We've Got the Nextbig

The University Magazine Fall 2016

WE’VE GOT THE NEXT BIG IDEA

RIT: The University Magazine Executive Editors Deborah M. Stendardi, Bradley Photo by Mike Government and Community Relations RIT President Bill Destler walks across campus during the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival. Bob Finnerty ’07, University News Services Editor Mindy Mozer, University News Services FROM THE PRESIDENT Contributing Editors Lisa Cauda, Development and Alumni Relations Kim Slusser, Development and Alumni Relations Grand challenges, Craig Smith, Development Cindy Sobieraj, Development and Alumni Relations convergence and retirement Alumni Relations Staff Art Director Jeff Arbegast ’93, University Publications h what I would do to turn back the to work together, to listen and learn from Photographer A. Sue Weisler ’93, University News Services clock and be a freshman at RIT this each other,” Córdova told our graduates. semester. As we prepare to welcome If I were a freshman today at RIT, I would Writers: University News Services Scott Bureau ’11, ’16 Oback a record 19,000-plus students, the want to explore everything on campus! Michelle Cometa ’00 university is already brimming with activity Instead, I will explore a new chapter in my Susan Gawlowicz ’95 that I see as a collision of the left brain life. It is with very mixed emotions that I am Rich Kiley Greg Livadas (math, logic) and right brain (creativity). informing you that I will retire from my Vienna McGrain ’12 For example, construction will soon position as president of RIT on June 30, 2017. Marcia Morphy At that time, I will have completed a 10-year Ellen Rosen be underway for MAGIC Spell Studios, a program that will link RIT’s internationally term leading this remarkable university. Copy Editor Marie Lang, University News Services ranked academic programs with high-tech These years at RIT have been the most Print Production facilities needed to commercialize computer fulfilling of my professional career. On a more Brenda Monahan, University Publications gaming, film and animation, graphic design personal note, I want to thank my spouse, and imaging sciences projects. Dr. Rebecca Johnson, for bravely joining me University News Services We are also beginning our new on this adventure and for all she has done to 132 Lomb Memorial Drive “Signature Interdisciplinary Research provide a human face to our work. Rochester, NY 14623-5608 Areas” in sociotechnical approaches to As I enter my final year, the RIT commu- Voice: 585-475-5064 Fax: 585-475-5097 cybersecurity, personalized health care nity cannot rest on its laurels if we are to Email: [email protected] technology, remote sensing with unmanned continue to be a great global university. And Office of Alumni Relations aerial vehicles, computational relativity and frankly, if we continue to improve in the right Crossroads 41 Lomb Memorial Drive gravitation and the future photon initiative. ways, the world will be better served by RIT Rochester, NY 14623-5603 Voice: 585-475-ALUM, Toll Free: 866-RIT-ALUM (See page 5.) It’s these convergences of disci- as a result. I plan to roll up my sleeves TTY: 585-475-2764, Fax: 585-475-5308 plines that are making up the fabric of RIT. during the next year because we still have a Email: [email protected] And this aligns perfectly with the shifting needs lot of work to accomplish before I retire. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, of our planet. This was noted by RIT com- So this is not the final goodbye. I look New York, publishes The University Magazine. mencement speaker France Córdova, direc- forward to working across the campus to RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity within its workforce and provides tor of the National Science Foundation. collaborate and converge our collective equal opportunity to all qualified individuals “The grand challenges of our time— talents as we make an impact on the world. regardless of race, color, creed, age, marital status, harnessing big data, ensuring access to sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran clean water, designing and managing a Yours in Tiger pride, status, or disability. technology-embedded society—these will not be solved by one disciplinary Vol. 18, No. 2, 117M-P1793-8/2016-LANE-JSA field alone. They will require the expertise Printer: The Lane Press; Burlington, Vermont © 2016 Rochester Institute of Technology of an array of disciplines, a diverse group Bill Destler, President All rights reserved of passionate people. They will require us www.rit.edu/president b | WINTER 2011-12  UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Construction is now underway on RIT’s Alumni House and it’s all thanks to you! Your support has helped tear down walls, but we now need help to build them back up. If you have not yet supported the RIT Alumni House—your home on RIT’s campus—please consider making a gift so that we can open its doors for our Tiger alumni shortly.

Thanks again and we hope to have you over soon.

For the latest updates and to make a gift visit rit.edu/alumnihouse.

Rochester Institute of Technology

October 14th-16th

Many activities to choose from including Presidents’ Alumni Ball, “Classes Without Quizzes”, Friday Fun Night, Women‘s Hockey vs. Union, Family Fun Zone, Men’s Hockey vs. UConn, SG Horton Speaker Brandon Stanton, Humans of New York Brick City 5k, 50th Year Reunion Activities, Tours, Golden Circle Luncheon, Athletic Reunions, Greek Reunions, Pumpkin Chunkin & more.

RIT ri Cit Homeomin RITriCit Sin u at rit.edu/riit The University Magazine Fall 2016

Departments 4 On Campus 6 About Students 32 Alumni Updates 38 Class Notes 40 Tiger Love

Features

8 Busy year for RIT president Bill Destler has a lot of work to do before he retires next summer.

10 Metaproject connections Students are partnering with leading design companies and sometimes getting their creations to market.

14 Center grows into leader RIT’s Center for Computational Oscar Estrada Torrejon, a Relativity and Gravitation is one of mechanical engineering the most renowned research groups student from Lima, Peru, worked with his IdeaLab in gravitational physics in the world. team to develop innovative products for hospital 20 We’ve got the next big idea environments. Growing resources help students turn their concepts into companies.

28 Working for The Who Two graduates capture sights and sounds of rock legends.

Cover From left to right: Students Nicholas Lamb, Zach Baltzer, Greyson Watkins and Chrystal Schlenker formed Hz Innova- tions, a company that has developed a programmable and fully customizable tool that alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing people to sounds in their homes. This summer, the team will complete production of its first 1,000-unit order. (Photo by Tim Wainwright)

FALL 2016 | 1

Photo by Michael Owens October 14th-16th Many activities to choose from, including new events & favorite traditions like 50th Year Reunion Activities, Tours, Golden Circle Luncheon, Athletic Reunions, Greek Reunions, Classes Without Quizzes and more.

TH Dinner amin Danin at the residents lumni all Honoring RIT Alumni Sharon Napier ’04 14 and Mike Krupnicki ’99

rida un Niht TH Build-A-Tiger, Dueling Pianos, Paint Nite, Food Trucks and more! 14

TH Student oernment Horton Seaer randon Stanton 15 Humans of New York Classes ithout uies Learning fun for everyone! TH amil un one Bounce House & arcade games! 15

TH ra u the eeend Brick City 5K Fun Run 16 Parent/Family Brunch

randon Stanton Humans of New York Cheer on the Tiers rida Otoer th Women’s Hockey vs. Union, Gene Polisseni Center Saturda Otoer th Women’s Hockey vs. Union, Gene Polisseni Center RIT ri Cit Homeomin RITriCit Sin u at rit.edu/riit Men’s Hockey vs. UConn, Hotels book fast & many events sell out early! All seats in Blue Cross Arena are assigned; tickets for all other events are general admission. Blue Cross Arena, downtown Rochester October 14th-16th Many activities to choose from, including new events & favorite traditions like 50th Year Reunion Activities, Tours, Golden Circle Luncheon, Athletic Reunions, Greek Reunions, Classes Without Quizzes and more.

TH Dinner amin Danin at the residents lumni all Honoring RIT Alumni Sharon Napier ’04 14 and Mike Krupnicki ’99

rida un Niht TH Build-A-Tiger, Dueling Pianos, Paint Nite, Food Trucks and more! 14

TH Student oernment Horton Seaer randon Stanton 15 Humans of New York Classes ithout uies Learning fun for everyone! TH amil un one Bounce House & arcade games! 15

TH ra u the eeend Brick City 5K Fun Run 16 Parent/Family Brunch

NOTEBOOK Next Big Shot A Rochester company whose name is syn- onymous with pictures worldwide will be the focus of RIT’s 32nd Big Shot. The community photography project will capture a dramatic nighttime image of Kodak Tower, the long- time headquarters of Eastman Kodak Co., on Sunday, Sept. 18. New name, leader RIT and the American University in Kosovo Foundation Inc.

signed an agreement Newman Photo by Brittainy to officially rename the In what was the first outdoor theatrical production in recent memory at RIT, 20 students, staff and faculty members performed William RIT/A.U.K. global cam- Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Infinity Quad. This was part of RIT’s yearlong commemoration of the 400th anniversary of pus to RIT Kosovo. Shakespeare’s death. The English poet, playwright and actor wrote nearly 40 plays and more than 150 sonnets. Sharon Y. Hart became president of RIT Kosovo after Winfred L. Thompson retired. Hart was president of Three appointed to leadership roles the Northern Mari- anas College in Saipan, oreen Edwards became dean of Kate Gleason located in the U.S. College of Engineering on July 1. commonwealth of the Edwards, who was dean of the Kazuo Western Pacific. InamoriD School of Engineering at Alfred University and acting vice president of Statutory Affairs for the Eighth Ph.D. university, took over for Harvey Palmer, who retired in RIT will offer a new June after 16 years as dean. Ph.D. in mathematical Edwards has published more than 60 papers and modeling, beginning in holds two patents. She brings more than 20 years of Doreen Edwards Anne Haake Twyla Cummings fall 2017. experience in academia and industry as a researcher, This emerging educator and administrator to the position. Twyla Cummings became dean of Graduate discipline integrates ap- Anne R. Haake became dean of the B. Thomas Education on Aug. 1. Cummings, who was senior plied mathematics with Golisano College of Computing and Information associate dean for graduate studies and faculty research scientific computing to Sciences on April 1. Haake, who had been serving as in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, was model real systems and interim dean of the computing college since last July, chosen after an extensive internal search. to solve research prob- was chosen after an international search. Cummings has had a distinguished career, including lems across the science, Haake has had a distinguished career in academia, 17 years at RIT. She has served as a professor in RIT’s technology, engineer- including 15 years at RIT. She has served in interdisci- School of Media Sciences, teaching and researching in ing and mathematics, plinary curriculum development roles for several the areas of media distribution and print industry or STEM, fields. The programs, including bioinformatics, medical informat- trends. She was also appointed the Paul and Louise program is RIT’s eighth ics, the Ph.D. in computing and information sciences Miller Distinguished Professorship and worked as a doctoral degree. and the human-computer interaction master’s program. graduate director for the print media program.

4 | FALL 2016 NOTEBOOK RIT announces strategic investments New master’s degree RIT’s National Techni- in five research areas cal Institute for the Deaf has received ap- proval from New York o advance its focus on from a more proactive position State Department of conducting internationally by studying how such elements Education to establish a distinguished research, RIT as human behavior, economic first-of-its-kind Master hasT chosen five initiatives to receive incentives and social influences of Science degree pro- strategic investments. on design of systems and software gram in health care in- These strategic initiatives, picked interact with technology and can • Remote Sensing with Unmanned terpretation to meet the through a rigorous internal process be incorporated to develop better Aerial Vehicles: An interdisciplin- demands of nationally that looked at 26 research proposals, protections. ary team from imaging science, certified sign-language will each receive up to $1 million, engineering, public policy and interpreters desiring a payable over five years, on the mechanical engineering technol- master’s degree specific condition that the projects meet ogy within the colleges of Science, to working in health- their annual review goals. The projects Liberal Arts, Kate Gleason Col- care environments. will also receive funding through lege of Engineering and College The program is a matching commitments made by of Applied Science and Technol- collaborative venture deans, department heads, center ogy will work on challenges fac- between NTID and directors and team members. ing this industry, from integrating RIT’s College of Health “The response from the RIT UAVs into the national airspace Sciences and Technol- community to our call for research to making use of imaging data ogy and marks the first proposals was tremendous,” said • Personalized Health Care Tech- collected with sensors that read time that NTID will Ryne Raffaelle, vice president for nology: This team will research visual, spectral, thermal or spatial be partnering with research and associate provost. ways to enhance personalized information. another RIT college “We received proposals from care and access through mobile to provide a master’s interdisciplinary teams that liter- and wearable technologies that degree program. ally represented every college and integrate new media design and institute on campus. The quality of leverage data, behavioral and Native Americans the proposals was outstanding and social sciences. The goal is to RIT was recognized in necessitated a thorough, multi-stage provide rigorous evidence that Winds of Change maga- process that involved both internal mobile technologies can enhance zine as one of the Top and external reviews by a variety of health and prevent disease. 200 Colleges for Native impartial stakeholders to identify • Computational Relativity and American Students. It the most meritorious proposals.” Gravitation: RIT researchers are is the seventh time the The five proposals are: part of the scientific collaboration university made the that used the Laser Interferometer annual list. Colleges are Gravitational-wave Observatory ranked on admissions to confirm the existence of gravi- selectivity, enrollment tational waves and binary black numbers, top majors holes predicted in Albert Ein- and information about stein’s general theory of relativity the American Indian and to make a second discovery community and sup- of another pair of colliding black port programs on the • The Future Photon Initiative: holes during the same observa- campus and within the • Sociotechnical Approaches A team of 15 researchers from tional run. The researchers will region. to Cybersecurity: This team, RIT’s colleges and research build on that breakthrough detec- consisting of 25 faculty members centers in engineering, science, tion by creating a wide-spanning Diversity head from five colleges (B. Thomas business and design will develop and integrated program around Keith Jenkins, director Golisano College of Computing advanced photonics applications the new science of gravitational of Undergraduate Pro- and Information Sciences, Kate and apply them to solve some of wave astronomy and multimes- grams in the College of Gleason College of Engineering, the world’s most pressing problems senger astrophysics. (Read more Liberal Arts, has been Saunders College of Business and in science, national security, on pages 14-18.) appointed interim vice the colleges of Science and Liberal advanced manufacturing, president and associate Arts), will research sociotechnical communications, information To learn more about all of the provost for Diversity approaches to cybersecurity. Their technology, energy, health care strategic initiatives, go to rit.edu/ and Inclusion at RIT. goal is to look at cybersecurity and medicine. research.

FALL 2016 | 5 About Students

Original photos by Adam DeTour ’06 Students win challenge to fight terrorism

t’s Time: ExOut Extremism, a social “We thought they really captured the media campaign created by RIT students, attention of their target audience of young took top prize in a global challenge con- people with their ExOut campaign and would Iducted by the U.S. State Department aimed at reach the demographic that we are interested finding ways to counter terrorist propaganda in,” Ryan said. “Who better to reach these online. young people on social networking sites than The RIT team was the only group from the university students as we search for new ways United States to reach the finals of the P2P: to counter online terrorism.” Challenging Extremism competition, and To reach the finals, RIT outsmarted 56 became the first U.S. team to win first place, university teams from around the globe, defeating this year’s other finalist teams from including national competition from several Versalius College in Brussels and Khazar universities which received honorable men- University in Baku, Azerbaijan. Last year, tions, including University of California, RIT received an honorable mention in the Berkeley; University of Southern California; competition. Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; New York Judging this year’s competition—held in University and the University of Mississippi. Washington, D.C., on June 27—were officials As winners, team members received Photo provided by Evan Ryan by Evan Photo provided from the State Department, Facebook, the $5,000 to continue to develop their cam- It’s Time: ExOut Extremism, a social media campaign U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the paign. created by RIT students, took top prize in a global Combating Terrorism Technical Support The 17-member RIT team was led by challenge. The team is posing with Assistant Secretary Office and the National Counterterrorism Adriana Bóveda-Lambie, assistant professor of State Evan Ryan, center. Center. of marketing at Saunders College of Business, One of the judges, Assistant Secretary of who assigned students the P2P Challenge State Evan Ryan, offered high praise for the in her social media marketing class during budget of $2,000, the team created a public RIT team’s digital media work. the spring 2016 semester. With an operating relations and strategy agency, with a logo,

6 | FALL 2016 Hot Wheelz, the all-female race team from RIT, finished third in the electric category in its first national event, Dartmouth’s Formula Hybrid Competition on May 2-5 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. The team, which placed first in project management, also was recognized with two trophies, the GM Spirit of Formula Hybrid Award and the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Gracious Professionalism Award.

