A Widened Lens by Joan Killough-Miller | Photography John Mollura an Iqp in Namibia Inspired Donal Boyd ’13 to Pursue a Career Behind the Camera
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JOURNAL pi a Widened lens HOW AN IQP IN NAMIBIA INSPIRED DONAL BOYD ’13 TO PURSUE A CAREER BEHIND THE CAMERA The Alumni mAgAzine of WorcesTer PolyTechnic insTiTuTe SUMMER 2016 WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE VOL. 112, NO. 3 | summer 2016 [CONTENTS] 24 FEATURES 20 34 THE SPECIALIST THE STATS BEHIND THE STORY ALEXIA (BILILIES) RANTALA ’09 CAN’T REMEMBER A PASSION FOR NUMBERS TURNED INTO A NEW WHEN TRAVELING INTERNATIONALLY AND HELPING LANGUAGE OF SPORTS FOR JEFF BENNETT ’94. PEOPLE LESS FORTUNATE WEREN’T PART OF HER LIFE. BY TED FLANAGAN | PHOTOGRAPHY KATHLEEN DOOHER BY CATE COULACOS PRATO | PHOTOGRAPHY ERIC HASON 40 24 SEWING SPACE [ COVERstory] JINNY FERL ’83 HAS DESIGNS ON THE GALAXY. A WIDENED LENS BY JOAN KILLOUGH-MILLER | PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN MOLLURA AN IQP IN NAMIBIA INSPIRED DONAL BOYD ’13 TO PURSUE A CAREER BEHIND THE CAMERA. BY ANDREW FAUGHT | PHOTOGRAPHY DONAL BOYD COVER PHOTO DONAL BOYD WPIA_FOB_Summer_INF-19.indd 6 7/28/16 12:40 AM 64 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS Peter A. Thomas CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Amy M. Morton EDITOR Doreen Manning [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITORS Peggy Isaacson Joan Killough-Miller 34 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Judith Jaeger ART DIRECT0R DEPARTMENTS Caryl Guarino Buhler CONTRIBUTORS Michael Cohen Andrew Faught 02 32 Ted Flanagan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Cate Coulacos Prato WPI INSIDER Julia Quinn-Szcesuil SOME STUFF YOU LIKED FROM THE SPRING JOURNAL, KATIE PICCHIONE ’16 IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF Jennifer Wyglinski AND SOME OTHER ITEMS THAT DIDN’T IMPRESS YOU. A WPI INSIDER. PRODUCTION MANAGER WE AREN’T SHY … WE SHARE IT ALL. Dianne Vanacore PHOTOGRAPHERS 45 Donal Boyd 03 Matthew Burgos ACROSS EARLE BRIDGE Kathleen Dooher MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT LESHIN MA FELLOWSHIP, ALUMNI AWARDS, #MYWPILEGACY, Leah Fasten Eric Hason AND ALUMNI WEEKEND SNAPSHOTS Steven King 05 John Mollura BYTE o’ 50 ILLUSTRATORS π Gabriela Zurda Corbarán A TALK WITH IMGD PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE DONOR IMPACT PJ Loughran LEE SHELDON JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF THE ALDEN TRUST CHALLENGE. 07 GLOBAL IMPACT 53 CORRESPOND WITH WPI JOURNAL TRAVEL TO A NEW PROJECT CENTER IN INDIA CLASS NOTES WPI Journal WHAT THE GOAT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR 100 Institute Road - Boynton Hall Worcester, Massachusetts 01609 FORMER CLASSMATES HAVE BEEN DOING? DON’T [email protected] 08 FORGET TO SEND US YOUR OWN UPDATE AT wpi.edu/+journal 508-831-4971 Wπ [email protected]. Submit Class Notes: [email protected] CAMPUS NEWS RANGING FROM “UNBUILT WPI,” WPI Journal (ISSN 1538-5094) ©2016 is THE GORDON PRIZE CELEBRATION, AND MEET A published quarterly by Worcester Polytechnic MUSLIM DAY—PLUS KNIGHTS AND BIKES AND A 63 Institute (WPI) in conjunction with the WPI Alumni Association. Periodical postage paid FEW THINGS IN BETWEEN COMPLETED CAREERS non-profit at Worcester, Massachusetts, and IN MEMORY OF ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND OTHER additional entry offices. Issues are mailed to all known WPI alumni living within the U.S. MEMBERS OF THE WPI COMMUNITY as a benefit of having graduated from WPI. 19 This publication is guided by WPI’s principles of free expression and accepted standards of TURNING POINT good taste. Opinions expressed are those of the GEORGE AGHJAYAN ’88 TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO 64 signed contributors and do not represent the opinion or official position of WPI or its officers. HIS ARMENIAN HERITAGE TO ENSURE HIS PEOPLE COMMENCEMENT POSTMASTER: Please send address changes, WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. Form 3579, to WPI Journal, Worcester CELEBRATING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2016 Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280. summer 2016 | follow us @WPI #WPIjournal 1 . [ LETTERS TO THE editor] PRAISE US OR PAN US, OR SIMPLY SHARE BY SUBMITTING YOUR LETTER TO EDITOR DOREEN MANNING AT [email protected] APPROVAL #LIKEAGIRL Just a brief note to register my approval, indeed Regarding the interview with Linnea Palmer Paton applause, for the handsome quality of the recent ‘11 in the Spring issue, I have three words about WPI Journal. I like the satin texture of the paper Ms. Paton’s activism...YOU GO, GIRL! and the visual quality that it imparts to the images. — V. C. Danos ’76 It makes it more user attractive and this prompted me to sit down and actually walk my way through VAN A it page by page. Dear Friends of van A, I was also intrigued to see my classmate Bob Of all our WPI