of the project are Verhulst and Noveck met years ago at a immigrants in the Bronx. two biggest assets in soci- course offering of the Academy, the part of still being hammered out, but one possibility is a tool for consumers to gauge the conference in the United Kingdom. They “The course is offered ety today are the amount GovLab devoted to educational and train- impact of green choices or purchases they make. The opportunity to develop it at shared an interest in creating an infor- as a series of supports, and availability of data ing offerings to both degree students and the Academy has Farrell feeling optimistic. “My partners and I have talked about mation culture that would serve the goals interventions, and exer- and the level of connec- public officials. pursuing [this] for a long time,” he says. “[This course] has presented us with the of democracy, so when they co-founded cises to help people get tivity between people. Okay, so it’s not actually a secret, or un- structure to realize the idea. Everyone at GovLab has helped to push and direct us the GovLab in late 2012, says Noveck, “We real projects done—it’s “We’re focused on open- derground. It’s on the ninth floor and looks towards our final goal.” start[ed] from the core hypothesis that all about how to create ing up data, then using more like a tech startup than a Bat Cave. more open and collaborative ways of work- and implement gover- ARNAUD SAHUGUET it for a variety of public But the people here are rethinking the big- ing, enabled by technology, [would] lead to nance innovation in interest projects [and] on gest problems facing the world today, using people are so dissatisfied century Europe, Noveck decisions and solutions that are more effec- the real world,” says Alan Kantrow, the how [to] tap into the collective intelligence emerging technologies, public data, and with. We don’t have the has been devoted to tive and more legitimate.” GovLab’s Chief Learning and Communi- to solve problems differently,” he says. civic engagement. They’re partnering in models of how we might working democracy. So The GovLab’s approach to proving this cations Officer. “The research reflex runs The GovLab’s third endeavor is to attract innovative ways with students, as well as do things differently.” has the GovLab’s other hypothesis is three-pronged. First, it runs through it all.” and cultivate the in-house technical talent civic leaders and entrepreneurs, to build It’s a late September Co-Founder and its Chief education and training programs through Secondly, the GovLab undertakes re- to build tools that enable organizations and tools to improve healthcare, prisons, immi- afternoon, and Noveck of Research and Develop- the GovLab Academy. Its primary offering is search projects with partners in civic lead- citizens to solve problems and participate gration, elder care, literacy, and more. has just finished meet- ment, Stefaan Verhulst. “Solving Public Problems ership. Like the Academy in their communities and government. To The common thread running through it ing with a half-dozen stu- Verhulst spent 13 years with Technology,” a mas- students, these organiza- work democracy, as Woollcott put it. all can be found in the name: governance. dents, discussing open heading up the research ters-level course deliv- tions come with problems Arnaud Sahuguet, the GovLab’s Chief What does governance mean—more impor- government, online re- activities of a private ered both in person (alter- to solve. One recent proj- Technology Officer, came to this position tantly, what can governance be—in a tech- sources, and crowdsourc- foundation, looking at STEFAAN VERHULST nating between the NYU ect, with United Kingdom from Google, where for years he pushed for nologically advancing, information-orient- ing. Toward the end of solving public problems and MIT campuses), and health officials, explored projects around open data and access to ed, and socially networked world? Quite the conversation, she is heard to say, “We’re through information technology. online to students across the delivery of open data civic information. “I’m not yet convinced simply, how can technology create a more not sitting on a mountaintop, here.” The “I became frustrated that most of the the world. (Plans are un- to citizens to make in- that we can actually solve all these prob- open and representative government? students lean forward in their chairs when problems we know can somehow be solved, derway to launch shorter, formed healthcare deci- lems,” he admits, “But at GovLab I can she speaks. but are mostly not solved because we don’t intensive workshop ver- sions. Another reimag- give them my full attention and see what Just three years ago, Noveck was in manage to actually engage the public or sions of the course, too.) ALAN KANTROW ined Internet governance we can do.” the Obama White House as Deputy Chief because the government’s mechanisms Whether for credit or not, with ICANN (Internet Sahuguet is building software tools Technology Officer and Director of the are flawed,” says Verhulst. “There is a lot students apply to the course by proposing Corporation for Assigned Names and Num- while also building a technology team. He’s MOVING Open Government Initiative. She is also of experimentation regarding governance specific social problems they’d like to ad- bers). A number of upcoming partnerships recruiting product designers and engineers the founder of the New York Law School and solving public problems. Unfortunate- dress. Student projects this fall include are with governments of American cities. passionate about governance. He says MOUNTAINS “Do Tank,” the State of Play conferences, ly, there’s little evidence as to what works Brooklyn, infused with the spirit of collab- and co-founder of a soft- when or for whom or in which context. I oration and invention, is the perfect place “Every survey will tell ware company launched thought our biggest contribution would be Nikki Zeichner used to work as a criminal defense attorney representing for this. “At [the NYU Polytechnic School you that the rate of trust to encourage democratic finding out what works and what doesn’t narcotics dealers in a federal system that she felt focused more on negotiation of Engineering], there is a reservoir of tal- in government is declin- deliberation in the early work through action research.” than rehabilitation. “I started looking at how I could tell those stories outside a ent [and] a rich engineering environment. ing,” says Beth Noveck, days of the commercial Action research means implementing legal context,” she says. “How can you get to know the realities of individuals We’re creating an infrastructure where we the GovLab’s Co-Found- web. changes or processes while simultaneous- or communities that aren’t typically heard? How can we bring about change and can welcome contributions.” er and Director. “People The American critic ly reflecting on and evaluating their effec- make policy recognize their voices?” Zeichner, now an MS candidate in Integrated “If you look around, turn on the TV, are actively banding to- Alexander Woollcott once tiveness. In a fast-moving world, action re- Digital Media and a GovLab Fellow, is working with a coder, a civic hacker, governance is the number-one issue every- gether to express these wrote, “I'm tired of hear- search means solving problems in real time and a data artist to collect public data from parole hearings that will faciliate where,” Sahuguet says. “Selling you on the concerns—just think of ing it said that democracy and tailoring the solutions as you go. predictions about rehabilitation versus recidivism. Their parole reform project mission is a complete no-brainer. The chal- Occupy Wall Street, the doesn't work. Of course So when Noveck says “We’re not sitting could have major social and budgetary implications; moreover, it addresses what BETH NOVECK lenge is to convince people to join a risky Arab Spring, the Climate it doesn't work. We are on a mountaintop, here,” it’s because she Zeichner sees as a problem of opacity and invisibility in the penitentiary system. adventure.” March. But we don’t have a clear concep- supposed to work it.” From her early days and Verhulst agree that if you’re going to “People think about how prisoners enter the system,” she says, “They don’t think In other words, never mind climbing tion of what could replace the things that as a student of fragile democracies in 20th- move a mountain, you can’t be sitting on it. about what happens afterward.” Everest—who wants to help move it?

