SPOTLIGHT

explained, “In any field, [there are] things that need to be fixed, figured out, or prevented from breaking. What I love is that you can apply the fundamentals of engineering, material science, and science to any problem. The metal in a broken pipe is fundamentally the same as the metal in a hip implant. There are some differences, but you use the scientific method, you use fundamental engineering, and you can solve all these different problems.”

Ganot’s work spans many fields, centered around identifying the root causes of failure using unique and multi-disciplinary approaches rooted in his extensive background. He has run failure analyses on medical devices ranging from catheters to orthopedic implants; investigated gas, oil, and piping systems of transmission and processing, including service ruptures and a Bank of America Building water leak; and evaluated industrial systems’ metallurgical and materials-related failures, from fire sprinklers to elevator shafts and turbine engines.

As a former baseball player and enthusiastic sports fan, Ganot has also analyzed exercise equipment failures and bicycles. Most famously, perhaps, he was a lead author of Exponent’s research and formal report on the “Deflategate” scandal—the footballs used in the 2015 AFC Championship Game—in a 98-page report confirmed by NASA and NHTSA.

Alongside his many commitments, Ganot has attended Bronx Science events and also returned to mentor students on one of the school’s two robotics teams. “I was thrilled at the chance to re-engage. I am blown away by the students,” Ganot concluded. “I’ve definitely got a soft place in my heart for Bronx Science... It’s a wonderful, wonderful place, very special. I still look at myself like I ride the 4 train to school every day.”