SUMMER 2014
THE MAGAZINE OF THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
MEET THE CLASS OF ’14... WITH ADVICE FROM THE CLASS OF ’64
AL SO ALUMNI WEEKEND AWARDS GALA, NOMINATIONS FOR 2015 DUE REFLECTIONS OF A TWO-TIME EMMY WINNER
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT HAVE AN IMMEDIATE AND LASTING IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF STEVENS STUDENTS FOR DECADES TO COME. In 2012, Dr. Lawrence T. Babbio ’66, Chairman Emeritus of the Stevens Board of Trustees, issued a $1 million matching gift challenge to channel our pride for the university into generosity. Stevens alumni have since contributed more than $700,000 in matched gifts to scholarships, faculty research initiatives, student clubs and the Stevens Fund. Don’t miss out on your chance to rise to the Chairman’s Challenge by making a gift to Stevens today before December 31, 2014, when the Challenge ends.
Accept the Challenge today at
stevens.edu/makeagift WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE 1:1 CHALLENGE MATCH? • Undergraduate alumni who have never made a gift to Stevens • Undergraduate alumni whose last contribution was before July 1, 2010 • All G.O.L.D. alumni (undergraduate alumni who graduated between 2003 and 2014) • All Graduate alumni who do not also hold an undergraduate degree from Stevens
MATCH REQUIREMENTS • New gifts and pledges of at least $100 ($50 for G.O.L.D. alumni) up to $10,000 per donor made to any fund, school or program • The $10,000 limit is per donor, per fiscal year, not per gift; a donor may make as many matched gifts as he or she wishes within a fiscal year • Please note, corporate matches are not eligible for this giving program • To become eligible for one of Stevens’ giving societies (such as the Edwin A. Stevens Society), donors must meet the minimum donation requirements with their original gift (corporate matching gifts are included)
SUMMER 2014
THE MAGAZINE OF THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
THE MAGAZINE OF THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SUMMER 2014
FEATURES
8 A Night at the Plaza
DEPARTMENTS 4-5 ........................ Presidents’ Corner 6-7.......................... Grist from the Mill 21 ................................... SAA Update
32 ............................................ Clubs 34 .............. Alumni Business Directory 36-37 .......................... Sports Update 38 ......................... Calendar of Events 40 ............................................ Vitals Top Right: Honorees gather, with Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, at the Stevens Awards Gala, held in April at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
The university honored 10 extraordinary individuals at the second annual Stevens Awards Gala, held at the historic Plaza Hotel in New York City. By Beth Kissinger, Editor
11 That Competitive Edge
Retired Intel CEO Craig Barrett examines American economic competitiveness—and what needs to be done to strengthen it—at the fourth installment of the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
By Young Soo Yang, Office of Communications & Marketing
12 Alumni Weekend 2014—“Ad Astra!” Alumni “reached for the stars,” with hundreds turning out for this year's fun-filled and inspiring reunion weekend.
By Lisa Torbic, Associate Editor
15 A Brand New Day
Relive moments from Stevens’ 142nd Commencement this May.
By Young Soo Yang, Office of Communications & Marketing
SUMMER 2014, VOL. 136, NO. 2 Executive Director Michael Smullen
Executive Director Emeritus Anita Lang
Editor
Beth Kissinger bkissing@stevens.edu
Associate Editor
Lisa Torbic ltorbic@stevens.edu
Art Direction/Design
www.Dan Flint Design.com
Additional Art Direction/Design Jason Rodriguez
Published quarterly by
The Stevens Alumni Association, member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. © 2014 Stevens Alumni Association
Indicator Correspondence
The Stevens Indicator Stevens Alumni Association Castle Point Hoboken, NJ 07030 Phone: (201) 216-5161 Fax: (201) 216-5374
Letters to the Editor
Class log submissions
alumni-log@stevens.edu
General SAA inquiries
Contact the Alumni Office Phone: (201) 216-5163 Fax: (201) 216-5374 alumni@stevens.edu
editor@alumni.stevens.edu ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PER ASPERA AD ASTRA
SUMMER 2014 1
FEATURES
16 Top of the Class
Meet six outstanding members of the Class of 2014 and learn about their future plans. And hear from several members of the Class of ’64, who share words of wisdom with our newest alumni.
By Paul Karr, Office of Communications & Marketing
22 Live from Lincoln Center—and Sesame Street
Emmy Award winner Mark Schubin ’71 reflects on his extraordinary 47-year career in television as a top engineer and technologist.
By Beth Kissinger, Editor
From left: Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, left, thanks retired Intel CEO and Chairman Craig Barrett for his presentation at the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series in April; a scene from Commencement 2014; students presented their senior projects—just one of many memorable moments at this year’s Innovation Expo.
On the cover: Six outstanding members of the Class of 2014, photographed in the Babbio Center Atrium. From left: Kelly Freed, Bridgette Barden, Jesus Monegro, Yevgeniy (R.J.)
24-25 Alumni Profiles
Meet several alumni who have achieved much success in their chosen fields and are making an impact at their alma mater.
By Lisa Torbic and Beth Kissinger, Editors
26 Innovation Day
Student innovators grabbed the spotlight at this year’s Innovation Expo, which featured exciting student projects and competitions, faculty research and lectures.
By Young Soo Yang, Office of Communications & Marketing
29 Letter of Thanks
Retiring Stevens Vice President for Development Ed Eichhorn ’69 thanks the alumni for their support of Stevens during his three and a half years as VP.
30 The First 1,000 Days
Stevens President Nariman Farvardin marked his 1,000th day in office on March 26, 2014. Here are some impressive highlights. 2 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
Polunin, Julian Gallo, Ashley Montufar. Photo: Jeffrey Vock
SUPPORT
THE TECHNOLOGY
WORKFORCE of the
FUTURE Access top Stevens talent. Add value to your R&D. When you sponsor a Stevens Innovation and Design team, you get: •
A skilled project team engaged for one purpose only — to address a challenge of significant value to your business.
•
Access to talented young minds, mentored by experienced faculty advisers, who will devise solutions tailored to your specific business needs.
•
Supporting the professional development of the next generations of thinkers and technical leaders.
Our senior design project sponsorships have worked out well for everyone involved. Students learn a great deal working with us on real projects with real timelines. They also gain access to valuable contacts … And we benefit from their knowledge and their alternative approaches to our design problems. - Christopher Erickson, Senior Engineer The Louis Berger Group
Put this talent to work for you The two-semester design project is a chance for Stevens students to apply the knowledge they’ve gained directly to real-world problems. Stevens teams examine design and business challenges from a multi-disciplinary approach, developing novel solutions that recognize your company’s unique context.
Sponsor a Stevens Innovation and Design Team. For details and opportunities, contact:
www.stevens.edu
Steve Smith, Assistant Vice President Corporate and Foundation Relations 201.216.5164 Steven.Smith@stevens.edu SUMMER 2014 3
PRESIDENTS’ CORNER REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS As the academic year and my first year as SAA president come to an end, I am pleased to say that it has been a most rewarding experience. I have had the privilege of serving on the Stevens Board of Trustees as well as being invited to serve on a number of planning committees at Stevens. I have witnessed the launch of Stevens’ new entrepreneurship curriculum, which teaches students across all majors to utilize their education in innovative ways, as entrepreneurship, of course, is the legacy of Stevens. I have learned the inspiring stories of some of our most successful alumni, who were recognized at the recent Stevens Awards Gala. I have attended one of the most successful Alumni Weekends ever planned. And I have watched, with great pride in my heart, the march of our graduating seniors as they accept their diplomas and enter a challenging world. I have also seen first-hand the continued rise of Stevens in so many other ways, including rating 5th in the nation for 20-year net return on investment for graduates in the 2014 PayScale College ROI Report, and ranking very highly in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” 2015 edition. As Stevens rises, so does the Stevens Alumni Association. I am proud to say that, for the first time in our records, more than 1,000 alumni have participated in an event hosted by or coordinated with us during the past academic year. This is an outstanding milestone, and a testament to the strength of our regional and alumni club leaders, our focus on providing high-quality events and programs, and the continuing dedication of more than 40,000 Stevens graduates. From Beijing to London, Hoboken to San Francisco, Houston to Seoul, alumni turnout is increasing, and alumni connections are multiplying. The question now becomes, “Where do we go from here?” More than ever before, the path forward is clear. Under the auspices of the Stevens Strategic Plan, The Future. Ours to Create., we have a detailed picture of what our alma mater hopes to achieve. Now, as we welcome
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the Class of 2014 to the ranks of the Alumni Association, we must be the leaders that our degrees demand of us. We must hire Stevens students at our companies. We must help build new buildings on campus to create the best, most technology-forward learning environment for future students. We must endow chairs to attract and reward the highest caliber faculty. We must put our connections in all ways to the service of Stevens. Finally, we must be philanthropic. Every gift that we make this year, at any level, helps Stevens continue to rise. The newly sponsored SAA Term Legacy Scholarship, for example, provides a means for your donations each year to go directly toward the financial support of our talented students. Being ranked among the top institutions, as well as strengthening support from external organizations, helps Stevens attract and retain the best and brightest students and faculty to our alma mater, and increases the value of our own degrees. This issue of The Indicator is a celebration of outcomes. Where are our graduating seniors going? What have our recent alumni accomplished? How have our most distinguished alumni achieved success? It is also about you. Where were you once headed, and where are you going? I am here, as is the Stevens Alumni Association, to help you reach for the stars.❖
Proudly yours, Per aspera ad astra
Thomas Moschello ’63, M.S. ’65 President, Stevens Alumni Association tmoschello@aol.com
PRESIDENTS’ CORNER