32 33 engineering.nyu.edu/cable CABLE FALL 2014 “I take an engineering perspective on proteins. I work on a nanoscale to engineer biological material. The possibilities are endless because we have the ability to modify and make proteins that nature has never thought of making.”

– Jin Montclare, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering

Encouraging Progress Through Diversity From her own research on nano- and micro- scale proteins to mentoring the next generation of women in science, Jin Montclare is making a lasting impact.

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rom the Protein dented. “A microscale fiber that is capable wanted to [experiement with proteins],” ent-pending process. “Ideally, it will work had “wonderful mentors who shuttled Korea, where she managed to find work as a Engineering and of delivering a small molecule, whether it Montclare says. Zhang ended up participat- against lots of toxins not just a specific me into science, from elementary school nurse, after her husband was taken captive Molecular Design be a therapeutic compound or other mate- ing in Intel and other science competitions one,” Montclare says. She expects that a through college and beyond.” A native New during the Korean War. She was eventually Lab at the NYU rial, is a major step forward.” for high school students and is now a Cor- spray that can quickly wash pesticides off Yorker, she earned her undergraduate de- able to go to Canada to study and then to Polytechnic School Despite the enormity of the jump from nell undergraduate. produce may be available in less than 10 grees in chemistry and philosophy from the U.S., bringing her children over one by of Engineering, nano- to microscale, the research team Montclare and her team engineered years. Fordham. She has a PhD in bioorganic one. “[My grandmother] was my role mod- Montclare and her believes they can devise even larger fibers. the protein after becoming interested in chemistry from Yale and a post-doc from el and an inspiration to my whole family,” team focus on de- The next step, Montclare says, is develop- how they could break down organophos- Paying it Forward Caltech in chemical engineering. Montclare says. “For her, education was signing and gener- ing proteins that can assemble on the mil- phates—compounds commonly used in art of the reason Montclare feels so Montclare’s original role model was her truly important—it’s what got her through, ating protein-derived building blocks that liscale, creating fibers large enough to see pesticides and warfare agents, which in- strongly about encouraging young paternal grandmother, who fled with her how she was able to come to this country.” Fare tailored to serve numerous applica- with the naked eye. “It’s even possible to teract with enzymes involved in transmis- P women in science is because she four children to an orphanage in Busan, Montclare believes the interest and tions, such as tissue engineering, drug-de- imagine generating hair out of self-assem- sion in the brain and can cause irreversible drive toward science must start long before livery, imaging, energy and other such do- bly,” she says. The group published the re- damage. “We looked at enzymes and con- college. To that end, she developed an out- mains that require novel biomaterials. sults of the successful trials in the creation sidered ones called phosphotriesterases, reach program on science and technology In October, she and her colleagues were of engineered microfiber proteins in the which can do the job,” she says, but with with the Urban Assembly Institute of Math able to break the nano barrier to engineer journal Biomacromolecules. the drawback that they’re not very stable and Science for Young Women, a girls’ the first micro protein. For as long as scien- and don’t last long. school near the School of Engineering in tists have been able to create new proteins The Next Generation Their next step was to reengineer these “You need diverse minds Downtown Brooklyn, where most of the stu- that are capable of self-assembling into fi- ontclare hopes that other women proteins so they would stand up to heat and dents come from underprivileged, minori- bers, their work has taken place on the na- will join her at the forefront of sci- time by adding non-natural amino acids. to make progress, to ty backgrounds. “If I can show other girls noscale. For the first time, thanks in large M ence and technology. She works “We introduced new building blocks and [that STEM fields are] exciting, something part to Montclare, this achievement has hard to make sure more girls and women used them to fortify these enzymes, stabi- they can do, and a career worth pursuing, been realized on the microscale—a leap of study and consider careers in STEM (sci- lizing them,” she explains. Using a compu- open viewpoints and we can increase the numbers in science and magnitude in size that presents significant ence, technology, engineering, math) fields. tational tool called Rosetta, they were able engineering,” she says. new opportunities for using engineered One of her latest projects, which involves en- to identify a more stable, longer-lasting perspectives in order “I wish there were more diverse stu- protein fibers. gineering a protein that may prevent brain protein that does the work of the original. dents, not just females, studying science,” “This was a surprising and thrilling damage in soldiers and civilians exposed to Their research was supported by a grant she adds. “You need diverse minds to make achievement,” said Montclare, explaining toxic chemicals, combines the two. from the U.S. Army Research Office and the to attack problems and progress, to open viewpoints and perspec- that this kind of diameter increase in the “The project was initiated by a high National Science Foundation. tives in order to attack problems and make presence of small molecules is unprece- school student named Michelle Zhang, who The lab continues to refine this pat- make discoveries.” discoveries.”