Celebrating commencement website, social media, video platforms, and events to raise public awareness both on campus and in the community. They worked with the Muslim community in Rochester to develop the campaign. The team members presenting at the competition were Jessica Kellner ’16 (new media marketing), Margaret Harrington ’16 (photographic sciences), Kate Sudar ’16 (illustration), Olivia Hauck ’16 (advertising and public relations) and Kailun Jiang ’16 (marketing). “When we started this project we realized this wasn’t just about focusing on ISIL and how they operate; the most important part of challenging extremism is to open people’s eyes from those suffering from it,” said team member Hauck. RIT President Bill Destler said he is proud

of the students and their sensitivity in tack- Weisler Sue Photo by A. ling such a complex and challenging issue. RIT President Bill Destler conferred degrees on about 4,000 graduating students, including 32 doctorates, “These students reflect so admirably the during Academic Convocation in May. France A. Córdova, a physics Ph.D. and director of the National innovative and creative spirit that permeates Science Foundation, a $7.5 billion independent federal agency, was the keynote speaker. She told the university,” he said. graduates that the workforce of the future must have a broad-based education that encourages Marcia Morphy collaboration and convergence with other people passionate about their fields.

FALL 2016 | 7 Will Strawser ’10/Myers Creative Imaging 8 | FALL 2016 President Destler plans

BUSY YEAR BEFORE 2017RETIREMENT

ill Destler, RIT’s ninth president, will carbon neutrality by opening a massive RIT Presidents retire at the end of the 2016-2017 solar energy farm. Carleton B. Gibson 1910-1916 academic year. Destler’s career in Destler, who became president of RIT James F. Barker 1916-1919 Bhigher education has spanned more than on July 1, 2007, and his spouse, Rebecca Royal B. Farnum 1919-1921 40 years, with this upcoming academic year Johnson, expanded RIT’s relationship with John A. Randall 1922-1936 being his 10th at RIT. the community. Destler and Johnson created Mark Ellingson 1936-1969 “As we enter our final year, the RIT com- the Rochester City Scholars program, which Paul A. Miller 1969-1979 munity cannot rest on its laurels if we are go- gives Rochester City School District gradu- M. Richard Rose 1979-1992 ing to continue to be a great global universi- ates who meet certain requirements free full Albert J. Simone 1992-2007 ty,” Destler said. “I plan to roll up my sleeves tuition to attend RIT. RIT also partnered William W. Destler 2007-2017 during the next year because we still have a with Uncommon Schools to develop a char- lot of work to accomplish before I retire.” ter high school in Rochester. A nationwide search for a successor began “Rebecca and I have been proud to make National search underway immediately. Rochester our home,” Destler said. “This has for 10th president Under Destler’s leadership, RIT’s enroll- been an amazing journey for both of us.” ment has reached record levels, selectivity In a memo to the RIT community, Destler The search is on for RIT’s 10th president. and diversity have improved, the value of added: “These years at RIT have been the “Under Bill Destler’s leadership, RIT research awards has grown significantly and most fulfilling of my professional career. is firmly positioned as a leading interna- geographic draw continues to widen across To all of you, I offer my heartfelt thanks for tional university whose academic port- the U.S. and overseas. your friendship, for your ideas, and for your folio, research agenda and educational Destler accomplished his vision of turn- steadfast service to RIT and our students.” model are making an impact across the ing RIT into one of the most innovative Christine Whitman, chair of the RIT globe,” said Board of Trustees Chair universities in the world. The Imagine RIT: Board of Trustees, said Destler has po- Christine Whitman. “The RIT presi- Innovation and Creativity Festival has at- sitioned RIT well for the future and that dency will be an extremely attractive tracted more than 250,000 visitors to campus growth will continue as the 2015-2025 strate- position to attain in the world of higher since it launched in 2008, and RIT can boast gic plan is deployed. education.” about award-winning programs in a host of “RIT is leading the way in preparing our A Presidential Search Committee, led uncommon disciplines, including packaging diverse student body for the rewarding jobs by Trustee and past Board Chair Brian science, computational astrophysics, sustain- of the future while equipping them with the Hall, was formed with broad representa- ability and interactive games and media. skills to become good citizens of our world,” tion from across university constituen- During his tenure, the Carnegie Classi- Whitman said. “Under Dr. Destler’s leader- cies. An executive search firm will guide fication of Institutions of Higher Education ship, every measurable indicator is up. RIT the process and identify a strong pool of reclassified RIT as a doctoral university, is having high impact and is recognized both candidates. The search process will include reflecting the rapid increase in the num- nationally and internationally.” receiving input from various constituent ber of Ph.D. degrees the university grants Destler came to RIT from the University groups on the desired goals and leader- each year; RIT’s ninth college, the Col- of Maryland at College Park, where he spent ship attributes for the next president. lege of Health Sciences and Technology, more than 30 years, rising from the ranks of This includes seeking input from RIT launched; the Vignelli Center for Design research associate and assistant professor of alumni chapters across the nation. Studies opened; the Golisano Institute for electrical engineering to senior vice presi- “The process for selecting our next Sustainability created the world’s first Ph.D. dent for academic affairs and provost. president will be open and transparent,” program focused on sustainable production; He is an international authority on high- said Hall ’78 (MBA). “We will include and RIT was among the first universities in power microwave sources and advanced all of the RIT governance groups. The the country to create a department dedicated accelerator concepts and one of the world’s Presidential Search Committee compo- to computing security. foremost collectors of antique banjos. sition will include representation from Bob Finnerty ’07 Destler also helped make RIT a greener faculty, staff, students, alumni, deans, campus. Since 2008, RIT has opened three vice presidents and trustees.” LEED certified buildings, including the first The Board of Trustees, with input building in Monroe County to be certified To learn more from the RIT community, will ultimate- LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Go to rit.edu/president/president_search ly select the new president in the spring Council and a state-of-the-art green facility for the latest information on the search of 2017. The new president will begin for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. and for ways to get involved. July 1, 2017. Last year, RIT took another step toward

FALL 2016 | 9 Josh Owen, professor and chair of industrial design, and Evan Cincotta ’16 discuss Cincotta’s ideas for Metaproject 06. This year Metaproject partnered with workplace furniture company Poppin. Students were challenged to create innovative accessories for Poppin, and Cincotta made a desk organization system.

METAPROJECT CONNECTS STUDENTS TO INDUSTRY

rancesca Pezze ’11 (industrial design) to sign up for this ‘mystery’ class,” recalled The final day of class culminated in a jur- epitomizes what it means to success- Pezze, who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. ied review of each student’s designs—and the fully come full circle. “Everything about it was new and there was a announcement of a winner. Pezze’s invention, FDuring her senior year in the fall of 2010, a lot of anticipation and excitement surround- “The Nodule,” a bathroom stool with varying first-time initiative called Metaproject paired ing it.” height supports and storage compartments, student designers with a real-world client in In an extremely aggressive design finished among the top projects and has since what would soon become a seminal project timetable, Pezze and 19 of her classmates become part of the RIT Archive Collections for RIT’s nationally ranked industrial design were tasked with creating laminate seating at The Wallace Center. program. prototypes for then-sponsor and furniture Pezze now serves as a product designer at “I remember it being very nerve-racking manufacturer Wilsonart International. Poppin, a leading manufacturer of workplace

Photos by A. Sue Weisler 10 | FALL 2016 Metaproject 06 participants worked on their designs this spring and presented them to Poppin representatives. Clockwise from top left: Sara Schult ’16 explains her Nesting Cup and Carafe Set project with sign language interpreter Jonathan Hopkins; Veronica Lin ’16 refines an early prototype of Foot Pebble; fourth-year industrial design student Afifi Ishak makes paper and foam prototypes of his project Sticky Note Ball; Stephanie Saucier ’16 shows Poppin Power, a device that brings power access to the desktop; Tristan Cannan ’16 demonstrates the features of Booster Desk; and Kasia Kozak ’16 presents Recycling System.

furniture and supplies based in New York and pragmatically understandable, but also portant contacts with some of the most pres- City and sponsor of Metaproject 06, the latest visually powerful, intellectually elegant and tigious design-based companies in the world, in the now renowned annual design studio timeless,” according to Josh Owen, professor and they have the opportunity to exhibit their course offered to seniors in RIT’s industrial and chair of the industrial design program in creations each May during the International design program. the School of Design. Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) as part “I felt really honored to work with the The initiative has seen industrial design of Design Week in New York City. Metaproject as a representative of Poppin,” students work in collaboration with photog- Owen hatched the idea for his design she said. “Because I was once in the students’ raphy, glass and new media design as well as brainchild upon his arrival to campus in shoes, I was able to bring a unique perspec- a different industry partner each year. Past 2010. Since then, it has helped launch the tive to the judging panel. I will admit it Metaprojects featured leading companies careers and design dreams of numerous was definitely less stressful for me this time such as The Corning Museum of Glass, Area- graduates such as Pezze. arou n d .” ware, Herman Miller, and both Kikkerland “The challenge for students is to research As it nears its seventh iteration this up- and Bed Bath & Beyond in 2015. evolving behaviors in order to identify emer- coming academic year, RIT’s Metaproject has Students are given a creative brief tasking gent trends, working hand-in-hand with their regularly demonstrated that education part- them to design a product that solves a specific industry partner to find, satisfy and push nered with industry is a successful vehicle for problem or works within a set of parameters their strategic goals,” Owen said. fostering innovative thinking and thoughtful set forth by the industry partner. They work product design. toward this goal throughout the semester. Dialogue directly with industry True to RIT’s brand of creating students Alex Bennett ’14 (industrial design) was a Real-world experience who are workforce ready, the course offers member of the first senior class of industrial In keeping with the “Design is One” phi- them a taste of real-world experience, con- design students who had watched—and losophy espoused by RIT’s Vignelli Center nections with leading design industry profes- eagerly anticipated—Metaproject from their for Design Studies, Metaproject aims to sionals, and the possibility of having their first days on campus as freshmen. encourage students to produce design that design put into production. “I saw all these seniors that I inevitably is “semantically and syntactically correct, Through Metaproject, students make im- grew to look up to and idolize furiously

FALL 2016 | 11 graduates, achieved with Kikkerland, the Metaproject 05 partner with Bed Bath & Beyond last year. Both Kirk and Keyes were tasked with designing a Kikkerland-brand storage product that would be sold at Bed Bath & Beyond to back-to-school college students. Kirk’s denim “Wall Pockets” design sticks onto the wall to hold small items varying from reading glasses to keys and pens. Keyes’ “Hanging Facades” closet organizers allow for private, raised storage in a dorm room. Both of their designs received honorable mention and live on today in production. “My design was introduced at ICFF last year,” said Kirk, a Canadian native now living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and working for Design- styles, a home goods company. “I continue to receive royalties from sold units. They are available on the Kikkerland website and Amazon.” Keyes, who lives in Rochester, attributed his design’s journey into production to “an under-exploited niche in the market of col-

Photo by A. Sue Weisler Sue Photo by A. lege storage and the fact that it could be taken Linghua Zhu ’16, left, discusses her initial sketches and rendering ideas with Francesca Pezze ’11 (industrial design), from prototype to full-run production in two current Poppin product designer, and Jeff Miller, vice president of design. Pezze was part of the first Metaproject months—right in time for the all-important when she was a student at RIT. back-to-school season.” “It also was a low-risk investment for Kikkerland with the initial cost to start production close to none,” added Keyes, an sketching and making models for this crazy, temporary shared space for collaboration by industrial designer and model shop assistant corporate-sponsored class,” recalled Bennett, enabling users to share their seat with a co- at KEK Associates Inc. in Henrietta, N.Y., a designer for Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., worker, was the winning design. and an adjunct professor in RIT’s industrial and Seattle resident. “As the years went by, I “Metaproject helped me gain a ‘real world’ design program. watched the course evolve and change, with understanding of the design industry by Both Kirk and Keyes said Metaproject each new sponsor bringing a unique chal- putting me in the room with it,” Bennett said. taught them valuable lessons that remain lenge to the table.” “Being able to create a prototype and present with them today. Bennett absorbed everything he could it to the designers and executives at Herman “Metaproject taught me about designing to about the class along the way. “I remember Miller and immediately hear their thoughts fit a brand and for the target audience,” Kirk speaking to every person in each Metaproject created this incredible feedback loop that said. “This becomes even more important about what they were doing and how they extended beyond the classroom and the uni- once a designer starts working for a company. were approaching the year’s brief,” he said. versity. I was able to have a dialogue directly I think Kikkerland liked my project because “There was the thrill each year of waiting to with industry.” it fit with their existing products being small, see who the new sponsor would be.” But the most impactful lesson Bennett said quirky and inexpensive. Bed Bath & Beyond Owen has become adroitly clever in keep- he learned, not just from Metaproject 04, but liked it because it was functional and suited ing the industry partner under wraps before from watching every other course year, is the their target market for back to school.” the highly anticipated reveal to students. importance of narrative in design. Keyes concurred. When his professor finally announced to “Product design is not just about produc- “Metaproject was a succinct lesson in the Bennett and his classmates that Metaproject ing a beautiful form, or solving a difficult reality of the industry: tight deadlines, cater- 04 would pair them with Herman Miller, the problem, it’s about encapsulating a ‘why,’” he ing to clients, and working within the bounds Zeeland, Mich.-based Modernist office furni- said. “Good design is able to articulate why of production,” he said. “It is one of my expe- ture manufacturer most noted for its Aeron a product should exist and its impact on the riences from RIT that continues to shape my chair, “I felt two very visceral emotions: one w or l d .” design, my connections and my career. Often of unbound excitement and the other of utter in design classes, the professor is the client. terror with the thought of having to create Hitting the production line The corporate clients that Metaproject con- an object that could live up to the Herman One of the biggest thrills for Metaproject nects us with can provide invaluable feedback Miller name,” Bennett said. students is to have their designs go into based more around what will work in the real He didn’t disappoint. His “Invitation production—an outcome that Brian Keyes world than academic performance.” Chair,” which allows for the creation of a and Audrey Kirk, both 2015 industrial design Rich Kiley

12 | FALL 2016 METAPROJECT AT A GLANCE

The Trance Blockitecture Hanging Facades

Metaproject 01 (2010-11) Metaproject 03 (2012-13) Metaproject 05 (2014-15) The Wilsonart Challenge. Kicking off the Areaware. Twenty-two students created Kikkerland and Bed Bath & Beyond. first-of-its-kind design collaborative, 20 wooden, universal toys that not only had Twenty students had to address the challenges industrial design seniors were charged to fit seamlessly into the product line of associated with designing for one of the with conceiving seating prototypes cele the avant-garde accessories manufacturer following types of home and dorm room brating Wilsonart International’s laminate but explore the meaning and notion of storage categories: closet, desk, shelving, surfacing materials. Each student was re- the way toys integrate into contemporary over the door, under the bed and jewelry quired to create a design that provided cultures and lifestyles. Each design also was applications. Hanging Facades, closet a utilitarian use of seating-object typology. required to explore the properties of wood organizers designed by Brian Keyes ’15, went Dan Fritz ’11 won first place with his and its use as a primary material in object into production as well as Audrey Kirk’s ’15 chair, called The Trance, made from 280 construction. Blockitecture by James Paulius Wall Pockets—denim pockets that stick individual laminate hexagons welded to ’13 subsequently went into mass production onto the wall to hold small items. 280 steel asterisks. Grace Jeffers, design and is available at the Museum of Modern historian and organizer of the challenge Art and other venues from Tokyo to Milan. from Wilsonart, said RIT was chosen for He has since created a second iteration, its “impeccable reputation.” Blockitecture Garden City.

Sticky Note Ball

Metaproject 06 (2016) Poppin. Twenty-two students were tasked Watering Rocks Invitation Chair with creating innovative accessories for the company’s new line of office furniture that Metaproject 02 (2011-12) Metaproject 04 (2013-14) accents, improves or enhances their use. Corning Museum of Glass. Nineteen industrial Herman Miller. Twenty students had to Afifi Ishak’s Sticky Note Ball, with 12 pen- design seniors and 15 glass students created address the challenges associated with inter tagonal faces, was one of the desk accessories prototype designs celebrating recycled glass. actions in the workplace: face-to-face, digital- presented. The Metaproject 06 booth at the “No other studio glass or industrial design ly mediated, or human-to-tools. The projects International Contemporary Furniture Fair program in the country, that I am aware of, considered how furnishings and space can was awarded the ICFF Editors’ Award (Best has so successfully introduced art students empower and enable interactions that extend School). “I’ve been a personal fan of RIT’s working in glass to design,” said Tina beyond a simple point of connection. Alex renowned Metaproject since its inception,” said Oldknow, retired curator of modern glass Bennett’s ’14 Invitation Chair, which allows Jeff Miller, vice president of design at Poppin. at the museum. Kikkerland saw Casey users to share a seat, was the winning design. Schneider’s ’12 Watering Rocks—designed to Daniel Rucker, then design and technology release water slowly into a plant’s soil—at the strategist at Herman Miller Inc., said “we are To learn more International Contemporary Furniture Fair in deeply thankful for this opportunity to teach Go to metaproject.rit.edu. 2012 and put them into production. and be taught by these gifted young designers.”

Photos by Elizabeth Lamark/RIT Production Services FALL 2016 | 13 Orbiting black holes create ripples in the gravitational field, warping space-time.