PER ASPERA AD ASTRA Many members of the Stevens family who have been watching Stevens closely over the last decade or more—alumni, friends, faculty and staff—have told me they feel a palpable sense that our motto, Per Aspera Ad Astra, literally, “through adversity to the stars,” is being fulfilled before our very eyes. The challenging times Stevens experienced in previous years are giving way to a tremendous sense of momentum and excitement, bolstered by quantifiable progress across nearly all areas of the University: the size and academic profile of our undergraduate and graduate students; the quality and accomplishments of the faculty; the impact of our research programs; our fundraising efforts; and, importantly, the value of our graduates in the marketplace. Stevens continues to outpace other universities in the number of graduates who get very competitive and often multiple job offers, in the salaries they command, and in their long-term career success. As “the Innovation University®,” Stevens continues to innovate in the educational programs we offer, in our methods of educational delivery, and in the value-added skills and competencies we teach that help distinguish our graduates in the marketplace. A few examples illustrate this point: an innovative program developed at Stevens uses machine learning and “gated” course modules to substantially improve the success rate of freshmen taking calculus courses while keeping the academic requirements high. A patent application has been filed for this program, and a new venture has been created to further develop, test, and commercialize this innovation in new educational settings and in other subject areas. Another innovation is the Freshmen Entrepreneurship course, piloted for the first time in Spring 2014, in which 520 freshmen worked in teams on a new business concept, developed a three-minute “kickstarter video” pitching their idea based on customer input, then experienced running a company through a simulation requiring them to make marketing, financial and operations decisions. On other fronts, a team of undergraduates won a Secretary of Defense-sponsored competition by developing underwater drones to detect unexploded ordnance off the U.S. coastline dating as far back as the Civil War. Multiple news outlets have reported on the debate around high-frequency trading and the future of the industry and market,
and our own Hanlon Laboratory has been called “one of the most advanced Wall Street training programs in the world” as demand for technical expertise in trading grows and trading shifts to being handled electronically. These are just a few examples of the pioneering innovations and educational environment that position Stevens as a cutting edge technological university for the 21st century. And our progress is increasingly being noticed—in the media, by thought leaders in academe and business, and by prospective students. We recently celebrated our 142nd Commencement. I am so proud of our newest graduating class of 2014 and fully confident that these young women and men are prepared to take on the difficult challenges facing our society. They join the ranks of alumni who have achieved success across so many fields and earned Stevens recognition as 3rd in the nation for mid-career salary of graduates and 5th in the nation for 20-year net ROI by PayScale.com. I am honored and privileged to have completed my first 1,000 days as President of Stevens earlier this spring, and to note the tremendous momentum we have achieved in the second year of implementation of our 10-year strategic plan, The Future. Ours to Create. I look forward to your continued participation in your alma mater’s success, and to sharing more good news in the future. ❖
Per aspera ad astra,
Nariman Farvardin President, Stevens Institute of Technology president@stevens.edu 201-216-5213
SUMMER 2014 5
GRIST FROM THE MILL STEVENS RANKED #5 IN NATION FOR ROI PayScale’s 2014 College ROI Report has once again ranked Stevens as a top university for return on investment for students. At #5 in the nation, Stevens maintains its elite status with other universities, placing ahead of Princeton, Dartmouth and Harvard. This year’s report, which was released in March and looks at 20-year ROI, ranks more than 1,300 institutions based on total out-of-pocket costs (taking financial aid into consideration) and alumni earnings. When narrowed down to schools offering engineering, Stevens moves up even higher, to #4. Taking financial aid out of the equation and looking just at “sticker price,” Stevens ranks ninth in the nation. “Over many generations, Stevens graduates have made substantial contributions in industry and in society. These PayScale rankings demonstrate that Stevens graduates do exceedingly well in their careers,” said Stevens President Nariman Farvardin.❖ For PayScale’s 2014 College ROI Report, visit http://www.payscale. com/college-roi/financial-aid/yes
Russell Ford, M.Eng. ’91, Ph.D. ’03, left, a Stevens adjunct professor of environmental engineering, received the Pioneer Award during the 28th annual 2014 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics conference in February. The Pioneer Award honors individuals of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering – and possibly transforming – approaches to major challenges in STEM. Ford is also vice president with CH2M in Cherry Hill, N.J. 6 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
IEEE HISTORY CENTER MOVES TO STEVENS The IEEE History Center, the historical arm of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, has relocated from Rutgers University to the Stevens campus. The move will help both parties take advantage of educational and strategic opportunities for furthering engineering breakthroughs. “The IEEE History Center’s goal is to promote broader awareness and appreciation of engineering and its societal impact through exploring and making known its history. This mission seemed a perfect fit with Stevens’ 144 years of research and education in technological
innovation,” said Michael N. Geselowitz, Ph.D., the Center’s senior director. The Center will be located in the S.C. Williams Library and is affiliated with the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens. The Stevens community will benefit from new courses, exhibits and activities taught and led by the History Center’s six staff members, who are now on campus.❖
ON WORK, WOMEN AND LIFE The Stevens Alumni Association presented its annual Alumnae of Distinction panel in March, featuring five highly successful Stevens alumnae who hold prominent leadership positions in several industries and fields. Pictured, from left, are moderator Beth McGrath, chief of staff and director, community & state relations, for Stevens’ Office of the President; Grace M. Kelly, M.S. ’01, deputy chief executive officer, State of New Jersey Civil
Service Commission; Tammy Rambaldi ’92, director, Information Security and IT Compliance, Johnson & Johnson; Marybeth Lynch ’00, co-founder, Giving Hope Network; Moushmi Culver ’00, executive director, Business Consulting, and chief of staff, Merck Manufacturing Division, Merck; and Priyanka Bawa ’04, vice president and chief of staff for the North America head of Securities & Fund Services Technology, Citi.❖ —Beth Kissinger
GRIST FROM THE MILL
IT HEAD NAMED CIO OF THE YEAR Stevens’ Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information Technology has been recognized as CIO of the Year-Non Profit by the New Jersey Technology Council. David Dodd accepted the honor at the annual NJTC CIO Conference in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Dodd was selected based on a combination of categories including vision, leadership, corporate performance, innovative business achievements and social responsibility. Joining Stevens in August 2012, Dodd has made significant contributions to the strengthening and modernization of Stevens’ technology infrastructure and systems to support academic and administrative requirements at the university, according to Stevens President Nariman Farvardin. Toward that end, Dodd was instrumental in helping Stevens secure $7.25 million in funding support from the State of New Jersey’s Building Our Future Bond Act to upgrade campus IT infrastructure.❖
The Music and Technology program at the College of Arts & Letters at Stevens held an Alumni Day this spring, welcoming alumni back. The group reconnected with friends and faculty.
The Stevens Annual Scholarship Luncheon was held this past spring on campus. Many student scholarship winners were in attendance and got the chance to meet with alumni and other individuals who support their scholarships. Gathering for a photo were, from left: Nancy Settergren, the parent of student Haijun Ramoundos; Joseph Kaminski ’60; Haijun Ramoundos ’15 and Catherine Keough ’14, recipients of the Kaminski Family Endowed Scholarship; Judith Kaminski; and Avgoustas Ramoundos, parent of Haijun. In all, 300 scholarships were awarded for Fiscal Year 2014.
SUMMER 2014 7
Shine at Awards Gala
Left: Cristina Vieira Martinez ’94, far left, was honored with the Young Alumni Achievement Award and celebrated with friends, from left, Deborah Berkley, M.S. ’84, Patty Torres ’01 and Marissa Brock ’01. Top right: Channel 7 Eyewitness News meteorologist Bill Evans, left, served as emcee for the night. Right: A couple enjoying an evening at the Stevens Awards Gala.
8 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
S
tevens pride — and some of the university’s most illustrious alumni — filled the historic Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on April 5, when the university honored 10 people at the second annual Stevens Awards Gala for their extraordinary contributions to Stevens, their professions and the world. More than 400 enthusiastic supporters
were in attendance — a sizable increase from the inaugural event in 2013 — filling the elegant Grand Ballroom to recognize these accomplished individuals, nine of whom are Stevens alumni. BY BETH K ISSI NGER , EDITOR
Recognized for their extraordinary contributions to Stevens were Robert W. Bosse ’50 and A. Joseph Schneider ’46, who both received the Lifetime Service Award, and Richard P. Widdicombe, the longtime Stevens library director, who received the Friend of Stevens Award. With Channel 7 Eyewitness News meteorologist Bill Evans serving as emcee, the audience described the evening as magnificent and a sort of rebirth for the university. Gala photos by Jeffrey Vock and Amy Hand
Honored for their spectacular success in their professions were: David J. Farber ’56, M.S. ’61, a retired Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University who is known as the “Grandfather of the Internet” (Stevens Honor Award); Fernando (Frank) L. Fernandez ’60, M.S. ’61, director emeritus, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and former Stevens professor (Distinguished Alumni Award—Academia and Government); Sang-Beom Han, M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’91, CEO and president, LG Display (International Achievement Award); Jack Lipinski ’72, president and CEO of CVR Energy Inc., CVR Refining LP, and CVR Partners LP (Distinguished Alumni Award—Engineering); Cristina Vieira Martinez ’94, M.Eng. ’96, senior associate, Thornton Tomasetti, and board president, ACE Mentor Program of New Jersey (Young Alumni Achievement Award); Dwight B. Massey ’53, founding partner emeritus of Massey Quick & Co., LLP (MQ) (Distinguished Alumni Award—Business and Finance); and Albert E. Sisto ’71, founder and general partner, Sixth Bridge, LP; investment director, Tern, Plc.; and partner and founder of a number of other companies (Charles V. Schaefer Jr. Entrepreneur Award). Jack Lipinski ’72, far left, received the Distinguished Alumni Award – Engineering and enjoyed the evening with, from left: his daughter Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist in Ladies Figure Skating; his wife, Patricia; and Stevens Trustee John “Sean” J. Hanlon IV ’80 and his wife, Cathy.
SUMMER 2014 9
Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, third from right, gathers with the honorees, from left: Jack Lipinski, Dwight B. Massey, David J. Farber, Robert W. Bosse, A. Joseph Schneider, Cristina Vieira Martinez, Richard P. Widdicombe and Albert E. Sisto. Not pictured are Fernando L. Fernandez and Sang-Beom Han.
