SPRING 2019

Tiny Devices, Boundless Ideas

Making Alexa From Classmates to Playmates Letter from the Vice Provost for Research

WHEN I ENTERED POMONA COLLEGE, are exploring new resources to support our I was surprised that there were questions scholarly activity. We are engaged with our my professors could not answer. During my undergraduate students in planning to involve elementary and high school education, all them more in research—at their request! questions posed had answers, and we learned to express those answers clearly on our exams. “Discover. Create. Solve.” is our university’s new But in college I was exposed to the frontier of tagline. This is what excites us about research knowledge, where some questions did not yet at Illinois Tech. While we must learn from what have answers. As an undergraduate student, I has already been discovered, created, and spent two summers working alongside faculty solved, we are keen to jump in and discover, and other students discovering answers to create, and solve for ourselves. It is our passion questions at the frontier. It so excited me that I as faculty, and a passion that we are passing on pursued a doctorate at Massachusetts Institute to our students. of Technology, where I learned to pose my own questions as well as answer some of them. This If you have not visited Illinois Tech lately, I is why I have relished an academic career, and hope you will do so to become familiar with especially my past 14 years at Illinois Institute the exciting research that we are doing. In the of Technology. meantime, enjoy learning from these pages what some in the Illinois Tech family have As the vice provost for research since October been up to in research—from improving upon 2018, I have the privilege to work with faculty, Amazon Alexa to ensuring water quality. students, and staff at Illinois Tech to build the foundation for the future growth of Sincerely, our research enterprise. Our university has recently reorganized and strengthened our administrative support for research. We are building new research collaborations across disciplinary boundaries, which makes it possible Fred J. Hickernell for us to solve important problems that are outside the scope of a single discipline. We are partnering with outside organizations to leverage our expertise for greater impact. We MAGAZINE

Vice President for External Affairs Jess Goode Spring 2019

Managing Editor Marcia Faye

Director of Content Chelsea Kalberloh Jackson

Contributors Emily Ayshford Olivia Dimmer Steve Hendershot Robin Hunt Scott Lewis Casey Moffitt Kristin Baird Rattini Rebecca Scherer Andrew Wyder

Art Direction and Design Scott Benbrook

Web Edition Brian Bailey Adrian Cabrera Abbey Vargas

Illinois Tech Magazine is published twice a year by the 18 20 Office of Marketing and Communications. © 2019 Illinois Tech Magazine is printed on FSC-certified recycled paper. Read it, share it, recycle it. Features

Send Letters to Illinois Tech Magazine Office of Marketing and Communications 10 Inspired early on 18 Susan Blessing Departments 10 West 35th Street, 13th Floor Chicago, IL 60616 by the boundless (PHYS ’82) is helping horizons of science young women aspire to 2 On Campus or email [email protected] fiction and the promise chart new directions in 6 Philanthropy News Send alumni news to [email protected] of artificial intelligence, the STEM disciplines as 7 Athletics Rohit Prasad (M.S. EE director of Florida State Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, 8 Research Briefs is a private, technology-focused research university. ’99) rose to become University’s Women Based in the global metropolis of Chicago, Illinois Tech 24 Alumni News is the only university of its kind in the city. It offers vice president and in Math, Science & undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, head scientist for Engineering program. 36 Rewind science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. Amazon Alexa. 20 The secret behind One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of the career success of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois 14 After years Tech provides an exceptional education centered on working with the Sam Unsicker (DSGN active learning, and its graduates lead the state and much State Department’s ’87) and Hiram Johnson of the nation in economic prosperity. At Illinois Tech students are empowered to discover, create, and solve, Afghanistan police (DSGN ’89) is that and thus uniquely prepared to succeed in professions program, Angelic they never grow up. that require technological sophistication, an innovative Young (LAW ’01) now mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit. 22 Through her work trains this country’s at Children’s National Mission Statement law enforcement in To provide distinctive and relevant education in an Health System, Paige managing implicit bias— environment of scientific, technological, and professional Mass (BME ’17) is knowledge creation and innovation and gaining public trust. engineering innovations Armour College of Engineering in pediatric cardiology. Chicago-Kent College of Law 16 Water, water, College of Architecture everywhere…so long College of Science as it’s clean. Charles On The Cover: Institute of Design Paige Mass (BME ’17) Lewis College of Human Sciences Haas (BIOL ’73, M.S. examines a model of School of Applied Technology Stuart School of Business ENVE ’74) wanted to a child’s heart at the ensure water’s safety Sheikh Zayed Institute ADA Statement and invented the for Pediatric Surgical Illinois Institute of Technology provides qualified Innovation, part of the individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to field of quantitative Children’s National participate in university activities, programs, and services. microbiological Read Illinois Tech Health System in Such individuals with disabilities requiring an risk assessment. accommodation should call the activity, program, or Magazine online at Washington, D.C. service director. For further information about Illinois magazine.iit.edu Photo: Mike Olliver Tech’s resources, contact the Illinois Tech Center for Disability Resources at [email protected]. Letters

Rock On Donald Lucas (CHEM ’72) wants to get a weight off his chest through this admission:

“I would like to confess my role in the burying of the rock between the chemistry building and The Commons. (I assume the statute of limitations has passed.) I read your story about rumors about IIT (“IIT Urban Legends,” fall 2004), and want to correct the record. We used our IIT training A standing-room-only crowd listened to benefactor Ed Kaplan (ME ’65) speak at the Ed Kaplan and realized that there was no way Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship grand opening evening gala. we could move it with any campus equipment. I then posed the idea that Kaplan Institute Grand Opening we bury it instead. A decision was made to have a small group dig a pit The Illinois Tech community and haven’t been invented yet, trained next to the rock, have it topple in, and the City of Chicago came together to use technologies that we are just then cover it with dirt. Apparently, it on Mies Campus to celebrate the now creating, in order to address was going well when the rock started grand opening of the long-awaited problems that we do not yet know toppling into the adjacent pit. My Ed Kaplan Family Institute for are going to be problems,” said roommate was in the pit digging, and Innovation and Tech Entrepreneur- Howard Tullman, University Professor he barely escaped. Early the next ship on October 25, 2018. “Pepper,” and executive director of the Kaplan morning, I arrived in Wishnick Hall to a semi-humanoid robot, was in the Institute. “In this building the creative watch everyone’s reaction. I espe- crowd, as well as Chicago Mayor and imaginative ideas of the school’s cially enjoyed the athletic director’s Rahm Emanuel, who, along with students and faculty will become reaction, as I was a member of the namesake benefactors Ed Kaplan meaningful innovations for baseball team.” (ME ’65) and his wife, Carol, and our city, region, other dignitaries helped to and beyond.” Here a Rabbit, There a Rabbit cut the ceremonial ribbon opening Bernice E. Grunig (M.S. DSGN ’69) the institute. attended what is now the Sayre “The Kaplan Institute’s focus is to Language Academy and Steinmetz turn out highly qualified, instantly College Prep with Hugh Hefner, who, employable students for jobs that as founder of Playboy magazine, provided comments about the late Carol and Ed Kaplan with Pepper Art Paul (Institute of Design attendee) for “Mr. Entertainment,” in the spring TRANSITIONS 2009 issue of IIT Magazine. Paul, Playboy’s first art director, who The university welcomes two new members to passed away in 2018, was well known the Illinois Institute of Technology Board of Trustees: for having created the bowtie rabbit Victoria L. Noonan (LAW ’84), Managing Principal, Chicago Market head logo that came to symbolize the Leader, Cushman & Wakefield magazine. Grunig says that classmate Eric G. Vassilatos, Co-Owner, Skybox Capital Hefner, “a real character,” himself drew rabbit head doodles during his Illinois Tech congratulates the following individuals elementary school days. on their new roles at the university: Vice President for Enrollment Michael Gosz, Illinois Tech Magazine who is also named senior vice provost 10 West 35th Street, 13th Floor Professor Fred J. Hickernell, who is also named vice provost for research Chicago, IL 60616 Distinguished Professor Patrick Whitney, to active professor emeritus Email: [email protected]

2 SPRING 2019 Keating Sports Center The Spark That Shines Lighting System and Nanogrid This one-building grid is powered by solar Transformative Technology panels, storage batteries, and a hybrid Grows Ever Brighter AC-DC electrical system.

Wind Turbines Units on campus and at the Grand Ridge wind farm outside Chicago provide renewable energy.

Smart Electric Vehicle Charging Station Decked out with a solar canopy, it has spots for 11 vehicles to fill ’er up.

ith the rollout of its campus- wide microgrid in 2009, WIllinois Tech sparked a new approach to keeping the lights on. In the years since, the dividends from this first-in-the-nation project have rolled in. ¶ Led by Mohammad Shahi- dehpour, director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innova- tion and associate director of Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (WISER), the microgrid inte- grates a high-reliability distribution system, smart metering, and renew- able energy sources to boost overall efficiency, demand response, and resiliency. If necessary, the system can disconnect from the broader Off-Grid Streetlights power grid, making the campus Wind-powered units are internet self-sufficient during emergen- connected and provide sensor- cies. Thanks to a variety of efficien- controlled lighting and cell phone cies created by the microgrid, the charging across campus. university has saved about $1 million a year. ¶ While many of the initia- tive’s technological innovations are embedded in the power distribution system and largely out of sight, other fruits of the project have sprouted up across campus for all to see, such as solar panels, wind turbines, S. R. Crown Hall Nanogrid LED street lights, and charging Completed in spring 2019, this iconic stations for electric vehicles. ¶ At building’s nanogrid is connected to the decade mark, the Illinois Tech the microgrid and fed by rooftop Microgrid continues to set the pace solar panels and Tesla batteries in transforming the electric grid by to enhance building efficiency, developing a model of reliability, sustainability, and reliability. efficiency, and conservation to be replicated in cities and towns—and university campuses—worldwide. Illinois Tech Headliners Giant Slipstick Returns to Mies Campus

athleen Samson, wife of “For people who are at risk for K John Samson (EE ’70), diabetes, cardiovascular disease recalls the circuitous journey her husband’s and other health risks, knowing what prized slide rule foods have protective benefits and (known colloquially working them into your diet now can in the United States be an important strategy for slowing as a “slipstick”) took before he donated it or reversing progression to disease.” to the Illinois Institute Associate Professor Britt Burton-Freeman, of Technology Archives director of the Center for Nutrition Research in December 2018. Samson at the Institute for Food Safety and Health, in EurekAlert!, on her group’s red raspberry study won the 30-pound, 92-inch-long mechanical analog computing device in a Slide Rule Contest during Homecoming in 1969. “Imagine a large organisation “It went from IIT to his mother’s like Monsanto. A determined basement in Oak Lawn and then hacker has the ability to go in and to our apartment in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, across change the makeup of the seed.” the river from MIT, where John Maurice E. Dawson, assistant professor and director was attending graduate school,” of the Center for Cyber Security and Forensics she says. “The slide rule went on to Education, in an article in London’s The Times and Waltham, Massachusetts, and then The Sunday Times about how cyberattacks could impact manufacturing in the United Kingdom on to another basement, this time in Westwood, Mass. We next took it to our garage in Palm Harbor, Florida, where it resided for 34 years. Now, it’s come back home.” Recognizing Dedicated No one as of yet can determine Philanthropy Leader exactly how the slide rule originally came to campus. John Samson Illinois Tech thanks noted the red, white, and blue Elizabeth J. “Betsy” Williamsport War Models sticker Hughes, vice president for on its front. institutional advancement, “I was told it was found in for her longtime service to the university. the basement of Siegel Hall and, At Illinois Tech for a combined 25 years— reportedly, was used to train first in the development office at the navigators and pilots during World Institute of Design, and then joining War II,” he says. “The slide rule Institutional Advancement—Hughes has definitely was important enough worked with three presidents: Lew Collens, to us to take it with us wherever John Anderson, and Alan Cramb. Her we went. For me, it was a constant career highlights include reviving the Illinois reminder of the night I overcame Tech Hall of Fame, creating the Mies van some formidable competition!” der Rohe Society and the Philip Danforth Armour Society, and Fueling Innovation: The Campaign for IIT, which surpassed its $250 Can you shed some light on the origins million goal. of John Samson’s slide rule? Send your clues to [email protected].