This ribbon diagram pFF-PTE This graphic represents the pFF-F104A This is the improved mutation How to build shows a three-dimensional structure that Montclare Montclare ended up with, again structure of a protein called originally gave the through the computers. a protein phosphotriesterase, the protein computational biologist. Montclare is engineering to pFF-F104A is the protein that Jin Montclare’s lab designs neutralize certain poisons and The computer found what’s the computational biologist and generates many types of pesticides. It’s shown in two known as a steric clash, a collaborator designed, based on proteins, including one that colors because it is a dimer, molecular detail that means the original that Montclare had has been created to detoxify with two sub-units. Note that there was a problem in the identified. neurotoxins safely. this protein is not visible to original structure and it needed the eye or with a conventional a better solution. After that, she was able to The proteins she builds are first microscope as it is nanometer- build the protein capable of visualized in three dimensions sized; that’s why these proteins detoxifying neurotoxins with and generated computationally. are rendered computationally. improved stability over the This graphic illustrates the original. process.

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The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering’s Center for K-12 STEM Education Is Devising New Ways to Give Students a Leg Up in Science, Technology, FULLSTEMEngineering, and Math (STEM) AHEAD

BROOKLYN is home to the latest tech boom in the country, a newly located NBA franchise, and, of course, brownstones and cheesecake. Thanks in large part to Ben Esner, a lifelong resident of the borough, K-12 STEM education is on that list too. Esner, the director of the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering’s Center for K-12 STEM Education, says, “We’re coming up with ideas and formulating new programs that are making an impact right here in Brooklyn and spreading throughout the world.” Esner can attest first-hand just how far some of the Center’s home-grown ideas have traveled: along with several graduate students from the School of Engineering, he spent part of last year in the Malaysian state of Selangor, where the Science of Smart

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Cities (SoSC) curriculum—which employs School 318, in Williamsburg, calls having a for the phrase “For Inspiration and Rec- dents, who later competed tions, including happiness, sadness, and hands-on explorative activities in the fields fellow helping in his classroom and coach- ognition of Science and Technology." Ad- BEING A TEACHER IS SMART in a high-school version of surprise. of urban infrastructure, transportation, ing the school’s robotics team a win-win ditionally, NYU has long been the site of the School of Engineering’s Caesar is not the only one at NYU and its energy, and wireless communications and situation for all. “By working with mid- the Brooklyn qualifier, which determines BEING A TEACHER WITH Inno/Vention competition. The winning Center for K-12 STEM Education expressing teaches middle-schoolers technologies that dle-school students, the graduate fellows which local teams will advance to the city- ENTREPRENEURIAL team was led by Mamaroneck High School excitement in recent months. In late sum- allow the building of livable, efficient, sus- hone their presentation skills and learn to wide competition) EXPERIENCE IS SMARTER. teacher Jigar Jadav, whose students have al- mer 2014 it was announced that a team of tainable and resilient cities—was adopted convey complex information to a lay audi- AMPS/CBSI is far from the only project at Ask a group of teachers to brainstorm les- ready filed a preliminary patent on their in- researchers led by Vikram Kapila had won a and modified by the Education Faculty at ence without using jargon,” he says. “And the Center for K-12 STEM Education mak- son plans or techniques to gain the cooper- vention: a computerized system for provid- four-year $2,545,955 grant from the Nation- the National University of Malaysia. my kids—from the highly motivated mem- ing a mark on the educational landscape of ation of unruly students, and you expect the ing football quarterbacks with cognitive as al Science Foundation for a project focused No less exciting, however, is the learn- bers of the robotics team, who take part the city. The Applied Research Innovations discussion to be lively. Ask them to come up well as physical training. The second-place on professional development and teaching ing going on in the Brooklyn public schools in the FIRST Lego League competition, to in Science and Engineering (ARISE) pro- with ideas for new businesses and products, team, coached by teacher Charisse Nelson STEM with robotics. (In addition to Kapila, that take part in another of the Center’s those who purport to not even like science gram, funded by the Pinkerton Foundation, and their discussion is every bit as vibrant. of Brooklyn’s Park Place Academy, also ad- the team includes School of Engineering programs: the Applying Mechatronics to or math—get a lot out of their interactions brings dedicated high-schoolers here for a When the teachers participating in a dressed a football-related problem; they Professor Magued Iskander, the K-12 STEM Promote Science (AMPS)/Central Brooklyn with the fellows, who are wonderful role rigorous seven-week program of high-level recent Science and Mechatronics Aided Re- came up with a belt that allows a player in a Education Center’s Ben Esner, and Stein- STEM Initiative (CBSI), which are funded by models for them.” Holstein’s assertion research in either Dr. Magued Iskander’s search for Teachers with an Entreprenuer- wheelchair to stabilize the ball and be a fully hardt Professors Catherine Milne and Orit the National Science Foundation and phil- that his students are benefiting is borne Soil Mechanics Lab, Dr. Vikram Kapila’s ship expeRience (SMARTER) program were integrated participant in the game. Zaslavsky.) anthropic donors, and which pair teachers out by hard data: In a three-year study that Mechatronics Lab, Dr. Nasir Memon’s In- set to that task, they came up with a variety The benefits of the SMARTER program Next summer will thus be bringing even with graduate student fellows to design dy- tracked some 3,000 young participants, formation Systems & Internet Security Lab, of innovative ideas, including USB devices are far from one-sided. In addition to gain- more teachers, fulfilling programs, and namic, hands-on classroom lessons in a va- 70% of them increased by at least a half of a Dr. Jin Montclare’s Protein Engineering that could be incorporated into fashion ac- ing insight into areas they might never be- STEM projects to Brooklyn. riety of STEM disciplines. letter grade (or more) in not only math and Lab, or any of a host of other well-equipped cessories and camera-ruler combinations fore have explored, the teachers were happy Russell Holstein, a veteran tech teacher science but other subjects as well. (Like facilities. that could take photos and measure on a to lend students and faculty from the School at the Eugenio Maria De Hostos In- Holstein’s fellow, many “I got the experience of a lifetime,” micro scale. of Engineering their own expertise. In one termediate of the School of Engineer- one participant wrote at its conclusion. As part of their six-week summer experi- noteworthy example, Lee Holman, a teach- ing’s other graduate men- “[During my time here] I was not just a high ence, the teachers were treated to a unique er who works with children on the autism tors pitch in to help with school student; I was a real researcher, at- workshop conducted by experts from the U.S. spectrum at PS 153 in the Bronx, worked the FIRST Lego League; the tending symposia, preparing posters and Patent and Trademark Office, who discussed with the developers of CAESAR, a humanoid “BY WORKING WITH MIDDLE- Center for K-12 STEM Edu- presentations, and working independent- intellectual property, patents, copyrights, robot built with off-the-shelf and 3D-print- SCHOOL STUDENTS, THE cation is a strategic partner ly in the lab.” Another concurred, writing, and trademarks. Putting that information to ed parts and programmed using open soft- with New York City FIRST, “How many people can say they started immediate practical use, the teachers com- ware with the intent of helping people with GRADUATE FELLOWS HONE THEIR the organization that runs working in a university lab at age 15? Now pleted patent and trademark searches on disabilities. Caesar’s blank, robotic expres- that and other robotics that’s impressive.” And in a sentiment that their own ideas—just in case someone had sion, they had found, disturbed many who PRESENTATION SKILLS AND competitions for students any engineering professor would be thrilled already thought of the backpack with an in- tested the original model, however. Thanks Prasad Akavoor, a teacher at the Chapin from across the country to hear, a third asserted, “I now know that I tegrated charger for mobile devices. to Holman’s input, Caesar now boasts mov- School, discusses his research findings LEARN TO CONVEY COMPLEX and whose acronym stands am made for engineering and research.” The teachers brought their newly ignit- ing eyebrows and other attributes that allow with Ulugbek Akhmedo, a teacher at Styvesant High School. INFORMATION TO A LAY AUDIENCE ed entrepreneurial zeal back to their stu- him to clearly express a wide range of emo- WITHOUT USING JARGON.” LIVING PROOF ANY NYU lab in 2013 as part of the Applied Research cation process—at an international cyber School of Innovations in Science and Engineering security conference in Portugal in late Sep- Engineer- (ARISE) program. tember. He was the youngest presenter by ing faculty member who has worked with “He really took the initiative in writing far. “The most exciting thing was being in high schoolers as part of the Center’s pro- up his findings,” Halevi explains, “so while the audience at the other presentations and grams can pull from their memories exam- it’s unusual for a high school student to realizing that I was among the first in the ples of exceptional students. Professor of be listed as the first author on a scholarly entire world to hear about some of this new Computer Science and Engineering Nasir paper, in this case, it’s a perfectly justified research,” he said. Memon and Postdoctoral Fellow Tzipora honor.” Chan will undoubtedly be attending oth- Halevi can pull out an actual paper, “Touch- Chan received an additional honor when er conferences in the future; he and Halevi One of three teams of pad Input for Continuous Biometric Au- he was invited to present the paper—which explain that while he was not an official part Malaysian high school thentication." The paper lists as its primary explores how people’s behaviors and ges- of ARISE in 2014, he returned, by special students putting the finishing touches on their author Alexander Chan, a Hunter College tures when using computer touchpads request, to the lab to continue his research. Smart City prototype. High School student who worked in their might be incorporated into the authenti- Another paper is already in progress.