HE OU T T CHECK ION FOR EC T LO G S S ROM OTOS F H P E R MO
T he Gala
“Students and young alumni, I hope that you are now convinced that a degree from Stevens Institute of Technology is a passport to a successful career,” said Stevens President Nariman Farvardin. Honor Award winner David Farber is known as the “Grandfather of the Internet” for his own contributions to the development of the Internet. His extraordinary career has included working as a professor at CMU, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California at Irvine and the University of Delaware, as well as with Bell Labs and the Rand Corporation. “Stevens had a large part in what made my career work,” Farber said. He expressed optimism about the university’s future. “I think that it (Stevens) has a very important place in the world. Stevens always produces people who go out and do things.” Emigrating from Portugal and starting Stevens at age 16, Martinez praised many people who have helped her along the way, from her parents to the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program and her many
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mentors at Stevens and at work. Meanwhile, Joe Schneider ’46, a longtime supporter of Stevens and the Alumni Association, marveled at his entry to Stevens 70 years ago, during World War II. “This is certainly a day I will never forget. I never expected to be standing here, or anywhere, at age 90,” he said, to roaring applause. Schneider, who still works at his Guttenberg, N.J., embroidery shop, says that a $350 scholarship to Stevens changed his life. Today, he’s a fervent supporter of student scholarships. The Stevens Awards Selection Committee selected the honorees, having received some 350 resumes, said committee chair Wayne Monsees ’71. The 2015 Stevens Awards Gala will return to the Plaza Hotel on March 28, 2015. To nominate someone, visit www.stevens.edu/ awards or see The Indicator’s back inside cover. ❖ To nominate someone for the 2015 Stevens Awards and to read more about the recent Gala, visit www.stevens.edu/awards
RETIRED INTEL CEO EXAMINES U.S. ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS
BY YOUNG SOO YANG, STEVENS OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
W
He is a strong supporter of the Common Core, a national initiative to establish consistent academic standards across the U.S. Another positive sign, Barrett said, is the increased role of universities like Stevens. Nurturing interest among K-12 students in STEM opportunities is one priority of Stevens’ strategic plan. Stevens’ Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education has become a national leader in K-12 engineering education and STEM education research. Aside from fixing the nation’s schools, Barrett said that the federal government’s failure to create the conditions necessary for innovation will slow economic growth for years to come. The last great economic surge in the U.S., he Dr. Craig R. Barrett, center, the retired CEO and chairman of said, occurred during the adIntel, headlined the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series in ministration of President Bill April. Greeting him are U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.), left, Clinton, and was largely due and Stevens President Nariman Farvardin. to the transformative impact of the Internet. As he pointed out, public schools. Despite “pockets of brilliance,” the Internet was the invention of government Barrett said the biggest threat to the country’s research and a prime example of the federal economic future is the overall poor quality of government’s essential role in funding basic K-12 education. scientific research. Barrett, who is president and chairman of And while more countries are increasing BASIS School Inc., a charter school group in their R&D budgets, the U.S. is going in the Arizona, argued that K-12 public schools in opposite direction, a trend that greatly alarms the U.S. don’t focus enough on outcomes, such Barrett. as test results. By creating competition, he said The stakes are high for the U.S., Barrett that charter schools force public schools to said—global leadership, economic prosperity, change for the better. and educational and entrepreneurial opportuBarrett said there is reason for optimism. nities that attract the world’s best talent. ❖
ith the addition of nearly three billion people into the free market economy from liberalized countries in Asia and Eastern Europe, competition in the 21st century is—simply put—tough. If the United States wants to maintain its preeminent position in the world economy, it must get serious about growing the nation’s science and engineering workforce and investing heavily in research and development.
That was the core message delivered by Dr. Craig Barrett, the fourth speaker in the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The Stevens community welcomed the former chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation to campus on April 23, 2014, for his talk, “Economic Competitiveness in the 21st Century.” DeBaun Auditorium was filled with faculty, students, alumni and distinguished guests, including U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12 District); and Christopher Daggett, chairman and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Barrett presented an unvarnished picture of an America that is severely challenged to compete against rising economic powers. At the same time, Barrett emphasized the strengths that have made the U.S. an economic superpower and presented steps to secure long-term economic prosperity. Winners and losers of the 21st century economy will be determined by investments in education, R&D, and setting the right environment for innovation, Barrett said. “The 21st century is a century of technology,” he said. “It’s about biotech, it’s about new materials, it’s about IT, and communication. It’s about all those areas of innovation around us. So you’re either involved with that, or you’re not.” The American research university has always played a central role in the country’s matrix of innovation. But Barrett, a leading advocate for improving education, warned that even this national treasure has cause for concern when looking at its major supplier: K-12
For more on the the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series, visit stevens.edu/lecture
SUMMER 2014 11
W
ith more than 800 people attending at least one event for Alumni Weekend, from Friday, May 30, to Sunday, June 1, the Stevens Alumni Association continued to break event attendance records throughout the weekend. Celebrating its 94th year, this year’s theme was “Ad Astra” and Stevens alumni were proud to do just that. Alumni heard about academic success and future plans from the deans and provost at the Academic
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Update Lunch, and listened to seminars about healthcare innovation and political corruption. Kenneth Venner ’84 celebrated his 30th reunion at Stevens in a most unique way. Venner led a talk
on how his employer, SpaceX, is leading the space industry into new territory. Venner is the Chief Information Officer for SpaceX, the innovative, private company based
in Hawthorne, California, that is sending crafts into orbit for NASA and private communications firms. “SpaceX: Building Rockets from the Ground Up,’’ the topic of Venner’s lecture, discussed how the company is doing something revolutionary— building rocket ships that are reusable. About 80 people, including his father, Ed Venner ’56, were in attendance. “It is the perfect example of the
By Lisa Torbic, Associate Editor
Photos by Jeffrey Vock and Amy Hand
value of a Stevens degree,” said Michael Smullen, SAA executive director. “Ken’s success truly illustrates our motto of ‘ad astra’ – Ken literally uses the education he received at Stevens to reach for the stars. He is a great example for other alumni, and I hope many more will return for next year’s events!” “Alumni Weekend 2014 was a great success,’’ said Smullen. “We have continued to grow events that
were well-received last year. And, based on feedback, the decision to move the Alumni Dinner Dance to Pierce Dining Hall in the Howe Center was met with great acclaim.’’ The golden anniversary class, the Class of 1964, enjoyed reunion cocktails and dinner in the S.C. WilKen Venner ’84, the CIO of SpaceX, center, led a popular talk during Alumni Weekend.
SUMMER 2014 13
liams Library, where they were joined by President Nariman Farvardin and his wife, Hoveida. Classmates have raised more than $529,000 in commitments to support their class scholarship, setting a high bar that is already challenging the Class of 1965 to do better. More than a dozen other classes held anniversary celebrations throughout the Weekend as well. Graduates of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) members cruised the Hudson and enjoyed the photo-taking opportunity as the boat sailed near the Statue of Liberty. Farvardin gave his “State of Stevens’’ Address to alumni, where he updated them on the tremendous success achieved in the past year, and issued a call to action for alumni to support the university. The Harold R. Fee ’20 Alumni Achievement Awards, given to the most recent reunion classes, were distributed to Dr. Timothy Phelan ’89; Andrew Sachs ’89; Peter J. Bakarich III ’04; and Michael Manzella ’09; and The Stevens Alumni Award was given to Stevens supporter Robert Thoelen ’74 at the Alumni Dinner Dance. Thoelen, a longtime recruiter of Stevens students for his company, UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS), humbly thanked the many Stevens staff and faculty over the past 19 years who have nurtured this successful relationship that has benefitted so many students. The recently retired project manager also recalled what his alma mater gave him: a talent for problemsolving, a love of teamwork, and perseverance. “The things that I have taken from Stevens have been invaluable,” he said. ❖
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2014 Commencement introduces more than 1,600 alumni T
By Young Soo Yang, Stevens Office of Communications and Marketing Photos: Kathy Cacicedo
he Stevens community celebrated the achievements of more than 1,600 graduate and undergraduate students at the university’s 142nd Commencement on May 21, 2014, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Commencement is typically a day that looks forward. This day, however, was also a time to honor those who came before. In one of the more poignant moments of the ceremony, World War II veteran and former Stevens student Kenneth deFerrari was presented with an honorary bachelor of engineering degree by Stevens President Nariman Farvardin. DeFerrari attended Stevens in the 1950s while working at an iron foundry in Mahwah, New Jersey. A job transfer forced him to withdraw from Stevens, just shy of obtaining the necessary credits for graduation. When presented with the framed diploma, deFerrari, who was given a rousing standing ovation, was visibly moved. The graduate Commencement ceremony in the morning kicked off the momentous day as family members and friends beamed with pride as approximately 1,100 degrees were awarded to doctoral and master’s candidates. Spyros M. Polemis ’61, a member of the Stevens Board of Trustees, traveled from England to deliver the graduate Commencement address. The chairman and managing director of Seacrest Shipping Company, Ltd., noted that the day, for him, marked a pinnacle in his illustrious career, having come full circle from receiving his undergraduate degree more than 50 years prior. Born in Greece into a family of seafarers, Polemis said he always knew what he wanted to do in life, which was to work as an engineer in the shipping industry. He advised graduates to do likewise by “choosing to do what you like” and to be “happy at your work.” In their pursuit
of loftier achievements, he urged graduates to avoid seeking superficial knowledge and to gain an intimate knowledge of issues. Later in the afternoon, the IZOD Center was again filled with excitement as family members, friends and well-wishers gathered for the undergraduate ceremony. The undergraduate Class of 2014 continued a tradition that began last year of arriving at the arena by rail on their own “graduation train.” Among the 550 undergraduates receiving their bachelor’s degrees was Jay Weinberg, son of Max Weinberg, best known as the drummer for the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. He was on stage to present the degree to his son. Maggie S. Wilderotter, chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications Corporation, addressed the undergraduate class. Although a graduate of the College of Holy Cross, the New Jersey native has proud Stevens history in her family: her uncles Bob Sullivan ’43 and former New Jersey Departmental Protection Commissioner Richard Sullivan ’49. The message that echoed throughout her speech was to be brave— “brave enough to take a chance, to do the right thing, to know that leadership and humility are not exclusive.” Valedictorian Laura Lemke, who graduated with a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in ocean engineering with a 3.991 grade point average, evoked the theme of hard work and transformation. Looking back on her shyness when she first arrived at Stevens, she marveled at how she could now stand before a large audience to deliver a two-minute speech. Her classmates have also experienced personal growth, she said. Her advice: “Do what you love. Love what you do,” she said. “Anything we choose to do, whether career or personally-related, will require hard work.” ❖
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Several outstanding members of the Class of 2014 gathered inside the Babbio Center Atrium this past April. Pictured, from left, are R.J. Polunin, Bridgette Barden, Jesus Monegro, Kelly Freed, Julian Gallo and Ashley Montufar.