Image courtesy of Caltech/MIT/LIGO Laboratory 14 | FALL 2016 CENTER GROWS INTO

LEADER IN SPACE-TIME RESEARCHPhoto by A. Sue Weisler

IT’s contributions to the first direct treme astrophysical phenomena, gravitational RIT faculty members Carlos Lousto, left, Richard detection of gravitational waves wave analysis and scientific visualization. O’Shaughnessy, Manuela Campanelli and John signifies its growing reputation This RIT research center of excellence has Whelan contributed to the breakthrough discovery Rfor world-class astrophysics research. won nearly $8 million in research funding of gravitational waves. Members of the university’s Center for from the NSF and NASA as well as alloca- Computational Relativity and Gravitation tions at national computing laboratories. are part of the international collaboration “When created, the Center for Computa- magazine’s 2016 list of “100 Most Influential affiliated with the Laser Interferometer tional Relativity and Gravitation was one of People.” Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO. only a few centers of its kind,” said Manuela Theoretical Physics, Emeritus at Caltech, The scientific consortium, earlier this year, Campanelli, director of the center and profes- has followed astrophysics research at RIT. announced the landmark discovery of a “I am impressed by the research performed gravitational wave passing through Earth. at the RIT Center for Computational Relativ- RIT researchers on the LIGO team used ity and Gravitation,” Thorne said. “Members theoretical calculations to validate the exis- of the center have displayed amazingly good tence of gravitational waves and the black- judgment in choice of research problems and hole collision that produced them, conducted remarkable skills in solving those problems. gravitational wave analysis and estimated As a result, they are world leaders in extract- astrophysical parameters for the National ing, from numerical simulations, major new Science Foundation-funded experiment. sor in the School of Mathematical Sciences. insights into the dynamics of warped space- Established in 2007, the center has grown “It’s a model that has been repeated at other time, and they laid key foundations for the from five to 26 members, including 10 facul- universities. The center is now one of the worldwide search for gravitational waves.” ty, plus administrative staff, postdoctoral re- largest and most renowned research groups searchers and students. Their complementary in gravitational physics in the world.” Starting a center research revolves around Albert Einstein’s One of the leading founders of the LIGO RIT’s foray into astrophysics did not happen general theory of relativity and explores ex- project, Kip Thorne, was named to Time overnight. For the last decade, the RIT Col-

FALL 2016 | 15 Photo by A. Sue Weisler Sue Photo by A. Researcher Yosef Zlochower, left, is a key author with Manuela Campanelli and Carlos Lousto of the 2005 breakthrough research on binary black holes. Here, he confers with Jam Sadiq, a Ph.D. student, in the astrophysical sciences and technology program in the College of Science.

lege of Science has steadily added to computer simulations. The 40-year-old prob- lations that evolved black holes on computers its astronomy faculty, an initiative started lem to simulate black holes orbiting, merging from orbiting masses through coalescence by former Dean Ian Gatley and continued, and producing gravitational waves required and simulated the sought-after gravitational- since 2010, by current Dean Sophia the solution of Einstein’s 10 interrelated wave signal. Maggelakis. strong field equations and access to unprec- They were one of three groups that year Campanelli credits RIT’s leadership for edented computer power to do the math. to present different solutions for simulating bringing her team to the university and for Campanelli and Lousto—then post-doc- black hole mergers. Many scientists exploring seeing the promise of LIGO. Several indi- toral researchers at the Max Plank Institute gravitational wave physics adopted Cam- viduals have supported the center and LIGO in Germany in 1998—broke the problem into panelli’s “moving puncture” approach and research at RIT, including Gatley, Maggelakis, smaller steps and modeled the final portion replicated her research. (Her landmark model former RIT President Albert Simone and of the merger, or coalescence, for the first predicted the gravitational waves LIGO former Provost Stanley McKenzie. time using numerical relativistic techniques. detected a decade later.) “In 2008, President Bill Destler gave us This specialized field of study grew from At RIT, in 2006, Maggelakis, then head of new start-up funds to hire a faculty member Einstein’s general theory of relativity. It uses the Department of Mathematics and Statis- in the area of gravitational wave research,” sophisticated mathematics and supercomput- tics, led the initiative to establish the School Campanelli said. “Provost Jeremy Haefner ers to solve equations that describe astro- of Mathematical Sciences and to form a has also provided needed space to accom- physical phenomena capable of producing research center at RIT dedicated to computa- modate new post-doctoral researchers and gravitational waves, like black holes, superno- tional modeling. faculty in the group.” vae and compact neutron stars. “The field of computational modeling has Destler’s support enabled Campanelli to In 2005, Campanelli and Lousto, faculty become a critical tool of research in science,” add gravitational wave analyst John Whelan members in physics and astronomy at the Maggelakis said. “It is a cross-disciplinary to the team. Whelan is now RIT’s principal University of Texas Brownsville, and then field, spanning applied mathematics, com- investigator and liaison to the LIGO Scientific post-doctoral researcher Yosef Zlochower puter science and the physical sciences.” Collaboration. solved Einstein’s equations that numerically Campanelli and Lousto’s research exem- Research at the RIT center builds on early describe black hole collisions. Using sophis- plifies the use of computational modeling efforts by Campanelli and Carlos Lousto, ticated mathematical modeling and high- for predicting the behavior of astrophysical RIT professor in the School of Mathematical powered computing, Campanelli’s team at phenomena. In 2007, Campanelli arrived at Sciences, to study black-hole mergers using UT Brownsville developed theoretical calcu- RIT with Lousto and Zlochower to form the

16 | FALL 2016 Why the science matters The first direct detection of gravitational waves from a binary black-hole source confirmed on Sept. 14, 2015, Einstein’s theory of gravity and introduced a new branch of physics—gravitational wave astronomy. Gravitational waves from a second pair of colliding black holes on Dec. 26, 2015, validated the landmark discovery. Advanced LIGO will continue to increase in sensitivity in subsequent runs and detect astronomical objects carrying fainter signals. Gravitational wave astronomy could unlock secrets of how massive stars evolve. The scope of gravitational wave astronomy will continue to widen as the international network of detectors becomes fully operational. RIT’s LIGO Team The LIGO Scientific Collaboration published its breakthrough discovery in Physical Review Letters, a journal of the American Physical Society, on Feb. Photo by Elizabeth Lamark/RIT Production Serivces Production Lamark/RIT Photo by Elizabeth Manuela Campanelli and Carlos Lousto with National Science Foundation Director France Córdova, center, who 11. Six RIT researchers are among the spoke at RIT’s commencement. co-authors. They are James Healy, postdoctoral research fellow; Carlos Lousto, professor in the School of Mathemati- cal Sciences and an American Physical Society Fellow; Richard O’Shaughnessy, assistant professor in the School of RIT Center for Computational Relativity and practical experience only available through Mathematical Sciences; John Whelan, Gravitation within the School of Mathemati- an extensive numerical research project. associate professor in RIT’s School of cal Sciences. The CCRG has an established research Mathematical Sciences and principal The following year, the College of Science program ideally suited for Ph.D. students investigator of RIT’s group in the LIGO introduced a Ph.D. degree in astrophysi- in mathematical modeling.” Scientific Collaboration; and graduate cal sciences and technology. The program The center grew in 2009 with the arrival students in RIT’s astrophysical sciences brought together scientists from different dis- of Joshua Faber and Whelan, both associate and technology program Jacob Lange ciplines within the college to explore general professors in the School of Mathematical and Yuanhao Zhang. relativity and black holes, young and dying Sciences. More recent additions include Other RIT members of the LIGO stars, galaxies and the technology to make Richard O’Shaughnessy, assistant professor Scientific Collaboration include center new observations. in the School of Mathematical Sciences; director Manuela Campanelli, professor The center is also affiliated with the univer- Jason Nordhaus, assistant professor of science in the School of Mathematical Sciences sity’s eighth Ph.D. program in mathematical and math in the National Technical Institute and an American Physical Society modeling—approved by the New York State for the Deaf; and Sukanya Chakrabarti, Fellow; Hans-Peter Bischof, professor Education Department and ready to launch assistant professor in the School of Physics of computer science; and RIT students in fall 2017—as well as three MS programs: and Astronomy. Ryan Hesse, Marc McClure, Jam Sadiq, applied and computational mathematics, The American Physical Society elected Monica Rizzo and Jackson Henry ’16 computer science and data science. Campanelli and Lousto fellows in 2009 and (physics). Rizzo and Henry were co- “The new Ph.D. in mathematical model- 2012, respectively. The prestigious recogni- authors of the second observation. ing will be extremely important to faculty, tion for their contributions to numerical researchers and students working together relativity and for simulating binary black in both of our research centers—the Center holes further elevated the center. for Computational Relativity and Gravitation Faculty and students at the center par- and the Center for Applied and Computa- ticipated in the 2015 centennial celebration To learn more tional Mathematics,” Maggelakis said. “There of Einstein’s general theory of relativity by Members of the team will present a is a need for researchers trained in the theo- hosting seminars and producing videos about meRIT webinar for alumni on Sept. 28. retical basis for the numerical simulations their research. The American Physical Society Register at https://rit.webex.com. of partial differential equations and with the featured Campanelli’s breakthrough research

FALL 2016 | 17 Carlos Lousto designed the NewHorizons and BlueSky supercomputer clusters in RIT’s Black Hole Lab to perform binary black-hole simulations. Photo by A. Sue Weisler NewHorizons is dedicated to research in numerical relativity and computational relativistic astrophysics, while BlueSky supports interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of gravitational physics, relativistic astrophysics, advanced high performance computation and scientific visualization.

in a collection of seminal papers What’s next “Working at the center has made my that included work by Einstein, J.R. Student researchers take an active role at the undergraduate experience unique,” Rizzo Oppenheimer and Stephen Hawking, center. Graduate students on the RIT LIGO said. “It has been an incredibly rewarding among others. team are among the co-authors of the land- experience and I feel I have learned a great Campanelli gave several talks about mark LIGO paper reporting the discovery of deal both as a student and a researcher. Dr. general relativity throughout 2015 and gravitational waves. Campanelli and Dr. O’Shaughnessy, along was one of three invited speakers at a “More than a dozen Ph.D. students from with other members of the CCRG and the special symposium hosted by the American the astrophysical sciences and technology LIGO collaboration, have inspired me to Association for the Advancement of program have been working with faculty pursue astrophysics as a career path. I have Science, one of the largest general scientific at the Center for Computational Relativity gained a number of role models and aspire societies in the world and publisher of the and Gravitation in a variety of astrophysical to be as hardworking and as successful as my journal Science. domains,” Campanelli said. mentors and colleagues.” Amidst centennial celebrations, faculty She expects the number of graduate RIT’s Office of Sponsored Research has and students at the center remained quiet students in the center to increase with the designated the Center for Computational about news that would confirm Einstein’s growth of the astrophysics program. Under- Relativity and Gravitation as one of its five 100-year-old theory. The gravitational wave graduate researchers also contribute to the signature research areas that will receive $1 observatory, LIGO, had detected a signal center’s productivity. million over five years. The strategic invest- on Sept. 14, 2015, and the waveform neatly “It is important to attract and educate ment will position Campanelli’s team to matched the simulation Campanelli and her students in the area of gravitational physics increase its external funding competitiveness team had predicted in 2005. Lousto and RIT and have them experience the excitement and become leaders in gravitational wave and postdoctoral researcher James Healy used the of the discoveries about gravitational wave multimessenger astronomy, which combines theoretical calculations to validate the signal. astronomy that will completely revolutionize information from gravitational waves and The RIT LIGO team and their collaborators the understanding of our universe,” Maggela- traditional astronomy’s electromagnetic spent five months confirming the findings kis said. spectrum. before the news was announced on Feb. 11, Monica Rizzo, a second-year student “We will boost our current initiatives in 2016. The discovery was a double confirma- in the School of Physics and Astronomy, key designated areas with strategic hires of tion of Einstein’s theory and of Campanelli’s is on the RIT LIGO team. She works with postdoctoral researchers and visiting senior research. O’Shaughnessy on models that simulate grav- researchers to build a wide-spanning and “It’s not that we have only detected itational wave signals for colliding neutron tightly integrated program,” Campanelli said. gravitational waves and statistically it makes stars, or collapsed stellar remnants. Although “We will also pursue new research opportuni- sense, but they happened to be exactly what Rizzo did not contribute directly to the initial ties and play a role in developing next-gener- we predicted for the collision of black holes,” discovery, her research has helped advance ation gravitational wave detectors.” Lousto said. techniques for interpreting future data. Susan Gawlowicz ’95

18 | FALL 2016 HOW LOUD CAN YOU ROAR? ROAR Day 2016 Save the Date  When: October 5, 12:00 a.m.—11:59 p.m.  Who: YOU (RIT alumni)  Where: Your computer, phone, tablet . . . anywhere that has an internet connection!

Join the entire RIT community as we kick off the Fund for RIT’s annual giving campaign. ROAR with your fellow Tigers by supporting the college, program, scholarship, student club/organization, or team at RIT that means the most to you. #ROARDay rit.edu/roarinfo

FALL 2016 | 19 Greyson Watkins, a fifth-year computer security major, developed the idea for Wavio, a programmable and Chrystal Schlenker, a fourth-year interpreting and business fully customizable tool that alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing people to sounds in their homes. student, helps secure business opportunities for the team.

reyson Watkins had big plans for a subscription-based family game night business. He hoped the idea WE’VE wouldG take off and he could accomplish what many entrepreneurs dream about—calling the shots and becoming a self-made million- GOT THE aire. But not long after devising his business concept, an experience that he’ll never forget forced him to start from scratch—and busi- NEXT ness became personal. Watkins, who is deaf and is a fifth-year computer security major originally from Durham, N.C., was at home with his young daughter when she tumbled down a flight of stairs. “Imagine how I felt after realizing that she was crying out for help and I couldn’t hear her,” Watkins said. “I realized that I needed to be part of something bigger, something more meaningful—and possibly life saving—for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.” In a matter of months, Watkins and his Growing resources help students turn their concepts into companies team of fellow students formed Hz Innova-

20 | FALL 2016 Before Nicholas Lamb, center, joined Hz Innovations, he had built a robot that could detect and chase sound. Since then, Lamb, a fifth-year electrical engineering student, has used many of those concepts to help build Wavio.

tions and created Wavio, a programmable cases, tripled—creating a robust pipeline of entrepreneurship course coach Dana Wolcott, and fully customizable tool that alerts deaf ideas. who connected them with Zach Baltzer, a and hard-of-hearing people to sounds in their “We have a very advanced experiential, fourth-year microelectronic engineering stu- homes. This summer, the team will complete multidisciplinary environment that helps our dent from Hilton, N.Y., and Nicholas Lamb, a production of its first 1,000-unit order by students learn by doing, by being mentored, fifth-year electrical engineering student from Peter Parts Electronics Inc., owned by RIT and by leveraging our ability to not only Waterloo, N.Y., who had already built a robot alumnus Peter Parts ’98 (EMBA). think about business concepts, but make that could detect and chase sound. Hz Innovations is just one of the student- business concepts,” said Richard DeMartino, “Nick and I were just looking for a cool driven ventures thriving in RIT’s uniquely professor and director of RIT’s Albert J. project to work on,” said Baltzer. “No one designed, multidisciplinary innovation Simone Center for Student Innovation and could have possibly guessed that one year ecosystem—a system that has mushroomed Entrepreneurship. “What we do, combined later we would be co-founders of a company.” over the past five years, with business com- with how we continue to find new opportuni- Wavio contains sound-capturing units that petitions, events, programs and full-time ties with industry partners, has made us a are connected to a home Wi-Fi system. When experiences available to launch student ideas leader in our field.” a doorbell rings, smoke alarm chimes, water into the stratosphere. faucet drips or dog barks, for example, the Resources such as mentors and coaches, Connecting the dots unit notifies the homeowner via smartphone, innovation and entrepreneurship classes and Watkins and teammate Chrystal Schlenker, a smart watch, tablet or laptop, and identi- the creation of The Construct, a dedicated fourth-year interpreting and business student fies the sound. According to the developers, makerspace on campus where students can in the School of Individualized Study, were virtually any sound deemed important to the create products and solutions, have all played convinced that Wavio was a good idea, but homeowner can be recorded and “memo- key roles in the growth of RIT’s entrepreneur- they also realized that they lacked the techno- rized” by the system during installation. ial spirit. Student participation in entrepre- logical know-how to bring it to life. “I missed the sounds of my friends knock- neurship activities has doubled—and in some They enlisted the help of their applied ing on my front door; my washer and dryer

Photos by A. Sue Weisler FALL 2016 | 21 Mariana Pinheiro discusses Band Toy with Stan Rickel, left, associate professor and graduate director, industrial design, and industrial design graduate student Andrew Magee, during a session of Studio 930, a consultancy team of top industrial design students working on student-led entrepreneurship projects. Band Toy, right, is a series of interactive instruments designed to stimulate the senses of children with developmental and physical disabilities.