40 41 engineering.nyu.edu/cable CABLE FALL 2014

TEACHING THE TEACHERS activities, and conduct inqui- Kapila, and Ramesh Karri—$500,000 to de- TAKING A NEW PATH a hard departure,” he says. “My principal ipant, Ryan had completed a mechatron- ry-based, hands-on, engineering velop a Research Experience for Teachers and co-workers were not happy I was going, ics-based Research Experience for Teachers, research as part of a program Site focused on the burgeoning field of cy- and of course I felt some guilt for leaving the hosted AMPS/CBSI fellows in his classroom, NO ONE would argue that it takes a lot to called SMARTER (Science and Mechatron- ber security. (Not incidentally, the new pro- RYAN CAIN no longer teaches at Brook- students.” and coached an afterschool robotics team.) be a teacher—years of training in pedagogy, ics Aided Research for Teachers with an En- gram lays the groundwork for teachers to lyn’s P.S. 3 The Bedford Village School. He Perhaps your first thought is that Ryan “It was great taking everything I learned and hours of lesson planning each week, class- trepreneurship expeRience). involve their students in the School of Engi- left behind his after-school robotics club, heartlessly abandoned the Bedford Village applying it to the lessons I taught my own room management skills, deep reserves of SMARTER participants return to their neering’s annual Cyber Security Awareness the 3-D printers he had worked so hard to community to pursue a more lucrative ca- students in my own classroom, but I wanted empathy along with the ability to be firm— classrooms in the fall with new project ideas Week forensics competition.) obtain for his classroom, and the sand table reer as a bond trader. Perhaps you assume to have an even bigger impact,” he explains. the list could go on and on. Now what if and practical experience in using sensors, Whether they’re studying mechatronics, where he taught the impact of flood events he is following some impractical or selfish “All students in all classrooms should be you’re charged with getting your students actuators, microcontrollers and other so- cyber security, or some other topic here, on our built environment by using model dream (say, sailing solo around the world, excited about STEM learning. And they all excited about STEM fields and preparing phisticated equipment, and their students teachers have the satisfaction of knowing building structures created by students us- for example). If so, think again. Ryan does, deserve a solid foundation that will prepare them for the higher-level course work that directly benefit. How many high school kids that they’re an important part of a push to ing 3D printers. “It was indeed, have a dream, but it is both practical them for the future.” leads to rewarding careers in the tech sec- get a chance to fully equip a model home provide America's classrooms with excep- and selfless. Ryan reasoned that one of the most ef- tor? Sure, you could bring in a scientist or with an Arduino, Wi-Fly, lights, and a ser- tional STEM teachers. Esner has no doubt He is now a doctoral student at Utah fective ways he could work towards that goal engineer to give a guest lecture a few times vo garage door opener and then develop that with the help of programs like those at State University, where he won a competitive would be to teach teachers, just as the pro- a semester, but what if you wanted to bring an iPhone App to control those functions? the School of Engineering that goal can be “ALL STUDENTS IN ALL fellowship in Instructional Technology and fessors at the NYU School of Engineering that level of excitement and tech expertise Jeffrey Bernhardt did during an eight-week met. “K-12 STEM education has been a con- Learning Sciences. He was inspired to ap- were doing with their efforts. “I realized I to your classroom every day? Simple…just curriculum he created after participating tinually growing part of the culture here for CLASSROOMS SHOULD ply, he explains, because of the time he had wanted to achieve what they were achiev- ask the NYU Polytechnic School of Engi- in SMARTER. How many can test underwa- over a decade,” he says. “And during that spent in various programs run by the Center ing,” he says. “They were affecting much neering’s faculty and its Center for K-12 ter robotic vehicles in a 125-gallon tank in- time, literally thousands of students and BE EXCITED ABOUT for K-12 STEM Education. (A veteran partic- more than just one classroom at a time.” STEM Education to help. stalled right in their classrooms or investi- their teachers have been impacted by this STEM LEARNING. Thanks to grants from the National Sci- gate the material properties of soft tissue by work through dozens of programs. Profes- ence Foundation (NSF), the School of Engi- using digital force probes and Jell-O? Other sor Vikram Kapila, with 18 years of expe- AND THEY ALL neering is designated as a Research Experi- teachers have brought those creative learn- rience in our Mechanical and Aerospace SARANII MULLER IN HER OWN WORDS ence for Teachers (RET) site and has hosted ing opportunities to their schools after their Engineering Department, is a driving force DESERVE A SOLID dozens of teachers who come to Brooklyn own SMARTER sessions. behind making K-12 STEM a priority, and over the summer to receive mentoring from In 2014 the NSF awarded a team of profes- we expect it to remain so for decades to FOUNDATION THAT I’VE BEEN TEACHING technology at that common question, “Why do we have to professors, engage in entrepreneurship sors—Nasir Memon, Justin Cappos, Vikram come." Fort Greene Preparatory Academy since the study this stuff?” WILL PREPARE THEM school opened more than four years ago, Fort Greene Preparatory Academy was FOR THE FUTURE.” and I’ve been working with the NYU Poly- founded on the belief that children should technic School of Engineering’s Center for have access to a well-rounded education, JUST WHAT THE CHANCELLOR ORDERED K-12 STEM Education for almost that long. and what I teach is an important part of As part of the AMPS/CBSI program, I had a that. It really opens the kids’ eyes when they terrific graduate fellow in my classroom for start out the year thinking they know all ANY YOUNGSTER interested in science, • Applied Research Innovations in Science two years, James Muldoon, an electrical en- about technology simply because they can technology, engineering, and math has the and Engineering (ARISE) gineer, and this year my fellow is Matthew operate their smartphones and then they wholehearted support of Department of • Applying Mechatronics to Promote Sci- Moorhead, a mechanical engineer. realize how much there is to learn! Education Chancellor Carmen Fariña, as ence (AMPS) and Central Brooklyn STEM It’s a good situation for everyone in- she explained to the audience at the July Initiative (CBSI) volved. The fellows bring great expertise Muller celebrates with her students at the launch of the NYU Polytechnic School of • Code Liberation Foundation series on in their specific fields, and as I learn from 2014 FIRST Lego League Brooklyn Qualifier. Engineering’s 2014 #STEMNOW initiative, women in digital game development them, my curriculum grows. In addition to which involved fully a quarter of the School • College-credit courses for high schoolers robotics, we now program with Python, de- of Engineering’s full-time faculty, 90 NYU • CrEST Mobile sign computer games, work with Arduinos, student fellows, 50 K-12 and college faculty, • Cyber Security for Teachers and College and much more. In turn, the fellows learn and nearly 500 middle and high school stu- Faculty from my pedagogical approach; they devel- dents. “There’s a shortage in this country of • Cyber Security for Young Women op the ability to explain their work to laypeo- people to do the science, the engineering, • Research Experience for Teachers— ple and get comfortable addressing a class. and the technology work,” she asserted. SMARTER Most important, they really get the kids “You are the answer to that. . . . You are the • Science of Smart Cities Middle school students run excited about the practical applications of experiments to learn how different answer to all of our problems.” • Summer Research Opportunities for types of soil react with liquids with STEM and the career possibilities. My stu- #STEMNOW was comprised of well over High School Students various properties. Here, Christopher dents might never have met an engineer Hernandez (CE, 2014) guides a dozen individual programs, including: • Tech Kids Unlimited before, so the fellows are living answers to students.