4 SPRING 2019 2. 3.

1. 4. 5.

PHOTOS: BONNIE ROBINSON

2019 Hall of Fame Inductees

lumni representing architecture, computer science, 1. Marc Goldsmith accepted the Hall of Fame A engineering, physics, and psychology were feted at the award on behalf of his late father, Myron 2019 Illinois Institute of Technology Hall of Fame Ceremony, Goldsmith (B.ARCH. ’39, M.S. ’53). Also in held February 19 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. attendance to honor Myron were his wife, “Induction into the Illinois Institute of Technology Hall of Robin, and their daughter, Chandra Goldsmith Fame places our honorees among those select individuals whose Gray. 2. Mantvydas Bekesius, consulate gen- accomplishments and unwavering pursuit of excellence inspire eral of the Republic of Lithuania in Chicago, us all to welcome new challenges, explore the road less traveled, spoke on behalf of honoree Valdas V. Adamkus and give even more of ourselves,” Michael P. Galvin (LAW ’78), (CE ’61), former president of Lithuania. 3. chairman of the Board of Trustees, told the audience. “Our Hall Honoree Martin C. Jischke (PHYS ’63) shares of Fame induction ceremony renews our realization that Illinois some of his university memories with the Tech’s future is filled with discovery, innovation, promise, and audience. 4. [Left to right] Alan W. Cramb, success.” Illinois Tech president, and Michael P. Galvin Guests heard biographies about three alumni who were (LAW ’78), chair of the Illinois Tech Board of previously inducted into the Hall of Fame by President Alan W. Trustees, served as Hall of Fame masters Cramb during the 2018 Alumni Awards: Robert “Pete” H. Bragg Jr. of ceremony. 5. Victor Y. Tsao (M.S. CS ’80) (PHYS ’49, M.S. ’51, Ph.D. ’60), Frank A. Crossley (CHE ’45, M.S. addresses the audience at his induction into MET ’47, Ph.D. MET ’50), and Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez, Illinois Tech’s Hall of Fame. Retired (PSYC ’55). Four new members were inducted that evening: Valdas V. Adamkus (CE ’61, Hon. Ph.D. ’99), Myron Goldsmith (B.ARCH. ’39, M.S. ’53), Martin C. Jischke (PHYS ’63), and Victor Y. Tsao (M.S. CS ’80).

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 5 students by supporting scholarships at Illinois Tech for nearly 20 years. In 2007 the couple established the Alan and Suzanne Wendorf Endowed Scholarship and has fully supported 13 Wendorf Scholars over the past 11 years. The Wendorfs have also given generously through Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program sponsorship gifts and the naming of the Alan (ME ’71) and Suzanne Wendorf Lounge in the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innova- tion and Tech Entrepreneurship. During a ceremony at the October 25, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting, it was announced that Bud would be elected a university regent—one of Illinois Tech’s highest honors. A regent is a [Left to right] Michael P. Galvin (LAW ’78) and Bud Wendorf (ME ’71) at the October 25, 2018, trustee who, through extraordinary Illinois Tech Board of Trustees meeting philanthropy and leadership, has distinguished himself or herself as a change agent for Illinois Tech. In Celebration of “Bud” The late Bob Galvin, Bob Pritzker (IE ’46), and Al Self were the first university regents; Bud will now join lan “Bud” Wendorf (ME ’71), It is an Illinois Tech tradition trustees Craig Duchossois, Rowe, who served as chairman to name a space on campus or a and Ralph Wanger as the next of the Illinois Institute of university program in honor of an generation of exceptional leaders. ATechnology Board of Trustees from outgoing chairman of the board to Bud says he was shocked at 2013 to 2018, is an inspirational reflect what he or she is passionate the announcement. “I am humbled example of an alumnus giving back about. President Alan W. Cramb because the quality of people who to today’s students through schol- announced at the event that serve as our regents is amazing. I arship and capital improvements, something special would be done don’t feel that I belong in the same as well as volunteer initiatives. for Bud: a scholarship program class as that group, but I am greatly In 2013 Bud—as he prefers to would instead be created in his honored by it and will do my best be called—retired as chairman and name. Fellow trustees, university to continue leading the university.” chief executive officer from a 41-year leaders, and Illinois Tech alumni —Rebecca Scherer career at Sargent & Lundy, a world employed at Sargent & Lundy came leader in professional services for together to personally contribute the electric power industry, and to scholarships. More than $1 became chairman of the universi- million was raised to create three ty’s Board of Trustees. When he new scholarships in Bud’s honor. stepped down as board chairman University Regent John Rowe, in 2018, the university celebrated who immediately preceded Bud his tenure on September 21 with a as board chairman, remarked special event featuring several of the at the event, “Bud’s leadership students supported by the gener- has paved the way for the Board osity of Bud and his wife, Suzie. of Trustees for the last five “I really enjoyed helping the years. He has led with sincerity, university improve,” Bud says candor, and integrity, through his of his time as board chairman. actions and his philanthropy.” “Continuing traditions and giving Bud and Suzie have shown new life to this 129-year-old univer- extraordinary dedication to the sity have meant so much to me.” university through their passion for Bud and Suzie Wendorf

6 SPRING 2019 Forward

Momentum PHOTO: STEVE FROMMELL

llinois Tech has given Jake Digiorgio (CHE 4th Year) everything he was looking for: a prestigious university with a strong engineering Iprogram that would lead to career opportunities, and the chance to keep playing basketball. “You come here and you’ve got a lot of kids that think like you and have the same goals in mind, academic-wise,” explains Digiorgio. “It kind of pushes you to that next level.” Men’s basketball Head Jake Digiorgio (CHE 4th Year) goes up for a shot during a game against Carthage College. Coach Todd Kelly recruited Digiorgio and some of his classmates to help improved every year, then one-time thermodynamics represents the character turn around a program we’ll continue to have a student. “It’s the charac- and the commitment we that had been shuttered good program,” Kelly says. ter. Success in life is often like to see in the students,” from 2009 to 2012. The The same characteristics determined by that.” Anderson says of the team went on to win that have helped Digior- Anderson, as Illinois 6-foot-6 forward, who two games during Kelly’s gio average double-digit Tech president, made the is pursuing an officer- first coaching season in points and rebounds all decision to cancel the training program with 2014–15, but doubled four seasons, amassing program as the athletics the United States Air its total to four wins his more than 1,200 career department began its move Force after graduation. first year on campus and points and 1,200 career from the National Associ- “He’s a poster child 22 his second as Digior- rebounds—“those two ation of Intercollegiate for where we want to be gio readily embraced his things are very, very hard Athletics to the National in Division III,” Anderson coach’s vision. He and to do,” Kelly says—stand Collegiate Athletic Associ- adds. —Andrew Wyder his teammates helped out in the classroom, ation Division III. Since the lead the program to more as Digiorgio has found program was restarted, than 50 wins the past ways to successfully Anderson has made sure three seasons and an balance academics, to pay attention to both appearance in the United basketball, and his role it and Digiorgio, whom he States Collegiate Athletic as a resident assistant. first came in contact with Association champion- “He’s a good student, when Digiorgio inter- ship game in 2017. but he has real leader- viewed him for a first-year illinoistechathletics.com “I think if every kid ship qualities,” Distin- career course—and made that comes through guished Professor of a strong impression. our program can match Chemical Engineering and “Jake’s a great young that work ethic and Former President John L. man and has a bright then improve like [Jake] Anderson says about his future ahead of him. He

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 7 information about EU residents can Professor of Economics Ginger Zhe Finding be gathered and used, GDPR has Jin. They took a deep dive into data become a model that other countries, on all technology-venture-related including the United States, are activity in the EU and the U.S. to a Balance looking at closely as they grapple with investigate the impact during the first their own approaches to data privacy. few months of GDPR on technology What are the economic conse- venture investment in Europe. What quences of GDPR, particularly for they discovered was an overall decline tech companies that rely on access in venture funding, especially for to streams of information about companies less than three years old. consumers to fuel their businesses? “There’s a concern that these kinds That question intrigues Liad Wagman, of regulations can hurt innovation,” at he European Union took associate professor of economics least in the short run, says Wagman. the lead in implementing at Stuart School of Business, whose “They can hurt jobs and they can hurt stringent privacy protections prolific research agenda over the new venture creation, so we’ve got to for consumer data when past decade has focused on privacy be careful how we implement them.” Tit rolled out the EU General Data and the economics of information. When the group presented its Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May To get some answers, Wagman findings in a research paper titled 2018. With its strict rules spelling teamed up with Jian Jia (Ph.D. MSC “The Short-Run Effects of GDPR on out how personally identifiable student) and University of Maryland Technology Venture Investment,” the response was immediate. Invitations poured in from government officials, policymakers, and academics on both sides of the Atlantic eager to learn more. Wagman has participated in U.S. Federal Trade Commission hearings, met with European PHOTO: OLIVIA DIMMER regulators, spoken at conferences in the U.S. and Europe, and corre- sponded with the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Lawmakers and government agencies are drafting data privacy rules in the U.S., Wagman says, and are paying attention to the potential trade-offs between consumers’ privacy and economic costs. Following his presentation to the FTC, he recalls, commission officials said, “This is exactly what we’re looking for—someone to evaluate the conse- quences of the GDPR policies so that we can choose a better policy.” Meanwhile, Wagman and his colleagues continue to add to their body of research on the effects of GDPR as they examine the investor, rather than the venture, side of the picture and analyze the longer-term effects of the regulations as they unfold over time. —Scott Lewis

MORE ONLINE  EU General Data Protection Regulation: Associate Professor of Economics Liad Wagman eugdpr.org

8 SPRING 2019 PHOTO: MICHAEL GOSS

Illinois Tech Board of Trustees Chair Michael P. Galvin (LAW ’78) [left] is at the head of a group that includes President Alan W. Cramb, members of the Nayar family, the Nayar Prize I ADEPT team, and the Nayar Prize II finalist team.

Nayar Prize I Winner Displays Ingenuity “We went in with a specific appli- in Cancer Screening cation, and that was to improve diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer,” Tichauer says. “It’s important The inaugural $1 million Nayar 1 percent of the tissue. Tichauer’s because physicians are forced to Prize competition—established by method includes a control dye and decide to start chemotherapy or Madhavan Nayar (M.S. IE ’68), one binding to tumors. Once the not after they have completed the and his wife, Teresa, on behalf of sample is dyed, lasers are passed removal of the breast cancer or the Nayar Family Foundation—was through and a camera captures after a mastectomy.” created to motivate faculty at images about the sample from many “Cancer is not just one type of Illinois Institute of Technology projections to identify lymph node cell,” Brankov says. “But the drugs toward impactful innovation. regions where the binding dye has used target one type of cell. This Advancements in cancer screening accumulated on tumors. system can help determine what fit the bill. Brankov’s medical imaging array of cell types are present in a Kenneth Tichauer, associate background was beneficial in the specific cancer. That way the patient professor of biomedical engineering, creation of a camera that captures can receive multiple drugs so all and Jovan Brankov, associate light passing directly through the cancer cell types are targeted.” professor of computer and electrical tissue. Typically, when light passes The final $500,000 award engineering/biomedical engineering through tissue, it scatters, creating was presented in a February 6 and director of the Advanced X-ray a “foggy” image even with modern ceremony at the Ed Kaplan Family Imaging Laboratory, each brought detection. Using a camera capturing Institute for Innovation and Tech their own expertise into the devel- direct light reduces the fog and Entrepreneurship. —Casey Moffitt opment of the ADEPT (Agent-De- produces a sharper image. pendent Early Photon Tomography) The combination of processes Cancer Imager. Tichauer’s two-color allows pathologists to find smaller dyeing process stains an entire tumors and prescribe a precise MORE ONLINE  lymph node of breast cancer patients. treatment. Finding tumors earlier “A Noble Experiment”: magazine.iit.edu/ spring-2016/noble-experiment Currently pathologists dye slices of leads patients onto a stronger path of “Brilliant Beacons on the Research Horizon”: the lymph node and examine about recovery and a longer life. bit.ly/2Nm4eAx

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 9 PHOTO: BONNIE ROBINSON

10 SPRING 2019 Alexa, Challenge

Me By Marcia Faye

From the time that Rohit Prasad (M.S. EE ’99)—now vice president and head scientist for Amazon Alexa—had his first serious talk with his father about the direction of his life, he had his eyes on the proverbial prize.