THE CLASS OF '14 READY TO GET TO WORK BY PAUL K A RR , STE VENS OFFICE OF COM MUNIC ATIONS & M ARK E TING PH OTOS BY JEFFRE Y VO CK
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he newest class of Stevens alumni, the Class of 2014, has just entered the next stage of their lives, as they join the work force, start graduate or professional school – all armed with their excellent Stevens education and top-notch skills. Meet several members of the Stevens Class of 2014. 16 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
R.J. Polunin
It seems that R.J. Polunin really understands the phrase “giving back.’’ He’ll soon begin Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, studying to become a general practitioner with an eye toward the health and well-being concerns of military veterans. It’s a subject close to home: Polunin himself is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served for four years prior to entering Stevens. “I have my sights set on primary care,” says the B.S. major in chemical biology, “and hope to focus on work with veterans, maybe work in a VA-type facility. I also have interests in neurology and pain management, which are of great importance to veterans’ hospitals, so that is a good fit for this career as well.” Born in Siberia, Polunin moved to New Jersey at 14. Following high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps as an infantryman, rising to the rank of sergeant. After four years and two tours of duty in Iraq, during which he saw combat, translated Russian communications, and received letters of commendation and medals for achievement and conduct, Polunin began an academic career.
R.J. Polunin will attend medical school at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
At Stevens, his work on tissue-engineered skin grafts with a focus on hair follicle generation with a fellow Stevens student helped the university acquire a patent for a new process, and will soon appear in a book on skin tissue engineering. But his interest in supporting fellow veterans never waned, and he found ways to do so while at Stevens. He helped institute the creation of a new program of support services for the New York VA Medical System. He studied health care education and leadership courses, working closely with Professor Don Lombardi (also a Marine Corps veteran), faculty liaison in the Stevens Veterans Office and director of Stevens’ graduate certificate program in Healthcare Leadership & Management. “R.J. is one of a kind,” says Lombardi. “His integrity of purpose, quest for new learning and selfless leadership on campus reflect both the finest traditions of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Stevens Charter. He made his dream happen at Castle Point.’’ Polunin made the dean’s list every semester, was selected to the Stevens chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Delta premedical-school honor
society, and was selected Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year in 2012. He’s glad he decided to go to Stevens. “I had the most options here, and this was the best education for me,” he concludes. “That meant I needed a fifth year to complete a fouryear degree, but it was the right thing to do. Stevens gives its students great opportunities and takes good care of them both during their academic careers and afterward.” Julian Gallo
Julian Gallo knows how he wants to live his life—with no regrets. So, while at Stevens, he studied abroad in Australia—discussing politics with Aussie cab drivers and bungee jumping 500 feet between two mountains in New Zealand. He started the first new fraternity on campus since 1938. He worked several internships, landing a private meeting with a high-ranking Bank of America executive who reports directly to the banking giant’s CFO. “I don’t think that I could have done more,” Gallo says. This highly driven business and technology major is ready for the next challenge. Gallo joins Bank of America/Merrill Lynch this July as a technology analyst program associate at its 8,000-employee campus in Hopewell, New Jersey. He will work with the technology sector for the global wealth and investment management team—making sure that the technology used by the company’s financial advisers is superior to the competition’s and helps them do their jobs better, he explains. He’s already made a name for himself with his company, where he started as an intern. It was Gallo who introduced “Bowtie Fridays”— a twist on casual Fridays that made him feel more energized, he says. A group of full-timers have embraced the practice. With his infectious enthusiasm, Gallo was also the driving force in founding the first new fraternity on the Stevens campus in 75 years. He met a Kappa Sigma fraternity brother while visiting another university several years ago. So inspired by this fraternity’s focus on service,
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engineering management, plus certificates in both systems engineering and project management. She served as president of the Stevens Student Government Association (SGA), formerly served as president of the campus chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and was a member of Stevens’ successful 2013 Solar Decathlon team. She belonged to both Delta Phi Epsilon sorority and the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. “I didn’t do all this to build my resume,” she explains. “I did it all for the enjoyment of it. I chose Stevens because it was a small school and because I could participate at a high level in so many activities this way. I wanted to make the most of the experience that Stevens has to offer.” In August, Montufar joins ExxonMobil as a project engineer designing laboratory spaces and process in the company’s Clinton, New Jersey, facility. Montufar says she’s excited to make an immediate impact on the industry leader’s new research. “My work will always depend on whatever is currently being researched,” she says, “so it will be ever-changing. That was one of the things that really attracted me to the position.” Montufar already knows her new employer well, having served internships with ExxonMobil in Alabama, Texas and California. Her responsibilities varied, from researching market intelligence and response in Angola and Canada out of the company’s Houston office to redesigning wells on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and analyzing saltwater corrosion in pipelines off the coast of southern California. Of her Stevens experience, Montufar says it was so fulfilling that she made an early decision to remain enrolled for a fifth year in order to complete master’s and certificate programs — a decision she says was crucial during her job search.
Fraternity founder Julian Gallo will work with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
he helped start a chapter here. Kappa Sigma’s Rho Omega Chapter was chartered at Stevens in January 2012. “We do nothing but give back to the community,” Gallo says, with every brother required to do 18 hours of community service each semester. Kappa Sigma now has 70 brothers and won the Interfraternity Academic Excellence Award in 2012 and 2013. But Gallo counts his time away from Stevens as among his most memorable. During his study abroad, he attended Bond University, in Queensland, Australia, but it was the experiences outside the classroom that inspired him most. He met students from across the globe and everyday Australians—straighttalking people who challenged him on American politics. “It was a dream,” he says.—Beth Kissinger Ashley Montufar
Ashley Montufar rarely slows down. But she will soon channel her energy, appropriately enough, into a new career in … the energy industry. Montufar graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in
18 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
Kelly Freed
Four years ago, Kelly Freed was preparing to enter the university from which her sister (Kate Freed Matos ‘08) had graduated two years earlier. She began training for the Stevens crosscountry and track teams, where she would compete for four years. And now, she’s on another track, of sorts: helping software titan Microsoft optimize services and features for an estimated 200 to 300 million Bing search engine users worldwide. In 2012, Freed experienced an “ah-ha’’ moment when she, three other students, and several Stevens faculty and Office of Career Development staff traveled to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the world’s largest annual conference for female technologists, in Baltimore. There, she met with approximately 25 computing firms, including Microsoft representatives. She applied for and received entry into that company’s prestigious internship program and spent the summer of 2013 out west, managing and testing new features and initiatives for Microsoft’s internet search engine Bing. Ashley Montufar, with oil derrick model, will join ExxonMobil.
Kelly Freed will join Microsoft.
SOME CLASS OF 1964 MEMBERS GIVE ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2014 AS THEY BEGIN THEIR CAREERS: BY LISA TORBIC, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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Work sufficiently hard to graduate with a master’s degree or Ph.D. Don’t leave before you do. You’ll never have as much time in the future as you do now, nor as much energy. Go to conferences and present a paper. At the very least, network among the attendees to find possible employers.
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Peter Astor Retired, previously a professor of mathematics, high school math teacher, consulting business owner, and director of hazardous waste studies for a major engineering firm
“To be walking around the halls of Microsoft, as a computing person, was unbelievable,” recalls the computer science major. “And I was handed responsibility for managing actual features that were being tested by Bing users worldwide.” When the internship concluded, Microsoft offered her a permanent position as a program manager on her previous team, bringing projects from ideation to delivery on the Bing platform. She intends to complete her master’s in computer science from Stevens remotely. Her work goal: to help Bing continue its march on search leader Google. Bing’s slice of the U.S. search pie has grown from approximately 15 percent to nearly 18 percent since 2012, and Bing provides approximately 30 percent of all U.S. search results once the 2009 agreement by which Bing powers Yahoo's search engine is factored in. “My role will be to meet with all the different groups — from developers to the design group to back-end developers and the user-interface group — during the various steps of the process of bringing a feature from idea to launch,” she explains. “My job is to bring them all together to make it happen, and to test and analyze features we create. I am fortunate in that Microsoft and Bing have wonderful teams full of great ideas; those ideas are all heard, and the promising ones are acted upon very quickly.” The Stevens Career Development office was invaluable in the jobsearch process, she said. “Not only did they assist with interview skills and resumes, but they were there at the Grace Hopper career event with us, supporting us and advising us throughout,” she says. “We were obviously extremely nervous and their support meant everything.” Jesus Monegro
When Jesus Monegro joins the Minneapolis office of the T.E. Ibberson division of Kiewit, one of the world’s largest contractors, he knows he’ll be ready for the challenges. “Stevens educated me well,’’ he points out.
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I recently heard a talk from David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and author. He spoke of the conflict we all have between resume virtues (the skills you bring, the desire to build and create, the striving for success) and eulogy virtues (the deeper, personal characteristics we wish to be remembered for). Our Stevens education has prepared us well for the former; our internal values and depth of character underpin the latter. So, as the Class of 2014 heads into the workforce, I believe they would do well to acknowledge this duality and to strive to achieve a balance between external success and internal values. Fred Horowitz Retired executive with ExxonMobil Corporation
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Make sure you understand the company goals and policies and your responsibility to meet them. Always maintain good ethics and a positive attitude, regardless of circumstances. List your personal goals and where you would like to be in five, 10, and 20 years, then put a plan in place to meet them. If you see a problem, bring it to management’s attention – don’t just bring a complaint but bring proposed solutions. Take on additional responsibilities – it might be a path to further advancement and shows your enthusiasm to help the company. Don’t be timid about taking chances. Sometimes you may have to go it alone.
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Mike Lettini Retired Boeing aerospace executive
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Unless you have a natural talent to talk a snake out of its skin, always gain as many credentials as you can. I had my PE license for more than 20 years before it became essential. And remember that you are trusted by your word, so always maintain your ethics and deliver on your promises. Many can think outside the box, but a Stevens engineer will write the ‘outside the box formula’ for all to learn.
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Joe Weber MSEE and PE, Division Engineer for ASCO Power Technologies Division, Emerson Network Power, Emerson Electric Co.
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the market-leading manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining systems, in 2013. There, Monegro was tapped for an important two-pronged project designing a mold-feeding system for large castings while authoring new management processes and guidelines in two languages for Victaulic’s casting plant in Chihuahua, Mexico. “That internship threw me right into the water, and I learned how to swim,” he says. And the learning at Victaulic was invaluable. “Kiewit is giving me a chance to be in the field, not just in the office,” he says. “I found out during my internship last summer that I don’t want to sit in a cubicle every day. I want to be a field engineer, out on sites, working hands-on. That’s what I love to do and that’s how I will make an impact.” Bridgette Barden
Jesus Monegro will work with Kiewit’s T.E. Ibberson division.
