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SPRING 2018 IIT Magazine ALUMNI RESEARCH FROM THE STAGE TO THE STARS Space Elevator Improv Therapy Passive House IIT Magazine SPRING 2018 Contents VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Jess Goode Letter from the Vice Provost for MANAGING EDITOR Marcia Faye Research and Academic Affairs DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES Chelsea Kalberloh Jackson CONTRIBUTORS Jim Daley Olivia Dimmer Amanda Cleary Eastep Richard Harth Steve Hendershot Robin Hunt Luke Siuty ART DIRECTOR/DESIGN Scott Benbrook WEB EDITION Brian Bailey Adrian Cabrera Abbey Vargas IIT MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED 14 TWICE A YEAR 16 BY THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS. Returning from a sabbatical in alumni were instrumental in pioneered modern architecture. © 2018 2007, I vividly remember driving creating a billion-dollar company Colleagues include Nobel IIT Magazine is printed on down 31st Street after having (Cleversafe), according to that laureate Leon Lederman and FSC-certified recycled paper. 10 JPL engineer John Brophy (ME DEPARTMENTS Read it, share it, recycle it. been away for many months. company’s founder, Illinois world-renowned architect John ’78) is making space smaller by SEND LETTERS TO harnessing the power of ions for 02 Letters As I passed under the Metra Tech Trustee Chris Gladwin. Ronan. Faculty also maintain the IIT Magazine tracks, I glanced to my right to In this issue of IIT Magazine, rigorous academic programs that Office of Marketing long-distance celestial travel. 03 Philanthropy News and Communications 04 On Campus see Mies Campus and suddenly you can read about our alumni have served our graduates well. 10 West 35th Street, Suite 4D7-1 14 For Kristin Krueger (Ph.D. PSYC 06 Athletics realized that I was home. Illinois today who are making strides in Our return on investment is one Chicago, IL 60616 ’04), life—and therapy—imitate art. 07 Research Briefs Tech was my home. I’ve never their chosen fields of research, of the best in the country! Our OR EMAIL [email protected] 22 Alumni News forgotten that moment. from Carly Coulson (ARCH ’97), faculty are the cornerstone of our SEND ALUMNI NEWS TO 16 Carly Coulson (ARCH ’97) says 32 Rewind who is exploring “Invisible research efforts and inspire the [email protected] that the most effective green- Since then I’ve often thought Sustainability” in building design, next generation of innovators Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois building sustainability is invisible. about what makes Illinois Tech to John Brophy (ME ’78), an pushing the boundaries of Tech, is a private, technology-focused research university offering undergraduate and graduate special, what makes it better interstellar engineer with NASA’s exploration and discovery. degrees in engineering, science, architecture, 18 Whirr, sizzle, dunk—Mohammed business, design, human sciences, applied than other schools, what makes Jet Propulsion Laboratory. technology, and law. Faraj (EE ’92) and his team determine “The Best” it home. I’ve concluded that the The one common denominator One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of answer is actually quite simple. Staff members across campus I’ve found is that Illinois Tech-ers Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois gadgets for the Hammacher Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions Schlemmer catalogs. It’s the people—the students, distinguish themselves through sincerely and modestly do their that require technological sophistication, an innovative the faculty, and the staff. their dedication to both students best to build an institution that mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit. 20 From air purifiers to aerospace and faculty. They serve as mentors, is stronger and better than when MISSION STATEMENT components, Honeywell’s Scott Our student body is truly To provide distinctive and relevant education in role models, and coaches. They they arrived. They support one an environment of scientific, technological, and Zhang (M.S. MAE ’89, Ph.D. diverse, with students attending volunteer to serve on the Student another unlike anywhere else professional knowledge creation and innovation CHE ’92) works to broaden the today from 100 countries. Our Success Committee, they stay late I’ve been; I’ll be forever grateful Armour College of Engineering company’s research capabilities. alumni include the first-known and show up early. Without them, to those who have unselfishly Chicago-Kent College of Law CORPORATION BY OBAYASHI AND COPYRIGHTED PROVIDED IMAGE African-American chemical College of Architecture the university could not function. assisted me over the years. Our College of Science engineer, Charles Pierce (CHE students, faculty, and staff are Institute of Design 1901); the inventor of the cell I hold a particular affinity for Lewis College of Human Sciences why Illinois Tech is my home. School of Applied Technology phone, Martin “Marty” Cooper (EE my fellow faculty who through Stuart School of