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 11 says Prasad, noting how the Amazon could be improved. He also has a Alexa voice service project is the ideal contagious laugh but is a very humble outcome of his longstanding desire to and low-key individual. Everybody discover innovative ways for humans loved to work with him. Rohit cares a and computers to interact. lot about what he’s doing and about “From that point I turned to trying the people he has working with him.” to learn more about how our brains Prasad says that one of the work. We still understand so little, challenges his Amazon Alexa’s team and what we have been able to do is of researchers, developers, and other rasad told his father that based on exponential data and some professionals continues to improve he didn’t want to become modeling. Alexa is a great example upon is integrating social and cul- the third-generation of data-driven machine learning and tural features into Alexa-based home member of their family AI. Understanding exactly how the devices, which some may regard as to go into mechanical human brain works is the ultimate extended family members. He says engineering but rather, goal,” he says. that Indian English, for example, com- Pwished to pursue computer science Before being recruited to Amazon posed of at least 100 different dialects, or electronics and communications, in 2013 as director of machine learn- is very different in pronunciation from because he saw them as being the ing, Prasad was on the staff of Ray- American English. Adding cultural fields of the future. That Prasad grew theon BBN Technologies, advancing norms is another subset to be consid- up in the “to boldly go where no from staff scientist to deputy man- ered, given that South Indian tastes in man has gone before” Star Trek era ager and senior director of speech, even music and movies differ markedly only added to his vision. On Mies language, and multimedia technolo- from North Indian. Prasad is invig- Campus to deliver the 2018 Darsh gies. John Makhoul, chief scientist at orated by the thought that he may T. Wasan Lecture last November, in have 5, 10, or perhaps 20 more years which he discussed some of the latest of “hard problems” to solve. advancements in Alexa [see sidebar], “I want Alexa to “I want Alexa to be everywhere for Prasad animatedly recalled his fasci- everyone,” he says about the smart nation with science fiction and how it be everywhere system that, as of the 2018 holiday inspired his dreams to explore artifi- season, has been built into more than cial intelligence. for everyone.” 100 million Alexa-enabled devices “I had a clear passion for human- —Rohit Prasad sold. “If you think about how many computer interaction even back then,” different countries there are and he says. “It was easy to imagine talking how many different languages, we to machines.” BBN and recognized expert in speech still have a long way to go.” He adds While determining which univer- and language processing, says that that of personal importance to him sity to attend, Prasad had read about Prasad exhibited great potential early is that voice-activated Alexa truly former Illinois Tech faculty member on in his career and further developed liberates individuals from time-con- Geoffrey Chan’s work in speech his talents throughout the 14 years suming activities such as the steps compression and coding. After a he worked at BBN. He says that one involved in looking up information phone conversation with Chan from of Prasad’s last projects at the com- on a computer. He likens its eventual his home in Ranchi, India, Prasad pany, a speech-to-speech translation impact to another radical and historic decided to enroll at Illinois Tech. between two languages on a handheld transformation that forever changed He says that his work with Chan phone, truly exemplified his capabili- people’s everyday lives. on low-bit-rate speech compres- ties. Six components were running on “With Alexa our goal was to revolu- sion satisfied his intellectual inter- the handheld at the same time: speech tionize daily convenience. I’m optimis- ests then, but as Prasad neared the recognition, machine translation, tic that the whole human generation completion of his degree program, he and speech synthesis, for each of the actually makes better use of their knew that he needed new challenges two languages. time in every revolution,” he says. and a new direction. “He showed himself as being not “We have seen that happen with the “There was less opportunity to only excellent technically but that Industrial Revolution.” make a tectonic shift in that field he had a keen sense of what the [speech compression] because the customer wanted,” recalls Makhoul, technology had already become good. from his office in Cambridge, Massa- I wanted to explore something more chusetts. “Rohit has a track record of nascent that would provide tons of very successful execution and being MORE ONLINE  “What Amazon’s Alexa Will Tell Us in 2019”: hard problems for the next 20 years,” forward-looking in how technology cnet.co/2syF5IW

12 SPRING 2019 Revolution Evolution In November 2014 Amazon launched Echo and Alexa— an artificial intelligence device powered by voice and cloud- based voice service, respectively.

• In 1970 “conversational AI” was able to produce hundreds of words; in 2019 word production has far surpassed the tens of millions. • The response an Alexa device can provide to a basic request a customer makes, for example—“Alexa, find me a recipe for spinach lasagna”—is the result of a complicated process of accurate far-field technology, automatic speech recognition, natural language understanding, and text-to- speech synthesis. • Alexa research and development focuses on five areas: improving competency, expanding context awareness, expanding Alexa’s knowledge base, improving the voice service, and expanding how Alexa “learns” from experiences with the customer. • To contribute to Alexa’s growth as well as to tailor Alexa to benefit various industries and businesses, Amazon “democratized” Alexa’s AI through Alexa Skills Kit (ASK). This allows a community of external developers to integrate their own skills into an Alexa device for their specific needs. To date, tens of thousands of developers representing companies such as Domino’s, BBC News, and Starbucks have built more than 80,000 Alexa skills using ASK.

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 13 Shif ting Perspectives By Kristin Baird Rattini

PHOTO: MIKE OLLIVER

f there is a through line in “I didn’t know anything about the the esteemed legal career world beyond where I had grown of Angelic Young (LAW ’01), up in the Pacific Northwest,” she it is perspective. From her says. “The opportunity to come to I saw a growing decade at the State Depart- Chicago appealed to me because it ment to her current role as would expose me to a whole new set divide between director of training for of people, a new environment, and a law enforcement law enforcement for the new culture.” Anti-Defamation League Young’s trajectory changed, along and vulnerable (ADL), Young has sought to broaden with the nation’s, on September 11, communities Ithe perspective of those responsible 2001. It was only her second day at for crafting and carrying out law the United States Department of at home.” enforcement and social justice policy State’s Bureau of International both around the world and at home. Narcotics and Law Enforcement —Angelic Young It was Young’s own desire for a Affairs, her first job after law school. different point of view that attracted “I was someone who didn’t know her to Chicago-Kent College of Law. where Afghanistan was on a map in

14 SPRING 2019 college,” she recalls, in a telephone interview from her BREAKING office in Washington, D.C. Six months of intense research propelled her into DOWN BIASES management of the bureau’s Afghanistan police program, a position she held for nearly six years. “The work opened my mind to other ways of getting things done,” says Young, a recipient of the 2014 Chicago-Kent Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Award. “Our way is not always the best way, so you try to understand and leverage the best local practices.” That theme underscored her work at the Institute for Inclusive Security in Washington, D.C., where Angelic Young’s training she developed national action plans that advance module addresses implicit women’s inclusion in peace and security endeavors. From one-on-one talks with key players in Finland to bias for law enforcement roundtable sessions with 50 stakeholders in Jordan, from three vantage points: Young incorporated a multitude of perspectives into the complex discussions that shaped each nation’s plan. Language—Officers learn She had also worked domestically nearly every fall, the definition of implicit bias teaching an International Policing and the Rule of Law versus explicit bias and its course at George Mason University. But she redirected role in the schemas that the her focus squarely back home after the 2016 presiden- tial election. brain develops to quickly read “I saw a growing divide between law enforcement and and react to a situation. vulnerable communities at home,” she says. “I’ve seen what happens in other countries when there is a loss of Impact—Trainers share trust in the police; it was worrisome to me.” examples of how implicit Upon joining the ADL in late 2017, Young launched her biases impact the perceptions first nationwide training module, Managing Implicit Bias held by law enforcement and for Law Enforcement. “A lot of research went into the curriculum, ranging from breakdowns of how implicit bias the communities they serve. functions to how gender and racial bias can play a role in law enforcement,” she says. Management—Officers learn So far more than 2,600 police officers nationwide have mindfulness and stress- completed the module. [See sidebar.] management strategies that “The training Angelic designs and leads provides law can reduce the likelihood enforcement, from commanders to recruits, with the of their brain defaulting to skills they need to treat each person fairly, with dignity and respect, as they serve their communities,” says unconscious biases when Elise Jarvis Wilson, ADL’s director of law enforcement on duty. Role-play exercises outreach and community security. “She is creative, brave, encourage officers to shift and bold, willing to take risks to challenge and push them perspectives and understand to be the best officers they can be.” how an incident or officer For Young being back in a classroom, teaching facilita- might be viewed differently tors to teach others, is where she feels at her best. “This job gave me a chance to come home,” she says, by community members. “and do work that I love that is so important.” “If officers are trained on implicit biases in advance, just like they are on firearm use,” Young says, “they’ll be better able to consciously MORE ONLINE  take control of the decisions Anti-Defamation League: adl.org Institute for Inclusive Security: inclusivesecurity.org they make in the moment.”

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 15 for an empirical way to assess the impact. He built his own model in an attempt to do just that—a prototype of what would ultimately become quantitative microbio- Free logical risk assessment (QMRA). “In order to solve the problem at hand, I wound up inventing the field,” Flowing says Haas. In the years since, QMRA has become BY STEVE HENDERSHOT a standard for assessing water quality: it is recommended by the World Health e live in an age of analytics, Organization and is a vital tool as experts when seemingly everything confront water-quality issues around W can be measured, parsed, the world such as the high lead levels and optimized using data science and detected in Flint, Michigan. mathematical modeling. The approach is Haas “was uniquely situated [to create so ingrained that it’s difficult to imagine QMRA] because of his ability to look at a time when even scientific disciplines things from a numbers perspective and lacked that quantitative underpinning— then also to translate it to [microbiol- yet that was the case when Charles Haas ogists],” says Joan Rose, a professor at (BIOL ’73., M.S. ENVE ’74) studied at Michigan State University and, like Haas, Illinois Tech in the early 1970s. one of the world’s foremost water-quality An undergraduate biology major from scholars. “Engineers do this all the time New York City, Haas was skilled and Environmental because they’re very quantitative. Micro- interested in both biology and math, and engineers solve biologists didn’t, and he bridged those two began to blur the boundaries between things. As a result, he’s been able to make them while studying limnology, or water problems, and really stellar contributions.” systems. He developed a passion for I’ve always been Haas is now the L. D. Betz Professor the environment—it was the era of the of Environmental Engineering and head original Earth Day—but was dissatisfied interested in of the Department of Civil, Architectural, with the way many biologists were applying both and Environmental Engineering at ignoring math in their approach to Drexel University, where he continues ecological problems. Then he discovered the science and his water-quality research, these days environmental engineering. the math to focusing on “premise plumbing” issues “At that time a lot of biology was that arise in facilities where people simply memorization without any system- solve problems.” consume water, such as homes, schools, atic or quantitative framework. So when —Charles Haas and hospitals. In 2017 he received the I discovered an alternative way of using National Water Research Institute’s my interest in life sciences, I jumped to it,” Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize Haas recalls. “Environmental engineers for Excellence in Water Research. solve problems, and I’ve always been When Haas lived in Chicago, he interested in applying both the science enjoyed a view of Lake Michigan from his and the math to solve problems.” home. He has a similar setup in Philadel- It was as a member of the Illinois Tech phia, where he and his wife—whom he faculty (Haas returned to Chicago in 1981 met while on the faculty at Illinois Tech— after earning his Ph.D. from the University have a view of the Delaware River. For a of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978 scientist whose career has deftly married and then holding a junior faculty position biology and mathematics, the waterfront at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in is a thread connecting different chapters upstate New York) that he advanced of his life and career, as well as a vibrant, toward his signature achievement. Haas daily reminder of nature’s beauty, value, was working as a consultant during a and force. dispute over whether Chicago’s Metropol- itan Water Reclamation District needed to chlorinate the wastewater it was discharg- MORE ONLINE  Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment: camra.msu.edu/index.html ing into waterways when he saw the need National Water Research Institute: nwri-usa.org

16 SPRING 2019 PHOTO: DREXEL UNIVERSITY

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 17 CHANGING THE CULTURE By Emily Ayshford

Susan Blessing (PHYS ’82) and students from the Women in Math, Science & Engineering program surround a statue of theoretical physicist Paul Dirac at Florida State University.