Photos by A. Sue Weisler

are in the basement and I wouldn’t be able pany, addressing customer needs and creating assistance to RIT’s experiential entrepreneur- to hear the buzzing; my food would burn new products. He brings nearly 30 years of ship efforts. because I would leave the oven on,” added expertise in idea generation to campus and “Our students are learning to work in mul- Watkins. “There are a lot of people out there, has witnessed an explosion in student entre- tidisciplinary teams and solving real-world including senior citizens, who have similar preneurship over the past few years. problems,” he added. “Our team of coaches issues. Wavio is a bona fide solution.” “When I started at RIT five years ago, we and mentors works with hundreds of students had 12 student projects in our applied entre- each year—many of whom enter multiple Mining great ideas preneurship class and three or four coaches,” competitions because they find that it’s such Mentors and coaches are one reason for the he said. “But every single program has grown an enriching experience. And we’re always growing success of RIT’s student entrepre- since then. Last fall, we had 30 student proj- amazed by the projects that are developed.” neurship ecosystem—and Wolcott, lead in- ects and eight coaches. The number of appli- Mariana Pinheiro, an industrial design novation coach for the Simone Center and an cations for our entrepreneurship contests like graduate student from Brazil, has participated adjunct faculty member in Saunders College Tiger Tank, the RIT Business Model Compe- in several student-focused entrepreneurship of Business, is no stranger to recognizing a tition and IdeaLab@RIT, to name a few, have activities. Her ideas have been presented at great idea when he hears one. all at least doubled.” Idea Lab, Tiger Tank, the Effective Access Prior to RIT, Wolcott worked in advance Wolcott also said that added support from Technology Conference Product Competi- development for Eastman Kodak Co. and was the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps tion, and this summer she and her design charged with finding new ideas for the com- grant program has provided significant team joined Studio 930, a design consultancy

22 | FALL 2016 Photo by Michael Owens Multidisciplinary teams of RIT students developed products and service solutions as part of the bi-annual RIT IdeaLab event. The students worked collaboratively throughout the weekend on specific problem areas identified by their client, Rochester Regional Health. The students worked in six teams, each dedicated to one specific problem area. The event concluded with each team presenting its research and design solutions, a question-and- answer session and a discussion about possible future development of the work.

at RIT, as well as the Saunders Summer Start- disabilities at Rochester’s Al Sigl Center and bitten by the entrepreneurship bug. up Program, an intensive incubation program Mary Cariola Children’s Center will soon Wesley Rockholz and Nick Rabb run their where students earn a stipend to advance benefit from using the educational toy she game design and development company their business ideas. helped design. similar to how they’ve mastered their impro- “I love the idea of bringing my projects to “In the IdeaLab@RIT, I got to hear prob- visational comedy routines—using the classic life,” said Pinheiro. “And the entrepreneur- lems that real organizations or real people are “Yes, and” technique. That’s ‘yes’ to whatever ship programs offered at RIT all help with struggling with, and I worked with students comes their way, ‘and’ they build upon it to generating prototypes and components, giv- from business and engineering to brainstorm make it even better. ing us access to mentors who give us valuable real solutions. We started from the ground Rockholz ’15 (game design and devel- feedback, and just bringing general awareness up,” she explained. “The Tiger Tank competi- opment) and Rabb, a fifth-year computer to the projects.” tion is unique in the fact that our products science student, launched their company, Pinheiro’s most recent undertaking, The are a little more developed and we can really Yes and Games, in 2014. Not only have they Band Toy, is a series of interactive instru- focus on how they fit into the marketplace.” managed to raise money for their mobile ments designed to stimulate the senses of game, Adventure Guild, through a successful children with poor motor coordination Co-Up connections Kickstarter campaign, they took advantage of skills through the use of textures, sounds, As idea generation continues to work its way the university’s Co-Up summer program. vibrations and light patterns. She hopes that into the RIT culture, it’s clear that students RIT’s Center for Media, Arts, Games, youngsters with developmental and physical studying in a variety of disciplines are being Interaction and Creativity (MAGIC), in part-

FALL 2016 | 23 Photo by Austin DePalma Nick Rabb, a fifth-year computer science student, and Wesley Rockholz ’15 started their own game design and development company, Yes and Games, in 2014. They used the 10-week Co-Up program to make valuable industry connections and learn how to operate a business.

nership with the Simone Center, developed The game has launched on the Apple and “Our primary goal is education as it Co-Up, a 10-week program in which students Google app stores and the partners have built relates to innovation and entrepreneurship,” get paid to develop ideas for digital media a strong community and social media follow- DeMartino said. “Our secondary goal is busi- and earn co-op experience. The program ing. They will soon embark on a new project ness creation. And for us to further improve is made possible through financial support where they plan to contract with a video those metrics, it’s important that we increase from members of the RIT Board of Trustees. game publisher to develop another mobile the number of specialized entrepreneurship “We participated in the Co-Up program game. classes that we offer—in a variety of disci- the first year it was offered,” said Rabb, from “I’ve always been interested in owning a plines, not just through Saunders College Fairport, N.Y. “We made a lot of connections game design and development company, but I of Business. It’s my hope that there will be through the program and learned how to suppose every game design student says that,” a flowering of pipeline classes that focus on manage other relevant things like finances said Rockholz, from Brookfield, Conn. “It’s software, sustainability, social ventures, imag- and budgets. The money that was provided unbelievably stressful, but I wouldn’t have ing sciences, micro-e, design, new media.” as a stipend also gave us the opportunity to pursued this if it wasn’t plausible. It’s exciting devote our time completely to the project. to develop your own projects and do your Looking ahead That was invaluable in order to get our game own thing.” Alec Satterly’s company, Cenify, gets counted into the hands of the users.” DeMartino estimates that there are about in that secondary goal. Adventure Guild is a social, mobile role- 100 student projects underway this year, up In 2014, Cenify took first place in NTID’s playing game that allows players to play from 40 a few years ago. The Simone Center Next Big Idea competition with its vibrating together, but on their own time. Up to four interacts with roughly 1,500 students a year alarm clock that could be programmed from players can battle goblins and other enemies through projects, contests and conferences. a smartphone. as their own personalized warriors, rouges, More than 45 students are earning credit for But Satterly ’16 (management informa- mages or clerics. their projects through RIT’s co-op program. tion systems) realized the market for such a

24 | FALL 2016 Competitions and resources RIT hosts competitions and commercial activities that integrate academic initiatives with applied business creation and commercialization experience. Here are some of them: • Tiger Tank—students pitch business ideas and compete for cash prizes. • NTID’s Next Big Idea—students compete for cash prizes with ideas and products that benefit deaf and hard-of- hearing communities. The competition is sponsored by video relay company ZVRS. • RIT Business Model Competition— business model writing competition where students compete for cash prizes. • Effective Access Technology Product Competition—contest designed to promote early-stage effective access ideas where teams win cash prizes. • Saunders Summer Start-up Program— intensive summer incubation program where students earn a stipend to advance their business ideas. • Co-Up—designed to help fund student co-ops over the summer in multidisciplinary teams that lead to start-up products and commercial activities. • IdeaLab@RIT—weekend-long event Photo by A. Sue Weisler Saunders College of Business graduate Alec Satterly ’16 started Cenify after winning first where student teams brainstorm solu- place in NTID’s Next Big Idea competition in 2014. In January, the company’s 12 employees tions for real-world challenges. moved into RIT’s business incubator Venture Creations. • NSF-I-Corps—curriculum and grant funding to teams advancing a commercialization project. • Studio 930—consultancy team of top industrial design students working on product was small. So he put together a new in NTID’s Next Big Idea competition in student-led entrepreneurship projects. team, which included Greg Sapienza, an 2015, the product has been featured in the information technology major from Brook- Saunders Summer Start-up Program, Effec- Experts headed to Rochester lyn, N.Y. Sapienza had success in business tive Access Technology Conference Product More than 350 entrepreneurship experts competitions with his own company, Skyvo, Competition and the RIT Business Plan from the United States and abroad will arrive which made applications for iPads for edu- Competition. in Rochester this fall as the city showcases cational use, before it disbanded. The team is also branching out beyond entrepreneurial expertise and endeavors Cenify got rid of the clock and during RIT by showing off Wavio to judges at the as well as dynamic growth, excellence in last summer’s Co-Up program focused on Digital Rochester GREAT Awards, the programming and the impact on the local helping other companies make their prod- 43North startup competition in Buffalo, TA- community and beyond. ucts—such as door locks, lights and even MID Tank in New York City and the New The 2016 Global Consortium of Entre- clothes—smart. York State Regional Business Plan Competi- preneurship Centers, or GCEC—co-hosted In January, the company’s 12 employees tion in Albany. by University of Rochester and RIT—will be moved into RIT’s business incubator Ven- Now the founders are working on ex- held Sept. 29 through Oct. 1. The conference, ture Creations. Satterly said if all goes well panding their pool of investors and securing themed “Turning Over a New Leaf,” features with contracts in the works, they could have additional orders. a variety of plenary sessions, workshops, 30 employees by the end of the summer. “Once the opportunity to develop Wavio breakout discussions and keynote speeches “We all had job offers from other compa- became apparent, we had to make the deci- from national and international entrepre- nies,” Satterly said. “We all declined them. sion to give 100 percent and go all in,” said neurship experts as well as UR and RIT This is what we want to do.” Schlenker. “We believe in Wavio and what it faculty and staff. Hz Innovations is also in this for the can do for our community.” For more information about the confer- long term. Since Wavio won the top prize Vienna McGrain ’12 ence at UR/RIT and to watch a video, go to www.GCEC2016.com.

FALL 2016 | 25 RIT ECOSYSTEM STRENGTHENED STRONGARM

hen 2013 graduates Sean Pet- terson and Justin Hillery started their industrial safety products companyW as students, they wrote in their business plan that they would one day partner with a large conglomerate. Four years later, it happened: 3M, the Post-it note and packaging company with $32 billion in sales, invested in StrongArm Technologies Inc. “It was really a long time of building relationships and building ground for something that we believed in,” said Petterson about his now Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company with 11 employees. “Things couldn’t have gone better.” Petterson (industrial design) and Hillery (multidisciplinary studies) thrived in RIT’s innovation ecosystem, a multipart support system to foster entrepreneurship and new ideas. They credit much of their success to what they learned at RIT. The two met as students in 2010 and they quickly learned they shared entrepreneurial interests. They noticed that construction workers building Global Village on campus were struggling to lift large stones and they wondered if there was a better way for industrial workers, which they now call industrial athletes, to do their jobs. They also watched their fathers get injured working manual labor jobs when they were growing up. By the end of the school year, they had invented a vest that helps workers lift objects while lowering the risk of back injury. The students worked with the Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneur- ship, which helped connect them to experts,

26 | FALL 2016 Photo by Shannon Taggart ’98 Rahul Bhansali, StrongArm Technologies chief revenue officer, left, talks with Sean Petterson ’13, chief executive Justin Hillery ’13 has left StrongArm Technologies officer, center, and Mike Kim, chief technology officer. Petterson started StrongArm with Justin Hillery ’13. and is now part of a new start-up called Self.made.

mentors and equipment. startup incubator located at the City College the products in May. StrongArm first got noticed in Febru- of New York, where they could further de- More products are on the way in the coming ary 2011 when Petterson and Hillery placed velop their product for commercialization. year, Petterson said, and the company expects second in the RIT Shark Tank Competition, They hired their first full-time employee, to continue to increase its staff. “We think we now Tiger Tank, sponsored by Saunders Col- who is now chief technology officer; nailed are going to be a brand on par with some of lege of Business and hosted by the Simone down the company’s supply chain; and the major athletic brands today,” he said. Center. Other business competitions followed continued to build relationships with possible Hillery is no longer with the company. and the students found themselves winning investors. The company continued to grow, He is now the chief marketing officer of Rochester, regional and statewide events. reaching 11 employees. It moved to a larger Self.made, a Brooklyn company that provides They moved into RIT’s business incuba- entrepreneurial space in the Brooklyn Navy a luxury brand of clothing to entrepreneurs tor Venture Creations in 2012, the final step Yard called New Lab. that they can then sell to raise funds for their of RIT’s innovation pipeline. Experts there start-up businesses. helped them hone their business pitch and “At StrongArm we couldn’t go on Kick- make connections. starter because we didn’t have a consumer Later that year, they were one of 16 compa- good to sell,” he said. “We make consumer nies out of 125 to win the startup competition goods for the company, collaborate with in Boston called MassChallenge. them, sell all products on their behalf and In total, StrongArm won more than a they get the proceeds.” quarter of a million dollars in business com- Last fall, 3M announced it was investing a Hillery said Self.made (thisisourbusiness. petitions, Petterson said. minority equity stake in the company, which com) will officially launch this fall and the “Going to RIT has always given us an has two products on the market, includ- goal is to help 15 start-ups in the next year. edge in every competition,” Hillery said. “We ing the V22 ErgoSkeleton, which is the one “At RIT we had an ecosystem behind us were really given a foundation to go out and Petterson and Hillery began designing while that allowed us to learn how to be entrepre- explore our ideas.” they were at RIT. That product helps workers neurs,” Hillery said. “We have created an After Petterson and Hillery graduated, lift heavy items. They also introduced the FLx ecosystem for the next generation of entre- they moved to New York City and planted ErgoSkeleton, an ergonomic vest that corrects preneurs.” their roots in the Zahn Innovation Center, a posture and reduces fatigue. 3M began selling Mindy Mozer

FALL 2016 | 27 William Snyder ’81 and The Who’s Roger Daltrey talk about a flag reflecting in one of the stage lights during the sound check before The Who’s show at the Barclays Center in Brook- lyn, N.Y., on May 26, 2015. Snyder is the photographer for the rock band. Photo by Michael Kaye

28 | FALL 2016 illiam Snyder ’81 (photography) he quickly suggested the Tommy stage instead and Trevor Waite ’99 (electrical and Townshend agreed to the alternative. engineering technology) are more Snyder was the only one to photograph him thanW just die-hard fans of The Who. They on that stage. have backstage access and tour with them Over the next five years, they had several around the world. email conversations. They officially recon- Snyder, program chair of the photojour- nected in 2000 during a party following a nalism department at RIT and four-time Pu- performance of Townshend’s “Lifehouse” litzer Prize winning photographer and editor, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. is the photographer for The Who. Snyder’s Later that year at the beginning of The Who’s photos run on the band’s website and before U.S. tour, Snyder met up with Townshend every show on the Jumbotron. His photos again and shot the band’s performance in were also featured in the book, The Who: 50 Chicago. After the show, he went to the hotel Years: The Official History, and during Super where Townshend was staying and asked if Bowl commercials when the band played the the band needed help shooting pictures for its halftime show in 2010. website. Townshend accepted his offer and Waite is the monitor technician for the invited him to fly with them to Detroit. rock band. He has been setting up speakers, “I got to shoot stuff on and off stage,” said cables and other electronics in the empty are- Snyder. “It was one of those things that you nas before each show since 2007. During the read about and hear about when you’re a kid.” show, he assists the engineers with overseeing Snyder became a freelance photographer the sound levels heard by the band and runs for the band and shot 10 performances in the on stage if something goes wrong. U.S. and two in London. He also did video Snyder began his relationship with Pete behind the scenes, which was a new experi- Townshend, The Who’s guitarist, on assign- ence for him. ment for The Dallas Morning News in 1993. On one of Snyder’s nights off when he was At the time, Townshend was overseeing his in the crowd with his family at a Dallas show, Broadway production of Tommy. They hit it Townshend thanked him for helping with the off during the interview until Snyder request- band’s website. He also mentioned his prefer- ed to shoot outside the theater and the rock ence to be called William instead of Bill. legend refused. Thrown off by the response, “It was one of those things as a fan you

FALL 2016 | 29 A B

C D E

A The Who—John Entwis- B Pete Townshend jumps C Pete Townshend and D William Snyder shot this E Pete Townshend performs tle, Roger Daltrey and Pete during The Who show at the Roger Daltrey discuss their photo of The Who in 1980 while “Sparks” at the Mohegan Sun Townshend—perform “My Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa upcoming show in Detroit working as an intern at The Arena during The Who Hits Generation” at Wembley in Atlantic City, N.J., on Nov. on their private jet on June Arizona Republic. He has been a 50! tour in Uncasville, Conn., Arena in London on Nov. 16, 24, 2006. 27, 2000. fan for more than 40 years. on May 24, 2015. 2000.