Monegro will be a field engineer for TEI, a specialist in slip-form concrete construction — massive, single-pour projects that produce nuclear reactor silos, bridges, towers, dams and the like. Monegro, a Dominican Republic native, came to New Jersey in 2006. On campus, he held important roles with the Stevens Philosophy Club, Stevens Culinary Society, Stevens campus chapters of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He’s a brother with Lambda Upsilon Lambda. “Sometimes I’m not sure how I did it all,” says the civil engineering major. “There were definitely a lot of sleepless nights.” But those connections later proved vital, leading him to the offer with Kiewit. “The connection came about during a SHPE conference in Indianapolis,” he remembers. “Kiewit was present at the career fair, and the rest is history.” During the Kiewit interview, Monegro was asked about his real-world experience and he had a good answer: he interned with Victaulic,
20 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
Bridgette Barden’s soccer career at Stevens has been truly remarkable: four consecutive years as an National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-East Region selection, an NSCAA Scholar All-Region selection as a senior with a 3.76 GPA, and a team-leading seven goals (including five game-winners) in her final season as she helped pace the Ducks to a 13th consecutive postseason appearance. Yet, “it has always been ‘school first’ for me,” says the chemical engineering major who heads to California as a systems engineer with defense and aerospace giant Northrop Grumman — a firm she had come to know well as an intern, and one with long ties to Stevens. “I’m so excited about this position for two reasons,” she says. “First, it is in the defense industry, and if any part of my job helps the men and women defending our country, I can feel good about the work I do. Second, I am very interested in complex systems and am always impressed by the incredible intricacy of many of these projects.” “Being able to pursue engineering and also a competitive soccer career were key for me,” Barden says. “School and family always come first for me, but soccer is next. And when I arrived for the visit, it just felt right. The campus was beautiful, and it was a very positive experience being here.” Once coursework began, the rigor and emphasis on teamwork – something she was
accustomed to as an athlete — were an eyeopener. “When they told us, in my first Design I lab, ‘You’re going to build a robot,’ I thought they were joking,” she laughs. “So it was amazing to go home for Christmas just a few months later and share with my family all that I had learned and done. And, yes, I was part of a team that built a robot!” A systems engineering team internship at Northrop Grumman, where she managed payloads for satellites, would foretell her future. Her full-time position with NG, as a systems engineer, will support system architecture design and system-level trade studies. She’ll also perform technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost and risk, and supportability and effectiveness analyses of systems. But Barden wasn’t about all sports and classwork. She was involved with the Stevens campus chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, which is increasing its outreach to schoolchildren. “It’s important to connect with girls when they are young, to show them what the engineering field will look like when they arrive in it, to spark their interest,’’ Barden says. “I was just one of those kids who always asked ‘why?’ And making things work better, making new things that work well, making systems and processes work more efficiently, is what the Stevens education is all about.”❖
Soccer star Bridgette Barden will join Northrup Grumman.
SAA UPDATE
FROM YOUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WHAT IS THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION? “The mission of the Stevens Alumni Association (SAA) is to establish, maintain and cultivate among its members a sentiment of regard for one another and of attachment to Stevens Institute of Technology, and to promote in every way the interests of the Institute.”
LATEST NEWS Goal: 1,200 unique alumni attending events
Formed in 1876 by William Hewitt, Class of 1874, the SAA held its first dinner meeting in 1887, celebrating more than 100 graduates. More than 130 years and 40,000 alumni later, the SAA continues to provide benefits, services and programs to connect Stevens alumni with each other, and with the Institute.
1,000+ so far
INTRODUCING THE NEW STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TERM LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP The Stevens Alumni Association has created a new scholarship for legacy students! The Stevens Alumni Association Term Legacy Scholarship will honor eligible undergraduate students whose parent and/or grandparent received a degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. These scholarships will be awarded during the Fall semester at a special ceremony during Homecoming. Requirements: Must be full time undergraduate students with either a parent or grandparent who received a degree at Stevens. Students must also be in their junior year for 4-year students and/or 4th year for Co-op
Special Announcement: The STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TERM LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP!
students, be in good academic standing, and have a proven record of his or her commitment to and participation in the Stevens Community, with a leadership position preferred. Download the application today at www.stevens.edu/alumni/scholarship
THE OFFICERS OF THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Thomas J. Moschello ’63, President Joseph G. DiPompeo ’98, First Vice President Victoria Velasco ’04, Second Vice President Peter J. Bakarich III ’04, Treasurer
BENEFITS SPOTLIGHT Join the Stevens Alumni Association group on LinkedIn, and expand your professional network to more than 5,000 alumni. Search for alumni by company, location or job title, and see updates from campus about seminars, presentations and events relevant to your career! Sign up today at:
stevens.edu/alumni/social
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PER ASPERA AD ASTRA
SUMMER 2014 21
“Sesame Street”
FROM
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to Kazakhstan Emmy Award winner reflects on 47 years in TV By Beth Kissinger, Editor
tevie Wonder was hired to demonstrate Sony’s new state-of-the-art recording equipment, with Mark Schubin ’71 working the technical side. Schubin and crew were in New York, Wonder was in California, and, when testing began, there was a terrible echo. Sony panicked, as they prepped for a big press launch in New York. Schubin calmly stepped in. He pushed a button and released it a few times. Wonder’s magnificent voice came through clear as day. Many years later, Schubin still smiles at the memory. “The well-rounded education taught me to push the right button at the right time,” Schubin says. The two-time Emmy Award winner has been the man pushing all the right buttons during his extraordinary 47-year career in television. Schubin has served as Engineer in Charge for television programs watched and loved by millions: “Sesame Street,” “Live from the Met,” and “Live from Lincoln Center.” He won his first Emmy for the first international live stereo simulcast, NBC’s “Horowitz: Live,” featuring the piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz, and a second Emmy for the technical design of the “Live from Lincoln Center” series on PBS. Schubin has also received a Peabody Award and the IBC International Honour for Excellence for his work in transmitting telecasts of the Metropolitan Opera around the world. He sits on the Television Academy’s Engineering Committee, which awards Emmys for technological achievements that have made a significant impact on television.
22 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
Most of Schubin’s career has been spent as a freelance technologist, with A-list clients ranging from “The News Hour” on PBS to MTV, the AFL-CIO and the World Book Encyclopedia. He has worked around the world—from Kazakhstan’s first news network to Japan’s first regularly scheduled HDTV broadcast. In his bio, he notes that he “has shot the Rolling Stones, lit Luciano Pavarotti, mixed Stevie Wonder, hooked up the TV in Eric Clapton’s bedroom …” The New York City resident is also a much published writer, lecturer and expert on the latest high-end video production technology. Dr. Lisa Dolling, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens, has gotten to know Schubin recently and describes his visits with her and her colleagues as nothing short of magical. Schubin has been regaling them with stories of both his career and the history of opera, and the impact it has had on current technological developments in media. The highpoint was a recent tour he led them on which covered “every nook and cranny of the Metropolitan Opera House.” “While I could go on and on praising the creativeness, inspiration and brilliance of Mark Schubin, what stands most prominent
in my mind is how he described with such pride the ways he was able to hone those talents during his early years at Stevens and how delighted he was to learn we now had a College of Arts and Letters that is uniquely devoted to fostering and cultivating those same abilities in others,” Dolling says. When Schubin stops by the Alumni Office one late April day, he wants to talk opera. He wears brightly colored pajama-like pants, and his red t-shirt proclaims: “No opera, no X-rays!” (a reference to how Boston Children’s Hospital, at the turn of the 20th century, got its radiology power from the nearby opera house’s electric generator). He speaks quickly and with intense intelligence, but can be quiet and thoughtful at times. His wit can sneak up on you. At one point, he recalls a story about driving with Carroll Spinney (“Sesame Street’s” Big Bird) to a party—and launches into the very loud voice of Big Bird. Schubin is a man comfortable in his own skin. Schubin’s current work includes projects for the Metropolitan Opera, where he first started working in 1973; chairing the Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat program— widely considered the preeminent tech retreat for anyone involved in high-end film and video production; lecturing; and writing stories, among other freelance projects. His first television job came at Stevens, when he pulled cable for live coverage of the university’s centennial convocation in 1967.
Photo by Monika Graff
“I’ve always been asked: ‘What do you know about ____. The answer I always give is: ‘Nothing.’ The questioner asks: ‘Are you willing to learn?’ I say: ‘Sure!’” Schubin could certainly tell many stories of the famous talents he’s brought to television audiences over the years. He seems to have genuine affection for them – and a protectiveness – though he shares some memories. “Luciano Pavarotti was an amazing character,” Schubin says, and a nice guy. The opera legend was sponsoring a voice competition, with the winner to appear in one of his productions. Schubin was the engineer in charge of filming “a day in the life of Pavarotti” – from breakfast to dinner. Another favorite memory: working in the “Sesame Street” studio with Jim Henson and Mark Schubin ’71, in front of the Metropolitan Opera in New York’s Lincoln Center, has served as Engineer in Charge crew. Being less than a foot for “Live from Lincoln Center” and other TV shows beloved by millions across the globe. away from Henson and seeing the master puppeteer truly “beTV was just one of many interests. joined a small company that was installing come” Ernie was always magical, he says. “I was always interested in everything,” pay TV systems in hotels. He then formed But Schubin is just as eager to discuss he says. his own company, Electronics Solutions, his latest passions. One is working with the The Hoboken native, whose parents Inc., which designed and built communi- Metropolitan Opera to bring opera telecasts owned a dry goods store on Washington cations systems. Schubin later became a to Antarctica. The only movie theater on the Street, recalls that perhaps the biggest ben- technical consultant for Lincoln Center and continent has shown the opera transmisefit of his Stevens education was the “non- would bring such innovations as low-light sion, but Schubin and crew have their sights curricular stuff.” He held “just about” every level imaging for television broadcasts and on bringing opera all the way to the South position at the WCPR radio station, wrote for the transmission of operas, captured in Pole – a challenge due to problems with the The Stute, even wrote speeches for President Jess H. Davis. The chemical engineering major also attended classes outside his area and fondly recalls a menagerie of courses, from economics to humanities to psychology. high definition television, to digital cinemas continent’s low-capacity polar satellites. “What’s great was the broadness,” he across the globe. He met his wife there too This man who has helped bring opera – says. “It was learning, basically, to do any- – Karen McLaughlin, a harpsichordist who and some of the most beloved TV shows – to thing.” became producer of many performing arts the world sees the secret of his success as After graduation, he helped start The telecasts at Lincoln Center. simple, yet challenging to so many. Hoboken Herald newspaper with several The engineer’s purpose is to figure out “Be yourself,” Schubin says. “Always tell friends – only to “run it into the ground af- what the problem is and solve it – or find a the truth.”❖ ter three glorious months,” he says. He later new technology that will, Schubin says.