42 43 LOOKING BACK engineering.nyu.edu/cable IN MEMORIAM CABLE FALL 2014 IN MEMORIAM: WILLIAM pher, and Travis; and his fellow GREETINGS FROM A ORTH (’52) Masons at Morton Lodge No. 63. CLIFFORD H. We sadly report the death of GOLDSMITH (HON ’06) William Orth (’52) on Septem- RALPH BYGONE BROOKLYN ber 22, 2013, at the age of 94 in TEKEL (’41) Pearland, Texas. Alum and Photography Buff Joseph Salgado Left Long Ago, As a young husband and fa- With deep sadness, we report the but the Borough Still Holds a Place in His Heart ther, Orth worked full time and passing of Ralph Tekel (’41) on he NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering attended what was then known October 8, 2014 in Philadelphia, T mourns the passing on June 25, 2014 of much-ad- as the Brooklyn Polytechnic In- Pennsylvania, at the age of 94. stitute in the evenings, in order A graduate of Stuyvesant High mired former trustee and board vice chair, Clifford H. to earn his bachelor’s degree in School, Tekel worked his way Goldsmith (HON ’06). mechanical engineering. (Until through the Brooklyn Polytech- In 1986, Clifford was appointed to the Board of the end of his life, he displayed nic Institute, as the NYU Poly- bookends inscribed with the technic School of Engineering Trustees of Polytechnic University, now the NYU Poly- school name, and the set proved was then known, by waiting on technic School of Engineering, and served as Vice to be a conversation starter for tables at Catskills resorts in the Chairman. Early in his 19-year tenure on the board, visitors to his home.) summer and blowing glass for The loyalty and responsibil- use in laboratories. It was during Clifford co-founded the Promise Scholarship Fund ity Orth felt towards his family graduate school, at Purdue Uni- which provides scholarships to exceptional students was echoed in his work life; he versity, where he was studying with financial need. Thanks to his vision, the Promise remained at the Ford Instru- for a doctoral degree in chem- ment Company, a division of istry, that he became an unwit- Scholarship Fund, thrives today, enhancing our ability Sperry Gyroscope, for more than ting participant in the top-secret to provide critical resources to diverse students seeking three decades. A member of the Manhattan Project. His research American Defense Prepared- group there, led by Henry Hass, a high-quality STEM education. In recognition of his ness Association, Orth worked had been engaged in what was contributions, he was presented with the Polytechnic on such projects as moderniz- called “Project 220,” preparing Distinguished Service Award for Science and Technol- ing an electro-mechanical an- fluorocarbons. Not until after the alog control computer used by war did they learn that these were ogy in 1998. In 2006, Clifford’s legacy of achievements both the U.S. Navy and the Brit- used to separate isotopes, for use was further acknowledged with an honorary degree. ish Navy and upgrading the MK in the atomic bomb. Born on September 6, 1919 in Leipzig, Germany, 10 Range Keeper—part of the While working in the Pedi- Gun Director System used on atric Research Laboratories at Clifford graduated from Bradford University, York- warships like the U.S.S. Texas. Jewish Hospital in Brooklyn, Te- shire, England, with a degree in textile engineering Orth later joined Lundy Elec- kel received two patents, in 1946 and later emigrated to the United States in 1940. He tronic and Systems as a staff and 1950, for his work in x-ray engineer, and there he worked contrast media. He subsequent- served in the United States Army during World War II on components for the Minute- ly entered the pharmaceutical graduated from Poly in 1968 1969, not long after I graduated. The bus in one of the pictures A VIEW OF THE SMOKESTACK ATOP THE and was held as a prisoner of war in Germany. In 1945 man III Missile. industry, developing synthetic with a bachelor’s degree in Those trains stopped running, is driving right down Myrtle Ave- OLD RAZOR FACTORY; THE STORES In addition to square danc- steroids, antibiotics and psy- ALONG JAY ST.; A VIEW OF THE EL; he joined the Benson & Hedges Company, ultimate- economics. I got to school and ultimately, the tracks were nue, which you could do before ing—a pursuit he avidly en- choactive drugs for such com- I LOOKING ACROSS JAY ST.; ROGERS ly becoming President of Philip Morris Incorporated by taking the Myrtle Ave. el to torn down altogether. the plaza at the MetroTech Cen- HALL SITTING BEHIND THE EL; A BUS joyed—Orth’s other hobbies panies as Wyeth Laboratories the station on Jay Street. The el- Of course I didn’t take the ter was built. In fact, there used TRAVELS DOWN MYRTLE AVE. from 1978 until 1984. included riding roller coasters, and National Drugs. From 1965 evated tracks ran so close to the pictures that show the el at the to be an underground garage The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering com- and he was a devoted Gold Pass- until his retirement in 1985, Dr. windows of some of our class- corner of Myrtle and Jay—those across Jay Street, and you could port member of Busch Gardens Tekel taught at La Salle College rooms that we could look up were taken in 1945, and I came drive right in. There was a park munity has lost an exceptional leader and humani- until well into his 80s. (now La Salle University), where and see the wheels on the train across them while doing re- on top of it, where a Marriot Ho- long way from the days when the tarian. His dedication to advancing our mission will Our deep condolences go he endowed a scholarship. He go by a few feet from our desks. search. If you look behind the tel now stands. building that housed the Ameri- long be remembered. We extend our condolences to to his wife of 66 years, Betty; was also an exceptionally gener- We got used to it, but students building right on the corner, The entire area looks very dif- can Safety Razor Company at 333 his son, William; his daughter, ous benefactor to the NYU Poly- who came after us didn’t have to; which was later torn down, you ferent now from when I attend- Jay Street was first purchased by his wife, Katherine; his two daughters; and the entire Louise; his grandchildren, Ash- technic School of Engineering, the MTA shut down that line in can see Rogers Hall. ed Poly, and it’s certainly come a the school. Goldsmith family. ley-Anne, Derek, Drew, Christo- his alma mater of 73 years.