just think, ‘Oh my god’,” Snyder said. “It was Waite decided to major in electrical engi- Duran Duran requested him. in front of 16,000 or 18,000 people and there neering technology at RIT after serving four Touring with a band is a demanding job, he were a lot of people there that I knew because years in the U.S. Navy working on portable said. When it comes to adjusting sound, each I got a lot of feedback afterwards. Everybody radios used on the flight deck. member of The Who has his own subtle cues. started calling me William.” After graduation, he moved to Florida and “We are watching all the members of the After the tour, he did shows on and off for got a job as a fire alarm installer, which barely band,” Waite said. “If we miss even the slight- the next several years. Then in 2006, he got an paid his student loans. As a result, he came est movement, you don’t know if they need email from Townshend asking him to come back to Rochester and started working for something turned up or down. Sometimes on the road with them again. This time he of- eni, a company that makes transformers, and the gestures are so small and so quick that if ficially became an employee for seven weeks went back to Water Street Music Hall. we’re not staring pretty much without blink- and captured the band’s performances from “My last day at eni was because the previ- ing at the stage we might miss it.” Southern California to Chicago. He traveled ous weekend I was running monitors for Ted Snyder also has to pay close attention. on the plane, shared meals and stayed exclu- Nugent,” Waite said. “I decided at that point I Capturing band members at the perfect mo- sively with band members. wasn’t interested in going back to a desk job.” ment on stage requires hiding in small spaces He eventually landed a job with Eighth and a lot of crawling. Snyder can’t get in the Adjusting sound Day Sound in Cleveland where he toured way of the band or be a distraction to the Waite joined the crew a year later. His part- with other bands including Prince, Du- crowd so he has to crouch behind equipment time jobs with the RIT Tech Crew and Water ran Duran and Earth, Wind and Fire. The and pop his head out for a quick shot. When Street Music Hall in Rochester inspired him company got The Who account in 2007 and he crawls around he has to be extra cautious to pursue a career in sound. the monitor engineer who knew Waite from to avoid knocking something over or unplug-

Photos by William Snyder 30 | FALL 2016 Trevor Waite ’99 checks the connections for the stage sound system before The Who Hits 50! show in Forest Hills, N.Y., on May 30, 2015. Waite is a monitor technician.

ging anything. One wrong move would be a “Working for The Who is like being a part said, ‘And you have been doing that for the costly mistake and a huge embarrassment in of a family,” Snyder said. “They take care of last three months?’ front of thousands of people. each other. They are like brothers and sisters “At that point I realized he had asked me Now with advancements in technology, that all work incredibly hard. Pete once told what I had been doing personally in my own remaining invisible to the crowd has become me we demand perfection from our people life, which took me by surprise,” Waite said. significantly harder on the current tour. but we pay well. Most people in this crew “Funny enough I had just gotten married, so “There is just a lot of equipment where have been with the band since I started.” I lit right up and said I got married and we there didn’t used to be and where there used Waite loves touring with The Who because started having a real conversation, which I to be equipment that I could hide behind the band acknowledges all the work that the wasn’t expecting.” doesn’t exist anymore,” Snyder said. “I’m us- little guys do. While he tries to give the band He only does freelance work now to spend ing a lot more remote cameras and you can members their space off-stage, he has held more time with his wife, Nicole Bukowski ’02 use about one or two shots per show because several personal conversations with them. (applied arts and sciences), who he met of the perspective.” He remembers a time when he came back at RIT Tech Crew. But he will drop every- Townshend, 71, and lead singer Roger Daltrey, to do rehearsals after taking a three-month thing to go out with The Who. 72, also want to spend more time resting and break. After the band played a few songs, “It’s like a job but better,” Waite said. concentrating before the show, which limits Townshend stepped down into the moni- “Although you are seeing the same people Snyder’s backstage and dressing room access. tor wing and asked what he had been doing. every show day, you are seeing legends that While many aspects of the tour have gone Waite, thinking it was work related, respond- most people would say you are lucky to be through changes, the dedication of the crew ed that he was watching the record computer. working with.” remains untouched. Townshend gave him a puzzling look and Traci Turner ’16

FALL 2016 | 31 Alumni Updates

Photos by Emily Goodstein Dana Marlowe ’96, ’98 started Support the Girls, an organization that provides bras and feminine hygiene products to homeless women and girls. ‘Bra fairy’ helps support homeless women

wenty years ago when Dana Marlowe she had lost 35 pounds. Marlowe needed a inbox blew up,” she said. “I’m talking hun- was a student at RIT, she studied new bra so she went to a boutique where she dreds and hundreds of messages.” women who took off their clothes in could be professionally measured. She asked Organizations contacted her about becom- stripT clubs. Today, she devotes her free time the store clerk if there was any place she ing drop-off sites. Her two sons began com- to helping women get dressed. could donate the bras that no longer fit. The ing home with their backpacks stuffed with Both projects have opened doors for clerk told her that homeless women were des- tampons, pads and bras. And donations were Marlowe ’96, ’98 (sign language interpreting, perately in need of bras because most women piled on her doorstep. professional and technical communication). don’t donate them. She asked her husband, Preston Blay ’96 Her senior thesis on exotic entertainers and She called a nearby shelter in Washington, (mechanical engineering), to create a website, strip club audiences got the attention of The D.C., and the director there told her women iSupportTheGirls.org, to answer frequently Chicago Tribune, which asked her to write also need feminine hygiene products. asked questions. She set up a post office box about her work. “I went on a walk the next day with a to collect donations. And she did follow-up Support the Girls, an organization that friend and recounted the story. My friend interviews with The Today Show, Yahoo!, provides bras and feminine hygiene products said, ‘I have bras in the back of my drawer. The Huffington Post and others. to homeless women and girls, in the last year Take my bras,’” Marlowe said. “I told more Today, there are Support the Girls groups has attracted media coverage and donations people and everyone says, ‘Take my bras.’ I across the U.S. and in Costa Rica, Hong from around the world. “The irony is ridicu- put it on Facebook and people started sharing Kong, Thailand, with more on the way. They lous,” said Marlowe, who by day is principal it and messaging me. My 16 bras became 100 have collected more than 11,000 bras and partner and co-founder of Accessibility bras, which became 500 bras.” 55,000 menstrual hygiene products. Partners, a consulting firm that works with By late October, she had created a Face- She hopes to one day raise enough money businesses and government agencies to help book group called Support the Girls and had to hire a team to run the organization. make technology available to all, especially collected 1,051 bras and about 7,100 packages “It is a remarkable feeling,” she said. “It people with disabilities. of tampons and pads. really is making a huge difference by provid- Marlowe didn’t set out to spend her eve- She dropped them off at a shelter and ing support and dignity to thousands and nings and weekends as a bra fairy. She began thought she was done. Then The Washington thousands of women.” exercising in the fall of 2014 and by July 2015 Post published a story about her efforts. “My Mindy Mozer

32 | FALL 2016 Aaron Foss ’00, ’01 stands next to boxes filled with robocall numbers his company has blocked. Serial entrepreneur’s latest venture stops robocalls

aron Foss ’00, ’01 (information tech- it is better to end an initiative that isn’t tion. He built a prototype and was ready nology, MBA) has an impact on more working. Although physicians were interested to explain it when he found out in than 16 million people’s daily lives. in an automated system to track doctors’ 2013 that he was a co-winner of the contest. AFoss developed technology that stops orders for patients, hospitals at that time were After extensive media coverage and even robocalls from telemarketers. Since his not, so he couldn’t sell the product. testifying as an expert witness in a Sen- technology and now company, Nomorobo, Next came a company called SideTour, ate committee hearing on robocalls, Foss won a Federal Trade Commission challenge which he created in the business bootcamp launched the business in October of 2013. in 2013, it has blocked more than 109 million TechStars with three other entrepreneurs. Since Time Warner Cable went live with automated calls. In February, Time Warner SideTour is an online marketplace for unique one-click integration of the technology in Cable made it easier for its 16 million tours and activities in major cities. The New February 2016, tens of thousands of people telephone customers to use the service. York City startup raised $4 million in venture have signed up for the service, which Foss In June, Foss made the technology capital before it was sold to Groupon in 2013. runs from his Huntington, Long Island, office. available to mobile phones. The experience taught Foss how to execute “There was only one person who could “It is awesome to be in a position where an idea. “All of a sudden things were starting come up with this weird idea of Nomorobo I am creating a business that is solving a to fire on all cylinders here,” he said. and then have the experience to be able real problem,” Foss said. Those and other smaller ventures brought to launch it direct to the consumers,” Foss wouldn’t be in this position at all, him to the FTC’s Robocall Challenge. First, Foss said. “For me, this is my brand of he said, if he hadn’t learned from mistakes Foss said, he had to solve the problem. He did entrepreneurship.” he made in past start-up ventures. There that by hacking a little-known service called Mindy Mozer was the WingDipper, a specially designed simultaneous ring. cup for dipping Buffalo wings. That product Simultaneous ring allows incoming calls landed Foss on the television show American to be routed through Nomorobo, which Inventor in the mid-2000s and taught him compares it to a database compiled from the the importance of a business pitch. FTC of robocall numbers. If it’s a robocall, To learn more In his next project, Smart Chemo, a soft- Nomorobo blocks it. Go to nomorobo.com. ware service for physicians, he learned Then he had to prepare to pitch his solu-

FALL 2016 | 33 Photo by A. Sue Weisler Sue Photo by A. Kurt Kreckel ’73 is a member of RIT’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which offers classes and lectures on everything from forensic science to Star Trek for adult learners . Learning is lifelong pursuit for alumnus

urt Kreckel may have graduated from and American people. When the war ended, an adjunct assistant professor of management RIT more than 40 years ago, but that he pursued his passion in electronics and at St. John Fisher College for 10 years. Also in hasn’t stopped him from coming back motors and studied electrical engineering at his spare time, he worked with his wife as a Kto learn a thing or two. the University of Hannover. By 1957, Kreckel medic and ambulance driver with the Perin- For nearly five years, Kreckel ’73 (busi- made his way by boat to the U.S. ton Volunteer Ambulance Corps. ness administration) has been a member of “Within the first week I was finding Since retiring as an ambulance driver at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at RIT, an odd-end jobs in electrical engineering,” said the age of 84, Kreckel fills his time with ski- organization that helps stimulate minds and Kreckel. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘This ing at Bristol Mountain—where he logged forge friendships among people ages 50 and really is the American dream.’” 25 days of downhill skiing last winter—and older who live in Greater Rochester. Almost Later, he was drawn to a job in research classes at Osher. “I walk into Osher and five days a week, Kreckel can be found with and development at Bausch + Lomb in everybody is friendly and the people are just friends at Osher taking classes on anything Rochester—a company founded by German fascinating,” Kreckel said. “In recent classes from understanding the human brain to a immigrants. He spent more than 40 years we’ve learned about current events in the study of Bollywood movies. as head of Electronic Systems and Military country of Greece and have had marvelous For Kreckel, life has always been about Contracts and was in charge of everything discussions about science vs. God.” listening and learning something new. “Osher electronic at the company, from spinning As Kreckel says, he is approaching his 90th is really something that had to happen for machines for the SofLens division to a device year of life and he still enjoys learning some- me,” said Kreckel. “I enjoy it so much.” for converting 3D stereoscopic film. thing new every day. Born in Germany in the late 1920s, Kreckel It was at Bausch + Lomb that his boss Scott Bureau ’11, ’16 grew up in the midst of World War II. At told Kreckel he was working too hard. the age of 10, he was learning to fly glider “He told me to go to RIT and learn to aircrafts and by 17 he was involved in the delegate, so I wasn’t doing everything myself,” To learn more war. After being captured by Americans, he said Kreckel. “I really enjoyed those classes For more on Osher Lifelong Learning grew friendly with many of the soldiers and and learned a lot.” Institute, go to www.rit.edu/osher. became enamored with the English language After getting his MBA, Kreckel served as

34 | FALL 2016 Photo by Marc Palumbo/The Hope Is Project Marc Raco ’88 and Sarah Takako Skinner at an exhibit for the Hope Is Project at Social Innovation Week in New York City in November. Graduate helps create movement of hope

arc Raco ’88 (film) knows hope can capture hope and spread their message in the life worth something,” Raco said. “My experi- be hard to find during challenging community. ence and skills as a filmmaker allowed me to times. That’s why he got involved The series of images included self-portraits walk through the door into the project and Mwith the Hope Is Project, a transmedia art and double exposures of what the participants have it become a part of my life.” experiment that uses photography and film value in their lives. The images were displayed Raco produces videos and helps Skinner to discover hope in people’s lives and spark and auctioned off at The Portraits of Hope curate photos and find participants. Craft- change. Gala hosted by Villa of Hope. ing the art of the project’s message is an From troubled teens to war veterans, the After graduating from RIT, Raco worked integral aspect of his job. He makes use of project shares the stories of people from in filmmaking, marketing and acting. The his storytelling skills toward creating a larger many walks of life as they embarked on their “artrepreneur” enjoyed producing several message of hope that connects images and the journey to find hope through the lens of a documentary, narrative and promotional subjects’ stories. The mission is for people to camera. Participants are given a plastic Holga films and has won eight Telly awards. understand the connection between art and camera and one simple instruction to photo- However, he wanted to do something purpose and inspire others to initiate their graph hope. The experience allows them to creative that made a difference. own search for hope. see the world from a different perspective. It was through Connectors Collective, a “I think we are on the cusp of what could “When we ask participants why they took business and networking development group, be a catalyst for actual and meaningful im- the pictures they did, we watch their expres- where he met Skinner. She was interested pact and change,” Raco said. “It’s remarkable sion in their face as they connect the dots,” in collaborating with a filmmaker to put how different life can look through the lens of Raco said. “They suddenly realize how much together a promotional sizzle for her project a camera.” hopefulness is in their life.” and Raco volunteered to help. Traci Turner ’16 In April, Sarah Takako Skinner, creator After making the video and working with of the project, and Raco partnered with Skinner for several months, they began col- Rochester’s Villa of Hope, a human service laborating as partners on the project. To learn more organization for families and youth, to help “For me I thought the Hope Is Project Go to www.hopeisproject.com. several of its teenagers and adult influencers could be the amazing thing that makes your

FALL 2016 | 35 Photo by A. Sue Weisler Sue Photo by A. Joanne Jaworski ’80 opened True Authentic Power in 2009. She helps people find success and focus on the positive by using tapping skills. Tapping leads to True Authentic Power

t took the sudden passing of her father, “It can remove blocks, phobias, compul- to see results. You can even tap as a surrogate caretaking responsibilities for her ailing sive behaviors, unhealthy habits, emotional to help those who can’t do it for themselves.” mother, a bout with breast cancer, the and physical pain, and everyday stress—and More often than not, she said, painful Ideath of her beloved companion, and the sometimes it can happen in one session, but childhood memories are the foundation of decision to leave a corporate sales career she it may take several rounds of tapping to help unwanted patterns that can lead to a lifetime excelled at before Joanne Jaworski discovered relieve deep-seated issues,” said Jaworski, who of wrong decisions. her way to “True Authentic Power.” works out of her home office in Greece, N.Y. “A lot of pain and anxiety won’t move if the Jaworski realized she was suffering from “You don’t have to believe tapping works, emotions are stuck,” she explained. “You have emotional “dis-ease,” and found a way to but you do need to be open enough to trying to go backwards to move forwards.” change her life through her fingertips. it in the first place.” Tapping is also invaluable for manifesting “I realized all the trauma in my life didn’t Tapping has a basic recipe: Identify a lifestyle, relationships and career changes— happen by accident,” said Jaworski ’80 (food problem as a statement piece. For example, even solving everyday workplace problems. administration). “That’s when I learned about “I’m very upset about my career path, but I Jaworski recently participated in a webinar the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). deeply love and accept myself.” Rate the level series (http://bit.ly/1qF7REg) for RIT alumni It’s acupuncture without needles, where the of anxiety, and while reciting specific phrases demonstrating True Authentic Power—and body’s energy system achieves balance by out loud, use fingertips to tap five to seven reported that one participant told her he had tapping with our fingertips on selected points times each on the body’s meridian points immediate relief from a two-year symptom along energy meridians.” and follow with more rounds until anxiety he had experienced. Jaworski honed her tapping skills with re- decreases. “My voice brought me my success in sales nowned EFT practitioners before opening her “EFT practitioner Nick Ortner called it and now I use it to guide people to be the business, True Authentic Power, in 2009. She truth telling and I love that idea because best they can be,” Jaworski said. “Tapping is says the East-West therapeutic modality— people ask why you first focus on the nega- powerful, it works, and I love seeing what it tapping into the stories of a person’s internal tive, and that’s because negative has a voice,” does for people. I’m watching miracles.” newswire and rewiring the circuitry—is for said Jaworski. “When you start putting the Marcia Morphy everyone. positive in after the negative is when you start