18 SPRING 2019 PHOTO: KEVIN SOSSONG s a high school student, awarded to women rose from 10 Susan Blessing (PHYS ’82) percent in 1988 to almost 20 percent in A was enthralled with physics 2012, according to the American Insti- and the way it could explain exactly tute of Physics, Blessing knew there how the universe worked. “Physics is was still much room for growth. So, everything,” she says. in 2005, she took over Florida State’s But at the same time, after she Women in Math, Science & Engineering enrolled at Illinois Tech, she realized program, which brings together female that physics wasn’t everything—it STEM students in a living-learning wasn’t gender equal. From the time community to develop personally and she began studying physics, she was professionally. There, young women surrounded by men. “There were very are encouraged to conduct research few women,” she says. “I knew I had to and explore STEM careers. get used to it because that is what the Since Blessing took over the program, future would hold.” more than 450 young women have Since then, Blessing has been participated, with more women partici- driven not only by the need to find and pating in undergraduate research than understand the basic building blocks of ever before. The key to their success is matter, but also by a mission to recruit confidence, she says. more women into science. Now, 37 years “Most young women who try after graduation, she can say she has research love it,” she says. “I tell them contributed to fundamental physics to not get discouraged, that science research while shepherding hundreds is hard work, but it’s hard work for of young women into scientific careers everyone, even for the guys, even if through a STEM mentorship program. they don’t show it.” “I work hard to get more women in One of those women was Brianna science and to build a community, since Griffin, who enrolled in the program as what helps women helps everybody,” a freshman six years ago. Though Griffin Blessing says. was set on going to medical school, Her physics research career began Blessing encouraged her to try biology as an undergraduate, when she research. Griffin was soon hooked. worked at Fermi National Accelerator “I felt that her support helped me Laboratory on a neutrino experiment, reach my goal of attending graduate eventually helping to write the software school for a Ph.D. in plant biology,” that would reconstruct and analyze Griffin says. “She has been a wond- experiment data. After graduating erful mentor.” from Illinois Tech, she earned a Ph.D. Blessing remains connected to Illinois from Indiana University Bloomington Tech—she met her husband, architect and ultimately secured a tenure-track Kevin Sossong (ARCH ’84), as an under- professorship at Florida State. graduate, and now her son, Dominick, She built her career conducting is enrolled as a third-year mechanical research at Fermilab on the DZero engineering student—but says that, experiment, studying the collision of as an undergraduate, she likely would protons and antiprotons to look for not have participated in a mentorship new phenomena predicted to exist program like the one she runs. That only within the standard model of particle gives her more motivation to recruit physics. She was part of the team that young women and help them grow. discovered the top quark and searched “I like seeing what they can do, what for the quark’s supersymmetric they can come up with on their own,” partner, the squark. she says. “It’s great to send them off into But as she became more successful the world.” in her career—she was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2017—she expected the ranks of MORE ONLINE  female physicists to rise. Although American Physical Society: aps.org FSU Women in Math, Science & Engineering: the percentage of Ph.D.s in physics wimse.fsu.edu

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 19 “A successful toy for us is something that comes out of left field,” Unsicker says. “It’s something no one has thought of.” This has led Big Monster Toys to some unusual toy ideas such as Barbie on a uni- cycle, an idea that was shot down for being am Unsicker (DSGN ’87) and Hiram too “unrealistic.” Another idea that turned Johnson (DSGN ’89) don’t go to work into a successful board game was the first every morning. They go to play. of its kind to utilize radio-frequency identi- S“I play every day,” Unsicker says of his fication chips in a kid’s game. job as partner at Big Monster Toys in Chi- “So for us, things that are successful are cago’s West Loop. “I don’t have to be a real things that hit the niche of, ‘Hey, we never person; I can be a little kid the rest of my thought about that!’” Unsicker says. life. I love being here every single day.” Johnson, now a toy designer, started out Unsicker and Johnson became friends- by wanting to be a medical instrument de- while studying at Illinois Institute of Tech signer before finding his way to Big Monster nology and went on to design products for Toys in 1993. Big Monster Toys, where they have both He normally sits at a desk near the back- had a hand in creating the toys that have of the Big Monster Toys warehouse sur ended up on shelves across the globe for rounded by doll heads and colorful toy the last 20 years. Some of their successes parts, and spends his time sketching up include Polly Pocket, Hyper Slide, and the new toy sets and fabricating them via a GeoTrax Airplane playsets. 3D printer. Unsicker started at the company as a toy “For me, it’s about wanting to improve on and game inventor. After successes such as things that are out there,” says Johnson, ac- the tabletop games Planet Hollywood: The knowledging that he equally enjoys working Game and Bulls-Eye Ball, he now pitches each day with the rest of the creative team. ideas and manages Big Monster Toys’ in- “[I love that] I get to be creative every day vention space. and make something every day.” “I think to create toys and games for kids Currently, Johnson and Unsicker are as a 50-year-old man, you just have to be a working on the next iteration of toys that little off in the head,” Unsicker says. “Every- will wind up in the hands of kids around the body here has quirks, tons of quirks, and I country. One of the toy sets being perfect- think that’s what it takes to be able to have ed is a compact-sized Polly Pocket playset that mindset to think as a child.” that unfurls into a carnival scene, complete For Big Monster Toys, the secret to creat- with a dunk tank for the tiny doll. That toy is ing the next big hit starts with asking the scheduled to hit the market in a year or two. right questions. What movies will be out next In the meantime, Unsicker and Johnson year that kids will be excited about? What don’t plan on growing up. is technology going to allow toys to do now that they couldn’t a year ago? And how MORE ONLINE  can designers build on the company’s previ- Big Monster Toys: bmttoys.com ous successes?

20 SPRING 2019 PHOTO: OLIVIA DIMMER

[Left to right] Hiram Johnson (DSGN ’89) and Sam Unsicker (DSGN ’87) outside of Big Monster Toys

21

With Her HeartBy Marcia Faye and Mind

rom her laboratory within the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., Paige Mass (BME ’17) can see the SkyBear medical helicopter delivering critical patients, from infants to teenagers. While Mass is not likely to meet any Fone of them in person, she could conceivably change the lives of some of those patients through her design of a cardiac device specific to their individual needs. In a telephone inter- view from Children’s National, Mass, an R&D development operations engineer, recalls being allowed to observe a surgery in which one of her 3D-printed models was being tested.

22 SPRING 2019 PHOTO: MIKE OLLIVER “That was a huge moment for market needs,” she explains. has a 20-year life expectancy when me, to see something go from my Last summer Mass herself the child ideally has a lot longer.” computer screen to the heart of a became a mentor to an Illinois Tech To address such challenges, Mass patient, and to know that it helped student when Austeja Staneviciute and her colleagues—one additional and made a difference,” she says. (BME/M.S. CHE 4th Year) joined engineer and several clinicians—are “I would like to someday see the the Sheikh Zayed Institute lab investigating how they can use 3D devices I’m working on get FDA through the Children’s National printing to custom-design grafts approval and become commercially Summer Innovator Program. that not only offer optimal design available or the standard of care. Staneviciute worked with Mass on and fit but also can grow with If we can improve patient care a minimally invasive technique to the child over a lifetime. Mass is through things like taking what implant epicardial pacemakers. also designing a tool to fit onto a is currently an open-chest, highly “It was an enriching experience 3-millimeter-in-diameter catheter invasive procedure down to a small to take my initially sketched ideas to assist in cardiac ablation. After incision and see better outcomes for and build a prototype for phantom observing that surgeons needed patients, that would be the dream.” and animal-model testing,” she to pinch the tiny catheter for long A self-described “legacy student,” says. “Paige introduced me to a periods while trying to insert it into Mass did not initially aspire to side of biomedical engineering that even tinier heart vessels, Mass felt become an engineer even though her I never knew existed. I couldn’t that a tool would both improve grandfather, father, brother, and an believe that as an engineer I could outcomes for the patient as well as uncle all received engineering degrees be working so closely with doctors. prevent fatigue for those performing from Illinois Tech. She considered One minute I was building a the procedure. Mass’s efforts have becoming a pediatrician but thought prototype with the engineers and not gone unnoticed. Charles Berul, that she might make greater contri- then the next, I was discussing the M.D., division chief of cardiology and co-director of the Children’s National “That was a huge moment for me, to see something go Heart Institute, describes another from my computer screen to the heart of a patient and project that she spearheaded. “One in particular that she to know that it helped and made a difference.” —Paige Mass developed on her own is a simulation doll that can be used for trainees butions from the laboratory. Once potential benefits and complications to practice manipulating catheters at Illinois Tech, her biomedical of the medical device design with through the vascular system to key engineering Senior Design course set a clinician. Beyond the technical parts inside the heart, under direct Mass in a pivotal direction on her skills, Paige led by example on how visualization,” says Berul. “She career path. She was a member of a to be an enthusiastic, resourceful, designed the simulator herself, and team sponsored by Medline Indus- and empathetic engineer.” we have tested it among students, tries that developed the NextGen Mass says that she’s “always had cardiology fellows, and faculty Walker, a Medline ambulatory aid a spot in my heart for children” and cardiologists. She presented this with an innovative hinge that allows adds that she quickly learned that in work at a scientific conference last the device to fold more easily and pediatric cardiology—her specialty year, and it was enthusiastically take up less space than models area at Children’s National—kids are received. She took the idea and ran already on the market. One of her not simply miniature adults. That with it from conceiving the idea mentors was Michael Turturro realization presents challenges. to developing a model to testing it (BME ’07, Ph.D. ’12), senior manager “With adults you can expect more among a wide range of experienced of research and development for repeatability—a valve starts to fail users. The phantom simulation Medline, the largest privately held or an artery gets blocked, there’s doll may help trainees practice manufacturer and distributor of general wear and tear on the body,” before learning interventional medical supplies. Mass says that her Mass explains. “But kids are young; cardiac procedures in people.” opportunity to work on her senior they aren’t supposed to get sick and For Mass, it is about never losing design project under Medline’s when they do, it’s complicated not sight of the SkyBear landing pad expertise “set me up for success.” only by patient size but also by their outside of her laboratory window. “I learned a lot about designing unique problems. You can put a stent a device while understanding the in an adult that is one size and that patient’s needs. On top of that, will probably work for them for the MORE ONLINE  by working with Medline as a rest of their life, but with kids, you “A New Prototype for Tiny Pacemakers, distributor, I got to know what put in something that fits them now Faster Surgery”: bit.ly/2VIznRn Children’s National Health System: the market is like and what the that they will outgrow. Or the device childrensnational.org

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 23 Class Notes

1950s

Theodore Brown (CHEM ’50), Bonita Springs, Fla., celebrated his 90th birthday at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As the founding director of the institute, he enjoyed birthday festivities that included lectures on climate change as a tribute to his 1971 book, Energy and the Environment.