44 45 engineering.nyu.edu/cable CABLE FALL 2014

Our deepest sympathies go investment firm based in New Polytechnic School of Engineer- of Rochester, where he became dren, Leslie, Joyce, and Suzanne, retirement.” Fittingly, Shaw’s Elizabeth Schrandt to his devoted wife, children, York, Richard served on the ing, Attn: Judy Sager, Office of chair of his department; and and his many grandchildren, on papers can be found in the Bern CLASS ’13CE and grandchildren. boards of several institutions Development and Alumni Rela- MIT, where he served as the whom, by all accounts, he doted. Dibner Library’s Poly Archives & NOTES Elizabeth Schrandt says that in addition to the School of En- tions, 15 MetroTech Center, 6th Willard Henry Dow Professor of Special Collections. graduating from POLY-ENG gineering. (When the School Fl., Brooklyn, NY 11201. Chemical Engineering. The sympathies of the entire opened many doors for her. The T. RICHARD was a separate institution, he Brenner was the author of LEONARD NYU Polytechnic School of En- organizations she was involved FISHBEIN served as a member of its Board three textbooks and a member SHAW gineering community go to the Bugra Akyildiz in as a student continue to of Trustees.) These included DR. HOWARD of numerous distinguished Shaw family. ’13EE provide great networking It is with deep regret that we an- the National Academy Museum BRENNER organizations, including the It is with great sadness that Bugra Akyildiz works at CB opportunities, and thanks to nounce the passing of dedicated and School of Fine Arts, the Jap- American Institute of Chemical we report the passing on Octo- Insights, which provides her degree she has found an board member T. Richard Fish- anese Art Society of America, The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineers, who bestowed on ber 22 of Leonard Shaw, who JOSEPH sourcing and analytics to private exciting job at an international investors, corporate ventures, engineering firm. bein on October 14, 2014, at the and NYC Seed. He gave gener- Engineering, along with the en- him every major award given by taught at the NYU Polytechnic METZENDORF (’54) and venture capitalists. The age of 76. Fishbein—who held ously to numerous other orga- tire NYU community, mourns that group. He was also known School of Engineering for more company is hiring software an AB from Dartmouth College, nizations, including the Stanley the passing of Dr. Howard as a devoted advisor and mentor than four decades. It is with sadness that we re- engineers: visit www.cbinsights. Vikram Sharma an MBA from Harvard Business M. Isaacs Neighborhood Cen- Brenner, an eminent alum and to his students, many of whom In addition to his teaching port the passing of Joseph com to learn more. ’84EE, ’89EE School, and a Diploma from the ter, Dartmouth College, and former faculty member. Bren- went on to make their own mark duties, Shaw served as Head of Metzendorf (’54) on June 29, Vikram Sharma is the founder of School of Advanced Internation- Columbia University College of ner, widely considered one of in the field. “Until three days the Department of Electrical 2014. the New York Computer Circle al Studies of Johns Hopkins Uni- Physicians and Surgeons. the world’s leading theoreti- before his death,” according to Engineering and Computer Sci- Metzendorf had joined the Pratikkumar Chunawala (NYCC), whose mission is to versity in Bologna, Italy—had Our thoughts are with his cians in the transport proper- a tribute published by MIT, “he ence from 1982 to 1990, Dean U.S. Navy shortly before Hiroshi- ’14EE promote computer and internet an enduring passion for the life wife of more than three de- ties of flowing suspensions and was making the final revisions of the School of Electrical En- ma and Nagasaki were bombed Pratikkumar Chunawala would engineering in New York, of the mind, and he lived, as he cades, Dr. Estelle Bender; his multiphase systems, earned on a paper that reflected the gineering & Computer Science and was later able to study at like to meet fellow alumni and facilitate job and internship put it, with vigor, surrounded stepdaughter, Melissa Bender; both master’s and doctoral de- culmination of almost 10 years’ from 1990 to 1994, Director what was then known as the network in order to find what opportunities, host training exciting and cool opportunities seminars and webinars, assist in by family and friends and im- and the rest of his devoted fam- grees in chemical engineering work. . . . Of this project, he said of the Westchester Graduate Polytechnic Institute of Brook- are out there for electrical chapter formation, and monetize mersed in career, travel, art, and ily. We miss his engaging partic- from NYU, in 1954 and 1957, that he could always continue Center from 1994 to 1996, and lyn, thanks to the G.I. Bill. engineers. He is interested knowledge and experience. For a wide variety of other person- ipation in Poly’s future while re- respectively. He then taught in to find needed revisions, but, in Vice Provost for Undergraduate Despite the tuition funds he in Network/Infrastructure more information, visit www. al interests. (He held a special the Department of Chemical Studies from 1995 to 1996. received as a military veteran, maining true to its broad spirit essence, was done with what he Engineering and Technical newyorkcomputercircle.com. place in his heart for New York of support for the underdog. Engineering until 1966. (At the believed to be a seminal piece A longtime Fellow of the Metzendorf, who was the first Project