36 | FALL 2016 David Fuehrer ’02, ’03, left, and Matthew Zachary, CEO of Stupid Cancer, rang the opening bell at Nasdaq the day before Thanksgiving. Alumnus turns personal pain into purpose

avid Fuehrer’s life was put on pause cancer in 2012, something clicked. “I remem- who are in the impossible place I was.” at age 25 when he was diagnosed bered my father’s motto: ‘The difficult we do Fuehrer ’02, ’03 (professional and technical with testicular cancer in 2002. immediately. The impossible just takes a little communication, MBA) is proud that five DThe emotional bombshell came while longer,’” Fuehrer said. “My family and my generations of his family have attended RIT Fuehrer, a competitive athlete who had just wife, Rene, have been my greatest support, dating back to 1904. One of his greatest joys won the New York state natural bodybuild- and now it was my turn to help and empower last year as an adjunct professor at Saunders ing title, was completing his undergraduate other people living with cancer.” College of Business was to teach students to degree. “I was just accepted into the MBA He subsequently moved back to Rochester be true to themselves. program and was on a mission; not even and founded Emerging Space, a company And now he is following his own advice. cancer was going to stop me. I had surgery, that helped people turn their ideas into suc- Fuehrer spends his work week in Manhattan completed my degree and moved to Michi- cessful products and services. Not surpris- with Zachary at Stupid Cancer, where they gan to work as a marketing analyst at Ducker ingly, his primary client became Matthew launched SC Research Ventures (SCRV) in Worldwide to begin a new life where no one Zachary, CEO of Stupid Cancer, the largest July. “It’s the first healthcare company that knew my past.” U.S.-based charity that supports young adult focuses on identifying and addressing the That new life shattered at age 30 during a cancer patients and survivors where Fuehrer unmet needs of the tens of millions of people routine visit when he was diagnosed with a also serves on the board. who will survive cancer,” he explained. different form of invasive testicular cancer— The organization at that time was develop- “We will work directly with health care leading him to debilitating radiation and ing a new mobile platform called Instapeer, and pharmaceutical companies to tailor life-long hormone therapy. a free app which offers anonymous peer products, services and resources for patients Fuehrer said it was the darkest period support for cancer patients, survivors and based on data from the physical, social and of his life; he became more introverted as caregivers. “It was something I wished I had; psychological impact of their cancer diagno- he tried to hide his cancer. Even declared dealing with testicular cancer I was always sis. We believe when the doctor says ‘you’re cancer-free, he couldn’t forget the lingering too embarrassed to ask for help. That is the cured,’ it’s not the end of the story. We have effects of living with a life-threatening illness. reason I’ve changed my career and my life— the right to live with dignity and quality.” But when he lost his father, Craig, to bladder to dedicate myself to it and helping others Marcia Morphy

FALL 2016 | 37 1970 Gerald Grossman ’75 (GAP) recently Class Notes retired after 41 years in the film and television industry. He was a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild Key to abbreviations IATSE Local 700 for 37 years. CAST College of Applied Science and Technology 1976 CCE College of Continuing Education (now SOIS) Sari Anne Rapkin CHST College of Health Sciences and Technology Valerie Allen ’66 (FAA) is exhibiting ’76 (SCB) was one CIAS College of Imaging Arts and Sciences her acrylic paintings in galleries in of four outstanding CLA College of Liberal Arts Seacoast, N.H., where she lives, and in women honored COS College of Science southern Maine. She retired in August in March by FAA Fine and Applied Arts (now CIAS) 2014 after careers in book publishing, Hebrew College GAP Graphic Arts and Photography (now CIAS) graphic design and the financial industry. Don Copenhagen ’70 (CCE) retired of Newton Centre GCCIS B. Thomas Golisano College of in 1991 after a 27-year career in for her demonstrated leadership and Computing and Information Sciences polymer development at Eastman philanthropy at the college, in the KGCOE Kate Gleason College of Engineering 1967 Kodak Co. He is now working at Greater Boston community and beyond. NTID National Technical Institute for the Deaf Michael Balloch ’67 (SCB), a long- Argon Medical Devices Biocoatings She recently retired from her career as time chief executive group chair with Corp. in Henrietta, N.Y., developing an assurance partner at Pricewater- SOIS School of Individualized Study Vistage Michigan, a membership- polymer coatings for medical devices. houseCoopers, where she worked with SCB Saunders College of Business based organization that provides clients in privately-held and private SVP NTID “Summer Vestibule Program” business leaders with new business 1971 equity backed companies as well as perspectives and innovative strategies, Robert Kiss ’71 (GAP) was certified several prominent not-for-profit has announced his retirement. in February 2016 after 24 weeks of institutions in the Greater Boston area. About Class Notes intense training along with four other She currently serves on several boards. Class Notes are edited for space, clarity 1968 industry professionals as an assessor William Munz in the film, video and television fields 1977 and style. Share details and photos ’68 (CIAS) is in Barbados. Michael Pollock ’77 (GAP) received of special occasions and professional retired after a the honor of life member in Zion Lodge achievements in your life by going to career in the 1973 No. 1 of Free and Accepted Masons in printing field at a ceremony held at the world’s largest www.rit.edu/alumni/news. companies in Masonic temple in Detroit in March New York, Ohio 2016. His daughter, Emma, accompa- and California. nied him for this special event. He lives in San Diego and is a proud grandfather, Alan Frohlichstein ’76, ’77 (GAP) is 1950 plays in a community concert band now a member of the adjunct faculty Donald Edick ’50 (GAP) has retired and volunteers at the airport under the at Triton College in River Grove, Ill. in Prescott, Ariz., after working in Travelers Aid program. He teaches ophthalmic photography commercial printing for 50 years. to second-year ophthalmic technology Jeff Rosenberg ’65 (GAP), ’68 (GAP) students. 1962 is alive and well in Floresville, Texas, Jonathan Atkin ’73 (GAP), ’78 southeast of San Antonio. He is mar- (CIAS) writes that Shop One², a Kevin Hall ’77 (FAA) received an award ried to a lovely lady from Nigeria and gallery on the RIT campus, has from the American Package Design has three kids in college. accepted his Heroproject.us photos. Awards for his promotion design work in the beverage category. Hall is principal 1969 1975 of Kevin Hall Design, an award-winning branding firm near New Haven, Conn. He has written and contributed stories pertaining to the graphic design field for industry related publications for both online and print. 1978

Brian Shapiro ’62 (FAA) will soon have a revised edition of his auto- biography, Search for Expression: The Life and Work of Brian Shapiro, available from Lulu.com, featuring 240 photos of paintings. Overall, he has catalogued more than 3,800 art works. Dave “Bippy” Boyer ’78 (CAST) is serving as the 2015 charter president 1964 of the new Rotary Club of Rochester William Marx ’64 (FAA) retired in Fred Elmes ’69 (GAP) recently completed Southeast. For more, go to the club’s 2009 after careers in real estate and work as director of photography on Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ advertising. He lives in Fort Lauder- The Night Of, a multipart miniseries Allan Luftig ’75 (GAP) opened RotaryRocSE. dale and New York City. for HBO which was scheduled to air Rosalita Mexican LLC in Summit, N.J., in July. The series stars John Turturro and serves as CEO after 13 years as Philip E. Smith ’78 (FAA) has been 1966 and was directed by Academy Award chief operating officer of Monster Sushi selected to give a lecture at the Textile Harry Drake ’66 (GAP) is a volunteer winner Steve Zaillian. Earlier this Inc. Go to www.rosalitamexican.com Museum in Washington, D.C., on for RIT alumni events in the Jackson- year, he completed photography on and www.allanluftig.com to learn more. Sept. 23. Part of George Washington ville, Fla., area and also has recently Paterson, a feature film directed by Jim University, the museum is known become a volunteer counselor for the Jarmusch and starring Adam Driver. Steve Gulack ’75 (CSB) transitioned worldwide for its preservation and col- SHINE (Serving Health Insurance A second feature he photographed, to operating the WheelChair bus at lection of the textile arts. The lecture Needs of Elders) program, which Wilson, directed by Craig Johnson the Brookdale Brighton (formerly will focus on Smith’s involvement assists clients with Medicare benefits and staring Woody Harrelson, will known as The Gables) part-time in with a weaving cooperative effort in and concerns. be released later this year. his retirement. Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

38 | FALL 2016 1980 1983 1986 1991 Thomas Caine ’80 (CAST) writes that Ronald Hinds ’83 (GAP) is the direc- Francis Dahar Steve Destro ’91 after 35 years of hard work, it is time tor of advertising and publishing pur- ’86 (CAST) has (CAST) was to retire from his business supplying chasing at Channing Bete Company been named promoted to assistive technology hardware and Inc. in South Deerfield, Mass. Northeast region administrative software solutions to K-12 educational construction vice president at institutions. He lives in Basking Ridge, John Allie ’83 services manager M&T Bank. He N.J., and plays lead guitar for two (KGCOE) has at Erdman has been with bands (blues and classic rock) and been selected for Anthony. Dahar M&T for 25 years bass in his church band. inclusion in joined Erdman and has held Indiana Super Anthony in 1986 and over the years has numerous positions in technology. He Thomas Grotta ’78 (GAP), ’80 Lawyers 2016. served as a project engineer or project lives in Lockport, N.Y., with his wife, (GAP); John Cooper ’78 (GAP); and Super Lawyers is manager on more than 50 projects. Megan, and children, Helena and Jared. Ken Berard ’80 (GAP) have collabo- a rating service of rated on an exhibition project at the outstanding Bert Zahniser ’86 1992 Morris Museum in Morristown, N.J., attorneys from more than 70 practice (CAST) joined Jonathan Jones Green from the Get Go: International areas who have attained a high degree Philadelphia- ’92 (CAST) got Contemporary Basketmakers features of peer recognition and professional based Anexinet as married to his 77 baskets and fiber sculptures by art- achievement. a cloud architect. wonderful and ists represented by Browngrotta Arts, He is an Amazon loving partner a firm Grotta formed with his wife Kevin Johns ’83 (CCE) is a sales Web Services Leanne Bunker nearly 29 years ago. executive at Travelers Insurance Co. Certified Solution on March 1, in Buffalo, N.Y. Architect as well 2016, and 1981 as an ISC2.org Certified Information welcomed his Carl Moore ’83 (KGCOE) joined Systems Security Professional and new step-daughter Delaney Morrissey Memsic Inc. as an engineering Certified Cloud Security Professional. into the family. director. He’s excited to work for an innovative company in MEMs 1987 Jim Perkins ’92 (micro-electro-mechanical sensors) Gary Wright ’85 (CAST), ’87 (CAST) (FAA) received technology, and add China to the list accepted a position at SeeClickFix RIT’s 2015-2016 of countries he’s traveled to. in New Haven, Conn., as director of Board of Trustees engineering. Scholarship Scott Pardo ’83 (CCE), together with Award. The his son, Yudi, published a second book 1988 award is given to Empirical Modeling and Data Analysis Lisa Iannello ’88 a faculty member for Engineers and Applied Scientists. (FAA) has been with a demon- named Morrisville strated record of excellent scholarship 1984 State College’s at RIT over a sustained period. The Wilfred Bourdon ’84 (KGCOE) executive director award was presented at RIT’s was certified as an Expert Systems of advancement Celebration of Teaching and Engineering Professional by the and executive Scholarship event on May 10. Nancy Cohen ’79 (FAA), ’81 (FAA) International Council on Systems director of the was invited to participate in The Engineering. Morrisville Jake Hendrix ’92 (FAA) recently Nature of Things curated by Anne College Foundation. In this role, she released a feature-length movie Trauben at the Drawing Rooms in Mike Patrick ’84 (COS) is a senior will lead the institutional advancement entitled 3 The Motion Picture. To learn Jersey City. The exhibit was held April engineer in IT currently employed by office in fundraising and scholarship more, go to www.Jixavision.com or 8 to May 15, 2016. TIAA in Charlotte, N.C. efforts and also oversee alumni affairs www.JakeHendrix.com. and the foundation board. Jeanne (Sheffer) Linda Behm ’79 (SCB), White- Glenn Pawlak ’86 (GAP), ’88 (GAP) ’81 (SCB) is the McKelvie met fellow alumnus Nick Terpack coordinator of ’83 (SCB), ’10 (CAST) when shopping for a the RIT ASL and ’84 (SCB), bicycle. Terpack was wearing an RIT Deaf Studies ’98 (SCB) sweatshirt and they discovered they Community married were both alumni of RIT. Pawlak owns Center. She has Mark the bike shop Big Bang Bikes in West been employed Scuderi on Mifflin, Pa. www.bigbangbikes.com at RIT for seven Oct. 17, Michael Wenger Sr. ’92 (CLA) years. She is married to Gary Behm 2015, in 1990 married Katherine Hoheusle ’00 (COS) ’81 (CAST). Rochester. on April 7, 2016. in Frederick, Md. Their The couple lives in Frederick, Md., 1982 children and both work in Washington, D.C. Kevin Belfield ’81 (COS), ’82 (COS) were their was appointed dean of the College of attendants: Julie Scuderi, Ella Scuderi, 1993 Science and Liberal Arts at the New Mark Scuderi Jr., Chase McKelvie and Jim Harmon ’93 Jersey Institute of Technology in Liam White. (GAP) co-authored November 2014. Prior to that he a book recently served as Pegasus Professor and chair 1985 published by of the department of chemistry at Don Adriaansen Rowman and the University of Central Florida. ’83, ’85 (SCB) Littlefield titled In 2013, Belfield was elected a Fellow is president Marian Akamatsu ’90 (NTID) got Through Students’ of the American Association for the and CEO of promoted in January 2016 to senior Eyes: Writing and Advancement of Science for distin- Titan Mobile financial management analyst in the Photography for guished contributions to the field of Shredding LLC resource management office for an Success in School. photonic materials and processes, and has been organization within the 78th Air Base Harmon and his co-author, Kristien particularly two-photon based bio- elected president Wing at Robins Air Force Base in Zenkov, spent 10 years conducting the imaging and optical data storage and of the board of Warner Robins, Ga. Akamatsu has photo voice and social justice oriented exceptional administration as depart- directors of the National Association been promoted three times in the last project with middle and high school ment chair. for Information Destruction. five years. students across the U.S. and the world.

FALL 2016 | 39 Tiger Love

Friendship turns to love three decades later

aul Schechtman ’81 (printing) and Pam Evans Schechtman ’81 (printing) became good friends at RIT. PThey shared rides home to the Cleveland area and took classes together. But they were never romantically involved. Pam attended Paul’s wedding to his high school girlfriend after graduation in 1981, and Paul attended Pam’s wedding in 1987. Then life got busy and they lost touch. Until 2011. That’s when Pam joined LinkedIn and started searching for old friends. She found Paul, who happened to live 20 minutes away. They decided to meet for dinner. “She didn’t know I was divorced,” Paul said. “I didn’t know she was a widow. At that point we felt like we were 22 again and still at RIT.” The Schechtmans celebrated their third wedding anniversary on July 28 and both said they couldn’t be happier. Paul and Pam would never had met if Paul hadn’t transferred from the University of Cincinnati to RIT in the fall of 1978 and hadn’t been assigned a dorm room with two other guys. He didn’t want to live in a triple, so he spent his first year in Rustic Village Apartments. Living off-campus was easier with a car, so he purchased one. Since he had transportation, Paul thought he would offer a ride home at Thanksgiving to other students from the Cleveland area. He posted a sign in the Student Alumni Union. “She pulled the tab and called me up,” Paul said. “That’s how we started knowing each other because I would give her rides home.” Although they had a lot in common, including the same major, they stayed friends. “I knew he was off the market, unavailable,” said Pam because Paul was dating his high Paul Schechtman ’81 and Pam Evans Schechtman ’81 met as students and were married three decades later. school sweetheart. “So we did things together as friends.” After graduation, Paul worked in the print- workforce in the school cafeteria so she could “We just get along so well,” Pam added. ing business for 15 years for various compa- have the same schedule as her son. “Can you tell we are really happy?” nies in New York, Philadelphia and Cleve- They realized quickly that even three Mindy Mozer land, then in the transportation business in decades later that they still had a lot in Denver. He moved back to Cleveland in 2010. common. And they love to share their story, Pam stayed in the Cleveland area, working especially during Brick City Homecoming & About Tiger Love for her father’s printing company for seven Family Weekend, which they regularly attend. To suggest one of RIT’s 4,600-plus alumni couples years after graduation and then became a “Any person that stops by, Pam tells the to feature, email us at [email protected]. stay-at-home mom. She returned to the story,” Paul said.