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SUCCESSFUL ALUMNA HELPS PAVE WAY FOR OTHERS
LONGTIME STEVENS RECRUITER HONORED WITH ALUMNI AWARD
J
W
ust a decade out of Castle Point, Priyanka Bawa ’04 has soared up the corporate ladder of Citi—to vice president and chief of staff for the North America head of Securities and Fund Services Technology. This means she’s a technology leader who helps oversee an $82 million budget and manages day-to-day activities related to over 200 technology resources across the globe. Poised and refreshingly honest, she quickly shares a key ingredient of her success. “I believe that it has a lot to do with people,” Bawa says— from professional mentors who believed in her, to her Stevens professors who challenged her, to her parents. “My parents have always instilled a belief: You can achieve anything you want,” she says. “There are no limits.” As she remembers those who have helped her, Bawa, who lives with her husband in Jersey City, is now excited to help others, especially young women. At Citi, Bawa, who earned an M.B.A. from Boston University, cochairs a women’s council that promotes leadership within the company. And she recently shared insights on career and life, as one of five prominent female speakers at the Alumnae of Distinction panel on campus this past March. One of the most valuable aspects of her Stevens Priyanka Bawa ’04 education was the constant requirement that students work together in teams, she says. Bawa urges young alumni to embrace this skill. Other words of wisdom: don’t be afraid to ask for help, and be honest with your manager about what you know, what you don’t know and what you want career-wise. But this driven young woman, who was born in India and moved to Queens, N.Y., in the 11th grade, is not all about work. She’s done volunteer work with middle schoolers in New York City—painting murals and making cards for U.S. soldiers. The experience has enriched her life, she says, and helped her envision her future—starting a charity focused on the welfare of children. “It really brings you back,” she says. “Life is definitely much bigger than day-to-day work.”❖ —Beth Kissinger
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hen Bob Thoelen graduated from Stevens in 1974 and landed at the Hamilton Standard division of United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in Connecticut, he never expected to return to his alma mater in a recruiting capacity. But this “outside of the field’’ moment has turned into a true labor of love. Since 1995, Thoelen has been the recruiting lead for his employer, UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS); he returns to Bob Thoelen ’74 received the Stevens Alumni campus to recruit, seeing if a Award during Alumni Weekend 2014. match can be made to UTAS. Two alumni from the Class of 1996 joined UTAS soon after their graduation; in 2002, the company recruited 12, their largest number. Two Class of 2014 members will be on board soon, making 68 alumni recruited since 1996. “I never thought this (recruitment) was something I would be doing,’’ said the recently-retired project manager for UTAS’ Space Systems business unit. “This aside to my engineering career has been equally fulfilling to me as I get to connect to the younger generation of engineers and I help students come UTC’s way. This is my way of giving back to the company and to Stevens.’’ Because of his dedication and service to Stevens, Thoelen received the Stevens Alumni Award during Alumni Weekend 2014, held this past spring. Thoelen’s career has spanned 40 years at UTAS, the only employer he has known. And it’s not the exact career he originally set out to have. Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., he listened intently as President Kennedy spoke about putting a man on the moon and the words ignited his own passion for space exploration, specifically being an astronaut. “I knew I had to be a part of it,’’ he said. But, he never gave up the dream, only altered it a bit. “I thought if I couldn’t be an astronaut, well, I could be involved in the industry that supported the space effort,’’ he said. Early in his career, he helped to develop, manufacture, and provide field support for the space shuttle’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). But more than half his career was dedicated to supporting activities associated with the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), an astronaut’s spacesuit and life support system. For the past decade, he has been the EMU anomaly resolution manager and a part of the team that provided design, development, and life extension activities for the primary life support system (PLSS) of the EMU, making it interchangeable and reusable. “My career was all I hoped for and more,’’ he said. His future plans include time with the grandchildren, some long-delayed home improvement projects and lots of travel. It looks like he still has a passion for exploring.❖ —Lisa Torbic
ALUMNI PROFILES
VOLUNTEER SOCCER COACH HAS A BALL GIVING
“If you want something done, give it to a busy person.’’ It’s an old saying, but a modern incarnation of it might be Valerie Barnhart ’06. As manager of business systems and analysis with AIG for almost eight years, Barnhart travels to her territory, Europe, many times a year, often for long stretches at a time. She quickly shares that during the first four months of 2014, she’s been in the United States only five weeks, having spent the rest of the time in places like Italy, Germany and Belgium Busy seems to be a word Barnhart has understood well since her days at Stevens. While a student, she played on four athletic teams and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 for lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and equestrian. But even with a hectic work schedule, she still makes the time for Stevens and makes it a point to attend Alumni Weekend, athletic games and sorority events. These days, it seems she is most dedicated and passionate about her work as a volunteer assistant coach for the women’s soccer team, a role she’s held since 2008. Volunteering at Stevens is where she feels she can have the most impact. “I love soccer and this allows me to give back to Stevens in a way that is so easy and fun to do. And I think the students really appreciate the
Valerie Barnhart ’06, wearing the gray T-shirt on the right, loves her job as volunteer assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Stevens.
advice I give. I know that volunteering has helped me grow personally.’’ “I always saw alumni around at different events when I was a student and that really helped inspire me,’’ she said. “I saw them coming back and I wanted to do the same thing when I graduated.”❖ —Lisa Torbic
RETIRED EXXONMOBIL EXECUTIVE STARTS NEW CHAPTER
C
harlie Maguire has seen Flander’s Field on a foggy morning. He’s traveled from Saudi Arabia to China, to the Andes and Australia, opening his eyes to the world. And he enjoyed a “36.8 year” career with ExxonMobil, rising to vice president of engineering, vice president of regional refining, and beyond, always feeling challenged. For this boy from East Newark, N.J.—the son of a first generation Irish-American bricklayer—his four years at Castle Point made all the difference. “Coming here gave me a fantastic opportunity,” says Maguire ’77. “The school was fabu-
lous. What it set me up for was good success in life.” Maguire, of Oak Hill, Virginia, retired as global manager, Safety, Security, Health and Environment, ExxonMobil, this past April, but his work continues. In his busy retirement, he is devoting his formidable talents, and generous spirit, to Stevens. Maguire recently joined the School of Engineering and Science Advisory Board. He and his wife, Colleen, have also established a scholarship for students who otherwise couldn’t afford Stevens. “This is my way to help out the kid who was like me,” he says. Maguire was a National Merit Scholar from Essex Catholic High School in Newark who could never have attended Stevens if it weren’t for a scholarship, he says. Still, he commuted and worked to help cover expenses. His father saw an engineering career for his son as a natural progression, the next generation attaining a better life. At ExxonMobil, he rose through the ranks,
in both technology and refining operations, working at many of ExxonMobil’s 50 plants in North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. He lived in Canada, England and Belgium, and multiple U.S. locations with his wife and three children. Maguire remembers being in awe of the brilliant people he worked alongside. And he admired ExxonMobil’s commitment to technical excellence and business ethics. His father died not long after Maguire graduated from Stevens and never enjoyed retirement. His son looks hopefully to a long, fulfilling new chapter. A favorite activity: the Honor Flights Network. Colleen Maguire has been a dedicated volunteer. The organization flies World War II veterans for free to Washington, D.C., and volunteers accompany them to the World War II Memorial and other D.C. sites. Maguire recently accompanied his wife and veterans from the Chicago area. “It was excellent,” he says.❖ —Beth Kissinger
SUMMER 2014 25
INNOVATION EXPO HIGHLIGHTS SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTS SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS
H
undreds attended this year’s Stevens Innovation Expo, supporting student innovators who presented their bold research and business ideas to local and national entrepreneurs. The annual campus event, organized by the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, is a longtime showcase of the creativity and problemsolving capabilities of student teams that reflect the Stevens approach to science, engineering, business and the humanities.
Provost George Korfiatis said that “the spirit of technology and innovation is alive at Stevens.” The winner of the Project Plan Pitch competition was team POWER for its plan to convert food waste into usable byproducts such as biogas and nutrient-rich compost, which was designed for implementation in the main dining hall at Stevens. Coming in second, team iAgua offered up a solar-powered plan for distributing agricultural water in locations facing economic water scarcity; a global model will be used in a pilot program in Ecuador. The Interactive Flood Wall (IFW) team rounded out the top three with a design, as a direct response to the flood damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, to create an economical and resident-friendly flood plan for Hoboken and Jersey City. In the Elevator Plan Pitch competition, team VEHSHI garnered first place for its design of a system that would monitor bridge safety, designed with the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse in mind. Tying for second place were Simplified Landfill Solutions, which designed a plan to increase the recovery of landfill gas, and Hummingbird First Response team, which pitched an unmanned aerial system to aid first responders in capturing real-time data about a disaster area or damaged structure.
The winning team in each competition won $3,000. Second and third place finishers earned $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The speaker of the first of two lectures—the Thomas H. Scholl Lecture by Visiting Entrepreneurs—was the man for whom the lecture was named. In his lecture, “Building Companies from Scratch: There are Many Paths to Success, but there is a Super-Highway to Failure,” Scholl cautioned entrepreneurs against making “outrageous, over-the-top mistakes,” but encouraged bold action, saying, “When it comes to starting a company, don’t be too timid.” Dr. Domenico Grasso, current provost of the University of Delaware, was a former assistant professor from 1987 to 1988 at Stevens; he addressed “The Future of the American Research University” in his lecture. The public got a chance to see students’ Senior Design Projects, which featured innovations that targeted community, business, defense and security, education and the arts, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, robotics and transportation. One team designed a plan for low-cost robotic forklifts that would increase productivity and increase output at large-scale manufacturing facilities; another designed a low-cost drone system that would cut down on pilot training time. ❖ —Young Soo Yang
To read more about the Innovation Expo, visit http://www.stevens.edu/news/content/innovationexpo-2014-gathers-students-faculty-and-business-ommunity-celebration-technology
26 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
The Innovation Expo featured some bold creations by Stevens students. They included, clockwise starting with opposite page bottom, “Mr. Game: The Chaotic Party Game Where There Are No Right Moves;’’ “VEHSHI: Vibrational Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Instrumentation;’’ “Hydrotreatment of Microalgae Oil for Green Diesel Production in a Microreactor;’’ and “OmniBot,’’ at left.