Ted Erikson (CHE ’52, M.S. CHEM ’59), Chicago, was mentioned in the episode of the podcast BUCKiT that featured guest Kim Chambers, an open-water and ultramarathon swimmer, for his University Professor and Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech 1967 Farallon Islands swims. Entrepreneurship Executive Director Howard Tullman leads a tour of the building during the Chicagoland Alumni Gathering. Photo: Michael Goss James Albrecht (FE ’53, M.S. ’55), Baltimore, serves on the board of directors for the World Trade Center 1960s part of their bed-and-breakfast ’68), Muskegon, Mich., Institute, and the boards of in southwest Michigan. and his wife are busy as trustees for the Baltimore Norbert “Pete” Pointner Huth is currently pursuing grandparents, keeping up Council on Foreign Affairs and (ARCH ’61, M.S. CRP ’62), hobbies such as theater— with four grandchildren and the International Advisory Wheaton, Ill., had his essays designing sets, playwriting, two step-grandchildren that Council of the Monell Chemical “Attracting Good Development,” and directing—along with are 13 to 21 years old. Senses Center. Albrecht is “Defensible Design Review,” kayaking and playing tennis. an adjunct lecturer at the “Rebuilding Urban Roadways,” Robert Chorvat University of Illinois at Urbana- and “We Need More Public William Johnson (Ph.D. CHEM ’68), Newtown Champaign, where he counsels Art” reprinted in newsletters (LAW ’66), Northfield, Ill., a Square, Pa., has been and mentors international of the Urban Design and shareholder and president of working on developing a new students studying food science Preservation Division of the Johnson & Bell, is also a litigator therapeutic agent for liver and human nutrition. American Planning Association. who focuses on injury and disease. The investigational Pointner is a mentor for mass tort cases. He was given new drug application for the Robert Moss graduate students. He recently the Defense Attorney Lifetime agent was recently allowed (MET ’56), Palo Alto, Calif., accepted an offer to teach a Achievement Award at the by the United States Food has spent more than 40 years class of public administration Jury Verdict Reporter Awards and Drug Administration for developing materials and graduate students at Northern for Trial Lawyer Excellence. human clinical studies. equipment for spacecraft and Illinois University. space exploration programs Charles Prysby Leon Hoffman including the first missions Donald Hervey (PS ’66), Greensboro, N.C., (M.S. PSYC ’69, Ph.D. ’70), to Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, (ME ’63), Centerville, Texas, is a professor of political Chicago, continues to enjoy Saturn, Venus, Uranus, and has been writing The Gravida science at the University of his clinical psychology beyond the solar system. 2 Saga, a series of sci-fi North Carolina at Greensboro. private practice, counseling He has been married for 63 books about the first people He recently co-authored a individuals and groups, as years and has five children, to settle on a star. The books computer-based instructional well as providing consulting nine grandchildren, and he has released thus far are package on the 2016 election services to organizations. one great-grandson. Calypso Founding and Calypso that was published by the He frequently contributes Outward Bound, which are Inter-university Consortium for letters and commentaries to Donald Novotny available as e-books. Hervey Political and Social Research at various lay and professional (EE ’56, M.S. ’57), Madison, also has additional books in the University of Michigan. publications. Hoffman continues Wis., is now fully retired various stages of progress. his lifelong involvement in after 59 years of teaching at James Rohrbacher chamber music as a cellist. the University of Wisconsin- Michael Huth (ME ’66), Downers Grove, Madison and one year at Illinois (ME ’66, EE ’70), La Grange Ill., has been retired for 20 Robert Johnson Tech. He formally retired in Park, Ill., is enjoying a diverse years and volunteers as a (CE ’69, M.S. ’71), Buffalo Grove, 1996 and for the past 22 years retirement after 33 years with DJ as he loves to dance. Ill., has been an active member of semi-retirement has taught Rockwell International. He for more than 30 years of the live and recorded internet and his wife, Pat, purchased David Wendtland Structural Engineers Association courses on a part-time basis. an 1893 caboose that is now (ARCH ’67, M.S. CRP of Illinois, which aims to bring

24 SPRING 2019 an awareness of the structural Mackinac Island, Michigan. as chair of the Military and Olympics in Albuquerque, New engineering profession. His He retired from Verizon after Veterans’ Affairs Committee of Mexico. In a professional career efforts include promoting a host a career in construction and the Ohio State Bar Association. spanning more than three of engineering competitions property management. The decades working in general to students including being couple has four children John Tolomei contracting, Doman has worked interviewed for a Chicago and 10 grandchildren. (CE ’75, M.S. ’76, LAW ’83), on more than 300 awarded public-access television Lake Zurich, Ill., has joined construction projects including, program called “Structural Lester McKeever McCracken & Gillen as of most recently, the Guarneri Hall Engineering for Kids.” (LAW ’71), Chicago, was counsel. He focuses his practice recording studio in Chicago. awarded the 2018 American on patent counsel and other Institute of Certified Public intellectual property issues. Richard Bumstead Accountants Gold Medal (CRP ’78), Flossmoor, Ill., retired Award of Distinction. Steven Meyers in January after a 35-year career The award, established in (M.S. DSGN ’76), Durango, as the landscape architect 1944, is the highest honor Colo., was awarded the Kathy for the University of Chicago. granted by the AICPA. Wellborn Outstanding Teaching During his tenure, the university Award at Fort Lewis College undertook the Botanic Garden Robert Mayer in Durango, where he has Initiative, which transformed (EE ’72), Batavia, Ill., has taught for the past 20 years the Hyde Park campus. retired from Diamond Rigging and is currently a semiretired Richard Laurent Corporation, a Chicago-area author and senior lecturer in Frances Crean (DSGN ’69), Chicago, recently machinery moving company English teaching semantics and (Ph.D. CHEM ’79), Oak Lawn, released his new book, Laughing he founded 30 years ago. creative writing. He was also Ill., the longest-serving STEM Matters: The Political Cartoons honored as faculty marshal faculty member at Saint of Richard Laurent. Stephan Bellinger for the 2018 winter graduation Xavier University, retired (PSYC ’73), Chicago, won the ceremony at the college. after 47 years of service. A 1970s 2018 Best Indie Book Award for Author of numerous books ceremony for her life’s work science fiction for his novel, The and articles, Meyers lives in and an endowment fund in the Marilyn Boncela Chronocar, a time-travel story Durango with his wife, Debbie. Department of Chemistry are (M.S. MT ’70), Willoughby in which the main character being planned by the university Hills, Ohio, and her spouse is an Illinois Tech student. Jeffrey Doman in recognition of Crean. celebrated 49 years of marriage Copies of The Chronocar (M.A.S. CRP ’77), Evanston, Ill., and have one daughter and are currently available at and his wife, Sue, celebrated 1980s three grandchildren. Boncela Paul V. Galvin Library and in their 44th wedding anniversary has been working as a certified the University Archives. and became grandparents David Bechtol public accountant for 44 years. for the first time in 2017. He (EE ’80), Chicago, is showing Michael Jackson was a member of the Meteors first major solo photographic John Grillos (LAW ’75), Shaker Heights, basketball team that qualified exhibition, Panoramic Vistas, (MATH ’70), Sonoma, Calif., Ohio, was appointed to serve for the 2019 National Senior at the Chicago Cultural Center started Augmented Reality, Inc., a company focused on providing real-time task support to skilled trades workers using technology that reduces the amount of education and training needed to work efficiently and safely. Grillos is also heading a project on California cannabis testing labs, and teaches and coaches about entrepreneurship.

William Hansen (MATH ’70), Castle Rock, Colo., has donated his private library containing the IT courses and professional articles he wrote between 1972 and 1994 to the Living Computers: Museum + Labs in Seattle. Thirty-six boxes of materials lighter, Hansen and his wife, Sandy, now travel between their homes in Littleton, Colorado, and Minnetrista, Minnesota. Charles L. Owen Endowed Chair in Design Vijay Kumar (M.S. DSGN ’92) [center, with medallion] is surrounded by friends and colleagues at his investiture: [left to right] Jeffrey Jones Institute of Design Dean Denis Weil (M.D.S. ’01), Provost Peter Kilpatrick, President Alan (ARCH ’70), Leo, Ind., and his W. Cramb, Rob Pew, Larry Keeley, Steelcase/R. C. Pew Chair in Design Patrick Whitney, wife, Diane, celebrated their and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Michael P. Galvin (LAW ’78). 50th wedding anniversary Photo: Michael Goss at the Grand Hotel on

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 25 A Life-Changing Legacy

“Illinois Tech means everything to us. It was a wonderful place for two blue-collar kids that provided leadership opportunities and support from faculty who were leaders or Eleanor (ENG ’64) and in their fields. We wanted to give back, so we dedicated FFred (ARCH ’66, M.S. CRP a portion of our estate plan to Illinois Tech.” ’68, Ph.D. CRP ’79) Tolson, ties to — Eleanor (ENG ’64) and Fred (ARCH ’66, M.S. CRP ’68, Illinois Institute of Technology Ph.D. CRP ’79) Tolson run deep. Both Tolsons were the first in their families to attend college, where they found extraordinary support for first- generation students. Both had siblings follow them to Illinois Tech, and each went on to earn their Ph.D.s and to pursue satisfying careers in academia and technical construction planning. Today the Tolsons receive 85 holiday cards yearly from lifelong friends they made at the university.

Benefits of an Estate Gift in Your Will or Trust • Help ensure Illinois Tech’s future. • Leave a legacy of giving back. • Give without affecting your current cash flow. • Reduce any potential estate tax and avoid income tax on IRA and retirement plan gifts. • Retain control of your assets during your lifetime. If you have named Illinois Tech as a beneficiary in your estate plan through your will, trust, IRA, or retirement plan, please let us know so that we may acknowledge your generosity and include you in the Gunsaulus Society, which offers exclusive university events, lectures, and luncheons, as well as recognition for members in university publications. Visit iit.edu/giftplanning to learn how you can benefit from these giving methods and more. Contact Dean Regenovich, Office of Gift Planning, at [email protected] or 312.567.5018. through May 3. The exhibition of the American Institute of features large-scale panoramas Architects with an Honor Award UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS from Alaska, the Hawaiian for their design and construction Islands, Iceland, Paris, Versailles, of a condominium renovation and various locations in Canada. in Hollywood, Florida. They also received a Gold Award for For information about the upcoming events listed Michael Mercer a house addition/renovation below and other alumni activities, please visit (Ph.D. PSYC ’80), Barrington, and a Bronze Award for a Ill., was elected to the kitchen renovation during alumni.iit.edu/events or contact the Office board of directors of Sky Qualified Remodeler magazine’s of Alumni Relations at [email protected] or Las Vegas. Previously, he Master Design competition in served for 16 years as board its September 2018 issue. 312.567.5040. member of a publicly traded corporation. Mercer is an Timothy Murphy industrial psychologist and (CE ’84), Chicago, received Morton Arboretum the author of six books. the 2018 Barry Dempsey Bituminous Technical Family Event Brad Krygier Contribution of the Year Award Saturday, June 8, 2019 (MGT ’80), Savannah, Ga., was at the 59th Annual Illinois selected to be a member of the Bituminous Paving Conference. inaugural Illinois Tech Athletics The award recognizes an Bring your family and join us at Morton Advisory Board in 2019. industry employee for Arboretum for this annual gathering. Enjoy a outstanding technical/ continental breakfast while mingling with alumni, Heidi Rank engineering contributions to (ARCH ’81), San Rafael, Calif., the bituminous paving field. family, and friends. After breakfast, stay and recently accepted a position at explore the grounds of the beautiful arboretum. Swinerton Builders as assistant Naresh Shanker project manager for high- (CS ’85, M.B.A. ’86), Menlo rise residential construction Park, Calif., has joined the in downtown San Francisco. board of directors of Clarizen, SAVE THE DATE! She describes the projects a project management as logistically challenging software and collaborative and technically exciting. work management company. Illinois Tech Homecoming

Nancy Paridy John Fijolek & Reunion Weekend (LAW ’83), Evanston, Ill., (M.S. CS ’87), Naperville, received the 2018 Top Women Ill., joined Transpacific IP Friday, September 20 Lawyers in Leadership award Management Group as chief and Saturday, September 21, 2019 through the Women’s Bar technology officer. He is an Association of Illinois. Paridy is award-winning inventor at the senior vice president and companies including Bell Labs You won’t want to miss reunion gatherings chief administrative officer at and CableLabs, where he celebrating the classes of 1969, 1994, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where developed and commercialized and 2009; campus tours; the Homecoming she serves as general counsel. engineering inventions in Asia. carnival; athletic games; learning opportunities; Michael Rogers Gregory Kimura the Alumni Awards celebration; and so (CE ’83), Murrieta, Calif., vice (EE ’87), Pasadena, Calif., was much more! president and global practice elected by the Santa Clarita leader for dams at Stantec, Valley International Charter Be sure to save the date, gather your friends and was elected president of the School governance board as its International Commission new president. He was elected family, and plan to come home to Illinois Tech this on Large Dams at its annual to the board in 2013 and served fall for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2019. meeting in Vienna, Austria, in as vice president for four years. 2018. As ICOLD president, he He also recently became senior is leading the organization of consultant for the office of 100 countries and more than Direct Auto Sales and Lease. 10,000 individual members that keep the current State of the Grant Leitma CONNECT TODAY Practice in international safe (Ph.D. PSYC ’87), Frederick, design of dams and levees. Md., celebrated 35 years Are you connected to the Alumni Association? at Washington Adventist When you update your mailing address, phone number, Stanley Schachne University. He chairs and email, you ensure that you receive (ARCH ’83), Davie, Fla., and the undergraduate up-to-date information from your alma mater Donna Schachne, partners at psychology program and Visit alumni.iit.edu/information-update Schachne Architects + Builders, the graduate master of arts to update your contact information today. were recognized by the Fort program in clinical mental Lauderdale, Florida, chapter health counseling.