Business IIT Magazine ’50, M.S. ’57); and even a former the years have built the first Sincerely, ADA STATEMENT Online-Only Content! president of Lithuania, Valdas private nuclear reactor, developed Illinois Institute of Technology provides qualified individuals Read extended coverage of stories featured in with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in ON THE COVER: Obayashi Corporation’s Adamkus (CE ’61, Hon. Ph.D. ’99). magnetic recording technologies, the print edition as well as special online-only university activities, programs, and services. Such individuals content at magazine.iit.edu technical manager, Akihisa “Aki” Miwa (M.S. More recently our students and established the New Bauhaus, and Christopher White with disabilities requiring an accommodation should call the OR ’83), looks ahead to his company’s futuristic activity, program, or service director. For further information space elevator project. You can find the cover about Illinois Tech’s resources, contact the Illinois Tech Center story on pages 12 and 13. Christopher White came to Illinois Tech in 1995 as a particle physics researcher and was named a tenure-track faculty member in the College for Disability Resources at [email protected]. of Science in 2000. A professor of physics, he has performed high-profile research with colleagues around the world on the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment Collaboration. In 2016 White and other members of the Daya Bay team received the Fundamental Physics Breakthrough Prize for their discoveries. The recipient of several teaching, research, and scholarship awards, White served as chair of the Department of Physics from 2011 to 2013 and was then promoted to vice provost. Letters Philanthropy News not only a medallion but also the beautiful careers. I worked for Goodman for a shadow box in which it was displayed little over four years and left at the time M. Zia Hassan: Alumnus, Mentor, and Friend as well as photos taken at the reunion. the Westinghouse Air Brake Company bought the mining division and the When [my husband and I] opened our remaining part of the company was During his years at the university Hassan counted Zia’s guidance and friendship gifts on Christmas day, I saved the best for renamed Mangood Corporation. Sadly, mentored countless students. Alumni among my life’s great blessings.” last: the gift from IIT (and from me). Rich Goodman along with Crane Company who learned from and admired him was very surprised—and a little confused. (South Kedzie Avenue), Kool-Aid [part honored his Illinois Tech legacy by Elizabeth Durango-Cohen, associate Actually, I was a little surprised, too. What of Kraft Foods Inc.] (South Rockwell establishing the M. Zia Hassan Endowed professor of operations management, I didn’t know was that he had also made Avenue), and many others are no longer Professorship fund, with contributions was invested as the first-ever M. Zia a request for a replacement medallion part of the Chicago employment scene. from more than 65 alumni. The lead Hassan Endowed Professor. Her research through the alumni office. As I explained donor behind the fund, Illinois Tech focuses on the formulation, estimation, what I had done, he was touched by my Thank you, Ron, for allowing me to Trustee Ellen Jordan (PSYC ’79, M.B.A. and analysis of models to support effort to obtain the medallion especially mentally time travel to back then. ’81), served for many years on the boards managerial decision making arising in because my life has been quite busy lately, And I did not have to steal a TARDIS. [Left to right] Past Provost Frances Bronet, M. Zia Hassan of advisors for Stuart School and the the areas of supply-chain management Margaret Bonkowski, wife of as you can imagine. Chuck Hresil (ME ’61) Endowed Professor Elizabeth Durango-Cohen, Illinois Jules F. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center. and nonprofit fundraising. Earlier in Tech Trustee Ellen Jordan (PSYC ’79, M.B.A. ’81), and Richard Bonkowski (EE ’67), sent a John and Mae Calamos Stuart School of Business Dean 2017 she was awarded Stuart School’s thank you letter this past January to Thank you again for your generosity Endowed Chair John F. O. Bilson “Zia is a man for whom I had enormous Excellence in Teaching Illinois Tech President Alan W. Cramb. and for helping with this memorable Write Back! respect, who made an indelible Award in recognition He had responded positively to her Christmas surprise. IIT Magazine welcomes all signed letters to M. Zia Hassan (M.S. IE ’58, Ph.D. ’65) mark on me both personally and of her outstanding inquiry about obtaining a replacement the editor and edits letters for content and dedicated his entire career to Illinois professionally. He was my professor, contributions to students. of her husband’s 50th anniversary In looking over IIT Magazine from fall clarity. Please send correspondence to: Tech. His academic roles included mentor, and more importantly, he Class of 1967 commemorative 2017, the letter from Ron Dickman professor and department chair of was a trusted friend and advisor.