SUMMER 2014 27
Through Collaboration, Contribute to your class or affinity group scholarship today Do you look back fondly upon your days at Stevens? Still keep in touch with friends from your class and from athletics teams or other groups?
Of course you do. The friendships you made at Stevens last a lifetime. And there’s nothing more satisfying than giving back to future students who also dream of making an impact — and doing it together with your classmates. Fortunately, there’s a long and proud tradition of giving together. Class and affinity group scholarships are an extraordinary example of what Stevens alumni can accomplish when they work together. Each gift to these scholarships makes a real and lasting difference in Stevens’ ability to produce the next generation of scientists, technology leaders, professional engineers, educators and titans of industry…and brings you closer to your classmates and fellow alumni. To view a list of existing class and group scholarships and make a gift, visit:
stevens.edu/makeagift If your class or group is not represented and you would like to create a scholarship in honor of your graduating class or affinity group contact: Melissa Fuest, Director of Annual Giving at mfuest@stevens.edu or 201-216-3346 28 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
A HEARTFELT THANKS
T
o the Stevens alumni community: As many of you know, I have decided to retire from my position as Vice President for Development at Stevens as of June 30, 2014, after three and a half years in this interesting and exciting position. Around the time this issue of The Indicator is printed and delivered to our alumni, I will be off to my next adventure, returning to my healthcare consulting business.
There are many people that I would like to thank for making this opportunity a truly great experience. I would first like to thank the Stevens Board of Trustees, especially Larry Babbio and Steve Shulman, and our President, Nariman Farvardin, for giving me this great opportunity to serve Stevens in this capacity over the past few years. I graduated in 1969 and have been associated with our alma mater for many years as a volunteer, a board member and, finally, as a senior staff member. During all that time, I have never seen more positive changes at Stevens than I have witnessed and been a part of during my time on campus as vice president. I also want to thank all of you who took the time to meet with me and members of my team and have chosen to give a gift of your advice, your time or your financial support to Stevens. Your involvement and your continued commitment will undoubtedly take Stevens to the greater heights envisioned by our strategic plan. I would also like to thank my colleagues
on the University Cabinet for their collaboration and support of the Office of Development. They are all making Stevens an even better place for our students and a place that all alumni can truly be proud of. I would also like to thank my fellow staff members in the Office of Development and the Alumni Office for all of their efforts to deliver the many events and programs we planned to support and engage our alumni and our community. I especially want to thank the members of the Development team who have been with me throughout my time as VP and were willing to share their knowledge of development with me, including Carol Wickham, Mary Rediger, Lisa Rigoux-Hoppe, Zef Ferreira, Amy Krause and Dawn da Silva. Their dedication and professionalism made my job much easier and much more successful than it would have been without their collaboration and support. Lastly, I want to thank my wife Paula for her love and support and for being an important part of the many dinners and events that we at-
Paula and Ed Eichhorn ’69 enjoy the Stevens Awards Gala in April.
tended or hosted on behalf of Stevens. In closing, I ask you to join me in welcoming Brodie Remington to Stevens as our new Vice President for Development. I am confident that Brodie is the right person to lead the Office of Development into its bright and exciting future. Please give him your support as he helps to take our alma mater to even greater heights. All the Best! Ed Eichhorn ’69
GRAD LOG Bosede Omolaya, M.S. ’12, right, chats with Sheila Ahmady ’14, at the Stevens Alumni Association’s Alumnae of Distinction panel in March. Read more about the event on p. 6. Attending the Stevens Career Fair in December were representatives from Credit Suisse, from left, Pratik Joshi, M.S. ’13, Aabha Shah, M.S. ’09, M.B.A. ’10, Katria Misilo ’11 and Rohan Vakharkar, M.S. ’10.
SUMMER 2014 29
1,000 DAYS PROGRESS of
Stevens reached a milestone when President Nariman Farvardin marked his 1,000th day in office on March 26, 2014. Since Farvardin took office as the university’s seventh president on July 1, 2011, Stevens has seen the size and academic caliber of its undergraduate and graduate student populations increase; faculty research flourish; new centers and academic programs launched in strategic areas; alumni re-energized; and fundraising hit new records, among other accomplishments. The following are just some highlights of his first 1,000 days.
JULY 1, 2011
Nariman Farvardin takes office as the seventh president of Stevens Institute of Technology.
Read more at stevens.edu/president
SEPTEMBER 2011
Stevens' “Empowerhouse” team competes in U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, taking first place in the affordability contest.
OCTOBER 2011
Nariman Farvardin is formally inaugurated as president. The university launches the 3-year, $30 million President’s Initiative for Excellence.
NOVEMBER 2011
Strategic Plan and Master Plan initiatives are announced.
SEPTEMBER 2012
APRIL 2012
The state-of-the-art Financial Systems Center is launched, made possible by a significant gift from John “Sean” J. Hanlon IV ’80.
JUNE 2012
New Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is announced.
AUGUST 2012
The Gianforte Family Foundation pledges a $10 million gift to build a new academic complex at Stevens. The Future. Ours to Create., the strategic plan for Stevens 2022, is released.
OCTOBER 2012
Former Lockheed Martin Chairman Norman Augustine delivers the inaugural lecture of the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
The Princeton Review ranks Stevens 13th in the nation for career services.
2011 30 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
2012
FEBRUARY 2014
MARCH 2013
Virginia P. Ruesterholz ’83 is named first female chair of the Stevens Board of Trustees.
SEPTEMBER 2013
Nariman Farvardin is named the 2013 CEO of the Year by the New Jersey Technology Council.
Stevens is selected to compete in the 2015 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—the third consecutive time Stevens has been chosen to compete in the prestigious competition.
PayScale ranks Stevens 3rd nationally for the mid-career salary of its graduates.
MARCH 2014
OCTOBER 2013
Stevens’ “Ecohabit” team finishes second in the U.S., fourth overall, in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.
PayScale’s 2014 College ROI Report ranks Stevens 5th in the nation in 20-year ROI for students. Stevens maintains its elite status with other universities and is ranked ahead of Princeton, Harvard and Dartmouth. Stevens welcomes the IEEE History Center, the historical arm of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, to Stevens. The Center was previously based at Rutgers University.
MAY 2013
Stevens receives $7.25 million from the State of New Jersey to strengthen IT infrastructure. Center for Healthcare Innovation is launched.
MARCH 26, 2014 DECEMBER 2013 JUNE 2013
Record-breaking attendance at Alumni Weekend, signifying the dawn of a new era of heightened alumni engagement. Stevens is ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for its percentage of STEM degrees awarded.
JULY 2013
The President’s Initiative for Excellence successfully concludes, having raised its $30 million target more than one year ahead of schedule. Stevens is named the ECAC Jostens’ Institution of the Year for excellence in academics and athletics.
2013
The Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), led by Stevens, receives a $60 million, five-year IDIQ contract from U.S. Department of Defense.
JANUARY 2014
The Spring 2014 semester at Stevens sees an extraordinary 48 percent increase in full-time graduate enrollment.
Dr. Farvardin marks his 1,000th day in office.
Since Dr. Farvardin marked his 1,000th day in office on March 26, 2014, the trend of progress has continued. Here are some more recent milestones:
APRIL 2014
The university holds its second annual Stevens Awards Gala at the historic Plaza Hotel in New York City, with record attendance, to honor 10 highly accomplished individuals, 9 of whom are alumni.
MAY 2014
The incoming freshman class for Fall 2014 is on track to be the largest and most academically talented in university history.
2014 SUMMER 2014 31
STEVENS CLUBS STEVENS METROPOLITAN CLUB
OKLAHOMA CITY–DALLAS–FORT WORTH CLUB
The Stevens Metropolitan Club gathered at Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J., in March to celebrate several members’ birthdays, including the 90th birthday of Joe Schneider ’46, far right. Presenting him a vintage New York Times, from left, are Marty Valerio ’68 and John Stevens ’72.
As part of our club’s efforts to nurture strong friendships, we recognize birthdays. A special birthday party was held in March at Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J., to honor especially the 90th birthday of Joe Schneider ’46, club treasurer, and the birthdays of members John Stevens ’72 and John Cienki ’63 (still enjoying all that the Seattle area has to offer). The event also celebrated the birthday of Dick Magee ’63, but he was likely readying his reels and rods for the Fishing Club. Thirtyeight people enjoyed this brunch which was, indeed, festive. Eight past SAA presidents attended, as did current SAA President Tom Moschello ’63. The efforts of Marty Valerio ’68 to bring this event to fruition are much appreciated, as is the sponsorship of former Stevens Vice President Henry Dobbelaar. Our club meets usually on the fourth Thursday of every month. We invite you to partake. For more information, please call the Alumni Association at 201-216-5163. ❖ —By Don Daume ’67 For more information on Stevens alumni clubs, contact Priya Vin at priya.vin@stevens.edu
32 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
The Oklahoma City/Dallas-Fort Worth Club, led by Lauren Gutierrez ’12, participated in the 5K Color Run in Oklahoma City in April.
STEVENS CLUBS
OLD GUARD CLUB
Members of the Old Guard Alumni Club met for their spring luncheon, held on campus this past May. The group enjoyed a talk by Vice Provost for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Christos Christodoulatos, Ph.D. ’91.
WASHINGTON, D.C., GRADUATES OF THE LAST DECADE
The Stevens Washington, D.C. G.O.L.D. Alumni Club went indoor go-karting in April. Laughs were had by everyone at the event.
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY ALUMNI CLUB
The Stevens Northern NJ Alumni Club Beer Tasting, led by Lou Nunez ’83, was held at Mason’s Cellars in Rutherford, N.J., on April 24. The group sampled various beers while munching on snacks.
G.O.L.D. ‘WELCOME SENIORS’
The Graduates of the Last Decade program held its annual “Welcome Seniors” event in May. Young alumni from the past decade gave a hearty welcome to the new alumni Class of 2014.