memories, I’m sure there are Behn on the cover. We both lived at Morgan Hall as some indelible ones of a person who, for many freshmen and then at Theta Chi until graduation. of us, was equal parts teacher, guide, fan, and I, too, still use my Sears and Zemanski physics friend—Dean John van Alstyne. There was textbook that he mentions. something magical and timeless about van A. I was sad to hear that Alumni Gymnasium will To honor his contribution and the special place be torn down. I spent many hours in the pool there he occupies in our hearts, the WPI Class of ’86 and for a time held the pool record in the freestyle Reunion Committee has begun a movement that relay event. We were coached by Frank Grant, an spans all WPI communities to fund a lasting Olympic contender who lost to Johnny Weissmuller tribute to van A that will remember him, and of Tarzan fame. Those were good days. introduce him to students for generations to I had a great experience at WPI. I was taught come. For nearly three decades he was dedicated electronics by William Grogan. I was taught to the Institute and, most especially, to its students. mechanical design by Carlton Staples. I was taught He was a walking spirit of WPI and of the WPI strength of materials by Fred Anderson. I was Plan that he helped to envision and bring to life. coached by Frank Grant and Alan King. I was NOT We’d like that spirit to continue. taught physics by Heller, aka the “red vector,” As the Class of ’86 celebrates its 30th reunion unfortunately. this summer, we ask that all WPI alumni join us Congratulations on the Journal. Keep up the in contributing whatever you feel compelled to good work. offer in van A’s memory. —Daniel Pender ’63 • Goal Our intention is to create a physical ’68 STILL GREAT remembrance of van A at WPI as well as an Having read the latest Class Notes without a endowed scholarship in his name. The exact contribution from the Class of 1968—the 100th form and combination this takes will depend WPI graduating class (remember ’68 IS GREAT! on the amount raised. Our hope is to achieve during freshman hazing?)—I figured I should a minimum of $100,000 (preferably, far more) maybe write in. We are the last of the “old WPI” to truly create a lasting legacy. before the Plan, and before women attended in the fall of 1968. • Duration The campaign is running through It was sad news to see that my WPI advisor, June 2017. You have the option of making a Carlton Staples, had died. I never had him for any pledge and spreading out the actual payments of my ME courses, but he was always there if I to WPI for up to five years. This will help us needed some support. More sad news was the reach our goal faster while still recognizing passing of fraternity brother Bill Grogan, and of that many in our class are working to put our Father Pete, who married my wife, Ruthanne, and own kids through college. me back in the fall of 1972 at the chapel at Tufts —Brian Murphy ’86 University, where she worked. We exchanged For more information about how to give to the Tribute to Christmas cards for over 40 years. I do keep up John van Alstyne, contact Brian Murphy at 508-831-6629, with a few former classmates, roommates, and [email protected]. Phi Kappa Theta brothers. —Kenneth Gminski ’68 Editor’s note — don’t let your class go unrepresented next issue. Send your update, reminiscenses, and historical notations (heck, maybe even a photo) to [email protected] today! Letters may be edited for length and clarity. 2 wpi journal wpi.edu/+journal | summer 2016 [ MESSAGE FROM THE president] Dear Friends, Which brings me to the lesson behind these two converging streams of history. As you read this, a remarkable transforma- In 1913, newly inaugurated president Ira tion is taking place on the WPI Quad. It is a Hollis made it his mission to fill the long-felt transformation with an interesting history need for athletic facilities. He appealed to and a powerful lesson about the good that WPI alumni to help him realize that vision. can come when people truly believe in the The Alumni Association had already been power of an educational institution to raising funds from its members for new change lives. athletic fields, and it gladly took up the task Let’s begin with the transformation. of gathering the additional funds needed Early this summer, following the pomp and for a gym. festivity of Commencement, workers began Not long before I joined the WPI commu- dismantling Alumni Gymnasium. Taking nity in the summer of 2014, a plan for the care to recover its treasured stonework Foisie Innovation Studio had begun to take (including its 34 grotesques), they are making shape. I quickly recognized the value this room for the newest addition to our new facility would bring to our students, campus, the Robert A. Foisie Innovation and the vital role it could play in realizing Studio and Residence Hall. my own vision of elevating WPI’s impact When it is completed in summer 2018, in the world.