Management within the City’s Metropolitan Museum Continuing the tradition of time, the engineering program that overturned a theoretical Institute of Electrical and Elec- in his large family to attend domains of Computer Networks and particularly loved spending philanthropy he established was located in the University underpinning of fluid dynamics tronics Engineers (IEEE), Shaw college, worked during the day and Electrical Engineering. Michael Trizzino time in England, France, Italy, during his life, his family asks Heights section of Manhattan several hundred years old.” was a well-respected research- and took classes in the evening. ’14EE and, especially, Japan.) that donations be made in his and had not yet moved to Brook- We extend our profound er whose work focused on the He often said that volunteering Soon after graduation, Michael A retired partner of the memory to the Bender-Fishbein lyn.) He was later affiliated with respects and sympathy to his filtering and modelling of sto- for the U.S. Navy and earning a Galo Donggilio Trizzino began working at Cortec Group, a private equity Endowed Scholarship at NYU Carnegie Mellon; the University entire family, including his chil- chastic processes with appli- degree in mechanical engineer- ’98ME Jacobs, performing the cations to signal processing, ing were watershed moments Galo Donggilio currently has commissioning of MEP the gratifying job of teaching systems for the World Trade control, and reliability. His 1975 in his life. A third was joining New York City’s middle school Center Transportation Hub text, Signal Processing: Discrete Combustion Engineering, the students. project. This fall he attended Spectral Analysis, Detection and company that employed him for IN MEMORIAM Arthur W. Lotz ’47, ’49 Warren B. Coe ’53 Nathan D. Field Ph.D. ’56 Robert Quattrone ’62, ’66 an NYU networking event John R. Passalacqua ’49 Nicholas Di Santi ’53 Edward C. Jaroszewski ’56 Henry A. Oberndorfer ’63 Estimation, first introduced the almost four decades. at Tiro a Segno, the oldest Professor Robert C. Walter M. Davis ’50 Peter P. Lombardo ’53 Robert H. Lee ’56, ’71 Walter J. Skuggevig ’63 title’s topics to an undergradu- On May 11, just months Leonard N. Podell Italian-American social club in Ackerberg Charles J. Falco ’50 Joe Manuel Paz ’53 Adrian J. Basili ’57 Gerald A. Martingano ’65 ate audience. before his death, Metzendorf, ’60CE, ’65CE the United States, where he Professor Arthur A. Oliner Frederick W. Kahler ’50 Roland A. Roe ’53 John Digrindakis ’57,’62 Steven H. Reichman ’65, ’67 Shiv Panwar, now the Direc- who had by then settled in Wis- After a long and fruitful career spoke to influential alumni in ’05 (Hon) Donald B. Terrana ’50 Irving Abrams ’54 Eugene J. Dussich ’57 Joseph M. Lestrange ’66 tor of the Center for Advanced consin to be near devoted mem- that spanned more than 60 the construction and real estate Edward J. Gentsch ’34 John K. Benz ’51 Arthur E. Blenkle’54 Douglas C. Renud ’57 Sin Chou Fan Ph.D. ’67 Technology in Telecommunica- bers of his extended family, years, Leonard N. Podell retired industry. Tiro a Segno translates Dr. Ralph Tekel ’41 Joseph F. Coates ’51 Robert D. Fischetti’54 David M. Wetstone Ph.D. ’57 Frank V. Fossella ’69 tions and the Chair of the Elec- attended a ball game between in April of 2014. Leonard, to “Shoot at the Target,” and he Charles Ledwith ’44 Alfred G. Hoerrner ’51 Donald B.Hoffman ’54 Morris Daniel Bellware ’59 Philip C. Washburn ’69 trical and Computer Engineer- the Milwaukee Brewers and the who served during the Korean was able to do just that at the Arthur H. Mones, James R. McVey ’54 Charles A. Guarneri ’59 Daniel P. Mazzola ’71 Conflict in the specialized shooting range in the venue’s Harold J. Metter ’44 ing Department, recalls, “He Yankees. The Brewers honor a Albert H. Greer Ph.D. ’45, ’49 Ph.D ’51, ’57 Joseph F. Metzendorf ’54 William H. Moore ’59 Elmer Freibergs ’73 aviation engineering units basement, showcasing the truly personified the best values military veteran at each game, Walter Rusnak ’47 Semon P. Vincent ’51 John J. Monagle, Ph.D. ’54 Dr. I. Hilary Rolih ’59 Daniel L. Beldy ’76 known as SCARWAF, worked marksmanship he had acquired of service to this institution, and Metzendorf was chosen Henry G. Lenz ’48 Robert J. Butt ’52 Gerald H. Rich ’54 Allen Jay Schwalb ’59, ’63, ’65 Sallyann Aliquo as a Civil Engineer with as a member of the JROTC much of it during critical times that day. When a beaming Met- Dr. Martin L. Perl, D.S. ’48, ’96 William G. Deichert ’52 William J. Stenger ’54 Gerald Weiss, Ph.D.’59 Giuffrida ’78 consultant offices, the State and Rifle Team at Xavier High Albert A. Sommerfeld ’48 Allen E. Heyson ’52 Peter Veit ’54 Hua Tung Lee Ph.D. ’60 Jeffrey J. Smith ’93 in the school’s history. He kept zendorf appeared on the ball- City of New York, the Federal School. He is looking forward Robert W. Unterreiner ’48 Gibson Reynolds ’52 Herman P. De Haan ’55 Richard Zogheb ’60, ’66 Richard Fishbein in close touch with us and main- park’s massive screen, some Government, and the State of to continuing to be an active Jack Borsellino ’49 William Skidba ’52 Robert O. Foernsler ’55 Eliot Liang ’61 George W. Pardee tained a keen interest in devel- 43,000 fans gave him a well-de- Maryland. He is now enjoying NYU alum and taking part in Aaron H. Coleman’49 Stephen S. Voris ’52 Thomas F. Gabriel ’55 Edward J. Bage ’62 Helen Warren opments at Poly even after his served standing ovation. time with his family and friends. other events like that one.