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 27 Tobin Anselmi 1990s along with more than 20 former recognized expert consulting (M.S. PSYC ’88, Ph.D. ’94), players. Schoell said that many firm in engineering, materials Chagrin Falls, Ohio, joined Eileen O’Neill Burke (née stories were shared and that he science, architecture, Bridgepoint Education as O’Neill) will make it an annual event. research, and testing. its senior director of talent (LAW ’90), Chicago, was installed management and development. as the secretary of the Illinois Peter Tonyan Huan-Jung Fan Prior to taking on his new role, Judges Association. She served (LAW ’90), Davie, Fla., has (M.S. ENVE ’92, Ph.D. ’96), Anselmi served as the director in the Law Division until her joined Seminole Hard Rock Taichung City, Taiwan, is an of global talent management election to the Illinois Appellate International as vice president award-winning professor in the and organizational effectiveness Court in 2016. Prior to that of tax. He has a background Department of Safety, Health, at Materion Corporation, she worked as a Cook County in mergers and acquisitions and Environmental Engineering and has worked for Aon state’s attorney for 10 years, as well as in tax strategy. at Hungkuang University. He Consulting, Frito-Lay, and then had her own practice led the Illinois Tech Department Dell, and Microsoft. focusing on criminal defense of Civil, Architectural, and until her election to the Circuit Environmental Engineering Cynthia Cobbs Court of Cook County in 2008. seminar on Occurrence (LAW ’88), Orland Park, Ill., was and Treatment Efficiency of installed by the Illinois Judicial Stephen Krull Pharmaceuticals in Landfill Council as its chair for 2018–19. (LAW ’90), Maumee, Ohio, Leachates. Fan previously served Previously appointed as director joined La-Z-Boy as vice as dean of student affairs, dean of the administrative office of president, general counsel, and of research and development, the Illinois courts in March corporate secretary. He has and department chair. 2002, she became the first been responsible for mergers woman and the first African and acquistions, compliance, Scott Conwell Junjian Tang American appointed by the intellectual property, litigation, (ARCH ’91), Naperville, Ill., was (M.A.S. ARCH ’93), Lisle, Ill., gave state Supreme Court to serve as labor relations, government elected a fellow of the the speech “The True Meaning of the Illinois courts administrator. and public affairs, and security Construction Specifications Success—A Chinese Immigrant’s throughout his career. Institute in 2018. He is also a Story as an Architect” at the Mark Frey fellow of the American Institute inaugural conference of the (LAW ’89), Crystal Lake, Ill., James Schoell of Architects. North American Entrepreneur president and chief executive (BA ’90), Lemont, Ill., a former Society of Huazhong University officer of AMITA Health, was Scarlet Hawks baseball player, Matthew Filippini of Science and Technology elected to the Illinois Health held a baseball alumni golf (M.A.S. ARCH ’91, M.A.S. CE in Silicon Valley last year. and Hospital Association outing and barbecue reunion at ’94), Chicago, is the director of Board of Trustees in 2018. his home. Jim Darrah, former the Architecture and Building Benedict Jones Frey’s term on the board Illinois Tech baseball coach Science practice group for (MATH ’94), Irvine, Calif., began will extend through 2020. and athletic director, attended CTLGroup, an internationally his second year as director of

Retired faculty were welcomed back to Mies Campus for an annual luncheon that included a guided tour of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship. Photo: Bonnie Robinson

28 SPRING 2019 Michael Lee (L.L.M. ’00), Hinsdale, Ill., was appointed senior vice president and regional wealth advisor in Northern Trust’s Chicago office. He has almost 25 years of experience as an attorney and wealth advisor focusing on income and transfer tax planning and wealth management for ultra-high net worth individuals and families.

Andrea Wolfson (née Ricker) (LAW ’01), Miami Beach, Fla., was elevated from Miami- Dade County Court judge to Circuit Court of Florida judge, Criminal Division, by former Governor Rick Scott.

Melissa Allen (née Sarmiento) (CHE ’02), Lakeland, Fla., and her college sweetheart, Jason More than 60 alumni gathered to welcome President Alan W. Cramb to Shanghai, Allen (CS, ME ’04), have been China, last December. Shanghai was one stop on the presidential Asia tour, which also married for almost 14 years. included visits to Japan and Korea. They are the proud parents of two young children.

Karen Williams-Blackman information technology for the Lonnie Nasatir focus on technology transactions, (PPPY ’02, M.P.A ’05), Chicago, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, (LAW ’94), Chicago, regional intellectual property, and is married and is starting supporting government, gaming, director of the Anti-Defamation privacy/data security. a travel company that she and Rincon Enterprises. League’s Greater Chicago/ plans to launch in 2019–20. Upper Midwest area, has been Robert Brevelle Kathleen Mundo (née named president-elect of the (CS ’98, M.S. ’98), Rowlett, Glenn Krell McDonough) Jewish United Fund/Jewish Texas, has been appointed as (M.P.A. ’03), Chicago, is (LAW ’94), Chicago, has Federation of Metropolitan an entrepreneur in residence director of research integrity at been appointed to the newly Chicago. He is the eldest son of at the intellectual property and Rutgers, The State University established 12-member women’s Steven Nasatir, who has led the investment firm Technium and of New Jersey. He is leading advisory board serving the organization for almost 40 years. Intellectual Ventures. He is a an initiative on responsible Chicago Lawyer and Chicago founding sponsor of the National conduct of research for the Daily Law Bulletin. McDonough Jessica Lipson Museum of the United States Big Ten Academic Alliance, is a partner at Wilson Elser (CHE ’96), Southport, N.C., was Army, and a life member of the the nation’s premier higher Moskowitz Edelman & promoted to partner at Morrison National Guard Association of education consortium of top- Dicker, where she focuses Cohen. She is a member of the the United States, and serves as tier research institutions. her practice on transactional intellectual property group and president of the Dallas chapter and business consulting. the corporate department, with a of the Association of Old Crows. Aman Sareen (CPE ’03), San Francisco, was Umer Khan featured in Street Fight magazine (CPE ’98), Orange, Calif., was for his role as a chief executive promoted to vice president officer and co-founder of of information technology ZypMedia, a digital advertising and information security at technology platform that SpaceX, a company that designs, has been providing cutting- manufactures, and launches edge marketing technology advanced rockets and spacecraft. services to local advertisers. He also recently completed two master’s degrees to become Jason Allen an Islamic Scholar. Khan is (CS ’04, ME ’04), Lakeland, married and has four children. Fla., was promoted to software architect at Publix corporate 2000s information technology.

Mitchell Gold James Ciston (Ph.D. PSYC ’00), Overland (AE ’04, ME ’04), Oakland, Park, Kan., joined Gallagher Calif., co-authored the study Phuong Vu (CHE ’96), New Haven, Conn., [third from left] was Integrated as a managing “Multiple Generations of welcomed by the Dominican Sisters of Peace as a new sister director and senior advisor for its Grain Aggregation in Different of the Dominican Novitiate, a significant step on the path to a Employee Engagement practice. Environments Preceded Solar perpetual profession as a Dominican Sister of Peace.

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 29 System Body Formation,” which of Chicago Lawyer’s 40 Under was published in Proceedings Forty for 2018. He is a partner of the National Academy of at Neal, Gerber and Eisenberg, Sciences of the United States of where he focuses his practice America in June 2018. The study on complex business litigation. found the existence of ancient dust particles that predate the Courtney Fong formation of the solar system. (LAW ’07, M.B.A. ’07), Northbrook, Ill., is chief legal Izzet Kucukertunc officer and chief privacy officer (M.B.A. ’04), Abbott Park, of the Computing Technology Ill., worked for three years Industry Association. in Chicago, and one year in Singapore, then returned to Seth Herkowitz his hometown of Istanbul at (LAW ’07, M.B.A. ’07), the end of 2010. He says that Birmingham, Mich., is a Crain’s he now has a big family that Detroit Business 40 Under includes two children and a dog. 40 honoree. He is a partner Andrea Occhipinti (ME ’14), Meridian, Miss., [front] United at Hunter Pasteur Homes, a States Marine Corps first lieutenant, and twin brother, Captain Katherine Darnstadt real-estate agency that services Matteo Occhipinti—who both studied mechanical engineering— (ARCH ’05), Chicago, shared various Michigan locations. received their wings last July after years of training at Naval Air her experiences as founder of Station Meridian. Latent Design—a progressive Chi Hwan Lee architecture and urbanism (ME ’07), Stanford, Calif., firm leveraging civic innovation led a team of researchers at David Gosse Theatre Ensemble’s board and is and social impact—during the Purdue University in creating (LAW ’09), Naperville, Ill., a on the advisory committee of the 2018–19 Visiting Artist Series, a a new fabrication method of partner at Fitch, Even, Tabin & Rogers Park Business Alliance. collaboration between the College electronic stickers that could Flannery, has been appointed of DuPage Fine Arts Program and allow Internet of Things devices to a two-year term as co-vice Elizabeth Corson the Cleve Carney Art Gallery. to sense their environments and chair of the American Intellectual (CHE ’11), Richmond, Calif., connect with other devices. Property Law Association’s advanced to Ph.D. candidacy Angie Hamada (née Cowan) PTAB Trial Committee. At Fitch, at the University of California, (LAW ’05), Chicago, was Juan Morado Gosse helps clients protect Berkeley in chemical engineering. appointed as a commissioner to (LAW ’07), Chicago, of counsel their intellectual property the Cook County Commission in the health care practice at rights through litigation. Adam Rayman on Human Rights. Benesch, is the new president of (M.S. TCID ’13), San Diego, the Hispanic Lawyers Association Rajesh Thangappan is a user-experience Lyndsay Markley of Illinois. He was also recognized (M.S. CS ’09), Chennai, India, was designer for ICW Group, (LAW ’05), Chicago, is one of by Crain’s Chicago Business certified in the Russian language a workers’ compensation Chicago Lawyer’s 40 Under Forty as one of Chicago’s Notable in 2012 after taking a course insurance company. for 2018. She is the founder Minority Lawyers in 2018. in reading and interpretation. of Lyndsay Markley Law. He is planning to participate Sarah Ekblad Katharine Netherton (née Pyles) in a forum for engineers to be (M.Des. ’14), Chicago, and Virgil Abloh (PSYC ’07, M.S. REHB ’09), held in Russia this summer. Matthew Messner were (M.A.R. ARCH ’06), Chicago, Louisville, Ky., and her spouse, married last year in Sicily. debuted his spring-summer Daniel Netherton (CE ’07, 2010s She is a principal researcher 2019 menswear collection M.A.S. CM ’09), welcomed their and design strategist at IA for Louis Vuitton at Paris second child in February 2018. Robert Boyer Collaborative in Chicago. Fashion Week in June 2018. She is a vocational rehabilitation (BME ’10), Gladstone, N.J., was specialist for Prudential Financial recently promoted to director Vasilios Pappademetriou Gerald Bekkerman and supports the vocational team of product development at (ITM ’14, M.A.S. ITM ’17), (LAW ’07), Chicago, is one of with return-to-work planning and HS Design, a user-centered Harwood Heights, Ill., is adjunct Chicago Lawyer’s 40 Under long-term disability services. product development firm. faculty advisor of the Illinois Forty for 2018. He is a joining He and his wife, Risa Magid Tech HAM Radio Club. member of Taxman, Pollock, Christina Lutz Boyer, celebrated the one-year Murray, and Bekkerman, (LAW ’08), Chicago, is one of anniversary of their restaurant, Scott Slone where he focuses his practice Chicago Lawyer’s 40 Under Vanillamore, in Montclair, New (MSE ’14), Champaign, Ill., on personal-injury litigation. Forty in 2018. Lutz is a partner in Jersey. Vanillamore was named joined the United States Army Levenfeld Pearlstein’s litigation New Jersey’s Best Dessert Corps of Engineers as a federal Jessica Boike (née Winkler) group, where she concentrates in Restaurant for 2018 by New researcher. His work focuses on (LAW ’07), Chicago, is one general and commercial litigation. Jersey Monthly magazine. computational materials studies of Chicago Lawyer’s 40 to reduce construction costs Under Forty for 2018. She is Peter Smagur Timothy Bresnahan in all services of the military. a partner at Beermann LLP, (CE ’08), Arlington, Va., a (LAW ’10), Chicago, is one of where she focuses her practice lieutenant commander in Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Ryan Hynes on commercial litigation, the United States Navy, led LGBTQ Executives for 2018. (BA ’15, LAW ’15, M.S. FIN ’16), appeals, and family law. recovery efforts on the island Bresnahan is the senior director Chicago, is pursuing a Ph.D. of Tinian in the Northern of gift planning at The Chicago in economics, specializing Eric Choi Mariana Islands after a Community Trust. He is a highly in trade, at the University (LAW ’07), Glenview, Ill., is one typhoon hit in October 2018. involved member of Rivendell College Dublin in Ireland.