40 | FALL 2016 1996 2001 2004 Rohit Amarnath ’96 (SCB) is Paul Kiley ’01 Matthew Weaver the chief technology officer at (CAST) is a ’04 (KGCOE) Full 360 Inc. in New York City software was promoted to Remzi Gumus ’93 (CLA) has resigned and lives in Cornelius, N.C., with engineering an associate at his position at Huge in Brooklyn as his wife, Jennifer, and children, manager at Erdman Anthony. a senior designer and joined Gumus Alex, Aliya, Rahil, and a boxador Harris Corp., He is a mechanical Design Group LLC in Montclair, N.J., named Belle. Communication engineer in the as a partner with Rion Byrd, previously Systems Division facilities group of Pentagram. 1998 in Rochester. His current area of focus and is a registered professional engineer Amy Beaudreau-Freiermuth ’98 is high frequency tactical radios. in New York and Virginia. 1994 (CIAS), ’02 (CIAS), owner of BeauDesigns—Graphic Design 2002 Kimberly (Feitl) Brophy ’04 and Printing, recently published (COS) was promoted to director of Surrender—September 2, 1945 in external manufacturing quality at Chinese and Japanese. Surrender is Valeant Pharmaceuticals based in the personal story of James L. Starnes, Bridgewater, N.J. the navigator and the officer of the deck on the battleship USS Missouri Kevin Ptak ’04 (CLA) is the market- during the surrender ceremony of ing and communications lead for Au- Japan to the Allies, ending World ror, a crime-fighting software startup War II in the Pacific. BeauDesigns in Auckland, New Zealand. He previ- published the English edition ously managed the Christchurch office a year ago. In October 2015 the of Ideas Shop, a New Zealand-based Military Writers Society of America strategic communications agency. Patrick Finan’s ’94 (CIAS) private awarded Surrender the bronze medal collection of more than 900 1991 for memoirs. Jeremy Sebest ’97 (NTID), ’99 2005 Operation Desert Shield and Storm (NTID), ’02 (CIAS) got married to Ashley Walker ’05 (CIAS), ’07 (SCB) deployment and combat images has Carmen Consunji ’02 (GCCIS) on was promoted to a banking officer been donated to the Veterans History Dec. 27, 2015, in San Francisco. at M&T Bank, where she works as Project at the U.S. Library of Congress the marketing director for commer- for public access. The work was shot Emily (Giesy) Overes ’02 (CIAS) cial lending subsidiary M&T Realty after he was called up in December has relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Capital Corp. She relocated to the 1990 and processed and edited in Canada and accepted the role Baltimore area, where the subsidiary’s following his return in June 1991. of director, marketing and com headquarters are located. munication for Six Safety Systems Thomas Roman ’94 (CCE), ’11 Inc. Six Safety delivers worker fit (CAST) is the good manufacturing for duty solutions that address risks practices (GMP) senior training and associated with drugs, alcohol and employee engagement specialist for fatigue in the workplace. Fresenius Kabi USA. Jason Mann ’98 (CAST), ’08 (CAST) has been hired by The Outdoor Group Phil Jones ’02 (GCCIS) partnered as the director of quality. The Outdoor with social impact enterprises in Group specializes in the development Nairobi, Kenya, and Mexico City and manufacturing of premium quality on projects where he will employ archery and hunting equipment for the human-centered design frame- the outdoor space. Mann lives in work. He will live and work in the Irondequoit, N.Y., with his wife, cities for a total of five months, Tricia, and three children. returning to the U.S. in September 2016. To do this, he had to end his 1999 employment of five years with the Nicholas Herber ’05 (CIAS) and Mark Biscone ’99 (COS) accepted Association of American Medical Michelle Spampata ’06 (COS) are a position at CHI St. Luke’s Health- Colleges, where he was a senior happy to announce their marriage in Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in business analyst. Canandaigua, N.Y., on July 18, 2015. Andrea de Polo ’94 (CIAS) is working Houston as the senior performance They live in Washington, D.C. RIT for Fratelli Alinari (www.alinari.com), excellence champion. He will be James Reale alumni friends in attendance included: the world’s oldest photo archive in the setting up a center for performance ’02 (GCCIS) Jay Alapati ’11 (CIAS), Emily (Manbeck) world, in Florence, Italy. De Polo improvement for the 850-bed accepted a Belt ’05 (CIAS), Joelle (Tannenbaum) manages a team of people who digitize hospital situated in the Texas position at Boedecker ’05 (CIAS), Fritz Heier ’05 more than 3 million historical images Medical Center. VMware. He is (GCCIS), Emily Johnson ’06 (KGCOE), from the picture archive using a working out of Lindsey Kammerer ’07 (CIAS) and PhaseOne 80 megapixel digital camera Amy Craig-Oren ’99 (CAST) Los Angeles as a Erica (Salgado) Tsang ’05, ’06 (CIAS). back and is also a consultant in the has accepted the position of senior technical cultural heritage field providing instructional support specialist account manager. Emily Ianacone ’05 (CIAS) is current- lectures and consulting technical in library services at Florida Gulf ly a design researcher/UX designer expertise in the imaging sector. Coast University. She works with 2003 (user experience for both analog and specialized subject librarians in the Suzanne digital services, processes and prod- 1995 research, reference and instruction (Fuhrhop) ucts) in the White House Presidential Seth Gitner ’95 (CIAS), an associate department. Capper ’03 Innovation Fellows program until professor of newspaper and online (CIAS) recently September 2016. journalism in the Newhouse School 2000 published a at Syracuse University, was elected to Sean Croft ’00 children’s book Alissa (Cloen) Miller ’05 (CIAS) is a two-year term as national secretary (CLA) has been called Princess working on a series of children’s books of the National Press Photographers selected as the Suzette: Counting called Watercolor Daydreams. All Association (NPPA). He was sworn in next superinten- in her Kingdom. are self-published and are for sale in at NPPA’s board of directors meeting dent of schools Readers are delighted with the fun, numerous Western New York stores Jan. 24 at the Grady College of Jour- for the Starpoint fantasy creatures in her world and from East Aurora to Clarence to Me- nalism and Mass Communication at Central School learn to count them as well. It’s dina. They can be found at the University of Georgia in Athens. District. currently sold on amazon.com. www.watercolordaydreams.com.

FALL 2016 | 41 Tiger Cubs

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

John Genese ’75 (CLA) is the Vincenzo Giacinto ’99 (CAST) Molly (Urquhart) Hemkens ’03 Stephanie Cole ’05 (CIAS) and 1 proud grandparent of Lyra 5 and his wife, Aimey, announce 9 (CIAS) and her husband, Steve, 15 Douglas Cole ’05 (CIAS) are the Catherine, born in March 2015. Lyra the birth of their first daughter, are happy to announce the arrival of proud parents of Wyatt Michael Cole, loves puzzles, books, trips to the zoo Gelsomina Rose, on Feb. 20, 2016, Luke Richard Hemkens on Aug. 6, 2015. born in Buffalo, N.Y., in December and Bubble Guppies. She looks forward in Alexandria, Va. 2015. Wyatt joins his older brothers, to her first day at RIT. Deanna Varble ’04 (CIAS) and Milo, 7, and Parker, 4. Mike Heinecke ’00 (CAST) 10 her husband, Matt Bielewicz, are Thomas Ethington ’79 (GAP), 6 announces the birth of his son, happy to announce the birth of their Matthew Walter ’06 (GCCIS), ’09 2 ’81 (GAP) and Beverley Otto Simon Heinecke, who was born son, Loren James, on Aug. 27, 2015. (GCCIS) and his wife, Eliza, are happy Ethington announce the birth of their at home in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Sept. to announce the birth of their son, Levi first grandson, Corbin Charles 8, 2015. He was welcomed by his Kim (Roberts) Porter ’04 Arthur, in October 2015 in Rochester. Ethington, to their daughter, Erin Dell loving sisters, Marianna and Evelyn. 11 (CIAS) and Glenn Porter ’04 Ethington, in January 2016. Heinecke is a program manager at (CIAS) welcomed their daughter, John Matyjasik ’06 (CAST) and Google in Mountain View, Calif. Olivia, in February 2016. 16 Megan Matyjasik welcomed a John Villard ’84 (CAST) and daughter, Olivia, in February 2016. 3 Kathleen Villard are proud to Yu-Chen Hsieh ’02 (CIAS) Kevin Black ’04 (GCCIS) and Olivia’s grandmother, Penny Fleming announce the birth of their daughter, 7 celebrates the birth of his daughter, 12 Alan Bennett welcomed a ’80 (CIAS), is also an alumna of RIT. Calypso Margaret Elizabeth Villard, Jessie Hsieh, on Jan. 1, 2016. He currently daughter, Kennedy, in June 2015. on Jan. 6, 2016, in Canandaigua, N.Y. lives in Taiwan with his family. Anne Gupta ’07 (KGCOE) and Gary Fino ’05 (KGCOE) 17 her husband, Rahul Gupta ’08 Rob Stroup ’98 (COS) and Marie Nye ’03 (CIAS), ’05 (CIAS) 13 welcomed a daughter, Kelsey, (KGCOE), are proud to announce the 4 Laura Lamb Stroup ’99 (COS) 8 and Drew Nye ’04 (CAST) in February 2016. birth of their daughter, Cecilia Anne, adopted their third child. Charlotte welcomed a son, Albright Carleo Nye, on Oct. 30, 2015. Mei came home from China in on April 14, 2015. His grandparents Sarah Connors ’05 (SCB) December 2015. She is 2 years old and are Bruce Peterson (NTID retiree), 14 welcomed a daughter, Alexis, Alexander Gartley ’07 (CIAS) joins big sister Hanna, 11, and big Alan Nye (KGCOE professor), Ruth in November 2015. 18 and his wife, Cristin, proudly brother Rudy, 9. Verlinde-Knighton (NTID retiree) announce the birth of their first child, and Kathleen Nye ’88 (CLA). Callum Alexander, on Feb. 1, 2016, in Rochester.

42 | FALL 2016 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 32

Jennifer Pawluk Brodowski ’07 Deanna Stawnychy ’09 (NTID), Kristie Gross ’13 (CAST) 19 (CIAS) and her husband, Travis, 24 ’12 (NTID) and Alex Oryshkev- 29 welcomed a baby boy, Miles are proud to announce the birth of ych welcomed their son, Maksym, on Gabriel, in December 2015. their son, Cason, on Oct. 11, 2015. Feb. 28, 2016. Deanna Walden ’13 (COS) Meghan (Walsh) DeFisher ’07 Patrick Grogan ’11 (KGCOE) 30 welcomed a son, Chevy, in 20 (CIAS) and Randall Scott 25 and his wife, Erin Grogan, January 2016. DeFisher ’07 (KGCOE), ’15 welcomed their second child, Keira (KGCOE) are pleased to announce the Riley, on Feb. 16. Big brother Sean Floripe Padua ’14 (KGCOE) birth of their daughter, Brigid Louise, Patrick was very excited to meet her. 31 and his wife, Adrianna, on March 2, 2016, in Rochester. welcomed a baby girl, Amaya Lauren (Keller) Welshans ’11 Mariana, in April 2015. Heather (Blout) Grotke ’07 26 (CIAS) and Nathan Welshans 21 (COS) and her husband, Doug, ’11 (GCCIS) are proud to announce Dengyu Liu ’16 (GAP) welcomed a son in October 2015, the birth of their son, Caleb Glenn, on 32 welcomed a son, Lucas, in Carter Ryan Grotke. The couple also Dec. 14, 2015. February 2016. has a daughter, Carly. Irma “G-Iron” (Giron) Prosser Tiger baby bib Erin (Fredericks) Schiele ’07 27 ’11 (COS) and Dan Prosser ’11 22 (CIAS), ’09 (COS) and Jeremy (KGCOE) are proud to announce the If you are a graduate of Schiele ’08 (KGCOE) are proud to birth of their daughter, Audrey, on RIT and you have recently announce the birth of their son, Feb. 5, 2016. had a child join your family, Landon, on Aug. 24, 2015, in Rochester. Benjamin Powers ’11 (SCB) and request your free future 28 his family welcomed their fourth RIT tiger baby bib at 23 Bharat Joshi ’08 (COS) and his child, baby girl Zoë Mae Powers, in www.rit.edu/alumni/ wife, Hetal, are proud to May 2015. updateinfo/babybib.php. announce the birth of their first child, Maanav, born in December 2015.

FALL 2016 | 43 2006 built a tiny house on the back of Cory Hoffman ’06 (KGCOE) was their Ford pickup truck in spring promoted to senior manager of 2015 in preparation for their Save the date Toyota’s Vehicle Safety and Compli- cross-country road trip to Burning ance Liaison Office. Man. The home, which they now call the Ford Flophouse, was featured in RIT alumni volunteers will 2007 TruckCamper Magazine. embrace their Tiger pride Dmitriy Bekker and team up for an inter- ’07 (KGCOE) Ankit Katyal ’08 started working (COS) started national day of community at the Johns pursuing his service on Sept 17. Hopkins MBA full time RIT’s Global Day of University at Manchester Applied Physics Business School Service is hosted by the Laboratory. He in the UK. Alumni Association. joined the This comes as a cornerstone for his On this one day, alumni Embedded professional development in his chapters all over the globe Applications group in the Space plan to gain financial, business and Exploration Sector. He has worked in entrepreneurial knowledge in order connect with Tiger alumni this field since graduation, with past to achieve his long-term goal of through a variety of com- employment at NASA’s Jet Propulsion establishing a health care venture: Rachelle Danno ’09 (CAST) and munity service projects Laboratory and the Naval Research Original Thinking Applied. Lawrence Peter Latona were married on Laboratory. Jan. 15, 2016, in a private ceremony on and make a difference right 2009 Cayuga Lake. Both are from Rochester in their own backyards. 2007 and live in Webster, N.Y. She is currently Last year, 260 RIT com- Ethan Feldman studying to become a registered nurse munity members volun- ’07 (GCCIS) has to fulfill her desire to give quality health been working in care to underserved populations. teered at 15 different sites the technology in 12 regions around the space since 2010 world. graduating in Fermín A. Colón 2007. He worked López ’98 (COS), Paul Finkelstein ’90 at JW Player ’10 (COS) formed (photography illustration) on a popular Scholar Math and volunteered at The Caring embeddable Rational Tutoring media player for seven years until (SMART), Kitchen, a free hot meal October 2015, when he moved to a business program in South Florida, Compass, a technology-driven real specializing preparing food and clean- estate platform. He lives in the in providing ing the vans for its Meals Williamsburg neighborhood of personalized Brooklyn, N.Y. math education. Learn more at on Wheels program. www.scholarmathtutoring.com. “Volunteering alongside Christopher alumni is the absolute best Cody ’07 Marla Mrowka ’10 (CIAS) will be (CAST) was attending the Rhode Island School of way to get to know them,” promoted by Design for a master’s degree in interior Finkelstein said. “Going to Erdman Anthony design, adaptive reuse. After spending dinner or a hockey game is to associate. He is Shane Crounse ’03 (GCCIS), ’09 (CLA) the past four years in New York City great but at these projects a mechanical married Danielle Picard on Oct. 10, working at VaynerMedia, a social engineer in the 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. The couple media agency, she is excited to be you are able to see who Facilities group. met in Rochester when Picard pursuing this career shift. really cares in your com- He is a registered attended the University of Rochester munity.” professional engineer in New York. as a doctoral student. The wedding 2011 was attended by several RIT alumni. Tyler Pugliese This year, the com- 2008 Currently, both work at Vanderbilt ’11 (CLA) is munity service projects Livio University where they are doctoral currently a planned so far will take Ciciotti students. customer support place in Atlanta, Dallas, ’08 (CIAS) engineer at Fastly is now a in San Francisco. South Florida, Colorado, senior protein Most recently he Los Angeles, Washington, supervisor met with RIT’s D.C., New York City and for Leprino MAGIC Spell Foods Co. Studios at the Rochester. Alumni also in Greeley, Game Developers Conference in San have the opportunity to Colo. Francisco. He continues to enjoy RIT create their own projects in alumni events and works with three their region by registering other graduates at his company. with the Alumni Associa- Remy Glock ’11 (CIAS) is currently tion. working as a senior designer at To learn more about Edelman in Chicago, a global communications marketing firm. Glock’s the Global Day of Service work was entered and displayed as or to register a project, go Ivanka Markov ’09 (SCB), ’15 part of a type exhibit called “Type- to www.rit.edu/alumni/ (KGCOE) married Michael Neary on force.” She worked with a photog- Jason Fox ’08 (SCB) is the owner Dec. 8, 2015. The ceremony took place rapher to have photos taken of her GDS2016. and principal engineer of Never Stop on the Island of Hawaii (Big Island) installation process and final results Building LLC based out of Baltimore, and was attended by family, friends of her pieces. Her theme is entitled Md. He and his fiancée, Lauren Miner, and numerous RIT alumni. Deaf-iculties.