47 DONOR PROFILE engineering.nyu.edu/cable HENRY BERTONI

ENGINEERING is CREATIVE, GLOBAL, LIFE, MOBILE, ART, GAMING, NOW, SOCIAL, NYU. ENGINEERING... is BROOKLYN

“I came to the NYU School of Engineering as a graduate student, Henry Bertoni ’62, ’67 earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1962 and his Ph.D. when it was known as the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and in Electrophysics in 1967. Over the course stayed on for the next 47 years to teach and do research. As a profes- of his career, he twice served as head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering sor, I’ve always felt great empathy and admiration for our students. Department, was vice provost of graduate Many have been the first in their families to attend college, and studies, and directed the school’s Wireless many have come from other countries to better their lives. They’re Internet Center for Advance Technology (WICAT). A longtime fellow of the IEEE and an extremely motivated group, willing to work hard, and I want to the author of the text Radio Propagation for do everything I can to help them reach their goals. Because of my Modern Wireless Systems, he has done semi- nal research on wave phenomena in electro- investment of time and energy here, the success of our students magnetics, ultrasonics and optics. and the recognition of Poly are very important to me. That’s why I For more information on how you can help the NYU Polytechnic School of Engi- choose to fund scholarships; it’s a way to have a meaningful impact neering, contact Judy Sager at jsager@nyu. on the lives of our students, and through them the stature of Poly.” edu or call 1-718-260-3298.

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