30 SPRING 2019 Ceola Oware Garrett Bernhagen (M.P.A. ’16), Chicago, is (ARCH ’18), Naperville, Ill., Spotlight the owner and principal of will be celebrating one year Oware Consulting, a business since joining Eastlake Studio services company located in as a technical coordinator. Accra, Ghana, that provides business strategy, coaching, Dinesh Ganesan and marketing solutions. (M.A.S. ITM ’18), Brighton, Mass., interned at MathWorks Brahadon Ramirez and is now celebrating his (ARCH ’16), Blue Island, first-year anniversary of Ill., has a new position employment. He is working at Gresham Smith as an on multiple projects including architectural designer. MATLAB and Simulink.

Joseph Valio Jr. Yonas Gebre (BME ’16), Bartlett, Ill., (PHYS ’18, AMAT ’18), Chicago, is a partner at Radiology is pursuing a graduate degree Physics Solutions. in physics at the University of John A. DeRuntz Jr. Colorado Boulder, with a focus (ME ’59, M.S. MECH ’62, Ph.D. MECH ’65) Emma Ghariani on theoretical atomic physics. (BA ’17), Chicago, transitioned Transcending Space and Time Through from Chicago to Seattle Physics and Piano Music to accept a position as a senior project engineer after Midway through his senior year of high school in completing a full seismic/ Attendee/Non-Degree Chicago, John A. DeRuntz Jr. was fulfilling his duty as structural upgrade of a hall guard when he decided to slip into one of the the historic former Hotel school’s reception rooms to play the piano, his passion. Deca, now the Graduate Sandra Biedron His homeroom teacher, Elmer Del Favero, caught him. Seattle Hotel, as a joint- Chicago, had her residence Instead of scolding him, Del Favero was surprised that venture partner. in Morgan Park, also known as the Ingersoll-Blackwelder the mostly self-taught DeRuntz didn’t have a scholarship Leana Osmer House—a historic home to study music—or any plans for college—after graduation. (AE ’17), Canoga Park, Calif., that she has rehabilitated— “He said, ‘I’ve got an idea.’ He got me to enter component project engineer at selected as part of the Chicago into a mechanical drawing competition IIT held Aerojet Rocketdyne, is happy Architecture Center’s Open in those days,” DeRuntz remembers. “I got an to report that she bought her House Chicago tour. The honorable mention, which allowed me to take a test first house, in Los Angeles. Chicago Tribune ranked that turned out to be the IIT entrance exam.” the home among the top 10 DeRuntz did well enough to earn a scholarship to Yusra Sarhan recommended sites of the more (BME ’17), Oak Lawn, Ill., was than 250 locations on the tour. attend Illinois Tech for one year, which would roll over to featured in a Chicago Tribune the next if he kept his grades up. He ended up earning his story about young immigrants Haofeng Tang doctorate, specializing in mechanics, a branch of physics, from 12 different countries. Washington, D.C., is as well as in applied mathematics. His university studies Sarhan currently works as an interning at Congressman set him on a path toward his crowning achievement—the engineer in downtown Chicago Raja Krishnamoorthi’s Underwater Shock Analysis code—while working at the and is one of more than office in Washington, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory in California. 42,000 Illinoisans approved D.C., this spring. Tang is The software accurately simulates how underwater for the Deferred Action for pursuing a master’s degree Childhood Arrivals program, or in international relations shockwaves and sound affect vessels such as a DACA, since its 2012 inception. at The Institute of World submarine, data that the United States Navy and other Politics as the first Chinese government entities have utilized. DeRuntz was awarded Anthony Accove student in the program. He the Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center’s (ME ’18), Chicago, was hired was also previously invited most prestigious honor, the Melvin L. Baron Award, in at Maestros Ventures on to a discussion with the 2007 for his work. a three-month provisional Luxembourg ambassador DeRuntz says that throughout his career, his passion internship upon graduation. at that nation’s embassy. for the piano never waned. He earned the chance to Within six months he was showcase his skills in 2011 when he performed his offered a permanent, full-time position as a mechanical own compositions at the Van Cliburn International engineer specializing in Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, where the best mechanical, electrical, and non-professional pianists in the world are invited. plumbing systems design. “Music and physics are both studies in space and time,” DeRuntz says, “and somehow my brain has the Visit bit.ly/alumni-event-photos to see more event photos capability to work in space and time.” —Andrew Wyder from the Alumni Association.

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 31 VOLUNTEER NEWS

Connecting Alumni Around the World

ing field and founded Tetra mitigation and adaptive will lead a tour of SLK Tech India, an environmen- technologies. Full program Software for participants tal management company, details are still being and host a gathering in his in India in 1997. Illinois finalized, but information home for attendees. Illinois Institute of Technology is available at alumni. Tech’s Office of Alumni has chosen Rajaram as the iit.edu/global2019. Engagement and SivaKumar recipient of three Alumni “We are very lucky this Dandapani, operations Vasudevan “Raj” Rajaram Association awards: the year to have two generous director of Illinois Institute (LAW ’91) has made it his International Leadership alumni from India who of Technology (India) priority in life to serve Award in 2000, the Inter- have stepped up to cover Private Ltd., are actively others. He has dedicated national Award of Merit the cost of the program,” working with Rajaram and himself to nonprofit work in 2002, and the Alumni Rajaram says. Parth Amin the planning committee to since 2004, much of it with Service Award in 2016. (BA ’85) and Sanjay make the Global Alumni Illinois Tech. He mentors During Rajaram’s time Kirloskar (ME ’78) had Gathering a success. students in Stuart School on the Alumni Association offered their assistance “This year’s Global of Business, helps the Board of Directors, he with the 2016 Global Alumni Gathering is Office of Undergraduate chaired the university’s Alumni Gathering, held in going to be very exciting,” Admission recruit minority first-ever Global Alumni Paris, France, but Rajaram says. “We are students, and rallies Gathering in 2014, and ultimately were not able to a global university, with international alumni to aid now his volunteer efforts participate. Rajaram students and alumni in recruiting programs. He have come full circle remembered their offer and from all different parts of has served two terms on as he has been hard at asked for their help this the world, and we’re all the Alumni Association work raising sponsorship year, which they were looking for opportunities Board of Directors and has funds for the 2019 Global eager to provide. Kirloskar, to connect. Here we can returned for a third. He Alumni Gathering. This chairman of Kirloskar network, share news, and has volunteered countless year’s event, to be held Brothers, Ltd., will present discover the great things hours to domestic and from November 1–3 in keynote remarks at the our fellow alumni are international alumni Bengaluru, India, will program’s opening recep- doing. It’s all about initiatives in his role as focus on the topics of tion and dinner. Amin, making connections.” chair of the International climate change and its chairman of SLK Group, —Rebecca Scherer Alumni Committee. Rajaram spent 43 years in the geotechnical and environmental engineering field and worked for five major companies in the United States and Canada. In 1986 he founded Midwest Engineers in Chicago and decided to act on his lifelong interest in environmental law and take night classes at Chica- Visit alumni.iit.edu/global2019 to learn more about and register for the 2019 go-Kent College of Law. Global Alumni Gathering, or contact James Acton, associate vice president of alumni Although he earned his engagement, at 312.567.5053 or [email protected] with questions. juris doctorate, he elected to remain in the engineer-

32 SPRING 2019 In Memoriam

Clifford Larkin John Nordhaus EE ’25 ME ’43 Robert “Bob” Filler Paul Petersen Donald Gray UNK ’26 MECH ’44 St. Paul, Minn., beginning in Connecting Alumni the 1950s, served as a professor Thomas Smith Richard Larson ME ’26 CHE ’44 of chemistry, chair of the Around the World Armand Hahn William Lenzi Department of Chemistry, and CHE ’35 ME ’44 dean of then-Lewis College Wallace Cumming Norma Hochberg of Sciences and Letters. He is CHE ’36 ARSC ’45 remembered as being a passionate researcher Margaret Etter Peter Parlos and scholar who received numerous grants, ARSC ’39 ME ’45 published more than 180 papers, and advised Edward Gruca Norton Boime many graduate students. Filler was an active CHE ’40 IE ’47 member of the American Chemical Society from Otto Barteldes Joseph Rimac 1947 and in 1976 chaired the fluorine division. CE ’41 ME ’47 He lectured widely, serving as a visiting professor Edwin Crouse Robert Sulzer at universities in England, Israel, and Germany, ME ’41 ME ’47 as well as giving papers in Russia, Poland, and William Harrison Robert Svenson Japan. Filler also co-founded a research and ARSC ’41 ME ’47 development startup, working into his 90s. Albert Bredlau Ion Caloger ME ’42 EE ’48 Dorothy Gardner Edward Davis ARSC ’42 ME ’48 Ronald Born George Warga BE ’49 BE ’51 Thomas Cox Cecil Lencioni EE ’43 EE ’48, M.S. ’53 John Brukaker William Egar ME ’49 CHE ’52 Robert Kaul Harold Swirsky ME ’43 EE ’48 Hillert Vitt Irving Erickson EE ’49 ME ’52 Aaron Kolom Laddie Thomka ME ’43 CHE ’48 Reynir Einarson William Grannan CE ’50 FPE ’52 Eugene Hasenberg Norman Jacobs ME ’50 ME ’52 Ervin Hawrylewicz John Kirkland BIOL ’50, M.S. BCHM ’53, LAW ’52 Ph.D. BIOL ’60 Russell Sault Sidney Jeffe M.S. CHE ’52, M.A.S. GT ’52 ME ’50 Donald Seibert Richard Johnson CE ’52 CE ’50 Herbert Sledd Howard Lavitt LAW ’52 CE ’50 Robert Urban Jack Root ME ’52 EE ’50 Rudolph Wendes Raymond Senkowski ME ’52 Dale Fahnstrom ME ’50 Harold Anson Chicago, served as a faculty member at the Edgar Taylor ME ’53 Institute of Design from 1966 to 2011, faculty DSGN ’50 James Gerdes emeritus, and director of ID from 1982 to 1986. Norman Wollscheid IE ’53 Early in his career he was product designer for EE ’50 Robert Jones Unimark International and then co-founded the Robert Dunn M.S. CRP ’53 Chicago design firms Source, Inc. and Design EE ’51 Ralph Lockhart Planning Group, contributing products to Knoll Emil Germanos MET ’53 International and Steelcase, among other firms. EE ’51 John McLaughlin The recipient of numerous design awards, Lawrence Korenchan FPE ’53 ME ’51 Fahnstrom had his early work in packaging John Sherman design featured in the permanent collection of Toru Ogasawara LAW ’53 EE ’51 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Richard Squires In 2017 the Dale Fahnstrom Endowed Teaching Herbert Rosen MET ’53 ME ’51 Fellowship was established at ID by co-founders Shih-Ming Yang Edward Steuer Ph.D. ME ’53 of the design consultancy Gravity Tank, who were DSGN ’51 also Fahnstrom’s former students. Matilda Zompetta William Walker HE ’53 EE ’51