SUMMER 2014 33
ALUMNI BUSINESS DIRECTORY
For more information on the Stevens Alumni Association and its benefits, visit www.stevens.edu/alumni
Since 1951
Store Hours: 7:00 am – 4:30 pm
34 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
Store Hours: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Store Hours: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
ALUMNI BUSINESS DIRECTORY
SUMMER 2014 35
SPORTS UPDATE WOMEN’S ATHLETICS TURNS 40
T
he Stevens women’s athletics program celebrated its 40th anniversary on campus at a special event on March 15. Longtime Stevens women’s varsity fencing coach Linda Vollkommer Lynch also marked her 40th year with Stevens, as alumnae athletes from several decades came back to honor Vollkommer and to salute a women’s athletics program that started with a single women’s varsity fencing team and has grown to 13 women’s sports teams, with a number of NCAA individual championships, 50 conference team championships and an NCAA Woman of the Year. In top photo, gathering with Vollkommer Lynch, from left, are Angie Hankins ’95, Ting Huang, Sue Strauss ’82, Vollkommer Lynch, ToyKen Yee ’85, Laura Paglione ’90, Stephanie Spelman ’11, Emily Freier ’08 and Mary Doddy ’80. Below, Vollkommer Lynch accepts a handmade quilt from her alumnae fencers, who donated fencing t-shirts from throughout the years to make up the quilt.❖
36 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
SPORTS UPDATE
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD FINISHES 10TH AT NCAAs
S
By Justin Lutes and Robert Kulish, Stevens Athletics Communications
tevens’ track & field athletes soared at the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships this past March in Lincoln, Nebraska, with the women racing to their best finish ever.
The 12th-ranked women Ducks finished 10th in the nation, earning a national finish for the second year in a row. Leading the charge were sophomore Amy Regan of Green Brook, New Jersey, sophomore Gladys Njoku of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and junior Amira Dardir of Jersey City, New Jersey. Junior Robert Pinto of Staten Island, New York, was the first-ever men’s track & field qualifier from Stevens at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing 12th nationally in the high jump and clearing 1.94 meters (6 feet, 4.25 inches). Pinto had a remarkably successful season, as he was named the Empire 8 and ECAC Champion in the high jump and recorded the seventh-highest jump in the nation this year. “I’m absolutely thrilled with everything that we accomplished this season,” said head coach Justin Wood. “To see the athletes reach their goals at the NCAA’s and Stevens as 10th at the end of the (women’s) meet was incredibly rewarding.” On the first day of the women’s competition, Regan was fifth in the 5,000-meter run. She finished four seconds off the pace from the third position and narrowly beat out Sophie Goobie of Heidelberg College by .48 Stevens’ Gladys Njoku finished seconds for fifth place in a field of 17 runners. second overall in the high jump Njoku finished second overall in the high at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field jump with a school record of 1.75 meters (5 feet, Championships this past March. 8.75 inches). Njoku went to a jump off with Amy Regan earned two All-AmerAshlee Ward of Misericordia University for the ican performances at the NCAAs national title and cleared 1.74 meters, but Ward this past March, for the 3,000 and prevailed at the 1.76-meter mark to narrowly 5,000-meter runs. win the title. Dardir also competed in the high jump and finished sixth at 1.69 meters (5 feet, 6.5 inches). Dardir tied four other jumpers at 1.69 meters but took sixth due to the number of attempts it took to clear the height. She, like Regan and Njoku, earned All-American honors at the competition. Regan later secured her second All-American performance of the national meet with an eighth place showing in the 3,000-meter run. Regan posted a time of 9:47.27 in a highly contested race. Runners from fifth through eighth places were separated by less than one second at the finish line. Coach Wood is pleased with the direction of his programs and sees big things in the future. “We have a very bright future as a program, with all of our All-Americans and national qualifiers returning and several high caliber recruits on both sides joining us next year,” he said.❖ To see an interview with All-Americans Regan, Njoku and Dardir, visit http://bit.ly/1q6C0uA
SUMMER 2014 37
JULY
12
JULY
SATURDAY SAA Northern NJ Club NJ Jackals vs. Lincoln Baseball Game
24 AUG
20
WEDNESDAY Freshmen Move-in Day
3
14
28
THURSDAY Stevens Metropolitan Club meeting
8
MONDAY SAA Executive Committee meeting
WEDNESDAY Convocation Stevens campus
SUNDAY Orioles vs. Yankees Maryland Alumni Club
AUG
SEP
SEP
SEP
THURSDAY Stevens Metropolitan Club meeting
SEP
25
THURSDAY Stevens Metropolitan Club meeting
For SAA and alumni club events, visit www.stevens.edu/alumni
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 38 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
The
of
GIVING STEVENS to
WHAT DOES JUNE 30 MEAN FOR STEVENS? The end of the fiscal year The Stevens fiscal year (FY), for all operations of the university, begins each July 1 and concludes the following June 30.
WHAT DOES JUNE 30 MEAN FOR YOU? It is the last day to be counted among Stevens’ generous contributors in a given fiscal year. A gift received on July 1, 2014, will count for FY2015. Gifts made on or before June 30 will count for FY2014.
It is an opportunity for you to enhance the prestige of your Stevens degree.
It creates opportunities for the next generation of Stevens students.
Every gift that an alumnus/a makes in a given fiscal year helps Stevens rise in national collegiate rankings, including those in U.S. News & World Report. Being ranked among the top institutions makes all of us proud and brings increased recognition to Stevens.
By making a gift of $10, $100, $1,000, or more, you are helping Stevens attract and retain the best and brightest students and educate and train our future engineers, educators, scientists, and technology and business leaders.
READY TO MAKE A GIFT? Make a gift today by visiting stevens.edu/makeagift. It’s easy and secure. As Stevens continues to build a world-class, student-centric, technological university, we need the active participation and support of our alumni. Join us today and make an investment in Stevens.
SUMMER 2014 39
VITALS MARRIAGES Kiley Rode ’07 to Ariel Kemelman ’04 on Sept. 28, 2013. Kate Santullo ’11 to Taylor Sproul ’11 on March 28, 2014.
OBITUARIES + L. Straus ’39............................ 1/10/13 S.H. Crandall ’42 ................... 10/29/13 + W.G. Wells ’42 ......................... 4/26/14 + H.S. Anderson ’43 ................... 1/30/14 + J.R. Ebel ’43.......................... 12/28/13 J.J. Gleich ’43.......................... 7/12/13 C.F. Eisenhardt ’45................... 3/27/14 + R.H. Perry ’45 ........................... 5/3/14 + J.C. Dodd ’47......................... 10/30/12 + S. Mallard ’48 ............................ 5/1/14 + J.L. Arata ’49 ........................... 2/11/13 + A.C. Lawson ’49....................... 1/20/13 + A.G. Schoenbrunn ’49.............. 11/3/13 + W.A. Sternad ’49...................... 12/6/12 G.H. Blair ’50 ........................ 12/28/13 + R. Cechanek ’50........................ 1/6/13 J.C. Gevas ’50 ......................... 11/6/13 G.H. Blair ’50 ........................ 12/28/13 C.P. DiMaria ’50 .................... 12/15/13 + G.B. Schaeffer ’50 ................... 3/18/13 H.L. Chu ’51............................ 4/18/14 V.A. Kulik. Jr. ’51 ......................1/17/14 + R.M. Smith ’52 ...................... 12/15/13 + E.E. Schott ’52 ........................ 9/21/13 P.H. Langhans ’53 .................12/30/13
+ R. Mach ’55 ............................ 9/21/13
GRADUATE SCHOOL
+ T.F. Pinelli ’56 .......................... 1/29/13
K. Savage, M.S. ’50 ..................... 3/26/13
+ J. Jacobsen ’58 ....................... 4/11/14
W.T. Shymon, M.S. ’51 .................4/23/12
+ R.E. Decker ’59 ......................... 1/8/14
J.A. Ruffing, M.S. ’53 .................. 11/6/13
J.H. Wilson ’59 ........................ 1/28/14
J.P. Amerspek, M.S. ’56............. 12/25/13
H.C. Cook ’60 ............................... 8 /13
A.S. Hall, M.S. ’56 ......................... 2/9/10
+ K. A. Dunphy ’61 ..................... 4/16/14
O. Bloch, M.M.S. ’65 ................... 9/22/13
R.W. Wienk ’65 ........................5/30/12
J.A. Golczewski, Ph.D. ’81 ......... 12/23/13
J.A. Fernandez ’66 .................. 1/23/14
J.A. Fabiano, M.Eng. ’02 ............ 12/12/13
+ H.L. Treffinger ’67 ..................... 1/3/13 + J.P. Der Bedrosian ’70 ............... 2/4/14 D.H. Markert ’72 ........................ 7/9/13
+ OBITUARY IN THIS ISSUE
F.R. Bruchbacher ’72 ................. 9/6/13 + M. Klemchalk ’01..................... 4/10/14
D.J. Bower ’54....................... 10/21/13
SAVE THE DATE 40 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17-18 MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
MAKE YOUR NOMINATION TODAY THE 2015 STEVENS AWARDS NOMINATION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 15, 2014
STEVENS AWARDS 2015 Since the first Stevens Awards were presented more than 70 years ago, Stevens Institute of Technology and the Stevens Alumni Association have recognized alumni and friends for outstanding service and career accomplishment. Past award winners have included famed artist Alexander Calder ’19, award-winning journalist Richard Reeves ’60, Nobel Prize winner Frederick Reines ’39, “Grandfather of the Internet” David Farber ’56, and CEO of LG Display Sang-Beom Han M.S. ’85. In 2013, Stevens created the annual Stevens Awards Gala to further celebrate the accomplishments of our remarkably talented alumni and friends. MAKE YOUR NOMINATION TODAY and help us continue this tradition of excellence in 2015.
SUBMITTING YOUR NOMINATION IS FAST AND EASY!
✓ WEB
stevens.edu/awards
✓
Stevens Honor Award Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. ’36 Entrepreneur Award Distinguished Alumni Awards Young Alumni Achievement Award Lifetime Service Award Friend of Stevens Award
alumni@stevens.edu
✓
Stevens Alumni Association 1 Castle Point Terrace Hoboken, NJ 07030
✓
Outstanding Contribution Award
FAX
201-216-5374
International Achievement Award
To learn more about the award categories or cast your nomination today, visit:
www.stevens.edu/awards SUMMER 2014 41
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