44 | FALL 2016 Malory Hendel for Midwest Laboratories as a soil ’11 (NTID) analyst and she works at Iowa School moved to Kansas for the Deaf as a high school math and is attending teacher. Johnson County Community 2013 College in Kristie Gross ’13 (CAST) has been Overland Park an academic adviser for the School of for an adminis- Photographic Arts and Sciences at RIT trative support since 2003 and accepted the assistant specialist certificate degree. She is director of student services position Celia Garland ’14 (CIAS) is employed expecting to graduate in May 2017. in CIAS. by the Corning Museum of Glass, Blow She also volunteers at the Deaf Glass at Sea program. This has taken Cultural Center in Olathe. her around the world and exposed her to endless sources of inspiration, while allowing her to continue blowing glass and sharing her passion for glass with the wider world. 2015 Mark Logan ’15 (CIAS) has been with the talent agency ICM Partners Arianna Valentini-Huffield ’09 Joymarie Parker ’13 (SOIS) in Los Angeles for nine months. He (CAST), ’10 (CIAS), ’12 (CIAS) celebrated the one-year anniversary works as an assistant to a senior talent and Nicholas Huffield ’11 (GCCIS) of her podcast, Joblogues, with a agent and is making his way into the were married on Sept. 5, 2015. skills-building improvisational brunch entertainment business. The wedding took place at Artisan- and workshop for 30-plus, diverse, John Costik ’11 (SOIS) and his wife Works in Rochester and was young professionals in New York City. Laura Henderson ’02 (CAST) write celebrated by family and friends, Joblogues highlights candid career that their son’s life was changed by a including numerous RIT alumni. conversations with young profession- Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and they The couple lives in the greater als every Monday and can be heard on both found new and innovative ways New York City area. iTunes, Acast or Soundcloud. to manage the challenges of the condition. By reverse engineering Evan’s Michael Beare continuous glucose monitor, Costik was ’13 (CAST), able to create a mobile, near real-time a mechanical monitor for his then 4-year-old son. engineer in The Nightscout Project, an open source the facilities and freely available set of software engineering Jena DiGiovanni-Hersh ’14 (NTID), projects, has now reached across the and design ’15 (CLA) has a passion for traveling globe, influenced FDA regulations, services core the world. After returning to the and fast tracked a new generation of business in States, she immediately landed a job devices for a wider audience. the Rochester with a law firm as a legal assistant in office of Erdman Anthony, has Jupiter, Fla. Benjamin Powers ’11 (SCB) received his LEED Green Associate successfully defended his stage-one credential from the U.S. Green Dina “Dee Dee” Johnson ’15 (CHST) thesis “The impact of self-efficacy Building Council. accepted a clinical research associate perceptions on entrepreneurial intent position through Rochester Regional for people with low self-esteem and Alejandro Fragoso ’13 (GCCIS) Health Systems. how to increase them through entre- succeeded in breaking the Guinness preneurship education” in April 2015. World Record for longest TV binge- He is currently writing his dissertation watching marathon. The new record to complete the requirements for a now stands at 94 hours. doctorate in business administration at Grenoble École de Management in 2014 Grenoble, France. Charlene (Hannah) Schoepp ’12 Parth D. Shah ’14 (CAST) was (GCCIS) and Gavin Schoepp ’11 recently promoted to a quality engi- Jamice Obianyo (CAST) were married on Oct. 24, neer II in the new product develop- ’11 (SCB) was 2015. The wedding took place in ment group at Keurig Green Mountain elected to the Atlanta and was celebrated by family in Boston. He graduated with an MS F.R. Bigelow and friends, including numerous RIT in manufacturing leadership from RIT Hardik Shah ’15 (GCCIS) completed Foundation alumni. in May 2016 and was nominated to one successful year at BlackRock Inc. Board of be the program delegate during com- Trustees. mencement. He will continue his pas- Since 1946, sion for higher education by pursuing the Bigelow a Ph.D. in engineering management Foundation, from George Washington University Are you moving? located in St. Paul, Minn., has in D.C. while growing in his full-time donated more than $135 million professional role at Keurig Green If your address changes, you can to the community. Mountain. make sure you continue to receive The University Magazine by report- 2012 Robert Kahrs ’14 (SCB) is part of ing your new address to the Office Aurelkys Estevez Espinal ’12 (CAST) a start-up organization called Vice- of Alumni Relations. Send an email has been working for the attorney Price, a mobile responsive website to [email protected] or call the office general’s office on a project called Marc Villaverde ’12 (NTID) and designed to help people discover the toll free at 866-748-2586. “New Penitentiary Model.” The project Ashley (Weihs) Villaverde ’09 closest happy hours near them in Alumni can also keep in touch promotes human rights and rehabilita- (CAST), ’11 (NTID) were married Washington, D.C., and what deals through the Online Community. tion in underdeveloped countries like on June 26, 2015, in Westphalia, Iowa. are available. For more information, Go to www.rit.edu/alumni. the Dominican Republic. They live in Omaha, Neb. He works go to viceprice.co.

FALL 2016 | 45 It’s much more than a donation. It’s our legacy.

Have you thought about the future?

 Having a Will is the essential first step in securing your family’s future. Creating a plan is easy with the step-by-step Guide to Planning Your Will and Trust.

For more information and to get your complimentary Guide to Planning Your ` Will and Trust, please visit rit.edu/FreeWillsGuide.

Take the first step toward creating your plan.

It’s more than a donation.

It’s your legacy. THE ELLINGSON SOCIETY

Alumni 1952 1960 1968 1977 1987 Frederick J. Heier ’52 Gordon Woodhams ’60 Bruce D. Miles ’68 Gilbreath B. Zealey ’77 David Weldon Hagan ’87 1936 (CCE), April 4, 2016 (COS), Jan. 30, 2016 (CCE), Jan. 23, 2016 (SCB), Feb. 7, 2016 (CAST), March 15, 2016 Florence (Armstrong) Leonard M. Wurzer ’52 Vaidevutis Draugelis ’60 Robert Bruce Smith ’68 Helen A. Strem Krzan Field ’36 (FAA), May 29, (COS), March 28, 2016 (KGCOE), Feb. 21, 2016 (GAP), Jan. 20, 2016 ’77 (CCE), March 7, 2016 1990 2016, at the age of 100 Joseph R. Magner ’60 Augie J. Tantalo ’68 Terry P. Guy ’90 (CAST), 1953 (CCE), March 4, 2016 (CCE), March 3, 2016 1978 March 14, 2016 1939 Roger D. Haich ’53 Richard F. Uebelacker ’60 Joan Bawden ’78 (SCB), Michael Alan Rogoff ’90 Harold W. Keenahan ’39 (KGCOE), Jan. 23, 2016 (CCE), Feb. 28, 2016 1969 Jan. 5, 2016 (CCE), March 10, 2016 (COS), April 13, 2016 Ilic V. Genovese ’53 Suzanne Steiner ’60 Gary E. Goodridge ’69 Debra (Davanzo) (CCE), Jan. 28, 2016 (FAA), March 3, 2016 (CCE), March 9, 2016 Tiagwad ’78 (SCB), 1991 1942 Walter Litolff ’53 (GAP), Joseph J. Lacagnina ’60 Jan. 13, 2016 Cindy A. (Hammond) Martin L. Suter ’42 March 9, 2016 (SCB), April 3, 2016 1970 Kenton E. Johnson ’78 Meyer ’91 (GAP), (KGCOE), Jan. 18, 2016 Dorothy B. Doyle ’53 James R. McFarland ’70 (CCE), Jan. 14, 2016 Feb. 4, 2016 (FAA), April 7, 2016 1961 (SCB), Feb. 19, 2016 Anthony Colangelo ’78 1943 Donald W. Spaker ’61 Myron W. Berry ’70 (KGCOE), 81 (KGCOE), 1992 Gordon J. McCarthy ’43 (CCE), Feb. 2, 2016 (FAA), March 10, 2016 Jan. 29, 2016 Daniel Alan Plumeau (COS), Jan. 10, 2016 1955 Kenneth M. Johnson ’61 James Glading ’78 ’92 (CCE), Jan. 17, 2016 Victor P. Messana ’55 (KGCOE), March 8, 2016 1971 (CAST), Feb. 26, 2016 1945 (KGCOE), Jan. 12, 2016 Erwin J. Ostertag ’61 James D. German ’71 1996 David McGranaghan ’45 Frank A. Braun ’55 (CCE), April 6, 2016 (SCB), Feb. 10, 2016 1980 Michael A. Nelson ’96 (COS), March 25, 2016 (CCE), April 10, 2016 Albert Hauck ’71 (CCE), Ronald Paul Hotte ’80 (KGCOE), Feb. 4, 2016 1962 March 20, 2016 (SCB), Jan. 27, 2016 1946 1956 Gabriel J. Milonni ’62 Pamela B. Cole ’80 1997 Barbara (Wood) Martin Chapell Peake ’56 (CCE), (CCE), Jan. 20, 2016 1972 (CLA), April 8, 2016 Stuart L. Perry ’97 ’46 (SCB), April 11, 2016 Jan. 22, 2016 Paul Martel ’62 (CCE), Harold E. Wagner ’72 (CAST), March 18, 2016 Jan. 21, 2016 (CCE), Feb. 12, 2016 1981 1947 1957 Donald E. Manges ’62 Lawrence R. Holland ’72 Robert Leland Everts ’81 1999 D. Carl Yackel ’47 (COS), Frank J. Germain ’57 (COS), April 14, 2016 (CCE), Feb. 15, 2016 (CCE), Jan. 21, 2016 Jacob P. Herman ’99 Jan. 22, 2016 (KGCOE), Jan. 16, 2016 Robert D. Flynn ’72 David John Pickett ’81 (COS), Jan. 19, 2016 John Dipaola ’47 (FAA), Donald Brown ’57 1963 (SCB), March 31, 2016 (CAST), Jan. 30, 2016 Annmarie Del Forte ’99 Feb. 26, 2016 (CCE), March 19, 2016 Donald R. Bernhart ’63 James J. McKeown ’72 David Charles Stigora (CIAS), Jan. 18, 2016 Herman J. Walz Sr. ’47 James Thomas McCue (CCE), March 23, 2016 (CCE), April 1, 2016 ’81 (CAST), March 30, (CCE), March 8, 2016 ’57 (SCB), Feb. 22, 2016 2016 2001 Joseph J. Delello Sr. ’47 1964 1973 William F. Perkins ’81 Crystal K. Ferrell ’01 (SCB), April 5, 2016 1958 William B. Mulroy ’64 William G. Yeager ’73 (CAST), April 1, 2016 (NTID), Jan. 26, 2016 Peter E. Bondi ’58 (SCB), (CCE), Jan. 11, 2016 (CCE), March 18, 2016 1948 Jan. 19, 2016 Richard C. Albertine ’64 Richard Carl Boyd ’73 1982 2007 Daniel J. Lawrence ’48 Robert E. Richards ’58 (GAP), ’70 (GAP), (KGCOE), March 29, Eva G. Hauck ’82 (CCE), Grady S. De Foore ’07 (GAP), Jan. 11, 2016 (GAP), March 6, 2016 March 23, 2016 2016 Feb. 5, 2016 (CIAS), Jan. 20, 2016 Robert E. Chan ’48 Robert P. Borrelli ’58 Victor T. Magone ’64 Mark Scheinholz ’73 John Martin Scherberger (GAP), March 3, 2016 (KGCOE), March 16, (CCE), March 6, 2016 (SCB), May 26, 2015 ’82 (CAST), April 5, 2016 2016 1949 Robert P. Lehmann ’58 1965 1974 1983 Faculty and staff Phillips Joseph Butler ’49 (KGCOE), March 11, James J. Powell ’65 Thomas F. Huntington John Michael Isselhard (GAP), Jan. 22, 2016 2016 (CCE), Feb. 16, 2016 ’74 (KGCOE), Feb. 10, ’83 (SCB), Feb. 17, 2016 Burton August, trustee Kenneth W. Moore ’49 Vincent S. Fowler ’65 2016 Virginia Kirtland ’83 emeritus, March 18, 2016 (KGCOE), Jan. 28, 2016 1959 (SCB), March 2, 2016 Stephen C. Beck ’74 (FAA), ’87 (CCE), 92 Leona S. Woodward ’49 Robert J. Wahl ’59 Irvin ( Kaz) J. Kazmierc- (KGCOE), Feb. 16, 2016 (CAST), March 9, 2016 Bill Larsen, professor (CCE), Jan. 29, 2016 (SCB), Jan. 9, 2016 zak ’65 (CCE), March Harry M. Habets ’74 emeritus in CAST’s civil Lois (Bloodgood) Keith H. Berry ’59 14, 2016 (SCB), March 21, 2016 1984 engineering technology/ Coulter ’49 (SCB), Feb. (KGCOE), March 13, Robert J. Dietrich ’65 Susan Ginley ’84 (FAA), environmental manage- 25, 2016 2016 (KGCOE), March 25, 1975 Jan. 6, 2016 ment and safety depart- Charles F. Weekes ’59 2016 Humberto N. Luis Jr. ’75 Barrie J. Oukes ’84 ment, April 13, 2016 1950 (CCE), Feb. 25, 2016 (GAP), Jan. 4, 2016 (CCE), Feb. 19, 2016 Sally (Rossi) Lanzi ’50 William J. Moran Jr. ’59 1966 Joan S. Green ’75 (CCE), Ann Mowris Mulligan, (SCB), Jan. 26, 2016 (CCE), March 24, 2016 Gerald H. DeGroot ’66 Jan. 25, 2016 1986 trustee emeritus, April Sallie (Miller) Arpag ’50 Theodore A. Broekhui- (CCE), March 10, 2016 James O. Ards Jr. ’86 23, 2016 (SCB), Jan. 28, 2016 zen ’59 (KGCOE), April 1976 (CCE), March 2, 2016 Jerome C. Hanss ’50 8, 2016 1967 Victor W. Unczur ’76 William (Bill) Walence, (KGCOE), Feb. 23, 2016 Geraldine (Degrazia) (KGCOE), Jan. 17, 2016 retired professor of Health Carl N. Heuer ’50 (CCE), Papero ’67 (CCE), ’76 Barry W. Ogden ’76 Administration, June 21, March 10, 2016 (CCE), Feb. 14, 2016 (SCB), March 19, 2016 2016 David F. Phillips ’50 Roger L. Maxon ’67 (KGCOE), March 10, (CCE), April 1, 2016 2016

No. 13, August 2016 RIT (USPS-676-870) is published 17 times annually by Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603, once in March, four times in June, twice in July, six times in August, once in September, twice in October, and once in November. Periodicals postage paid at Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603. FALL 2016 | 47 from the Archives

William Destler announced that he will retire at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. He was installed as RIT’s ninth president in 2007. Photo by A. Sue Weisler

2007 President Destler’s inauguration

illiam Destler was installed as to be. He brings to this new role extensive innovation, diversity, a greater cooperation RIT’s ninth president on Nov. 9, experience in higher education, profound with industry on research and development, 2007, at a ceremony in the Gor- commitment to the future of this institution, and greater interdisciplinary cooperation Wdon Field House and Activities Center. and a cluster of ideas for RIT’s future that are within the university to solve complex global More than 4,000 spectators, including sound, far-sighted and indeed essential.” problems. more than 40 college and university leaders Destler was officially installed as president In his inaugural address, Destler from throughout the nation, attended the by Michael Morley ’69 (business administra- encouraged the RIT community to take event. tion), chairman of the RIT Board of Trustees; the university to the next level by capital- Cornell University President David J. Christine Whitman, vice chair; and Donald izing on its unusual strengths, including the Skorton served as the keynote speaker at Boyce ’67 (business administration), chair “creative juices” of the student body. the inauguration and praised Destler’s of the presidential search committee. “How do we encourage the development vision for RIT’s future. Skorton described Destler, who earned of their minds, their hearts, and their souls “Bill Destler is a superb choice for the a Ph.D. from Cornell in the field of applied in such a way that we ensure that the next presidency of Rochester Institute of Technol- physics, as a “distinguished researcher, generation of humans can grow and flourish ogy,” Skorton said. “He is a ‘Category of One’ educational innovator, seasoned and effective on this planet? As we work to make RIT a president equal to the task of making RIT administrator, and generous adviser.” His real ‘innovation university,’ we will have to the ‘Category of One’ university it is poised speech touched on Destler’s commitment to come up with good answers,” Destler said.

48 | FALL 2016