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 33 In Memoriam

Wallace Aikens Robert Kegel ARCH ’54 ME ’60 Richard Draus Donald Mech ME ’54 EE ’60 Robert Geppert Ray Richards ARCH ’54 CE ’60 George Kacek Tung-Men Tang EE ’54, M.S. ’55 Ph.D. ME ’60 Robert Marino James Dahms CE ’54, M.S. ’59 EE ’61 John Miyasaki Michael Donovan EE ’54, M.S. ’67 EE ’61 Raymond Schaefer Harold Wakeley ME ’54, M.S. ’59 PSYC ’61, M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’77 Charles Walmsley George Yurka Charles “Chuck” Harrison DSGN ’54 ME ’61 M.S. DSGN ’63, Canyon Country, Calif., is credited David Jordan Aaron Averbuch ENGL ’55 EE ’62 with being one of the first African-American Richard Gerardy industrial designers of his era and the first to lead a Marvin Luntz ME ’55 CE ’62 design department at a major corporation. Initially James Strom Dickron Mergerian rejected for a job at Sears, Roebuck and Company in CHE ’55, M.S. ’57 Ph.D. PHYS ’62 the mid-1950s because of his race, Harrison became Lawrence Waters Charles Rice its first African-American executive five years M.S. PSYC ’55 BE ’62 later. A prolific designer who overcame struggles Reed Robertson Leroy Botten with dyslexia, he executed more than 700 designs, CHE ’56, M.S. ENVE ’69 PHYS ’63 including many popular household products such Peter Roesch James Buechler as the plastic trash can; the redesigned, iconic M.S. ARCH ’56 BIOL ’63 View-Master handheld image-reel viewer; the Lorraine Bolton Everett Loury portable hairdryer; and the riding lawnmower. M.S. ART ’57 LAW ’63 Among Harrison’s many notable awards is the 2008 Richard Carlson John Zayner National Design Award, Lifetime Achievement ME ’57 EE ’63 honor from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design David Ehrlich George Gojewycz Museum. He was the first African American to PHYS ’57 CE ’64 receive this honor. Photo: Tim Klein Wendell Hall Roy Kruse LAW ’57 ARCH ’64 John Hechinger Wayne Marsh LAW ’57 EE ’64 Leon Lederman Patrick Loftus F. Ronald Musket Driggs, Idaho, who CHE ’57 CHE ’64 shared in the Nobel Richard Smith Michael Jackowski ME ’57 EE ’65, M.B.A. ’70 Prize in Physics in 1988, served as Pritzker Stephen Tobey Richard Kleifgen CHEM ’57 EE ’65 Professor of Physics Jorge Servin at Illinois Tech, where Russell Agnew ME ’58 ME ’65 he was on the faculty Charles Gallagher David Voorhees from 1992 until his EE ’58 ARCH ’65 retirement in 2011. Lawrence Greenstein George Carey Lederman’s idea for a EE ’58, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’67 Ph.D. CHEM ’66 United States national Harold Hayer Robert Haeger accelerator laboratory became Fermilab, where FPE ’58 LAW ’66 he was director from 1978 to 1989, and led the Richard Molay Marshall Medoff team that discovered the bottom quark subatomic LPSC ’58 MATH ’67 particle. Under his directorship, the Tevatron Vincent Reis John O’Connor superconducting accelerator opened, which helped EE ’58 LAW ’67 place Fermilab into a global leadership position in Rudolph Behnke Jacinto Rodriguez accelerator and neutrino research. Lederman also CE ’59 M.S. EE ’67 worked to promote general public science literacy Ronald Douglas Eric Strauts and enkindle a passion for science among youth. MATH ’60 EE ’67 In 1985 he established the Illinois Mathematics and William Holod Ross Tyrrell Science Academy. Photo: Reidar Hahn, Fermilab ME ’60 LAW ’67

34 SPRING 2019 Walter Nathan Daniel G. Martin ME ’44, Chicago, an Illinois Institute of LAW ’84, Chicago, was a Technology Life Trustee and a member of United States magistrate the Institute of Design Board of Advisors, judge who taught trial was founder and retired chairman of RTC advocacy to more than Industries, a global retail-oriented business. 1,000 students during his Through RTC, Nathan built a company 30 years as an adjunct culture around in-store merchandising and professor at Chicago-Kent researching. He was a longtime national leader of the American College of Law; he also Jewish Committee, on the board of the Chicago Lighthouse, and a coached several of the law supporter of the Leo Baeck Institute. He served in the United States school’s most successful Navy during World War II and worked to memorialize his family’s competitive trial teams. history, which dates back to Nazi-occupied Germany. Nathan was an Before becoming a federal important supporter of Illinois Tech's Voices of the Holocaust online judge, Martin served as project. a staff attorney with the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Illinois and in 2002, he Robert Cunningham James Francoeur Lawrence Lundgren created and administered CHE ’68 EE ’73 LAW ’80 the Federal Defender Thomas Johnsen Steven Vassilatos Curtis Beckman Program’s Summer Trial LAW ’68 CE ’73 LAW ’81 Skills Institute. He received Joseph Kroll Donald Fosnot George Norman the Chicago-Kent Alumni MATH ’68 MGT ’74 LAW ’82 Association’s Professional Frank Madsen Robert Komarek Satya Singh DSGN ’68 MGT ’75 M.S. CE ’82, Ph.D. ’89 Achievement Award in 2015. Jay McClasky Terrence Pencek Steven Hirsh EE ’68 Ph.D. BIOL ’75 LAW ’84 Richard Morris Abigail Spreyer James Austing MATH ’68 LAW ’75 M.S. CHE ’86 William O’Hara Tibor Borsos Joseph Bingen LAW ’68 EE ’76 ARCH ’86 Joseph Castello Gerald Keeley Houssam Jabour LAW ’69 MGT ’76 CE ’87 Mikio Sasaki Richard Long Robert Marino Donald Zriny M.S. ARCH ’64, Tokyo, was M.S. MT ’69 CRP ’76 M.S. EE ’87 president of Sasaki, Inc., Howard Oberfield William Pileggi Theresa Davis MATH ’69 LAW ’76 LAW ’94 Architects & Engineers. He established his architecture Nicholas Pitsoulakis Philip Igoe Craig Kemnitz MAE ’69 LAW ’77 M.S. FMT ’98 talents in his master’s thesis under faculty member Peter Pran Stuart Hong Melody Farance M.S. ARCH ’69 MGT ’78 LAW ’00 Myron Goldsmith (B.ARCH Peter Di Ciaula Elizabeth Belkin Nancy Gacki ’39, M.S. ’53) as the first Ph.D. PSYC ’70 LAW ’79 M.A.S. CS ’05 architect to explore steel- Steven Gilman Berton Braun Diane Viise (née Mueller) framed diagonal-bracing MATH ’70 LAW ’79 M.A.S. STE ’07 systems for tall buildings. Marvin Rogan Steven Dolasinski He developed a prototype MATH ’70 EG ’79 for Chicago’s John Hancock John Schoeph Susan Franklin Fulton Center, which became the PHYS ’71, M.S. CS ’75 LAW ’79 Attendee/Non-Degreed systems’ first commercial Dennis Wisinski James Koch application. Sasaki founded MATH ’71 LAW ’79 Alexandrea Aland the IIT Japanese Alumni Daniel Butler Daniel Matter Association in 1966, serving Jean Anderson ECON ’72 PHYS ’79 as its president from 1977 Thomas Howard Maurice Thompson Champ Davis to 2000. He completed a M.S. SOCT ’72 EE ’79 Walter Linzing number of major architecture Betty Whittaker Jun Yoshitani projects in Japan, where he Laveta Medlock (née Allport) M.B.A. ’79 was a member of the Japan M.S. SOCT ’72 Lawrence Carlson Margaret Stewart Institute of Architects. Anthony Duthie LAW ’80 M.S. IE ’73 Harry Woll

ILLINOIS TECH MAGAZINE 35 IMAGES: UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, PAUL V. GALVIN LIBRARY, IIT

1.

Remembering “Goldy”

olleagues and of Fame inductees [see page 5]. William F. friends lent their Baker, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill struc- voices in tribute to tural engineering partner and College of Myron Goldsmith Architecture Board of Advisors member, C(B.ARCH ’39, M.S. ’53) in a describes the Saturday sessions that he collection of testimonials and Goldsmith held for graduate students honoring the acclaimed followed by lunch at Bertucci’s Corner. architect and engineer, Baker says that the students were greatly who was celebrated in a inspired by Goldsmith’s own master’s thesis memorial service held on done under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, October 19, 1996, at S. R. in whose office Goldsmith worked from Crown Hall. The late Alfred 1946 to 1953. Goldsmith left to study with 2. Caldwell (B.ARCH ’42, M.S. renowned structural engineer and architect ’47), notable landscape Pier Luigi Nervi through a Fulbright grant architect, poet, and College before going on to a long career at SOM. of Architecture faculty “Myron was not dictatorial; he pro- member, penned a verse vided a soft and gentle guidance to stu- in honor of Goldsmith: dents,” says Baker. “He was highly respected by everyone. His work was so elegant Oh, Goldy! and refined.” Everyone loved Goldy. “Myron brought so much to the students,” He was so important says Robin Goldsmith of her late husband. to the Farnsworth House. She shares the thought she had after her Mies depended on him. first conversation with Myron, more than 60 years ago. 1. A page from Myron Goldsmith’s College On February 19, 2019, “I just met one of the finest people that of Architecture graduate thesis 2. Myron Goldsmith was once again I will ever know,” she recalls having said to Goldsmith’s graduate thesis cover page, recognized along with six herself. —Marcia Faye signed by advisor Ludwig C. Hilberseimer other Illinois Tech luminaries as the latest university Hall

36 SPRING 2019 The Bridge

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Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2019 September 20–21 Join us for a weekend of celebration on Mies Campus!

Reunion Gatherings Calling all reunion classes! Members of the classes of 1969, 1994, and 2009 will share an exclusive luncheon gathering with President Alan Cramb. Members of the Class of 1969 and earlier will have the special honor of becoming members of the Golden Society. Class of 2018, don’t miss your first reunion!

ALUMNI AWARDS—NEW! A new feature of this year’s Homecoming & Reunion Weekend is the annual Alumni Awards ceremony, formerly held each year in the spring. Illinois Tech has been presenting these awards to our most accomplished, innovative, and influential alumni since 1946. Join us on Friday, September 20 to help celebrate their accomplishments!

…And Much More! A carnival, campus tours, lectures, learning opportunities, and a variety of athletic events—don’t miss out on these and many more activities during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2019.

Visit alumni.iit.edu/homecoming for a full schedule and registration.